[Sub] Ghost Mode!, It's at the bottom of the page Options

[Alt_Jack]

-->Important: Below is an instruction for a tweak to the Game Test Mode, which lets you walk through stuff. For a skill that turns you into a ghost, keep reading through the topic.

You know how in VX's test mode you can hold Ctrl and walk through stuff? (if you didn't, you're welcome)
I got tired of that.
So, I came up with this, and felt it should be shared to avoid injuring any more flexor indicis (look it up). Fair warning, it's a loooong instruction list, and it only works in Test Mode:

[Show/Hide] Ghost Mode

you'll need: a common event, a switch, and a parallel process event. Set oven at 375....actually, don't turn on your oven.

Create a common event called "Through"
Then create a switch called (you guessed it) "Through"
make a condition branch that says:

If switch "Through" is ON
Show choices: ON, OFF
if ON:

And this is where it gets tricky.

Player move Route:
$>Through ON

TURN "WAIT TIL COMPLETION" OFF BEFORE CLOSING THIS. It'll screw up everything.
Then create its anti-thesis

if OFF
Show Move Route-Player
>Through OFF

Then it's "branch end"
Then put in "control switch Through- OFF"
This turns it off when you're done.

Now create an Parallel Trigger event that serves no obvious purpose (like a waterfall effect, a sign or a random civilian). Open up the page for this innocuous event and put in "call common event: Through". Next time you're play-testing, hit F9 and it'll bring up a list of switches, including your "through" switch. Assuming you did everything right, turn it ON, then exit the menu. A box should pop up saying "On/Off" and should be the super-awesome result of the work you just did. Again, assuming you did everything right, it should turn itself off after you make your selection. You character will walk through everything (just like they would if you were holding Ctrl) until you hit F9 again. You'll notice the switch is off again! Click it on again and select "Off" and it'll be back to normal.

You can also tweek this system to change the speed your character walks.

This post has been edited by RzrBladeMontage: Aug 11 2010, 03:56 AM

[poisonshift]

Pointless is right. But I gotta give you props for working it out. Good job.

[RzrBladeMontage]

Good Stuff Alt_Jack! I do agree it's almost completely useless, but it's a pretty fancy submission if anything!

[Ghun]

Well I have been using VX for awhile and never knew that you could walk through stuff on the test mode. Thanks for sharing that bit! As for the event this could be used if someone wants to make a game about a ghost or something.

~Ghun

[Alt_Jack]

lol I know, eh? It contributes a whole lot of nothing to game mechanics. I think the gambling and cheat code events I cooked up are better (and I'd post them if y'all are interested), but if you do as much testing as I do (I'm terrible at scripts, so I've got a ton of events) it's useful. It means you don't have to hold down the Ctrl button and the walk button at the same time, which is good if you have something like a dungeon maze.
As for the walking speed change, simply change the choice menu to "normal"/Quick/Fast" and change the move commands to the respective speeds.

Edit:
upon further reflection, you could make a ghost mode. Make a new skill called "ghost mode", set it to "from menu only", then make a common event that changes your movement options and opacity. You could also rig a timer to have it wear off at a certain point.

This post has been edited by Alt_Jack: Jul 10 2010, 11:44 AM

[Ghun]

Edit:
upon further reflection, you could make a ghost mode. Make a new skill called "ghost mode", set it to "from menu only", then make a common event that changes your movement options and opacity. You could also rig a timer to have it wear off at a certain point.

This would be a great idea for a game actually. If an area is unaccessible then the user have to use their new skill to get by. Also it should be easy to event as well.

[Alt_Jack]

Edit:
upon further reflection, you could make a ghost mode. Make a new skill called "ghost mode", set it to "from menu only", then make a common event that changes your movement options and opacity. You could also rig a timer to have it wear off at a certain point.

This would be a great idea for a game actually. If an area is unaccessible then the user have to use their new skill to get by. Also it should be easy to event as well.

