Creating that "Mission Briefing" feel

[Aslanemperor]

I'm working with VX Ace, but I also own all previous versions of RPGMaker in case that makes a difference in advice (for instance if there is compatibility with some sort of plugin which will do the trick in an older version)
So, I'm starting to plan out my new project. I decided that I'd base it on a pen and paper game my friends and I play regularly. In this game, we play paranormal investigators in the modern era. That being said, the game has a very mid 80's spy thriller feel about it, in spite of being very modern.
I plan on the game being episodic, with each episode being a single mission. In each game, I'd like to make an old fashioned mission briefing for the opening scene. Maybe have an office background or some sort of letterhead with a coffee stain on it, then have the text come on the screen as through it's being actively typed out (complete with typing sounds.) What I'm wondering about are what the best resources for crafting that sort of opening would be. I need the following:
I need to be able to make a nice little song. I have access to some great resources, but if someone knows of a free or cheap loop creator to suggest, I'd really be interested.
The background seems simple enough. I'm sure I can find a resource like this. Actually, I think I recall something like that in one of the RTPs...
The big thing, and what I'm MAINLY asking about, is the text effect. I have Magix Video Pro X for making movies, but I'm still REALLY new at using it. So far I've only been able to make text fade in or out, but not come typed out on the screen the way I'd like. I'd really like the text to pop up looking like an old school word processor with the green text and the blinking curser that covers the whole typespace: Example from "War Games"

 

[Thefirelion]

I think what you are asking for resources for your project.

In that case, you can request Here it for the pictures and the fonts.

For the textual sound (sound letter by letter) there are already scripts.

For the blinking cursor, you will need a script.

For the fadein or fadeout text, you use a picture.

 

[Phantomsurf]

This thread here shows how to make loop points in OGG files.

 

[TheGentlemanLoser]

which ttrpg? (I used to publish them. Okay, technically I still do but I used to do it full time for a living.)

My game Reclaimer has a "vr" briefing and one technique I used was giving it like a gritty film grain texture so it feels like you're watching a screen that is itself on YOUR screen. That might also work with an 80s setting (tho I am a sucker for 80s VHS styling).

There is a genuinely insane amount (quantity) of incredibly high quality music from extremely talented people available cheap or FREE for use with RPG Maker. For a completely random starting point, try opengameart.org.

You may find a LOT of useful things there actually it's a pretty great site.

I love when people make games about literally anything that isn't the generic shonen save the anime princess/crystal default JRPG plot deal, and it's been great over the last decade or so seeing games about more diverse topics become more and more common to see.

 

[Aslanemperor]

which ttrpg? (I used to publish them. Okay, technically I still do but I used to do it full time for a living.)

My game Reclaimer has a "vr" briefing and one technique I used was giving it like a gritty film grain texture so it feels like you're watching a screen that is itself on YOUR screen. That might also work with an 80s setting (tho I am a sucker for 80s VHS styling).

There is a genuinely insane amount (quantity) of incredibly high quality music from extremely talented people available cheap or FREE for use with RPG Maker. For a completely random starting point, try opengameart.org.

You may find a LOT of useful things there actually it's a pretty great site.

I love when people make games about literally anything that isn't the generic shonen save the anime princess/crystal default JRPG plot deal, and it's been great over the last decade or so seeing games about more diverse topics become more and more common to see.

The game is called "Bureau 13" by Tritac games. Fantastic game, though a lot of how our group plays it is homebrewed or part of an unreleased version (my friend was friends with the guy who started Tritac, and they were working on this version when he passed.)
The game centers around an extragovernmental agency that investigates supernatural incidents to help keep the American people safe. I plan on my game being based loosely on my Roleplay groups adventures! Gonna be lots of fun!

On to the meat of things:
For the technique you mentioned, I didn't see the option to filter the screen. Is that a plugin thing? The VR could work (technically the game is set in the near future with tech being rather advanced since the team has access to experimental tech from the government.), I just like the feel of a text based briefing that has that "destroy after reading" feel to it (if that makes sense to anyone but me.)

I'll certainly check out the site. I do miss the days of early Fruity Loops where you had a list of sounds and you simply placed them on the board at different pitches. That was back in the early 2000's though. I've gotten like 5 different programs that are supposed to work the same, but simply do not.

I certainly agree about making unique games. As a writer, I love to come up with new twists on classic tropes and use them for this particular game system. For instance, one of my characters is a Paladin who wields a Magnum as his "holy sword" and wears a full set of SWAT body armor as his "Holy Armor."

