The Ease of EZScript

In honor of the EZScript Script-Off, I thought I’d take tonight’s post and talk a bit about how to get started with a mission and also post an example script.  For those of you following my “Projects from the Ether” series, don’t worry, it’ll be back soon.  EZScript was, as I said in yesterday’s announcement, a great tool before the advent of the Editor, but now that we have that as well, it is really surprisingly easy to use.  To get started, I’d advise you to read the excellent manual that comes with any download of FFX3.  You’ll find a specific folder for EZScript, and there is tons of great info in those documents.  However, I can give you a crash course here to help you get the hang of it.

1. First off, decide what you want to do.  I know this may sound like common sense, but it really does help to have a clear idea going into a project.  Decide which characters you are going to use, and make sure that you give them names that won’t cause EZScript problems.  If you’re using herofiles, avoid apostrophes or anything other than letters.  Also, keeping names lowercase is generally a good idea.
2. If you want to use a map already set-up to work with EZS, (meaning all of the events in your mission will occur at a random spot on the map) you can simply open up the editor and start writing, but if you want to dictate where things will happen, you’ll need to place “markers” on the map you want.  You’ll want to read the Manual to get a good idea of what goes into making EZS maps, but I’ll go ahead and tell you the basic types of markers any adventure needs.
   1. hero_1, 2, 3, and 4 (assuming you’re using 4 characters)
   2. encounter1, 2, 4, etc.  You don’t NEED more than a few of these if you’re going to use specific markers, but it’s usually a good idea to have a dozen or so in case someone else wants to use the map.  All encounters that aren’t tied to a specific marker will randomly appear and one of these.
   3. skirmishspawn (very important and often forgotten)
3. Next, you start writing your actual mission in the editor.  The easiest way to do this is simply to use someone else’s as a base.  I constantly reuse my own work, especially the stuff I KNOW works, and it saves me time and cuts down on careless errors.  You can also start a mission from scratch with the editor.  The first thing to do is to click on the “Panels” menu at the top of the program, and navigate to whichever directory you’re working in.  Doing this will let the editor recognize all of your characters, special objects, even your herofiles!
4. Now you’re ready to pick from various different types of encounters to create the ACTION of your adventure.  If you’ll look at the big white box on the top right, you’ll see a drop down menu where you can select different types of encounters, objects, characters, and basically all of the elements you need to create your script.
5. If you want, say, Spider-Man to stop a mugging, then chose the Save Civilian encounter, and you’ll be webbing street punks in no time!  Just chose whichever encounters you like, fill in the blanks, and you’re all set.  Missions will run straight from one encounter to the next, unless you specify something different, and as soon as the last encounter is finished, the mission will end.  Also, if you want to make sure you didn’t make any typos (my nemesis!), then click on the “Tools” menu at the top, and select the analyze option.  EZScript Editor will actually point out all of your mistakes in red!

So, just how easy to use is EZScript?  Well, I put the following simple mission together in under five minutes.  Assuming you have herofiles or built-in characters named “ninja” and “deadpool,” you can drop this in your “stories” directory and play it on any EZScript enabled map.:

Story: Ninjageddon

#Sample EZScript adventure
#
#———————————-

Encounter: Opening
Type: Cutscene
Allies: civilian_female

Start Cutscene:
Cinematic camera on deadpool
deadpool says, “Something clever involving the army of ninjas I’m about to kill.”
Ally moves to deadpool
Ally says, “Help, ninjas!”

#———————————-

Encounter: Badguy1
Type: Hunt
Minions: ninja

Start Cutscene:
Cinematic camera on Minion
Minion says, “Kill deadpool!”
Camera on deadpool
deadpool plays animation melee
deadpool says, “Something clever…again.”

End Cutscene:
Cinematic camera on deadpool
deadpool says, “I need to stop these ninjas from blowing up a bus full of children…or some such.”

#———————————-

Encounter: Explosion1
Type: Disarm Bomb
Villains: master_ninja
Minions: ninja
Bomb: ger_crate_ammo
Time: 160
Next: If Bomb Disarmed: Win
Next: If Bomb Exploded: Lose

Start Cutscene:
Cinematic camera on master_ninja
master_ninja says, “You have come to me to die!”
Camera on deadpool
deadpool says, “Blah, blah, blah, clever clever.”

Disarm Bomb Cutscene:
Cinematic camera on deadpool
deadpool says, “Was it the red wire, or the blue one?”

Bomb Exploding Cutscene:
deadpool says, “Ouch!”

Bomb Disarmed Cutscene:
deadpool says, “That got it!”

Bomb Exploded Cutscene:
deadpool says, “Ouch!”