In-game computer screen

[Synapse]

Hello, I need some advice. In the game I am working on at the moment I would like the character to be able to look at a computer screen and look in different files for clues. I'm not sure what the best way to implement that would be. So far I've thought of making a parallax map of the computer screen and turning the character sprite into a mouse-pointer to move about the screen. Then they could "click" on event squares representing the different files. This does seem a bit clunky though, and I was wondering if there is a better way.

Any tips gratefully received.

 

[Celianna]

No, no, you were on the right track! It might seem a bit clunky, but honestly, it's a great way of going about things.

If you want to make it more 'compact', then you'd be playing with button presses, pictures, variables, and conditional branches only (with one, or maybe two events). Basically, the gist of it, if the player presses up/down add or subtract 1 from a variable. Use this variable to determine 'where' the cursor is (1 would be folder, 2 would be the other folder, 3 would be internet etc.) and which picture needs to be shown on the screen (for example the cursor being at the 'shutdown' button). Then if the player presses the action button, based on the variable, determine what should happen in a conditional branch.

 

[mlogan]

You could also use a mouse script and use the actual mouse to click on the files, which would be events.

 

[C-C-C-Cashmere (old)]

I think that the method that Celianna described using pictures and such would be a very elegant solution. However, the easiest solution would probably be using the cursor as a character. Be sure to set the speed of the character to a moderately fast one, and maybe even enable diagonal movement if you would like. That would make navigating between icons less of a chore.

 

[estriole]

You could also use a mouse script and use the actual mouse to click on the files, which would be events.

this would solve the strange movement of the mouse. since it's actual mouse.

there's some mouse script that support "ON CLICK" event activate.

 

[mlogan]

Yes, Shaz's script does.

 

[Synapse]

Thank you all for your advice! I'm going to try some of these things out today and see what works.

 

[Philsco]

I recommend Shaz's script.  I've been studying Shaz's script as a reference to making my own, so I think I understand the gist of it (and it's a good script!), but I just want to understand what mouse control functions are what.  Also note that Shaz is VERY active, and even just to me asking if I had the latest version of the script, Shaz responded VERY QUICKLY!  I highly recommend the script.

Also, remember, RPG Maker games are ONLY distributed on windows and Linux computers capable of running Wine, so yeah, there's gonna be a mouse attached.  Just include a quick pop-up (done back in "the old days" via a temporarily displayed and quickly-faded-out message in the form of a pic, now can be done by a script) that lets the player to know to switch to the mouse in real time the first time, and they'll be either one of two ways:
1. "Oh, COOL!  Nice, I didn't expect that functionality...  That's pretty neat, and I haven't seen anything like this!"

2. "OH wadafuq derps why doez I hafta uze anuther inpoot devise?!"  <<< Ignore that guy.  Immersion is fun, so yeah...!

Just do some digging through the script to remove the "move to" function (or leave it, who cares, you should be setting your actor to invis and blocked in a corner, anyway ) and enable the "activate by clicking on it even if the player's not...y'know....nearby" function for events.

\m/ woot, you now have RPG Maker OS.

 

[LootHunter]

Or you can just make a "command line" interface instead of Windows...