I think what you are asking for resources for your project.

In that case, you can request Here it for the pictures and the fonts.

For the textual sound (sound letter by letter) there are already scripts.

For the blinking cursor, you will need a script.

For the fadein or fadeout text, you use a picture.

I started to take this reply seriously, then I read the last line. Look man, if you're not going to read what I wrote, why respond?

 

[Kes]

I have Magix Video Pro X for making movies

For that you will have to go to the Support web page for that program, you can't expect to get help for it here, which is about support for VX Ace. You might find someone who knows something about it if you post a question in the Useful Development Tools section. And maybe Thefirelion did read your post but misinterpreted it - it happens.

 

[Aslanemperor]

For that you will have to go to the Support web page for that program, you can't expect to get help for it here, which is about support for VX Ace. You might find someone who knows something about it if you post a question in the Useful Development Tools section. And maybe Thefirelion did read your post but misinterpreted it - it happens.

The issue is finding a way to do this on VX Ace. I didn't ask how to do this on my movie maker, I mentioned that I have that software to indicate that if necessary I can make a video. I'm not asking for a tutorial of that system, I'm asking if anyone knows a way to do this sort of thing specifically on VX Ace. It boggles my mind when I see people hone in on one tiny aspect of what I've typed and ignores the context. Did you completely miss the other 4 paragraphs of me explaining what I want?

 

[Kes]

A bit of courtesy goes a long way when you're asking other people to take the time and trouble to help you out. Just saying.

For what you want you will need a script which allows you to change font during the game. You make the switch to a font with the characteristics that you desire and when that's finished with, you revert to the normal font.

EDIT
I've remembered that this doesn't need a script.
Go to Script Call in an event and put this:

Font.default_name = ["Arial"]

Change "Arial" to the font you want

 

[Aslanemperor]

A bit of courtesy goes a long way when you're asking other people to take the time and trouble to help you out. Just saying.

I'm more than happy to be courteous, but I expect that to be reciprocated. For me it's a HUGE pet peeve when someone misinterprets my words because they didn't bother to read the context. So far in this post I've had one person accuse me of requesting resources (which I didn't do) and now another accuse me of asking for technical support for a product I mentioned in passing. I don't mind if people see my post and decide that they don't have the expertise necessary to help me. Eventually it becomes clear that I'll have to try to do things on my own. I DO mind when someone reads one line of a 5 paragraph post and interprets my entire meaning based on that one line. It's REALLY irritating, especially when they then proceed to accusing me of breaking the rules.

 

[Kes]

Okay, now you've got that off your chest, and we know now not to expect any allowance for human error from you, would you care to comment if the Edit in my post fixes your problem or not? Because otherwise, sadly,you give the impression of replying without reading my post in full.

 

[Aslanemperor]

Okay, now you've got that off your chest, and we know now not to expect any allowance for human error from you, would you care to comment if the Edit in my post fixes your problem or not? Because otherwise, sadly,you give the impression of replying without reading my post in full.

Didn't notice you'd edited your post when I was responding. I suppose the question I have is if there's a list somewhere of what fonts are available for Ace?
If there is, where might I find it? I'd noticed that there was an option for changing fonts, but it is posted as though it assumes that whoever is using that particular code already knows which fonts are available.

 

[Kes]

As far as I am aware, no such list exists for 2 reasons.

1. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of fonts out there and who is going to take the time to compile such a list?
2. Any such list will be out of date as soon as it is posted as new fonts are appearing all the time.

My suggestion would be to look at such sits as fontsquirrel and find one which is closest to what you want. You need to check the TOS as not all free fonts allow commercial use, for example. If you're happy with the TOS download and use.

 

[TheGentlemanLoser]

I'm not positive because I've smoked away most of those memories from my past life as a real boy before I was this wretched joyless hate-filled and empty shell of a man, but I have a feeling I met Rich T. on multiple occasions before 2017 at conventions and might have even traded one of my games for a Tritac game that looked interesting to me (only to sit on my shelf with dozens and dozens of other TTRPGs I acquired the same away and never ever played because I literally couldn't find time to play all the games I personally had written let alone all the ones I'd collected) at a convention before he passed away. I am certain I've at least heard of Tritac games, they are a real OG, very 1980s classic, like Palladium, a little before my time definitely but something I was at least vaguely aware of.

