Medina Stories Custom Movement System Version: 1.1.0
By: Juan J. Sánchez

Introduction

This script combines MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 script and Fukuyama's Caterpillar Walking script, along with my custom movement system, allowing more frames, eight directions, sneaking, dashing, idle animation, custom stances, and much more. It works with both custom and standard character sets. It now features Kristovski's Add-on, which adjusts the game controls in accordance with the rotation of the camera, allowing for a pseudo-3D experience.

Features

Movement in four and eight directions
Any standard amount of frames
MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 script compatibility
Fukuyama's Caterpillar Walking script compatibility
Kristovski's Add-on for MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 (adjustment of game controls in accordance to the rotation of the camera)
Simultaneous compatibility with both custom and standard character sets
Standing frame
Idle animation
Custom stances for every direction (i.e., looking clockwise, looking counter clockwise, sitting, sitting looking clockwise, sitting looking counter clockwise, etc.)
Dashing
Sneaking
Custom animations for every direction (frames, looping and speed can be customized)

Video



Screenshots




Demo

Medina Stories Custom Movement System v1.1.0 Demo
Medina Stories Custom Movement System v1.0.0 Demo

Script

MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 script
MGCmode7.dll file
Fukuyama's Caterpillar Walking script



Instructions

Copy the scripts in the same order they were posted. The script, Medina Stories Custom Movement System, works as a stand-alone script. If you add MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 script, you must add the MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 / MS Custom Movement Patch. Remember to add the MGCmode7.dll file in your game folder if using MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 script. If you add Fukuyama's Caterpillar Walking script, you must add the Fukuyama's Caterpillar Walking / MS Custom Movement Patch. Kristovski's Add-on allows you to change game controls in accordance to the rotation of the camera. The Draw Actor Graphic / MS Custom Movement Patch is necessary to fix an error in standard menus. If you are using custom menus, you might not need this patch.

The script works with almost any character set. You can configure the character set in the MOVEMENT module at the beginning of the Medina Stories Custom Movement System script. Every custom character set must have a suffix which can be defined in the MOVEMENT module. The standard suffix is "_custom". You can use the following character set from the MMORPG Ragnarok Online to test the script.



Configuring and activating custom stances



Configuring and activating custom animations



Compatibility

Not SDK compatible.

The script rewrites the following classes: Game_Character, Game_Player and Sprite_Character. MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 script and Fukuyama's Caterpillar Walking script rewrite classes of their own.

The script assumes all characters, both events and players, have the same amount of directions. When using characters with different amount of directions, movement might become funny.

There seems to be an error with MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 script. When looping a map, vertical sprites become unstable. You might want to avoid vertical sprites in looped maps, such as world maps.

Please inform me of any other compatibility issues.

Credits and Thanks

All credits for the Medina Stories Custom Movement System go to Juan J. Sánchez. Do not credit me as medinastories, Medina, Medina Stories, or any other variation of these names.

The New Mode 07 script and Kristovski's Add-on were written by MGCaladtogel. The Caterpillar Walking script was written by Fukuyama. I do not count with permissions to distribute the aforementioned scripts.

The character set provided, obtained from the MMORPG Ragnarok Online, is property of Gravity Co., LTD.

Special thanks go to DerVVulfman, whose scripts I edited to write my own. For a similar insight into custom movement, I suggest searching for DerVVulfman's Eight Directions & More Frames script.

Author's Notes

This script was designed for my RPG Maker XP project, Medina Stories. I first had the idea to make this script a couple of years ago upon encountering MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 script. When I further analyzed DerVVulfman's Eight Directions & More Frames script, I decided to write my own script, specially designed for MMORPG Ragnarok Online character sets. After writing the Medina Stories Custom Movement System script, I then wrote the Fukuyama's Caterpillar Walking / MS Custom Movement Patch. Then I wrote the MGCaladtogel's New Mode 07 / MS Custom Movement Patch. Finally, I wrote the Draw Actor Graphic / MS Custom Movement Patch.

Terms and Conditions

Free for Commercial Use. Must include the scripter's name.

I still need to add a demo and to explain how to set up and activate custom stances and animations. The latter, unfortunately, is complicated and requires scripting. It's not terribly complicated, but it's definitely not recommended for anyone who doesn't know Ruby programming language.

