[pretty much RESOLVED] Several 2k3 questions--message issues

[iceflame1019]

1) Say the hero enters a mini-game and has to collect money.  I want the announcer to say "You picked up (x) money" and then award a prize for the amount of money.  Issue here:  How do I display "x" (variable MoneyCollected) within the message?  (variable MoneyCollected is kicked up with each coin collected)  I also wanna use this in a side-quest kinda like the Skulltula mini-quest in Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

2) How do I display a character's name in a message?  For example, if the player renames a character, how do I make the message use the current name?  (e.g.  player renames hero1 to "John", how do I make the message say "hey there, (hero1 name)"?)

3) Are there only two available fonts?  I ask because I'm getting a little tired of capital M's and lowercase i's running into each other and becoming one letter.  The fonts are also a bit blocky and my friends can't read it well when I ask them to test a section of a game.

4) Is there a way to avoid the cutoff of a message when a face is added to the message box?  It's a bit awkward trying to calibrate messages so they fill only half the "Message" box...is there a way around this?

5) Can text speed be slowed down?  For instance, if a character is looking at some powerful enemy and is stuttering, can I slow down the text speed to give more of a stuttering or hesitant effect?

6) (still concerning messages) Is there a program or anything that'll help me make face sets?  I've looked and looked but all I find are girly fashion-design Flash screens.  I'm good at spriting but horrible at creating faces from scratch.

[Deliciously_Saucy]

1) Say the hero enters a mini-game and has to collect money.  I want the announcer to say "You picked up (x) money" and then award a prize for the amount of money.  Issue here:  How do I display "x" (variable MoneyCollected) within the message?

Just have it as a preset amount. It may be possible with switches or variables, but I haven't opened my copy of 2k3 for several months and I don't feel like working it out.

2) How do I display a character's name in a message?  For example, if the player renames a character, how do I make the message use the current name?  (e.g.  player renames hero1 to "John", how do I make the message say "hey there, (hero1 name)"?)

You use the Enter Hero Name event command to change the desired name, then you use this command: \n[n]   in place of the name in the text box, the second "n" is to be replace with the characters number (go to database, check out the characters and the first person in the list is 1, the second 2, the third 3 etc...).

3) Are there only two available fonts?  I ask because I'm getting a little tired of capital M's and lowercase i's running into each other and becoming one letter.  The fonts are also a bit blocky and my friends can't read it well when I ask them to test a section of a game.

There's a fix for this;

+------------------------------------------+
| If the In-Game Fonts Don't Look Right... |
+------------------------------------------+

If the in-game fonts appear squishy and the letters run together, try the following steps,
in order, to solve the problem:

1. Install the "msgothi0.ttc" and "msmincho.ttc" fonts by copying them from the fonts
directory included in the installation to the  \windows\fonts directory and double-clicking on them.  See if the fonts look correct now.

2. If the step above didn't work, install the "RM2000.fon" and "RMG2000.fon" font files
into windows\fonts as described above (note that installing these files isn't necessary if you already have RPG Maker 2000 installed), then copy the "RPG_RT.exe.dat" file included in
the fonts directory over the one in the main application directory (the same directory as the RPG2003.exe file).  Create a new project and see if the fonts look correct in that new project.

TIP: I have been told that downloading Japanese language support for Internet Explorer makes the fonts used for method #1 work reliably.  Try it and see.

NOTE: If you have to use method #2 above to fix the fonts, projects you created before performing the fix will not be fixed.  You must copy the RPG_RT.exe file from the new project over the one in your existing project(s).

4) Is there a way to avoid the cutoff of a message when a face is added to the message box?  It's a bit awkward trying to calibrate messages so they fill only half the "Message" box...is there a way around this?

Yes, learn to hit enter at the right time. This is how I did it, there may be a fix, may not.

5) Can text speed be slowed down?  For instance, if a character is looking at some powerful enemy and is stuttering, can I slow down the text speed to give more of a stuttering or hesitant effect?

Yes. Enter this command before you start typing in the text box: \s[n]   

Replace "n" with a number between 1 and 20. 1 is the fastest and "\" are replaced with a Yen $ sign, which is normal.

6) (still concerning messages) Is there a program or anything that'll help me make face sets?  I've looked and looked but all I find are girly fashion-design Flash screens.  I'm good at spriting but horrible at creating faces from scratch.

