Custom/Bulk character definitions

[Zetsubou]

As was the case with my previous image defining script, here I was looking for a way to define numerous resources with as little ongoing effort as possible.
This script requires a little more input, but some people might find it useful nonetheless.

So, what does it do, and why should I bother?
If your game has a lot of characters, or you want to override specific methods for all characters, or the characters you have been defining are complex, you may wind up with lengthy/numerous defining statements and a lot of repeat code.
Let's try to make it a little more manageable.

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init python early:
    stw = Character(None, color="#ffffff", font="font/Ubuntu-R.ttf", what_color = "#ffffff", show_two_window=True, what_font="font/Ubuntu-L.ttf")

    chars = {
            #Chapter 00
            "koro": {"color": "#D00a"},
            "anon": {"name": "???", "image": None, "color": "#006a"},
            "lucas": {"color": "#096a"},

            #Chapter 01
            "sara": {"color": "#F69a"},
            "lucia": {"color": "#C3Ca"},
            "cec": {"name": "Cecilia", "image": "cecilia", "color": "#F69a"}
            }
    for key in chars:
        if "name" not in chars[key]:
            chars[key]["name"] = key.capitalize()
        if "image" not in chars[key]:
            chars[key]["image"] = key
        character = Character(chars[key]["name"], image=chars[key]["image"], kind=stw, what_outlines=[(1,color(chars[key]["color"]),1,1)])
        def f(what, k=character, outfit=None, pose=None, expression=None, **kwargs):
            #renpy.transition(dissolve, layer="master") #example transition added to say method
            k(what, **kwargs)
        setattr(sys.modules[__name__], key, f)

Let me briefly explain what the above code does.
First, we define a template character, stw. We define a bunch of default options for this character that will be inherited by any new characters.
Next, we create a dictionary of characters. Each character includes its own parameters. In the above example, the optional parameters are name and image. The only mandatory parameter I've added above is color.
Then the character dictionary is iterated, checking for optional parameters and overriding the defaults where necessary.
Each iteration defines a new character.

So, this may seem like more work, but with the basic code there, definitions like:

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define sara = Character("Sara", image="sara", color="#ffffff", font="font/Ubuntu-R.ttf", what_color = "#ffffff", show_two_window=True, what_font="font/Ubuntu-L.ttf", what_outlines=[(1,color("#F69a"),1,1)])

can be shortened to

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"sara": {"color": "#F69a"}

which may become a more attractive option as your define statements get messy.


If you want to go a step further, you can use this method to override character statements, be it selectively or completely.
For example, in the above script I've commented out the line:

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#renpy.transition(dissolve, layer="master") #example transition added to say method

Since it was included in the character's say method, if uncommented, this code would execute whenever the say method is invoked.
In other words, if I ran:

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sara happy "This is a test."
sara confused "Or is it?"
sara happy "Oh, wait. It is."

the code

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renpy.transition(dissolve, layer="master")

would run, causing a dissolve effect between happy and confused. Otherwise I would need to run "with dissolve" after the second and third statements to achieve the same effect.
One or two "with dissolve" statements is no big deal, but if you wanted to dissolve between every expression, you'd save yourself a ton of "with dissolve" statements by including the line above just once.