The obligatory 'Events versus Scripts' discussion

With blueXx coming back I thought it was time for such a topic. I haven't searched but I am almost certain that there already had been at least one topic of such kind thus this being a revival.

I have given you three votes with the mindset of you using the two votes seriously and the last vote on the comedy options. Since I can't group options I must just hope that you will use the poll sensible. Naturally you can beat the system by voting in a different way. Beating the system will probably make you feel better so I don't mind you doing that

The 'I use ' group: (What you are using)

I use Scripts
I use Events
I use both
I use neither
Other

The 'I think is best' group: (What you think is the best)

I think Scripts are the best
I think Events are the best
I think a combination of both is the best
I think it depends on the specific situation
Other

The comedy group:

dwarra
second comedy option
Zeriab is the best

One vote per group would be the optimal in my opinion.
If you choose Other in any of the groups I would very much like you explaining what you mean in a reply to this thread. You naturally don't have to.
You are free to discuss the events and scripts advantages and disadvantages in this topic. You don't have to discuss. You can word your opinions and leave it at that. It is fine as well.
No flaming! If you start flame I will treat you unfair >8U
If you are flamed then try not to flame back. Use the fact that I will treat the flamers unfairly to peace your mind

On a final note: I have enable you to change you votes should you change your opinion


I use both. I am both a scripter and an eventer and most importantly lazy. If it is quicker for me to write a script I write it and if it is quicker to make an event I make an event.
I think neither events or scripts are the best. I think there are some things where scripts are better than events and other things where events are better than scripts.
I have a big ego so I naturally think that I am the best 

 ~ Zeriab

I think events are the best obviously.
why? because I never am going to make a game (as a matter of fact my only attempt of a game was BEFORE I joined this forums, ever since then I went lazy) and my objective was always to make shiny things with events for others to use (and... it looks like half of them ++ have been deleted, didn't bother searching for what was saved and what was not though, but seeing as only 200~ posts of mine were left in troubleshooting I think most of the good things are out, at any rate for that matter I find events easy to "small edit" or have other events based on them by users who do not know their way around scripting or even advanced events, allowing anyone to use any of my events the way they find best with the greatest of ease.
That aside I am also a real newbie when it comes to scripting and I basicly can only edit or make simple ones, so that leaves me with nothing but events at least for the sake of helping (as I wouldn't want anyone to copy a badly done script or make a script based on that script's structure)

Well yeah, so events pwn, easily costumed for any need, easily changed whenever anyone feels like it, and require no knowladge.
how awesome is that?

while scripting is more for getting your game look shiny (for as long as you do not know scripting yourself that is)

notice how I say the exact same thing in 5 or more different forms!

Scripts > Events

I use both, while using common events mainly so anyone on my team can change the game without fucking up the code.

Well yeah, so events pwn, easily costumed for any need, easily changed whenever anyone feels like it, and require no knowladge.

Yes, because events can do EVERYTHING. Events are inefficent code. For simple conditionals, messages, and simple game stuff they're great. But only a complete idiot would consider making a battle system or anything with them (I'd hate to see that code). Also, replace events with scripting, and the sentence makes much more sense. If you think Ruby is hard, try programming C++ and allocating memory and stuff like that.

Scripts are for people who can program.
Events are for loosers who can't comprehend simple programming concepts.

And events aren't awesome, they make it easy for 10 year old idiots whospek lik dis to make games.

I use both, but I would prefer to use scripting where scripting increases functionality. For instance, the fact that you can only change volume by increments of 5 made my evented version of a dynamic sound emission object (sound gets louder as you approach the object) quite a bit worse then the scripted version as the scripted version has a much smoother transition. That being said, eventing is easier to learn and so most game makers can customize an event system they are given to suit their needs, so that's a plus to events.

I also wouldn't use 'they make it easy for 10 year old idiots whospek lik dis to make games.' as an argument against events as there are plenty of great game makers who cannot script (for instance Calibre, and I don't think ShoSho scripts either).

One thing that I really like about scripts is that they are very easy to implement into a game, and of course the fact that it is much faster and easier to run through multiple if statements. In the end, I like scripts better personally because there are a lot of things they can do easily that would be very difficult for events, but I also like events a lot and will use them when it is not a complicated sysrem

Half of the beauty of events is making something "out of the box" using tools that you cannot change.
I don't know ruby, it doesn't mean I am 10 years old, I do know pascal but that's only good for making the code look not scary and hence editable, it doesn't allow me to create a new good one though.
most people who use rmxp don't actually know ruby either, that aside a lot of them still do make games.

