Hi all. So Im still with RM MV. I just want to ask for help if how do I execute a story with multiple routes. These routes are like separate storylines and I dont want them to intersect with each other.
Will I need plug-ins? What is the ideal way to easily create these branching stories?
I have included an image of my story's flow chart. Thank you very much
You won't need any plugin. It's possible to make it just by manipulating events, variable and switches.
Prepare to read a long post!
Firstly, you will need to plan properly. Define what are the conditions to reach each story route. I suggest choosing a route to be the default one: the ending you think the player will probably reach instinctively. Then plan what are the key in-game actions that will unlock the other route.
For example. My game has 3 possible endings:
To achieve the good end, a specific NPC will have to be alive at the end of 5th chapter. So, to make it happen, I had to plan what actions will be required to make him not die.
And to trigger the special route (3th possible end), the player will need to have a specific item at the end of 4th chapter.
If none of those routes are triggered, then the player will get the bad end ("default" ending).
Creating a default end is important to prevent the player from getting stuck if he doesn't trigger any route for some reason. Also makes the design easier to handle.
Once you planned what actions trigger each route, you need to plan what switches and variables you will use to activate each route. It's better to have one switch and/or one variable for each route (reason: how events works).
Now It's time to explain the toughest part: define which maps are going to be affected by the multiple gameplay routes.
Lets say that you have a castle map. In a specific route, you want some specific dialog lines and in another one, you want to create a cutscene there.
The best way to implement this, for instance, is to create multiple copies of the same map (CASTLE DEFAULT, CASTLE A, CASTLE B ). On the CASTLE A, you will create the npc's that says the dialog lines you want, on CASTLE B, you will put the events to create it. But you will also want another castle map (CASTLE DEFAULT) for your default route.
Then, on adjacent maps, you will create multiple event pages for your player transport event. The first page will transport to CASTLE DEFAULT. The second page will require a specific switch/variable to be ON and will transport the player to CASTLE A. And so on... Keep in mind that the game takes priority to the last page. In other words, if a player somehow unlock two routes, the event will process the latest page only. It might be an issue depending on how you designed your game.
To handle the "two routes unlocked" issue, you can define which routes takes priority over others, or unlock different routes on different stages on the game, and then force deactivate any other activated route.
It's possible to do it in a single map. But if your game has more than 10 hours of gameplay, you may face some serious trouble to handle many and many events with multiple pages. The multiple map approach is better for the developer, since it's easy to make stuff in order.
Basically this is enough to implement your multiple routes feature.
You won't need any plugin. It's possible to make it just by manipulating events, variable and switches.
Prepare to read a long post!
Firstly, you will need to plan properly. Define what are the conditions to reach each story route. I suggest choosing a route to be the default one: the ending you think the player will probably reach instinctively. Then plan what are the key in-game actions that will unlock the other route.
For example. My game has 3 possible endings:
To achieve the good end, a specific NPC will have to be alive at the end of 5th chapter. So, to make it happen, I had to plan what actions will be required to make him not die.
And to trigger the special route (3th possible end), the player will need to have a specific item at the end of 4th chapter.
If none of those routes are triggered, then the player will get the bad end ("default" ending).
Creating a default end is important to prevent the player from getting stuck if he doesn't trigger any route for some reason. Also makes the design easier to handle.
Once you planned what actions trigger each route, you need to plan what switches and variables you will use to activate each route. It's better to have one switch and/or one variable for each route (reason: how events works).
Now It's time to explain the toughest part: define which maps are going to be affected by the multiple gameplay routes.
Lets say that you have a castle map. In a specific route, you want some specific dialog lines and in another one, you want to create a cutscene there.
The best way to implement this, for instance, is to create multiple copies of the same map (CASTLE DEFAULT, CASTLE A, CASTLE B ). On the CASTLE A, you will create the npc's that says the dialog lines you want, on CASTLE B, you will put the events to create it. But you will also want another castle map (CASTLE DEFAULT) for your default route.
