RPGMakerXP Message Text Width

[Teabone]

Hey all,

So I've been messing about with RPGMaker's scripts and having a lot of fun with that. The ability to have more control over the display and things has been quite useuful. Recently ive discovered a way to increase the width of the standard text message box system. Also how to layer images on top (thanks to some of you).

The only issue im having right now visually is im unable to increase the width of the text lines. So they are still limited to a certain width unfortunately. Is this due to the editor limitation itself or can this be changed in one of the script values?

I've had no problems with getting the actual text box to increase its width just not the actual text with in.

 

[KK20]

Yeah it's a limitation with the editor. Each line in Show Text's text box is its own line in the game's message window. Theoretically, you could make a script so that it combines all the lines together into one big string and then the script will divide the string up so that it fits fully on each line of the message window. An alternative would be to write the strings in some other location (i.e. another script or an external text file) and then make a custom control character for Show Text like

/text['Welcome']

where Welcome is the key. If you can imagine having a script in your project that looks like:

$game_strings = {}
$game_strings['Welcome'] = 'Put your welcome message here. It can be as long as you want it to be, provided your message window can actually fit it.'

This is a pretty common technique used in language localization scripts.

There was also some kind of patch a user named aphadeon did 10 years ago that added the 4th line back to Show Text or doubled its width. Whether it breaches EULA or not is unknown to me, so I won't post the link here. But you can easily google that.

 

[Teabone]

Oh that could work!

another alternative would be to shift the actual text to the right if that is possible. As what Ive been doing so far is using space characters to move the text to the right so there is enough room for portrait graphics.

 

[KK20]

You're better off actually changing the code that draws the text into the message window so you have more text to work with. If you look at Window_Message#refresh method, there are instances where a variable x is being set (initially 0, and 8 if displaying choices). Just increase x accordingly until it meets your needs.

Though I have to ask, why are you not using a custom message system script? Some already incorporate displaying portraits into the window.

 

[DerVVulfman]

Meanwhile, I wish to note that you need not use the 'Show Text' command event itself as the last option when adding an event command is the 'Batch Text Entry' window that lets you add a 4th line.

Hm. And yeah, I think we posted some Custom Message systems recently.

Yeah, last I heard of an editor with a 4th line in Show Text, it was Postality Knights. WHY HAVEN'T THEY FIXED THAT FOR RMXP OFFICIAL??? *Cough* Sorry... had to vent.