i think i have a multiple character system work out. you have the player meet npc ewho you wish to have on your team. then, a dialogue box apperas and asks you if you wish for the npc to join you. iif you say yes, then that npc is deleted, and a new one that looks te same, is set to follow you.

ok this is where it gets more complicated, you create a global variable for every possible team mate, and the main character name it after the person who it represents. Create a gb variable for all of their stats (i.e. strength, perseption) the first global will represent that the team mate is a part of your team. (0= not with you 1= with you) you make a key that allows you to switch from character to character, but it checks the first global variable to see if you have that teammate, and if you don't, it does nothing.

If you do have the teammate on your team, it will change the player appearance to that of the teamate, and load all of that characters stats from their respective gb variables. (you may create more variables for items, spells or if you wish, seperate gold amounts that that character posseses.) then the npc that represents is deleted and one representing the previously occupied character is created and set to try and reach you.

this is where a major problem occurs. is there a way to add an noc to the location of another npc/player? if not then how will this npc catch up to your party?

the other problem with this method is that which was previously stated. the notorius "flower picking" npc, that suddenly appears beside you when you add them to a new map that you have reached.

if any one has any ideas to improve this method, or another one please reply, as i have not yet incorperated this system into my game, but hope to once it is perfected.

*Crayon

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You have a great Idea but that is exactly what I sed before on my one of my previous replys
but thanks for telling us.

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Magnum gloriam Efeionae est!
The forest is calling, how will you answer?

Quote

Originally posted by Efeion:
**You have a great Idea but that is exactly what I sed before on my one of my previous replys
but thanks for telling us.

**

sorry i hadn't noticed.. i was thinking that the global sytem wasn't posted yet. so i was using your idea to finnish mine. sorry

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Hrm, I have an idea of how to do a party system, but as those who know me well will tell you, I'm not actually that familiar with Coldstone anymore...I'll probably bring it forth on #coldstone to see how well it would work.

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Fallacy of the mind.
<GlueBubble> it came to me in a moment of inspiration*!
<Cone> shortly after you rejected "Phallus of the Mind"
<GlueBubble>

Crayon_Eater its ok I know how easy it is to miss something on these posts.

theGlueBubble that sounds intresting try to get it working then tell us how to do it.

Until then.

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Magnum gloriam Efeionae est!
The forest is calling, how will you answer?

Quote

Magnum gloriam Efeionae est!

'Efeion is greatly glorious!'
Hmm...

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In general, what exactly makes a game good isn't that easily
quantified - perhaps the absense of things that make it bad? - Words of Wisdom from Glenn Andreas

Where do you want to (url="http://"http://www.macclassics.com/cythera/tricks/rJade.htm")teleport(/url) today?

Hrm, anyway, I'll just throw these out there, as I said, I'm not sure whether they'd work at all...

NPC minding its own business, player talks to NPC, asks them to join, the NPC is deleted and replaced with an NPC that is set to follow the character. Upon acquirement of the NPC, the player learns a spell. Whenever the player attacks something, that spell is also invoked. As an addition, spells can have animations, correct? If so, I wonder if there would be a way to animate the NPC to swing a sword, etc.

The other way I was thinking of would be to have a global variable for all the possible people to join you, change to a different value when they join, and check that variable when attacking to see whether additional damage should be given to your player or not.

Again, just conjecture -- I haven't used the Coldstone engine in quite some time.

seth

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Fallacy of the mind.
<GlueBubble> it came to me in a moment of inspiration*!
<Cone> shortly after you rejected "Phallus of the Mind"
<GlueBubble>

Magnum gloriam Efeionae est!
I hve been waiting for some one to say something about the latin
It translates to Great is the glory of Efeion
Efeion (ef-e-on) is the what I call the woods behind my house It is not my name.

And I dont think that a animation would work becayse the NPC could be anywhere on the screen. The rest sounds intresting.

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Magnum gloriam Efeionae est!
The forest is calling, how will you answer?

