Thex Custom Shops

[Titanhex]

DEMO: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5536575/Custom%20Shop%20Tutorial.exe

This tutorial aims to teach you how to make a nice custom shop layout for your game. Instead of going through that drab typical RPG shop menu, you can check out each item and get a custom description.

Basically, with this kind of layout:

Each of those events is something you can buy. The shopkeeper is just there for conversation.

When you use the action button on an event, you get to see the stats and description of the item, then you get to decide how many to purchase, and then you get the final price and a choice of if you want to finalize the purchase. It's quite simple really.

You can use this shop layout to allow the purchasing of equipment, consumables, and even spells!

Lets start with the variables you'll need:

1. Variables

You'll need 8 Variables for this:

Items on Hand
Price
Quantity
Total
Name
Icon #
99 Checker

+ Any Temporary Variable
(All games should have two of these)

4 of the variables help us easily copy and paste each event so that we just have to make very minor edits to change it.

Price
Items on Hand
Name
Icon #

The other 4 do fancy system work to ensure everything is done smoothly.

2. How to Copy-Paste

The Common Event:

This is an example of Leather Cap armor we can buy and the common event.

In the Leather Cap example the first 4 variables are what we need to change for each copy-paste we do.

• Make sure the price is the right price for the item
• Make sure Items on Hand points to the correct item in the database we're buying
• You name it what you want to name it
• You give it the right Icon index number from the icon list.

Then there's three other parts to change.

• The item description, which is the last 3 lines in the first "Text:" display. These are the description and stats for the item. I've made mine fancy and will provide my templates for items and weapons for you!
• You'll see towards the bottom "Change Armor: [Leather Mail] + Variable [n: Quantity]" Make sure you set this to the right item we're buying.
• Make sure you set the right graphic for the event that you want.

3. The Setup

Alright, now that you can see the pictures and how the events are done, it's time to calibrate them for your game. After you do this you won't have to touch it again, minus the parts for copy-paste in section 2.

First create your brand new events with everything I've shown in the picture, including the check boxes. (Or collect them off the demo)

When you make this, you might be using different variable #'s then I am for my suggested variables. It's important that you correctly plug in the right numbers for each variable in the right places.

This includes in the messages. You'll see a lot of messages have \v[##] like \v[98]. These point to the variables we made for this system. It's important you make sure they point to the right number! I'll list them off for you:

\v[100] Items on Hand
\v[99] Price
\v[98] Quantity
\v[97] Total
\v[96] Name
\v[95] Icon #
\v[94] 99 Checker

So just remember what number here is the new variable number in your game, and change them accordingly in the message boxes and down the event list.

\v[100] ==> \v[3] if variable 3 is your Items on Hand.

Don't forget your Temp Variable too!

4. How it Works

It starts by getting brand new values for our text to show. These are the 4 variables that are part of setup.

It then shows a money window, the price, and the name of our item we're selling with an icon next to it. It follows up with your own custom description of the item and the stats it provides or effect it does.

It jumps into the Common Event after this:

Then it asks us how many we want to buy, letting us input a number.

It tells us the total price and amount we're buying after we've done this, and if we want to make the purchase.

If we're going over the 99 item limit, it tells us and doesn't let us buy.

If we don't have the funds to buy the item, we can't buy, and it tells us.

It then leaves the Common Event:

If we can afford it and fit it in our inventory it takes our gold and gives us the item(s) purchased.

5. Templates for Item Descriptions:

These are example templates I've used for various items. They work with the default Window colors.

Let me start with the base message you'll use so you can just copy-paste this into your text box when making the system for the first time:

\$\c[4]\i[\v[95]]\v[96]:\c[0] \v[99]\g \> \v[100]/99
"Someone melted their bed frame to make this."
\c[8]Heavy Armor\c[0]
\c[24]DEF:\c[0] 4 \c[24]AGI:\c[0] 1 \c[24]LUK:\c[0] 1 \c[24]ASPD:\c[0] 1

\$\v[98] \c[4]\i[\v[95]]\v[96](s)\c[0] will cost \v[97]\g.

