Questions?

Newt · Post by **Newt** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:37 am

Hi, I'm new and I have some questions (is this where i put this might be 1).

So, i read the how to and have been playing with plotscritng. i am making a game, but i really want to put a mini game in it (it is possible right?). How would i go about doing this.

i might have more questins later but i can only think of this right now. thanks!

Valigarmander · Post by **Valigarmander** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 3:23 am

You can do all kinds of things with plotscripting. How exactly you would go about programming a minigame depends on the minigame.

What kind of minigame did you have in mind?

Baconlabs · Post by **Baconlabs** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:48 am

The OHR has proven to be capable of all sorts of things, including rhythm games, platforming games, typing games, card games, and even a few rounds of mini-golf.
Now, since you're new to the engine, I do not recommend going out and attempting any of these, especially by yourself. It'd be better to look at other games' scripts and learn what you can from them. It's even better for you if the author annotated his script.
Most games don't include their .hss files (Wandering Hamster is a generous exception), and even fewer will use annotations to explain their scripting logic, so you're mostly up a creek without a paddle until you get the hang of the scripting language.

You're free to look and do whatever you want, but just be aware, mini games and other fancy plotscripts take a lot of effort to bring to fruition.

mjohnson092088 · Post by **mjohnson092088** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:15 am

Baconlabs wrote:Most games don't include their .hss files (Wandering Hamster is a generous exception), and even fewer will use annotations to explain their scripting logic, so you're mostly up a creek without a paddle until you get the hang of the scripting language.

You're free to look and do whatever you want, but just be aware, mini games and other fancy plotscripts take a lot of effort to bring to fruition.

yes it is hard, currently i'm deciding what kind of game i should try and script. but for basic plotscripting, you should definitely take a look at the games Wandering Hamster and Vikings of Midgard. their script files are included with the games (Vikings i'm sure, is it still included with Wandering Hamster?). this will give you an idea of how to start scripting with this language. mostly though, it takes hard work. and a lot of it. i would recommend starting to script the basics, such as cutscenes and small quests before making anything more complicated, like system scripts. trust me, it's best to take it one step at a time.

JSH357 · Post by **JSH357** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 4:49 pm

Yeah, I don't include my .hss for security purposes, and I know it can be frustrating when you can't see how other people script cool stuff right away. If you ever have specific questions we're generally open to answering them, though. Just to give you an idea, though, the card game sidequest in Motrya currently uses over 4700 lines of code.

Newt · Post by **Newt** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 10:28 pm

Oh, i've been writing pretty simple scripts, i guess. things like making heros walk, starting battles, showing text boxes, and doing some "if, then, else" things.

What king of mimigame? hm, a simple one @ first, like tic tac toe or rock paper scisors, if that is simple. when i get more advanced, i would really like to make aa racing minigame. that's be cool, if you could get money or prizes, depending on how you rank. but i'll save that for later.

And over 4700 lines of code! wow, that seems like a lot.

Skullduggery Studios · Mon Feb 14, 2011 12:19 pm

4700 lines? Not really too much once you really get into coding.

My best suggestion would be to make a dumb game that's not gonna go anywhere, putting plotscripting inside. You could do that by... making a short animation appear (whether by backdrop switching or slice animation) when you step on an invisible NPC. Or you could... make a text-based adventure by coding the relationships between hundreds of text boxes (oh. now I want to do that...).

I guess it all depends on where you are as a learner. You said you've been 'playing with plotscripting', but how long are we talking about? How much have you learned? Even if you've learned only a little, you can still do quite a bit with persistance, but it's easier if you have a base knowledge.

Voltire · Post by **Voltire** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:07 am

My friend Newt, I might just steal that racing game idea when I myself get better at plotscipting.

mjohnson092088 · Post by **mjohnson092088** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:23 pm

i have now included my own script files with my game, Final Dragon Legacy. i have also removed the password for editing in CUSTOM.exe. i, too, am rather new to plotscripting. but, with as little as i know, i was able to create many scripts for various purposes, such as moving characters, teleport devices, and special menu items. if you would like to take a look at my scripts, and open up my game with CUSTOM to see how they would be used, be my guest. that is exactly why i have included them. and, as i stated before, definitely take a look at Vikings of Midgard and/or Wandering Hamster. they have both helped me with much of what i have learned.

Newt wrote:when i get more advanced, i would really like to make aa racing minigame. that's be cool, if you could get money or prizes, depending on how you rank. but i'll save that for later.

like Jet Force Gemini! without the ants! (i assume)

Voltire · Post by **Voltire** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 6:29 pm

mjohnson092088 wrote: such as moving characters, teleport devices, and special menu items.

In my Final Fantasy 3 OHR (which is postponed) I made an item that retuns you to any previously visited cave. The king give it to you, instead of a conoe. But, the script isn't included. I might include it and it is really simple.

In Bacon Origins (on CP) I have one special menu that tells you about the heros. That may be the only thing I like about that game.

mjohnson092088 · Post by **mjohnson092088** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:54 pm

Voltire wrote:In my Final Fantasy 3 OHR (which is postponed) I made an item that retuns you to any previously visited cave. The king give it to you, instead of a conoe. But, the script isn't included. I might include it and it is really simple.

i am currently working on creating a rip-off of the canoe in FF3. i call it the kayak.

now that my flight spell works (with many kudos to james paige and everyone else who helped) i am working on modifying it slightly to create this vehicle. what i also forgot to mention, is feel free to rip-off my scripts and modify them for your own personal use. i've found that this is another great way to learn plotscripting. i ripped off the weapon/skill script on the OHR wiki page (where you download the OHR, not the actual wiki page) and modified it for my postponed game, Dungeon Divers. looking at scripts is one thing, learning how they are used is another. but if you can change scripts to suit yourself, that means you know plenty about plotscripting to begin creating your own simple game, with some pretty cool, maybe not-so-unique features, but at LEAST you'll know you can do it!