How to hide message box with a spacebar?

[MassMan]

Hello, guys!

I'm using Action UI.
I'd like players to be able to hide message box by clicking a spacebar button or a middle mouse button, so they can see the whole screen and enjoy artworks and characters whenever they like. How can this be done? :)

[Rainjoy]

I think it cannot be done unless the devs will implement it in the future.

[MassMan]

Hope to hear a word from the devs, since it's a really basic feature. For example, Tyrano Builder has it by default. It's a common thing for VN players to disable message box and enjoy full view of characters or scenes.

[Rebecca Kalista]

I don't have the soft open right now, but you should be able to achieve this through an auto-loaded (permanently loaded) Common Event containing a Wait for Input. Something along the lines of...

Variables:
[G:0001 Message Box Visibility] (Set to FALSE by default.)

Common Event: Show/Hide Message Box
Wait for input: X {
If (G:0001 == FALSE) {
Hide Message Box;
Set Message Visibility to FALSE;
Set G:0001 to TRUE;
} else {
Show Message Box;
Set Message Visibility to TRUE;
Set G:0001 to FALSE;
}
}

You would need to take care not to allow the player to advance through the game while the message box is invisible, not sure how to do that exactly but at least you have this as a starting point.

[MassMan]

Originally posted by Rebecca Kalista:

I don't have the soft open right now, but you should be able to achieve this through an auto-loaded (permanently loaded) Common Event containing a Wait for Input. Something along the lines of...

Variables:
[G:0001 Message Box Visibility] (Set to FALSE by default.)

Common Event: Show/Hide Message Box
Wait for input: X {
If (G:0001 == FALSE) {
Hide Message Box;
Set Message Visibility to FALSE;
Set G:0001 to TRUE;
} else {
Show Message Box;
Set Message Visibility to TRUE;
Set G:0001 to FALSE;
}
}

You would need to take care not to allow the player to advance through the game while the message box is invisible, not sure how to do that exactly but at least you have this as a starting point.

Hi,Rebecca.

I'm grateful for your assistance, but wow, is it that complicated? All I want is to hide the message box with one button. Not really following how this code can be linked to a specific keyboard/mouse button.

[Rebecca Kalista]

Perfectly plausible that there's a simpler solution or that one is already built in, in which case I missed it. I would argue this should probably be added into the soft by the devs sooner or later, at least as an option.

The keyboard/mouse button would replace X in the code above (... There is a "Wait for input" kind of conditional/block, right?).

What this code does is fire whenever you press X, check a toggle (that tells it whether the message box is or isn't visible right now) and reverse the box's visibility. It's a simple implementation that doesn't really care about anything but that toggle so you would need to tinker around either way, but it should work, methinks.

[Archeia]

Hi Fracam, you can use pastebin or export that as extension instead of pasting here :o

Originally posted by Rebecca Kalista:

Perfectly plausible that there's a simpler solution or that one is already built in, in which case I missed it. I would argue this should probably be added into the soft by the devs sooner or later, at least as an option.

The keyboard/mouse button would replace X in the code above (... There is a "Wait for input" kind of conditional/block, right?).

What this code does is fire whenever you press X, check a toggle (that tells it whether the message box is or isn't visible right now) and reverse the box's visibility. It's a simple implementation that doesn't really care about anything but that toggle so you would need to tinker around either way, but it should work, methinks.

There is a way to hide the message box if you use the default UI with spacebar/another key IIRC. I haven't checked if action game UI has it by default

[MassMan]

Originally posted by Archeia:

There is a way to hide the message box if you use the default UI with spacebar/another key IIRC. I haven't checked if action game UI has it by default

Hi, Archeia

Please, check out if Action UI has the hide message box function and let us know how to enable it. Hope to hear from you soon!

[Archeia]

Originally posted by MassMan:

Originally posted by Archeia:

There is a way to hide the message box if you use the default UI with spacebar/another key IIRC. I haven't checked if action game UI has it by default

Hi, Archeia

Please, check out if Action UI has the hide message box function and let us know how to enable it. Hope to hear from you soon!

Hi Massman, I'd love to but I'm also extremely busy so I can't check it asap for you.

[MassMan]

Originally posted by Archeia:

Originally posted by MassMan:

Hi, Archeia

Please, check out if Action UI has the hide message box function and let us know how to enable it. Hope to hear from you soon!

Hi Massman, I'd love to but I'm also extremely busy so I can't check it asap for you.

Ok, it's good to know that VNM devs are busy and all, but I'm also busy making a game using this software and hope to get help to activate a standard visual novel feature. May be some other dev can find the time and help with my request. Is anyone available?

[Rebecca Kalista]

Just tried my hand at it in the Action-based UI sample project: https://imgur.com/a/1ACqS / https://pastebin.com/0QrnstKR

This might serve as a starting point (this is basically what I described above). When you press H (you can change the key in the Wait for Input block), it toggles the message box visibility. Remember to set the CE to parallel, auto preload, single instance and auto trigger.

As-is, it's not a sufficient implementation because it appears to mess with the message box's content. This may be because of how the Show/Hide Message Box CEs are implemented.

(If I'm not mistaken you can copypasta straight from the pastebin to the CE configuration screen in VNM.)

[Archeia]

Originally posted by MassMan:

Ok, it's good to know that VNM devs are busy and all, but I'm also busy making a game using this software and hope to get help to activate a standard visual novel feature. May be some other dev can find the time and help with my request. Is anyone available?

Your feature request is available on the standard UI but not on Action UI. It's designed for people who have a strong familiarity with VNM's commands. But that's beside the point. Here's how to do your request.

1.) Create a new Common Event with the following properties:
- Auto
- Runs Parallel
- Single Instance
- Name Local Number Variable #1 to Input Data.
- Name Local Switch #1 to Message Box Visibility.

2.) Copy and Paste the following Commands inside the common event.
https://pastebin.com/TfmZDfsB

It should look like this if everything is setup just right: https://i.imgur.com/fyZrY1T.png

Done.

[MassMan]

Thank you greatly, Archeia! Your solution works fine. :)

[MassMan]

Ok, there's a little downside.

After using the provided solution with a modified Common Event (Hide message box), I've noticed that for some reason it causes blinking animation flickering, even if I don't press the spacebar. Switching to a default Hide Message Box removes blink animation flickering.

Archeia, is it possible to modify that Common Event so it doesn't brake blinking animation?

[Archeia]

No idea. This only changes UI.

[Rainjoy]

Thank you very much Archeia !