Switch/Triggers causing NPC's to disappear or become invisible.

[Meiya]

http://gyazo.com/283d7b209eb972eed07d946080feafae

This is my map.

When I run/test this map. 

This is what I see.

http://gyazo.com/fd783e1d176b9ff0ccf4b572ae18332d

THIS IS A CUT SCENE AND IS MEANT TO RUN INDEPENDENTLY OF THE PLAYER.

Several NPC's That I have set up triggers on causes them to turn transparent.

This is a reoccuring thing that I can't seem to figure out why it does this.

It seems to be something to do with the switch being turned on and speech.

(They still exist as shown by balloon icons still showing up)

http://gyazo.com/734270c36f571fb3332918500981db8f

The Events on one of the guards. The next page is just the control self switch A = on and the graphic of the NPC being the same guard sprite so the process will not loop.

http://gyazo.com/3189ea31422dfabba69ca03e02f4830e

Now this quest, you can clearly see main char and NPC working correctly.

HOWEVER, when I set her to  become a graphic as she walks over and lays on her bed she becomes transparent when I talk to her!

The same seems to happen with locked gates and doors as well when characters speak, they disappear momentarily.

http://gyazo.com/ceb82af35d0baa98488091f90e4f6b92

 

[Dalamar]

What is on page 2 of those events?

 

[Meiya]

The Events on one of the guards. The next page is just the control self switch A = on and the graphic of the NPC being the same guard sprite so the process will not loop.

 

[bgillisp]

First of all, I would never use an autorun to move a guard. That's a great way to lock up the game. Instead, the event that turns on that switch can also move the guard, and turn on all other related switches. Though, if the whole point of that switch (and autorun) was to move the guard, then you could do all of that in one master event, and you won't need any of that self switch A you are doing to keep them in place too.

As to your issue, it sounds like you have some switches turning on when you don't want them to, or turning on early. Try putting it all into one event, axe the autorun, and you should find it easier to isolate the issue (as it is, the current format is almost impossible to debug).

 

[Meiya]

This is a cut scene, the entire event is meant to auto run independently of the player.

Thank you for your reply.

As to your issue, it sounds like you have some switches turning on when you don't want them to, or turning on early. Try putting it all into one event, axe the autorun, and you should find it easier to isolate the issue (as it is, the current format is almost impossible to debug).

I don't think that will work when I need triggers to run at different intervals, thats why I have different events to turn each other on so that it looks like everyone is moving at the same time, not in a linear process.

I think running everything on 1 event page will do that when it comes to movement.

That or I am doing it incorrectly, I find that difficult to accomplish when they have to be placed in using the event graphic, and not from the tileset map editing mode.

Frustrating indeed, and I can't switch out the tilesets or it will change EVERYTHING in the entire game I have created using that one I would have to replace.

 

[bgillisp]

Yes, but then why is the guard set to autorun (see your third picture)? That is not needed to run a cutscene, for any reason. #11 on this will tell you more what I'm talking about, and why you should not have that autorun: http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/topic/14727-a-starting-point-for-new-users-v10/

I think part of the problem is we don't know entirely what your events are supposed to do or what you intend. We will need you to either state in full detail what you intend, and/or post all the related events. Otherwise, we can only guess and are probably going to be unable to debug it well.

 

[Dalamar]

You can move more than 1 event from the same autorun, you just have to make sure the move route is not set to wait for completion.  The reason I asked to see the other page is if it has the same conditions, it will be the one that runs not the one with the sprites.

 

[Meiya]

The main character is having a flashback from her former life. She is a vampire.

In parts of the cut scene she Appears to teleport directly to one of the council who wished to see a display of her power, she oblidges and appears infront of them to scare the hell out of them.

In that moment I wanted all those guards surrounding her (or were before she moved too fast for them to detect) all run over to the iron bars screaming to get the gates open and to protect the council members, all while exclamation bubbles going off on their sprites.

Does this help?

It actually runs as I want it too, however the sprites disappear when there is speech going.

This happens in a less complicated event like the 3rd screenshot.

and if I do not run it as an "auto run" then how will the next process start? 

Thank you for your reply.

wait for completion. 

That is useful to know. I am still learning.

So they will all run independently of each other if it is set to not wait on completion? 

 

[bgillisp]

Start an autorun on a switch, but do NOT put it on a guard (blank map tile will be sufficient. I use the upper left hand corner of the map so I can find it later). I'd suggest maybe start it when she is surrounded by the guards, as that seems like a logical place to start. In that autorun, set the move route for all of the guards to run to the council members to guard them (use the set move route command, just change the target to each of the guards, one at a time). Whichever one has the longest move route, check wait for completion. Set off the exclamation bubbles as needed in that event as well. Finish out the rest of your cutscene in this autorun, then turn off the switch when it is over.

