Hermes (Message Script), Hermes Extends RPGXP's MEssage System Options

[derula]

Hermes - Hermes Extends RPGXP's MEssage System

Version 0.4
Author derula
Release Date Feb 21, 2011


Introduction
Hermes replaces RPGXP's message system. It was originally based on AMS+, which was a modification of AMS I made to fix some bugs and introduce new features. As some may know, AMS is a (horribly broken) message script Dubealex based on XRXS's, which in turn is based on RPGXP's default Window_Message script. Little traces of the original script remain in Hermes.

The main goal of Hermes and all its predecessors is to have an extension of the original message window in a way that you can flawlessly upgrade from the latter to the former without losing any features - you'll only gain new ones. Tag names have been changed multiple times, but there are a few flavors of compatibility mode to ease the transition.


Features

• Displays multiple message simultaneously
• Shows messages over the heads of events, much like speech bubbles
• Can connect the contents of multiple Show Text commands into one single message
• Messages begin to scroll when they have more then four lines, requiring a key press every next three lines
• Reintroduced tags from RM2k, like \|, \. (wait a second/quarter second), \^ (close message)
• Reintroduced symbol insertion from RM2k (e.g., $k will display a heart; replacement table can be customized)
• Reintroduced "Facesets" (like RM2k, but better)
• A large list of other "tags" that can be used to format your message
• New tags can easily be added if you know how to Ruby
• Huge amount of preferences to play with, most of which can be changed and saved in-game

See the users' manual for details.


Script
Hermes uses a file-based scripts collection that is automatically loaded on the game's startup. This means, you only have to install a small script called Inserter once, after that you won't need to open RPG Maker or the script editor windows again to install or update Hermes. For a more detailed explanation, see the installation section of the users' manual. To download the current version of Hermes, visit its website.


Customization
Hermes has a large amount of settings, all of which are collected in *.rb files in the config subdirectory of the Hermes script archive. Many of these settings can be changed while the game is running, and will be saved to the game's save files. See this section of the users' manual to learn more.


Compatibility
As of 0.5, message tags Hermes is (will be) fully compatible to the standard RPGXP message system out of the box. Compatibility with older Hermes versions or AMS/AMS+ can be restored by a simple setting, however its usage is discouraged and unsupported. In 0.4, it is also slow. It is recommended to update your messages to work with Hermes. Apart from the tags though, Hermes can easily be configured to mimic RPGXP default.

Compatibility with other scripts is mostly un-tested; please let me know if there are compatibility issues with a certain script.


Screenshot



DEMO
To find the latest downloadable demo, visit the Hermes homepage.


Installation
Like described in the installation section of the users' manual, you install it like this:

1. If Inserter is already installed into your project, skip to step 6.
2. Open your project in RPGXP and then open the script editor.
3. Insert a new script at the very top (not directly above main!) and name it Inserter.
4. Open inserter.txt in an editor and copy its contents into the newly created script.
5. Save the changes and close the script editor (you can close inserter.txt too).
6. Open the Data\Scripts folder in your project folder (create it is it doesn't exist).
7. If you're updating from an older Hermes version (0.4 or newer):
   
   • Descend in its folder and delete everything except the config folder.
   • Rename the config folder to something like config_old.
   • Go back up into the Scripts folder again.
8. Extract the Hermes folder from the script archive into the Scripts folder.
9. If you're updating from an older Hermes version (0.3 or older):
   
   • Open the script editor and find the Hermes script (or Hermes Configuration).
   • Copy the setting values into the appropriate files in config/*.rb.
   • Delete all the Hermes scripts from the script editor (except Inserter).
10. If you're updating from an older Hermes version (0.4 or newer):
    
    • Merge your settings from config_old (>=0.4) into the respective config scripts.
    • Delete the config_old folder or move it somewhere else if you desire a backup.

FAQ
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Terms and Conditions
You're free to use Hermes in any kind of project (free, commercial, unrelated to RPGXP, motive for toilet paper, ...). It would be nice if you mentioned my name, showed me your finished project, or tell me you love me, but neither is required. While I do not care if you mention my name, please do not explicitly claim that it's your script.

This is beta quality, free-as-in-beer software; I do not claim it serves any useful purpose or doesn't mess up other stuff. You're not entitled to any free support or compensation if something does go wrong.


Credits

Thanks go out to:

• Enterbrain, XRXS, Dubealex for the base and many ideas
• KD, who had helped me a lot with scripting
• Satoru Takabayashi for Ruby/Romkan
• Naramura, Noa, Yinyamina and SilentResident (graphics for the Demo)

This post has been edited by derula: Oct 14 2011, 12:36 AM