The Journal I made doesn't work. Please, help!!

karinthefox

karinthefox

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Hello, everyone! I'd really appreciate if someone could lend me a hand with this issue.

I've been following this tutorial to make a Journal for my game (my game isn't point and click but I think the tutorial can still be used). I tried contacting the person who made the tutorial but they haven't been active in the forum since June 2019 :ysad:

At a certain point in the game, the protagonist finds a journal and she can only see one page (Page6a), which is a recipe. The previous pages (which are the characters' profiles) are unlocked afterwards, when she gets a certain item. The problem is that I'm not sure how to make this work. To add to that, I can't even seem to be able to turn the pages, the journal is only showing Page0... The more I try, the more confused I get :yswt:

I'm sharing some screenshots too!
 

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Bex

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Yes that Tutorial appears to be complicated. Maybe its easier to start something from Scratch?

So in Theory you want something like this:

1.
Eventing a Journal?
2.
Use Item in Menu to Open Journal with Common Event? or Do you want it to Open with a Button Press?
3.
Show Page 5 of Journal Category Recipes the first time the Journal is Opened?
4.
Which Page should be shown after the first Time? The last opened Page? A static one?
5.
Do you plan to use a Picture for the Letters ontop of the Book Picture? Or do you have some kind of Plugin for that?
6.
Do you need 1 Text Picture per Page? or Do you need several unlockable and unindependitly Pictures for the Text, like in the Tutorial?
7.
Left Right Buttons could be used for swapping Page numbers?
8.
Up and down Buttons could be used for swapping Journal Category.
Each category would have page numbers 1 to X (x = max number of Pages)
9.
If you are in Journal Category Recipes, it has 3 of 20 recipe Pages unlocked. If we change Pages, shall the player need to go through 20 empty pages before he reaches the unlocked ones, or should it cycle between the three unlocked onces when pressing left and right button agan and again?
10.
Closing Journal with Escape Button?
 
karinthefox

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Bex said:
Yes that Tutorial appears to be complicated. Maybe its easier to start something from Scratch?

So in Theory you want something like this:

1.
Eventing a Journal?
2.
Use Item in Menu to Open Journal with Common Event? or Do you want it to Open with a Button Press?
3.
Show Page 5 of Journal Category Recipes the first time the Journal is Opened?
4.
Which Page should be shown after the first Time? The last opened Page? A static one?
5.
Do you plan to use a Picture for the Letters ontop of the Book Picture? Or do you have some kind of Plugin for that?
6.
Do you need 1 Text Picture per Page? or Do you need several unlockable and unindependitly Pictures for the Text, like in the Tutorial?
7.
Left Right Buttons could be used for swapping Page numbers?
8.
Up and down Buttons could be used for swapping Journal Category.
Each category would have page numbers 1 to X (x = max number of Pages)
9.
If you are in Journal Category Recipes, it has 3 of 20 recipe Pages unlocked. If we change Pages, shall the player need to go through 20 empty pages before he reaches the unlocked ones, or should it cycle between the three unlocked onces when pressing left and right button agan and again?
10.
Closing Journal with Escape Button?
Click to expand...
Hi! Thank you so much for the reply!

1) Yes, I want to make the journal a common event.

2) I want to use the Journal item in the menu to open the journal with common event.

3) In the end, I changed things a bit. The first time the journal opens, I want it to show a blank page. But when a certain item is found, I want the blank page to show the "secret message" that wasn't there before. And at the same time, I want the character profile pages to unlock. So basically:

1st time --> Blank Page (page 1a?)
2nd time --> Page2a, Page3a, Page 4a, Page5a, Page6a, Page7a (Pages 3 to 7 are the characters' profiles)

4) After the first time, once a certain item is found, I want Page2a to replace 1a. Otherwise, if the player wants to open the Journal before finding that item, the Journal should show only the cover (Journal closed) and the first blank page).

5) Sorry, I don't understand the question ;__; do you mean if the text on the Journal will appear with a picture? Then yes. All text that will be "written" on the journal will be images with the text already written that I added on photoshop.

6) I think I think unlockable pictures. For instance, the character profiles (which occupy "one page" each, with the two sides being occupied) are unlocked after the protagonist reveals the secret message in Page1a (which would be replaced by Page 2a).

After the profile pages are already available, the next pages will start unlocking whenever the protagonist finds important clues. These clues will be "written automatically" on the Journal. I think maybe these pages would have more than one version (meaning, Page8a, Page 8b, Page 8c, for example) since the notes will gradually fill the Page and not all at once.