That will put it all in one spot, and make it easy to see. As for why they are disappearing, you don't happen to have the 2nd page (with the sprite graphic) on parallel process do you? If so, parallel processes stop running during show text commands, so that would be why they are disappearing.

Edit: It's late in my time zone, so I'll have to clarify things in the morning if needed. Hope this helps!

 

[Meiya]

Thats useful to know  to make the event more organized but why are my sprites disappearing? Is this related to my issue or is this just helpful advice in general?

I get it, I can make the trigger run from an empty tile if I make it run the event name of the guard yes?

[edit]

Running the process "Not" on the guard actually broke the event entirely. and the problem still stands that the spirte disappears.

Before I was able to get one to move backwards away from Auri (main char/vampire )

now he sweats and stays in place. 

ugh, frustrating.

 

[Andar]

An event can only disappear under two conditions:


1) a page without a sprite is active


2) no page is active (all pages have conditions that are not met)


If you can give us all pages of one of the disappearing event, then we can tell you under what conditions it disappears - and then you can check why those conditions happen.


And as said above, in a cutscene there should be only one event with all controlling commands, all other events should only be placeholders for the sprites but should not contain any commands.


That is because bughunting with commands scattered around dozens of events is extremely problematic (as you just see yourself)

 

[Meiya]

The event is not disappearing! Only the sprite graphic itself, the event is still working!

This only happens when I assign a sprite graphic through the event page.

When a command that can be run from anywhere, either it be another event tile or on the same time itself that sprite disappears when "speech" happens and reappears when the speech is over.

I'll have to show you a video

 

[bgillisp]

That would mean (most likely) you duplicated the event somewhere in that mess of events/autoruns (which is also why we are suggesting going to one event to control it all, you won't duplicate things), and one of them doesn't have a sprite graphic. Hence why I asked for *every* single event in that cutscene and all the pages, that way we might be able to find it.

Also, keep in mind that only one event can occupy a tile and show its graphic at a time. If these events are on top of each other, you will only see the topmost one. This might explain why the last event is disappearing, as drawing that bed might be taking priority over your event. Could you maybe have an event in the same tile as this event, set to above players or same as players, with no graphic? If so that might explain it.

The other thing is, scripts can wreck havoc with all of this, and the switches you are using are often reserved for scripts. If  you insist on staying with this route, I'd change all your switches to *start* at 101, as many scripts use 1 - 100 to turn on/off features.

 

[Bribolox]

Also, if the event has more than one page, make sure the graphic is selected on all pages, and not just on page 1.  Otherwise the game will think you want there to be no graphic.

 

[Meiya]

That would mean (most likely) you duplicated the event somewhere in that mess of events/autoruns (which is also why we are suggesting going to one event to control it all, you won't duplicate things), and one of them doesn't have a sprite graphic. Hence why I asked for *every* single event in that cutscene and all the pages, that way we might be able to find it.

Also, keep in mind that only one event can occupy a tile and show its graphic at a time. If these events are on top of each other, you will only see the topmost one. This might explain why the last event is disappearing, as drawing that bed might be taking priority over your event. Could you maybe have an event in the same tile as this event, set to above players or same as players, with no graphic? If so that might explain it.

The other thing is, scripts can wreck havoc with all of this, and the switches you are using are often reserved for scripts. If  you insist on staying with this route, I'd change all your switches to *start* at 101, as many scripts use 1 - 100 to turn on/off features.

This happens in VERY simple things like locked doors disappearing when there is speech and reappearing. It cannot be the result of duplicating events or the latter since it happens with very very SIMPLE things as well. 

The reason why some of them do not have a graphic is because I want that sprite to go away. However I don't want the sprites becoming transparent during speech dialog.

The sprites become transparent when there is speech happening, and reappear when there is a trigger set on that graphic.

I will upload a video when it is done processing, to help get to the bottom of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NxoBeSK2Vs&feature=youtu.be

Again this happens on very very simple events like having a locked door and saying "The door is locked I need a key." 

 

[Andar]

All your explanations in that video are absolutely useless to us - I stopped watching it after a third.


We need to see the event pages, only those pages contain the information we need. And we have the experience to read screenshots of them faster than you can explain anything in the video.


Please post full screenshots of all event pages of one of the "disappearing" events - no matter when or why it disappears.


