RPG Maker MV Tutorial #16 - Variables!

[@ToxicDerg]

Joe gave yuo permission

[@xeroaishintu5777]

Something told me that I would see this here. It doesn't make me any less disappointed...

[@MonoDerg]

evil twin cousin, what brings yuo here??

[@momby557]

"You are allowed to pass" *Bob will remember that*

[@riskyworks]

That seems like a choice in a telltale game that could choose someone's death even though it makes no sense, tbh

[@Soline71]

*yuo!

[@JessicaGaspan]

As a math major this makes a lot more sense to me, and it sure saves me a hell of a lot more time than making 12348087 switches lol

[@simoncarlile5190]

Yeah, switches would get _really_ complicated with even simple scenarios.

[@MrDube]

I fucking hate math

[@suiken3149]

For someone who sucks at math, this makes my head explode.

[@jonathanmorris7445]

I now know a little bit of math I didn’t before

[@christianriedel1357]

@@simoncarlile5190 Yeah, true, but usually variables don't get used the way this video shows. To keep an event from repeating itself, I would suggest you use a self-switch and create a new event page. This is the standard way and makes more sense in most cases.

[@SarahEtc]

I'm watching this 7 years later and these tutorials are incredibly helpful! Thank you so much for keeping these up :)

[@Visy23TheElf]

Am I about to binge a series of 7 year old videos? most likely! thank you for this expansive explanation, helps my brain to get into the systems quite well!

[@Gopher286]

This makes me appreciate every NPC who ever gave me a healing potion in any game, ever.

[@ElSabio159]

It's fun how you go so slow at first tutorials, even with the name of the godamn game, but for these things, which requiere a lot more time and are so much difficult, you go really, really fast. It's common among programming tutoriales on KZbin and I don't understand why.

[@Murdoom]

ElSabio159 I thought I was the only one that was thinking he was going too fast.

[@Verinius]

I think his pace is fine. But of course the viewer needs time to let the information sink in. Basically the variables are like "If 1 happens, then 2 will happen". Joe makes 1 happen. Therefore, 2.

[@DashiSama]

I found that changing the video's speed works for me. he talks slower. :>

[@boudicaastorm4540]

It would def be too fast for me if I couldn't pause and go back. If this was a live lecture in school or something I'd be very lost. But it's def better than nothing at all, which is what the in-game tutorial did with variables.

[@peterSobieraj]

I think it's because in first tutorial viewers see RPG Maker for first time in life. But after first few tutorials viewers have propbably pickup RPGM and do some stuff by them self, and are already familiar with what is where. So there is no need to go slow any more.

[@devillass6025]

You're really good at making tutorials of this engine. You repeat things a lot but that's very okay because you end up talking fast so that it's a little difficult for me to catch on immediately, so that's why being repetitive works out. Also, it's a huge benefit to children, because it makes it easier for them to understand, how you explain and demonstrate so clearly and thoroughly. Subbed!

[@hvplace]

I'm having so much fun with variables! I just finished the first chapter of my game (nothing special, just practicing what I learn and throwing in my quirky quips) and learned what happens when you get just ONE constant messed up...but having to dig in and figure out where I messed up helped me become even more familiar with it and even made me think outside the box with a workaround to save me from having to move the needle to another haystack. ;) Thanks again for the videos!

[@KaterinaKPOP]

Oh, programming. Messing up a variable somewhere in a long forgotten function

[@gaunterodimm4884]

You actually made variables make sense to me and I absolutely suck at any type of math. I applaud you.

[@RealRotkohl]

The best tutorial series for the RPG Maker MV. All the basic stuff you need, perfectly explained.

[@chaosmastermind]

This is the bread and butter of your plot of your game right here. In fields the combat is what matters.. but in towns this is what matters. I'd say it's one of the most important things. Otherwise your entire population of NPCs will be that guy that just says "PRESS B TO JUMP" Over and over and over again.

[@boudicaastorm4540]

Yeah there was noooo discussion of variables at all in the in-game tutorial, so this is much appreciated.