Lags can be removed in events by adding a simple wait command in the end of each para event.
Besides, It's a lot of fun to make a battle system via events, it takes hours and hours and you end up debugging for days 
Am I the only one who see that part as half of the fun? (the other half is when you are done and you go "wooooooooot what awesomeness, which you would still get if you script but not if it was an even slightly bit easier script for you to make)

"Events are inefficent code. For simple conditionals, messages, and simple game stuff they're great." and for battle systems, pet systems and other crazy things 

sure the code is just about 10 times longer than any script you'll do for such a thing, but it's understandable and editable by anyone who is "a looser who can't comprehend simple programming concepts."

viva la losers! (sorry but I am not going to study a language just for rmxp which I barely use V.V)

It's a lot of fun to make a battle system via events, it takes hours and hours and you end up debugging for days

Am I the only one who finds that sentance goes against his argument?

I do know pascal but that's only good for making the code look not scary and hence editable

If you're framilliar with any programming langauge it's editable.

By the way you present your argument, it sounds like events can do everything scripts can. All scripters know that's not the case. You can't edit the actor classes, the battle system, or even use arrays with events. Functionality beats usability every single time.

you can't edit anything that's inside the scripts, but you CAN remake everything. (even the menu was completely redone via events by yossi)
and not having arrays will never kill you, it will just make it a bigger pain.
you still got loops... loops are smexy...
(I enjoy debugging...  )

And how would you go about recreating the Game_Actor class? The Game_Actors? If you did, you'd need conditional branches for everything, and that would be much laggier than a script.

In the end, I think we can agree for functionality Script > Events, but for usability, Events > Scripts. Which one is better for you just depends if you know RGSS or not.

lag can be resolved with the addition of wait X frames in the end of each event (well where it's possible), the player will never notice.

but hmm yeah, can agree on that.
If you can script on your own and you find it easier than eventing, then no doubt do that.
If you can't but you find begging for scripts easier than eventing, then well... I'd stick with events, it may be harder than just copy pasting, but it's well worth it.

I didn't think my meagre attempts at scripting warrant me saying both, so I said I use eventing, but a combination of the two is best (since you've given us the option to change, as I improve in scripting I may revisit this).

If I say Zeriab is the best, will you give me an easier task to do than the one I've been sitting on the last 2 weeks?

While I primarily work with scripts, there is no doubt that events are powerful when used by those who know what they were doing.

Some things require a balance between the two.

Scripts are powerful, but they are also limited. Events are powerful, but they are limited as well.

While scripts are what make events run, events are far easier (for the most part) to work with.

Code: [Select]

class Debate
     attr_accessor     :scripts
     attr_accessor     :events
     def initialize
          @scripts = 1
          @events = 2
     end
     def answer(*args)
          if *args.size > 0
               @scripts == *args[0]
          else
               @scripts == @events
          end
     end
     def give_answer
          @answer = answer(1)
          if @answer
               p 'The statement Scripts are equal to events is true'
          else
               p 'The statement Scripts are equal to events is false'
          end
     end
end
$message = Debate.new
$message.give_answer

Care to explain how scripts are limited :3

Care to explain how scripts are limited :3

The R.G.S.S. is merely a snippet of RUBY, and it cannot perform many functions. The R.G.S.S was designed to work with RPG Maker XP, therefore it is limited in that respect. It cannot reliably initialize a standalone program or interact with one without having it run within the game system itself. It cannot be used to make a true 3d engine, nor can it be used to create true isometric or a true overworld engine (I can't remember the name of the engine). There is much that limits the R.G.S.S. and if you can't realize that, then what do you really know about the language itself? A wise man does not fool himself when it comes to his limitations.

Scripts are powerful, but they are also limited. Events are powerful, but they are limited as well.

I assumed by that sentence you were going to say that RGSS and Events were simillarly limited

But yeah, that's really not that much of a limit in my opinion. So you can't initialize programs, or make it 3D. No big deal to me, if you want 3D then just use another game maker.

EVENTS!
... 
friendly black fellow!

Dwarra, both, combination of both. They're both very essential to make a good, unique game.

