If I'm using various in-game characters in a EZScripted cutscene (heroes, civilians and villains) just as background characters, will they start attacking each other (because of their AIs) or will they just stand there doing their Idle anims? I was wondering, since I need certain characters to be a background crowd.
Dana
It depends on how you use them. For example, if you call them for a CS only, then they won't do anything but what you tell them IN the CS, and they will disappear right after. If you call them in an encounter, they will show up as whatever you call them, so you could call in villains and have the behave in a friendly manner by calling them AS Allies. Does that make sense?
Yes, it does. If they are already on the map, but are given no commands during the cutscene, will they still behave?...Or would they only sit still, if they are summoned by the script?
If I have the script call them, I have to have markers for them to appear at, right?
Dana
Using characters already on the map can be a bit dicey. Are you planning on placing them through FFEdit? If so, then they will definitely follow their AI. If you call them through EZScript, identify them all as Allies, and then just tell them to hang around (by making it a custom encounter with the appropriate action), they will sit still and behave. If you call them through EZScript, you WILL need markers, although if you don't care about them showing up in a block, you won't need specific ones. This is for a mission and not a base scene, right?
Quote from: BentonGrey on March 16, 2010, 07:24:57 PM
Using characters already on the map can be a bit dicey. Are you planning on placing them through FFEdit? If so, then they will definitely follow their AI. If you call them through EZScript, identify them all as Allies, and then just tell them to hang around (by making it a custom encounter with the appropriate action), they will sit still and behave.
Ah, thank you, BG...I wasn't sure if having them already placed on the map would work or not.
Quote from: BentonGrey on March 16, 2010, 07:24:57 PM
If you call them through EZScript, you WILL need markers, although if you don't care about them showing up in a block, you won't need specific ones. This is for a mission and not a base scene, right?
Thanks for all your help, BG.
Yes, it's a Mission...A set up scene for the rest of the mod. If I have
all the map crowd characters as allies, would that cause any issue if I
only specify two of the background characters are the ones the playable characters are required to talk with? As for markers...Yeah...I want them to all be in specific places on the map (It's very small)...I don't want them spawning on top of each other (this isn't a love-in...LOL!), though.
Dana
So, the characters will have to run up and talk to two of these characters? Those conversation cutscenes can be a bit finicky, but the best way to handle that would be to have one "empty" (meaning, not having any actual cutscenes) encounter spawn your extras, if you will, while another spawns the guys you actually want to interview. You can simply place their markers right next to each other and call them at the same time. From a player's perspective, it would look like they were all one.
Hey, Benton, maybe Dana could use the "civilian_male named bob" trick to make sure EZScript will use the right character. The extras would be called just "civilian_male", the guys who has lines would be named and he could specify in EZScript only "bob" and "ted" have lines.
That's true, JJ, but I was thinking in terms of who would get the attention symbol if he wants to do it as a chat cutscene as opposed to a regular one. If you're calling mutlitple versions of the same character, you DEFINITELY need to identify the ones you want by "naming." You can see examples of that in some of my PCT missions, and in JJ's second Red Moon one, unless I am mistaken.