[@kiane9252]

It's a bit difficult at first to get all this wrapped around my head, but this is extremely helpful! Thanks so much for making these tutorials, as I'm a noob at this stuff. When I first took a look at variables, I went "Wait you have to do MATH here?!" Thank goodness it wasn't as bad as I imagined. XD Subscribed and liked, and I'm quite excited for the next tutorials in the future!

[@SomeRanDev]

Oh yeah...no math...riiiight... *looks away and starts whistling*

[@garetgreen3522]

it's a trap! xD

[@cherryhoppip]

It's functional, and serves its purpose as a tutorial, but this is an impractical mess. When you talk to Joe, My Variable is SET to 1, meaning no matter what it was before, it will be 1 after talking to him again. Thus, Bob will reappear and you have to talk to him again to get let in. To remedy this, you could add a branch or event page for Joe that says "if My Variable is greater than or equal to 2, then..." and prevent him from changing My Variable. But better yet, while this is functional, the foundation could be cleaned up. Variables really shine with adding and subtracting, and work great for things like hidden/extra stats that affect the overworld. With that in mind, the dev should get used to that type of syntax so they don't end up confusing themself further down the road, and so the variable is more versatile for other potential purposes, if say the dev wants to re-use it. I'm thinking something like: If MyVar=0, Bob denies access. If MyVar=0, Joe adds 1 to MyVar. If MyVar=1 or 2, Joe tells you to check out the house. If MyVar=1, Bob moves to the left, and adds 1 to MyVar. If MyVar=2, Bob tells you to check out the house. If MyVar is greater than or equal to 2, *set event location Bob* to one left of his original location. When you enter the house, if MySwitch (or better yet, self-switch A) is off, add 1 to MyVar. When you enter the house, turn MySwitch on. If MyVar is greater than or equal to 3, Bob and Joe will ask what you think of the house. This is a bit complex, sure, and it uses an event command not seen in any before video, but, it's watertight so no one can frivolously edit MyVar, and MyVar can be used for other purposes without messing up this house, and all the dialogue makes sense, AND it makes sure that all the characters are where they should be, when they should be, with no strange disappearances.

[@swissgirl2953]

Woua ...! I understood much more by watching this video (I do not speak a word of English) than all the rare French tutorials. Thank you!!! PS: I use your plugins: Title Command Customizer, Camera Core, and Menu Status Customizer. They are SUPER!!! Will send you a copy of my game when it is finished, even if it squeezes in French ^_^ '' Sorry

[@explosive_shart9405]

i love how crazy that got there. I used to create maps on warcraft 3 TFT back in the day. It had a similar editor but different.

[@phoenixmanno5456]

honestly its easier to follow him then u think, follow what hes doing, pause it to learn it at ur pace, go back if needed be, but now its fairly simple bc of him, thank u

[@minerallux362]

I now appreciated pokemon emerald more than before.

[@revaryk6868]

Thanks for explaining variables. I've always been clueless at how stuff like this worked, so I'm glad to see someone make a simple tutorial for it.

[@darkcloudkyle2151]

Im guessing Joe returns the variable to back when Bob is standing there so you'd have to tinker with Joe's variables

[@tylertheultimatebadass87]

I tried doing the tutorial myself by turning on the switches manually and creating a miniature clusterfuck of event pages. Worked perfectly, but looked messy as well

[@chuckdude514]

This is actually kinda easy to understand and even optimize if you learn algorithms logic. I definitelly recommend it.

[@dvdvante]

god thank you so much i was so stressed out trying to make something more complex than switches and COULD NOT figure it out

[@Rexafrek]

But what if the player talks to Bob in the left side? Bob wont be able to move to the left because the player is in his way and then the game stops. How can i fix that?

[@haydengames3v2]

On page 3 of "Condition Branch" you can set a "if event" if the character is facing right.

[@simoncarlile5190]

That's what makes game design so difficult. You may have just finished a brilliantly scripted series of events only to realize that none of them trigger if the player approaches a door a wrong way or talks to the wrong person first.

