What's up, RMers?

[DerVVulfman]

With my hand .... roughly 40% healed from being broken, I've begun typing more.  And typing more involves... the retooling of Animated Battlers!  Finally, I've begun reworking that hodge podge that I inherited over a decade ago from Minkoff himself.   I guess I can finally remove his name from the system... he laughed I kept it on there for years.

I've spent a few days on this with the following steps:

• Separating the individual classes from the code, each having its own place in the Script Editor (ie Game_Battler separate from Game_Enemy from Game_Actor from Interpreter).  Arranging them in 'proper' order according to the default scripts of course.
  
• Examining each class to see what needs work.  Some actually didn't.
  
• Breaking up massive methods into manageable chunks.  Did the update method in Sprite Battler need to be 190+ lines long?
  
• Rename the various custom methods according to a naming standard.  All new methods begin with 'minkoff_function_'
  
• Rename the alias names according to a standard from ye olde RMXP SDK:  classname_script_method_description.
  
• Tidy.  No script should have lines extending beyond the right margin.  It's not good if someone wants to read it and needs to scroll.
  
• Re-address detection values.  Animated Battlers can detect seven battlesystems.  I just cleaned up the code a little.
  
• SAVE A NEW FOLDER/PACKAGE AT EACH STEP!!!
  

Yeah, I have a good number of backups.  And right now, I'm retooling the configuration section.  Handling poses and such will be much easier, in my humble opinion.   Right now, I have this for the start of the config:

Code:

module Minkoff

 
  #==========================================================================
  # Do not touch
  POSES, FRAMES, SPEED, RUSH_SPEED, LOW_HP_PERCENT = {}, {}, {}, {}, {}
  #==========================================================================

 
  #==========================================================================
  #   ****                    GENERAL CONTROLS                       ****   #
  #==========================================================================

  # * Default Battler Style Switches
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------        
  DEFAULT_ENEMY           = false   # If true, these switches allows the use
  DEFAULT_ACTOR           = false   # of default battlers for actors/enemies
  DEFAULT_ENEMY_ID        = [3]     # Ids of enemies using default battlers
  DEFAULT_ACTOR_ID        = [1]     # Ids of actors using default battlers
  DEFAULT_COLLAPSE_ACTOR  = false   # If true, restores the old 'red fade'
  DEFAULT_COLLAPSE_ENEMY  = false   #   collapse effect (using spritesheets)


  # * Ccoa Spritestrip Style Switches
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------        
  CCOA_ENEMY              = false   # If true, these switches allows the use
  CCOA_ACTOR              = false   # of ccoa spritestrips for actors/enemies
  CCOA_ENEMY_ID           = []      # Ids of enemies using ccoa spritestrips
  CCOA_ACTOR_ID           = [5]     # Ids of actors using ccoa spritestrips


  # * Animation Frames and Animation Speed
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------    
  SPEED[0]                = 4       # Animation speed per frame (1-9, 1=slowest)
  SPEED[7]                = 3       # Gloria's animation speed is slower
  RUSH_SPEED[0]           = 1.5     # Melee/Skill/Item motion speed
  RUSH_SPEED[2]           = 0.75    # Basil runs slowly
  RUSH_SPEED[-1]          = 2.0     # Ghosts move fast
  POSES[0]                = 11      # Number of poses (stances) in the template
  POSES[-1]               = 4       # Ghost has 4 poses
  POSES[2]                = 4       # Basil has 4 poses
  FRAMES[0]               = 4       # Maximum number of frames in each pose


  # * Wooziness Rates
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  LOW_HP_PERCENT[0]   = 0.25                    # Default 25% woozy setting
  LOW_HP_PERCENT[7]   = 0.50                    # Ind. health% for actors.
  LOW_HP_PERCENT[5]   = 0.75                    # #7 is Gloria, #5 is Estelle
  LOW_HP_PERCENT[-1]  = 0.50                    # Ind. health% for enemies.
  LOW_HP_FLAT         = false                   # If true, flat rate hp
 
    
 
  #==========================================================================
  #   ****                     CCOA POSE CENTER                      ****   #
  #==========================================================================
 
  # This is a simple array holding the individual string names of your custom
  # ccoa spritesheet suffixes.   They are loaded  into the array in the order
  # of the pose values.  So your first pose (typically 'Ready')  would be the
  # first pose in the array, followed by the next, and thereafter.
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------

  CCOA_POSES = [  "_ready", "_hit", "_lowhp", "_guard", "_moveto", "_movefrom",
                  "_attack",  "_item",  "_skill", "_victory", "_dead"]  
end

I used to have a value called MNK_POSES, and separate values for MNK_POSES_ACTOR and MNK_POSES_ENEMY.   AND on top of that, I used a screwed up way to set how many poses an individual battler had if he/she was different from the others:

MNK_POSES_ACTOR         = {2 => 4}  .... it wasn't the best.

Now, I have a single POSES argument.   POSES[0] is the base, holding how many poses every battler has.  If the value in the brackets is different, it's a different battler.  So POSES[5] would be setting the number of poses for Actor #5.   And negative values in there will handle enemies.  So POSES[-1] will cover the poses for your typical Ghosts.    And all other values that have such brackets work the same!!!