7) Yup! Left and Right buttons would be to "turn the pages" so to speak. So if I'm on Page 1 and I press the Right button, I would go to Page 2 (if it's unlocked, of course), and so on. Page 0 would be the cover of the closed Journal.

8) Well, if I had categories to the Journal, that would certainly make things easier, but I'm not sure how to do it. That's why I thought maybe doing the Journal progressive would be less tricky.

9) I think it'll be easier if the recipe pages are only available to be seen on the Journal once they are unlocked. Meaning, there wouldn't be like 20 blank pages to reach only one of the unlocked recipes but rather the recipe pages are all right next to each other and unlocked one by one.

10) Yeah! the Escape button would close the journal :LZSsmile: Maybe by showing a box that asks if you want to close it, like the tutorial shows.

I'm sorry if my explanations were too confusing, hope it's somehow understandable!! Again, thanks so much for answering!!
 
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Bex

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Your Pictures helped alot.
I made an example with 3 Pages.
Edit: I remade the Code, sorry for posting early rubbish to fast yesterday :kaoslp:
Code: 
◆Comment：Picture Preload to fix stutter.
◆Show Picture：#1, Page1, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 0, Normal (Opacity0 so its transparent)
◆Show Picture：#2, Page2, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 0, Normal
◆Show Picture：#3, Page3, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 0, Normal
◆Wait：1 frame
◆Erase Picture：#1
◆Erase Picture：#2
◆Erase Picture：#3
◆Comment：-------------------------------------------

◆Comment：Open Journal Code Block
◆Show Picture：#1, Opened Book, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 255, Normal
◆If：Switch22 Blank Journal until... is OFF
  ◆Control Switches：#0024 Switch Page 1 unlocked? = ON
  ◆Control Variables：#0004 Variable4 Page Number = 1
  ◆Control Variables：#0027 Variable for Last drawn page = 0
  ◆
：Else
  ◆Comment：Start Page when Switch22 is On: (Page needs to be unlocked)
  ◆Control Switches：#0024 Switch Page 1 unlocked? = OFF
  ◆Control Switches：#0025 Switch Page 2 unlocked? = ON
  ◆Control Variables：#0004 Variable4 Page Number = 2
  ◆Control Variables：#0027 Variable for Last drawn page = 0
  ◆
：End

◆Comment：The Loop keeps this Eventpage running until we break/end it.
◆Loop

◆Comment：Turn Page Left/Right Code Block
  ◆Control Variables：#0026 Var Calculation helper = 0
  ◆If：Button [Left] is pressed down
    ◆Control Variables：#0026 Var Calculation helper = -1
    ◆
  ：End
  ◆If：Button [Right] is pressed down
    ◆Control Variables：#0026 Var Calculation helper = 1
    ◆
  ：End
  ◆If：Var Calculation helper = 0
    ◆Control Variables：#0028 Timer for Button Wait = 0
    ◆
  ：End
  ◆If：Button [Cancel] is pressed down
    ◆Comment：Insert your Code for closing the Menu and break the Loop
    ◆Erase Picture：#1
    ◆Erase Picture：#2
    ◆Break Loop
    ◆
  ：End

◆Label：Run again

◆Control Variables：#0004 Variable4 Page Number += Var Calculation helper

◆If：Variable4 Page Number = 0
    ◆Comment：When 1 less than first Page, jump to last Page.
    ◆Control Variables：#0004 Variable4 Page Number = 3
    ◆
  ：End
  ◆If：Variable4 Page Number = 4
    ◆Comment：When 1 more than last Page, jump to first Page.
    ◆Control Variables：#0004 Variable4 Page Number = 1
    ◆
  ：End

  ◆Comment：Pictures will only Update if the current Page Number is
  ：       ：not equal to the previous shown one.

  ◆If：Variable4 Page Number ≠ Variable for Last drawn page
    ◆Control Variables：#0027 Variable for Last drawn page = Variable4 Page Number

    ◆Comment：Lets check if the next Page is unlocked, else lets jump to label and check
    ：       ：the next upper or lower page until we found a unlocked one.
    ◆If：Variable4 Page Number = 1
      ◆If：Switch Page 1 unlocked? is ON
        ◆Play SE：Book1 (90, 100, 0)
        ◆Comment：Picture with Text for Page 1
        ◆Show Picture：#2, Page1, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 255, Normal
        ◆
      ：Else
        ◆Jump to Label：Run again
        ◆
      ：End
      ◆
    ：End

  ◆If：Variable4 Page Number = 2
      ◆If：Switch Page 2 unlocked? is ON
        ◆Play SE：Book1 (90, 100, 0)
        ◆Comment：Picture with Text for Page 2
        ◆Show Picture：#2, Page2, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 255, Normal
        ◆
      ：Else
        ◆Jump to Label：Run again
        ◆
      ：End
      ◆
    ：End

