Blizzard's DDNS, DNS general, Torches

[Nearly Infinite]

I just started poking around Blizzard's Dynamic Day and Night System, and it looks pretty awesome.

Blizzard's DDNS

Spoiler

http://www.rmrevolution.com/87/dynamic-day-and-night-system-ddns/

Has anyone else used this? Have you encountered any problems? Have any tips?

Are there other better DNS's out there? I really like Blizzard's and will probably use it.

Also, on a slight tangent, I'm planning on implementing Torches in my game. Specifically, that "Dark Interiors" would default to much darker, unless you use a Torch (lighting it up to the current Dark Interior tint), which would burn out after so many frames (going back to the much darker setting). Would I be right in assuming the easiest way to do this is to make Torches in the Item tab of the database, and have them call a Common Event on use (which I'd have to script myself)?

 

[Necro_100000]

Is this a script Request of some sort? = ?

Anyway cool script. Might use it.

Also you might want to take your tangent to the script request board. It most likely won't get answered here ^.^

 

[Nearly Infinite]

No, I wasn't requesting the Script itself, I just wanted to know if that was the easiest way to do it. Although throwing the request on that board isn't a bad idea. :wink:

Mostly I was wondering if anyone else has used Blizzard's DDNS already (before I go ahead and tinker with it) and what they had to say.

 

[Nearly Infinite]

Blizzard's DDNS is working great, but I'm still curious if others have anything else to say about it. I noticed by searching the forums that Blizzard himself is met with a mixed reception here, so, I hope I didn't hit any nerves mentioning his Scripts. The DDNS, so far, is pretty solid.

I did find that if you try to use RMXP's default timer (called up from an Event), his Clock is right on top of it and looks like a mess. So, if you plan on displaying the default timer, you're going to have to script it to show up somewhere else besides the upper-right corner of the screen. Doesn't sound like too much trouble.

EDIT: Also, I'm not sure what those 8 or so Common Events he has in his demo do except mung up the action with their crazy Wait times. I think maybe you don't need them, but I haven't tried making a project without them yet (and solely using the Script). They kinda look like initial attempts at getting the DDNS to work strictly through events; they even mention Variables that are never initialized (3 and 4)... I could be stupid and not realize what they mean, but for the most part I ignore them.

As for my SubQuestion, I'll answer it myself for those who care:

Yes, that's a pretty easy way to do it.

I'm using Glitchfinder's Multiple Timer Script to handle the duration of Torches, and a million other things in my games to boot. It's golden.

Using the Torch lightens the screen and sets one of Glitchfinder's Counters to 2.5 minutes (150 seconds), and when a lingering Parallel event notices that the timer is at zero, it undoes the effect. In conjunction with Blizzard's DDNS, it's pretty awesome. You can wander out of the dungeon and if the timer is still active, you don't have to waste another torch if you go right back in. Also, unlike in the old Dragon Warrior games, you shouldn't lose torchlight if you make a transition to another dungeon floor or room. Overall it doesn't mess with lighting Outside or in lit Interiors so, yeah, good stuff.

The only problemo I have now with my Torches is that I'm trying to get them to be usable as an offense during a battle. Like, throwing them at an enemy for Fire damage. That's not working so well, but it's issues with the Item Database stats and not anything in the Script. Mostly, because I'm still learning what all those fields really mean. I probably won't use Torches in my game offensively, but it would be nice for realism (and for early encounters where fire-magic is unavailable).

Nevertheless, no major issues so far.

Please let me know if you've used either of these Scripts (Blizzard's or Glitch's) in your games and encountered problems.

 

[Star]

I really want to use Blizzards DDNS. But I would like to know if you could set a variable to equal how much seconds have passed during day or night. Because I kinda want to make towns people that move around like they do in Radiata Stories instead of sitting in their house all day. But I need variables to change their location according to how many seconds has passed

As for using it. I haven't even tried putting it in my game yet, But if I do. I'm not going to use that silly looking timer, It's just another useless distraction hanging over your game map

 

[Nearly Infinite]

Blizzard's Clock is easily made invisible.

You can specifically set the increments of Day and Night in seconds, and even turn on a feature that makes specific day and night slightly random (with a variance you specify).

There's two ways to do what you're thinking:

1.) Script two Event pages for their actions, one for daytime, one for night.

OR

2.) Use Glitche's Multiple Timer Script (which would actually give you a timer that you could check with a Conditional Branch, so you can have them change up their routine after awhile regardless of day or night).

You can easily combine the two uses, giving them several timed routines for day as well as night.

The instructions for doing any of these things are located in the Comments of the Scripts themselves. I can clarify specifics to a degree, but the respective authors obviously know more about their own Scripts than I do.