Event Glitching: I'm at my wit's end.

[Koi]

I have an event for a boss appearing, and for months this event has been glitching. Like honestly it will behave differently under different circumstances. If I playtest it starting from where the event is supposed to take place, it works fine.

But if I play from a different point in the game, the event may appear several tiles to the right or left, or it moves down further than the set move route is programmed, or instead of moving down towards the player it will just suddenly appear in front of you. I am completely at my wit's end about this because it makes no sense to me.

So here's how the scene is supposed to look:

The wasp thing is supposed to come down slowly after the main character says something.

Here is what the map looks like in the game:

Spoiler

Next, here's the pages for the event up top next to the wasp's tail:

Spoiler

So here's the character saying hey come and get me, then turning on the switch "PERICULUM APPEAR"

The next page (activated by the self switch A) is just erasing the event.

Now after that event, here's the wasp event.

Spoiler

First page:

It's just sitting there off screen, awaiting the next page:

Which is then activated by the PERICULUM APPEAR switch from the talking event previously shown. It's just programmed to play a sound and then move down. And yet, if I play the game from the very beginning all the way through, sometimes it might appear several steps to the right. Or, if I play from the halfway point in the game, it might move down even more spaces than what it is told to. I was thinking perhaps it would be because it's an Autorun? But then, the self switch A brings you to the next page:

So, it's just static. It's just supposed to stay there. No Autorun, nothing. It's just waiting to be switched to the next page. The four boxes around the player on the map are below character trigger tiles that turn on a switch called "CHASE" (which works perfectly).

Voila, the fourth page is now activated by chase, and it works perfectly. Don't mind the contents, it's just that it's going to the next part the game so I reset every switch. And then the 5th page erases the event.

 

Also, the switch "PERICULUM APPEAR" does not appear anywhere else in the game, just in case that's information that's needed.

 

So. Why the hell is it glitching? Why does it only seem to work exactly as it's supposed to if I put the starting point right there? Why does it not do what it's supposed to if you start from a previous point in the game when NOTHING in the earlier parts of the game affect the switches? Why are the ways it glitches seemingly random?

 

Sometimes I've fixed it, where I've literally played through my entire game to this point to check it (and this part comes up in three endings so I have to test all of them) which is about 30 minutes when rushing through it like crazy. Like, YAY IT'S FIXED! But then, out of no where, someone will be playtesting it, and then it will mess up again. And then I check it, and boom, it indeed is messed up.

 

Please help me. I have rebuilt this event more than once in attempts to fix it. And nothing is working. It's unpredictable and maddening. I know I'm getting repetitive but that's just how exasperated I am.

 

[KanaX]

Could you send me a demo with only the maps and resources to replicate the issue?

 

[Warpmind]

As an observation, you could probably simplify things a bit by putting the Autorun event on page 1 of the wasp instead. Too many events on a page can get... weird.
Also, what sort of trigger did you set the, hm, triggering event's page 2 for? Player Touch? Action Button? Autorun?

 

[Koi]

Could you send me a demo with only the maps and resources to replicate the issue?

As I stated, I can't pinpoint was the issue is.

 

As an observation, you could probably simplify things a bit by putting the Autorun event on page 1 of the wasp instead. Too many events on a page can get... weird.

Also, what sort of trigger did you set the, hm, triggering event's page 2 for? Player Touch? Action Button? Autorun?

 

Triggering page two is "PERICULUM APPEAR" which is turned on after event next to it which just makes the character talk.

 

[Andar]

I've only made a quick check, but I already found several parts where you made mistakes.


1) you either use a self-switch to switch off an autorun or parallel process permanently, OR you use "erase event" to temporarily erase the event (until the map is entered again).


You should never combine both like you did with the event in your second spoiler.


2) always consider page priority - highest page number has highest priority and will be the most important one.


That means the "switch off" by turning on a self-switch usually only works because the page the event is switched to is the highest numbered page.


Having that page as a middle page like in your third event might work depending on the conditions for the higher priority pages, but unfortunately you didn't give us full screenshots of the higher priority pages, so we can't check if that part works correctly.


3) An event cannot change position on its own - it can only do so if it's commanded to do so by either an event or a script, or if you changed positions in the editor but have an older map in a savefile.


Have you checked all added scripts for their configuration if one of them uses the switches needed by this event?


Have you checked all other events if you might have forgotten one that changes the values?

 

[Koi]

I've only made a quick check, but I already found several parts where you made mistakes.

