Scenario Design

Displaying Special Instructional Messages

Send in by: Aquamote (09-10-2002) via e-mail.

I found a cool way of displaying certain 'instruction' type messages.

To do this, I am using a simple example of a key to a teleporter script. First of all:

• Select Show Message event.
• Activate to Once.
• Give a name "instructions1".
• Put trigger player, or a specific player if in single player.
• Type the contents of message, e.g. "bring evil eye and the way will be opened to you, and you alone".
• Set trigger to 'enter area'
• Enter XYL of teleporter or a building that is giving the instructions e.g. a wise healer that lives close. by to the teleporter or something like that.
• Put a condition to Item in Area, put in the XYL coordinates of the Evil Eye on map.
• Set conditions.

This means that because the condition is of "Item in Area", the message will not show if you have already gone and picked up the item as it breaks the condition since the item is no longer in that area. This avoids instructions being given on how to get an item if you already have it. Thus, it makes it more 'realistic'.

Next:

• Make new script of Show Message.
• Set to Once
• Name it "instructions2".
• Set trigger players or a specific player.
• Type in the contents of the message e.g. "Ah, the vigilant has received the gift, you may pass," or something fancy like that (NOTE: make this message sound the way it does so that it doesn't matter if you had already seen the message or not. For example: don't say something like "ah, you have took my word and returned, you may pass." This will confuse someone who had gone and pick it up before reading the instruction.)
• Set the trigger to Enter Area and put in the same XYL coordinates that you have set in the previous set (above).
• Set the condition to Item Owned.
• Put in the Evil Eye item ID.
• Set condition to "AND".

This means that the second message will only be shown if you have the item in your possession and whether you have seen the first message or not is irrelevant.

However, if you really want the player to see the first message, then here's how you do it.

Create the first message as before, but have it say something like "Now go to that teleporter to the south." Now,

• Create a event script type 'teleport'
• Set the "teleport from" XYL coordinates onto the teleporter, which had previously no XYL coordinates set on it
• Put the destination XYL coordinates to an underground cavern or something, just as long as it's in an inaccessible area.
• Set trigger to Enter Area.
• Set the area of where the message will pop up: a healing house, for example.
• Now the teleporter is "powered up" go to the teleporter which leads to where you get the item
• Script another teleport to activate for when you 'Pick Up Item"
• then put the ID for evil eye/other item in the condition for the triggering of this script.

This will instantaneously teleport you out of the caverns when you pick up the item.

Next,

• Take "instructions2" event on the same healing house or whatever you have set up.
• Set a teleport to Always
• Set condition to Item Owned
• Set Item ID
• Set Trigger to Enter Area, i.e. the healing house.

This means that you must enter the healing house AND have the item to teleport to the next place

Note: set your message event to say something like "Come back here, when you have the item." or else the player might not know what's wrong with the teleporter and think it's a bug or something!