EDIT: The demo is done. Since the last time I created an event system, RPG Maker 2000 was still popular, the demo works erratically, even though the system works perfectly. If anyone has any problems at all setting up a custom stance or animation, please let me know, and I will help you.

Oh geeze, it's that time of the year again. (That time is refering to the period where scripters happily release scripts with lots and lots of constants in it for random kids putting it in their 08/15 projects, rejoicing from 5000 functions that the didn't really need, but now that they got it will try to include. Especially mysterious, as you said you have to know RGSS to use the script - something's wrong there!)

Ranting aside, it's an interesting bunch of scripts... the preview screenshot looks pretty decent and visually attractive even with default graphics and the drag queen, but that might just be me, as I like RO graphics. The script itself is alright-if-not-perfectly documented, but you're definately able to find your way through it (especially since all movement systems more or less share the same architechture). The constants I don't like as much (that's right, still fighting!), but whatever floats your boat. You also have a lot of strange method names, such as 'trigger_d' - that you definately want to change, in my opinion.
You got a few inconsistancies with what most people write when writing RMVXP scripts, like capitalizing the module names, or including modules elsewhere. That makes it harder to read through your script in case you want to adjust something to your liking, so if that's something you care about, you might want to change that.
Other than that, it's written better than a lot of scripts I've seen... some fine tuning on the scripting style should make a pretty decent scripting fella out of you.

On a somewhat random side note, your RO sprite alignment seems a bit off... I can explain it to you in detail if you want (per PM though, not gonna spam your thread ^^), but basically, you have to align them by the head, then adjust the individual frames vertically by 1 pixel up or down. As I said, if you don't know what I'm talking about, ask for a more detailed explanation, please.

I know the horizontal alignment is off by a few pixels, specially when walking sideways. The vertical alignment, believe it or not, is perfectly well aligned.The master file, which is perfectly aligned, it's based on a 256x256 grid. When I transposed it, the program moved the horizontal frames slightly. I've learned the only good way of doing this is taking your time.

I apologize for the many variables and functions in this script. Quite sincerely, the script was designed specifically for MMORPG Ragnarok Online character sets. Also, I don't believe you need to know RGSS to make the script work. But if you were to add custom animations or poses, you would probably need to know, at the very least, what is a variable.

You know, in high school I took Computer Science courses and learned Java. Ruby I've been learning over the years, but I still don't know what the language formalities. Could you give me some pointers?

The second screen you posted there is an example of where you should apply full settings to your Mode7 setup, meaning the map will scroll through the entire screen, not showing any horizon or anything. It looks like your characters are standing on the edge of the world, which I don't think is intended.

As far as scripting style goes... it's basically a matter of personal preference combined with what's common. Stuff like module/class names are identical in almost every script (e.g. Scene_Base, instead of SCENE_BASE or scenebase), and so are variables (e.g. @example_variable, not @examplevariable or @exampleVariable) and constants (e.g. THIS_IS_A_CONSTANT, not This_Is_A_Constant or ThisIsAConstant).
As I said, doing it differently doesn't make your script bad at all, however it makes it less understandable and possibly confusing. In conjunction with bad method/module/class/variable names, you'll have the problem of identifying stuff very soon. For example, SHOP might be a constant (my assumption), a class, a module, a local variable or a method of an included class/module... you see, it get's confusing ^^ (which is why Scene_Shop wold be a much better name and is instantly recognizeable).
Note that proper naming helps, but SCENE_SHOP still looks like a constant that might hold a boolean to activate/deactivate the shop, or something (while you shouldn't change constants at runtime, Ruby allows you to do so, so you have an additional uncertainty factor).

There's thousands of other things, but really... asking someone else for how you should do it won't work. Instead, like you said, get some pointers here and there, and create your own style. Personally, my priorities are on a well-understandable and 80% efficient code (meaning if there's a slightly more efficient way, but only a handful people know what that is, I'll use the a but less efficient way). Think of your priorities, and work accordingly. Some stuff like what I hinted you on before you should pay attention to, though - you'll quickly loose focus yourself otherwise.
Always keep in mind that not everything a language allows you to do is actually a good thing to do - think PHP (you don't have to put a semicolon after the very last line of code) or CSS (again, last element of your current definition doesn't need a closing semicolon). Ruby allows you to use semicolons as line seperators, however using them is actually not too smart unless for the very last day of development, where you can replace all your line breaks with these to cut your scripts down in size.

