Grathnode Install Options

[Kread-EX]

Grathnode Install

Version: 1.11

Author: Kread-EX

Introduction
This script is inspired from the Ar Tonelico series. In a nutshell, it allows the player to assign special items called Grathnode crystals to skills in order to add special effects.
For an in-depth explanation, you will create items with certain properties. They can cause damage, possess traits, etc... When one of those items is put inside a skill, the skill will take all its properties, be it additional damage with a different formula, or status effects, debuffs... The "upgrades" made that way are actor-dependent, meaning that several actors with the same skill won't necessarily share the same Grathnodes set.

Instructions
There are several steps to follow in order to use this script.

Create the grathnode items. It is a regular item, which can cause damage/recovery, have certain traits and so on... All of those abilities will be transferred to the skill. Therefore, for balancing issues, really powerful Grathnodes with a lot of effects should be scarce in-game because for all those effects only one slot will be used.
There are several tags that can be written in the item's notebox:

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<grathnode>

Mandatory tag used to identify an item as a Grathnode crystal.

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<scope: string>

This tag allows you to determine on which kind of skill an effect can be applied or not. "string" can be any of those:

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for_opponent?
for_friend?
for_dead_friend?
for_user?
for_all?

Basically, the item scope must match the skill scope. If you omit this tag, the Grathnode can be used on any skill; you could potentially put damaging effects on healing spells for instance.

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<mp_inflation: x>
<tp_inflation: x>

The MP and/or TP cost of the skill will raise per x% if this item is assigned.

Limit the slots on the skills. By default, a skill can take 5 items at maximum. However, you can balance things out by limiting the number of slots either individually or globally. Global setting can be accessed within the script: you need to change the value for ABSOLUTE_MAX_GRATHNODES to whatever you fancy. Note that this script's visual interface is not designed for more than 5 slots.
Individual settings are made in the skill's notebox, with this tag;

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<max_grathnodes: x>

x should be below ABSOLUTE_MAX_GRATHNODES and will actually be ignored if superior.

Call the scene. SceneManager.call(Scene_Grathnode) is the way to go; however, this is an actor related scene, just like Skill or Equip. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to use a menu manager to put the option directly in the main menu. I prepared beforehand the required methods to use with Yanfly's Ace Menu Engine so you would be well inspired to use it. All you have to do is add this line in the CUSTOM_COMMANDS hash:

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:grath => [ "Install", 0, 0, :command_install],

Needless to say, you can rename "Install" to whatever you want, and you're free to add switch conditions too. Refer to the script for more details.
Once it's done, just add :grath to the COMMAND hash.

Screenshots





Script
Download

Compatibility
Works with most of Yanfly's scripts, as we both try to maintain compatibility with each other.

Terms and Conditions
You are free to adapt this work to suit your needs.
You can use this work for commercial purposes if you like it.
Credit is appreciated.

Special Thanks
The sheer volume of bugs this script contained (and it might contain more) has been fixed thanks to Yanfly, Adalwulf, renegat92, killer690, Cassy and etanal. They did report quite a lot on my blog.

[Milton Monday]

1) I thought that's what that might have done, but like I said, I'm a n00b and didn't want to explode anything.

2)That would be great! I'm (going to be) using Yanfly's Ace Menu Engine, so that's squared away (I managed to get that much working, at least). If you could tweak it so that only Actor 1's Magic (Skill Type 1) is accessible, and disable Q/W toggling through party members, that would be ideal for my purposes.

EDIT: Never mind this part, I found a work around by calling the script via a common event command from the menu and removing all party members before hand, then re-adding them and opening the system menu once the scene is finished. Not very elegant, perhaps, but it works and is almost seamless. Since I don't use the caterpillar system, the player ought to be none-the-wiser.

3)That'd be helpful, but not essential. I really just wanted to know what to expect. Automatically unequipping graphnodes would be convenient for the player, but the spell-granting items would be unique and unsellable, so it's not like they could lose their graphnodes forever in a moment of absent-mindedness.

EDIT: Easy work around, using the same method, giving the characters all the skills they own the corresponding items for before the menu opens, and removing them after it closes (while temporarily removing non-magic skills as well). The player can add graphnodes to a spell even if it's not currently equipped that way, and they have less menu fiddling to do to set up a specific spell. Also handy if I decide to implement mid-battle hot-swapping; the player can have their spells set up in advance. This method actually works out better than an auto-unequip would.

Thanks for clearing things up!

This post has been edited by Milton Monday: Jan 26 2012, 06:58 PM