  ◆If：Variable4 Page Number = 3
      ◆If：Switch Page 3 unlocked? is ON
        ◆Play SE：Book1 (90, 100, 0)
        ◆Comment：Picture with Text for Page 3
        ◆Show Picture：#2, Page3, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 255, Normal
        ◆
      ：Else
        ◆Jump to Label：Run again
        ◆
      ：End
      ◆
    ：End

  ◆Comment：---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ：       ：If you create new Pages, put them above this.
  ：       ：I reworked the code to make it easier to add more pages, hope it worked =)
  ：       ：---------------------------------------------------------------------------


   ◆If：Choose your Button pres style is ON
      ◆Comment：This is the Wait for the Button press after Page changing.
      ◆Wait：12 frames
      ◆
    ：Else
      ◆Comment：This detects every single button press, for ultra responsive/fast page changing.
      ：       ：And extra long press function. just test it.
      ◆Loop
        ◆If：Timer for Button Wait ≥ 40
          ◆Wait：6 frames
          ◆Break Loop
          ◆
        ：Else
          ◆Control Variables：#0028 Timer for Button Wait += 1
          ◆
        ：End
        ◆If：Button [Left] is pressed down
          ◆Wait：1 frame
          ◆
        ：Else
          ◆If：Button [Right] is pressed down
            ◆Wait：1 frame
            ◆
          ：Else
            ◆Break Loop
            ◆
          ：End
          ◆
        ：End
        ◆
      ：Repeat Above
      ◆
    ：End
    ◆
  ：End

  ◆Comment：The main Loop needs a Wait 1 Frame to prevent an Endless loop which
  ：       ：would Lag or Freeze the Game.
  ◆Wait：1 frame
  ◆
：Repeat Above
Hope this helps somehow to get startet with this
Edit:
a.jpg
b.jpg
c.jpg
d.jpg
e.jpg
f.jpg
EDIT: The last comment in the last picture is incorrect. Dont put new pages above this!!! Sorry this Error slipped in. I corrected it in the Text example in the other spoiler.
 
Last edited:
karinthefox

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Bex said:
Your Pictures helped alot.
I made an example with 3 Pages.
Edit: I remade the Code, sorry for posting early rubbish to fast yesterday :kaoslp:
Code: 
◆Comment：Picture Preload to fix stutter.
◆Show Picture：#1, Page1, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 0, Normal (Opacity0 so its transparent)
◆Show Picture：#2, Page2, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 0, Normal
◆Show Picture：#3, Page3, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 0, Normal
◆Wait：1 frame
◆Erase Picture：#1
◆Erase Picture：#2
◆Erase Picture：#3
◆Comment：-------------------------------------------

◆Comment：Open Journal Code Block
◆Show Picture：#1, Opened Book, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 255, Normal
◆If：Switch22 Blank Journal until... is OFF
  ◆Control Switches：#0024 Switch Page 1 unlocked? = ON
  ◆Control Variables：#0004 Variable4 Page Number = 1
  ◆Control Variables：#0027 Variable for Last drawn page = 0
  ◆
：Else
  ◆Comment：Start Page when Switch22 is On: (Page needs to be unlocked)
  ◆Control Switches：#0024 Switch Page 1 unlocked? = OFF
  ◆Control Switches：#0025 Switch Page 2 unlocked? = ON
  ◆Control Variables：#0004 Variable4 Page Number = 2
  ◆Control Variables：#0027 Variable for Last drawn page = 0
  ◆
：End

◆Comment：The Loop keeps this Eventpage running until we break/end it.
◆Loop

◆Comment：Turn Page Left/Right Code Block
  ◆Control Variables：#0026 Var Calculation helper = 0
  ◆If：Button [Left] is pressed down
    ◆Control Variables：#0026 Var Calculation helper = -1
    ◆
  ：End
  ◆If：Button [Right] is pressed down
    ◆Control Variables：#0026 Var Calculation helper = 1
    ◆
  ：End
  ◆If：Var Calculation helper = 0
    ◆Control Variables：#0028 Timer for Button Wait = 0
    ◆
  ：End
  ◆If：Button [Cancel] is pressed down
    ◆Comment：Insert your Code for closing the Menu and break the Loop
    ◆Erase Picture：#1
    ◆Erase Picture：#2
    ◆Break Loop
    ◆
  ：End

◆Label：Run again

◆Control Variables：#0004 Variable4 Page Number += Var Calculation helper

◆If：Variable4 Page Number = 0
    ◆Comment：When 1 less than first Page, jump to last Page.
    ◆Control Variables：#0004 Variable4 Page Number = 3
    ◆
  ：End
  ◆If：Variable4 Page Number = 4
    ◆Comment：When 1 more than last Page, jump to first Page.
    ◆Control Variables：#0004 Variable4 Page Number = 1
    ◆
  ：End

  ◆Comment：Pictures will only Update if the current Page Number is
  ：       ：not equal to the previous shown one.

