[Tutorial] Creating Event-Driven Effects (Birds and Critters)

[EVOLV]

Simple Event-Driven Effects in Intersect

Date Modified: 7/7/2017

Engine Used: Intersect 3.1

 

The following guide will show steps to create a simple map accent in the Intersect Engine. For this tutorial, we'll make some birds that bounce around on your map and fly away when the player gets close to them. After completing this tutorial, the developer should have a basic understanding of events and self-switches. This is a simple tutorial that's probably not out of reach even for beginners and I made it with relative newbies in mind.

An example of what we'll be creating is here:

Spoiler

 

 

 

Pre-req: You should have some basic familiarity with the Intersect Engine and how to access the Event Editor.

 

Requirements: You should download Intersect 3.1. You will be using sprites which, as of this writing, still come with Intersect (in the entities folder, sprites 129 and 130). If you are viewing this tutorial after these sprites are no longer included and/or otherwise don't have them, you may download them, here:

1. http://gloryhound.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/129.png
2. http://gloryhound.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/130.png

 

SPECIAL NOTE: The bird sprites are for learning/testing purposes only. I do believe they are RPGMaker sprites and I am not familiar with how the sprites are licensed. Therefore, I do not recommend using them in your final game. SPECIAL-SPECIAL NOTE: I hope to replace these with my own sprites, soon and will be happy to share with the community when I do.  

 

Setup If You Downloaded the PNG Bird Files:

Download the bird files above, if you do not have them. Place them in the Entities folder as if they were going to be characters (which, they kind of are!)

By default, the entities folder is located in: Intersect/resources/entities

 

Part 1: Using the Event Editor and Self Switches -- Bird on the Ground

Spoiler

 

 

• #1: Start by opening a map and clicking on the Event Tab, as circled above. Double-click on a spot on the ground to create an event, there. This is where your birds will start their path (walking around).
• #2: You'll see the Event Editor pop up. I've gone ahead and filled out ours so you can follow along in the steps! You will start on Tab/Page 1.

 

 

• #3: Click on Spawn/Execution Conditions:

•  
  • The condition lists menu (above) appears. This is where we will make it so the bird who is on the ground is the "default" bird. The self-switch affects the event itself, not the player. By the rules we will make, the bird-event's self-switch (A) set to False will have it walking on the ground. Setting it to True will have it fly.
  • Click on Add List to create a new list of conditions.
  • In the next box, name the Condition List "self switch" or something you will remember.
  • In the final box, set the conditions -- Condition Type: "Self Switch is...", Self Switch: "A", Is: "False"
  • Hit Ok through the boxes and you're done!
• #4: Select the image/entity we will be using for the bird "on the ground" portion of the event. Double-click the Preview box. For this example, we'll use 129.png.
• #5a: Set the movement route of your bird. Mine is just random, but you may opt to have yours move in a specific route. Events with routes will run about on a set path ignoring blocked portions of your map, and repeating the route if you set them to loop.
• #5b: I chose to have speed and frequency of movement to remain at normal. I set Layer to Same as player due to the fact that he is on the ground.
• #6: I want the birds to fly away when the player touches them, so I had to make them passable. This is important, otherwise your birds will not fly off.
•  #7: Here is where you set the trigger to Player Touch. Setting them to "action button" will require the player hit the action button key (default 'E') to disrupt them. Autorun will set them to take off perpetually, as the switch will loop and perpetually trigger itself! Player touch truly is the best option.
• #8: Now we set the commands. This will tell the bird to fly when our trigger (player touches him) is activated.
  • Double-click the first line (next to @)
  • Under Logic Flow, select Set Self Switch
  • Finally, Set Self Switch: "A" to "True"
• Hit Okay. You're finished with Page/Tab 1.

 

•  

 

Part 2: Using the Event Editor and Self Switches -- Bird in the Air

Spoiler

 

 

#1: Click on Tab/Page 2 (in green, above). Again, I have filled out the important parts for you. We'll do the Spawn/Execution Conditions, first:

 

•  
  • The condition lists menu (above) appears. This is where we will make it so the bird who is flying is only doing so because the Self Switch "A" is set to "True".
  • Click on Add List to create a new list of conditions.
  • In the next box, name the Condition List "self switch" or something you will remember.
  • In the final box, set the conditions -- Condition Type: "Self Switch is...", Self Switch: "A", Is: "True"
  • Hit Ok through the boxes and you're done!
• #2: Select the image/entity we will be using for the bird "in the air" portion of the event. Double-click the Preview box. For this example, we'll use 130.png.
• #3a: Set the movement route of your bird. Again, mine is set to random - helps with the illusion that they are scattering away in different directions.
• #3b: Here I set the speed and I set Layer to Above player due to the fact that he is flying.
• #4: Here again, the birds are meant to be out of the player's reach, so I made them passable.
• #5: Here is where you set the trigger to Autorun. This event will finish after a set number of seconds (the birds will land on their own).
• #6: Now we set the commands. This will tell the bird to land after a small amount of time, by resetting his switch (A) to false.
  • Double-click the first line (next to @)
  • Under Etc, select Wait...
  • Set some number of milliseconds to wait out the event. Mine is just under a second (960ms)
  • Hit Okay.
  • Double-click the next line.
  • Under Logic Flow, select Set Self Switch
  • Finally, Set Self Switch: "A" to "False"
• Hit Okay. Event finished! Go try it out!

 

•  

 

You can have a lot of fun with Intersect and little details if you know how switches and variables work so I hope I did a pretty decent job of explaining this simple task and what it's telling your game to do. When you master the basic stuff, it becomes easier to write more complex story-building moments, and I think the self-switches give a lot of opportunity to do that. More to come. Happy building!

[Kibbelz]

A very interesting use for the event system, it still amazes me people think of inventive ideas with it!

[SkywardRiver]

Excellent tutorial and general use of the event system. Keep it up!

[Colonello]

Wow this is amazing! Will definitely give this a try later.

[Zetasis]

Nice tutorial. It's set out in a nice and easy to follow way and I think this will definitely help people who may be new to the event system. 

[EVOLV]

Thanks much, guys. Glad especially that everyone thinks it's easy to follow. Chasing those birds around in-game has traditionally been bizarrely popular.

If anyone's interested, I am chronicling our Intersect development adventures over here: http://evolvdesign.blogspot.com/ That site has links to the tut's I've done, here. It's sort of a WIP catalogue.

[Giligis]

Very easy to use tutorial and it's simple and effective!! Good stuff man. Thank you!

[Gibier]

Damn I'm such stupid. I should create my squirrels with event. 

 

Good tutorial as always. @EVOLV is probably one of the best event users of intersect.

[EVOLV]

Well, you are very kind and I blush from the praise - I am just happy to share.

[Gibier]

@EVOLV

 

I'm gonna add it with some edit, i found a bug for the link of the second sprite. you set it to redirect to the 129.png not the 130.png

[Vus]

This is very clever and useful, amazing!