Parallax Mapping Help - Player wont move!

[deboned]

I've begun tinkering around with parallax mapping and so far I've been able to solve all of the problems I've had; but now I think I've hit a wall.  

I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing wrong here but my player wont move when I start the play through of the game.  I currently have three scripts in use:

http://rmrk.net/index.php/topic,44837.0.html (Modern Algebra's Fix Picture to Map script)

http://yanflychannel.wordpress.com/rmvxa/utility-scripts/parallax-lock/ (Yanfly's Parallax lock)

http://rmrk.net/index.php/topic,44635.0.html (Modern Algebra's Animated Parallox script)

The third script is running perfectly.  I assume Yanfly's is also running correctly but it's hard to tell because it didn't change anything from when I just had MA's Animated Parallox running.  I think I may be doing something wrong with the Fix Picture script but I'm not sure. I haven't set up any events for it because I was kind of confused on how exactly to place the switches needed, but in the instructions it says you can just put [Fixed] as a prefix on your file name and it will automatically fix the picture without any switches.  =

I have set up transparent passable tiles on the map, so it's not that.

Can anyone help me out and figure out why my character wont move at all? Thanks!

 

[Rikifive]

If player won't move, that can be caused by not pasting passable tiles.

Make a *blank* tile and set that to 'passable' in database, then put that on your map.

Something like this:

This is all you need (mainly) when doing parallax maps, set the X and blank tile above to 'not passable'

and set the O and the blank tile above to passable.

You must determine, where player can go, and where not in map editor.

 

[deboned]

If player won't move, that can be caused by not pasting passable tiles.

Make a *blank* tile and set that to 'passable' in database, then put that on your map.

Something like this:

This is all you need (mainly) when doing parallax maps, set the X and blank tile above to 'not passable'

and set the O and the blank tile above to passable.

You must determine, where player can go, and where not in map editor.

I've done this already and set up transparent passable and impassable tiles on top of my map.

 

[Andar]

Back to basic questions: Test if the player can turn or not.

Or more precisely, if you try to move in different directions, does the player turn to look into the direction you try to move, or is the player completely frozen?

1) If the player can turn but not move, you have a passability problem. Most likely you forgot to set the first tile on B to star passability.

2) If the player cannot turn and is frozen, it's either an autorun or a script problem and has nothing to do with passability.

Anyway,

3) You should never mix several parallax lock scripts together - that often causes problems sooner or later.

You only need one parallax script, choose one.

 

[Rikifive]

Yeah, beware of autorun events - put erase event at the end to prevent that running endlessly and freezing gameplay.

 

[Kes]

Err, no.  Erase event will only stop the autorun event until you next enter the map, when it will then kick off all over again.  Auto run events 99% of the time should be finished by a switch which moves it on to a new page as they only run once.

One case where you might be using an autorun which needs to load every time is if you are using autorun events to e.g. tint the screen (a suggestion I have seen made), This is a poor choice as autorun events start after the map is loaded.  The player will, therefore, see the tint being applied.  Tinting should be done by a parallel process - which will need the 'erase event' command - as they run while the map is loading and so are effective before the player sees anything.

 

[Rikifive]

Erasing autorun event worked for me - it doesn't freezes my game and works whenever I enter the map.

But yeah using parallel process is better for that.

 

[Kes]

I wasn't saying it didn't work, I was saying that it was not the best choice (usually) for events which need to be loaded up every time you enter a map.

 

[Celianna]

Yeah, beware of autorun events - put erase event at the end to prevent that running endlessly and freezing gameplay.

Like Ksjp17 said, this is not the correct way of doing things, and ultimately, bad advice.

Erase Event is great for a number of things, but not for properly ending an autorun or parallel process so that it won't repeat. Erase Event is great for events that need to run upon map entry (like tinting the screen, setting weather effects, or showing a custom map name slide in), but that only needs to run once, and start again when the player re-enters the map. A lot of people wanting to end autoruns do NOT want it to start again upon re-entry of the map, so that is why your advice is uninformed in this instance.

To the OP, follow Andar's advice. If you're stuck, while still standing on a passable tile, you either have an autorun running that prevents the player from moving, or you have an impassable tile blocking the player (hold ctrl while play testing to see if you could still move around).

 

[Rikifive]

I wasn't saying, that he need to use the autorun event, I just told to end that event to prevent from running that endlessly. ~~ ~~

I know that autorun event isn't good for that situation, but I assumed, that if he is using parallax maps, then very likely he made an event that shows a picture and here I don't know how the event was set.

Personally, first thing I tried with showing picture ~when I started using parallax maps was putting an autorun event that shows picture - character got frozen. ~later I fixed that by setting that event properly.

