More code help (control problem)

[gunntims0103]

Im having 2 very big problems and untill they are solved i cant progress.

-1st problem

It seems that the sprites are not blit to the screen for the whole time it only stay on for a mili second then goes away. This happenes from the transition from the menu.lua to the scene.lua. where the text from the menu.lua stays on the screen when the scene.lua is initiated. The scene.lua only blits the sprites for a short time then goes away. why its doing this i have no idea.

Code from menu.lua

status = "menu"

Black = Color.new(0, 0, 0)
Red = Color.new(255, 0, 0)

--load images--
Background = Image.load("backgrounds/menu.png")

--load files--
LoadA = loadfile("scene.lua")
LoadB = loadfile("instructions.lua")
LoadC = loadfile("credits.lua")

while true do

current = 1
oldpad = Controls.read()

while true do

pad = Controls.read()
screen:clear()

----prints to the screen-------
screen:blit(0, 0, Background)
screen:print(185, 175, "Start Game", Black)
screen:print(185, 195, "Instructions", Black)
screen:print(185, 215, "Credits", Black)
screen:print(314, 263, "Press Home to exit", Black)
screen:print(320, 4, "Gunntims0103-Coder", Black)

-----this code is so that when you highlight an option in a menu it turns red-----
if current == 1 then
screen:print(185, 175, "Start Game", Red)
end

if current == 2 then
screen:print(185, 195, "Instructions", Red)
end

if current == 3 then
screen:print(185, 215, "Credits", Red)
end

-----this makes it so that you can scroll through your menu----
if pad:up() and oldpad:up() ~= pad:up() then
current = current-1
end

if pad:down() and oldpad:down() ~= pad:down() then
current = current+1
end

if current == 4 then
current = 1
end

if current == 0 then
current = 3
end

-----this is to select your menu options------
if pad:cross() and current == 1 then
LoadA()
end

if pad:cross() and current == 2 then
LoadB()
end

if pad:cross() and current == 3 then
LoadC()
end

screen.waitVblankStart()
screen:flip()
oldpad = pad

end

end

Code from scene.lua

Black = Color.new(0, 0, 0)

--load images, this is for the cutscene--
Background = Image.load("backgrounds/scene1.png")
Sora = Image.load("sprites/sora.png")
Enemie = Image.load("sprites/enemie.png")
Talk = Image.load("sprites/talk.png")

--load files--
LoadA = loadfile("menu.lua")

pad = Controls.read()
screen:clear()

--prints to screen--
screen:blit(0, 0,Background)
screen:blit(31, 230,Sora)
screen:blit(330, 230,Enemie)
screen:blit(35, 30,Talk)

if pad:cross() then
LoadA()

Screen:waitVblankStart()
Screen:flip()
end

-2nd problem

Also another problem that i am having is that the credits.lua and the instructions.lua are not initiated when picked from the menu. how do i fix this

Code from credits.lua

black = Color.new(0, 0, 0)


background = Image.load("backgrounds/credits.png")
loadA = loadfile("menu.lua")

while true do

pad = Controls.read()
screen:blit(0, 0, background)

if pad:cross() then
loadA()
end

screen.waitVblankStart()
screen:flip()
end


Code from instructions.lua

black = Color.new(0, 0, 0)


background = Image.load("backgrounds/instructions.png")
loadA = loadfile("menu.lua")

while true do

pad = Controls.read()
screen:blit(0, 0, background)

if pad:cross() then
loadA()
end

screen.waitVblankStart()
screen:flip()
end


Well basically i want to be able to eliminate the text that shows up on the scene.lua. I want to have the sprite blit to the screen perminitly. I also want to be able to go into the credits and instructions.lua from the menu

any help would be much apprecaiated, thank you

[yaustar]

In menu.lua you have this line:
if pad:cross() and current == 1 then LoadA() end

In scene.lua you have this:
if pad:cross() then LoadA() end

When you press Cross in menu.lua, in the next frame, unless you are VERY quick at releasing Cross, it will detect as Cross being pressed and load menu.lua again which in the next frame checks if Cross is pressed and then loads scene.lua again etc

[gunntims0103]

In menu.lua you have this line:
if pad:cross() and current == 1 then LoadA() end

In scene.lua you have this:
if pad:cross() then LoadA() end

When you press Cross in menu.lua, in the next frame, unless you are VERY quick at releasing Cross, it will detect as Cross being pressed and load menu.lua again which in the next frame checks if Cross is pressed and then loads scene.lua again etc

what i want to know is how do i stop this from happening. Iv tried to restate the controls but to no luck so i just stop trying could you post the code with the corrections and teach me what the code means etc.. so that i dont make the mistake in the future

[yaustar]

Well, until you 'get it' and apply it, the easiest solution is to use a different button for menu.lua.

I use the button check concept in these snippets:
http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28021
http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=31982

[gunntims0103]

Alright so what i do is eather assign different controls for the menu.lua to the scene.lua. so that way its not going from the menu.lua to the scene.lua in rapid concetion.

or i could use the bool controls code so that it knows that when you press the button and release it that it sould go to only one .lua without going through them rapidly as if you were holding down a control

sorry if that doesnt make any sence^

[gunntims0103]

Ok thanx to ninja9393's help i have successfully got the sprites to blit to the screen perminatly. I have also eliminated the text that stays on the screen from the menu.lua to the scene.lua. Also the credits and instructions options now work fine.

now i will implament the talk sprites every time you press X the old sprite will get cleared and a new one will be blit in the same position. The only problem is i dont know how to go about doing this

any ideas would be great i have one

-- a hypethetical code--

while true do

if pad:cross then
--the sprite:clear is a hypethetical code that i will use to clear the old sprite off the screen--
Sprite:clear
screen:blit(#, #,Talk)
end

--end of code--

could this actaually work???

[yaustar]

No, as the sprite will only display as long as cross is pressed. As soon as it is released, it disappears.

[gunntims0103]

No, as the sprite will only display as long as cross is pressed. As soon as it is released, it disappears.

so the whole problem is to be able to have the code in which after you press X the sprite stays. also you only have to press X once. I understand. I would use the bool_pad:control code for this???

im unfamiliar with this code yaustar how does it work. please explain

[yaustar]

Yes you would to an extent. The whole Bool thing is there to be able to detect the difference between a button press, release and being held down.

You need another section of code to deal with the conversation graphics. Look up Finite State Machines (FSM). You need to learn how to apply abstract solutions to problems.

[gunntims0103]

Ninja9393 and i have found a new way to tackle the problem. WE will use images and every time you press X a new image will appear giving the effect of characters talking. Instead of every time you press X a new talk sprite blits to the screen and the old one gets cleared. It would have been nice to do it that way but we dont have the coding knowledge to do it. so were going a bit more simple

also we will make the last image of the conversation fade into the actual game play