A tutorial that explains how to separately control two character parties that you switch controlling.
INDEPENDENT CHARACTER CONTROLLING (hereafter, ICC)
This tutoral will show you haw to control two characters independently. Basically, it goes something like this...
Hero 1 starts off, he walks around the map. Hero 2, however, is stationary at this moment. If hero 1 happens to press a switch on the floor, a door opens. But the switch only is activated while hero 1 is standing on it. So with the ICC, you just press the "esc" button and a message box choice asks you if you want to open the menu or switch characters. You switch characters, and with Hero 2, you can just walk through the newly opened door.
(remember from FF6 kefka's Tower and Wind Waker's "Earth Temple"? You can control 2 separate characters.)
On a side note, I'll refer the two characters in the ICC as "Hero 1" and "Hero 2" also.
That, my friends is the ICC. Now how do you do it?
You need 3 events:
1) A hero 1 dummy (while you are playing as hero 2)
2) A hero 2 dummy (while you are playing as hero 1)
3) And a Parallel process event that ties it all together.
Sometimes it helps to make the switches & variables ahead of time, so here they are:
4 Switches:
Using Hero 1
Not using Hero 1
Using Hero 2
Not using Hero 2
8 Variables
Switch Charas
Hero's X Position
Hero's Y position
Hero 1 Decoy X pos
Hero 1 Decoy Y pos
Hero 2 Decoy X pos
Hero 2 Decoy Y pos
Map ID
---How to make event 1, The dummy for hero 1:---
Make sure you name the event "hero 1 dummy". This event is activated when switch "Using hero 1" is ON set. Leave the graphics blank. No events commands are necessary.
Make a new page. This one is activated when switch "Not using Hero 1" is on. The graphics should be Hero 1's walking graphics. Thats it, no events commands.
Place this event wherever your heart's desire on the map you want to use the ICC on. Later, this event will be set by variables and all that good stuff.
---How to make event 2, the dummy for hero 2:---
This event in many ways is similar to event 1. Except you switch the pages around and there are some different switches and graphics. So the first page will be activated when switch "Not using hero 2" is ON set. The graphics should be of your hero 2's walking graphics. As always, don't mess with anything else and make a new page to this event.
The start conditions on this new page will be when switch "Using hero 2" is ON set. The graphics on this page needs to be blank. Make sure you name it, "hero 2 dummy" Now, placing this event is a bit more important than the first one. Wherever you place this event is where your hero 2 will start when you make the change between characters.
You're done! Well.. that was the easy part... The next part is a bit harder. It requires variable tracking knowledge. I'll give you the coding, though. It isn't that hard.
---How to make event 3, putting the ICC all together:---
Make one more event. It doesn't matter where you put it, it just needs to be on the same map you want the ICC to occur. This event is parallel process. No graphics or event start conditions, just a BIT of coding.
First have the events command turn off your menu. Then "enter password" use a new variable. Name it "Switch Charas" Under "options" section, chose "wait until key hit" The input passable key should be "Cancel (6)" The have it "show choice". Use these three choices:
"Open Menu", "Switch Characters", and "Nothing"
Under the "Open Menu" case, just have it "call menu". Don't put anything under "Nothing" case. It's the "Switch Charactes" case that is our main priority. Under this case you must set the screen tone to black (check the "wait" option). This will disguise the swapping characters and all that stuff.
Now, put a Fork Option, If switch "using Hero 1" is ON. Make sure you put an else case. Under the "IF" part of the fork, you need to change switch "Using Hero 1" ON, and then change two variables "Hero's X position" and "Hero's Y position" by your hero's X and Y position. Now, Change Switch "Not using hero 1" ON and "using hero 1" OFF. Then change variable "hero 2 dummy X pos" by the event "hero 2 dummy"'s X position. Change variable "Hero 2 dummy Y pos" by the event "hero 2 dummy"'s Y position. Change one last variable "Map ID" by your heroe's Map ID. Then "goto memorized place" by the three variables you just made earlier. Then "Setup event's place" by variables "Hero's X position" and "hero's Y position". The event you wanna setup is the "hero 1 dummy". Then change your heroe'sparty. Add the party member "Hero 2". And remove "Hero 1" from your party. Change the switch"using Hero 2" On set, and switch "not using hero 2" OFF set. Finally set screen tone back to normal.
Under the ELSE case of the Fork option (IF switch "using hero 1" was ON" ) we need to make some more commands. Change Variable "Hero's X position" by your Hero's X position. Change variable "Hero's Y position" by your Heroe's Y position. Change the switch "Not using Hero 2" ON set, and change switch "Using Hero 2" OFF set. Then change variable "hero 1 dummy X pos" by the event "hero 1 dummy"'s X position. Change variable "Hero 1 dummy Y pos" by the event "hero 1 dummy"'s Y position. Change one last variable "Map ID" by your heroe's Map ID. Now, go to memorized place by variables "Hero 1's dummy x pos","Hero 1's dummy X pos", and "Map ID". Setup the event "Hero 2 decoy"'s place by the variables "Hero's X position" and "Hero's Y position". Then "Change heroe's party". Add "Hero 1" To your party and Remove "Hero 2" From your party. Change switch "Not using Hero 1" OFF set, and change switch "Using Hero 1" ON set. Finally, set screen tone back to normal.
Are we done yet? Well one minor thing you need to do that is required. MAKE SURE THAT SWITCHES "USING HERO 1" AND "NOT USING HERO 2" ARE BOTH ON SET. Without those switches on, nothing will happen. So make sure you put "Change Switch" "Using hero 1" and "not using hero 2" on in the event that teleports you to the map in which you use the ICC or something. They just need to be on before you use the system, one way or another.
I hope that last paragraph made sense, because without doing that, your ICC will not work. And
here is the coding for that parallel process event for your convenience. Just make sure you know in the above sample code, it's taken directly from my game. Andrew is the hero 1. Clyde/Reene is hero 2(I made a chara switch and was too lazy to rename the variables/switches =P).
---Extras:---
Try making certain rocks that one hero has to stand on while the other continues. You could have two switches near each other that each has to step on. You can do all kinds of neat stuff to make the ICC very innovative.
That's it!
-dragonheartman