  ◆If：Variable4 Page Number ≠ Variable for Last drawn page
    ◆Control Variables：#0027 Variable for Last drawn page = Variable4 Page Number

    ◆Comment：Lets check if the next Page is unlocked, else lets jump to label and check
    ：       ：the next upper or lower page until we found a unlocked one.
    ◆If：Variable4 Page Number = 1
      ◆If：Switch Page 1 unlocked? is ON
        ◆Play SE：Book1 (90, 100, 0)
        ◆Comment：Picture with Text for Page 1
        ◆Show Picture：#2, Page1, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 255, Normal
        ◆
      ：Else
        ◆Jump to Label：Run again
        ◆
      ：End
      ◆
    ：End

  ◆If：Variable4 Page Number = 2
      ◆If：Switch Page 2 unlocked? is ON
        ◆Play SE：Book1 (90, 100, 0)
        ◆Comment：Picture with Text for Page 2
        ◆Show Picture：#2, Page2, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 255, Normal
        ◆
      ：Else
        ◆Jump to Label：Run again
        ◆
      ：End
      ◆
    ：End

  ◆If：Variable4 Page Number = 3
      ◆If：Switch Page 3 unlocked? is ON
        ◆Play SE：Book1 (90, 100, 0)
        ◆Comment：Picture with Text for Page 3
        ◆Show Picture：#2, Page3, Upper Left (0,0), (100%,100%), 255, Normal
        ◆
      ：Else
        ◆Jump to Label：Run again
        ◆
      ：End
      ◆
    ：End

  ◆Comment：---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ：       ：If you create new Pages, put them above this.
  ：       ：I reworked the code to make it easier to add more pages, hope it worked =)
  ：       ：---------------------------------------------------------------------------


   ◆If：Choose your Button pres style is ON
      ◆Comment：This is the Wait for the Button press after Page changing.
      ◆Wait：12 frames
      ◆
    ：Else
      ◆Comment：This detects every single button press, for ultra responsive/fast page changing.
      ：       ：And extra long press function. just test it.
      ◆Loop
        ◆If：Timer for Button Wait ≥ 40
          ◆Wait：6 frames
          ◆Break Loop
          ◆
        ：Else
          ◆Control Variables：#0028 Timer for Button Wait += 1
          ◆
        ：End
        ◆If：Button [Left] is pressed down
          ◆Wait：1 frame
          ◆
        ：Else
          ◆If：Button [Right] is pressed down
            ◆Wait：1 frame
            ◆
          ：Else
            ◆Break Loop
            ◆
          ：End
          ◆
        ：End
        ◆
      ：Repeat Above
      ◆
    ：End
    ◆
  ：End

  ◆Comment：The main Loop needs a Wait 1 Frame to prevent an Endless loop which
  ：       ：would Lag or Freeze the Game.
  ◆Wait：1 frame
  ◆
：Repeat Above
Hope this helps somehow to get startet with this
Edit:
View attachment 133173
View attachment 133174
View attachment 133175
View attachment 133176
View attachment 133177
View attachment 133178
EDIT: The last comment in the last picture is incorrect. Dont put new pages above this!!! Sorry this Error slipped in. I corrected it in the Text example in the other spoiler.
Click to expand...
Oh my gosh thank you so much for your help and taking your time to write all this!! I'm going to try it now :kaojoy:

Just a question, when you wrote "TitleNewGame", "TitleLoad" and "TitleCredits", what pictures should I use in my case? Should TitleNewGame be the picture where the Journal is closed, TitleLoad the one with the blank page and TitleCredits the one with Page 1? I'm sorry for asking so much:kaocry:
 
Bex

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I had no Pictures with Text called Page1, Page2, Page3. So i used the ones i had. I renamed them in the Code Example. I was a bit lazy :kaothx:.

In case you get the Code running, and in case you like it so far,the next thing would be implementing Categories if needed. And maybe splitting the Code into several Common Events to make it better readable.

Thank you this was a nice learning and practice task for me.
We could advance this Mechanic further to your needs.

Edit:
to Answer4
We can change the Conditional branch about Switch22 being on or off, to Item X being in Inventory.
 
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