I would say both.

I have experience in a plethora of languages (Including C/C++) and I cannot stand this RMXP scripting (well I don't much like Ruby, but how it's implemented into RMXP more particularly).

Events are ok mostly I think, but quite a few things I would feel more comfortable scripting (once I can figure out how to do some real drawing and effects and such, not just working with the basics, math, conditionals, variables etc).

P.S. I hate classes, never had to use them in my 6 years of programming/scripting etc. (Unless forced to).

If you don't use classes, I don't think you've had 6 years of good instruction. Classes are an important part of any language that uses them. Classes in RMXP increase compatibilty greatly, and if Scene_Map and Scene_Battle were one class, we would have a lot of problems 0.o

I just haven't ever had a need for them.

Iv'e heard the exact same preaching from others who frankly couldn't compete with me to save their lives.

Perhaps they follow better practices, but my end results far outweigh theirs.

Classes are primarily for manageability, the end user couldn't care less if a programmer had more or less trouble with their creation, just as long as it's produced as desired, and in the end that's what mostly counts.

Not to say there is anything wrong with them, but until I come across something where I *specifically* need it, I won't use it, though I suppose RMXP may be the first time, as there is for everything.

Well, for some programs it wouldn't matter, but for programs that will need to be patched, updated, or edited, you defiantly want them to be as easy to use as possible.

I suppose you could easily get off without using classes, but it would make the code annoying, complicated, and hard to edit, which I wouldn't think about doing.

Well that can really depend.

It's just something I am used to, and actually find far easier than the mere general concept of classing, can be seen in real life, just the way some of us are, we make our own rules .

Saying you don't need classes is like saying you don't need comment codes and methods.

I dun see why people are fighting over this
both scripts and events have their purposes, and both have things that they are best at.

I'd never consider making a cutscene with scripts
just as I'd never try to make a CMS with events

but I have seen some really interesting stuff done with both
for example, Reive's animated title screen that was evented, and an entire smooth abs that was completely evented.
and of course, scripts that create really cool effects and such

I like both :3

I would hope the more truer power behind scripting is speed, like performing variable operations, calculations etc?

Speed, yeah. There's less lag involved with scripts, at least as far as I have seen, compared with events.

Would that include scripts directly inserted into events? (where I have been playing with them), as opposed to the direct event facilities made available?

I would say no, since it is my assumption that it would take as long to process the Script Event Command as it would other Event Commands. So, my guess is that it would depend on what the script command is. For instance, I imagine using a script cocmmand for something like:

$game_variables[1] = 5

would be slower (negligibly) than

Control Variables: [1] = 5

Though I'm not positive about that.

However, for something like this:

for i in 0...10
  if $game_variables[i*2] != 10
    $game_variables[i*2] *= 2
  end
end

I would imagine that would be faster than making a list of conditional branches.

I use events
dwarra
second comedy option

Creating a custom system of a sort seems so much easier in 2000 and 2003. Which makes me think scripting is slightly forced upon people, because useful functions are missing in the event editor.

I can do some scripting... not as much as I'd like. (I almost always get errors once or thrice.) Waiting on scripters is "D:".

If you understand events as much as I do you can do pretty much everything with events then with scripts.
But if I have something hard or something which comes back every map I use scripts.
so much more helpful,

I would say to use scripts in RMXP, as they allow you to create more complex functions with less hassle, as Modern Algebra pointed out. In addition, Enterbrain actually removed several events that allowed for the same functions, albeit with more work, to be achieved in earlier versions of RM.
So...basically:

Creating a custom system of a sort seems so much easier in 2000 and 2003. Which makes me think scripting is slightly forced upon people, because useful functions are missing in the event editor.

...
 

Since there are engine differences between RMXP and RMVX the discussion has been split into two threads:

RMXP discussion topic/poll
RMVX discussion topic/poll

This topic is created in anticipation of a potential discussion. The discussion was in RMXP and there is no reason why it shouldn't be in RMVX.

