MV - MV + MZ Make an Action Game! Chrono Engine Advanced Features and Scripts (gamepad, status effects, fighting followers)!

AquaEcho · 2024-04-27T02:14:46+0900

Following up from my Chrono Engine beginner guide, I bring you an advanced features guide! I have a lot of Chrono Engine scripts I've written over the past year so I will be organizing them here, and regularly adding new ones. Feel free to share your own! How to add controller support to Chrono Engine: By default the following gamepad buttons are mapped in the engine: Code: Input.gamepadMapper = { 0: 'ok', // A 1: 'cancel', // B 2: 'shift', // X 3: 'menu', // Y 4: 'pageup', // LB 5: 'pagedown', // RB 12: 'up', // D-pad up 13: 'down', // D-pad down 14: 'left', // D-pad left 15: 'right', // D-pad right }; In the Chrono Engine plugin settings it's simple enough to assign or change buttons among the default keys METHOD 1 To add the missing controller buttons (Start/Select, LT/RT), or overwrite those buttons, or if you want to add new keyboard keys, create a new plugin file (create a new file in a text editor like Notepad and save it as a .js file. You can name this file whatever you want because it has no parameters. Paste the following code in it and add the plugin to your project after Chrono Engine. Code: Game_Temp.prototype.loadInput = function() { //keyboard Input.keyMapper[65] = 'item';//A key Input.keyMapper[67] = 'c';//C key Input.keyMapper[68] = 'shield';//D key Input.keyMapper[83] = 'skill';//S key //gamepad Input.gamepadMapper[0] = 'ok'; //A Input.gamepadMapper[1] = 'cancel'; //B Input.gamepadMapper[2] = 'skill'; // X Input.gamepadMapper[3] = 'item'; // Y Input.gamepadMapper[4] = 'pageup'; //LB Input.gamepadMapper[5] = 'pagedown'; //RB Input.gamepadMapper[6] = 'lt';//LT Input.gamepadMapper[7] = 'shield';//RT Input.gamepadMapper[8] = 'start';//start Input.gamepadMapper[9] = 'select';//select }; You will need to edit what's in the ' ' quotation marks of each key to what you want it to do, and update the plugin parameters in Chrono Engine to refer to that command instead of the button/key name. This is because Chrono Engine can only take one reference at a time in those plugin parameters, and 'a', 'b' , 'x' and 'y' mean different things for the keyboard and gamepad. If you want to add keyboard keys, you need the key's keycode number. To get the keycode use this link Then add it in the Input.keyMapper[x] section above As you can see in the Chrono Engine plugin settings below I have the Shield button set to 'shield'. In the plugin we just made we have the D keyboard key and RT gamepad key set to 'shield' so pressing either of those will use the shield in game. Rebinding keys during the game: You can remap keys or buttons during the game using the script calls for a key or gamepad button. For example, if I want to remap the S key to the use an item I just redeclare it in a script call. Running these scripts during gameplay will only apply the rebind for the current gameplay session, you will have to reapply it every time the game is loaded. Input.keyMapper[83] = 'item';//S key If I want to set the X gamepad button to item Input.gamepadMapper[2] = 'item'; // X gamepad button Spoiler: Method 2 (Old) Note: This is an old method that had issues with registering a button being held down (e.g. the shield) I use, Hakuen Studio Button Common Events because it offers support for all the buttons on common controllers. The list of scripts you'll need is: Use item: $gamePlayer.commandRasItem() Use weapon: $gamePlayer.commandRasWeapon() Use skill: $gamePlayer.commandRasSkill() Use shield (note: doesn't work in a common event, you need to redirect the button if it's RT/LT/Start/Select): $gamePlayer.battler()._ras.guard.active = true; $gamePlayer.updateGuardDirection(); Skill menu: $gamePlayer.commandToolMenuSkill() Item menu: $gamePlayer.commandToolMenuItem() Main menu: SceneManager.push(Scene_Menu) Create a common event for each button. Name it after the button, then put in the script for what you want the button to do. Go to the plugin settings for Eli Button Common Events and add your buttons That's it! Plug in your controller, then start a new playtest. It may not work if you plug it in after you start the game. Also, make sure you are testing from a new game and not a save file as plugin settings may not take effect on a save file. An additional script that someone requested to make dashing share the 'Ok' button. This overwrites an engine method so you need to copy and paste it in .js file and add it as a plugin to your project. Code: //Make Dashing share the ok button Game_Player.prototype.isDashButtonPressed = function() { var shift = Input.isPressed('ok'); if (ConfigManager.alwaysDash) { return !shift; } else { return shift; } }; HP Bars over the Enemies! RPG Maker MV + MZ Chrono Engine HP Bars over Map Enemies by AquaEcho A mod to MOG_EventIndicators to allow Chrono Engine to show HP bars above Enemies aquaecho.itch.io Make status effects work in ABS mode (also see Yanfly Buffs and States Core patch below): By default status effects don't work in ABS mode because they use turns and turns don't happen in ABS mod…

