Temp Switches using items

[TriggerHound]

Hey everyone. If you want to save switch space here's a little tip.

Make an item like this
1. No name (Make the item name blank)
2. Make the type = Other
3. Status = Hide
4. Drop = Unable

Now whenever you have areas where you can only move a certain path this can be useful. For example in my game Broken Sky, I can have my character walk up to a cliff and say something via treasure event. Before the end of this event, give the player the item. Now make another event on the way back that activates when the player has that item. Simple right? (I hope I made that easy enough to understand)

NOTE - Make sure to remove the item after the event! If you use this trick multiple times in a game it could mess you up if you don't remove the item every time lol

NOTE 2 - You could even take this a step farther for switch intensive puzzles. Such as if you get to 5 items you can make a 2nd item representing that. It wouldn't work for all cases where switches are needed, but hopefully this will help someone out! =)

[ChaosKnightXD]

Re: Temp Switches using items

Yea this is how you make variables in RPGM1. I wouldn't use it too often though, I feel that it takes away from the game if the player looks in their inventory and sees some item that is being used for game code as a variable in there. Kind of takes away from the whole experience you are trying to build and might confuse them but it is a very useful trick when you need it.

[TriggerHound]

Re: Temp Switches using items

I fully agree. Another thing I should have added was that it's best used on short sections for story or a dungeon in a room with just a puzzle. It also shouldn't be used where a treasure chest is or battles are present for that very reason. What's going to happen when someone gets a new item or is hurt in battle? Probably going to the item screen. Best to avoid this method in those situations

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: Temp Switches using items

i try to avoid using sys data for such a thing as it adds up fast and there is other way to achieve the same results. a blank item is a wasted space and having several to be used as switches just kind of negates the benefits. think of how your game is progressing and decommission switches as they become obsolete. 500 switches goes a very long way.

i usually dedicate 100 switches to mini games that get turned fully off by the end and used for the next game. i also use a gold bar system to make money a useful condition for my games so i dont have to use insane amounts of switches for hard games. just check your money for anything over 10000 and then turn it into 1 gold bar and have it check again. once the value is 9999 or less then you can use multiples of 10000 for an event condition. dont let the game exceed the max money value, and make sure you set a condition at the end to drain all extra money back to the original amount.

this is the only way i could make some mini games as the amount of switches id of had to use would of easily put the games into 30k memory data instead of 5-10k. not to mention that the logistics of organizing huge amounts of switches can be a nightmare when several have to turn on at the same time to get the desired result. think outside the box and use everything to your disposal.

i found even using exit event (the one in the event submenu, not the main menu), can save outrageous amounts of space as it doesnt reset the event till after you leave so you can use multiple events and only use one deactivation when you leave the area.

[ErikaFuzzbottom]

Re: Temp Switches using items

Jester's Hunt used the idea extensively. There was just WAY too much stuff to keep track of with only switches (300 had to be used on tokens, alone). Plus, it uses a CBS, so it also required using items as variables. You never actually need to go into the item menu for anything, so I was able to get away with it. It would've been nice had I been able to hide the item menu altogether, but I settled for renaming it "IGNORE".

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: Temp Switches using items

lol i wondered why it was named that.

i can certainly see how you can blow every available type of switching method on a game like that. sometimes there just isnt a choice, or it makes sense to use something a certain way.