You'll figure something out ^^

Bummer. I thought this script would be more popular. I made it thinking that other people might actually use it, but I guess it's a script one too many. That is, it's been done before, perhaps not as nicely and well-documented, perhaps not these three particular scripts put together, but it's been done nonetheless.

Will have to see if my Final Fantasy XIII Menu script is a bigger deal. I think I'll release it on stages, since it's actually a bunch of very different classes and scenes bundled together.

I can only suggest you the same thing I suggested plague a while ago: Host your projects somewhere you can track the downloads (own webspace, or box.net, which is my favourite hoster), and see how many people actually download it and are interested in it. Not everyone leaves a comment, so judging upon posts left is not really the way to go if you ask me... especially these days, where the scripting-interested part of the community went south over the winter and never came back.
Also, you made it for yourself, so no reason to be disappointed - you need it anyways ^^

Most importantly, keep your chin up ^^

Thank you! That was a really nice and optimistic comment. By the way, I've followed some of your advice when writing my new script.

I had this idea one time.. where.. you could use a mode 7 map as the battle background... basically.. you would walk around with a more overhead view, then the screen would zoom in and the ground would bend back in kinda this sort of perspective up close as a battle backdrop.
I even had this idea for some how using something like this to make first person dungeons like in Phantasy Star 1

MGCaladtogel, the creator of the Mode 07 script, is currently working on a new version of the script called H-Mode 07. This is more like real 3D, but created with a 2D editor. It's very promising and I think would best suit your ideas. He also made a First Person Labyrinth Engine (FPLE) and an isometric engine. Behemoth, on the other hand, made a ray-casting engine, similar to MGCaladtogel's FPLE. He even made a Doom-like first person shooter, The Corps. I believe the project has a thread in the projects forum. You would be surprised how good it is.



As for my script, I doubt it would do anything for your needs. Actually, I doubt any of these engines would at all be useful in battle, simply because these engines alter the Scene_Map class, which extends to a bunch of other classes such as Game_Actor, Game_Party, Game_Event, and Spriteset_Map, which have absolutely nothing to do with battle engines, which alter the Scene_Battle class.

That is to say, your Phantasy Star idea has been realized, by the FPLE and Behemoth's raycasting script, but your battle add-on idea would be difficult to accomplish, unless the battle took place in the map, like in most action games. It definitely can be done. I'm not suggesting I would do it, but I'm letting you know it's possible.

It's not needs, no worries.. i was just blurting that out..

I update the script and the demo.

The script now features Kristovski's Add-on, which is a patch MGCaladtogel wrote for H-Mode 07 that reorients the game controls in accordance to the rotation of the camera. That is to say, if your character is looking down, and you rotate your camera 180º so that your character is looking up, if you press it will look as if your character is going up when in reality he's going down on the map.

I know this is difficult to understand. That's why I made a new demo, featuring the add-on. Try it out.

I added a video. Now you can see how awesome this script is. Also, I wrote the music for the video. I hope you guys like it.

Dude this is a really nice script you have going here and im sure a lot of people will find it useful.

I personally havent downloaded the script but I have a few questions:

do you have to use every feature or can you just use the zoom feature or the 8 directional movement by themselves?

Does it lag like the video or is that just the video?

You definitely don't have to use all features together, and the script doesn't lag, at least on my PC.

EDIT: Actually, you'll notice the script has a lot of patches and add-ons. If you want to use the New Mode 7, you need the New Mode 7 patch, and so on.

This is probably really bad of me because I've only just dug out RMXP after months of not using it, and are still downloading this demo...

But I remember that this Mode7 script had about two or three major issues. One specifically I wonder about is the auto-tiles one. If the frame-count of the autotiles did not match Grasslands (first one has 4, others 1) then the script would crash.

I'm wondering if that's been sorted?

First and foremost, I did not write the New Mode 7 script. MGCaladtogel did. However, I do believe in this last version he managed to sort out various issues. He's an active member at http://www.save-point.org, if you care to ask him personally. I would also like to point out that what I did write is the movement script, and a patch for the New Mode 7 script. If you have any questions regarding these, I would be more than happy to answer them for you.

EDIT: Personally, I don't use autotiles. But I did some research for you, and there does seem to be a bug with animated autotiles. This can be avoided by not using the [A] tag. However, your autotiles won't be animated.