I have given you three votes with the mindset of you using the two votes seriously and the last vote on the comedy options. Since I can't group options I must just hope that you will use the poll sensible. Naturally you can beat the system by voting in a different way. Beating the system will probably make you feel better so I don't mind you doing that

The 'I use ' group: (What you are using)

I use Scripts
I use Events
I use both
I use neither
Other

The 'I think is best' group: (What you think is the best)

I think Scripts are the best
I think Events are the best
I think a combination of both is the best
I think it depends on the specific situation
Other

The comedy group:

dwarra
second comedy option
Zeriab is the best

One vote per group would be the optimal in my opinion.
If you choose Other in any of the groups I would very much like you explaining what you mean in a reply to this thread. You naturally don't have to.
You are free to discuss the events and scripts advantages and disadvantages in this topic. You don't have to discuss. You can word your opinions and leave it at that. It is fine as well.
No flaming! If you start flame I will treat you unfair >8U
If you are flamed then try not to flame back. Use the fact that I will treat the flamers unfairly to peace your mind

On a final note: I have enable you to change you votes should you change your opinion


I don't know RMVX enough to answer yet. I expect my answer will be the same as my RMXP answer, though I naturally don't know yet.

 ~ Zeriab

I'm expecting a character maker and a face set in the future. I'm pleased of what I've seen yesterday.

I voted for "I use both," and dwarra and Zeriab. Zeriab has the highest votes in the poll, lol.

Both. But I preffer scripts.

Scripts can do more, and don't create lag. Which leaves more room for many more simple events.

Big stuff scripted, little stuff events.

Thats how I'm making my game =)

Some one lock this damn thing please.

I disagree with locking this topic.
Every now and then new members has historically wanted to express their feelings on this matter. I prefer having it all collected in one place where the newcomers can read other views and opinions as well.
It's definitely better than the alternative of posts on this matter appearing scattered across the forums.

@Caesis:
Scripts definitely can create lag. Too much code to process in per frame => lag.
What you can say is that in most cases when having the same functionality in a script and in an event the scripted way will process faster.

Personally, I use events.  I've tried scripting, and the idea goes way over my head.  Eventing seems so much easier for me.

However, I am grateful to have found RMRK and he plethora of scripter for the things I can't event.

Scripts are needed to fix missing features in vx

I use both, it depends on the specific situation, and dwarra

id have to say both, because the scripts and events are good because you can learn on how the game works.

I have tried out VX, And i do like it. Not enough to get a license, I suppose but that's because I waste all of my money on other things. I am a programmer at heart, But i never got around to learning ruby and in the end i was too lazy to XP. From what i understand of it though, Although i have used events for a while, and probably will be using events for the rest of ever, scripts do allow you to break many boundaries, intentional and unintentional and eliminate work arounds, and that's enough for me XD. I was always sick of event-made menus and battle systems (I think the only good CBS was in that Final Fantasy Fan game, And most of the good Custom menus depended on a link to the default menu)

I could say the same about XP though. whoops.

Besides, It's a lot of fun to make a battle system via events, it takes hours and hours and you end up debugging for days 

I made a battle code in 2k3 and its so long that after a certain point i cant move the scroll bar down anymore and i have to use the mouse wheel but scripting doesn't exist on rm2k3. Hopefully i can transfer my battle code to rmXP in future games. Thats real backwards compatibility.

i use both, i dont make the script's but i modify as i like and event's are a much more easy way then script's, lets say that if their was onle script's or onle event's the game you will make will look alot more different then when you use both  .

I use both, however Scripts > Events!!!
Why? Because events can't work without scripts, and scripts can work without events. Try deleting all Interpreter method contents, events won't work.

Scripts > Events

Sorry for late replying to this thread, but I had to say.

I dislike scripting because
1)I really don't know it all that well
2)it scares the bajezus out of me because you have to save before testing and it crashes like holy hell. That becomes a big issue when you have a multi-layered investment in the script, like if you primitively edit specific lines all over the place and forget to leave markers where you edited things, and the original.

Still, I used script where eventing fails me, and it often does.

Events totally pwn script in terms of stability and accessibility.

I think people who blow their pipes about how bogly awesome script is should get together and try writing a user friendly manual for scripting, because contrary to popular belief, you cannot easily google your way through script, and learning ruby is almost useless without knowing the architecture already in place, especially the arrays and aliases.

The built in help guide is also kind of useless for beginners because no one tells you things like the "@" symbol means ".extension" or how to use p for print, or that you can print all file extentions and data by leaving off the extension.

nice necro and misconceptions

I dislike scripting because
1)I really don't know it all that well
2)it scares the bajezus out of me because you have to save before testing and it crashes like holy hell. That becomes a big issue when you have a multi-layered investment in the script, like if you primitively edit specific lines all over the place and forget to leave markers where you edited things, and the original.