Remember, you never have to edit the first line of the text box that shows item descriptions when copy-pasting.

This is what I've used for a robe:

"Close it tightly to avoid wardrobe malfunction."
\c[8]Light Armor\c[0]
\c[24]DEF:\c[0] 4 \c[24]MDEF:\c[0] 2 \c[24]MAT:\c[0] 2

I've used this for a Spear:

"Putting knives on a stick seemed smart to someone."
\c[8]Spear\c[0]
\c[24]ATK:\c[0] 12 \c[10]EVADE\c[0]:-2% \c[10]HIT %\c[0]:-5% \c[10]AGI\c[0]-2

I've used this for a Red Health Potion:

"It looks like blood, but I swear it's not!"
Restores 175 \c[10]HP\c[0] to a party member when used.
\c[11]Medicine.

Here is the iconset I'm using:



And here is the charsets I've converted the icons into:








Art is credited to:
http://ails.deviantart.com/

NOTE:
If someone could make or provide a charset layout for the icons in RMVX Ace RTP that'd be a huge help to anyone using this tutorial!

 

[Velvela Jade]

Thanks for the tutorial! I am definitely using this in my game. My friend also likes it. He is the one who found the tutorial for me.

 

[Titanhex]

Glad to hear it was of use to you! :3

I appreciate the generous compliments

 

[Chrome]

Impressive, you came out of no where.

 

[Titanhex]

Been around on other RM forums. Been using RM and other game making software for years too.

I'll have a couple more fancy tutorials up soon here, once I get the chance.

 

[Cartridge]

I love how you combine script calls and complex events together. you should get the award 'best eventer', but that's not up to me.

 

[anavn]

THIS IS GRATE. Will use it in my game. For what you were asking a super big icon et already exist wit over 10000 icons just search the net(rule says I can not post link) I use it in my game but be aware that using it will slow down the database processing speed BY A LOT.

 

[DaneReid]

The link to the demo is down. Think you could put it up again?

 

[Titanhex]

Sorry bout that. Fixed.

 

[BrightSlap]

Hello. Sorry if I'm necroposting , but can this be used for Rpg maker vx? I tried copying and pasting the text box information , but the top display is just a bunch of numbers rather then the title and sprite.

 

[Imagine]

Wow im impressed! very nicely done, kudos to you mate.

 

[Valentor Denesto]

This is great! What a great shop system. Thank you very much

 

[Valentor Denesto]

I'm trying to get this to work, but every time I click on the item the event graphic changes to a knife. The event itself (purchasing) runs perfectly, yet the graphic itself changes to a knife until the event is complete. Any one know why this is?

Edit: Just noticed I double posted. Sorry for this.

 

[BoluBolu]

@Valentor
I don't really know what do you mean, but you can try it, give check at the direction fix box on that event, you know, at the bottom left corner of the event window, there is walking animation, step animation, and direction fix, then check the direction fix. I hope it helps.

Eventer is great, they are very creative. While scripter can easily breakout the game system limit by changing or adding code inside the script editor, great eventer will try to expand an aspect in the game with the default system restrictions. But I admit that scripting will give us a lot more practical in many ways. For example me, I can't stand complicated event that use many variables and conditional branch, so I prefer script it and do one script call or anything like that. BUT...!!

Look at TitanHex tutorial.. It was awesome. Moreover it can be used by a non-scripter. Great job TitanHex

All of this time I just think that eventing power didn't stand a chance comparing to scripting power. But now, I think I really need to learn more about the power of eventing. Yeah.
 

 

[EmeraldDemnia]

@BoluBolu, A good eventer with little to no scripting knowledge like myself is bound to get extra creative within the borders of what was meant and what one could stretch it to. Those three tabs are not simply standard functions, they are possibilities as great as one can think outside the box. I however find myself always overthinking how to event it even when I'm trying to work script. Scripting in comparison does take a lot less time then eventing complex functions will though. It's perfect balance one should try to achieve imo. That's why I'm trying to learn the scripting part better.