Intros: Sprite Editor
Section 7.J.2
This plugin adds a new editor that allows you to quickly edit your trainer sprites. This is similar to the Pokemon metrics editor, but specifically for trainer sprites.
In this subsection, I will go over all of the features of this new trainer sprite editor.
Accessing the Trainer Sprite Editor
In vanilla Essentials, you can edit the properties of trainer types by accessing the debug menu and selecting "PBS file editors..." and then selecting "Edit trainer_types.txt." However, this plugin expands this editor so that you may now also edit your trainer sprites.
When selecting to edit the trainer_types.txt PBS file, you will now be presented with two options to choose from, rather than immediately being taken to the properties editor. These options will be called "Edit properties", which will take you to the usual editor, while the second option will be called "Edit sprites", which will open the trainer sprite editor.
Navigating the Sprite Editor
Once inside the editor, you can select a specific trainer type from the list and edit the properties of that sprite. Below, I'll explain how to navigate this menu, and what you can expect to see displayed for each trainer type.
Menu Navigation
In the editor menu, the names of ever trainer type in your game will be displayed alphabetically. The gender of each trainer type will be displayed as part of the trainer type's name, if they have one. In addition, any trainer type that has an ID with an underscore in it will display the text after that underscore next to that trainer type's name, in parentheses.
For example, :LEADER_Brawly will display in this editor as Gym Leader ♂ (Brawly). This makes it easier to navigate to the exact trainer type you want to edit, since many different trainer types may share the same display name (such as Gym Leaders, or various "Pokemon Trainers").
While scrolling through this list of trainer types, each one will play their intro animation when they appear on screen. If you want to quickly scroll through the list, you can use the JUMPUP (A) and JUMPDOWN (S) keys to scroll through entire pages at once.
If you'd like an even quicker method of navigation, pressing the ACTION (Z) key will pull up a window and allow you to type in the name of a specific trainer type you'd like to immediately jump to. This search bar isn't case sensitive, and it also accepts partial matches, so you don't have to accurately type out the full name as displayed in the menu. For example, just typing in "gym" will immediately jump to the first Gym Leader sprite in the menu.
Sprite Displays
For each trainer type found in the editor, a variety of different sprites may be displayed. This makes it easy at a glance to check all of the relevant sprites in your game related to each trainer type.
Front Sprite
The front sprite and shadow for the trainer type will be displayed on the foe's side of the screen in the same position that it will appear during battle. If this trainer has a sprite strip, it will animate and play its intro animation. If no front sprite for this trainer type exists in Graphics/Trainers, then the placeholder question mark sprite will be displayed, similar to Pokemon sprites.
Back Sprite
If the selected trainer type has a back sprite located in Graphics/Trainers, then this will be displayed on the player's side of the screen in the same position that it will appear during battle. Unlike front sprites, the trainer's back sprite will not animate when displayed here.
Most trainers don't have back sprites, so no placeholder is used here if one isn't found.
Overworld Sprite
If the selected trainer type has an overworld sprite located in Graphics/Characters, then this will be displayed in the top left corner of the screen.
Mugshot Sprite
If the selected trainer type has a mugshot sprite located in Graphics/Transitions, then this will be displayed in the upper left quadrant of the screen, to the right of where the overworld sprite would be. Only mugshot sprites that begin with hgss_vs_, vsE4_, rocket_, or vsTrainer_ in their file names will be searched for.
Command Menu
When you select a highlighted trainer type in the main menu, a new command window will open up with a variety of options to select from. These options will allow you to edit how these sprites will be displayed in battle. Below, I'll explain the functions for each option found in this command menu.
Replay Animation
When selected, the front sprite for this trainer type will replay its animation from the beginning. You can use this to view this animation as many times as you like. If you select this while viewing a trainer sprite that doesn't have an animation, nothing will happen.
Set Sprite Scaling
This option will allow you to set the sprite scaling that should be applied to the front sprite of this trainer type. Use the arrow keys to increase or decrease the amount of scaling applied. Note that any scaling applied to the trainer sprite will automatically be applied to its shadow, too.
The lowest amount of scaling a sprite may have is 1 (no scaling), while the most amount of scaling a sprite may have is 10 (ten times larger).
Set Shadow Position
This option will allow you to set the metrics for the shadow cast by the front sprite of this trainer type. Use the LEFT/RIGHT arrow keys to move the shadow along the X axis, and the UP/DOWN arrow keys to move the shadow along the Y axis.
Note that if a trainer type is flagged to not cast any shadow, then these metrics cannot be edited.
Set Shadow Visibility
This option allows you to toggle whether or not this trainer type casts a shadow or not. Press the USE key to toggle the trainer's shadow on or off. When you've made your decision, press the BACK key to return to the command menu, and you will be prompted if you want to save your decision.
Note that whenever you turn off a trainer type's shadow, the metrics for that shadow is reset.
Set Sprite Hue
This option allows you to set a hue to apply to this trainer type's sprites. Use the UP/DOWN keys to increase or decrease the hue by 1, respectively. For a quicker method, you can use the RIGHT/LEFT keys to increase or decrease the hue by 10.
Note that when a hue is applied, this hue will not just apply to the trainer's front sprite, but to its back sprite and mugshot as well (if they have any). You can use hues to create variant trainer types that all utilize the same sprite, but with different hues. This may eliminate the need for including several redundant sprites.
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