Add a day-night cycle!
This plugin keeps track of time of day as the cycle advances, auto-updates variables and switches based on time of day, and applies screen tones to areas marked as outdoors.
Also, add lighting presets to your maps!
To start seeing results from this plugin, follow these steps:
- As with any plugin, place it in the plugins folder and add it to your plugin list.
- Edit plugin parameters to assign any switches and variables you plan on using in your events. For example, you can use the Night switch to make events that only show up at night.
- For any maps that should advance the day-night cycle when the player
walks, add this to the map's Note:
<DayNight: step>
Now all maps' lighting changes based on time of day.
Here's how you can customize each map's lighting conditions:
- Open this plugin's parameters to Simple Lighting Presets, and look over your options. For instance, "Bright" makes a map bright as day at all times; "Fire" gives the map a subdued warm light; "Dark" is dim lighting good for caves, etc. Configure your own presets here if you want.
- To assign a lighting preset to a specific map, right click the map, and
choose Edit. In the Note box, type a lighting notetag with the name
of the preset to use map-wide. For example:
<lighting: Fire>See the Map Notetag Examples section below for more info. - Also, you can change which lighting preset applies to all maps that
don't have their own lighting notetag. Change the plugin parameter
Default Lighting Keyword to the name of the lighting preset you want.
This is useful if most of your maps are indoor or dungeon maps.
Then for the few maps that are outside, add the map notetag
<lighting: Outside>
Here's how to make events change depending on the time of day:
- This plugin's parameters include Daytime Switch and Night Switch. Set these to switch IDs that will automatically be updated when the time of day changes between day and night.
- If you plan on having your game check the exact day, hour, or minute of day-night cycle time passed, set their variables in the plugin parameters as well. This is optional.
- To make an event that only shows up at night, set the event page's conditions to include your game's Night Switch. For an event that only shows up in the daytime, make its event page conditions include the Day Switch.
- To make an event change the time of day, have it use a plugin command such as Add Time or Set Time. For example, an inn might use Set Time to pass the night and make it morning. See the Plugin Command Examples section for more info.
Optionally, you can set up a cycle where some nights have different lighting and a different switch active from most nights. We call this Bloodmoon, but in your game you can tie any meaning to it you want: New Moon, Full Moon, Blue Moon, Eclipse, whatever you have in mind. Here's how to set it up:
- Set the plugin parameter Enable Bloodmoon to ON.
- Use the plugin parameters to assign any Bloodmoon switches and variable you plan to have your game's events use.
- Set the plugin parameters Days in Moon Cycle and Nights Before First Bloodmoon to set how often unusual nights happen and when they start.
- Adjust the Bloodmoon dusk, night, and dawn tone phases to your liking. The default settings give these nights a dark red cast, but you can change this to whatever you like.
<DayNight: step>
Each step while on this map advances the in-universe time by the
number of minutes given in the "Minutes Per Step" parameter.
<DayNight: step=15m>
Each step while on this map causes the in-universe time to advance by
the given number of minutes (in this case, 15).
<Lighting: outside>
The screen tone while in this map will vary depending on the time of day.
<lighting: dark>
While on this map, the "Dark" lighting preset's screen tone will be used,
unless overridden by an event. For more map lighting options, see the
"Simple Lighting Presets" parameter.
Set Time 7:05 AM
- Sets the the time of day to the specified time.
- In-universe time passed only moves forward, so setting the time earlier than the present time will advance in-universe time to the next day.
Add Time 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Moves the time of day forward the specified amount.
Reset Time
- Changes the time back to game start time on day 0.
McKathlin.DayNightCycle.getMinutes();
// The number of minutes past the current hour: 0 through 59
McKathlin.DayNightCycle.getHours();
// The hour of the current day: 0 (midnight) through 23 (11 PM)
McKathlin.DayNightCycle.getDays();
// Number of full days since midnight of the starting day.
McKathlin.DayNightCycle.getTotalHours();
// Number of hours since midnight of the starting day.
McKathlin.DayNightCycle.getTotalMinutes();
// Number of minutes since midnight of the starting day.
McKathlin.DayNightCycle.getMinutesOfDay();
// Number of minutes since midnight of the current day.
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v1.0 6/1/2021
- Day-Night Cycle plugin released for RPG Maker MZ
v1.1 12/27/2021
- Fixed bug where day-night switches and variables updated based on the previous time change. (Errors were most noticeable after multi-hour time jumps, such as inn stays.)
- Added more getting started instructions to help text.
v2.0 6/13/2022
- Optional Bloodmoon feature. Periodically, one night will have unusual lighting, and signal its presence with a distinct switch.
- Reset Lighting plugin command. Allows tinting the screen back to whichever lighting the map would use, based on the lighting notetag in the map's note.
- Use Lighting Preset plugin command. Allows tinting the screen to any lighting preset defined in the plugin parameters, using a lighting keyword.
v2.1 12/7/2022
- Fixed bug where Bloodmoon phase screen tones failed to display.
- Fixed bug where Bloodmoon phase switches failed to update.
v2.1.1 - 8/30/2023
- This plugin is now free and open source under the MIT license.
Enjoy the plugin!
McKathlin