Common Event Library (Development + Brainstorm thread)

[PK8]

Alright, not sure how to start this but this is my next big idea. The intent behind making this is to streamline the game-making process and to allow for a greater deal of consistency whenever eventing something as simple as "Item x## Received."

The inspiration behind it came from two things: Script calls, and the premade scripts from RPG Tsukuru 5/RPG Maker 2 (PS2)
Here's what I'm talking about with the premade scripts:

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The unfortunate thing about this is, unless there's a much better way of going about it, I'm going to have to make use of Game Variables. I have 5 game variables set up (which the IDs of them could be changed through the script editor). They all act as parameters to the common event that is being called next. Not all of the common events will require all 5 of those variables (some are going to require none to 4 at most). Some of those variables being used as parameters would later get reused as something that could later be inserted into a message, such as a string.
The way it's being handled right now is certainly not set in stone. I might end up ditching game variables entirely and just go with creating variables through the Game_System class.

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What I'm attempting to do is build common event templates that are somewhat "automated" that dynamic so people could reuse them as much as they desire. They're going to feature some heavy use of both eventing and scripting (through script calls). Going back to the "Item Received" example, say we use a script call and then a common event call referring to the Item Received common event. It would look like this:
> Comment: 2 arguments: Item ID, Amount (optional)
> Call Script: cel_argument_set(1, 2)
> Call Common Event: [Item Received]

Returns:
> (Might play a sound cue)
> (Might receive an item, if the user wants to make it more than a message)
> Message "Potion x2 Received"

Also, there are certain common events I want to put together that would return a value (Example: Waiting Until Button Input), which may prove useful for whatever you want to do with it.

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So far I've jotted down 77 ideas (a few came from [member=FenixFyreX]) though I have yet to work on them all and I can't seem to think of anymore ideas. Now here's where the community comes in. I want you to come up with ideas for common events. It could be something about as elaborate as (or even more than) setting up an Inn but not something that's better suited as a full-blown system (Farming, Day/Night System).

Got any ideas? Questions? Do you have suggestions on how this could be better implemented?

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Edit: Some Common Events might even include settings (similar to the event systems I submitted here this year) which you could use to easily tweak certain aspects to suit your game.

[JayRay]

Moghunter released a version of this called Treasure name, so that when you receive a treasure a box comes up showing the treasure type received and how many of that you received... With some twiddling with Mr. Mo's Ultimate ABS (DerVVulfman's too, can't forget the name drop.) I was able to get that to chime in when you pick up a dropped sprite item from a defeated foe.

I like the idea of making it into a common event... here was my workaround with the ABS and maybe it will help you...

I made it so that when you looted an item from a specific beast, it gave you a blank item called Loot: Hydra (Item 400)
I then created a parallel script that watches for that item being in your inventory... If that happens, you get a conditional branch that determines any number of combinations of loot from that particular creature, the Hydra... OR calls a common event to do that for ya... Roll the good old RMXP Randomized dice, and depending on a number between 1 and a thousand, (Rare drops at .1%, common drops at 100%, you could get one, two, or five different items from loot dropped from a Hydra...

As far as gold, it was only a matter of adding the alias for command_125 into the Mog Treasure carrier to show a Gold screen for a new item category, being Gold Pieces.

[PK8]

I think you lost me. Could you show me a few screencaps or a video of that in action?

* * * * *

Here's a bit of progress I've done so far. I even changed up the plans. It's going to also somewhat explain how this is going to work.

The Common Event Library (being referred to from here on out as CEL) will include a script that it's going to pretty much need. It features a few calls in which the common events are going to (possibly) make heavy use of, along with new variables for the message system to make them as dynamic as possible.

When I took a screenshot this morning, I forgot to comment on the calls.

Allow me to explain:

cel_arguments_set(any number of arguments) allows devs to set up the arguments which would later be passed onto the one of the common events I made in the Common Event Library. In this case, we're going with the Item Received example. The first argument being passed here is the Item ID, whereas a second (and optional) argument that is being passed is the amount.


The common event being called is actually pretty complex compared to the standard fare, but that's due to me wanting to make this customizable (Touchfuzzy, Robin, Lowell/Twilight, and I had a bit of a discussion over at chat on the pluralisation of item names), dynamic, and consistent.


And here's the result of it. Please note the es suffix.

That's what I have got to show so far. I still have many more of these to work on, some of which will be as equally complex if not more so.

Edit: I will try to make some comments stand out a little more, but it sucks that I can't use the special characters.

[JayRay]

Any new word on this CEL?