EZScript - Cutscene encounter is being skipped

[Sid]

No matter what I try, my opening cutscene is being skipped.

The other events in the mission are working fine.

The script generates no errors in the EZScript editor and looks fine to me.

I've tried various head.nifs, thinking it might be a talking heads issue.  I even tried using the head.nif in the defaulthead folder by swapping it for my characters head.nifs.  The head.nifs work fine with my customs with the rumble room EZScript mini-mods (spy games, allies example, etc). 

I also tried removing the corresponding custom hero files so they couldn't conflict.

Generated lang files using the EZScript editor (many times) and checked the captions.txt file.  The dialogue was present, properly formatted, and looks fine.

I've looked at Pat City Tales and Benton starts a mission with a Type: Cutscene encounter, as does the West Coast Avengers mod, so I know it's possible.  Any suggestions?

[JKCarrier]

You might want to post your EZScript, so the experts can look it over. Many times the folks here have caught some simple little thing that I overlooked. 

[Sid]

Code Select Expand


Story: Mission 2 Busy Night
Starting Encounters: OpeningCS

Encounter: OpeningCS
Type: Cutscene
Allies: Black_Widow, Punisher, Daredevil

Alert Cutscene:
Camera on Daredevil
Daredevil turns to Black_Widow
Black_Widow turns to Daredevil
Unfade for 2 seconds
Black_Widow says, "Thanks for meeting me Matt."
Daredevil says, "Anything for you 'tasha.  You know that.  But you're not here alone are you?"
Daredevil turns to Punisher
Daredevil says, "You can quit skulking in the shadows Castle, I know you're there.  I could smell the gunpowder and rancid cigars from ten blocks away."
Punisher moves to Black_Widow
Punisher turns to Daredevil
Punisher says, "You're girlfriend here thought it best for me to hang back."
Daredevil says, "You should have hung back further.  Like the other side of the city."
Black_Widow says, "Matt, please!  The Punisher is here because I asked him to be.  He has information I thought you should know."
Daredevil says, "Let's hear it then.  What have you got?"
Punisher says, "A couple hours ago I rousted a couple of thugs uptown.  They tried to save their skins by giving up what they knew.   Didn't work."
Daredevil says, "Get on with it."
Punisher says, "They said something big was going down tonite.  Multiple robberies on different targets at the same time.  A coordinated attack.  And the location?  Right here in Hell's Kitchen."
Daredevil says, "Did they say what targets, or who ordered the job?"
Punisher says, "Don't think they knew."
Daredevil says, "Alright.  I'll just have to let them make the first move and be ready to react.  Sounds like I've got a busy night ahead of me.  I can't be everywhere at once though.  You sticking around?"
Black_Widow says, "You know it.  You can't get rid of me that easily."
Punisher says, "Armed and ready.  I didn't come here just to shoot the breeze."
Daredevil says, "Hold on... I'm hearing a group of vans approaching.  Engines straining... heavy... loaded with men.  They are splitting up....I think they are heading towards the.  We'll have to split up to cover all of them.  Let's move."



[M25]

EZ script skips cutscenes when it can't find all of the characters and markers that are used in the cutscene.  

The first thing to do is to double-check that the names you are using are correct (you have characters with that exact spelling) and to make sure that the game is actually spawning them on the map.


Oh, and Cutscene encounters are supposed to use Start Cutscene:  rather than Alert Cutscene:

[Sid]

Thanks for replying M25.

Ok, I put it back to Start Cutscene.  I had tried both (grasping at straws I guess).

The names appear to be the same in the .dats and the script.  However, in tinkering around with it after reading your post, I tried deleting the heros from .dat using FFEdit and adding them back in (using EZHero).  I noticed something in EZHero when I was sending the Black Widow to .dat.  After I clicked on the 'send to dat' button, the field 'Hero Name in DAT file' was simply Black Widow (no underscore).  However, in FFEdit she is called Black_Widow.  Not sure if that is significant or not, but I'll do some further testing.  I noticed that EZHero does not allow you to type an underscore (IIRC it treats it as a space, judging solely by the output on screen).  Is underscore the same as a space to FFEdit/EZScript?

Also, I wonder how capital letters are treated.  I've noticed some things don't seem to be case-sensitive, but I'm not sure if that's universal.  So far I've treated everything as being case-sensitive and always matched cases since I'm not sure.  I notice from Benton's scripts though that he seems to avoid using caps.  Do caps confuse the process?

[M25]

Underscores and spaces are not treated as being the same.  But if FFEdit is showing the character as having an underscore, then use that in EZ script. 

Yes, capital letters can cause problems.  It is best to use lower case when dealing with Freedom Force (both versions). 

[Sid]

I guess I'll just start over with a clean FFX template module then, since nothing I try seems to work.

I've spent a good 10 hours over the weekend and so far this week working with this module, with almost zero actual progress.  Getting frustrated with it.

Thanks for your help.  I guess I'll figure things out eventually (or just give up).

[yell0w_lantern]

It seems weird that you are only using allies for a cutscene at the beginning of a mission. Just a dumb question - none of the allies are repeats of the heroes selected for the mission are they?
Another dumb question: what about substituting Ally_1, Ally_2, Ally_3 (or is it Ally1, etc?) for the actual names?

[M25]

Are they characters showing up on the map?

Go into m25config.py and set
M25_USE_REPORT = 1

Then run the mission again and look in the script.log file (in the main FF directory) to see if there are any errors.

[Sid]

It seems weird that you are only using allies for a cutscene at the beginning of a mission. Just a dumb question - none of the allies are repeats of the heroes selected for the mission are they?

Actually, all of them are.  However, I've tried the script with and without the Allies field.  Your suggestion gives me an idea.  I will try deleting the Allies field and referring to the characters in EZScript as hero_1, hero_2, etc.  However, how do I know which one will be which?  Can't have Natasha speaking the Punisher's lines.

M25, yes, the characters are showing up on the map.

Here is the entire script.log.

>>> system/init.py executed
>>> system/localinit.py executed
>>> system\tredir.py executed
loading datfiles version 0.256000
loading cshelper ...
>>> C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Irrational Games\Freedom Force vs the 3rd Reich\temp\base.py executed
dream base/start