● ARCHIVED · READ-ONLY

Started by AquaEcho Apr 26, 2024, 05:14 PM 57 posts Page 2 of 3 View original ↗

Vladar458

#21 Feb 17, 2025, 11:20 PM Source

One question: In the game i'm currently making there is an issue with a state. The game have an item called "Regenerative herb", as the name suggest, is an item that gives the player a state that regenerates HP over 30 seconds. And in the beginning it works fine. But then later i introduced an accesory that have the same effect when equipped, but infinite and much weaker. But because of this second effect, the first one is reduced by half. Which means that the first regenerations only heals over 15 seconds instead of 30. Probably because the two events run at the same time and that makes the state counter go twice as fast. How i could change that?
AquaEcho

#22 Feb 17, 2025, 11:23 PM Source

Vladar458 said:
One question: In the game i'm currently making there is an issue with a state. The game have an item called "Regenerative herb", as the name suggest, is an item that gives the player a state that regenerates HP over 30 seconds. And in the beginning it works fine. But then later i introduced an accesory that have the same effect when equipped, but infinite and much weaker. But because of this second effect, the first one is reduced by half. Which means that the first regenerations only heals over 15 seconds instead of 30. Probably because the two events run at the same time and that makes the state counter go twice as fast. How i could change that?
Both the item and accessory are applying the same state? Maybe have the accessory apply a different state with the same effects so they're not both counting down the same state.
Vladar458

#23 Feb 17, 2025, 11:52 PM Source

AquaEcho said:
Both the item and accessory are applying the same state? Maybe have the accessory apply a different state with the same effects so they're not both counting down the same state.

This is the item's regeneration.

This is the accesory's regeneration.
AquaEcho

#24 Feb 17, 2025, 11:57 PM Source

So when you equip the accessory, you're turning on the switch for a common event that heals the player every 60 frames (1 second)? In that case it is not applying a state and there is no reason for the last two lines in that common event because it's not a state.
Vladar458

#25 Feb 18, 2025, 12:02 AM Source

AquaEcho said:
So when you equip the accessory, you're turning on the switch for a common event that heals the player every 60 frames (1 second)? In that case it is not applying a state and there is no reason for the last two lines in that common event because it's not a state.
I activate the Switch the moment the player get the accesory, and is always activated. But there is a check that only applies the code when the character have the accesory equipped. Yeah, is not a state, but i don't know why that happens.
AquaEcho

#26 Feb 18, 2025, 12:05 AM Source

You're making the accessory also count down every state which is why the number of turns of every active state is going to be cut in half (or more accurately, be applied twice as often). That is why I'm telling you to remove the last two lines on the accessory common event.
Vladar458

#27 Feb 18, 2025, 12:10 AM Source

AquaEcho said:
You're making the accessory also count down every state which is why the number of turns of every active state is going to be cut in half (or more accurately, be applied twice as often). That is why I'm telling you to remove the last two lines on the accessory common event.
I guess that could be it, but weirdly enough, poison is not affected by this. Poison last the intended 30 seconds. And even removing the last two lines it still healing half, but this could be because i'm trying it in a sabe where the switch is already active, maybe in a new one It wouldn't happen.

Edit: Poison is affected by this, but i didn't realize i put them to 60 turns instead of 30. And thinking about poison, i'm beginning to think that maybe is poison which cause this and not the accesory.

Edit 2: Yeah, Poison was the cause of the issue, and not the accesory. The only way i had to "fix it" was to add a conditional branch that do the check if the player have the state applied. Like that the only moment when the issue would still be there is if both the regeneration state and the poison are applied at the same time.
AquaEcho

#28 Feb 18, 2025, 10:34 PM Source
I might not have my "Fighting Followers" video done today as I got little sleep after hearing the sad news about chaucer. But I will post a general update.

Download
RPG Maker MV + MZ Fighting Followers Party Action Battle System by AquaEcho
Edit: Video available now and all event pages below!

NOTE: The below guide is for Cross Engine and is full of Cross Engine scripts!

So in Chrono Engine the followers already take damage from enemy attacks (and can actually fire attacks at enemies and damage them if you tell them through script calls.) This is because this is all already implemented in Chrono Mode. The real issue for ABS mode is controlling the followers so they move around independently. Followers don't have event pages like events so normally you would have to do this all through scripts, which is beyond the ability of average users.