Don't? I got anime pics and cut out faces from them.

[iceflame1019]

1) Say the hero enters a mini-game and has to collect money.  I want the announcer to say "You picked up (x) money" and then award a prize for the amount of money.  Issue here:  How do I display "x" (variable MoneyCollected) within the message?

Just have it as a preset amount. It may be possible with switches or variables, but I haven't opened my copy of 2k3 for several months and I don't feel like working it out.

Welll...I've been trying switches and variables but I was looking for for some little code segment to put into the message.  I can probably work around it, though, if I can't find the code or whatever.  Something like conditional branch if variable is higher than 24, message "yadeyadeyah"...

2) How do I display a character's name in a message?  For example, if the player renames a character, how do I make the message use the current name?  (e.g.  player renames hero1 to "John", how do I make the message say "hey there, (hero1 name)"?)

You use the Enter Hero Name event command to change the desired name, then you use this command: \n[n]   in place of the name in the text box, the second "n" is to be replace with the characters number (go to database, check out the characters and the first person in the list is 1, the second 2, the third 3 etc...).

Hmmm...  I think I got it.  Thanks!

3) Are there only two available fonts?  I ask because I'm getting a little tired of capital M's and lowercase i's running into each other and becoming one letter.  The fonts are also a bit blocky and my friends can't read it well when I ask them to test a section of a game.

There's a fix for this;

+------------------------------------------+
| If the In-Game Fonts Don't Look Right... |
+------------------------------------------+

If the in-game fonts appear squishy and the letters run together, try the following steps,
in order, to solve the problem:

1. Install the "msgothi0.ttc" and "msmincho.ttc" fonts by copying them from the fonts
directory included in the installation to the  \windows\fonts directory and double-clicking on them.  See if the fonts look correct now.

2. If the step above didn't work, install the "RM2000.fon" and "RMG2000.fon" font files
into windows\fonts as described above (note that installing these files isn't necessary if you already have RPG Maker 2000 installed), then copy the "RPG_RT.exe.dat" file included in
the fonts directory over the one in the main application directory (the same directory as the RPG2003.exe file).  Create a new project and see if the fonts look correct in that new project.

TIP: I have been told that downloading Japanese language support for Internet Explorer makes the fonts used for method #1 work reliably.  Try it and see.

NOTE: If you have to use method #2 above to fix the fonts, projects you created before performing the fix will not be fixed.  You must copy the RPG_RT.exe file from the new project over the one in your existing project(s).

I'll hafta copy this down...RPGM is on my personal computer.  Do I hafta get RPG2k for those fonts or are they available as patches or whatever?  (i ask because my browser's crappy slow and I wanna know where I'm going instead of freezing up trying to find it)

4) Is there a way to avoid the cutoff of a message when a face is added to the message box?  It's a bit awkward trying to calibrate messages so they fill only half the "Message" box...is there a way around this?

Yes, learn to hit enter at the right time. This is how I did it, there may be a fix, may not.

That's what I already do...oh well.  Thanks anyway.

5) Can text speed be slowed down?  For instance, if a character is looking at some powerful enemy and is stuttering, can I slow down the text speed to give more of a stuttering or hesitant effect?

Yes. Enter this command before you start typing in the text box: \s[n]   

Replace "n" with a number between 1 and 20. 1 is the fastest and "\" are replaced with a Yen $ sign, which is normal.

Okay, thanks!  I'm starting to wonder why I've never seen these in the Help files...

6) (still concerning messages) Is there a program or anything that'll help me make face sets?  I've looked and looked but all I find are girly fashion-design Flash screens.  I'm good at spriting but horrible at creating faces from scratch.

Don't? I got anime pics and cut out faces from them.

[/quote]

I was hoping there was a way around that...looks like not.  Tysm for the advice though, it should really help!

[Kokowam]

Okay, thanks!  I'm starting to wonder why I've never seen these in the Help files...

I thought it was in there... Also, wow, lots of help. I also never knew DS did RM2k3.

[modern algebra]

Code Select Expand

\v[x]

displays the value of a variable, where x is the variable number, so if you are keeping track of how much money you collect, you can display it with that.

[iceflame1019]

tysm!

this helps a lot!