I also assumed, that if this is about the "showing picture" event, then erase event will be something good to use, since it's not needed to show picture multiple times while on one map - showing once when entering.

And yes, using parallel process is better I know, I didn't preferred anything.

What I had in mind by saying that, is that perhaps one of the events runs endlessly, preventing character from moving, not to use autoruns etc.

 

[deboned]

Back to basic questions: Test if the player can turn or not.

Or more precisely, if you try to move in different directions, does the player turn to look into the direction you try to move, or is the player completely frozen?

1) If the player can turn but not move, you have a passability problem. Most likely you forgot to set the first tile on B to star passability.

2) If the player cannot turn and is frozen, it's either an autorun or a script problem and has nothing to do with passability.

Anyway,

3) You should never mix several parallax lock scripts together - that often causes problems sooner or later.

You only need one parallax script, choose one.

the player is completely frozen and cant turn either.  I have the overlay picture in an autorun event, i don't know if that has anything to do with it, should it be parallel process instead?

I wasn't sure if I should take out the parallax lock script from yamfly or not.  I need the animated parallax script to animate my water.  i'll try taking out yamfly's script

 

[Andar]

Any active autorun means the player can't move.

However, placing it in an parallel process will result in the picture being placed sixty times per second - which will crate lag.

Check the instructions on how to place the overlay picture - if it is really done by an event, you need to either erase or switch off that event.

(there are overlay scripts like for example yami's that work differently, I don't know how yanfly's works)

 

[deboned]

I removed Yanfly's locking script and changed the event from autorun to parallel process and added end event to it.  My player can now move but the picture lock is not working and I can't move down to the bottom of the map, it gets stuck after i hit a certain point.  Thank you all for all of the help so far, by the way!

 

[Andar]

I removed Yanfly's locking script and changed the event from autorun to parallel process and added end event to it.  My player can now move but the picture lock is not working and I can't move down to the bottom of the map, it gets stuck after i hit a certain point.  Thank you all for all of the help so far, by the way!

Please post a screenshot of the event - I think you made a mistake there, and we may have talked about different things.

I need to see what you have done to clear up the confusion.

 

[deboned]

Any active autorun means the player can't move.

However, placing it in an parallel process will result in the picture being placed sixty times per second - which will crate lag.

Check the instructions on how to place the overlay picture - if it is really done by an event, you need to either erase or switch off that event.

(there are overlay scripts like for example yami's that work differently, I don't know how yanfly's works)

To clarify: I'm using Modern Algebra's script for the picture lock and I just deleted the parallax lock script of Yanfly's i was using.  The script for MA's picture lock says that I don't need to use switches if I have "[Fixed]" in the prefix of my overlay pictures filename, but maybe I should try using switches instead?  I was honestly kind of confused on how the switches work with the script.  Maybe i was a little too tired last night when I was reading the instructions

 

[Rikifive]

Make a parallel process event:

> ~perhaps script call here if needed : check instructions in script ~

> Show picture

> Erase event

This will draw the image once per entering map and will not freeze your character.

 

[deboned]

here's the event:

The script uses switches and variables but in the instructions it says thats only necessary if you don't have "[Fixed]" in the filename prefix:

To use this script, you must first set which in-game switches and variables you will use to control the various features of the script. There are two switches and one variable. When you turn the first switch on in-game, then any pictures shown while it is ON will be fixed to the map and will not follow the screen. When the second switch is ON, then that permits you to use grid coordinates when setting the position of pictures that are fixed to the map. The variable determines the vertical position of the picture (ie - what things show above it and what things show below it).

Alternatively, you can identify some pictures as permanently fixed by including the code: [Fixed] in the picture's name. The value of the switch will be irrelevant in that case and the picture will always be fixed.

Also, when i playtest my passable tiles keep blinking (I currently have the passable tiles colored pink just so i can keep track of where they are right now.) I figure this isn't really an issue because I will eventually make the tiles transparent but I'm just wondering if this is something else contributing to the problem i have?

 

[Rikifive]

If you could give me your demo, then I could take a closer look onto this...

 

[Andar]

Even if you don't use the switches and variables mentioned in the script, you still need to configure them to prevent an accidental use of them.

Other than that I can't see a cause of the problems.

 

[Kes]

I use Modern Algebra's script, and my reading of it is that the [FIXED] at the beginning of the file name has to be like that i.e. all upper case.  You have [Fixed]

EDIT

That remark  is possibly rubbish now I've double-checked.  I think it must have been something in an earlier version which I have just carried on doing.

What I do wonder is this: 

In the script there are a couple of control switches which you can use, and they are set high i.e. 197.198 etc., and it's unlikely that you've used those of anything else yet.

However, there is also Variable switch #3 which is allocated in that script.  Have you used switch #3 for anything else?  If so, that will mess up this script.