My First Large Event - Help

[GreyStone84]

Started off making a simple event that gave you a choice of which prisoner to save. Turned into five events, one of which is 13+ pages, incorporates switches, conditional branches, variables(my first use of them) and parallel process (also my first use!).

I've heard labels are good, but I see limited tutorials on them. One post I saw says that Labels cannot switch pages in an Event. So what I've gathered so far on Labels: they are cannot switch pages in an Event, they are only used in the Event they are created and they can help you jump up and down on one page in the Event. Is this correct, do I have the basics down for Labels? If not, a tutorial or a better explanation on Labels would be great (especially if they are useful to my situation!!!!!).

I didn't mean for this to turn into such a monster, I swear! But now I need help. Obviously tons of pics of pages of Events wouldn't be very efficient to post here. I'm going to try to explain it easily.

BLUE = Comments      GREEN = Working Fine     YELLOW = Problem May Lie Here      RED = Does Not Activate

EVENT 0 (minor event - no problems here)

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EVENT 1 (major event with 13+ pages - pretty sure the problem(s) lie in here)

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CHOICE A - > - EVENT 2 - > - EVENT 1

                                                    |

                          automatically (no user input needed) goes to

                                                    |

                                                EVENT 3 - > - EVENT 1 - > - ENDS EVENT 1

CHOICE B - > - EVENT 3 - > - EVENT 1  

                                                   |              

                              gives the user another choice   

                                                   |   

                                                CHOICE A - > - EVENT 2 - > - EVENT 1 - > - ENDS EVENT 1                                                                                                                                             

                                               

                                                CHOICE C - > - EVENT 2 - > - EVENT 1 - > - ENDS EVENT 1

CHOICE C - > - EVENT 2 - > - EVENT 1 - > - EVENT 3 - > - ENDS EVENT 1

As shown, EVENT 2 and 3 work fine, so I'm sure it's not a problem with the variables/switches/conditional branches. It's only when CHOICE B is activated first.

  - EVENT 3 takes place and when finished nothing else happens. To switch from EVENT 1 to EVENT 2 or 3, EVENT 1 switches to a blank page by an activated Variable inside EVENT 1. Blank page is a Parallel Process which lets EVENT 2 or 3 take place. Normally it switches out of the page just fine by another Variable, one set inside each EVENT 2 and 3 and goes back to EVENT 1. The Parallel Process page part is important because they are the ones I can move around which adjusts which path will work (I talk about it below). Also, it seems that is where it is stopping the processing because when EVENT 3 ends, I can walk around and get to the menu, etc. But the EVENT never finishes.

Okay - Spent some hours playing with this before I posted. I've been moving pages around on my EVENT 1 - the 13+ pages event. So I can move a couple of the pages around - they happen to be the two Parallel Process pages - where I can either get the EVENT 2 or the EVENT 3 to work, but not both. CHOICE C ALWAYS works!! I should point that out. No matter where I put the two P.P pages, CHOICE C always completely works. As well as one of the other two choices. Although I did come across one instance that actually stopped both CHOICE A and B from working, but again, CHOICE C worked just fine. 

I am figuring it has something to do with the order the pages are in. Just for giggles, I even copy and pasted the entirety of EVENT 1 backwards (since it is said that the program reads from highest to lowest) but that resulted in the exact same thing... I think. That dumb move was a few hours ago and I ended up putting EVENT 1 back in it's original order and didn't think to document it.

ANY ideas/help would be appreciated. lol... ugh.

 

[Shaz]

Yeah - too much to read.


If it's not working properly, and has gone from a single event to five, including one of 13 pages, then it's best that we just start over, rather than try to examine all your events and where things might have gone wrong.


Your "diagrams" are also not very helpful, because they give no detail.


Labels are good for jumping to different locations within an event page. They may still be useful. You're only assuming you need multiple events and event pages - you may not (I'd be surprised if you need an event with 13 pages).


Can you explain exactly what you're trying to do - what choices, what consequences? Use "real words", not CHOICE A, CHOICE B, EVENT 1. We're not going to steal your ideas

 

[_Shadow_]

Hey. How about making things more... modular?

Here is a rule.

If something is repeatable, do it a common event.

Then call it from wherever it is needed.

The good thing with common events, is that they are easier to maintain and debug. 

