Interacting with the same character in multiple zones

[+CWillyPngn]

Hi All:

 

I’m in the process of building a tour-type Wherigo for a local museum using the Earwigo builder. I would like to have the geocachers interact with same character in more than one zone using the “Talk to” command. How can I accomplish this? Would I need to move the character (much like I do with items) into the same zone if I wish to interact with him or her?

 

Many thanks in advance!

 

CWillyPngn

[+cantuland]

That's how I would do it, with a Move. Shut off the character, nonactive, nonvisible, all that stuff. Then Move the character to the new zone. Then be sure to turn on the character somewhere in the process. This could work, for example, if you want the character to interact with the narrator, or something like Alice's Cheshire Cat.

[+charlenni]

Why not create a character in each zone? It is much easier, because you don't have to decide, what to answer, when the user press "Talk to".

[+Forest-Ghost]

I created a tour guide type Wherigo like this and ran into a major problem. If using the same character but are moving them in each zone you will have to activate or deactivate the command "talk" for each zone depending on where the character is. Doing this, you will need to create a new "talk" command for each zone. In urwigo This gets confusing because you will have multiples of the same command. I believe there is a limit on the number of commands you can give a character or item at 6. If you use more there will be problems with the player.

 

There's a variety of work arounds. One possibility would be to simply show a message On proximity or on enter in each zone and the message could have an image of that character. This makes it appear like you are interacting with that character. The other option is create one talk command but change the message or input based upon a variable for that zone. I like the idea of having different characters in each zone too.

[+CWillyPngn]

I agree. I think the easier way to would be just create another character or its twin for each zone rather than to move the characters around from zone to zone. I tried to tinker with that last possibility in Earwigo builder and I ended up getting myself more confused.

 

I thought of using Forest Ghost’s suggestion of creating a talk command, but changing the message or input based the variable. But I was not sure how I would program the variable to trigger the message/input for that particular zone. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

CWillyPngn

[+Forest-Ghost]

I was thinking about it more and I would go with charlenni's suggestion. The down side is it appears you can't have characters with the same element name in earwigo. I created a simple example made in earwigo using multiple characters, it apparently won't let me attach, email me if you want a copy. If it must have only one named character than the other option is every time a character enters a zone move the tour guide to that zone. Next enable the commands you will need and disable the commands you don't. Either of these will be alot easier than going the route of using variables.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Forest-Ghost

[+CWillyPngn]

I forgot that I can’t use the characters with the same element name. I might have to create another character to appear in the second zone or use one of the work arounds that you suggested earlier.

 

Thanks Forest-Ghost. Email sent.

[+thecatts]

Please can you advise how to shut off the talk to command for each zone. I am doing a Church Wherigo and I want the vicar to pop up at each question point. As such he is in zone 1, has a talk to command, asks a question, gives commands to move on or retry if answer wrong or right. I am stuck at the next bit, as in how do I turn off the talk to, or attribute it to one zone only so I can do a further talk to at zone 2...

[Ranger Fox]

If you don't need the vicar in the zone after the player talks to him, you could move the vicar to the next zone as the first command when you talk to him.  If you still need him around in the current zone, you should be able to disable the command, at which point the player app is supposed to be smart enough to recognize there isn't an object in that zone anymore that has that command.  If that's not the case--it really depends on how the player app handles things--disabling the command and then toggling the zone's enabled state should do the trick.

 

So:

- On Talk()

-    - Disable Talk command

-    - Set zone.Enabled = false

-    - Set zone.Enabled = true

-    - Do things for Talk