[@haydengames3v2]

I use flow commands to stop that from happening, like a variable here or there.

[@spiicycheesesauce1763]

Instead of using the 'Move Left' command in custom route, you can use 'Move away from player' to make sure your target moves to the correct location.

[@spiicycheesesauce1763]

Instead of using the 'Move Left' command in custom route, you can use 'Move away from player' to make sure your target moves to the correct location.

[@gilbert4351]

Great! A simple and quick explanation of the variable. Very nice! 😎👍

[@simoncarlile5190]

I've almost earned a CS degree so I was okay for the most part, but this is potentially the most complicated part of RPG Maker. It kind of needs an in-depth treatment. How you handle variables can mean the difference between making a simple game with a lot of bugs or a really deep game that has few bugs or exploits. That being said, I still admire how much time you spent on these tutorials. I'd be completely overwhelmed without them.

[@enejsrok8635]

Your type of explaning stuff for rpg maker MV is awsome 😄 i like it and its relay usefull. Your tutorials helped me to fix some realy anoing errors. Thanks

[@DahjerCanaan]

I can imagine it taking more than just talking to Joe to activate a switch, as with any RPG generally, Joe would have you meet the required conditions of a fetch quest or something before he agrees to activate that switch.

[@normad88]

Okay. I have to say that these tutorials are genius. I hope you do not take offense to what I am going to say. You give a fantastic explanation, however it is lacking full detail for a tutorial. Of course, given it is a beginner tutorial, it is by design and that is why it is genius. RPG maker tutorials should all be a little vague because most of the enjoyment of using this tool to create games is by discovery. Thank you so much for teaching so much about this tool and for not over complicating something that isn't needed.

[@XX-sp3tt]

How do we get the guy in front of the house to have a new location or at least the illusion of a new location when we step out so it doesn't look like he vanished into nothingness?

[@MerkhVision]

One simple way I can think of is that for the new event page he created at the end, instead of having it be blank, keep the sprite there and give it the command to walk to the left. Or if u keep it blank, then u could make a separate event in the location u want the guy to be standing when u come out and have it only activate/be visible when the variable is 3 or whatever.

[@annakuringer4467]

Thank you! it was clear precise and fun ! Some complain, but at least, thank to you i haven't feel lost in a bunch of unnecessary talk and i was able to do what i want in game!

[@janinebelleestrada7096]

This is rare... This is the first time I understood variables

[@tanat3251]

Awesome tutorial. Really helped me a lot! A simple way of explaining a complex feature!

[@hugoleesong]

So basically using variables removes the necessity to create hundreds of event pages and switches. Neat

[@leeh5948]

For people who want Bob to stay away, you need to use Yanfly's plugin save event location.

[@suuyasha2496]

thank you :) works now for me - i dont know where I did the error but I couldn't recreate the scenario SRDude did here... but with the Plugin, it worked perfectly

[@SheeshMaster64]

I'm so glad I took a Python class once

[@adakrai1097]

Bro this is very helpful, i preffer this than the switches lol

[@thomassabalbaro1868]

I use RPGboss so I don't even know why i'm watching this even though this has helped me a lot.

[@chaoticdream715]

Thank you so much for these tutorials! I have learned a lot and I feel ready to mess around with the rpg maker and learn more! You rock! :)

[@SolaireGamingPT]

My brain just exploded after watching this...

[@simoncarlile5190]

The problem with your solution is that if you go back up to talk to Joe after exiting the house, then the variable gets set back to 1. So Joe will be back in front of the house again since he only disappears if the variable is set to 3. Of course, you can still talk to him to get him to move again, but this creates a loop. You'd need to give Joe a new dialogue branch for the variable being set to 3 or just make Joe disappear entirely once the variable is set to 3.

[@thaipankatima2234]

God I wished I switch to a new episode sooner. I was watching the last episode tearing my hair out trying to figure this disappearing act.