However, there is a more user-friendly, free plugin, TyrusWoo Follower Control which has MV and MZ versions.

So the idea is, when an NPC joins your party (e.g. Silvia), use TyrusWoo commands to stop the default follower movement, allowing you to define custom movement. Then use common events to be their "event pages" where you tell them how to move. Each follower would have their own common event page which defines their attack pattern. There would also be a "All Followers Control" for general movement pattern that applies to all followers (e.g. move to player when more than 3 tiles away).
Code:
for (var i = 1; i<=$gameMap.players().length-1; i++){ if(!$gameMap.players()[i]._chrono.target){if($gameMap.players()[i].distanceToPoint($gamePlayer.x,$gamePlayer.y)>3){$gameMap.players()[i].shootPastPlayer(1+Math.random());}}else{if($gameMap.players()[i].distanceToPoint($gamePlayer.x,$gamePlayer.y)>8){$gameMap.players()[i].shootPastPlayer(1+Math.random());}}}
There are some long scripts here to make the follower check all the events around it to see if there are any enemies that aren't dead, set the first enemy that meets those conditions as the follower's target, then attack it until it's dead or out of range.
Code:
if(!this.battler().isDead() && !this._chrono.target){$gameMap.events().forEach(event => {if(event && event._user.battler instanceof Game_Enemy && !(event instanceof ToolEvent) && this.distanceToPoint(event.x,event.y)<6 && !event.battler().isDead() && !event._erased){this._chrono.target=event; return;}})}
Code:
var t=this._chrono.target; if(t && !this.battler().isDead()){var dist= this.distanceToPoint(t.x,t.y)}; if(t && !t.battler().isDead() && !t.battler()._erased && dist<6){if(dist<1){this.turnTowardCharacter(t);this.act(14);}else{this.shootSelfPastTarget(2);}}else{this._chrono.target=null;}
Code:
if(!this.battler().isDead() && !this._chrono.target){$gameMap.events().forEach(event => {if(event && event._user.battler instanceof Game_Enemy && !(event instanceof ToolEvent) && this.distanceToPoint(event.x,event.y)<6 && !event.battler().isDead() && !event._erased){this._chrono.target=event; return;}})}
Code:
var t=this._chrono.target; if(t && !this.battler().isDead()){var dist= this.distanceToPoint(t.x,t.y)}; if(t && !t.battler().isDead() && !t.battler()._erased && dist<6){if(dist<5){this.turnTowardCharacter(t);this.act(15);}else{this.shootSelfPastTarget(2);}}else{this._chrono.target=null;}

AquaEcho

#29 Feb 22, 2025, 12:35 AM Source

Part 2!

Tool pages

Code:

this.turnTowardCharacter(this.user()._chrono.target);this.shootPastTarget(1);this.rotFaceTarg();this._transparent=false;

Code:

this.turnTowardCharacter(this.user()._chrono.target);this.shootPastTarget(5);this.rotFaceTarg();this._transparent=false;

Enemy

Code:

$gameMap.players().forEach(player => {if(player._user.battler && this.distanceToPoint(player.x,player.y)<6 && !player.battler().isDead()){this._chrono.target=player; this.setSelf('D',true); return;}})

Code:

if(this._chrono.target._user.battler.isDead()){this.setSelf('D',false);}

Code:

this.turnTowardCharacter(this._chrono.target);

Code:

this.act(80)

Code:

this.turnTowardCharacter(this.user()._chrono.target);this.shootPastTarget();this.rotFaceTarg();this._transparent=false;

Run this script on every map entry (either with a plugin or with an event set to autorun, with this common event and then erase event itself

Code:

for (var i = 1; i<=$gameMap.players().length-1; i++){
$gameMap.players()[i]._chrono.target=null; $gameMap.players()[i].setThrough(false);}

LINE OF SIGHT/VISION CONES
Note: The scripts above are only checking for distance between the enemies and players (the player and followers). If you want line of sight / vision cones download Dahlys Distance Calculator and use the script calls:

Can the follower see the enemy?
Instead of this.distanceToPoint(event.x,event.y)<6
Dahlys.distCalc.canSee(-2, event._eventId, 6*48, 120)

Can the enemy see the player or follower?
Instead of this.distanceToPoint(player.x,player.y)<6
Dahlys.distCalc.canSee(this._eventId, -2, 6*48, 120)

Dahyls distance calculator goes by pixels instead of tilesize so multiply 6 by 48 (or whatever your tile size is)

Code:

