What's up, RMers?

[DerVVulfman]

I took a break from some RMing by going and playing an immersive RM game called Skyrim.  Or to be specific, I did  a serious CRASH run through the main game and one of the DLC games in order to release a collection of saves:

Destiny Fulfilled

Clickable link takes you to Nexus Mods

Easy enough.  Do one playthrough, go and rest at your house or location, take stock of what you have, and then use a subtle, built-in command that brings up the character race/creation screen and effectively set your new character at Game Save 1.

 

So you can play from any of these characters, and its Save 1 despite the character now at a virtual level 3 rank with goodies and having beaten the main questline at the very least.

 

All vanilla (no mods used to make them more attractive), its hard as heck to make an Orc look like she belongs on the cover of Maybelline, or properly deal with the triangular head shape of the elves.

This is STILL Rming, just not Enterbrain (or like) game dev RMing.   Well, it is save game dev I guess?  And if you just wanna get past the main quest in Skyrim and focus on anything else, there ya go.

[kyonides]

From the very beginning I'll admit the following concept isn't new at all. Actually, it seems to be a minor modification of an old idea that has been implemented in RPG's on multiple occasions or something the like.

It's very simple indeed:

• You visit a skill shop and buy some skill a la FF3 (modern international release).
  
• You can use the skill a few times before depleting either your SP / MP or the skill uses.
  
• You can regenerate SP / MP, but you can't cast that skill.
  
• The skill item needs to be recharged for a fee at a store, an inn or some special place.
  It's very expensive as a newbie, but there might be ways to reduce the cost as long as you keep leveling up or mastering skills.
  
• The game might reach a point where a given skill(s) can be learned forever and ever under special circumstances.
  From this point onward, the skill would work just like it has always done it in XP or VX.
  
• Optionally, the whole system might be rendered obsolete once a free access to mana has been restored in your game world.
  

So far, I can't tell if this should just become a script plus some basic events only. There's a chance it might end up becoming a small game / playable demo instead. This doesn't mean I'd have the intention to ever finish this minor project at all. Once the concept is proven and runs smoothly, there's no point in fully developing the whole story behind the script's features.

[DerVVulfman]

Yup! I've been using that blank-event-as-barrier style for most of the game. It works well despite being very basic, particularly for smaller maps. This is the first time on a big map though, and I've had to adjust. Managed to free up 200 tiles by simplifying the zones.

For countering lag, I intend on adding switch changes at various choke points. So the roaming monsters only appear when you approach that area and disappear when you leave.

Well, a good number of anti-lag scripts can also prevent lag based on an event being actively checked or not.  So they can not only deter slowdown based on graphics being updated but whether they are being actively checked or executed.  And merely running a flag to turn them on or off won't do much because their graphics (even empty) is still being updated.  Now, not ALL anti-lag systems are created equal. But its something to consider.

As to having areas with wandering monsters.  I decided to have a little fun.

You know what kinda fun I mean, right?

This dude on the left cannot go outside the two colored blocks.   

Rather than recreating the window, I took my Enhanced Encounter Areas script and modified the method which determines if the player is in any rectangular area.  In doing so, I just created a new add-on patch so Events cannot go OUTSIDE any area defined for them.

HIS Event has the following in his 'List of Event Commands:

@>Comment:  EEA
@>Comment:  EEA_Areas [1,2]
@>Comment:  EEA_Return 0

So this event is stuck within two areas defined by EAA_Areas value (from the Enhanced Encounter Areas script). And if  the event attempts to cross and go outside the area(s), it uses a techique defined by the EAA_Return value.

0=Step backwards once
1=Step backwards twice
2=Turn and step away
3=Turn and take two steps away
4=Turn, step away and turn back (stationary)
5=Mooooove to the event's original spot
6=BOOM!  Just teleports/bamps to its original spot

Just finishing it up now.


EDIT: EEP. I forgot to add the sidebar comments that I now do!!!

[Ace_V]

Yup! I've been using that blank-event-as-barrier style for most of the game. It works well despite being very basic, particularly for smaller maps. This is the first time on a big map though, and I've had to adjust. Managed to free up 200 tiles by simplifying the zones.

For countering lag, I intend on adding switch changes at various choke points. So the roaming monsters only appear when you approach that area and disappear when you leave.

Well, a good number of anti-lag scripts can also prevent lag based on an event being actively checked or not.  So they can not only deter slowdown based on graphics being updated but whether they are being actively checked or executed.  And merely running a flag to turn them on or off won't do much because their graphics (even empty) is still being updated.  Now, not ALL anti-lag systems are created equal. But its something to consider.

As to having areas with wandering monsters.  I decided to have a little fun.


...

Just finishing it up now.

This is really neat!!  

I just found out about empty events still being updated.     Tested out the 980-event map and my zone-switching bit didn't help with lag one bit    

I am looking at three options, from easiest to difficult:

1. drastically reduce the number of events in the map (blanks border and monsters)
2. Apply an anti-lag script (more on this below)
3. Apply the two new scripts (Active Bound-Area Events and Expanded Encounter Areas and define several hundred events and ~90 areas on one map)

I tried searching for Zeriab's Anti-Lag system, but the links in the old thread no longer lead to the demo or the script.
However, I only need an anti-lag system to work for one map (so far) and I don't want a game-wide change in how events behave (unless Zeriab's system will only work if I put the [A] / [[N] tags in the event names?)
Is there still a link to the script, and will that function only for specific map IDs? 

[DerVVulfman]

Thanks for letting us know about Zeriab's page. I have since updated the pate with an attached copy of the script. Sadly, I have no demo for it otherwise that would be updated as well.

However, you may be interested in

Super Simple Anti-Lag Script (Updated to 2.0)
amaranth, 12-21-2008
If you are looking for an anti-lag script that will keep your FPS at 100% most of the time, this is the script for you.

This is part of the RPGRevolution Archive I made. And the post contains both script and demo links. The demo is kinda hilarious boasting 998 roaming chickens in an area. And I do believe, you can turn antilag on/off.

Amaranth has been in RM for a while, creating "Ahriman's Prophecy" with RPGMaker 2003 when she was Lambchop at RMXP.Net and RMXP.Org, She pointed me to the Japanese site where RM2K3 could be legally purchased when Protexis wouldn't. And with RMXP, she created "Aveyond".

[Ace_V]

Thanks for letting us know about Zeriab's page.  I have since updated the page with an attached copy of the script.  Sadly, I have no demo for it otherwise that would be updated as well.

However, you may be interested in

Super Simple Anti-Lag Script (Updated to 2.0)
amaranth, 12-21-2008
If you are looking for an anti-lag script that will keep your FPS at 100% most of the time, this is the script for you.

... The demo is kinda hilarious boasting 998 roaming chickens in an area.  And I do believe, you can turn antilag on/off. ...

 This is great! Looks like it's the script I need. Thanks for helping out, DerVVulfman. I'll try to implement this!
In the meantime, I've also removed around 300 events from my large map, lowering the event count to around the 550 range. Only very minor lag now. (But if I can implement amaranth's script, I can add the deleted monsters again!)