Yep. And here's how:
create a Common Event that says:

CODE

Control Switches: Ghost = ON
Set Move Route: Player (wait)
>Graphic: monster, 0
>Through ON
>change blending: Sub (or 'Add", I don't care)
Control Timer: Startup (0 min. 30 sec)

Then create a skill that says "Ghost Mode", Scope: the User, Occasion :Only from Menu, Common Event: Ghost (which you just did), MP cost: (whatever. I said 15), State Change: Ghost (or whatever. I used 'Float' )
Then create a parallel process event in your game (I like disguising them as cows or water effects) that says:

CODE

Condition Branch: Time 0 min 1 sec or less
control timer: stop
Set move route: Player (Wait)
>Through OFF
> graphic (whatever your character is)
> change blending: Normal
:Branch End

And that should be it. Turn on the Ghost Mode like a normal skill you can use outside of battle (like Healing a party member) and you become a semi-translucent ghost for 30 seconds.

[RzrBladeMontage]

Two submissions in one?! WHO DIVIDED BY ZERO?! Haha. Good stuff Alt!

[Alt_Jack]

The only drawback (to both) is that you need to put the "handler" event in virtually every level after your character learns the skill to get it to work. I tried a bunch of different routes, but in the end you're stuck having to put it in. Then again, if you have events around like civilians, water/smoke effects, torches or even wildlife, it's no problem.

I had fun turning my character into a ghost and floating through stuff. I think it's the blending effect at work; your semi-transparent sprite blends into whatever the BG is.

[poisonshift]

What if you were to use a text input script and then assign G to activate the script so you don't have to do it through the editor? Is that possible? It would be nice to assign different things to the keyboard...

[Alt_Jack]

What if you were to use a text input script and then assign G to activate the script so you don't have to do it through the editor? Is that possible? It would be nice to assign different things to the keyboard...

For what? The skill or the test mode tweak?
The script at the top is simply for people who don't like having to hold Ctrl to go through stuff while testing; as an in-game mechanic, it's pointless.
For the skill, the reason why you need that parallel event is because it shuts off the ghost skill after the 30 sec. I tried incorporating a timer and a timer stop in one event, but it didn't work (if it does, inform me immediately ).

I'm still a bit woozy from all the 2nd hand marajuana smoke at that concert my friend dragged me to (kids, drugs are bad), but I'll give it a try.

[poisonshift]

Dude, I saw Tom Petty last month and I live in Washington. They didn't need to use any fog machines, that's for sure.

I was just wondering in test mode if it would work by pressing G instead of having to press F9 and entering the menu. Know what I'm saying? You made it easy, make it easier. LOL!

[Alt_Jack]

I was just wondering in test mode if it would work by pressing G instead of having to press F9 and entering the menu. Know what I'm saying? You made it easy, make it easier. LOL!

F9 opens a list of the swtches in your game that you can use for testing. To my knowledge, the only faster method is holding down the ctrl button while walking, which is the default anyway. Ghost mode (as opposed to Ghost Skill, which we should use to differentiate) is just a slightly more complex hands-free way of doing this. So really, up until now (and assuming no one else has come up with this), holding Ctrl was about the fastest possible method.
I remembered that there was a condition branch option that said "if button (whatever) is being pressed____" but I'm apparently too dumb to get it working properly. Plus my Help file seems to have vanished.
But, I mangaged to change the state to a damage slip state wherein your MP goes down (like when you're poisoned) as you use the skill. If you rigged up yet another parallel process event that shuts off the skill (or kills you) when you reach a certain amount of MP (instead of the timer, which was originally only meant to be a limit), you could add more urgency to the game.

This post has been edited by Alt_Jack: Jul 11 2010, 11:01 PM

[poisonshift]

You know, that could come in handy in game for transport. Say you have a hot air balloon. If you stay in the air too long you die. Or it drains your magic. Very easy to create many usefully types of transportation with the ghost mode as a basis. Ya dig?

[Alt_Jack]

You know, that could come in handy in game for transport. Say you have a hot air balloon. If you stay in the air too long you die. Or it drains your magic. Very easy to create many usefully types of transportation with the ghost mode as a basis. Ya dig?

The airship vehicle is a good example of that, and probably as close to Ghost Mode as you can get without messing around. It has a fun take-off animation and automatically turns on Through and increases your speed (because you're flying, duh). It doesn't have a limit, though. I used to use it for testing, so I could just fly through the level. Now I just use player transfer events.

[Alt_Jack]

For those of you who hate reading (I know I do! ), there's a Youtube instructional vid now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wcQQRCg2xE