Joining Party Members/Pesky Switches

[mxjennylennon]

I'm working on my game, I'm currently stuck very close to the beginning.

Basically, the game starts and you leave your house and go outside to see one of the actors, who joins your party just to go to the next location, meeting this other character that you fight. You get properly introduced and that party member from the beginning says that he'll be leaving now and you can talk to him at some other place when you meet him, then the character you fought joins your party.

I've got everything down, but self switches and control switches confuse me beyond belief. If you leave that area and go back to your house, that first party member is back there sitting in front.

I'm really sorry if I'm not making any sense at all? I'll post the events if you want me to.

 

[Aoi Ninami]

In the event representing your first party member, put "Control Self Switch A = ON" as the last command. Then start a new event page, use "Self Switch A = ON" as the condition, and leave the graphic and script blank.

 

[Milennin]

You should probably look up a basic tutorial regarding switches, because those are one of the most basic features.

If you want a character to disappear from the map after joining the party, then you make a second page on the character's event and keep it a blank page under the condition of that character existing. As long as that character is in the party, his sprite won't show up on the map any longer as an event.

 

[Sinweaver]

Based on my understanding, there are 2 other actors involved, Hansel and Gretel (just names used as example). You meet Hansel outside your house, and Hansel joins your party to go to a new place where you fight Gretel. After fighting Gretel, Hansel leaves the party and Gretel joins the party. You want Hansel to appear somewhere else instead of the starting zone?

If my understanding is right, then it is something like:

talk to Hansel -> adds Hansel to the party -> turn Hansel event self switch A on -> go to the next map

meet gretel -> fight gretel -> add gretel to the party -> remove hansel from the party -> turn Gretel event self switch on -> go to the next map

Here's some pictures to give you a better idea

Hansel Event 1

Explanations:

Since the page 1 to this event have no condition, it will run automatically, placing the character on the map.

If I am to translate the meaning of the condition in page 1, it will be:

• This event will run if no switch is turned on, AND
• This event will run if no variable is specified, AND
• This event will run if none of the self switch is turned on, AND
• This event does not require any item to run, AND
• This event does not require any actor to run

Once you have done talking, self switch A gets turned on. Since self switch A is on, the condition for page 1 is no longer valid, so the event will run whatever is on page 2 (since page 2 requires for self switch A to be turned on)

The character image on page 2 is the default transparent image because you dont want the actor to be there anymore since he has joined your party

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Gretel Event

Explanation:

Again, page 1 has no condition, so the event will run automatically and place the image of the actor, Gretel, on the map,

Once you fought and defeated her, she joins your party and Hansel leave yours. Self switch A gets turned on for Gretel's event and page 1 will no longer be executed because self switch A has been turn on. 

The thing that is different here is that I used a switch to signal that this event has been completed. Otherwise the Hansel in map 3 will never know when he should/should not appear. 

Then I proceed to add Gretel to the party and remove Hansel from the party.

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Hansel Event 2

Explanation:

This event will only run if the switch "HanselLeftTheParty?" is turned on. 

If you didnt defeat Gretel and come to map 3, you will not see Hansel. This event wont run because the "HanselLeftTheParty?" is not turned on (switches are OFF by default).

Might be a good idea to read up on beginners guide to switches if you want to get a better understanding

 

[mxjennylennon]

You should probably look up a basic tutorial regarding switches, because those are one of the most basic features.

If you want a character to disappear from the map after joining the party, then you make a second page on the character's event and keep it a blank page under the condition of that character existing. As long as that character is in the party, his sprite won't show up on the map any longer as an event.

I already know that part, initially when the first party member joins, he disappears from the map and follows you along. I meant after he leaves, if I wanted him in a different spot than in front of your house like at the beginning of the game.

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Your understanding is correct, that's what I want. I followed these instructions (and you were totally right by putting the visuals in, whenever switches are described in text it confuses me beyond belief.) but now I have another issue.

I've edited the events to look much like yours, but now for some reason, the first party member (Hansel) doesn't disappear from the map anymore, but they used to. Could it be because I'm using a cutscene event and Hansel as a sort of puppet? (I did this because i wanted him to move towards you as you came out of your house.)