Still, I used script where eventing fails me, and it often does.

1) so if you didn't know eventing, but you knew scripting, you'd not like eventing?
2) you have to test events over and over to make sure they don't cause bugs in your game that could ruin and/or crash your game, editing restrictive and locked downed specific functions and hoping that it does what you're looking for it to do.

Events totally pwn script in terms of stability and accessibility.

Events can be just as instable, and scripting is just as accessible to someone who can program, or takes the time to program.

I think people who blow their pipes about how bogly awesome script is should get together and try writing a user friendly manual for scripting, because contrary to popular belief, you cannot easily google your way through script, and learning ruby is almost useless without knowing the architecture already in place, especially the arrays and aliases.

Guess what, Ruby is an entire programming language and you -can- in fact google ruby tutorials to brush up on syntax and how it works.  Also, people have tried to write manuals, but as far as that is concerned, programming is a skill that takes time to learn.  Just as you can't just write a manual expressing every single possible combination of eventing procedures, you can't do that for scripting either.  Scripting, like Eventing, is clever use of the methods provided to you, not some formulaic thing that you can just write an instructions manual for.

If someone wants to learn how to script RGSS, they could take the time to study Ruby, and/or the default scripts to see how they work, specifically starting with simple things such as the menu systems.

Also, Blizzard wrote a guide for Intermediate/Advanced scripters that can help people to understand some of the possibilities, if someone wants to learn more, they can read it, it's not hard.  here

The built in help guide is also kind of useless for beginners because no one tells you things like the "@" symbol means ".extension" or how to use p for print, or that you can print all file extentions and data by leaving off the extension.

The built in help guide isn't a "how to ruby for beginners" guide, it's an explanation of the API and Methods available through the RGSS libraries.

tl;dr - saying scripting isn't good because you don't know how to do it is ignorant as it can do things much faster, easier, and more efficiently than eventing could ever dream to.

Way to not know what you are talking about.
Alot of people have instructions for their scripts, and its clear and precise. And if it is a script that requires alot of changes, they do have a manual. (Yanfly's battle script has a huge manual)

The builtin guide is useful to an extent. But they really want you to know Ruby before you start scripting. Thats why you don't know "@" is an extension, or that "p" is for "puts"/"print". Knowing Ruby isn't useless. When you know Ruby, and then read the help file, you understand alot of what you can do. Unless you are a programmer, you won't understand alot of the "architecture" because its not similar to you. I came to Ruby from Python(a similar language) and I understood most of what I needed to know. 

Events are not nearly as stable as a well written script. It falls on the user to use it right, and that is where the issues come from. Now because you probably event your own systems, you don't encounter any problems. But imagine putting it online, and having others use it. Then you will see many issues with it. That is how it works for both scripts and events. If you wrote your own scripts, you wouldn't have any issues with them.

I like to use both. Events and scripts have their own places in which they excel, and ask myself before doing something, what would be best to solve my problem.

EDIT:
Damn you NAM, you ninja'd me.

I like to use both. Events and scripts have their own places in which they excel, and ask myself before doing something, what would be best to solve my problem.

This completely.

I wouldn't write a message box cut scene with scripts, and I wouldn't make graphical modifications to the battle system with events.

I really think that a good combination of scripting and eventing is required to get the desired result.

There are some things you use events for; and whatever can't be accomplished through eventing can be accomplished through scripting.

I don't write my own scripts yet, because I'm still learning the syntax (but it's similar to python or C++, which are powerful class-based and object-oriented languages), but with the built-in guide to the default modules and classes, it's actually pretty nifty.

As I was voicing my opinion about why -I- dislike scripting, and have yet to see anything remotely accessible in the way of understanding it, I have no idea what your diatribe intends to achieve.

to answer some basic questions: Yes I hate any kind of code that fits the criterion of
1. have to use it to accomplish what I'm trying to do
2. don't understand it
3. difficult to find resources to understand it

About Blizzard's Guide to making one's existing scripting talents better,
0 x 1.1 is still 0, or as he said...

Are you reading this to learn how to script? Then this is NOT for you. If you want to understand this e-book fully, you need basic scripting knowledge. You can read this, of course, but you'll end up wasting your time by not understanding even half of it.

