Storyteller (making it flow better)

[Pagerron]

One of the things that has bugged me for some time about the storyteller is that the images take some time during the story to load up, sometimes causing a slight problem if you are trying to line them up exactly with sound effects.

Here's a way around that.

At line 000 create an effect "key" that is set to:
Display On
Effect Type: Fade to Black
Effect: Fade Out
Depth: In Front

---BG--A--B--C--effect--OBJ--Msg--SE--BGM
000.....................X..................................

Now, at line 030 turn the display of that event OFF

---BG--A--B--C--effect--OBJ--Msg--SE--BGM
030.....................X..................................

You'll now have a Green arrow at line 000 and a blue box at line 030, connected by a continuous light blue line.

Start your actual storyteller at line 030 with whatever graphics, text etc. When you are done, copy each background and character graphic that is used and place the duplicate background graphics and character graphics between lines 015 and 025. Make sure to place keys turning them all off before line 30!

The duplicate copies of alll of your storyteller images will load during the blackened out first 30 lines and there will be no pauses at all thereafter because they will already be in the temporary memory of the game. During that time the player will only see the black screen and the "loading" message at the lower right of the screen.

It makes things flow much more smoothly during the actual storyteller. You only have to wait at the beginning of it instead of throughout the entire thing (as each image loads for the first time). This is especially helpful for really long storytellers.

[lil_das]

Re: Storyteller (making it flow better)

Definitely. Thanks I am going to have to give this a try. I hate when a sound effect is a fraction of a second off and throws the whole storyteller off.

[Perversion]

Re: Storyteller (making it flow better)

I'm still trying to figure out an effective way to transition from a storyteller, back to the actual characters talking to allow for a choice event, and then back to the storyteller. I did this once in Series 1, and it was really awkward. I'm thinking I might end up having to use this again soon in a numberof upcoming games, so I've got to figure out a better way.

As it is, there are a bunch of screen flashes, and even if you have the same music for the storyteller as you do in the actual field map (or wherever you happen to be), the music loop starts from the beginning when you go back to the characters in the field, plays for 5 seconds while the player makes his choice, and then goes back to the storyteller, where the music starts from the beginning AGAIN. It's just really choppy, and I've not figured out a way around it. If anyone has any ideas of a better way to do this, let me know, please.

[Lausen]

Re: Storyteller (making it flow better)

Hey I did that in my demo and you didn't like it because there wan't a button telling when it was ok to hit X. Is there one the way you're doing it now or is it just the same as fadeout fadein in between every background change?

[Pagerron]

Re: Storyteller (making it flow better)

Lausen, I didn't realize that you had nestled duplicate copies of the graphics for your entire storyteller in a fade out. Sorry, I didn't mean to steal anyone's thunder here. Just wanted to share what I'd found.

(Hey man, feel free to post anything you think can help us make our games better bro. We can all use help. I know I can.)

I must say, too, that I am definitely looking forward to finishing your demo, Lausen, because it's a cool one.

How this thread came about: I've been trying for a while to make a text-free "music video" using different sound effects, backgrounds, and character graphics. After several unsuccessful attempts because of the way that the sound effects didn't match up with the graphics, it became clear that the slowdown only happened the first time the graphics loaded. If the same graphic appears again in the storyteller, there was no "now loading" time.

Anyway, as far as the little graphic indicating when a button push is necessary, that will appear once the effect has been displayed "off."
In the "music video" thing I'm making, there are no fadeouts after the first long one because I want everything to be really quick and choppy to match the music. There are no button pushes either because I'm not using any text.

[Lausen]

Re: Storyteller (making it flow better)

That's cool didn't mean to sound defensive. And the "music video" thing sounds interesting to say the least. Something I never would have thought of. Well good luck with it.