Check the original thread at:
http://www.save-point.org/showthread.php?tid=2313

I've downloaded everything from Angevon, and I'm trying to put together my own sprite sheets using your "Custom Movement" script as a stand alone.

I did the math, and according to the 1050 x 784 sample you posted in the first post, the dimensions of each frame should be 75 x 98, but when I try to make a template, I end up with extra space at the edges of the picture.

Could you possibly tell me the correct dimensions for each frame? Are the idle and sitting stances different dimensions from the movement frames?

Thanks in advance, this script is great, and your game looks like it's going to be very nice looking. :D

(I'm also interested in using your License Board, but I don't have any questions about that yet.)

The answer is quite simple, the frames should be as small as possible. I, myself, am not spriter, and also have difficulty with this process. The simplest way is to use an image editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop, and figure out which pose has the largest width, and which pose has the largest height.

As I'm not sure that answers the question, lemme give you a hand... what you/Luminescense want to know is the size of one frame, however there's no such value. The spritesheet gets cut in several pieces, depending on the setup within the script that you can take yourself.
The default setup looks like:

[ Idle ][ 8x Walking ][ Looking Right ][ Looking Left ][ Sitting, Looking Right ][ Sitting ][ Sitting, Looking Left ]

That equals a number of 14 frames in each row, so whichever width your file might have, it'd get sliced in 14 columns (and 8 rows, if you use 8-way). For a sheet width of 1050, that is indeed 75px, so what I think happened is that you aligned the sprites wrong. If you got RO sprites, it's easiest to align them by the head, both vertically and horizontally.

I took your advice and aligned them by their head, after I finally got the grid aligned properly. Animates perfectly now.

If I set the IDLE part of the script to false, I can leave those frames blank, yes?

I also don't see an actual use of the head turning and sitting animations in the script, would I be able to leave those blank as well if I just want the 8-directional movement frames and nothing else?

EDIT: Nevermind, it misaligned the frame when I set standing to FALSE, but I still don't see where the head turning and sitting come in, so that question still stands.

Depending on the way the script handles the sprites (I'm not familiar with it, and I'm not in the mood to check), setting TOTAL_FRAMES to 8 should work if you just want the walking sprites, if you have idle set to false.

In case the script requires you to have those frames, you can leave them 100% transparent - if you save the sprite as PNG with alpha layer, yu won't get a single byte additionally - just like the graphic would be cut. Not exactly the clean solution, but yeah... a workaround for the time being? ^^

I actually just left them blank, I figured out that the head turning and sitting animations aren't used unless you call them in the event, so I figured I'll leave them blank in case I decide to add other animations for NPCs and such, I also went ahead and put the idle animations in.

I only got one sheet finished, was busy today, lot more to go, since I plan to actually use a job system, and I'll be putting a different sprite for each job, along with 4 characters that can all turn into every job, so that's... quite a lot of sprite sheets to do, not including NPCs.

I'm also trying to find a battle system that I could use RO sprites with, which would probably be Minkoff, but I can't find the darn script, it seems it's been removed from every link that I find.

You can set the total number of poses at the beginning of the script, this way, you don't need to have the additional sitting and looking poses, and your image files can be a tad smaller.

Ok. I've cut it down to 9 frames, it's working wonderfully.

Now, the only thing I can't seem to figure out, is how to make an event stand diagonally? I've tried the 8 frames that the character graphic selection will allow me to choose, they're just stepping frames in the 4 normal directions.

What you need is a little snippet that's already integrated in the script supplied, though... being this:

Make sure there's no second move_random method after this and before Main, so that this one doesn't get overwritten.

You know, I never actually thought about this before. Also, I'm not sure I understand what Blue Scope means.

BlueScope, I wasn't talking about how to make an event -walk- diagonally, it does that fine. I'm asking how to make an NPC, such as a shop keeper, that doesn't move from their location, stand in a diagonal facing position.

I suppose this could be possible with the turn_downright, turn_upright, turn_downleft and turn_upleft methods, although I have not tested this yet. You have to consider there is a boolean variable called turn_enabled, which needs to be enabled for a character to look into a particular direction. This should work alright.

EDIT: I've tested the methods and they work fine. What you want to do is, in the event movement command, go to script and type the following line(s).

Awesome. :D Thanks a bunch, now I think I've got everything perfect as far as this script goes.