Scripting Briefing Messages

[El Pero Apestoso]

Hola.

In trying to create a user-scenario, I cannot get a briefing message to appear. I am using a script with "CheckFrequencyBriefing" and "MessageTypeDossier", but the briefing never shows up when the scenario starts. Is it because a user scenario is a little after Jan 01 1950, because you have to start a map in order to edit it? If so, is there a way to change the date?

[jstevens]

I had the smae prob, I have not found a way to change the date on the map, but you can set ur event script so that it goes off at a certain date, see the editor documentation for details.

[killer]

It should look like this:

CheckFrequencyBriefing

MessageTypeDossier

MessageText "Enter text here, with quotation marks.\n\nMakes a new line.\n\nHope this helps"

If that doesn't work, i don't know.

[Rich ¥Weeds¥ Nagel]

If so, is there a way to change the date?

There doesn't seem to be any way to change the date of the map. After some careful looking through the Tropico.exe with a hex editor, it appears that there *used* to be a way to do this. If "debug mode" could be enabled, there's a slew of additional features that can be utilized, one being the ability to jump the date forward or backward. Also, another feature that could be used is multi-screen screenshots (ala Transport Tycoon... the "Giant Screenshot" feature) <drool, drool> <G>. Unfortunately, "debug mode" was disabled in the final release of the game.

I had also noticed similar things in the RRT2 Gold executable, a debug mode that when enabled would give you all sorts of interesting new options (including the multi-screen screenshot thing). In this game also, the debug mode is disabled.

[Mercator]

I've briefly looked through the editor file, and from what I understand the starting date is determined when you first create the map.  So if you want to start eralier, just pick 1940 instead.  Then do your map, and add the scenerios in after it.

The file itself should look exactly like Killer said.

[El Pero Apestoso]

Mercator, Killer,

My script looks exactly as you say it should, and as the "manual" says it should, but it still doesn't work. I didn't make myself clear about the date thing, so I'll try again -

I am assuming that the argument "CheckFrequencyBriefing" is only true if the day is 01 JAN 1940, i.e. the first day in a new scenario. With a user created scenario, by the time you have paused the game, edited the map and saved it, the date could now be 04 JAN 1940. So, when you try to play the scenario "CheckFrequencyBriefing" is false, because the map is inherently four days old. If my assumptions are correct, we somehow need to reset the scenario to 01 JAN 2001 for it to work. Would this be possible by hex editing the .mp2 file?

Incidentally (and off topic), who is that in the "Mr Fabulous" picture Mercator? It is the spitting image of someone I used to know...

[El Pero Apestoso]

... 01 JAN 1940 obviously, not 01 JAN 2001. I must stop drinking during the day...

[El Pero Apestoso]

Okay, results of further investigation. I set up this script -

CheckFrequencyDayBegin
ExecuteOnlyOnce
MessageTypeDossier
MessageText "This is a briefing message"

- and after a short pause the briefing shows up. Now, the interesting thing is that the date in the top right corner of the message was "2 January 1950". So the scenario starts a little way through 1 January 1950, which is obviously too late to trigger a CheckFrequencyBriefing event.

Having said that, the date on the Fruitas scenario briefing is 7 January. What is it about their scenarios that trigger briefing messages, where user maps do not?

[Mercator]

Boy, I am stumped.  The notes on the editor just say the "CheckFrequencyBriefing is always the first event to show up when a scenario is started."


It says nothing about needing the time to be anything.  

Can you post exactly what your briefing file looks like?  Maybe it's something else entirely.



And P.S.  The pic is taken from the Onion.  I just like to think I look like the kid (or at least I did when I was his age).  That and he's so funny looking, it makes me laugh.  I like to laugh.

[El Pero Apestoso]

Can you post exactly what your briefing file looks like?  Maybe it's something else entirely.

Filename INTRO.EVT, in path C:\PROGRAM FILES\TROPICO\MAPS\EJ_IP1\INTRO

---
CheckFrequencyBriefing

MessageTypeDossier

MessageText "Bono Estente.\n\nI'm still trying to get this briefing to work. Its as stubborn as a burro and just as apestoso.\n\nMaybe I should stick to solitaire."
----

Compiles fine, no errors, runs fine, just doesn't work.

[Mercator]

For some reason, every PopTop scenerio has an empty line before CheckFrequencyBriefing.  Make sure you have that empty line in at the top.

God, that can't be the problem though, can it?  I know we can do briefing's because I've done it myself.  How about just taking a briefing file straight from another scenrio and just edit the message.  If that doesn't work for you, something is majorly messed up.  Because it has nothing to do with the time of the game.  It's strictly activated as the first event of the game.  

[killer]

Well the date has nothing to do with it (at least in my experiences).  If you look at my maps I created the dates can be as late as Jan. 7 1950 but the briefing message still comes up.  

I would bet that it is something really small and insignificant.  Does a warning box appear before you start the map?  If it does, it will tell you what is wrong.  If it doesn't then there is something not working right.

[El Pero Apestoso]

I tried the blank line thing, no change. This is so weird - you guys have actually got the briefing to work then? I tried messing with the Fruitas scenario by changing the briefing message, and the changes showed up fine. I then copied the Fruitas INTRO.EVT into my scenario and compiled it, and hey no presto, it doesn't show up. Must be something unique to the maps I am making. All my other scripts work, just not this one. It must be aliens.

[killer]

What are you naming the file?

I think it has to have the ending .evt , if it has that then it should work.

[El Pero Apestoso]

Sussed it! At Last!

The trick is, the game MUST be in editor mode when you save the file. Being anally retentive, I was turning off EDITOR and RAPIDO before saving the file. The game then treats the file as an ordinary save game file. If EDITOR is still on when saving, a message about recalculating island parameters appears, and the saved file is a true scenario. Doing this, briefing messages now work as advertised. I wonder if anyone else having trouble with scripts may be doing the same?

[Mercator]

I'll be dadgumeded.  I never even thought of that!  Well, hot diggity dog!  I'm glad you got it working.


End of Round 1

El Pero 1, Editor 0

[El_Coronel]

Heh, just ran into same old problem.  This one needs to go into the editor docs.  When i did a search it didn't turn up, but I suspected it would be in an early thread, and I was right.

[Coconut Kid]

Sussed it! At Last!

The trick is, the game MUST be in editor mode when you save the file.

It was just a small thing.