Time Script, should I use addons?

[Evgenij]

Hello, so Im scripting a Time-System, and Im unsure how I should structure it.

Should I make a base Script, which handles the time, and make addons for it, like "custom tints for time periods" or "period name popup window".

Or should I make all this as a Feature of the Time-System Script.

I mean it would be much easier for the scripter to maintain the scripts, if he use an Addon-System.

How would you handle it?

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

I do prefer modular things... Makes it easier to just copy what I need...

 

[Uzuki]

Personally I would use a base with the tint option and then add different stuff later like a Day option or something like that.

 

[Tsukihime]

Make everything an add-on and then determine whether something would make sense to be pulled into the base.


In the end, the more you hardcode into a script, the more you risk compatibility issues.

 

[Mouser]

Make everything an add-on and then determine whether something would make sense to be pulled into the base.

In the end, the more you hardcode into a script, the more you risk compatibility issues.

The best way to avoid compatibility issues is to always overwrite the base classes directly whenever possible. This way you know that all of your changes are being worked in together as you go and you'll see any issues as they come up: the third time you rewrite Game_Battler or Scene_Map you'll see all the changes you've already done and know what you can and cannot change to keep everything working (or what needs to be rewritten to accommodate the new code).

As far as time scripts go, Vlue has got two great ones (basic and advanced), and I think somebody else has a time script, too (Yanfly maybe - I'm honestly not sure). Check the scripts forums and check on the homepages of the major scripters.

Study their scripts and see how they do things. Trace them out until you understand (grok)  how they work. It's very good if you can study two scripts by two different coders that accomplish the same task, as you'll see two different techniques and 'methods of attack' to solve the same problem.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

overwriting IMHO is quite not a good idea in a lot of cases... specially if you have two scripts that both overwrite the same method, that would then mean that only one of them would run...

 

[Evgenij]

@Mouser

Technically I have finished writing the Time-System, with all extras I wanted to include(Tints, Years, Clockwindow, etc.) and its all working,

but the code looks just so chaotic and unclear(so full), so I thought about splitting it in parts and make it modular. It also would be easier for the user to disinclude features he dont want to use.

Thanks all for the response, I will split the System up in parts.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Then probably just distribute it using a Demo file... XD