[RMMV]Auto Frame Plugin

[Ronivan]

So hello everyone!
I want to ask something a bit difficult perhaps, but also incredible useful if it would be done.

I would like to ask if someone could create a plugin that allows the engine to recognize the number of frames
an animation have without changing it its name.
Let's say my Hero01 sprite have 6 frames; using the available
plugins, the .png file would be named like:

Hero01%(6).png or Hero01(F6).png.

This is terrible for some battle system
if you are using custom made sprites, like this for sample:

Hero01_idle = 8 frames
Hero01_attack = 7 frames
Hero01_Hurt = 5 frames
Hero01_Item = 4 frames
Hero01_jump = 3 frames

And so on. If I use the current plugin and I change the name for Hero01_idle%(8).png, all the other animation are
REQUIRED to have 8 frames, which is not the case!
EVERY battle system ever developed for RMMV has this flaw. Its ok if you are using those 3 frame standard animations, but we are developing our own animations for our project.

There is a script in RPG Maker XP that allows user to write on it the sprite file name and the number of the frame it has. Its written like this:

when 'Hero01' then return 8
when 'Hero01_attack' then return 7
when 'Hero01_Hurt' then return 5

So this way the script allows the sprite to have a number of frames without the need to change its file name and mess with everything. What I'm asking is if its possible to create a plugin like that one, that allows me to specify in the plugin the file name and number of frame it has?


If we can't solve this issue, I'm afraid we will move to another engine.

 

[TheTitan99]

This may work:

Spoiler: Code

A long time ago, I had a lot of success with this script. It allows you to have a different number of frames depending on the animation. So, ne animation can have 5 frames, another 2, another 8. Just whatever you put into the notetags.

Keep in mind, though, I said I used this a long time ago. RPG Maker MV has been updated a lot since then, so... I hope this still works? I can't effectively test it, as I have no sprite sheets to test it on. It may be a good starting point?

 

[Ronivan]

This may work:

......................

Unfortunately not. The plugin don't even work, it gives off a message with "Cannot Read Property 'toLowerCase' of Undefined. But even if it worked, it would be of no avail. Battle System pose animations are not handled in a way I could add tags to them, different from the main character in the menu. I could not say this animation have X number of frames. If only I could specify in the plugin that this file have x number of frames, it would suffice. There is one battle system written by LeCode that automatically recognize the number of frame all pose animation have, but we are not developing a Tactical Battle based game. But LeCode was the exception to this; every battle system in MV have this particular flaw.

Anyway thanks for trying to help out. I kinda know this will never be really solved, as no one have interest in doing this (also $). RMMV was short sighted from the start, and user base showed just this. If users were trying to create their own sprites, the necessity for this change would have been done already. The problem is that everyone rely on the same poor 3 frame standard sprites, and they are like perpetually locked in this; so why develop a battle system that recognize the frames?

I'm making our game own sprites, and they turned gorgeous, specially the enemies. Some enemies, like our slime, have animation with order of 14 frames, and has over 8 different poses, some exclusive for skills. Its a shame RMMV is very poor on this simple, yet import thing, because it has everything we want for our game; except we can't make it.

 

[TheTitan99]

I've been testing out the plugin I linked to. It works, but it seems like only with Yanfly's engine. Are you using Yanfly's plugins? A lot of people use them, but not everyone.

I created a blank, brand new project, so using MV v1.6.1, with Yanfly's up to date scripts, as well as the plugin linked above, at v1.1.0. Using a very basic sprite sheet, I got an animated enemy that has 2 different animations.

The Walk animation has 3 frames, and the Damage animation only has 1 frame. So, I can confirm that this plugin will allow dynamic number of frames per animation. The attack animation could have 7 frames, the dead animation 1 frame, the dying animation 3 frames, ect. And, it'll all be done sprite sheet to sprite sheet, so not all attack animations will need 7 frames.

It's kind of a cumbersome plugin, needing a ton of notetags to get working, but in my testing project, it is working, with varying frame length of animations.

 

[Ronivan]

Thank you but our team passed on that. We are running away from Yanfly's engine because it too troublesome, specially in our project. We had a bit of a conversation yesterday and we decided to move on to Unity. We know its like an empty canvas compared to MV, but maybe that's exactly what we need. You see RMMV is very easy to make simple stuff but in the end its a big mess; you depend on the good faith of others to develop something that may or may not work, and even if it work it may conflict with other plugins. Its better when you develop you own stuff and learn from the mistakes while making it, that's why we decided to learn Unity and C# programing. Based on our game project ideas, it will require some heavy scripting, specially for the enemies.

Thanks for the great help, but its time to move on. This topic can be closed.

 

[LTN Games]

Moving to a new engine is a bad move not because it's a Unity is a bad engine but because it shows lack of trying on your part. What happens when you have a hard time with figuring out another problem with Unity? Move to yet another engine? See my point?

Moving to unity is not what is solving your problems per se. Learning to program is what is solving your issues. Rather than rely on another plugin developer your best option would've been to create your own plugin. The plugin idea you have is very easy to accomplish and requires only some basic research and a bit of dedication.

Anyways just figured I'd throw in my 2 cents and good luck on your game making adventures.

 

[Ronivan]

Moving to a new engine is a bad move not because it's a Unity is a bad engine but because it shows lack of trying on your part. What happens when you have a hard time with figuring out another problem with Unity? Move to yet another engine? See my point?

Moving to unity is not what is solving your problems per se. Learning to program is what is solving your issues. Rather than rely on another plugin developer your best option would've been to create your own plugin. The plugin idea you have is very easy to accomplish and requires only some basic research and a bit of dedication.

Anyways just figured I'd throw in my 2 cents and good luck on your game making adventures.

When you develop a game with a team of people, the opinion of the whole decides the direction the project will take. That was not my decision, but a decision of the team. I tried to stay along with MV, but I'm just a Designer and Artist; my part is to develop sprites, animation and environment. I'll respect and follow their decision.

This is one tree of our project (Click on it to show full size, that thing is big : ) ):

Spoiler

 

[TheTitan99]

Well, it's unfortunate that your group has decided to move onto another engine, as that means you've probably had quite a bit of development time wasted. Nonetheless, best of luck for the future of your project!

RPG Maker is designed for a specific type of RPG in mind. The further you get away from that specific type of game, the less appealing the engine is. For someone like me, RPG Maker gives me exactly what I want. But for other designers with different ideas, the engines shortcuts may actually be more of a detriment than a benefit. RPG Maker is terrible at making platformers, for instance.

 

[Ronivan]

Well, it's unfortunate that your group has decided to move onto another engine, as that means you've probably had quite a bit of development time wasted. Nonetheless, best of luck for the future of your project!

RPG Maker is designed for a specific type of RPG in mind. The further you get away from that specific type of game, the less appealing the engine is. For someone like me, RPG Maker gives me exactly what I want. But for other designers with different ideas, the engines shortcuts may actually be more of a detriment than a benefit. RPG Maker is terrible at making platformers, for instance.

Not quite bad, you see Unity don't have problem with sprite size. It don't have an X sized for 'building blocks' lets say. In fact, these blocks don't even exist; you need to create space in which the game itself is going to play. All materials I have made based on RMMV block size (48 pixel²) will be used, and I could keep doing it in that specific size pattern, including sprite animation.