napco wrote:Hi! I was looking at your code and i've noticed that your "script" system could be improved, cause you can't make other characters talk and move exept the hero (if i am not wrong)... I think you should also improve the map.txt file by including in it all map infos, like activable scripts. By the way your programming technique is similar to mine!
P.S.: Are you italian?
Usually not allowing the player to be moved or talk is a stylistic choice. Many many games don't like to do anything to the player to keep the actual person on the outside of the TV screen from being taken out of the moment.
Games like Earthbound and Zelda are examples of this. You will NEVER hear Ness or Link talk, nor will the game ever move Ness or Link for you. (Link has a few small exceptions during cutscenes like when he enters a room and the door locks behind him) This is to make you feel like you have control. Silent protagonist's are a common thing too. Where the main character will never talk.
In Mother 3, they made every playable character talk, except whoever was the current controllable player. During a chapter, you might hear a character you will control later talk, but later when you are controlling him, you might hear the original character talk. But only the non current character. And the game never moves your characters for you.
Because of this, cut scenes might be split, while the game allows you to move your character into position for the next part. Like for example, an owl might fly down and say "Hey, Link! You wanna see something cool? Follow me!" at which point the game returns control to the player until he gets to the next point required, then a new script is called to continue the scene. This allows the player to think he has control, or sometimes even leave the area and not continue yet if he/she so chooses.
I don't plan on allowing any player control at all nor do I plan on ever making the player's character have his own talk bubbles because I believe in this method of narration. It makes the game player feel more in control and part of the game, rather than just someone sitting and playing a game.
Other examples include Final Fantasy games like VI where you have like 10-12 playable characters, but the one currently in the lead will never talk. However others will talk and say different things. Dragon Quest games also do this. VIII's yellow jacketed hero never said a word, but the other followers did. The first Jak game also never had Jak talk. Daxter always did his talking. But sadly the programmers decided to give him a voice in the subsequent games. Total bummer. Mario never talks, except for weird sounds and short sentences, but he will never have a conversation. In Luigi's Mansion, Luigi could say "Mario?", but it was only when the player pressed a button, thus it was under your control at all times.