Post by Hakuen Studio in Hakuen Studio Bitmap Font for RPG Maker MV MZ comments

Hakuen Studio Bitmap Font for RPG Maker MV MZ » Comments

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Hi there! Thanks for the purchase ^^

Let me see if I manage to understand you. What you want is:

1 - A way to change the outline color individually. Like, set the outline color to black and the font to blue.

2 - A way to change the outline color, proportionally with the primary font color. As so, when using \c[3] for example, the primary font will change its color to a dark blue, and the outline font will change its color to a dark green.

Is one of the above?

Here is an example of what you can do when the font has an outline file:

But to use those escape codes, you will need another plugin: Eli Message Actions

kjorteo295 days ago

Hi there! Thank you so much for your quick reply. ^^ Yes, those look like they should do what we're trying to do splendidly. Thank you!

I was thinking for the easiest and most convenient way to do this would be if the script could somehow recognize when the bitmap file itself has more than one color in it, such as the attached sample, in which the bitmap for the font file itself contains the actual letters in white with an outline in gray.

Currently, if you use a file like this as the Main Font File and then apply anything other than "disable" in the Text Color field of the script parameters, then it will convert everything in the image to that color (example: setting Text Color to #FFFFFF would make the text and outline parts of this file both white.) I was thinking that if it could instead recognize the different colors in the font file itself and apply whatever color changes over them accordingly... example, changing this font to yellow with the Text Color parameter or with an in-game \c escape code would make the white part yellow and the gray part... darker yellow, changing it to green would make it light green over dark green, etc. Then matching color changes could be done with a single command.

However! There is no longer a need to worry about doing it like this, because what you have shown me here works just as well. I didn't know that there was an \outcolor escape code, nor was I aware that \color and \outcolor accept values like "red" or "green" instead of being limited to the 32-color index that we're used to the \c command having. This is fantastic news! Now, we can simply use a combination of \color and \outcolor every time we need to change the font color and we should be set. Thank you so much. ^^

Ah, except that we are running into something of an issue with the Eli Message Actions plugin, though. Whenever it's activated at all, the game will not launch at all, instead giving an error that says "TypeError - Cannot read property 'canDraw' of undefined." Do you know what is causing this issue? I would very much love to use this plugin--the color codes sound like exactly what we need. Apologies for any trouble caused by it not working in the meantime. ^^;;

Oh! Also, one final question, unrelated...

For text that is being replaced by true/false switches in the parameters list, rather than in the Scenes or Windows lists (for example, Use on Damage Pop up, Use on Game Title, etc.) it seems that setting the outline to anything at all other than "disable" behaves very strangely. I changed the outline to pure #FFFFFF white as a test for the title screen here (which means that the New Game/Continue commands are supposed to look like that--it's white on white) but the outline of the title itself, the part that says "Test," refuses to accept that change and is instead solid black.Meanwhile, in the battle scenes, the HP/MP/TP labels anda numbers are also black, while the party members' names... seem to be several shades of gray depending on each letter?

Again, I'm very sorry to pester you with any trouble these issues may be causing; I just wasn't sure where else to turn and I'm encouraged by your fast response. Thank you so much for your help and support, and for making such amazing plugins! Our game already looks a million times better thanks to you. ^^

Hakuen Studio295 days ago

Ok let's take one subject at the time.

Convenient escape code

The easy way here, would be changing the hue color of the fonts. This way, if you have just a single file, like the one you showed to me, the white and gray color would change according to the hue value. But for technical reasons of the html/css itself, the hue changes does not work properly on a bitmap. Because of that, and several other reasons, for you to be able to colorize the main font and not the outline, you need two different files: One for the main bitmap and one for it's outline. This way you could colorize both, individually. Although is not mandatory for you to have an outline file. You just may need it in those cases where you want to change colors.

Most of what I said above, is also the explanation of how the Text Color parameter works. If you apply any color there, it will paint all the main bitmap font with it. And so, if you do not for that to happen, you need a second file to be used as the outline. And that outline will only be painted by the Outline Color Parameter.

Eli Message Action Error

I would need more information about this. But before that, you could try open the message action plugin parameter and refresh each parameter: Just click on a parameter, open it, see if there is anything to fill, if not, just close and try again.

Otherwise, when the error happens, press F12 or F8 and send me a screenshot of it. But it would be nice if you send that screenshot on the Itch Io plugin of the message action, instead of here.

Title Screen Outline Problem

I will take a look into this! But make sure to check the compatibility section of the help file, in case you are using Visustella plugins.

Also, maybe a screenshot of all the plugins you are using can help too.

kjorteo295 days ago

Thank you again for your response and all your help! You are incredible. ^^

Convenient Escape Code

Understood, and no worries. My idea was just my first thought for how to approach this problem without knowing that it was already solved by the Eli Message Action plugin. Message Action already does everything I was hoping, and more. (I love that you have the full spectrum of colors, and not just the 32 indexed ones! Even my idea didn't address that part.) So, this problem is already solved. ^^

Eli Message Action Error

Just tried refreshing the parameters and that actually fixed it. So, we're all good now. Thank you!!

Outline Problem

It seems to be affecting not just the title screen, but several types of text... the common unifying theme between them is that it's the text that's controlled directly by true/false switches in the Parameter window, rather than being entered in the separate Scene List/Window List fields. Use on Gauge Label, Use on Gauge Value, etc. Anything controlled by the Scene or Window List fields works as expected; all of the ones that are controlled by true/false switches do not seem to respect attempts to change the outline color, and will usually make it solid black except for that bizarre behavior in the battler names mentioned above.

Here we see Use Gauge Label and Use Gauge Value turned on, so the HP/MP/TP gauge labels and values are using the smaller font. Despite the settings parameters saying it should be gray, the HP/MP outlines are black. (And the TP label is just grayed out entirely, but that's fine.)

As for the plugins, we're definitely not using anything from Visustella. Our plugin list is somewhat bare at the moment, actually, but here it is if it helps at all.

Thank you again for everything! So excited to dig into this now, especially with the Message Actions and color changing fixed! You're the best ^^

Hakuen Studio295 days ago

OK then! Thanks for the information!

I will take a look into those issues, and if I didn't manage to solve them, I will ask for you to send me that project replicating the problem so I could take a look.

Also, just give a try putting the message actions below the bitmap font. And also disable the multi tweaks plugin so we can confirm if it is a compatibility issue or not

kjorteo294 days ago

Just confirmed that putting Message Actions after the bitmap font and turning off MultiTweaks does nothing; the behavior is the same.

Thank you for looking into it, but it's a relatively minor issue compared to how exciting it is getting everything else up and running, so we're still very happy in the meantime ^^ Thank you again for your help and for these amazing plugins!!

Hakuen Studio294 days ago

Ok!

I did find all the problems and managed to fix them! The outline color was not being applied to the Sprites text, only to the windows text! I will update a new version soon!

Thank you so much for your feedback and the patience to explain everything! :D

kjorteo293 days ago(+1)

Oh, that's fantastic! We were just thrilled even to get this plugin and be able to use bitmap fonts like this at all... I never dreamed we could end up inspiring any bug fixes or version upgrades like that! That is incredible... thank YOU so much for your helpfulness and thoroughness with all this! ^^

itch.io

Viewing post in Hakuen Studio Bitmap Font for RPG Maker MV MZ comments

Convenient escape code

Eli Message Action Error

Title Screen Outline Problem