Common Sense Corner

[DerVVulfman]

Allow me to follow that idea up with another....


YOU HAVE AN ITEM DATABASE, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH IT.


Okay, guys.   Everyone tends to think their database is loaded with WEAPONS!   It's loaded with ARMOR!!  It's got POTIONS AND STATUS EFFECT ITEMS!!!!  IT HAS KEYS!!!   IT HAS BOOKS!!!!

Seriously, items can do more than just heal you, remove poison, or something that just brings up a common event text file.  At least those who use an item to bring up a common event are on the right page.

That's right.  You can enhance items and make them do great things by way of Common Events.

For anyone working with an RPGMaker-like engine, you have a system that allows you to use events on the field map.  These events allow you to use 'event code', a preset collection of commands that can let events to miraculous things, be it making a door animate and deliver a sound effect, bring up a battle or some text for the player to read, or calculate the value of pi to the 10th decimal point.

And you enter the Common Event database and make an event for your items using this same set of commands.

An item need not be just some static object, but something entertaining and dynamic.  

Imagine a modern-era game where you're trapped on an island complex and the electric fence came down.  Your character is trapped... and finds a can of Barbasol shaving cream.  What to do?  What to do?   You go into the ITEM menu and uses it (this item tied to a common event).

The common event for the item, removes the Barbasol Can item and replaces it with two new items:  Empty Fake Shaving Cream can and Vial of Dinosaur DNA.  After that, the Common Event uses the Show Text command to display "Found Denis Nedry's Stolen DNA!"  OMG, we're playing Jurassic Park RPG?

Imagine a dark fantasy world where you are trapped underground, and you find a leather bound mystical cheat.  Your character is informed that it can transmute the weapon you have equipped, but with risk. 

The common event for the item literally takes the item from the lead actor, and then randomizes a number from 1 to 20.  It then chooses a new weapon ID and equips the player with that item.  Simple, but risky if he had a better item at the start.  Basically a knock-off of the Horadric Cube from Diablo II.

Technically, items can trigger a whole host of common event systems as that's been possible since RPGMaker 95 (and I've seen cool Crafting scripts done with them), or you could use them to run script calls to bring up an actual SCRIPT crafting system.  Or you could use ideas like the above to conceal items that need to be found for some 'find-the-item' scavenger hunt quest.