For the technique you mentioned, I didn't see the option to filter the screen. Is that a plugin thing?

I'm sure there are multiple plugins that can do it in a more fancy way but I just used a parallel process event with show picture commands. Then I had the 'critical path' events toggle a switch that activates/deactivates the static effect. (From a logic standpoint, the 'loop' is strictly unnecessary.)

 

[Aslanemperor]

As far as I am aware, no such list exists for 2 reasons.

1. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of fonts out there and who is going to take the time to compile such a list?
2. Any such list will be out of date as soon as it is posted as new fonts are appearing all the time.

My suggestion would be to look at such sits as fontsquirrel and find one which is closest to what you want. You need to check the TOS as not all free fonts allow commercial use, for example. If you're happy with the TOS download and use.

Dude, most of the time when a program includes fonts, there is a list. for instance, when I pull up Wordpad, I click a button and a drop down list of all the fonts I could use comes up. Instead of getting snarky and acting like a jerk, maybe just say "You'll have to download the font you need" and then talk about the website you mentioned. Instead of being helpful, you're being hostile.

I'm not positive because I've smoked away most of those memories from my past life as a real boy before I was this wretched joyless hate-filled and empty shell of a man, but I have a feeling I met Rich T. on multiple occasions before 2017 at conventions and might have even traded one of my games for a Tritac game that looked interesting to me (only to sit on my shelf with dozens and dozens of other TTRPGs I acquired the same away and never ever played because I literally couldn't find time to play all the games I personally had written let alone all the ones I'd collected) at a convention before he passed away. I am certain I've at least heard of Tritac games, they are a real OG, very 1980s classic, like Palladium, a little before my time definitely but something I was at least vaguely aware of.



I'm sure there are multiple plugins that can do it in a more fancy way but I just used a parallel process event with show picture commands. Then I had the 'critical path' events toggle a switch that activates/deactivates the static effect. (From a logic standpoint, the 'loop' is strictly unnecessary.)

View attachment 195908

Whoa... You're having to show a picture of each letter? That's certainly far more complicated than I wanted to do. I'm feeling like it would probably be easier just to make a video of text going across the screen to accomplish the same goal. Of course, there are problems with that route as well... I'm going to have to either find a plugin or seriously consider how I want to compromise on this. I certainly can't go the route you're listing here as it would take forever, especially for an entire mission briefing.

 

[Kes]

Getting snarky and acting like a jerk? My friend, take a look in the mirror. A classic case of projection if ever I saw one. If you are so disdainful of those who try to help that you cannot exercise even a modicum of civility I suggest you try to solve your issues on your own. I gave you the code you need and a site you could explore for what you want. You could not bring yourself to acknowledge even this. Dude, I'm out of here.

 

[TheGentlemanLoser]

Are you seriously just being a sarcastic dick? ****ing wow, man. Like, I won't make the mistake of trying to help YOU again but I feel bad for the next random person I'll think twice about trying to help because YOU were such a ****ing dick.

In case you just know nothing about the engine you're using and this was just a misunderstanding, the a, b, c, d, e refers to the five different images I cycle through at different opacities for the static filter. The text is displayed using the Show Text event command y'know LIKE YOU DO TO SHOW TEXT IN RPG MAKER. But my initial read of your post was you clearly know all of this and you're being sarcastic about my using something other than a plugin to accomplish a visual effect. If this is an uncharitable reading, well, it's in the context of the rest of your communication in this thread.

 

[Aslanemperor]

Are you seriously just being a sarcastic dick? ****ing wow, man. Like, I won't make the mistake of trying to help YOU again but I feel bad for the next random person I'll think twice about trying to help because YOU were such a ****ing dick.

In case you just know nothing about the engine you're using and this was just a misunderstanding, the a, b, c, d, e refers to the five different images I cycle through at different opacities for the static filter. The text is displayed using the Show Text event command y'know LIKE YOU DO TO SHOW TEXT IN RPG MAKER. But my initial read of your post was you clearly know all of this and you're being sarcastic about my using something other than a plugin to accomplish a visual effect. If this is an uncharitable reading, well, it's in the context of the rest of your communication in this thread.

Whoa, dude. let's back up a second. I've had nothing negative to say to you this entire thread because you've been nothing but polite and helpful. I've certainly had some negative things to say in response to people who have deliberately misrepresented what I've said or otherwise made a point of being jerks. Kes, for instance, keeps making attacks, then acting surprised when I respond to them. What interaction with you (or any of the people who haven't directly accused me of something and/or directly insulted me) have I made that would make you think I'd act that way to you?

