Making interact-able event images stand out.

[lloydsmith]

Greetings,

I am faced with a conundrum at the moment, and I would like to see if anyone can help me solve it. How can you make events, or objects in the game visually look like they can be interacted with to obtain items to the player. This may sound confusing, but its kind of hard to explain. To give an example we are working with, we are using a woodcutting system and want to show the player which trees can be cut down, and which ones cannot. This also includes a few other things than just trees, but this is an example (another would be boxes/barrels/pots). I mainly want to know different techniques, or the best ones to accomplish this. Is this mainly done with the artwork? or should everything (boxes/barrels) have some interaction with the player or just do nothing? Any help with this problem would be greatly appreciated.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

Some people use the sparkle character over objects that contain information or hidden loot.


Other things to do could include having a special color code, like "trees with the yellow branches aren't ready to be cut down yet."

 

[ncognito]

I use the sparkle, just make sure to set stepping animation on it or it wont sparkle lol

 

[Shaz]

If you have a mouse script, you can change the mouse pointer when over that item.

 

[lloydsmith]

Some people use the sparkle character over objects that contain information or hidden loot.

Other things to do could include having a special color code, like "trees with the yellow branches aren't ready to be cut down yet."

Thanks for the reply, how would I go about using this sparkle character? is it an event or script? if so where can i get it or how can i do it? Thanks for your help.

@Shaz, we currently do not have a mouse script. I have seen a few in some script lists, never really looked at it. What does a mouse script do? (sounds kind of obvious but I wouldn't mind an explanation)

Also thanks for the reply shaz.

 

[Vox Novus]

The sparkle/flame/shine (whatever you want to call it) is a graphic for events. You can use it for a graphic for an event placed on something like a bookshelf or table so the player can see it and know its something than can interact with. The sparkle graphic is under one of the flame graphic sets (can't remember which one at the moment).

The basics of a mouse script are of course to add mouse support to a game but it allows (assuming you can change or know how to change) the mouse pointer when it hovers over specific events. For example I recently played Millennium: A New Hope and in the game many interact able events are hidden to the player until they hover the mouse pointer over it and it changes into something else( like a description) so that the player knows something is there.

Something else you could do is simply tell the player what objects they can interact with. For example set a precedent in the beginning of the game that books on tables or shelves are examinable that way the player won't need an indication to know it is something they can interact with. Going along with what Grandmadeb said you could just run an event that first explains what kinds of trees can be cut down that way they know what to look for without needing further indication.

 

[HumanNinjaToo]

You can also create an event to play an animation over an event. Put the animation in a loop, add a wait, and there you go. Set the looped event to parallel process. There's an rtp sparkle anima that I use sometimes. If you change the size to 32 it fits perfectly over an event's tile.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

The easy thing about the sparkle effect is that you will need an event to allow something that looks like a tile to yield a treasure anyways.


So if you are using something that is going to be ordinary elsewhere, like a dresser or tree stump, to be a treasure location, you can have the graphic on the first event page be from the RTP flame charset (stepping animation, as previously noted)and the rest of the animation (on action button) follow through any animation you have for the tile, like these fun edits by Aindra:

So you don't clutter your game up with an additional event, but you also do not frustrate your player by making him walk up to every stump and talking to it! lol

 

[lloydsmith]

I really appreciate all the replies and advice, this really helps me solve one of my problems (ordinary treasure locations). However I still have not figured out a good way to tell the player a specific tree can be cut down. The main problem is that, currently, these trees will look similar to other trees that cant be cut down (basic tree graphic 1x2), even though I have a few unique ones. What I currently use, kind of works, but not good enough. It requires one variable per tree and might become too difficult with many trees. I could use the Sparkle sprite (in the Flame section) on the top of the tree, which also works a bit, but looks kind of weird in my opinion. Here are a few images to get a better idea, the left one has the Sparkle sprite on the top, the right one has my own of a moving axe that stays up only when the tree is up (very difficult system and requires a few variables). I might try marking the "cut-table" trees as darker trees while any lighter ones cannot be cut down. What would flow better or look better? 

 

[HumanNinjaToo]

Are you tile swapping to show the tree has been cut down? Or are the trees events?

