Persistent Map Events

[DerTraveler]

Persistent Map Events v2.0
by DerTraveler

Introduction

Adds the possibility to make map events persistent between map and/or page changes. That means that you can leave a map (change a page) and when you return it will be in the exact same state as last time.

This includes following properties: 

• position
• direction
• position in the current move route
• changes to the events appearance by the "Set Move Route..." command
• changes to the movement style (speed, frequency) by the "Set Move Route..." command
  
• execution progress of  parallel events

 

Please note:

• Autostart events are never saved.
• All the changes are also included in your save files. Thus, old save files probably won't be compatible anymore.
• Even though I don't think that this will be any problem with today's hardware, you should note that the event data of potentially every map event the player has met is stored in memory and in your save files. If you have exceptionally many events in your game, this could become a problem.

It is also possible to only make some of these properties persistents by using notetags on event pages.

 

Features
- Set the default persistence behaviour of map events

- Change the persistence of particular event pages with notetags in comment boxes

- It is fully customizable which event properties should be persistent via notetags

Screenshots

Not necessary. See demo.

How to Use

Paste it anywhere in the Materials section.

Be sure to set the default behaviour in the options section.

 

Demo
Download here

Script

Can be found in this pastebin.

Credit and Thanks
- DerTraveler

Author's Notes

Free to use in any non-commercial project. For use in commercial projects please mail me.

 

[Shaz]

Maintaining the position in the move route is a nice addition that I haven't seen in any similar scripts before.

 

[DerTraveler]

Actually it's a very simple approach... I'm just saving away the whole Game_Event objects and restore them in the map initialization process instead of initializing the event...

I was also thinking about, whether there would be any unwanted side effects of saving the whole object instead of just the position data etc. - by now I have found none.... but perhaps someone else has an idea or finds some bug

 

[Shaz]

In that case, it would also save changes to the sprite that had been done in a move route (those are usually reset when you leave and re-enter the map). Very nice.

 

[Tsukihime]

Bug: move route saving does not work correctly.


Steps to reproduce: in your demo


1. Double-click the brown boulder


2. Create a new page


3. Set page condition to Switch 1


4. Start game, let the boulder move around


5. Go to map 2


6. Turn switch 1 ON


7. Go back to map 1


8. Brown boulder is now gone as expected


9. Turn off switch 1


10. Boulder re-appears.


11. Bug


Can't think of when this would be a problem but since the purpose is to remember event details it would seem significant.

 

[DerTraveler]

Thanks for the hint Tsukihime... 
This is the normal behaviour of the event when the page changes would have occurred both on the event's map.

Now the question is, what kind of behaviour would you expect of an persistent event? Or is it now a question of different event design?

I'm thinking about several additional features (which will be able to change globally and with notetags on particular events):

1. Save event details between page changes - so that when you return to another page, apart from the position everything would be the same again (would fix Tsukihimes bug).

2. Reset event details completely everytime a page change occurs outside the event's map (would return the boulder to it's original position when switch 1 would be activated on map 2)

Any other ideas or possible scenarios?

 

[Tsukihime]

I think the event's position should remain the same across page changes. It's the same event after all.


Or better, provide that as an option for each individual event and let devs decide which one they want to use. Maybe certain events should reset completely while others don't.

 

[DerTraveler]

MAJOR Update including Demo update that demonstrates new features.

New Features are:

- Included Own Notetag Code, so no more dependencies

- Added support for page changes!

- Added more notetags for full customizability of persistence behaviour

Have Fun !

And I'm always happy about feedback or new ideas or bugs. So if you can break the demo, please tell me