Setting Animation for Actor(Experimenting with State Method)

[lcl]

Hang on I think I'm getting somewhere I'll report back if there is any trouble.

Okay. Sorry for being so slow. :/

[Turon]

Er well I've well bumped into some more trouble again. You see I'm able to display shoot animation when I am still or in the air (from jumping)
but I cannot display a shoot animation when I'm moving left or right, And another pretty bad bug is that I'm no longer able to display a full walk animation
as it only shows one frame.

This is my main code :
Player > Draw Actor > Script Editor

Code: Select all

   char *key=GetKeyState();
   int playerdir=key[KEY_RIGHT]-key[KEY_LEFT];
   int j=key[KEY_x];

switch(playerdir)
{
    case 0: //Non or both
        if(animindex==1 && jump==0)
   {
              ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerStillLeft", NO_CHANGE);
        }
        if(animindex==2 && jump==0)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerStillRight", NO_CHANGE);
     }
        if(jump==1 && animindex==3)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerJumpLeft", NO_CHANGE);
        }
        if(jump==1 && animindex==4)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerJumpRight", NO_CHANGE);
        }
        if(jump==0 && animindex==5)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerStillLeft", NO_CHANGE);
        }
        if(jump==0 && animindex==6)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerStillRight", NO_CHANGE);
        }
    break;
 
    case -1: //Left
          Collider.x-=2;
        if(shootdir==1)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerShootLeft", NO_CHANGE);
        }
        if(jump!=1)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerMoveLeft", NO_CHANGE);
   }
        if(jump==1)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerJumpLeft", NO_CHANGE);
        }
    break;
 
    case 1: //Right
       Collider.x+=2;
       if(shootdir==2)
       {
           ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerShootRight", NO_CHANGE);
       }
       if(jump!=1)
       {
           ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerMoveRight", NO_CHANGE);
       }
       if(jump==1)
       {
           ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerJumpRight", NO_CHANGE);
       }
   break;
}
if(Collider.yvelocity<7)
{
    Collider.yvelocity+=.5;
}


And this is my shooting event key "z":
Player > Key Down > Script Editor

Code: Select all

CreateActor("Shot", "Shot", "(none)", "(none)", 0, 0, false);
if(shootdir==1)ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerShootLeft", NO_CHANGE);
if(shootdir==2)ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerShootRight", NO_CHANGE);


If the problem seems a little confusing I've got ma ged here in case we need it.

[skydereign]

Player > Draw Actor > Script Editor

Code: Select all

// ...

switch(playerdir)
{
    // ...

    case -1: //Left
          Collider.x-=2;
        if(shootdir==1)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerShootLeft", NO_CHANGE);
        }
        if(jump!=1)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerMoveLeft", NO_CHANGE);
   }
        if(jump==1)
        {
            ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerJumpLeft", NO_CHANGE);
        }
    break;

    // ...
}

That bit of code is why I really recommend rewriting the player from the ground up using the state method. Notice it doesn't matter if shootdir is true or not, it will always be overridden by the next two if statements. State machines are very logical and it is extremely easy to debug why things aren't working. Giant if nests with tons of variables are not as easy (which is why this topic is so long). You may thing switching will be more work but it would be so much easier and a lot better for you in the long run.

[Turon]

Do you mean this new code is not state method? I thought the code to be much simpler and easier to understand than the last code. Bare in mind the code I displayed there was copied and pasted and the sintax may have been disturbed.

[lcl]

Do you mean this new code is not state method? I thought the code to be much simpler and easier to understand than the last code. Bare in mind the code I displayed there was copied and pasted and the sintax may have been disturbed.

Well, nope, that's not state method. As I told you, you can find a tutorial about state method by searching for "state method" on the Game Editor wiki. Here: http://game-editor.com/State_Method

[skydereign]

I thought the code to be much simpler and easier to understand than the last code. Bare in mind the code I displayed there was copied and pasted and the sintax may have been disturbed.

It is better than what you originally had, but it is a jumbled mess that is still hard to debug. There is no unifying method so it is hard to manage.

Do you mean this new code is not state method?

As lcl mentions, is not. The state method relies on one major thing which is non-existent in your code. You don't have well defined states. You should declare a single state variable and use that to determine what the player should be doing. This way on any input, or any action that would change the actor's state, you can use a switch statement and tell it exactly what code to run when transitioning from state a to state b (for instance change animation to shoot).

[Turon]

But state method isn't far from what I've got here is it?

[lcl]

But state method isn't far from what I've got here is it?