1) you either use a self-switch to switch off an autorun or parallel process permanently, OR you use "erase event" to temporarily erase the event (until the map is entered again).

You should never combine both like you did with the event in your second spoiler.

2) always consider page priority - highest page number has highest priority and will be the most important one.

That means the "switch off" by turning on a self-switch usually only works because the page the event is switched to is the highest numbered page.

Having that page as a middle page like in your third event might work depending on the conditions for the higher priority pages, but unfortunately you didn't give us full screenshots of the higher priority pages, so we can't check if that part works correctly.

3) An event cannot change position on its own - it can only do so if it's commanded to do so by either an event or a script, or if you changed positions in the editor but have an older map in a savefile.

Have you checked all added scripts for their configuration if one of them uses the switches needed by this event?

Have you checked all other events if you might have forgotten one that changes the values?

1) The switch "PERICULUM APPEAR" that's activated on that page just turns page 2 of the boss event. They are separate events. The self switch on the former event leads to a second page that just has erase event.

2) The fifth page on the boss event is just erasing the event, activated by switch C, which as the bottom of the contents on the 4th page. Page 4 consists of a cutscene that happens after the boss, so it's not important besides the C switch.

Also, how do I move around the pages? Is there any easy way besides cut and pasting them around?

3) The changed positions for the save file actually makes a lot of sense! But, it glitched when someone was playing from a compressed and exported file.

There are no special or edited scripts that are used for this event or the switches.

I make sure to turn off the switches used in this part right before you access it.

 

[Andar]

The self switch on the former event leads to a second page that just has erase event.

Exactly that is the problem I mentioned.
Either use a self-switch to a page that has no commands, OR use the erase event command WITHOUT a self-switch command (place the erase event where you placed the control switch command).


Combining both commands makes the event harder to read and process and prone to misunderstandings, as a self-switch is usually a way to permanently stop an event and erase event only temporarily stops the event. Please remove one of the mechanisms depending on whether you want the event stopped permanently or be restarted if the map is entered again.

 

[Koi]

Exactly that is the problem I mentioned.

Either use a self-switch to a page that has no commands, OR use the erase event command WITHOUT a self-switch command (place the erase event where you placed the control switch command).

Combining both commands makes the event harder to read and process and prone to misunderstandings, as a self-switch is usually a way to permanently stop an event and erase event only temporarily stops the event. Please remove one of the mechanisms depending on whether you want the event stopped permanently or be restarted if the map is entered again.

Okay, good to know. I'll try it out.

EDIT: Well so far it works! I suppose I'll come back if it does end up glitching again. Thank you though!

 

[Koi]

And, the problem persists. All of your advice worked... for a while. Then the glitch started happening again a week later, and I didn't even do anything to it. I have now actually redesigned the scene, so that the monster doesn't approach you at all, but instead stays stationary and the map tilts upwards to it. So it's very simple, not using a whole bunch of switches and pages.

And yet, the position of the monster is still changing, dependent on when I start the game during the playtest.

So after the camera tilts in the event when I playtest from the previous map (that sends the player here after a battle), this is what happens, how it's SUPPOSED to look:

But, when I playtest it from the very beginning, THIS is what happens:

And I even remade the ENTIRE MAP and the events to make sure that this problem wouldn't keep on happening, and yet the problem just doesn't end. I cannot wrap my head around it.

Okay so to recap on my events:

Here's what the map looks like:

The events on the thorns are just the sunflower graphics. The event in the top left corner is this:

Spoiler

Very simple. All it does is make the character talk and then the screen tilt.

Then, the big line of events and the three above it are trigger tiles for the monster, that cause it to chase you.

Spoiler

I have not ever had a problem with these working, mind you. But I figured it was useful to show everything.

Now, the monster event, which just shows it's tail.

Spoiler

It just stands still. There is no set move route for it, nothing that would cause it to move downwards. It is meant to stay in one position away from you, until triggered to chase by the aforementioned trigger tiles. Which, sets off the next page:

Spoiler

What's below that is just dialogue, and then an Erase Event.

Also, if it matters any, here is the event that transfers you to this map:

Spoiler

The previous page has nothing on it, just the graphics moving around with random autonomous movement, then you walk over trigger tiles that set off "MONSTERS" which of course bring you to this page. This all works fine and stuff. And all of those switches, as I have said before, are just to reset all switches used in the previous part of the game since I like to recycle switches as to not have too many in the database. What's below those switches is a fade in then erase event.

The set move route is so that you will be in the middle of those three trigger events on the boss page, and your follower will be placed beside you. I don't think this has any bearing on the problem, but it might.

