Moonpearl's Animated Custom Menu System Options

[Moonpearl]

Animated Custom Menu System
Version: 2.00
Author: Moonpearl
Date: March 12th, 2012

Version History

Version 2.00 - 2012.03.12

[Show/Hide] Features

• Graphical improvements
  
  • Scenes overlap (i.e. when switching from menu A to menu B, A's elements
    are being swept away while B's fit into place)
    
  • Animations (as defined in the project database) may be played upon
    various events (selecting/deselecting items, decision button...)
    
  • Background is now composed with any number of layers, each of which
    can exhibit one or more effects (scrolling, flickering, waving...)
    
  • Images replacing text now respond to alignment like regular text
• New scenes
  
  • Title scene
    
  • Shop scene
    
  • Save/load scene
• Code improvements
  
  • Scenes now inherit code from their base version - placing a modified
    version of Scene_<menutype> before the ACMS script will in turn modify
    ACMS's Scene_<menutype>, while it shall retain its ACMS appearance
    
  • Menu items are now subclasses of Window_Base - they can now use any of
    Window_Base's methods, typically displaying methods
    
  • Movements now work with Functions
    
  • For windows used outside the menu (like Window_Item or Window_Help),
    a copy named Window_ACMS_<windowtype> will automatically replace its
    general equivalent in the menus only
• Other improvements
  
  • Added LOTS of options
    
  • Changed folder structure and naming convention

Version 1.11

[Show/Hide] Features

• Broke Constants entry into 3 for easier theme modification
• Added constants to set the movement of the background
• Added gold symbol display in the main menu
• Added a new graphical theme - "Data Vortex"

Version 1.10

[Show/Hide] Features

• Made the code structure more modular using a common root (Scene_Menu_Base)
  for all menus
• Changed handling for graphical digits (a single picture with all of them
  instead of separate ones)
• Added constants to make customization easier
• Added a new menu for actors' biographies
• Added dynamic adaptation of HP and SP bars' size
• Added portrait change when HP is low / status is altered
• Added a new graphical theme - "Summer Breeze"

Version 1.00 - Original release to RPGRevolution.com

Description

You know custom menu systems are not always easy to customize. Or they aren't really visually appealing. Or they can't include new custom menus you need for your project.

Your ideal CMS would feature all that at the same time. And, to your greatest fortune, it's right here.

Video

Features & Screenshots

• Compose your own background with any number of layers, each of which can exhibit one or several special effects
  
  [Show/Hide] Screenshots

  
• Show Animations (as defined in the project's database) upons various events (selecting item, making decision, cancelling...)
  
  [Show/Hide] Screenshots

  
• Windows and buttons are moved in/out when switching scenes, and scenes overlap (elements from the next scene are brought in while elements from the previous scene are being swept away)
  
  [Show/Hide] Screenshots

  
• Special menus
  
  [Show/Hide] Screenshots

  Title screen
  
  
  Party selection menu
  
  
  Biography menu
  
  
  Modified load/save menu
  
• Several themes to choose from as starters
  
  [Show/Hide] Screenshots

  Standard theme
  
  
  Summer Breeze theme
  
  
  Data Vortex theme
  
  
  Moon Pearl theme
  
• Highly & easily customizable
  
  • Change pictures at will
  • Each window type can have its own particular windowskin
  • Customize party max size, main menu options, transition speed between scenes, and much more
  • Minimal to no script edits required - only adjust a few constants, everything else is managed automatically
• Easily expandable
  
  • ACMS only features code that modifies scenes' appearance, they still work using the base code
  • Thus, external custom scenes should be fairly compatible with ACMS - if you're in luck, they'll fit perfectly as is, if not, just minimal tweaking should do the trick
  • Scripters will find ACMS's architecture extremely powerful and reliable to write their own scenes

Known Compatibility Issues

• May clash with scripts which deal with menu scenes, even though every metaprogramming skills I possess were gathered in order to avoid such a dramatic event

Download

Download links and all other information (including terms of use, instructions and FAQ) can be found on my blog.

Author's Notes

I put a great deal of effort into this project. Please provide feedback if you like what you see!

Also, I'm interested into seeing ACMS at work in your own project. With your permission, I might want to display screenshots of it on my blog as an illustration of how extensively it can be customized. Also, if you wish to share your own theme for ACMS, I'd be more than happy to provide a link to it in my gallery.</version>

This post has been edited by Moonpearl: May 8 2012, 08:19 AM

[yamina-chan]

Moonpearl, you excelled thyself!
I loved it before and I do so even more now.
I have not yet read the instructions or any information in the scripts as to find out how you accomplished certain things or how hard it would be to disable certain others (such as the battle system still beeing involved. That will surly start conflicts with some custom Battle Scripts) but I am highly impresse wirth what you did here.
The sparkling curser is just one of many things that amaze me.
Thank you for spending so much time to create this and even more for sharing it.

[Moonpearl]

Moonpearl, you excelled thyself!
I loved it before and I do so even more now.

Thanks! I was hoping for that sort of compliment.

I have not yet read the instructions or any information in the scripts as to find out how you accomplished certain things or how hard it would be to disable certain others (such as the battle system still beeing involved. That will surly start conflicts with some custom Battle Scripts)

The only feature used both by battle systems and ACMS is the HP/SP bars' display. As things are now, you basically have to choose between ACMS's bars and your custom battle system's bars, then put whichever system you wish to keep bars from after the other, so that it is the last to override the draw_actor_hp and draw_actor_sp methods. I have not considered the possibility to use different bars simultaneously, but ayways I have the feeling that it would only make a project look heterogeneous.

Now if you're talking about the item/skill/help windows being overriden bv ACMS and thus clashing with battle systems, this issue is now cleared.

he sparkling curser is just one of many things that amaze me.

Sadly, the features that took me the most time to code are the least impressive to the novice's eye. Including cursor animations took me about 10 minutes.

Thank you for spending so much time to create this and even more for sharing it.

You're welcome. It's a great personal achievement, I'm very glad I could do it.

[yamina-chan]

Sadly, the features that took me the most time to code are the least impressive to the novice's eye. Including cursor animations took me about 10 minutes.

I'll freely admit to being a novice at scripting since it is simply beyond my abilities. Sure, I learn due trial and error and can tinker with scripts to a degree but that's about it and thus I can only guess as to how hard it is to achieve certain things in script form.
Which is also a reason why I admire people who are capable of creating new things like this. =)

As for the Battle System being influenced, that was a general thought. Including the bars and the help window as well as the fact that it will override certain 'action' words such as "Skills" in your Demo. And as of yet there is (I believe) no way to remove this or change the other commands to the same style.