Dialogue. Am I doing it wrong

[Westeford]

I just started coding my game, here's a sample of what I'm doing.

Code: Select all

 
    show argus_smile
    with Dissolve(.3)
    a "...and that's why Grandma stopped calling."
    hide argus_smile
    show cecille_heh
    c "..."
    hide cecille_heh
    show tom_heh
    with Dissolve(.3)
    show tom_smile
    "..."
    hide tom_smile
    show tom_heh
    t "eheh..."
    hide tomoheh
    show bill_heh
    with Dissolve(.3)
    b "..."
    hide bill_heh
    with Dissolve(.3)

I can't help but think i could be doing this in a much more efficient manner. Each character has many different images with varying emotions. whenever I switch a character's emotion, I have to hide the previous one then show the new one. And whenever I switch images whether it's the background or the sprites, I always have to say with dissolve so that the transitions aren't super jarring.
I guess what I'm asking is, what could I be doing to cut down on the repetition and save space?

[irredeemable]

Well, in general, the first word of your image definition is the tag and showing an image with the same tag will replace the existing image. So if your images were named 'tom smile' and 'tom heh', for example, you wouldn't have to hide one before showing the other. More specifically, here it looks like you want to be using side images.

[Milkymalk]

Also, it seems like you only show one sprite at a time, so you could have them all use the same tag, like 'pic tom_smile' and 'pic bill_heh'. Showing one will automatically hide the other.

Unless you are effectively using side images, then just go with what irredeemable wrote.