Pick 1 RANDOM Item... but ONLY with a specific variable?

Hey All,

Continue to my other thread I'm looking for a solution.

In order to test this fast I made only 5 items for start for start (I'm not using Array).

I have 5 items:

- Every item is actually an animation within 1 Sprite.

- Global variable: "Item_Number" (initial with 0 which is NO Item by default)

- When the Player pickup an object called: "RANDOMIZER" (other sprite) it pick one of ALL the items, using a simple random action:

int(random(1,5))

You can make a While loop to repeat random if it chooses a wrong item, but this is not a great solution. If you have 20 items and 20 variables, this event will be huge!!!

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One way to do this is to keep all these item sprites on the layout (you can move them outside of the visible area). Then use "System pick random instance" event to pick a random item. You can destroy items after they are found or add an instance variable "isFound" to this sprite and do something like this:

Item isFound=0
System pick random instance of Item 
 -> Item set isFound=1
 -> Item set position to (mouse.X, mouse.Y)

Thanks for sharing your idea dop2000 I appreciate it!

My items are on different layout I spawn them when needed, but I have 1 sprite with all the animated items.

I'm looking for a way to make an event that will use random action to pick ONLY from the items who have the specific variable value of "item_found" = 1

I'm not sure how it can be done, but for example (in theory only) something like this:

random("Item_Found=1") 

Just add all items to the layout (outside of visible area) and pick one random instance. This is the easiest solution. See my previous comment.

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I told you many times, arrays and dictionaries are not that complicated. You just need to start using them. It's up to you of course, but if you choose to do everything with global variables, you'll spend ten times more time and will end up with messy and unmanageable code.

Dear dop2000, I just had a chance to look at your file, it is VERY visual and very much to my taste but I'm not sure how to apply these simple rules to my game, I got started and I'm stuck so maybe you can help me out here:

I have a dedicated Layout where I place all the Item instances called: "Item_Common" (I may change it to just "ITEMS" later, the reason is that it's easier to place everything in one layout, and I have it's very own dedicated event sheet that I put properties for every single item as well.

Also, I think it's much cleaner not to copy past all the instances out of each layout I'm working on, but I'm not sure if I can pick them if they are not on the same layout. (oops?)

Originally, I just spawned randomly from the "Items" Layout just 1 of the Items:

1 sprite contains 5 animations, each animation = different item. (the random set the animation, simple)

The Player spawned to the stage layout (every stage will be a different layout) so I'm not sure if the pick random instance is looking at the Layout? or it looks on it where it is in any layout... explanation how it works please?

Anyway, I just played with it until I got stuck so what I did is making trying to replace the old "random" choose item with the pick random instance following your example, but in my example it's not changing position (since the Items are not there but on other Layout) so I need to spawn them.

Is this possible at all? and how? here is my current not-finished code:

Do you think it can still work consider I need to pick a random instance from a different Layout?

I hope there is a solution, I really like this visual way you presented to me!

Thanks ahead!