As my entire Project is intended to be a teaching tool for kids, I really don't find much use for Elitism or Arcane 'secrets of the code'.

to answer some basic questions: Yes I hate any kind of code that fits the criterion of
1. have to use it to accomplish what I'm trying to do
2. don't understand it
3. difficult to find resources to understand it

So you hate any code.
Considering interpreted languages like ruby are as easy as it gets, don't try doing anything more difficult/advanced for game making, you'll just hate it and not get anywhere.

Code isn't designed to be stupid easy to learn and stupid simple so anyone can do it, it's difficult, you have to learn it, THAT'S WHY PEOPLE ARE PAID SO MUCH TO DO IT.  Programming is a way of telling a computer to do what you want it to do.  It's not designed so that kids and teenagers with no coding experience or practice can do it just as good as people who go to school for it.

If you want to learn it, you have to do research and learn.  I wasn't born a scripted, I studied the RGSS scripts and basic library stuff, and learned how things worked.  Ruby is as close to english as coding gets.

and JFTR, Eventing isn't coding.

About Blizzard's Guide to making one's existing scripting talents better,
0 x 1.1 is still 0, or as he said...

Are you reading this to learn how to script? Then this is NOT for you. If you want to understand this e-book fully, you need basic scripting knowledge. You can read this, of course, but you'll end up wasting your time by not understanding even half of it.

As my entire Project is intended to be a teaching tool for kids, I really don't find much use for Elitism or Arcane 'secrets of the code'.

OH Cthulhu NO I HAVE TO LEARN SOMETHING THAT ISN'T EXPLAINED ENTIRELY TO ME DIRECTLY AND AT FACE VALUE IN ORDER TO ENHANCE MY GAME!

I -did- say INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED and LEARN -MORE-

OH Cthulhu THE SECRETS OF GOOGLE!

But hey, don't use scripts, you're just neutering yourself.

Shintashi's missing out on a lot... Try Dubalex's tutorial, his has something for everyone.

Or go here: http://rmrk.net/index.php/topic,1723.0.html You won't be able to script if your not willing to learn. If you don't need scripts in your game, that's perfectly fine. But there's a lot of things that you won't be able to do with simple eventing. Scripts, in most cases, are a lot more powerful than events.

In summary, try deleting Game_Interpreter and see what happens to your events.

Scripts >= Events

 I was writing scripts before using events, which may seem counter intuitive, but my first game didn't have the attributes I wanted so I tried adding them. Ironically, that's the part that made me dislike scripting, because everything was already compressed and essentially concealed within the code. While I would find several instances of an attribute like Strength or Intelligence, figuring out the flow of attributes in the game wasn't easy. I had to add the new attributes to the Status screen, so I figured out the coordinate system for that too.
At the time I couldn't figure out a way to change the attributes directly via character name or class, so I piggybacked a hybrid using level and stats, figuring the guys with high physical attributes would also have high stamina (sort of).

here was version 1
def base_sta
    n = 49 + level + Integer(base_str/2)

version 2
  n = 4 + level + Integer(base_str/2)

and version 3
n = 4 + Integer(level/3) + Integer(base_str/3) + Integer(base_agi/3)

in game actor I tossed something like

This:
    n = [[base_maxhp + @maxhp_plus + sta, 1].max, 9999].min

So Stamina would modify Hit points.

All together it ended up being several pages of script (as I don't want to bore you with my lame code). And this was done before I even knew what an event switch was, or understood variables weren't for dealing damage in units of x(1-50). I had a lot of misconceptions about events but making heads or tales out of the script was becoming troublesome. I asked a forum about Ruby on Rails and Ruby and what it had to do with RPGmaker and they basically said 'proprietary' and told me to not waste my time with the original code. I got so frustrated with the limits of the MAIN menu that I ended up downloading a hex editor and tried manually adding my extra attribute using hexadecimal. Also tried it with a Ruby editor but it kept crashing. The hex edited file caused RPGmaker to crash so I abandoned that and used a backup.

My current quest is as lost as my first quest - to figure out how to change which map an event is located on, to create droppable items and mobiles - kind of like the ones I used to use in diku, aber, circle, and other telnet programs. Someone showed me how to clone events into other maps, but the clones don't delete the original, making my maps look like something from Trouble with Tribbles.

