Using A Movie At New Game

[Closet Gaming]

I feel bad asking a question like this after only just becoming a member of the forums, and likely one that has already been answered a number of times, but here goes.

I am planning to have my current game project kick off with a video cutscene when the player starts a new game, as a way to give a better introduction to the world and narrative that I create for the experience. However, the pitfall I have with RPG Maker is, that having the video file play by being triggered by an event in the first map of the adventure requires the game to load into the map first, to trigger the autoevent to play the video. This causes the player to have a moment's glimpse of the core game before playing the cutscene, which is naturally not something I want happening for my purposes.

Now my question is: where, if it's possible, do I edit the main JavaScript in order for the game to start directly at the cutscene, then move on to the first map and start the adventure? I recall seeing documentation for VX Ace that outlined how you can achieve this, but I have yet to find such documentation for MV, and am much more familiar with the old Ruby scripting system than this JavaScript Plugin system in MV. Any input is appreciated in this regard.

 

[Cunechan]

Isn't there a possibility to make a first map which is completely black, character invisible in the databank, play movie and then teleport player, visibility on ? As in making an extra map for the beginning. Atleast that's how I handle my introductions XD Otherwise I'm sure there are certain plugins/scripts for this kind of thing ;) You don't have to feel bad for asking, that's why we have the forum (i guess?) so don't worry~

Edit: sorry if I misunderstood the problem because I'm not quite sure if you're referring to this.

 

[Closet Gaming]

@Cunechan No, you understood my question perfectly. I understand you can make a black map and use an event call that way, though it's not quite what I want to do, as having even that little bit of extra map data could be taken out of the game file size if I can call directly to a video, like you could in VX Ace. Your mention of plugins to achieve what I'm looking for sounds interesting, do you know where something like that is hiding?

 

[HotfireLegend]

Map data is neglible unless it is a parralax.

 

[Closet Gaming]

@HotfireLegend thank you, but that does nothing to answer the question. The map data is not the issue here, but rather if MV can play directly to a movie before loading into any map scene, like you can do with VXA. The question is more one of finding an avenue of achieving game polish in later stages of development than saving disk space come deployment.

 

[HotfireLegend]

But the thing is, you rejected the suggestion of a blank black map with the player starting transparently in lieu of saving space when it achieves the same effect you want visually...

 

[Closet Gaming]

@HotfireLegend The reason I say this is because, as a game developer, you not only have to look at what it is you want to do for your narrative, but also find a way that will maximize the aesthetic, mechanics, and gameplay of your narrative while at the same time minimizing the amount of hardware and software resources required to achieve your effects. While a black map will indeed yield the same effect that i'm looking for, the resource drain that results, however small, could be put to better use in a block of plugin code to enhance gameplay, or a piece of music for a Story Event. The easiest, least labor-intensive solutions are not always the best solution for your narrative. It's similar to why many games in the mainstream industry have failed in immersing their players in their narrative, specifically with the faulty assumption that graphical fidelity trumps aesthetic and narrative; all that time spent making high-poly models and flashy bloom lighting should have been put to better use making the game look GOOD in relation to the narrative they're presenting rather than slapping high-resolution models and maps over a mediocre game.

 

[HotfireLegend]

You do realise we're arguing over about sub-5kb (a tiny map's worth) of data, right?

 

[LTN Games]

The part of the scripts you should start with is commandNewGame, but to be honest the suggestion using a blank map is probably the easiest and most efficient way, which is probabaly why there is no Plugin for this idea already out.