Two Questions

ID:158860
 
Jun 18 2009, 9:33 pm
Hello, I've been skeething (I'm not sure if that's a real word, or if it IS a real word but used incorrectly) around the Byond Resource thing for a while now and I've come across a couple of things I'm interested in learning how to do. If you could help in anyway, it really would be greatly appreciated.If you have any tutorials/Demo's that you think could help with that please post them.

The first thing I'm interested in, is a cutscene. I've looked around the BYOND Resource as I said earlier, and I did find a single one they had, but it was different from what I was looking for. It's kind of hard to explain so I found an example that is in the same ball game I was looking for which can be found here. Anywho, I was wondering if it was possible to create something like this (not nearly as advanced of course). The only way I could think of would be make an icon with tons of different icon states all in sync with one another depicting the scene. Is there a simpler way to do this, and if not, any tips on making the icon states?

To me that seemed like a difficult enough problem, but I also had another idea I was looking for that I'm not sure how to do. I'm trying to make a sort of click spell system. I'm trying to make it so that there's like... Empty boxes where the spells will be, but when you learn the spell the boxes will be filled. However, I'm having an extremely hard time with this one. The only thing I can think of is the start of it
obj
    top
        icon = 'boxes.dmi'
        screen_loc = "7,26"
        icon_state = "top"
        layer = MOB_LAYER+10
I'm not sure how I'd go about hiding the actual icon that would be in it, or placing it in there for that matter. I think to get it on the actual characters screen I'd have to use something like 
src.client.screen += new/obj/top
But I'm not even sure about that. Like I said, this one really has me stumped.

If you can help me on either of these, or point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. I've been trying to find tutorials/demo's/past articles in the Forums about it, but I really haven't been able to find anything. Thanks ahead in advance. Sorry if it was a rather long post.
Jun 19 2009, 3:00 pm
Bump.
Jun 19 2009, 3:21 pm
In response to Omgdudewtf
Bumping?! Omgdudewtf! But I kid.

Basically, BYOND isn't a cutscene displaying engine by default, it's one of the more technically difficult things to approach. However, there's still ways you could do it. For example, you could use a browser window via the browse() proc and/or skins.

If you're going to do it on a tile based map (and why not - it worked for the early Final Fantasies cutscenes) my recommendation would be to use the client.EYE and client.PERSPECTIVE arguments (looks them up in DM ref). Basically, you can leave the player mob exactly where it is, but drag the player's map view to a place where you have a cutscene assembled.

Keep a map separate from the actual game where cutscenes take place, and now all you need to do is write the code to set your little cutscene actors in motion, resetting them between showings. That's right, you'll have a whole little miniature tile-based animatronic theater troope doing plays on an isolated map players can't normally visit. Hey, I did say it'd technically a hard thing to approach ;)

Granted, if another players want to view the same cutscene before the last player is done viewing theirs, that's a whole other technical problem. You might want to dynamically generate cutscene maps, which is something in the realm of Lummox Jr's Swapmap resource.
Jun 19 2009, 4:17 pm
In response to Geldonyetich
Considering there'd be no interaction with the cutscene, you really shouldn't need to use SwapMaps. Just don't give anything that moves or changes an icon, and use images to only show them to the correct person. You have to keep it in mind the whole way through, but it won't be any more difficult.
Jun 19 2009, 4:27 pm
In response to Garthor
Garthor wrote:
Considering there'd be no interaction with the cutscene, you really shouldn't need to use SwapMaps. Just don't give anything that moves or changes an icon, and use images to only show them to the correct person. You have to keep it in mind the whole way through, but it won't be any more difficult.

Who says you wouldn't necessarily have cutscene interaction? I'm just outlining one possible method to give the guy an idea of different ways you could go about it.
Jun 19 2009, 5:30 pm
In response to Geldonyetich
Thank you guys very much for the help! I appreciate it! I'm going to go look up the Swapmap resource right now, along with the client.Perspective arguement. Any idea's on a way to approach the invisible box method? I've been lookin' just 'bout all day for tutorials/demo's on it but I can't seem to find anything. I'm thinkin' I might just have to wing it on this one.
Jun 19 2009, 11:19 pm
In response to Geldonyetich
Because it wouldn't be a cutscene?

I mean, what if the game was a duck? Did you account for THAT possibility?
Jun 20 2009, 6:21 am (Edited on Jun 20 2009, 6:33 am)
In response to Garthor
Garthor wrote:
Geldonyetich wrote:
Who says you wouldn't necessarily have cutscene interaction?
Because it wouldn't be a cutscene?

I mean, what if the game was a duck? Did you account for THAT possibility?

Brace yourself for a shock: Interactive cutscenes exist.

And who says a game can't be a duck? ;)

Thinking outside of the box is not a bad technique to learn, particularly if you're trying to design a game with any kind of novelty to it.