Multiple choices but a bit unconventional

[daoxin]

Hey there. I am making a VN that is a bit different from its character and ending. Want to make a game that has 3 characters but 4 endings. I tried approaching this challenge multiple times but always find myself stump and a bit lost.

Basically, this what I am doing.

Each choice has two characters and excluding one may or may not be a bad thing.

i.e characters A, B and C.

choice 1
A+B
A+C
Choice 2
B+C
B+A
Choice 3
C+A
C+B

choice 4
A+b
B+C
A+C
if A, B and C were excluded equally present a fourth selection to make A+B+C a choice.

Choice 5 repeats it till it reach the 8th choice. There the ending fate for one or all of the characters are decided by looking back at your choices.

I thought of multiple things like true and false for each choice but when I get to the fourth choice, I see that it will be a bit tricky to do because one has to be false and one has to be true. The fourth option is easy as I can check back later but with multiple choices with multiple checks, may seem a bit hard. How should I change it or should I keep this true or false statement?

This is where it got me and feel a bit lost. Hope I explained it clearly. I am sorry if it doesn't make sense

[trooper6]

Rather than True/False, just use numbers. When they pick something with A, then a_points go up by one, if they pick something with B, then b_points go up by one. If they pick something with C, then c_points go up by one. If A, B, and C are the same? then if that fourth choice. And so on.

[daoxin]

Rather than True/False, just use numbers. When they pick something with A, then a_points go up by one, if they pick something with B, then b_points go up by one. If they pick something with C, then c_points go up by one. If A, B, and C are the same? then if that fourth choice. And so on.

so sort of like this?

Code: Select all

    menu:
        "A+B":
            $ c_point += 1
            "one"
        "B+C":
            $ a_point += 1
            "two"
            
    menu:
        "B+C":
            $ a_point += 1
            "one"
        "C+A":
            $ b_point += 1
    menu:
        "A+B":
            $ c_point += 1
            "one"
        "A+C":
            $ b_point += 1
    menu:
        "A+B":
            $ c_point += 1
            "one"
        "B+C":
            $ a_point += 1
            "two"
        "A+C":
            $ b_point += 1
            "three"
        "A+B+C":
            if c_point >=1 and b_point >=1 and a_point>=1:
            "four"
        
    
    if c_point >= 2:
        jump endning_one
    if a_point >= 2:
        jump endning_two
    if b_point >= 2:
        jump endning_three
    if c_point >=1 and b_point >=1 and a_point>=1:
        jump endning_four

but yeah after doing this kind of get an error on the syntax on the if part of the fourth choice.

[Mutive]

I usually use an else statement vs. endless ifs. (That way there's always a default.) So something like:

Code: Select all

if a_point >= 2:
		jump ending1
	elif b_point >=2:
		jump ending2
	elif c_point >=2:
		jump ending3
	else:
		jump ending4

This way, even if you somehow flub and there's no way for the player to get over 2 points for any ending, there's still something that happens (even if it's not what you want, it's better than an error. And if you get weird, unintentional things, you can always go through your script and figure out what you did incorrectly.)

[Bill_Ames]

Am I missing something but would a flowchart be most useful here?

[daoxin]

I usually use an else statement vs. endless ifs. (That way there's always a default.) So something like:

Code: Select all

if a_point >= 2:
		jump ending1
	elif b_point >=2:
		jump ending2
	elif c_point >=2:
		jump ending3
	else:
		jump ending4

This way, even if you somehow flub and there's no way for the player to get over 2 points for any ending, there's still something that happens (even if it's not what you want, it's better than an error. And if you get weird, unintentional things, you can always go through your script and figure out what you did incorrectly.)

Okay yeah, I see what you mean. Thanks for that info and appreciated but I am sort of focus on the very last choice with A+B+C being visible after the other choices and all of them have the same number with each other. Sort of like the last choice will decide the factor of the ending as it will accumulate all the points or have a fourth option to appear to get the fourth ending.

[daoxin]

Am I missing something but would a flowchart be most useful here?

Yeah sure would take a pic of it. I have it on a whiteboard but not home at the moment. But this is what I have
choice one: A+B or A+C
choice two: B+C or B+A
Choice three: C+A or B+C
choice four: A+B or B+C or C+A or A+B+C
so each letter was excluded from a choice and if the character is equally excluded from every choice then I want the fourth choice to have an option to appear if they met that condition that would lead to a true fourth ending. If the characters are not equally excluded from all the choices then I do not want the last choice to appear and lead to one of the three other endings. I hope that makes sense. If not I will show you my whiteboard when I get home. I am sorry if it doesn't make sense.

[Bill_Ames]

Having a path that excludes a character but that path has a story for other characters and brings everyone back together at the end of a path makes a lot of sense. All you must do is to manage how the characters handle an experience. Also, since you can do the same path with different character combinations eventually everyone will have the same set of experiences. It almost seems to me that there is selective time travel (for experience) not for changing decisions. People do things in life that are the same but do them at different times. For example, do I go to Disney World (Y/N) and a character can have experience there. Another character can do that a month later, their experience. To me, I am very new to VNs but not so new to software and branching, VNs are a puzzle because life is not like a program. You can go through a branch in software with some variables set to some values and get unexpected (but good) results. People have experience (variables) but are not likely to "forget" they went to Disney World. Your thoughts?

[daoxin]

Yeah, I have the story is written out and everything but I just sort of need help with my coding part that I am struggling with. I have everything ready to go and working just need that option to appear when conditions are met to appear another option. The choices I already put up and the coding I have a place on here, I just need to figure out about the fourth option appearing on the last set of choices if a certain condition is met. Everyone being excluded evenly.

Just need to figure out how to actually implement it in it. I tried multiple ways of but not so sure how to bring it up once met.

[Bill_Ames]

Is it possible to step through a script? If you see something on a screen and know where that is in the code you may be surprised. Sometimes it is not obvious what code will do. If you are at the point in the displayed part of the story where you need to branch and see where that is in the code you will know where to put the branch.

[daoxin]

Sorry, I kind of don't understand the hint you are trying to give me for my situation. Should I have used the if statement for the fourth choice to appear on the last choices of options when that certain condition is met or should I use true and false statements to bring that part out?

Or maybe I was on the right track but I coded it wrong and supposed to be coded in a certain way?

[daoxin]

Oh my gosh I finally have solved the issue!!!! So for anyone else in the future are curious and want the solution here how I did it:

Code: Select all

menu:
        "A+B":
            $ Pisces_point += 1
            "blah"
        "B+C":
            $ Leo_point += 1
            "blah"
        "A+C":
            $ Virgo_point += 1
            "blah"
        "A+B+C" if A_point and B_point and C_point >= 1:
            "blah"  

I feel like an idiot as it was right in front of me and just had to put those two together. Sorry I am familiar with python but I guess still have a lot to learn more than what I know but yeah fixed the issue and got it under the point system.

Thanks to everyone for your time and help. Thank you!!