How do you make a character suddenly appear?

[PsiioniicVII]

I am having a slight issue with making a character spontaneously appear. I'm sure it's fairly simple, but I currently do not know how to. If someone can help me whenever they get the chance, then thanks!

 

[HumanNinjaToo]

Have the characters event dependant on a switch then turn on the switch when you want it to appear

 

[NoahJMina]

ok so is this character going to be someone who is in your party or do you just want them to apear on the map?

 

[Shaz]

Is this someone you just want to appear for a cutscene and then go away again? Or do you want them to stay around and be able to talk to them?


If you JUST want them to appear for a cutscene and then go again, do this:


- add an empty event to the map, where you want them to appear


- in your event that controls the cutscene, do a Set Move Route and select the empty event from the drop-down list. Use the Change Graphic command to set their sprite.


- add any dialogue you want to happen with the NPC


- when you're ready for them to disappear, do another Set Move Route, select the same event, and use the Change Graphic command again to set the sprite to None.


If you want them to appear at a certain point in the game and stick around after that, do this:


- create your NPC event with the correct graphic and dialogue


- add a switch to the conditions on the left of the event page


- when you're ready for the NPC to appear, turn on that switch.


(some people would have the first page with no condition and no graphic, then the second page would have the condition and the graphic, but that blank first page is not necessary)

 

[kerbonklin]

You can also have that evented person start off with (move route) Transparent ON, and then turn it off when you want them to appear.

 

[PsiioniicVII]

Thanks so much! I am sure that whoever else stumbles on this will be just as happy as I am.

If need be, this topic can now be locked.

 

[Celianna]

Topic re-opened.

 

[PsiioniicVII]

Thank you. And sorry that I had to do this.

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Anyways, I did just as Shaz said:

If you JUST want them to appear for a cutscene and then go again, do this:
- add an empty event to the map, where you want them to appear
- in your event that controls the cutscene, do a Set Move Route and select the empty event from the drop-down list. Use the Change Graphic command to set their sprite.
- add any dialogue you want to happen with the NPC
- when you're ready for them to disappear, do another Set Move Route, select the same event, and use the Change Graphic command again to set the sprite to None.

but the character won't appear, everything else works, though.

 

[Celianna]

HumanNinjaToo's method is the best way to do it. Simply have the first event page (of the event that you want to appear) set to a condition. Use a switch (not a self switch). Set the event graphic to the NPC, and leave everything else blank.


In your cutscene event, when you are ready to make the NPC appear, turn on this same switch, and immediately he'll pop out.


Try reading some tutorials about switches.

 

[PsiioniicVII]

HumanNinjaToo's method is the best way to do it. Simply have the first event page (of the event that you want to appear) set to a condition. Use a switch (not a self switch). Set the event graphic to the NPC, and leave everything else blank.

In your cutscene event, when you are ready to make the NPC appear, turn on this same switch, and immediately he'll pop out.

Try reading some tutorials about switches.

I am going to use your (and HumanNinjaToo's) method. But I want the character to appear after a certain statement is made. That was why I was using Shaz's, since I'm not sure how to do it in your method. And I have been reading up a little on switches (I don't expect to understand it 1, 2, 3).

 

[Berylstone]

That was why I was using Shaz's, since I'm not sure how to do it in your method. And I have been reading up a little on switches (I don't expect to understand it 1, 2, 3).

Just in case you are still unsure how to use the method they described I'll go into a bit more detail.

Create a new event at the spot you want the NPC to appear and in the top left corner you will see a tab called Conditions and beneath that a little box with the word switch beside it.  You click that little box and choose the switch you want to trigger the appearance.  Then go down to the box at the bottom that says graphic and double click it.  Pick the graphic that corresponds to the NPC you want to appear. 

Then in your other event where this certain statement occurs that you want to trigger the appearance -  you turn On that switch using the Control Switches tab under Game Progression on page 1 in your Event Commands.

That should trigger the event page you set up earlier and cause the graphic to show up.

