Side-View Battlers for on-map cut-scene

[Sacerdos Procerus]

Hello everyone.

I'm working on a "simple" project, and in that project I would like to use side-view battlers for mini "cut-scenes" that involve spell casting on the map to alter the terrain in some way.

For example (hypothetically) :
1. Player encounters a wall of ice on the map.
2. Player must enter the menu and cast "Fire" to "melt" the ice and progress. (Realistically, it could just be a Player Action triggered event that causes 3-8 below.)
3. When Player casts "Fire" in front of the ice, the scene starts.
4. An image of the Side-View Battler that cast the spell appears in an area screen.
5. Animation for the casting of the spell appears over Side-View Battler.
6. Image of Side-View Battler disappears.
7. Animation of "Fire" appears over the wall of ice.
8. Ice goes away.

Thanks for enduring the lengthy example. I wanted to make sure I was understood. What I am actually using the Side-View Battler for is an on-screen HUD representation of whatever is happening to the character on the world. In other words, a script-call, or direction to a plug-in I haven't identified, or SOMETHING.

The internet seems barren on this topic for some reason. There is plenty on Side-View Battlers. There are plug-ins to use Map-Actors in side-view battles. But I can't seem to find a way to pull this off on my own, so I'm reaching out to the community.

First post: done!

 

[DragonVine]

I would think the best way to do that is to take the individual battler poses and turn them into pictures and use the show picture command.

 

[Sacerdos Procerus]

I would think the best way to do that is to take the individual battler poses and turn them into pictures and use the show picture command.

Thanks for the quick reply. It might be my only option, and I have played around with that idea already. :/ I also have a rudimentary "paper doll" system that changes based on what the character is wearing. And while for the "base" game I'm planning, that would work, I have the ground-work for an "expansion," or even a version 2, that would allow for greater character creation/gender selection or even class based sprite.

In other words, the "Show Picture" event cycle works for a single-player linear game, even with animation, but it's totally impractical for the purposes of customization I have planned. :/

I actually have 95% of the engine work done. This is a finale wish list before I start plugging in content.

 

[a noble wolf]

Thanks for the quick reply. It might be my only option, and I have played around with that idea already. :/ I also have a rudimentary "paper doll" system that changes based on what the character is wearing. And while for the "base" game I'm planning, that would work, I have the ground-work for an "expansion," or even a version 2, that would allow for greater character creation/gender selection or even class based sprite.

In other words, the "Show Picture" event cycle works for a single-player linear game, even with animation, but it's totally impractical for the purposes of customization I have planned. :/

I actually have 95% of the engine work done. This is a finale wish list before I start plugging in content.

Use the place animations on map plugin and create you own animation using the battler.

 

[Sacerdos Procerus]

Use the place animations on map plugin and create you own animation using the battler.

I could use that, but I already have enough in the engine with Common Events that I could do this already without the plugin. But I appreciate the help. I'm more interested in using side-view battlers on the map in a limited fashion through the engine. Since map-actors can be used in battle with some plugin work, it makes sense that there should be way to call for the side-view.

In fact, I have found this:

SumRndmDde uses the battler (with animation) in the menu. Works nicely, too. I just want to put it on the map somewhere so it's around constantly.

 

[Sacerdos Procerus]

Okay, looking in the comments of that video, I found this answer to another person of how he got the animated SV-Battler in the menu:

Probably already saw this in the Plugin code, but to load the battler image, you would do:
var pic ImageManager.loadSvActor(actor.battlerName())
where "actor" is an instance of Game_Actor.
var a = this._frame * (pic.width / 9);
this.contents.blt(pic, a, 0, pic.width / 9, pic.height / 6, eval(batX), eval(batY));

Then this is how you draw it on the window. this._frame is equal to 0, 1, or 2 depending on the animation state. Placing this in the "update" function of a window should make it work.

So... how do I get that on the main map screen? :/