cut scenes and crowd control

[Verincia]

I am beginning to work with cut scenes. The scene I am trying to make is an involved one where I am trying to fill a throne room one character at a time until I get about more than 15 characters all through the throne room doors. I start with my character to sit in her chair, and then after she sits down then the throne room is to fill itself. I have tried to come up with the "Move route" option where I am moving each character, changing the graphics for each character, in a single event and within a single event page, but that is not producing any results. I am also wondering how it is possible to have the filling up happen without the player moving.
And I'm sorry I can't give you the exact event page, but I don't have an idea of how to do that or have the rescources to do it.

 

[Glitchfinder]

My first thought was something like this:

Try making it so that a switch is activated when the player sits down. Then, have the other events become active on this switch, (parallel process) set up a variable timer for each of them (you can ask if you don't know how) and have them appear to file in based on their individual timers instead of trying to control them all with one event.

 

[Verincia]

No I really have had little experience with variables.

 

[Verincia]

I would not mind getting some advice.

 

[Glitchfinder]

OK, creating a variable timer is fairly simple. Just have the event activate as a parallel process, then do this:

The second page is simple. Just have it as the final image you want the character to be, and then set it to only be active with Self Switch B Also, to change the time, set the variable I showed to the number of seconds you want to wait.

 

[Mikee]

Okay. I doubt this is solved, so I'm going to toss my two cents in. : ) If you don't like it, then use it to buy tootsie rolls just to spite me.

First off: Can your character see the door that these npc's are coming in through? If not, you can just cheat. Just toss the events out of sight somewhere, so when a switch turns on, they can start heading for their places. If that makes sense.

Second option: I actually started to write out how I'd do this, then realized that the characters would have to kind of... poof to their seats/places, and it wouldn't work right. So here's my next idea instead. lol.

Three: Create a hallway behind the door they enter from. Set up all 15 of your events in here. It might get crowded, but it's the only way I can think to do it. Besides, I've used an ABS with over 40 npc's all battling each other on one map... it wasn't just awesome... it was LAGGY. But you should be alright with only 15 to 20 events. As long as they're not all trying to kill each other.

The problem with this hallway is, 1.) you don't want the player to enter it, if it's possible. So what I'd do, is on the first two events, make sure their graphic is blank and on player touch. So if the player does walk over them, it'll send her back a step and give her a "no no" text, or something. 2.) The hallway might look just a little awkward and... out of place... I'd suggest using two tiles that show that there's a doorway, and then use black tiles after that, so it blends in with the outside of the room. Try to position the player so she can't see the hallway once she's sitting, but she can see the doorway as the people walk in. 3.) Your npc's can't walk on black tiles? Change the passage settings, unless this conflicts with any other places in your game, then I'd consider making a new tile that you only use in this area.

Next: Give every single event two pages. The second page is activated by a switch. The same switch. The first two events will use their regular move route to find their places. The next two events, you'll set a 20 Frame wait or so before their move route, the next two events will have 40, the next 60 and so on. That way, they won't run into each other, and it'll still flow pretty smooth. If you want it to look more realistic, do a random space between them, and don't let two events right next to each other have the same time, or they'll come in synchronized which would look very scripted.

Anyway... I know it's a really lame attempt at how to do this, and if you'd like... I love making demos for people, so just let me know if you're confused. That's the only way I can really come up with.

Good luck.

 

[Brewmeister]

RMXP really needs a "Move to point" (pathfinding) move option...

Solutions to consider:

1) use pathfinding. (requires script)

2) Control the entire cutscene from a single, invisible, autorun event. that way you are not coordinating between many events.
Use move event, move routes & wait commands accordingly. That way, even if the timing is a little off, the whole scene still works.
This should also be more efficient & less laggy as the interpreter is only processing the one autorun event's commands.

now you have 4 cents! More tootsie rolls :scruff:

 

[zorreeam]

2) Control the entire cutscene from a single, invisible, autorun event. that way you are not coordinating between many events.
Use move event, move routes & wait commands accordingly. That way, even if the timing is a little off, the whole scene still works.
This should also be more efficient & less laggy as the interpreter is only processing the one autorun event's commands.
now you have 4 cents! More tootsie rolls :scruff:

This is the best advice anyone can give you. You never want each event running itself.