 * Can Char1 see Char2:
 *   - Script call: Dahlys.distCalc.canSee(char1, char2, dist, aov)
 *   - dist and aov are optional and the plugin parameters Default View Distance
 *     and Angle of View will be used if they are left blank.
 *   - Char1 will not be able to see Char2 if blocked by: 1) tiles with Blocked
 *     Terrain Tags, 2) tiles with Blocked Region Ids, 3) other characters
 *   - Player can see through followers but event vision can be blocked by
 *     followers. Using char2 = -2 to check if Event char1 can see either the
 *     Player or any Follower.
 *   - e.g.
 *     Dahlys.distCalc.canSee(-1, 1) is true if the Player can see Event 1 at
 *     the default distance and angle of view.
 *     Dahlys.distCalc.canSee(1, -2) is true if Event 1 can see the Player or any
 *     of the Followers at the default distance and angle of view.
 *     Dahlys.distCalc.canSee(-1, 1, 100, 360) is true if the Player can see Event
 *     1 at a radius of 100 pixels (360 degrees).

ubiquitous

#30 Feb 23, 2025, 03:39 AM Source

could this be worked around to have non party npcs attacking enemies like guards attacking npcs that wander too close into their range?

also currently in the midst of trying out the follower Ai but for some reason when enabling tyruswoo plugin my project basically jumps to 5 fps and stays that way so I'm working on figuring it out
AquaEcho

#31 Feb 23, 2025, 04:14 AM Source

Yes, I have a patch that lets you assign actor data to events the same way as enemies. There is just some weird knock-on effects that happen on the event death and when you use spells or items where you can select a target that it starts requiring overwriting a lot of Chrono Engine functions. You could also make the guard an enemy that attacks other enemies. I'll have to test it out

If you have a lot of parallel events without wait commands it can cause massive framerate drops. I would check those first. It's why I have wait commands on every parallel.
AquaEcho

#32 Mar 6, 2025, 06:13 PM Source

I've had a couple people ask me how to offset a tool upward (because they're using a tall character sprite). Just put in the tool event move route (before any movement commands):
this.locate(this.user().x, this.user().y-0.6);
You can adjust the 0.6 to however much you need offset
vampy_graveyard

#33 Apr 27, 2025, 10:02 AM Source

Hello, I need your help because I can't get this to work. Is there something wrong at how I tried? Second image is a screenshot of the plugin with the code to link the gamepad with my project.
ShadowDragon

#34 Apr 27, 2025, 10:39 AM Source

@AquaEcho I know you made keyboard/gamepad control above, but I have a more powerful solution.
not that this method works, but I made a function that checked "pressed" and "released" as gamepad
don't have a released function.

what ever you want to do with a button, you bound them to 1 single command and it works both
on keyboard and and gamepad, so it could be used both (if your interested to test it out)?
AquaEcho

#35 Apr 27, 2025, 02:33 PM Source

ShadowDragon said:
@AquaEcho

what ever you want to do with a button, you bound them to 1 single command and it works both
on keyboard and and gamepad, so it could be used both (if your interested to test it out)?
I'd be interested in trying it out
AquaEcho

#36 Apr 27, 2025, 02:40 PM Source

vampy_graveyard said:
Hello, I need your help because I can't get this to work. Is there something wrong at how I tried? Second image is a screenshot of the plugin with the code to link the gamepad with my project.
View attachment 338788 View attachment 338787
The plugin should be after Chrono Engine in your list. The controller also has to be already plugged in when you start the game. Also what controller are you using? I tested those keybindings on an Xbox controller.
vampy_graveyard

#37 Apr 27, 2025, 09:58 PM Source

AquaEcho said:
The plugin should be after Chrono Engine in your list. The controller also has to be already plugged in when you start the game. Also what controller are you using? I tested those keybindings on an Xbox controller.
I already did these stuff and still have no luck. I use a generic PC joystick of a brand that i suppose isn't very popular, at least outside my country (brand is Nippongame)
Could this problem be because of the generic joystick?
AquaEcho

#38 Apr 27, 2025, 11:09 PM Source

vampy_graveyard said:
Could this problem be because of the generic joystick?
You could try the script in this thread to see if your gamepad is recognized.
Is there a way to check for a controller and what type is being used?
Apparently it has to do with the GamePad API in Chromiun web browser compatibility which RPG Maker uses and not every controller model is supported.
AquaEcho

#39 Jul 25, 2025, 11:03 PM Source

I added a couple links to the first post for how sound effects work and how to add extra skill and item hotkeys
Vladar458

#40 Jul 29, 2025, 03:20 PM Source

AquaEcho said:
I added a couple links to the first post for how sound effects work and how to add extra skill and item hotkeys
Hello, I want to add something. It's known how to make status effects, but when you have more than one state at the same time (Let's say poison and bleed) they both check the turn count, making both states end twice as fast. And I figured out a way to make several at the same time work fine. Should I post it here?