Please help me. There is no reason that I can see for the boss monster to be moved down several tiles only if I start the game from a previous point.

 

[Warpmind]

I suspect it's the Erase Event commands you use instead of a self switch followed by a self switch-conditional blank event page, in combination with the transfer player commands.

From what I can tell of the (honestly clunky) Eventing, you're running events, erasing them, then having them respawn again a little later, leading to what essentially boils down to glitching.

 

[Koi]

I suspect it's the Erase Event commands you use instead of a self switch followed by a self switch-conditional blank event page, in combination with the transfer player commands.

From what I can tell of the (honestly clunky) Eventing, you're running events, erasing them, then having them respawn again a little later, leading to what essentially boils down to glitching.

And yet Andar told me to not use self switches to lead to an erase event page, but to just use an erase event just at the end of the page itself. This glitch was also happening when I was doing what you are telling me to do.

And gee thanks for calling it clunky. That doesn't help me understand what about my eventing is wrong. Up till this point, the way I've been eventing has worked fine besides some things here and there where I've learned how to use the program from tutorials and the community.

 

[bgillisp]

No, Andar said to not use self switches to lead to an erase event, but using erase event is honestly a bad idea in the first place, as the event respawns from start every time you load up the map, and should only be used for one time events that you want to run every time someone loads a map. What you should do instead is this:

Bottom of the one time run event: Self switch A = On

Page 2: If Self switch A = on, do nothing (just a blank page, set to action button).

That way the event never runs again, unless you somehow reset the self switch to that event.

 

[Koi]

No, Andar said to not use self switches to lead to an erase event, but using erase event is honestly a bad idea in the first place, as the event respawns from start every time you load up the map, and should only be used for one time events that you want to run every time someone loads a map. What you should do instead is this:

Bottom of the one time run event: Self switch A = On

Page 2: If Self switch A = on, do nothing (just a blank page, set to action button).

That way the event never runs again, unless you somehow reset the self switch to that event.

Guess I misread. I'll try that.

EDIT: Did what you said. Played through the entire game again.

Now it's over here.

 

[Andar]

No, you both misread me.


I said never to mix erase event with the self-switch to empty page technique.


Neither technique alone is bad, but they have different functions. Sometimes erase event is neccessary, and sometimes the self-switch is neccessary.


Back to the problem. I can see two things that can become problematical and the cause.


1) Your monster IS SET to approach the player at fastest speed. If it is nearer to the player sometimes, that simply means the approach had already started earlier than you believed it would. That is a runtime problem depending on other processes, which would also be consistent with that it doesn't happen always and that it depends on the way you enter the map.


And that gets to your second problem: the use of the transfer command.


2) Any transfer command that transfers a player to a DIFFERENT map should ALWAYS be the last command on that event.


There is no such problem when transfering inside a single map, but upon transferring to a new map ALL EVENTs are reset. That includes the event that contained the transfer command and it means that all commands after the transfer are usually ignored (again, that depends on runtime processes and in rare cases some commands, especially delayed commands like set move route, might slit through, but that would only cause more problems on the next map because it will cause runtime randomness.


So please, rewrite your events in a way that the transfer is always the last command - and if you need a set move route after the transfer, that set move route should be in an autorun event on the new map.

 

[bgillisp]

Ok, the only way for that to happen is something has to be moving the event. The best way to set it up is as follows:

Page 1: check the switch Monsters ON, put the sprite here.

Now if you want it to just be sitting there do *nothing* else, at all.

If you do that, it should just stay there, because for it to not be there, something has to be doing a set move route to your event. What, we don't know, but it is there, else it would be at where you tell it to be.

Try that much, without anything else, and see if it stays put.

 

[Andar]

One additional bug: you set the monster to priority "above player" and trigger "player touch".


That can never happen, because the player cannot touch anything that moves above it - you can't touch airplanes, only things nearby (same as player) or what you're standing on (below player)

 

[Koi]

Andar, it worked! Thank you so much.

I'm still weary though, since this is now the third time that it has been "fixed," but hopefully this is the last time that'll be needed.

 

[Koi]

One additional bug: you set the monster to priority "above player" and trigger "player touch".

That can never happen, because the player cannot touch anything that moves above it - you can't touch airplanes, only things nearby (same as player) or what you're standing on (below player)

Also, yes you can. At least in my experience. I have monsters that fly above you with a player touch activation, and within the entire year that they have been a part of my game they have all worked. Including this one. The problem was the position of the monster, not how it interacts with the player.