[@devalt1]

Fantastic tutorial mate! I very nice and easy to follow example. I can see in the comments some find a bit fast paced, so maybe address that for upcoming videos :)

[@MYKhanFromThe90s]

“We can go into our Bob”... That just sounds wrong on so many levels...

[@iluvlittenanimations2.010]

I used to use scratch a lot, I have learned how to create pretty much anything through variables XD

[@TheAwkwardGuy]

Aight this is probably the hardest tutorial yet. 1-15 were ez, this one's a bit tough to get.

[@RadicalAsh]

Thanks for the video SRDude! This has been a huge help with my RPG. :)

[@argbargmcticktock]

Thanks again for another informative video. I look forward to more! Follow up question for you. How can you make it so that Bob is STILL there when you leave, but now one space over, like he was when you entered the house? Would that be an event that only triggered when the Variable in question was 3?

[@SomeRanDev]

The problem is that when you leave and enter a room again, all the Events reset to their original position and there's no way to change that. What you could do, is make it so there is a completely separate Event that appears using the same condition that causes the first Bob event to disappear.

[@radioactivegaming2280]

my brain... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@riggedgame1189]

The pain will help you grow.

[@adakrai1097]

@@riggedgame1189 no pain no gain

[@aj_mconline3284]

If yoy guys read my commentary on the previous video, you will be able to learn how to do similar stuff with switches only. Thanks a lot for this videos man! kudos

[@anexs]

A complex switch! Thank you!

[@crazyjoeshorts5256]

huh. I've never figured this out on my own. I do a work around using player transfer.(Its complicated and inefficient) Basically, when you would talk to Joe, it would transfer you to a differently named copy of the same map, only Bob's dialogue and such will allow you to pass. Its probably not the best, but it does get to a similar effect sans variables, switches, etc. I do a lot of really odd things when building my stuff, mostly because until I found this series, I stumbled around in the dark. if it wasn't for our teacher, I would be surely lost.

[@zakariazeddam1438]

wow i ll need this to make a lot of quests thank you

[@chrisliam2]

Been using Rpg Makers since 2000 and 2003 first came out and still have no clue about Variables I can just about manage switches lol. I wish RPG MAKER had built in quests that you can edit like collection quests or find the item quests.

[@mangmerciless9606]

What if u talk to joe again, will it trigger variable 1 again?

[@anothervagabond]

Yup. It's better to increment the variables instead of setting them. For example, how I'd do it just to be absolutely clean: Give Joe a conditional that says "If My Variable is less than 1, increase My Variable by +1". Give Bob the following conditionals: "If My Variable is 0, deny entry." "If My Variable is 1, move aside and increase My Variable by +1." "If My Variable is 2, say 'Please enter.'" Then, in the room's exit, I'd add a conditional that says "If My Variable is equal to or less than 3, set My Variable to 3." And then have Bob's second page (the one that makes him disappear) active if My Variable is equal to or greater than 3. I'd also probably add a conditional to Joe to have him say something different after you've been in the room, but that's just set dressing at that point.

[@christianriedel1357]

It works to do it this way, but it's not really what variables are meant for. Usually you would just create a self-switch and then create a new event page in order to stop the event from repeating itself over and over again.

[@sweetpotato2093]

Thank you very much! It's a very helpful tutorial for a beginner like me.

[@inactiveaccount9253]

Actually, By logic, talking to Joe at the end would've changed the variable back to 1, So... To answer your question, Bobs out the front of the house.

[@zachfutv9986]

you can solve this by doing two switches. you did it the long way.

[@IAmPJPajama]

So... I don't know if this has been asked, but if variable 3 is activated in the house for Bob to disappear, what if the character doesn't immediately enter the house for variable 3 to be activated and they go into another house, or leave the town beforehand??? Wouldn't Bob go back to his original spot blocking the door forever because it will think you already got permission and he isn't suppose to move???