You could customize a tree (make it darker) and add the axe over it. Then make the tree into a character and shift the axe a bit in each position. Then you could use the tree character in the image part of the event and change it to a stump after its been cut down. Doing this, you could give the tree event a move route, or turn stepping on, so it'll make the axe look like it's swinging.

 

[Shaz]

Why one variable per tree?

 

[lloydsmith]

I like your idea HumanNinjaToo, I went ahead and made the tree darker and that will signify which trees can be cut down. The axe at the top (if this is what you gathered from it) wasn't to display it being cut down but to display that it can be cut down. I have a question though, how do you tile swap? Each of my trees are events that run different pages when activated (action button), the axe is another event above the tree that is on a parallel process (and dissapears too). So is the sparkle. 

Why one variable per tree?

To use the axe animation above the tree, it requires a unique variable per tree to make one axe disappear, otherwise all of them will disappear. This is the best way I could figure this out, however we might not use it. I would still like to find a better way of displaying which trees can be cut down though.

 

[Shaz]

Why not just use a self switch on each event? Page 1 will have the axe, and turn on a self switch when used, page 2 will be conditioned by the self switch.


Variables are for when you want to count things, and are not necessary to turn things on and off.

 

[lloydsmith]

Why not just use a self switch on each event? Page 1 will have the axe, and turn on a self switch when used, page 2 will be conditioned by the self switch.

Variables are for when you want to count things, and are not necessary to turn things on and off.

A self switch would not work in this instance unless I used HumanNinjaToo's suggestion of tile swapping. Because as I mentioned, the axe is a separate event above the tree. The variable(s) are used to determine if I am cutting down a tree, when its cut down and which tree is being cut down. However like I said, it requires too much to use. I will try to replace it with a tile swapped version, but I have since used a different tree sprite to display which trees can be cut down. I would prefer a better method, but this is the best I could come up with. Thanks for the help shaz. 

Edit: I edited my tree sprites to have 3 Axes on the tops and set it to stepping animation, a little too fast, but better than what I had. Thanks HumanNinjaToo. Much better than my axe animation.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

Well, Lloyd, maybe I am just too slow on the draw with this, but I really do not get why you do not want to use a single event to control the tree image being covered by the chopping axe.


I mean, really, it is just another form of a sparkle, right?


And the fact that it is up one tile isn't a hurdle. You do know that even though only one tile shows up in the map editor that the 64 tall char will be taller in the game?


You just make your character set with the axe 32 wide and 64 tall for each image in the set


(so 3 wide and four tall - it would be 96 wide and 256 tall for a single char set with a $ in front, yes?)


And then no variables or global switches needed.


Unless I am really not getting it. Which is not far fetched. I just hate to see someone miss out on an easy way if we are just crossing signals here.

 

[Shaz]

You can control the speed of the stepping animation (I think) - look at Freq. under Autonomous Movement. (TBH, I only recall using this on actual moving sprites, but it did change the speed of animation)

 

[lloydsmith]

You can control the speed of the stepping animation (I think) - look at Freq. under Autonomous Movement. (TBH, I only recall using this on actual moving sprites, but it did change the speed of animation)

Thanks for that, I will see if it works.

@Deb, I did change it to work with one event, using a stepping animation. To explain it more clearly, I have a tilesheet of multiple trees (different color) and a second one to the right of it (same tree with a white overlay) to signify a white flash on the tree. These images are used as the event graphic, doing exactly as you suggest. I also have three near the bottom with the axe animation, pasted on the tops. Eliminating the need of variables. I have resolved these issues with yours and Shaz's help.

Is this the best way(s) to signify that one tree can be cut down while another (of the same color) cannot? For instance, in a forest Tree A and Tree B can be cut down, but in a town Tree A and Tree B cannot be cut down. Without displaying text.

If there is no other way, I will have to settle with what I have. Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

Well, if it is just that you are having trees in town be mapped regularly and forest tiles be evented to be cut down, then the usual drill is to have an NPC or two make a comment like, "I need some fire wood, but I'll have to go into the woods to cut it. We aren't allowed to cut wood in town." or "By city ordinance, firewood may only be cut outside of town limits." being on a sign somewhere.


That is the way you "drop the hint" so people don't get frustrated trying to cut down the tiles.