What's the best way to establish the same HUD object (and their different states) for all NPCs?

Hi everyone!

In my game, a general HUD object is the same for all NPCs. However, this object has 3 different animations/frames and each NPC has its own instance variable (with the same function) to be associated with these animations. This variable and object expresses the NPC's relationship with the player and, as a state, will vary throughout the game.

To be practical, it is currently programmed as follows:

- All NPCs are in the same family

- There is a single HUD object for all NPCs, which only appears when the player presses UP on the NPC

- Each NPC has its own variable associated with the 3 animations of the HUD object

Do you think that each NPC should have its own HUD object or is there a way to keep one for everyone, discriminating in the programming in some way?

Follow the images of the events below for you to understand better:

Thanks! :D

If you have lots of NPCs but only one HUD can be on the screen at a time, then it's probably better to use one instance of HUD - spawn and destroy, or to keep it off-screen and re-show when needed.

With not so many NPCs you can do what's easier for you, for example you may create a HUD for each instance, pin it and keep it invisible.

Okay, man.

What I'm trying to say here is that I'm sharing the same HUD object for all NPCs, for facilitating programming when I think it's the easiest method. Each NPC has its own instance variable that determines a specific animation of the same HUD object independently from the other NPCs.

The most laborious (and conscious) way would be to create X identical HUD objects and program them individually, creating dozens of event lines. I'm trying to optimize this, I just don't know how. :(

Hi —, below is the mockup you requested:

You mean the instance variable is defined on each object, not on the family? You need to move it the family. See this tutorial on how to simplify this task:

https://www.construct.net/en/tutorials/upgrade-object-family-319

If a use a Family Instance Variable, it won't work as an individual state.

Each NPC has its emotional state. It isn't a collective behavior.

Actually a variable given to a family becomes an individual variable for all the object it contains, you can select an object with that variable inside the family, but also outside it, if you check the object variables in an event you'll see that it shares the variables of the family, it's better than creating a variable for each individual object;

Back to your mockup, do your NPCs have a variable that define if the player is talking to them? Like a boolean that would be on if talked to, and off if not

Good, using this boolean you can pick which NPC is currently talking or interacted with (system event "Pick by comparison"), and then create the HUD sprite next to the NPC, and in the same action set the HUD frame/animation based on the NPC variable, for example if variable = Happy, HUD : set animation to NPC.(your variable), and when exiting the dialog, destroy the HUD object