By "alternative" I mean alternative input. I have an onscreen joypad that when you touch the direction you wish to go, it moves you. With keyboard you hold "A" to run, but with this you will simply tap the direction again. I have a variable set to go up when you tap that button, on 1 it does the walk animation at the proper walk speed, and on 2 it does the run animation, but it isn't proper. Instead it sticks on frame 1 and doesn't seem to resolve to the rest of the animation. Please help me resolve this issue!

SCREENSHOT OF THE CODE THAT ISN'T WORKING:

— I thought about this, and just haven't played with it yet. My game is rather huge so I have it how I want for now and I'll change it later before release. lol Glad to know it works though, pilates to you.

I found...not a better way but a different way of doing what I was trying to get done. I'll save the fancy fading and stuff for when the game is done.

For the fade behavior, is there a method to determine if the fade IN is done? It has an option for fade OUT but it needs to be IN somehow (or a workaround).

Alright, I totally understand now. But another question. If I am to put the entire world in one layout, is it possible to place it all in a HUGE layout, or in layers as you suggest? I am sure I could keep the memory low either way, because I can still hide things. It's just that the world will get complicated, and it's going to be hard to work between layers, but it would be easy to have an overview of the entire world on one layer. Could you explain the benefits of either, and if it's a memory issue, is there a way I can do it as I suggested and save memory in other ways than I mentioned?

I don't understand still. I have a layout called "menu" that I created. I copied all the menu things I had in my test area over to the "menu" layout, which is the size of the screen. How do I make it show up on any other layout?

My intent is to have a full game world, and different players will come in to play as well. I think multiple layouts would be best to keep things clean. This isn't going to be a "pick a level" and the level is a one screen puzzle. This is going to be a full explorable world, and I know it's doable, but I need to get it right some how without the menu having to be copied over to each layout.

...

Okay so just to clarify, in case I missed something:

Can the menu be designed on one layout and called on from other layouts? If so I must have missed how this is done.

OR

Do I have to put a menu in each layout I use?

DUTOIT see how this looks. I know it's pretty low res, but I'm sure it's satisfactory. Odds are I'll edit some of the letters later.

http://roracle.x10.mx

Edit: the menu's not the title screen. Pull them from the side.

Naw, it's still ugly as hell, no softness/feathered borders to the letters. I just made a new font, but I'll have to work more on it. The p's and q's and g's going under the line make the text look goofy.

I've been trying to find a sprite font that is similar to the original, but not so far spaced. Anyone find a good one yet, or is it yet another thing I'll have to do for graphics? lol

Ah, yes, that's a good idea about having a keyboard button (likely "M") to pop all menu's out. I should figure a way of allowing each to individually pop out, as well as adding an "on touch" auto-popout too.

Regarding the user interface: I think it will all be integrated into the menu system. As I said, the way the skills and the stats menu come from the left and top, the inventory/equip screen will pop out from the right, and the hotbar will pop out from the bottom.

The goal is to keep an area of game play visible, keeping the left and right side menu's semi-transparent so players can see mobs that may have spawned coming for them, or other players that are coming. I'm considering putting all the stats (the top menu) on the right side, and putting the more accessible and less gameplay-intrusive top menu to task as the inventory/equipment screen.

As for the bottom menu, the "hotbar" if you will, it will likely remain up at all times and should be exempt from the "hide all menus" function (but not from the "show all" in case the user personally hides the menu). The attack and jump button should be on the hotbar, but not able to be hidden with the bar, as it is a necessary feature. It should also look different than the rest of the hot bar. (The hotbar will contain skills or spells dragged from the skill list or spell books).

Text notifications will be limited to skill leveling and display it in a similar style as Elder Scrolls V did it, displaying your level progress. (No levels in my game, so it will show how much longer until a skill's governing stat is raised by a point.)

If you have any tips based on the things I've mentioned here, please tell me. I'm not beyond rearranging the menus because it's all on the fly anyways. The game I pretty much have written out and semi-planned as much as a one-man army can, but menu's were defiantly an afterthought.

I appreciate the help you have given, and any you may yet enlighten me on further.