With those screenshots, we can exactly see under which conditions (as in under wich logical programming situations) they will disappear, and only then we can search for why that happens.


The problem is that you don't even know where to look, because you're too new to the program.


You appearantly cannot repair the problem yourself because you do not know where it is caused, and you refuse to give us (who know all possibilities why that can happen) the info we need to find the problem.


So please, give us the screenshots we have been asking for, and it will be solved extremely fast. That video didn't help - it only delayed the helping.

 

[Meiya]

Frustrating.

http://gyazo.com/8af572ee530af2e783e852badc010a52

One of the gaurds that are disappear.

http://gyazo.com/e108520234dc911f748f827222d29cc1

http://gyazo.com/f373b89c965f575db74ba72050998dc9

http://gyazo.com/fac89fe1ec9ca134bfbcd3b09055cc5f

http://gyazo.com/00f41384b154b6a3e3a9f76445b86631

http://gyazo.com/d2fed3eab4dfca6d30f7e1c09022c9b8

Some examples. 

Keep in mind that at the end of the event page for the girl laying down I WANT her to disappear at the end so it appears she is not laying down anymore and gets back up and starts walking around.

It appears as like the sprite graphics are all a lower priority than speech running.

Thats why I made a video so you can SEE the sprites disappear when I run the game itself so you can see how it is reacting. Honestly that is a little insulting that you didn't watch the entire thing. You missed a lot of information that could have helped, are those other 4 minutes of your life too precious or something? You might see something else not even related to the problem, but could still be helpful in the development or organization of future projects.

That video shows me replicating the problem with more than one source. Explains what my intentions were and what my outcome was meant to be.

You not knowing that may give me a solution that breaks my cut scene entirely, as which happened earlier above. Not saying that you aren't trying to help and that I am not greatful but I am frustrated and you telling me

that a video is completely  useless when you only watched 1/3 (2 minutes) of it, is very bad practice.

First rule of being a tester/troubleshoot is do not immediately dismiss any information without viewing all of it. 

You know a lot about the program, but when you handle an issue like this there will be gaps. 

 

[Andar]

In the first two minutes you told nothing that matters to the problem, so why should I assume that it will change later?


For example it doesn't matter what your story is and whether the cutscene is a flashback or not, whether the actor is a vampire, a star warrior or whatever. All that time explaining that is simply wasted time.


And since no one is paid for helping others on this forum (we all do that in our free time, when we could have worked on our own games), it is simply considered curtesy not to waste that time by making the helpers do extra work.


That said, I can see several problems in your events


1)Guard3 page 2


NEVER have an empty page with trigger = autorun or parallel process. Those pages automatically loop, which creates a lot of lag and can cause a lot of other problems if their contents aren't carefully selected.


And an empty autorun page will simply freeze the player forever if it becomes active


2) EV040 page 1


That page is basically useless. An autorun with only a self-switch to another page does nothing but cause a delay when triggered.


Go to page 2 of that event, remove the condition self-switch A on and add condition switch 27:girl lay down ON


then delete page 1 completely


That will do exactly the same, but with less cycling and less timing problems


And there is a good chance that those timing problems are causing this, so it's neccessary to get rid of as many autoruns and parallels as possible


3) EV040 page 3


Unfortunately that page is incomplete and partially unreadable - the popup blocks the info of the first few commands, and the last commands aren't even visible due to the scrolling.


Can you please give that page again in two screenshots with top and bottom part of the contents?

 

[Bribolox]

I did watch the whole video and you didn't give any information that would help solve the problem.  Telling us what the event does, or is supposed to do, doesn't solve the problem.  But seeing those screen shots reveals a few problems.

First, you have to understand: it is NOT the sprite that is disappearing.  It is Event Graphic.  You are placing Events on the map, not sprites.  Understanding that may help you solve an issue.

On the guard: if an event is doing nothing but showing a sprite, it should not be set to autorun.

on the girl in the bed: you have a page 1 autorun just to turn on a switch so it can go to the next page. That's not good.Take that page right out.

These things won't fix the whole problem, but hopefully it's a place to start.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

Meiya, may I very gently suggest that you consider playing this introduction to switches game?


ace-switches-demo tutorial/


It follows a bit of knowledge about triggers:


you can learn about them here:


http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/topic/15098-conditions-triggers-and-event-pages/


or here


Event Triggers Part 1, which covers Action Button, PLayer Touch and Event Touch and


Event Triggers Part 2, which covers Autorun and Parallel Processes.


After you are very comfortable with all of that, you should go on to play Celianna's variable game,


and also look over Andar's beginner's topic.