I could read all the ruby guides in the world but unless I know what the RPGmaker programmer was thinking when assigning those variables, and attribute accessors, It's just a shot in the dark. I sometimes wonder if there were instruction manuals somewhere read by people when it came out and now the rest of us have to scour the earth for these gurus in hopes of finding out what it all means.

I could read all the ruby guides in the world but unless I know what the RPGmaker programmer was thinking when assigning those variables, and attribute accessors, It's just a shot in the dark. I sometimes wonder if there were instruction manuals somewhere read by people when it came out and now the rest of us have to scour the earth for these gurus in hopes of finding out what it all means.

That's what the RGSS Reference Manual (Located in the help file) is for. Hope it helps and rekindles your spirit for scripting. If it doesn't, oh well, at least I tried.

Yeah that forum was useless.
RGSS is a library, and a lot of stuff is built into RMXP and can't be changed (like the RMXP interface), so you can't add new attribute fields into that, that stuff is in RGSS and can't be edited.  RGSS is an extension to Ruby, providing easier ways to work on the game graphically and such.  Trust me, it's easier than if there was no RGSS.

HOWEVER, you -can- add new attributes and stuff by writing a script, like you did.

Also you can't move events from map to map, that's just something that is impossible to do with RM.

There was never an instructions manual, just the help files that detail what RGSS gives you.

Yeah that forum was useless.
RGSS is a library, and a lot of stuff is built into RMXP and can't be changed (like the RMXP interface), so you can't add new attribute fields into that, that stuff is in RGSS and can't be edited.  RGSS is an extension to Ruby, providing easier ways to work on the game graphically and such.  Trust me, it's easier than if there was no RGSS.

HOWEVER, you -can- add new attributes and stuff by writing a script, like you did.

Also you can't move events from map to map, that's just something that is impossible to do with RM.

There was never an instructions manual, just the help files that detail what RGSS gives you.

I think my problem is bad luck. I tend to try to do things with a program that a program can't do, and then when I can't find a resource explaining how to do it, over and over again, I eventually conclude there's little or no instructions. Some people like to say if you can't do something it's because you don't have enough experience to do it, that leaves ambitious newbies in a strange kind of limbo.

What I don't get is why can you clone an existing event from another map but you can't move the original or erase it without erasing both?

Well, because it's saved into a data file, which is reloaded everytime the game is started up and isn't saved into the player's save file. However, you could circumvent that by creating a hash or array in some object that is saved (like Game_System) that tracks which map each event is in. Then you could rewrite the part of Game_Map that loads events to correspond to that hash instead of the hash that is within the data file. So, it is possible.

Well, because it's saved into a data file, which is reloaded everytime the game is started up and isn't saved into the player's save file. However, you could circumvent that by creating a hash or array in some object that is saved (like Game_System) that tracks which map each event is in. Then you could rewrite the part of Game_Map that loads events to correspond to that hash instead of the hash that is within the data file. So, it is possible.

You'd have to be very careful about hash collision though, as well as events trying to load with the same ID.

yeah, it's be a pain, and especially hard to set move routes through events for transferred events. As for ID, you'd probably need to identify events by a combination of their original map ID and event ID in that map, rather than just by event ID. It's still possible though.

First I choose I use both because theres really no point in using a script to make an NPC or chest or something small like that. Then I voted on it depends on the specific situation because like I said you event small things with events however if you need something really complex usually scripting is the best way. Lastly I choose second comedy option cuz I dont know who dwarra is and Zeriab isnt the best

Depends on the maker and the situation for me really. I've got enough experience to event a CMS and have almost finished my first proper CBS in RM2k3, but I wouldn't do the same in RMXP or VX. They just don't seem to cope very well, whereas scripting it is much less laggy.

I used to hate scripting because the RMs that use it rely on it a lot to restore some lost functions, and things like the hbgames.org SDK were expected to be used, and my inexperience clashed with it. However I have learnt a bit more about RGSS now, and actually find it less time consuming for some things because you just have to edit code as opposed to make things from scratch most of the time.

If you want to change a little thing in the battle system with RGSS you can, with the older makers, you gotta do it all from a blank canvas. Or hack the runtime.

I voted for two in the same category
It seriously depends on the situation. Scripts can cause lag, but they can do stuff events can't, so it balances out.