variables

[Yonvik]

just for quick clarification..i read the " read this before you ask questions " thread and in the variables section it said somthing along the lines of " variables are values" what exactly is the value?

[JPS]

Re: variables

The value is anything you assign it...

as an example, Variable 1 is basically a name for a "thing" you can store a number in during gameplay.

Like if a character talks to someone in one town, you can set Variable 1 to "1", or "2" or any number, and when you make a script in another part of the game you can check Variable 1 to see if you did talk to that character, if you need more clarification let me know.

Actually heres something better:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variables

Variables are usually named by an identifier(In this case "Variable ##" ... and variables can be associated with other variables.

In the computing context, variable identifiers often consist of alphanumeric strings(or in RPGM's case, numeric-only strings). These identifiers are then used to refer to values in computer memory.

[Yonvik]

Re: variables

yeah jsut 1 more thing, how do you assign the variable to whatever item character ect ect?

[JPS]

Re: variables

In the "Property Control" menu theres options for increasing, decreasing, copying and modifying internal and external variables.

The difference in those(assuming it will be your next question) is that internal variables are assigned to a certain map/dungeon/town/character, where external variables are universal and are not assigned to a specific area.

Dont be afraid to ask anything around here, many of us jumps at the chance to help someone

[Yonvik]

Re: variables

ok thank you =) im new here, just joined today actually

[JPS]

Re: variables

Welcome to the Pavilion then

You should browse the RPGM3 forums, theres tutorials hiding in the masses of all the questions, I have a few, theyre marked with a notebook icon

[Yonvik]

Re: variables

yeah i have been, i came across JPS Innovation, and thats helping me a bit. Im really exctied for my new game, i've always been like " oh alright here it is, this is it, this is going to be the game" but then i would loose track of time and forget about the plot. The current game i'm making, i'm almost 1/4 done with so i know i'm taking it to the end

[JPS]

Re: variables

Yeah the hardest thing to do is not to lose interest in it, just finish it up

Im finally making a full game after hundreds of failed attemps, Im at 26% now so yeah, Ill be seeing this to the end also

Why not post the story in the RPG Maker General, dont get mad or offended if some people criticize your idea, its going to happen, but just take it with a grain of salt, some people actually comes up with good alternative ideas that you might like to put in your game to make it better

[Yonvik]

Re: variables

alright, sounds good. its a bit cliche if i do say so myself. its name is "Dragon Quest: Gates of Chaos" if you want to read about it

[JPS]

Re: variables

Isnt everything cliche these days?

[Yonvik]

Re: variables

true, its hard to think of somthing original and stick with it. thats why i've had so many failed atempts at some of my first ideas.

[Wavelength]

Re: variables

Yonvik, welcome to the Pavilion and I hope you enjoy it here! Like JPS said, just splash around the place, check out some of the resources, and just have fun with your game. I already posted a bit in your game thread and I hope it goes well!

I just wanted to clarify something about Shared vs. Internal variables... unless I'm greatly mistaken, they work in exactly the same way. You can modify them, or check them in a variable-conditional branch, no matter where you are in the world. Since as a creator, the Shared Variables are a bit easier to access, it's best to leave them for the variables you'll be working with most often, and for the others, stick them in places that are logical to you. It certainly doesn't hurt to write down on paper what every variable you're using does, as there's no way to rename a variable and it can get confusing when you're doing playtesting/final editing later on.

[Yonvik]

Re: variables

i love it here, everyone is so helpful and you guys all have some good suggestions about my game i never would have thought of ty. Oh and when you use variable 1 on 1 event. dose that mean you have to use variable 2 on event 2?

[Pagerron]

Re: variables

No, you don't have to, but that might make things easier for you. You can use whichever variable you want.

Just keep notes jotted down in a notebook so you can refer back to it for easy referencing of what's already been used.

Yes, and Welcome to the Pav, Yonvik. Glad you've had a good experience so far!

[Wavelength]

Re: variables

Variables are just there to store (and allow you to manipulate) values. You don't have to use any specific variable on any specific event. It's up to your own logic.

You could use a variable on lots of different events, if you wanted to, and you can also have many different variable affect a single event. I'll give an example of both from my own game.

I have a room called "Kitchen," and I'm using its Internal Variable 4 to track how many Grains the player has picked up. Anytime the player gets a Grains via an event ANYWHERE IN THE GAME, it will increase Kitchen's Internal Variable 4 approrpriately. Each time you cook in the kitchen using a Grains, it decreases Kitchen's Internal Variable 4 by one.

(If I wanted to use Kitchen's Internal Variable 4 to see how many gems you've collected somewhere else in the game, it would let me. Of course, this would make absolutely no sense. I should use a different variable to track how many gems you've collected.)

The success rate when you're cooking is determined by lots of other variables, for example whether you have the right tools and how skilled you are (I'm using variables to track whether you've gotten the tools, and how many times you've gone up in skill). This is all done by event scripting, of course.

Hope that makes it a little clearer how to use variables!