Oh, you may notice that SPEED and RUSH_SPEED have brackets.   Yep, you can now set the animation framerate and running speed of each actor and enemy separately.  I was requested this a long time ago, and always assumed I couldn't.  HAH!   It was easier than I thought!

So now, I'm here and about to tackle the basic Minkoff range of poses:  Pose 1 through to Pose 11, and work them out in much the same manner as above.

And yes, it still supports Default-Style and Ccoa-Style battlers.

[kyonides]

Well, Gosu rubygem version 0.14.0 has been released and it's way faster than 0.13.3 so far I've tested on my Linux box. Let's say it took about half a minute to load all of my menus and their graphics, now it just takes like less than 10 seconds. O_O? I don't know how its current developer do it to be honest.

Obviously I've got to update my scripts, mainly for reducing font sizes since now they seem to be larger, but that's pretty much all I've got to do there.

Oh yeah I've uploaded the KUnits website, it's a test to be honest with you. Even so it sports four screenshots that will let you get an idea on how it works. It's URL is KUnits Heroes For Hire!

[kyonides]

Since C doesn't seem to be fully compatible with Gosu, a C++ library, I guess I will have to learn C++ and SWIG to ensure there won't be such incompatibility anymore...

Is there any good guide you would recommend me to read??

[DerVVulfman]

C++ for Dummies by Stephen R. Davis?

Excerpt: Welcome to C++ for Dummies, 7th Edition. Think of this book as C++; Reader's Digest Edition, bringing you everything you need to know to start programming without the boring stuff.

[yamina-chan]

I just went through my recources folder and was shocked to see that most most subfolders of where I had been collecting and crediting materials by the comunity since 2011/2012 were completely gone.
And then I remmebered that I lost all of that about two years ago after my doubble harddrive failiure, which was the whole reason I stopped working with the maker for a while.
I actually forgot that.
And now I'm thinking about how many sites and comunities we've lost in the last few years and how many things are gone forever and now I'm sad.


Other than that... I've been editing some things to suit the needs for my project lately.

[kyonides]

Here you can have a look at my KUnits Gosu project... while trying to figure out what my Kexyana conlang tries to tell you there. 



Yeah, it's still available in English, Spanish, German and Kexyana as well.

[Mel]

That language looks...interesting. o.o

The last days I finally managed to build an anti-lag script for the light-script, I'm using.
Now only the lights in sight of the player will update.
That improved my game's performance ALOT and I'm a bit proud of myself that I did it without help, just by looking up how other anti-lag scripts work.^^"

[DerVVulfman]

Still working upon the retooled version of Animated Battlers. Divided into three parts, the configuration system consists of a General page, a Poses page, and a Frame and Movement page.

As of today, the whole of the Poses page has been completed. Many of the old configurable values (MNK_POSES_CASTPREP, MNK_POSES_CRITICAL, MNK_DODGE_WEAPS) and more have been changed with simpler and easier to recognize names (CHANTING_POSE, CRITICAL_HIT, DODGE_WEAPONS). I didn't lose any features in any way. And hopefully, the latter coming instructions manual will be easier to understand. Right now, it reads like a 1960's short-wave radio technical manual.

I've already begun working on the third page, stationary poses already fixed up... though only a little. BUT... I think I got a bit of a breakthrough in a feature long requested.

Some have asked for a little extra animation when using a skill-delay system. That is, an added bonus effect when a battler must stand around waving their arms as if casting a powerful spell and the player must wait X amount of time until the spell is finally cast. Obviously, I already have casting animations done. But what some have requested was to have the battler step forward in battle before they begin their casting or chanting animation.

I have made a breakthrough which does work with one battlesystem, but not all. Or to the point, not all plugins for said battlesystems. I penned a skill delay system years ago for the default battlesystem, there is one for the RTAB system, ParaDog has one, and one is built into Charlie Fleed's CTB. I will not say WHICH battlesystem I have it working for... Suffice it to say that with one system, Gloria steps forward in the demo and then begins chanting a fireball spell. And after a time, she unleashes it and then returns to the party.

STILL... the prime job right now is to rework the third configuration page.

[DerVVulfman]

I was ready to chuck my keyboard out the door today.

ROFL, when does anyone hear that from me???

I was asked to look at a script which involved using text files for records, one that needed a severe text rendering upgrade. Converting text files into RXData files was no biggie. Hell, I put in extra safeguards. But, I had a HELL of a time trying to convert a method from text rendering into text area formatting, so content can fit within a prescribed single window without issue.

'Had' being the operative word. Whew... Still, the person who I did the work for suggested that I release this fixed work. NOPE.. It's still not my style. But I might take what I learned for an altogether new system.

[DerVVulfman]

As of now, the third and final configuration page for Animated Battlers, one that handles movement and individual frames-per-pose has been completed. The system that handles battler offsets so they do not overlap one another had been streamlined. And I just shortened some key sections of the Scene_Battle additions by about 20%. GOOD! Because I added a hella lot of comments to it first.

I disabled the upcoming 'step-first' movement system because it doesn't work with everything.... yet. After all... first thing's first. Testing all configuration options with the half-dozen battlesystems that Animated Battlers works with. But that's gonna take some time.

TEST FIRST BEFORE RELEASE.