FFVII Style Game!

Could you not have the common event put up a choice menu for which summon, instead of diff. summon options for ecah summon (Summon 1, 2 etc.): Trigger: Hero Summoner uses Summon command. Call common event: Summon ¦ ¦ \/ Message: Which Summon would you like to summmon? Show Choices: Fred/Bill/Sophie/Jen etc. - no need to write it all out, you know how it works, though buule doesn't. nnh, we got print screens.

Possibly, then you'd have to have another reference variable pointing to the monster's hero number so you could compare that hero number's EXP to the EXP before it changed. Not too bad in itself, but then you have the actual execution:

In each choice handler, could you then put the getting rid of members etc. But then you'd also need a switch before that for each monster, to be turned on when you get them. Oh sod it, I'm using a print screen. Oh sod it again, the screen won't fit in one. Looks like I'll write it out then. <>Branch if Switch [0001:FredSummon] is ON <>Show Message: Summoning Fred : Else Handler <>Branch if Switch [0001:Fred/BillSummon] is ON and so on. With the Message Who you wanna summon, and the choices. You'd need to have a Switch for each Summon: 0001:FredSummon --> When have only Fred in party. 0002:Fred/BillSummon --> Fred and Bill in party. And so on. And if summons disappear in the game, say are captured, you'd need switches for whatever. I can't remember who I'm talking to. Is it Blue, or buule??

Yeah, that would be the worst of it. Assuming you get summons the FFX way (along with optional ones) you'd need a huge amount of branches. For 4 summons, that's 15 branches (0000 through 1111 in binary, because each monster is either there or not there). For 5, that's 31, and if you want 6 unique summons, that's 63 branches to show the choices of "IFRIT/SHIVA/LIGHTNING GUY/NEXT PAGE" and "WATER GUY/DOOM/CAT IN THE HAT/CANCEL" if you have them all. If you're missing one, it's "IFRIT/SHIVA/LIGHTNING GUY/NEXT PAGE" and "WATER GUY/DOOM/CANCEL".

If the "extra" summons aren't there for a while, you can cut this number down, but it's still a large amount of branches to test/debug.

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And then, if you don't have all the summons yet, when you get a new summon, you get to figure out which summons you have, and figure out which switches you need to turn ON/OFF because adding Water Guy to [xxxx:Shiva/Ifrit/Doom] is different from [xxxx:Shiva/Ifrit/CatInTheHat]. Oh boy.

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It would be a whole lot less messy to use "summon items" which only a certain character can actually use, now that I think about it - When you get a new one, you add it to your inventory and nothing more, when you want to use it, just select the item in battle and its own Common Event attached to it will take care of the "Take away summoner / Play cool intro / Add monster / Call GetRidOfParty event" lineup. Sort of like the Battle Commands, but you'd have to use it as an item. Debugging would consist of using each item to see if the summon works correctly.

Of course, THIS is why people absolutely hate trying to copy any of the Final Fantasy systems using RPG Maker..

So in a nutshell, it would be more work than it is worth and you should just go find FFVII and play it?

Pretty much. It's just not considered terribly creative to have "summons that sort of work like in FFX". I think I've mentioned it somewhere before, but when you put a lot of work into something that's just a blatent copy of another game, people don't say "Wow, that's really good" they say "Eh, they didn't do it as well as (insert game here)." Not that it isn't a good exercise in RPG Maker design, but it takes away from the game a bit, especially when it's not pulled off perfectly.

Pretty much. It's just not considered terribly creative to have "summons that sort of work like in FFX". I think I've mentioned it somewhere before, but when you put a lot of work into something that's just a blatent copy of another game, people don't say "Wow, that's really good" they say "Eh, they didn't do it as well as (insert game here)." Not that it isn't a good exercise in RPG Maker design, but it takes away from the game a bit, especially when it's not pulled off perfectly.

HAHAHA...that's what you told me! It's wierd, but many people don't realize that until it is told to them. I gave up my "Dragon Warrior" shop system, but I have made a different one.

P.S.I'm still playing with the chess thing. It's trickier than I thought, but I am going to get it, even if it kills me.....okay not literally, but you get what I mean.

P.P.S. FF7 is a very complicated game, that took squaresoft many years (I think it took them 4 or 5) to make. You could do that, but why spend that much time to remake a game, when people will just laugh at you and say, "This dude tried to remake an awesome game and totally messed up..." and other mean and hurtful things. It may be hard, but if you spend maybe 3 hours a week brainstorming, I am 60% positive you can come up with your own ideas. We are the next generation of the world, after all. Who knows, you could have your new system put into an upcoming game. This goes to everyone making a game with an original piece of something. It has happened in the past and it can happen again. Don't lose faith! And if no game companies take your ideas, at least you made a game that will leave one hell of an impact on the next, this, and the previous generation. Then people would be copying you. There's an idea...

So how's the chess thing coming on???

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What exactly do you use pictures for???

I don't have a clue how they work, so assume it is something like:

You want to create your own menu, so you make a pic of it, and then when a certain button is pressed, this menu comes up, and you can 'interact' with it by pressing the different buttons. But how would that work if it did do that???

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I think maybe, a new sticky should be made, telling people it is pointless to remake or copy parts of a game. ANd then we can all reply to it with tips and such.

Or create the "Zelaron system". A universal system for any game in the making, with instructions on how to use it, and maybe customise it for your own needs.

Then a few months later, you could bring out the English version.

And every year or so:

Zelaron '95
Zelaron 2K
Zelaron 2K3
Zelaron XP
Zelaron 3D

and so on. No?

What exactly do you use pictures for??? I don't have a clue how they work, so assume it is something like: You want to create your own menu, so you make a pic of it, and then when a certain button is pressed, this menu comes up, and you can 'interact' with it by pressing the different buttons. But how would that work if it did do that???

Yeah, maps, menus, whatever you want onscreen that you don't want as an Event that's limited to tiles. And it's a bit difficult to describe how it would work beyond the standard "if you press up, you'd switch the picture to a different one". You also could have different introductions that pop up on screen (say, you visit Area Town. On the screen, it'd just pop up "Area Town" in some random font).

I think maybe, a new sticky should be made, telling people it is pointless to remake or copy parts of a game. ANd then we can all reply to it with tips and such.

I think that might go into the FAQ. "I want to remake (feature) from (game). How do I do it?" "You don't"

Or create the "Zelaron system". A universal system for any game in the making, with instructions on how to use it, and maybe customise it for your own needs. Then a few months later, you could bring out the English version. And every year or so: Zelaron '95 Zelaron 2K Zelaron 2K3 Zelaron XP Zelaron 3D and so on. No?

I would have no idea what would go into a "Zelaron System" in the first place besides random already-added-in-so-you-don't-have-to features in the XP Ruby scripting language. (Though that might not be a bad idea in itself)

I would have no idea what would go into a "Zelaron System" in the first place besides random already-added-in-so-you-don't-have-to features in the XP Ruby scripting language. (Though that might not be a bad idea in itself)

What would go in? Good question.

.zip file maybe with different menus and such, if the originals aren't wanted etc. Pictures basically, and a new menu system that updates itself to the characters.

Or maybe not, that would take a long time.

How about, a .zip file containing Zelaron members as characters, and profiles of each one for use in games. And you could add weapons, and potions, hell, maybe a mantra plushie???

So summon items.

Kinda like the summon gems in Kingdom Hearts?

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If, however, it isn't a blatant copy, or they just use non-game ideas, just things like like battle systems, or in this case Summons etc, they might be able to pull it off. No?