Quote

Originally posted by Efeion:
**
It translates to Great is the glory of Efeion
**

Oh well, close enough

------------------
In general, what exactly makes a game good isn't that easily
quantified - perhaps the absense of things that make it bad? - Words of Wisdom from Glenn Andreas

Where do you want to (url="http://"http://www.macclassics.com/cythera/tricks/rJade.htm")teleport(/url) today?

and I didn't think any one here knew Latin
Now this is off topic back to mutible characters. ^-^

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Magnum gloriam Efeionae est!
The forest is calling, how will you answer?

All of the multiple character party ideas, while very imaginative and creative, only really peck at the surface of the problem. While I am sure some kind of semi-satisfactory party system can be rigged up, the next release of Coldstone will most certainly need a fully functoning party creation system.

I've come up with a completely functional workaround, but as you just said it would be a pain to implement and just a bandaid to the situation, and its obviously a feature planned for a later date.

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(url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")eLL' softWare: updated 10.08.02(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by ellrx:
**I've come up with a completely functional workaround, but as you just said it would be a pain to implement and just a bandaid to the situation, and its obviously a feature planned for a later date.

**

Maybe you could be so kind as to tell me the workaround. Or even email me the instructions on how to accomplise this. My email is: spaeth21@hotmail.com
Thanx

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What stands before us
today is a meer foreshadow
of tommorow, fight hard or
die trying.

not likely ,
As i said the method is long,tedious and alludes to exclusive methods. And for the most part is best used for turnbased style games.

i suggest playing around with the stamp control action and reading my recent post
(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/ubb/postdisplay.cgi?forum=Forum48&topic;=001508")question about TAG values(/url)

Are you following the Final Fantasy combat and travel style ?? (all the characters have set positions during battle ,and only one player is visible at a time unless an important dialog scene is going on) if so you'll have a much easier time doing multiple combat.
Animated stamps with flags + Stamp Control(modify,delete,kill) + spells + access block + conditionals + globals = Multiple Character FF style combat.

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(url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")eLL' softWare: updated 10.08.02(/url)
EDIT-->broken link

(This message has been edited by ellrx (edited 10-09-2002).)

Quote

Originally posted by ellrx:
Are you following the Final Fantasy combat and travel style ?? (all the characters have set positions during battle ,and only one player is visible at a time unless an important dialog scene is going on) if so you'll have a much easier time doing multiple combat.
Animated stamps with flags + Stamp Control(modify,delete,kill) + spells + access block + conditionals + globals = Multiple Character FF style combat.

(/B)

Yep, I'm doing Final Fantasy style. I'm going to have turn-based combat. That's why I wanted to know how to do the mutliple characters. Yes they will have set positions in the battle, because that's what's needed for turn based combat. Anyways, any help or direction would be most appreciated.

------------------
What stands before us
today is a meer foreshadow
of tommorow, fight hard or
die trying.

Quote

Originally posted by FF-fanatic:
**Yep, I'm doing Final Fantasy style. I'm going to have turn-based combat. That's why I wanted to know how to do the mutliple characters. Yes they will have set positions in the battle, because that's what's needed for turn based combat. Anyways, any help or direction would be most appreciated.

**

Took me a while to re write the blasted thing in a short/coherent form...::ahem::

now available in PDF---> (url="http://"http://ellrx.250free.com/multipleshort.pdf")Multiple Characters short Method(/url)

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(url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")eLL' softWare: updated 10.08.02(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by ellrx:
**Took me a while to re write the blasted thing in a short/coherent form...::ahem::

now available in PDF---> Multiple Characters short Method

**

Should I say that you are the best out there. Because this is so helpful. Thank you. Man thanks so much. Get on #coldstone some man and then you can explain more helpful ideas lol,

------------------
What stands before us
today is a meer foreshadow
of tommorow, fight hard or
die trying.

Quote

Originally posted by FF-fanatic:
**Should I say that you are the best out there. Because this is so helpful. Thank you. Man thanks so much.:) Get on #coldstone some man and then you can explain more helpful ideas lol,

**

your welcome, i don't use IRC. ** I've added this one to the others in my (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/download/index.html")downLoad section(/url)

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(url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")eLL' softWare: updated 10.15.02(/url)
**=correction

(This message has been edited by ellrx (edited 10-15-2002).)