[@dexterdy1652]

haha programming knowledge goes brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[@Rubytyr]

Abit fast, but I caught the gist of it, thanks :) basically another set of if/thans~

[@toddgilmore118]

Thanks for the tips!! How do I get 1 variable to be divided in half to check if player is either above or below half health, so I can display a health pic on screen showing parallel event pic's I made that always change according to these variables?? Any help please!?

[@peterSobieraj]

But what if after speaking with Joe and Bob for first time player will go to overworld, instead of entering the house, and after that go back to town ? From what I understand variable1 will be set to 2, so Bob will say "Please enter the house", but he will still stand in front of house, blocking players way.

[@louisrandolph4153]

ok, but how do I make my bob dissapear

[@Seumas-MacDhaibhidh]

I would like all the doors on the first floor of a castle to close when exiting the castle through all of the exits and going outside. Would a variable be a better option to use for this, as opposed to switches?

[@remirez2k3]

this would be a good setup to my game idea for a dungeon crawler....I.E. after exiting the house a new variable comes into play where joe tells my character that bob went into the lost horror caverns to find some spider silks or such and has not returned giving the player his first reason to enter the caverns (which is the big pplot of my dungeon delver game)

[@brazlyBW]

for some reason, the last part doesn't work for me like I did all the steps and followed it all but the only part which doesn't work is the last part the NPC stands at the place he was at the beginning

[@elmoscoool]

Would love to see a variable example to make an over under bridge. I’ve tried everything ‘_’*

[@yakushi77]

would it have been possible to set the house event variable back to 1 and keep bob on the map? Then talking to bob coz he's still there, would place you back into variable 2?

[@headcase2493]

your videos helped me a lot. Thanks man.

[@magorostravsky5732]

Ok... My brain is starting to boil...

[@LogosLFTG]

How would I have him set to a different location so he's just out of the way instead of just gone completely

[@artmosphereID]

someone pls help.. what if we want Bob to always appear on the map but doesnt block the door anymore after we changing map

[@demoniob4019]

i have a question. what if you dont want the guy to disappear, what if when you walk back out you want him to be one step to the left where you left it.

[@devoncerda9684]

I need "Bob" to move and stay there even after exiting the building. I know this tutorial is years old, but I've been stumped.

[@leeh5948]

You need to use Yanfly's plugin save event location.

[@Enaronia]

Have a different event in that space show up once the variable is set to 3.

[@raijoukonishi9868]

Ohhh no, my small brain can't handle this, lol. But, in all honesty, thank you for making these guides SRDude!

[@jeffpurdy9096]

Great video, man. Super helpful

[@enejsrok8635]

I have a quiestion about variables... if you try to use the ÷ the outpun number will always be a full number like 3 or 5 or 0 ... is there any option the variable will be somethik like this : 3.30 or 0.34 ?

[@unholyswordsman]

How would you make a variable for an npc to tell you how much experience points your party members need to reach the next level? I've been racking my brain but can't figure it out.

[@elwyndude]

Is it possible to set variables based on the date? I am wondering if its possible to make an advent calendar so certain events trigger on certain days

[@Zelmougy]

when i do the variable thing and when i enter the game and ask Bob after asking Joe the game freez please help

[@ZatannaFan94]

Its works and all but when i talk to the guy again it will keep switching my variable to one and making that other guy reappear and block the door.

[@Laezar1]

Where did bob go joe? well when you talked to him you set the variable to 1 again so he should have reappeared right? xD

[@timothywilhite8064]

what about the underlined crocidile?

[@shayoko6]

is it possible to start a game with gold/money? i couldn't find a option for it in the engine. - could also erase the event depending on the situation.

[@blastmadness]

What I would do in this situation is create an invisible event in the room you start the game in, and set it to Autorun. Use the command to give gold to the party (however much you want), then set a self-switch to ON. Then you can create a new event page that only activates when that self-switch is active, and leave it blank. Doing it this way, the event would run as soon as the room is loaded, add the specified amount of money to the player's stock, then switch itself off. It would then remain off for the remainder of that save file.

[@wishingstar8701]

what if I don't want the character to disappear and I just want him to remain to the left side? How would I go about doing that?