Then, on adjacent maps, you will create multiple event pages for your player transport event. The first page will transport to CASTLE DEFAULT. The second page will require a specific switch/variable to be ON and will transport the player to CASTLE A. And so on... Keep in mind that the game takes priority to the last page. In other words, if a player somehow unlock two routes, the event will process the latest page only. It might be an issue depending on how you designed your game.
To handle the "two routes unlocked" issue, you can define which routes takes priority over others, or unlock different routes on different stages on the game, and then force deactivate any other activated route.
It's possible to do it in a single map. But if your game has more than 10 hours of gameplay, you may face some serious trouble to handle many and many events with multiple pages. The multiple map approach is better for the developer, since it's easy to make stuff in order.
Basically this is enough to implement your multiple routes feature.
what I had in mind was that the player will be to choose which path he will take. like, I will give him a choice screen in which he may choose which story he wants to play. after chapter 3, a screen will appear and then the player will choose. it wont be like a single story path that something will unlock if a player does this or that. what I aim is that he will be given the option to choose.
like example: Choose which storyline you want to play. and then a menu appears
Route A
Route B
Route C
from the 3 above, the player will choose. after choosing, the said route will come into play and he will play it until it ends. It's like, choose which episode you want to play.
sorry if in some way that my explanation sounded confusing.
I see. You can still use the multiple map approach.
After the player choose a specific route, you can activate a switch. Then you send the player to a specific map, using a event with multiple pages, depending on the route he chose. It will prevent the routes from interfering with each other.
I see. You can still use the multiple map approach.
After the player choose a specific route, you can activate a switch. Then you send the player to a specific map, using a event with multiple pages, depending on the route he chose. It will prevent the routes from interfering with each other.
Is it possible that after the player finishes Route 1 (game ends after finishing a route),credits will roll, and then the game will return him back to the part of the story in which the choice screen had appeared before, but now he can only choose Route 2 and 3. like after every finishing a route, the player can now play again but with a new route.
sorry for so many questions. Im planning everything now so I can gather all the tutorials i need for my game XD
Yes, it's also possible. Like Crabs said, you would activate a switch when the player chooses a specific route. At the end of that route, you would transfer the player back to where they choose the routes. You would put the Show Choices command inside of conditional branches, depending on which switches are activated.
For example:
If none of the three switches are on, show choices "Route 1", "Route 2", "Route 3"
If switch "Route 1 completed" is on and the other two are off, show choices "Route 2", "Route 3".
... and so on for all possible switch combinations.
If you have more than 3 routes, it would be easier to use script calls or a plugin for dynamic choices. But since you're new to MV I wouldn't worry about that too much for now.
After the credits, run an event that "resets" every switch, variables, item, level, etc, to the state when the choice screen appeared. For switches and variables, there's no secret. But for items, level, equips, etc, you will have to make a script to save the data at the moment the player chooses the route in a file, to be able recover everything after the credits.
It's not a hard stuff to code. You will have to make a script that creates, for instance, a .xml file, then parse it to reset everything to the state when the player made the choice. People here will be able to assist on this, since programmers are usually familiar with parsing (there's many skilled programmers on this community).
You should leave this "new game +" feature to later though, since it has a minor impact in your game. Focus on the others aspect of the game, like mapping, battle system and story. IMO, this feature, which the player goes back to the moment of route choice, should be done only after everything else is finished and polished.
Planning is important. But, based on personal experience, you should start producing the game asap, once you have the base concept done. Planning too much usually doesn't work. I'm pretty sure other experienced developers here will have the same thoughts about planning. It may be counter-intuitive, but it's how it works.
note: Keep in mind what @LadyBaskerville said. You probably won't want the player to be able to chose the same path twice.
Just beat the last of us 2 last night and starting jedi: fallen order right now, both use unreal engine & when I say i knew 80% of jedi's buttons right away because they were the same buttons as TLOU2 its ridiculous, even the same narrow hallway crawl and barely-made-it jump they do. Unreal Engine is just big budget RPG Maker the way they make games nearly identical at its core lol.
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