I could send screenshots of the events if you like.

 

[Sinweaver]

Please do*

 

[Andar]

I suggest you go back to some tutorials and learn what switches are and what they affect - just editing your events to look like others will rarely work, because even small differences can cause a lot of confusion - as you're currently learning.


And those differences are in your game - most probably you disabled a different switch you used previously just because the pictures used different switches than you need.


The first link in my signature goes to a starting point tutorial that will bring you up to the basics as fast as possible - just understand that this "as fast as possible" still requires you to work through the linked tutorials for a few weeks.


But skipping those basics will cost you a lot more time in development when you're guessing why something doesn't work even if you copied it perfectly.


(just as a fun read: http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/topic/5108-a-good-article-for-you-budding-scripters/ - that excert speaks about scripters, but it applies to everything that has logic, including events)

 

[mxjennylennon]

Please do*

And here's the puppet event.

I suggest you go back to some tutorials and learn what switches are and what they affect - just editing your events to look like others will rarely work, because even small differences can cause a lot of confusion - as you're currently learning.

I've been reading up for the past few weeks, and i completely understand besides my only issues with the self switches and control switches, and the significance of the difference between them?

 

[Sinweaver]

EDIT: Made a careless mistake. Solution removed.

 

[mxjennylennon]

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Okay... So. Somehow things got worse.

Now you start with Brian being invisible, then when he joins your party, he's there in front of you– and also, somehow, your player is stuck in place?? It's as if my Brian event is playing backwards? I have no clue to as how that happened.

 

[Sinweaver]

Read from left to right

top event is for the cutscene (removed all the unnecessary bits in this example)

second event, Brian, is the event to make Brian disappear from the map once he joins the party

Explanation:

Cutscene event: Makes Brian move upwards (or whatever direction you want him to move), then he will make his speech and be added to your party.

Once he is in your party, the cutscene event is no longer needed, so the self switch A for Cutscene is turned on, which will activate the second event page that is empty (nothing is going on). Since Brian has joined the party, we need to let the Brian event know that Brian needs to disappear from the map, so we will turn the "BrianJoinedParty?" switch ON.

Second party may look confusing, but its really quite simple.

First one is just to place Brian on the map. No requirement for the event to run.

Second page is to detect if the "BrianJoinedParty?" switch is ON using parallel processing. If the switch is ON, turn Brian's self switch A to ON.

Third page is pretty self explanatory

I hope you get a better understanding of how you can solve the problem now. Sorry for the mistake earlier 

A very quick 30-seconds demo project to demonstrate that everything should be working https://www.mediafire.com/?8ap3iffcfzqvlcx

Edit: 

You said that your player is stuck in place? Did you used autorun instead of parallel processing by mistake?

Did you set event Priority to "Same as character" or "Below the character". If it is set to "Same as character", you wont be able to walk over the event (imagine trying to walk forward but there is a glass panel between you and your destination). 

 

[Andar]

besides my only issues with the self switches and control switches, and the significance of the difference between them?

The difference is their scope or range.
Self-switches are event-based, which means the self-switch A from event 001 is different from the self-switch A from event 002.


the general switches are project-based, which means that switch 001 will be the same no matter which event controls or checks it.


Example: You make treasure chests, one series with self-switches (same as in quick-event-creating) and one series with normal switches.


The player will be able to open each self-switch chest individually and get a treasure from each. But with the normal switches, the first chest opened will open and disable all chests that use the same switch.

 

[mxjennylennon]

The difference is their scope or range.

Self-switches are event-based, which means the self-switch A from event 001 is different from the self-switch A from event 002.

the general switches are project-based, which means that switch 001 will be the same no matter which event controls or checks it.

Example: You make treasure chests, one series with self-switches (same as in quick-event-creating) and one series with normal switches.

The player will be able to open each self-switch chest individually and get a treasure from each. But with the normal switches, the first chest opened will open and disable all chests that use the same switch.

That makes so much more sense than whatever any other tutorial I've read so far has as am explanation, thank you!

-snip-

It works!

Thank you so much. This was just. Wild. Frustrating, but wild. Everything works like it's supposed to, thank you!