It's pieces of a machine, like gears. Not the whole machine in one event.

The more, the better.

Label: An easy way to go back somewhere. 

It is equivalent to the label of the command GOTO.

Now GOTO makes it easy to tweak code, and do whatever you want.

A Conditional Branch and GOTO (IF and GOTO) makes it possible to do anything easily.

The BIG disadvantage, is spaghetti code (google it). 

You can not understand well what the code does.

It is better to think of what you wanna do, and make it with no Label jumps.

I would use a label jump only if... actually I would not use a Label jump if I could avoid it.

In programming languages, GOTO is useless these days. Since eventing though is a little limited, I am not sure if irt also applies here.

 

[GreyStone84]

@Dreadshadow Thanks for the tip. I'm currently NOT using labels, but have heard they are helpful. I will consider the common event idea, that may be pretty useful here.

@Shaz Sorry about the diagram I'm sure it would have made sense had I not had a LOOOOONG day working on the problem and had remembered to use Post Preview. Now that I see it, it looks horribly jumbled.

I hate putting my ideas out there, but since it would help here it is:

The main event gives you the choice of saving either Prisoner 1, 2, or 3.

If you choose to save Prisoner 1, he decides to kill off P1 anyways, then without giving you a choice, he kills off P2.

If you choose Prisoner 2, he kills off P2 and then gives you another chance to save either P1 or P3. If you save P1, he kills off P1 anyways, if you choose P3 here, he still kills off P1.

If you choose to save P3 in the original choice, he kills off both P1 and P2.

So no matter what you are saving P3.

P1, P2 and P3 are all separate NPC events. When the bad guy kills them, the proper Prisoner Event is called, moved over top of a hole and then "disappears", except for P3 which is only a text Event because you are stuck saving them.

 

[Shaz]

How do you decide who to save? Do you need to go to that particular NPC and have an option to save them, or do you have a controlling event that gives you a Show Choices?


Your 13 event pages, any chance they're set to Autorun and are conditioned by switches or self switches that are turned on by previous pages on the same event, or on other events?

 

[bgillisp]

If I may...I think you can do this with one page. Here's how:

Start out with all the dialogue leading up to the choice, then do a show choices command P1/P2/P3. Inside the brackets for the show choices command, put *everything* that happens, assuming that choice was first. This way you have all the branches in one spot, and it is easier to debug (though it is a little bit of a pain to read through I will admit).

So, in your P3 choice, show all the killing off of P1/P2, and the rescue of P3. In the P2 choice, show the killing of P2, then the new choice of P1/P3, and the respective options. And under the P1 choice, show the killing of P1/P2, then you get P3. Should work.

 

[Shaz]

Yep, I was thinking the same thing, but that assumes a single event gives the choice. You'd have to do it differently if you needed to talk to the NPC to get the option to save them. That'd require 3 events.

 

[GreyStone84]

@bgillisp That would actually probably work. I got caught up in having to go back and forth between events, that I totally spaced on making it all one event like that. I will try it tomorrow and see what I can do with it.

@Shaz Yes, I use a show choices option for picking which person to save. It is autorun with conditional branches and switches. As it seems you agree with bgillisp, again I will try the one event thing tomorrow and report back. I'm pretty sure it will work, but we will see.

 

[Shaz]

Yes, one event to control the whole thing, with additional events with more than one page just for the sprites of the NPCs. If you get stuck, take a look through the blog in the top right corner, under the Hints and Tips section, for an article called "Events Are Not NPCs: The Biggest Mistake in Cutscene Events" - it will show you exactly what we're talking about The only difference is that you'll have Show Choices and I'm not sure if that article does that, or just plays a linear cutscene. I think it's linear, but you should be able to figure it out still.

 

[GreyStone84]

@Shaz You know the stupid part? I helped someone else with a very simple event that he wanted to continuously happen. Basically he wante dhis player to step on an event which triggered a small scene with his character and an NPC. Pretty much the same idea but on a smaller scale. I must have just got confused with all of my events/pages and doodads. lol.


@bgillisp Thank you! It all worked out now that everything is tidied up! I think I just carried away with it.

 

[Sharm]

GreyStone84, please avoid double posting, as it is against the forum rules. You can review our forum rules here. Thank you.  Merged them for you.