It is. The basic idea is different to what you're doing. In state method you have one variable for telling what the character is doing at any given time.

State method shouldn't be that hard to implement, just follow the instructions on the wiki page I linked you, it has all the information you need to be able to implement it to your game.

[Turon]

Well this has to be state method, I've implemented state method there are still some things to fix but I would like to ask... why does right have to be a even number instead of an odd one? Starting my sprite sheet with "left" makes more sense cause its like a D-pad < > but according to the wiki it has to be like this ><
is it just a matter of preference?
And why are the Animations set to "FORWARD" instead of "NO_CHANGE"?

[Turon]

Another little bug is when you jump for example right and press left in midair the player will move left but won't change animation to a jump left.

[Hares]

Another little bug is when you jump for example right and press left in midair the player will move left but won't change animation to a jump left.

That is because on the key down event for the left and right arrow you did not specify any animation change for the states 4 and 5.
If you use this code, then it will work:

Key down - Left

Code: Select all

shootdir=1;
switch(playerdir)
{
    case 0: // if standing right
    ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerStillLeft", FORWARD);
    playerdir=1;
    break;
 
    case 1: // if standing left
    ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerMoveLeft", FORWARD);
    playerdir=3;
    break;
 
    case 2: // if moving right
    ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerMoveLeft", FORWARD);
    playerdir=1;
    break;
 
    case 3: // if moving left
    Collider.x-=3;
    break;

    case 4: // or jumping right
    case 5: // or jumping left
    playerdir=5;
    ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerJumpLeft", FORWARD);
    Collider.x-=3;
    break;
}


Key dow - Right

Code: Select all

shootdir=2;
switch(playerdir)
{
   case 0: // if standing right
   ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerMoveRight", FORWARD);
   playerdir=2;
   break;
 
   case 1: //if standing left
   ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerStillRight", FORWARD);
   playerdir=0;
   break;


   case 3: // if running left
   ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerStillLeft", FORWARD);
   playerdir=1;
   break;
 
   case 2: // if moving right
   Collider.x+=3;
   break;

   case 4: // or jumping right
   case 5: // or jumping left
   playerdir=4;
   ChangeAnimation("Event Actor", "PlayerJumpRight", FORWARD);
   Collider.x+=3;
   break;
}


[lcl]

why does right have to be a even number instead of an odd one? Starting my sprite sheet with "left" makes more sense cause its like a D-pad < > but according to the wiki it has to be like this ><

I'm not entirely sure about this, but I think that's just because of more easily managing the states and so that the people following the tutorial won't be confused when their system works oppositely to the example. I can't see any other reason for this.

And why are the Animations set to "FORWARD" instead of "NO_CHANGE"?

That would be because using this method, no animation changing can happen multiple times if you keep a key pressed. The reason for using NO_CHANGE is usually because FORWARD would make the animation always start over, while NO_CHANGE keeps the animpos. With this method, though, that problem doesn't happen because the code works like this:

Key down, right, repeat

Code: Select all

switch(state)
{
    case 0: //let's say this is is standing right state
        ChangeAnimation();
        state = 1; //this is move right state
    break;

    case 1:
        x += 5;
    break;
}

You see, that case 0 is active only for 1 frame when the animation is changed, and then state is set to 1.
If you moved that ChangeAnimation(); to case 1, the normal problem with FORWARD would appear again.

Another little bug is when you jump for example right and press left in midair the player will move left but won't change animation to a jump left.

That is because on the key down event for the left and right arrow you did not specify any animation change for the states 4 and 5.
If you use this code, then it will work:

---

Exactly. Was going to point the same thing out, but you, Hares, were faster Great work finding the bug, it's often not that easy to see what is wrong with other people's codes.

[Turon]

Hares I tried your code but it has some bugs for example if I jump left and press right in mid air (falling down) it will change animation to standing right animation.
And also if you press for example "left" and jump and while your jumping (or falling) you can jump in mid air. Maybe its because I've change the order of animations?

[Hares]

Hares I tried your code but it has some bugs for example if I jump left and press right in mid air (falling down) it will change animation to standing right animation.
And also if you press for example "left" and jump and while your jumping (or falling) you can jump in mid air. Maybe its because I've change the order of animations?

No, it has nothing to do with the order of the animations.
In the code I made a mistake. Howerver I edited my previous post so it should be alright now. Try again with the new code in the previous post ...

The mistake was that I set the playerdir to 2 or 3 for the left or right jump, but it should be 4 or 5.

[Turon]

Thank you Hares the code works as should .