 

[PsiioniicVII]

I am not sure why it still isn't working. I know it's probably something dumb that I did, but I'll just post what I did.

The Main Part

Spoiler

(this was only a page)Conditions:

None

Contents:

(everything before this is just text)

Change Actor Graphic: [whatever I put it as]

Set Move Route: [the other tutorial]

Control Switches: [switch1] = ON

(some more text)

END

The Other Part

Spoiler

(this is 2 pages)Conditions: (page 1)

Switch -> (Switch1)

Graphic:

whatever I put

Content:

Change Transparency = ON

Conditions: (page 2)

Self-Switch: A

Content:

Control Self-Switch: A = ON

(some text)

Set Move Route: [this event]

Change Actor Graphic: [none]

(some more text)

END

I am starting to see where I could have messed up, but I'm still not sure how to fix it... I'll read a bit more about them.

So sorry to be asking all these easy-to-answer questions! (it really stinks to be a novice sometimes...)

 

[Berylstone]

I am not sure why it still isn't working. I know it's probably something dumb that I did, but I'll just post what I did.

The Main Part

Spoiler

(this was only a page)Conditions:

None

Contents:

(everything before this is just text)

Change Actor Graphic: [whatever I put it as]

Set Move Route: [the other tutorial]

Control Switches: [switch1] = ON

(some more text)

END

Spoiler

The Other Part

(this is 2 pages)Conditions: (page 1)

Switch -> (Switch1)

Graphic:

whatever I put

Content:

Change Transparency = ON

Conditions: (page 2)

Self-Switch: A

Content:

Control Self-Switch: A = ON

(some text)

Set Move Route: [this event]

Change Actor Graphic: [none]

(some more text)

END

I am starting to see where I could have messed up, but I'm still not sure how to fix it... I'll read a bit more about them.

So sorry to be asking all these easy-to-answer questions! (it really stinks to be a novice sometimes...)

I wouldn't use a self switch for what Celiana and HumanNinja described. 

Just have two pages for your NPC event and make the first page blank with no graphic.  Then make the second page with a graphic and a switch condition.  That should work as long as you turn the switch that activates page 2 on in your other event where the trigger statement is made. 

 

[Celianna]

You're adding unnecessary things that don't need to be added.


I will explain to you how the event contents window works. Anything you put in there WON'T run/activate unless the trigger of the event has been, well, triggered. So if your trigger was set to action button, that means your 'change transparency = ON' will never actually run. It's a useless command in this case. Event commands in the contents window are all inactive until the trigger of the event is triggered, so whatever you put in there doesn't matter until the event is activated.


However, the options on the left hand side, such as the condition, graphic and autonomous movement, are all active at all times if the event has met its conditions. So if you had 0 conditions checked on the event page, the event graphic is active and will show up in-game. However, if you chose a switch as the event page's condition, and that switch is turned off, the event page is not activated, and the event graphic will not show up. Effectively making it appear blank, until you turn this switch on.


This is what your NPC event should look like:

Now, in your other event, that controls the cutscene and text and whatnot, after you've done your thing (like dialogue), and are ready for the NPC to appear, you will turn this switch on (using the control switches command), and the event will immediately active and your event graphic will appear visible again.


There is no need for messing around with transparency when this is the quickest and most effective way of keeping an event invisible, and making it visible again.


All in all, you shouldn't 'read a little' on switches, you should read everything there is to find about switches and variables. Learn the program. Learn the logic, and then you can easily solve these problems yourself. Please look through our tutorial forum.

 

[PsiioniicVII]

Okay, it works now!

Again, so sorry about re-opening this and asking such easy questions. I knew that I was overdoing it somewhere, I just couldn't figure out where. But thanks for the help!

 

[Shaz]

This thread is being closed, due to being solved. If for some reason you would like this thread re-opened, please report this post and leave a message why. Thank you.


Next time you have trouble, post screenshots of your event (showing the whole event window, not just the commands) so we can see EXACTLY what you did. Your descriptions leave out a lot of information, and I bet if you'd provided screenshots instead, it would have been quickly apparent what you'd done wrong.