I honestly thought that what you were showing was displaying a picture for each individual character because the text says "show picture" rather than "show text." It doesn't look like what I see when I show a text box. This was compounded because "TheFireLion" suggested that very thing.

Getting snarky and acting like a jerk? My friend, take a look in the mirror. A classic case of projection if ever I saw one. If you are so disdainful of those who try to help that you cannot exercise even a modicum of civility I suggest you try to solve your issues on your own. I gave you the code you need and a site you could explore for what you want. You could not bring yourself to acknowledge even this. Dude, I'm out of here.

Let's recap here: You began your communication by reading one line of my post, then accusing me of posting in the wrong section because you thought I wanted to learn how to use a video maker, even though it was obvious to anyone who was reading the context that I was simply mentioning what tools I already had to work with.
When I explained that taking one line out of context from 4 paragraphs of explanation doesn't make sense, you then said I was "discourteous." You then stealth edited your post while I was typing so that you could make a snarky comment about me not reading your whole post, even though you know VERY WELL that your post didn't say 3/4 of what it said at the time of my response.
When I stated that I hadn't noticed your edit and tried to move on in a more civil tone, you decided to respond like a jerk AGAIN. Look man, if you don't want to help, don't help. But don't come over here acting like you're just some innocent guy trying to be helpful and I'm the mean ol' bad man just snapping at you for no reason. You can't come demanding courtesy, all while being rude with every post you've made.

 

[Kes]

Look man, if you don't want to help, don't help.

How does giving you the code you need to change your font whenever you like (and change back again) and giving you the site where you might find the font you are looking for equal not wanting to help? Using that code allows you to do what you want when you want with minimal work.

I did not "stealth edit" - I clearly typed in uppercase that I was adding an edit to that post. Nothing stealthy about that.

 

[Aslanemperor]

How does giving you the code you need to change your font whenever you like (and change back again) and giving you the site where you might find the font you are looking for equal not wanting to help? Using that code allows you to do what you want when you want with minimal work.

I did not "stealth edit" - I clearly typed in uppercase that I was adding an edit to that post. Nothing stealthy about that.

A stealth edit doesn't mean necessarily that it can't be seen, but rather that you put it in there in such a way as to make the person responding to you look like an ass. In this case, you typed what I quoted: "A bit of courtesy goes a long way when you're asking other people to take the time and trouble to help you out. Just saying.", waited for me to respond, then edited your response so you could then make a snarky "would you care to comment if the Edit in my post fixes your problem or not? Because otherwise, sadly,you give the impression of replying without reading my post in full."
Come on, man. You know what you did. It was dishonest and petty. Even so, I decided I didn't want to push the issue because it would be better to just carry on. I asked you a question on whether there is a list of the preloaded fonts in the program. A simple "The fonts aren't included, you have to download them if you want one" would have been the best way to respond. Instead, you chose to try to act like you didn't understand what I was asking about, then proceeded to post a website that showed you knew exactly what I was asking and just wanted to act like I'm being stupid for asking for clarification.
The thing that boggles my mind is how you think it's okay for you to talk to me however you want to, and even when I don't respond to your jabs you can't drop the attitude. I'm not interested in your help if you're going to act this way. Honestly, I really wish you had left the issue alone because all you've done is managed to give people the impression that my justified irritation at you is also aimed at them, which is in no way true. You're a jerk dude. I'm completely done talking to you.

 

[Kes]

Full of unsubstantiated assertions. I most emphatically did not wait for you to respond and then write to make you look like an idiot. Do not dump your presuppositions on me. I remembered the script call, went straight back here to my post without looking ahead and did the edit. [see my Edit at the end of the post.] The rest of your post reveals what sort of thinking you do that you could so readily ascribe it to someone else. Sheer, unmitigated projection.

You are the one who takes umbrage at the slightest thing. At no stage have you even managed to acknowledge that the code I gave you solved your problem or, if it doesn't, say why not and ask if there is a further way round it. This is the first time that you have admitted that the site I gave you was of any use.

EDIT
You don't have to take my word for it that I did not wait for you to respond and then write to make you look an idiot. Here is the time stamp of my edit.



And here is the time stamp for your post



That's 3 minutes after I posted my edit.