Beginning the game with the screen focused elsewhere

As in not on the player, as I want the player to arrive via a vehicle he's riding and I can't figure out how to avoid having him board and the airship take off being visible. (or arranging the vehicle move route to look just like how it would look if you were riding it without the player in it) Suggestions?

I'm going to assume this is the opening cut-scene of your game.

In the System tab of the database, in the top right area there's an option called Transparent On. If you check that check box then the player will start the game transparent. The camera will still follow the invisible player so you can then position the player wherever you want and position the rest of your events wherever you want them, out of the camera's view I would assume.

The trick I use when I don't want the main character seen right away on the starting map. Is to not give him her a graphic. 

Just set it to (none) and then set it whatever it's supposed to be via whatever event your using in your opening cutsceene.

There is a "Scroll Map" option in the events window, but often times it's easier to use the actor with the graphic turned off combined with move route.  This way the camera follows the "actor" but you don't see him.  You can then use a dummy event to represent the actor if need be.  

This is all of course assuming you are talking about a cut scene.  I would highly recommend this tutorial if you are doing a cut scene: Events Aren't NPCs

Alright, I'm familiar with having the player transparent and all that, but if I I go that route how do I make an event of the airship flying with it elevated and the shadow beneath as if you were actually flying it?

And yes, sorry, it's a cut scene.

If you really want to have the shadow below the ship you could have them as 2 separate events and move them together. Otherwise you might have to settle for having just the ship. 

Ugh, rpgmaker can sure be an obstinate program sometime, after trying all different ways of panning the screen and getting the airship with my invisible character, which of course will always just spring the screen back to the character if they're performing a move route, I'm at a loss. I suppose it's as you guys say and you make an invisible player and separate events for the airship and it's shadow(not that I can FIND the graphic for the shadow in events), then have them run parallel movement paths to the destination, simulate the aircraft landing and it's shadows changing opacity on arrival, and finally transfer the airship start location and remove the transparency on the character. Frustrating.

After you invisible move route your character to the airship, use the "Get on/off Vehicle" event command which should provide the airship take off animation.  Then continue to use the move player route to drive the airship around. Keep using the dummy event with your actor graphic until the player is going to take control.

I did not want the airship taking off, I wanted it to appear as though it's just the end of a long trip.

Ultimately I just decided to use a water ship as it evaded all the problems the airship had with being a tile above, needing to land and having a shadow. 

Ah sorry misunderstood that.  Either way, glad you got something to work for you.

Why don't you just have the player in the vehicle to begin with (use the Get On/Off Vehicle command - tint the screen to black if you need to so the player doesn't actually see this happen, then tint it to default again afterwards)? Then you can do a move route with the player to move the vehicle, use the Get On/Off Vehicle command when you're ready for them to separate, and continue from there.

Alright, that seems to work alright, however the airship still seems like it's climbing like it just took off for some reason. Also is there a way to quell the airship music just for this cutscene?

Add a WAIT after getting on the vehicle and before tinting the screen back in.


You could do a Change BGM command immediately after getting on the vehicle (before the wait). Not sure if you'll get just the start of the airship BGM or not. I'm not sure there's a Change Airship BGM command (probably not). Otherwise I think it'd be a scripting solution.

i know you can change the airship theme in the system tab in the database.

Would fading out the bgm after the player boards the airship work?

Alright, the wait worked like a charm, however the fading bgm still causes the initial airshup music to flare up; guess I would need a script to script call in a airship music change and just start with none. Well now we're getting somewhere at least.

I did a little messing around and the best I can come up with is this:

Set Move Route: Player (Wait)

1 Step Forward

Get on/off vehicle

Wait: 2 frames

Script: RPG::BGM.stop

It's not perfect, there's a very short blip of sound, but maybe it'll help.

Thanks for your efforts droe, I think I'm in a pretty good place. I think at the end of the day for it to be PERFECT I'll just need a script that'll let me script call changing the airship music. For now I will use what you said, but just be a tiny bit sneaky and add like a quarter or half second to the audio file for the airship music so that while it's playing nothing is heard. :D