[@Brejas03]

Make an event with the character there and make him only appear with the variable

[@pedrogirl8417]

Hi! i was wondering if someone could help? I'm making a test for like a joke ending where if the character sleeps on a bed more than 10 times it triggers a cutscene for a "bad ending" however I am having problems triggering the actual cutscene, any tips o help on how to achieve this? TT__TT

[@DemonCringe]

I am going step by step into this tutorial to learn all the basics but I'm struggling with variables. I just need an NPC to stop giving away free weapons and change dialouge using this method and it's not working, will either go through both branches of dialouge. Chat GPT isn't helping me either :(

[@starcloister4651]

I'm gonna play Devils Advocate here. What makes this superior to just using switches? That's what I've done in the past and it works for me.

[@split2nd898]

Hello. I have a map that I use for a skill tree type thing that uses an event to transfer the player to the skill tree map. I want to have the event that takes you to the skill tree map In multiple places in my game. How do I make it so when the player leaves the skill tree area they warp back to the same place they went in? Is this even possible without plugins? Thanx.

[@MerkhVision]

I think this should be possible. You can have the player's coordinates saved as a variable and then have the transfer event use that variable to send the player back to correct location.

[@PowerfulWizard]

What's the mode variable? I dont know what it is exactly

[@Mimsi]

One question though. Lets say I want to have Bob stand next to the door always after we left the house. How to we place him here? If I understood it right we'll manipulate the 3. event page for bob but how :D

[@haydengames3v2]

Well if it's a matter of just making him always there from now on you could make another event page that is active when entering the building the first time (Can make it switch activated for this next part) and if you want to redo the process every time you can make the page reset to page 1 or 2 when you leave the area.

[@simoncarlile5190]

You create an event on the tile that you want Bob to stand. You leave the first page empty (since you don't want him standing next to himself in the beginning), and then for the second page you create the condition that the variable must be 3. On this page you put the Bob sprite and any dialogue or other stuff you want him to do from that point on.

[@siter931]

Danggggg my brain lol.

[@blaster8186]

How can i make a cave requirement..like level 25 to enter a cave/dungeon?

[@AnimeSimp234]

You can create an event that requires the actors present to be a certain level. A conditional branch, "if player is less than lvl 25, deny entry" something like that.

[@azizrex6935]

but... what if you go talk to joe first... he will tell you "you're allowed to pass" and you will get confused...

[@astrocosma]

that's a whole other event you would have to control with variables, if you was creating a whole story

[@grant858]

I don't understand. I tried must 3 more then unlock

[@haydengames3v2]

So when are we getting to other types of Variables?, I just learnt how to create events that can have randomly selected dialogue from your party and I'm curious about what else you can do with that.

[@SomeRanDev]

Oh, lol, I forgot about that kind of stuff. I guess it comes after Common Events :p

[@haydengames3v2]

SumRndmDde Alright, looking forward.

[@boomstickman6758]

If we set the variable within the house to 2, would it not just keep Bob standing to the left of the door?

[@arthurpaixao4132]

boomstick man hi... hope I didn't get you wrong, but let's go... "if we keep variable into value 2, wouldn't it stay aside the door?" if that's the question, answer is no. in this situation, variables only "save" event's interaction state. once the map refresh drags all the events to their original location, the events might have changed their commands, pages, local switches, conditions, etc. but their ORIGINAL location is still the same. "well, then is it impossible to keep an event where I left it last time, instead of blanking it?" Answer is no. it is possible. all we need is an event in a Parallel Process that, when triggered by its conditions( that could be a switch or a variable or whatever), define the positions X and Y of what you want to keep position, based on two variables you can create to "save" positions.

[@hawahawalol91]

I think I got it. Maybe... but can it be used for cutscene?

[@haydengames3v2]

Yes, You can even increase the variable number in battle. For cutscene use you could have a option that increases every time you pick it and when you for example pick it three times you run a if command that if variable 1 = 3 then something different happens.