Serious help needed regarding Battles and Menus

[CraneSoft]

Good day. I recently started visiting here after starting my own personal project with VXAce which I have been working for a few months, learning the necessary when searching on the net for sources whenever possible. However, I had came to a standstill with several issues which I am never seem to be able to resolve.   


An outline of my game:


1. A single actor exploration/battles game. Player will control only one actor for almost 99% of the game.


2. Battles are built around using pictures displayed with common events. Meaning, the sole actor's full body bustshot will be used on the right-side of the screen, and will perform several animations depending on actions taken, etc. There will be a huge amount of conditional branches for deciding on how to visually display the character, although the character itself will be just a picture, nothing more.


3. While I couldn't remember the source I was using a single actor menu configuration for my main menu which displays the standard stuff.


What I am trying to do (The issues!)


1. During a battle, I will need a picture to be displayed to visually present when the character is receiving an attack from any enemy (and taking damage) using a common event, I tried playing around with variables using HP values and such but the event simply isn't working. The primary issue here is getting the event itself to trigger which I couldn't seem to do, unless I go customize every single enemy attack to trigger that particular common event but I would rather use that as a last resort.
Question: How should I set up common events so that it triggers whenever my character is receiving an attack (if he could not dodge) from any enemy in battle?


2. I needed battle animations to display ABOVE or OVER my character bustshot (which was a picture), this is due to the fact that several animations (such as guarding with a "shield animation", or casting spells with the magical runes displayed in front) wouldn't look right if it couldn't display in front my character bustshot.


Question: How could I customise scripts/events so that all battle animations are displayed above pictures by default?


3. I will need a customized menu due to the nature of a single actor game. I want to insert a background picture behind the usual menu screen (behind the menu command windows), as well as adding additional stats paramaters/displaying equipment that are currently worn by my character (as it was a single actor). I tried experiementing with various menu scripts but wasn't going anywhere.


Question: How could I set it up so it displays the right parameters on the right places on the main menu?


4. Now for the most important factor for my main menu screen, I would like display a full bustshot picture for my character on the right side of the main menu when it is opened. Meaning, the normal face graphic will be removed. The catch here is, the picture displayed will depend on what kind of equipment worn, status effects currently afflicted,  with varying face emotions based on health condition. Normally this is done with conditional branches, but I simply don't know how to do it in menu screens without fiddling with scripts, which was my weakness. I couldn't find any script that could do what I want, either.


Question: Is there any script I could use that allows me to somehow take the current picture displayed on the field map and make it display on the main menu? Or alternatively, scripts that allow me to display it on the main menu just like displaying pictures with conditional branches?


5. An equipment window that does the above too, updating the bustshot displayed whenever the character changes equipment in the "Equip" screen.


Question: Similar to question 4, except picture of bustshot clothing/armament is updated every time an equipment is removed/added. Also, I would like to resize the images if possible to display full-body bustshot that is limited to this window to order to get a full view on the equipment worn.


6. Multiple screen status windows (that is accessed via the "Status" command) that displays a variety of parameters that is otherwise too complicated to be done with scripts. I am thinking of having this done with a common event due to its complexity, but wouldn't hate the idea if there are alternatives.


Question: Should I just have "Status" command in menu trigger a common event (if so how could I do it?) or is there any existing scripts I could use for this feature?


I apologize if this is the wrong section. But I would deeply appreciate if anyone can assist me as I had tried everything I could for the past month to no avail.


Thank you very much in advance.

 

[Wavelength]

You will really want to learn scripting, or recruit someone good at scripting onto your team, in order to make significant changes to the menus (such as displaying different information) or interface (such as inserting pictures).  The menus are relatively easy to do; the interface stuff is of moderate difficulty.

 

[GreyStone84]

Multiple screen status windows (that is accessed via the "Status" command) that displays a variety of parameters that is otherwise too complicated to be done with scripts. I am thinking of having this done with a common event due to its complexity

As far as I know, you are better off with scripts. typically if it can be done in a common event, it can probably be even more controlled, customized, and all around better with a script. Anyways @Wavelength is right. You will need someone on your team or to learn scripting. 


Also, it might be best too if you give examples/details of what you need, example:


I'd like more status windows

• to show experience
  
• to show status/injured bust pictures
  
• to do this
  
• and this
  
• and that
  

It could help when you ask around. One last thing, there isn't going to be one script for all of your ideas, you probably will need multiple unless you sit down and write your own game specific script.

 

[CraneSoft]

Yep, figured the fact I would need multiple scripts, so I tried doing as much homework and script hunting I could do. I am learning scripting now because recruiting someone else is not an option. I am just pondering if I missed out of any script that could do what I need but I didn't know.


As for what will be displayed in the status windows, it will be a variety of parameters that is not in the original game parameters such as "Action A Experience" , "Action B Experience", "Corruption" etc, and will be accompanied with a couple of pictures in the process that are also affected by parameters, which is too much to display on one screen and would require some difficult scripting. I wouldn't mind using the common event method for this one, if scripting gets me nowhere.

 

[GreyStone84]

I checked out Yanfly's Ace Status Menu (it wasn't for me), but it comes with a window with four choices which you can customize. The basic settings are "General", "Parameters", Properties", and "Biography". But as I said, I'm prett sure those four are all customizable.


Nicke's XS-Menu Delux programs in some stats to show right on the menu screen like how many steps taken, how many party members you have, also comes with 2 different variables you can customize what you want shown. Have you checked those ones out? BTW Nicke's XS-Menu Delux (well basically all of his scripts) require you also install Nicke's XS-Core.

 

[CraneSoft]

I checked out Yanfly's Ace Status Menu (it wasn't for me), but it comes with a window with four choices which you can customize. The basic settings are "General", "Parameters", Properties", and "Biography". But as I said, I'm prett sure those four are all customizable.


Nicke's XS-Menu Delux programs in some stats to show right on the menu screen like how many steps taken, how many party members you have, also comes with 2 different variables you can customize what you want shown. Have you checked those ones out? BTW Nicke's XS-Menu Delux (well basically all of his scripts) require you also install Nicke's XS-Core.

Yeah I have checked out Nicke's one but his scripts are not compatible with some of my own, and wasn't a single actor menu system.


Also a short update I manage to sort out an alternative for the first two questions (taking damage and animations) after some extra testing by looking into some sample scripts.


I shall try playing with it abit more to see if I can customize with Yanfly's Ace Status Menu.