Message Control Plugin v2.0 for RPG Maker MZ

Hey RPG Makers!

This update to the Message Control plugin by McKathlin vastly expands the features available for RPG Maker MZ’s Show Text message windows!

New Message Control features:

• Change the Show Text window color!
• Change the Show Text window size (width and number of lines).
• Change the Show Text window text alignment.
• Change the Show Text window position: If the window’s width is less than the size of the screen, the window can be positioned to the left or right side of the screen, or in the center.
• Support for more than 4 lines appearing in the Show Text window!

And of course, word wrap can still be toggled on and off, and works perfectly no matter the size of the window!

You can create your own list of Show Text pre-sets, so that you can easily change the windows throughout your game and maintain a consistent window appearance. You can have as many Show Text pre-sets as you like!

Download Message Control Plugin MZ

How to Install

1. Download the file, and unzip it.
2. Make sure the unzipped file is named McKathlin_MessageControl.js and is saved as a .js file.
3. Open the file folder of your project. Place the file in your project’s “js” folder, within the “plugins” folder.
4. Open your project in RPG Maker MZ, then go to the Tools menu and select Plugin Manager. Use the Plugin Manager to add and activate the plugin.
5. I recommend you place this plugin toward the bottom of your plugin list, so it has high priority.

Examples

Message Control allows changing the Show Text window’s color, width, text alignment, number of lines, and other text settings.

You can make certain messages a different color, depending on what is happening in your game’s story. In this example, the event is using a blue window color at night.

If you want, you can allow the player to select the default style for Show Text message windows. When the default message window style is changed, the setting is remembered within the save file.

In this example, the message window width has been decreased, color has been changed to red, and text aligns to the right side of the window.

In this example, a dim window is used with custom width, 16 lines of text, and alignment centered. Also, the Hard Edge setting is active, so there is not a gradient at the top and bottom of the dim window.

Message Control is perfect for so many types of messages! Here are just a few ways you can use Message Control:

• Centered text for exposition of the story, or for poetry!
• Change the window color depending on who is speaking or the time of day!
• Allow the player to choose the default color of Show Text windows!

There are even all sorts of extra features, such as:

• Adapt the window’s position to top or bottom depending on the location of the event on the screen! This is great for townspeople wandering around a map!
• Allow certain message windows to show text instantaneously! This is great for signs, books, or engravings that you want to appear as if they are always present (instead of gradually appearing like spoken dialogue).
• If you like, you can remove the margin at the edges of windows!
• Choose whether to use word wrap for the help window that displays item descriptions!
• Choose whether to show gradient back panels behind selectable options in menus and choice lists!

Use the Adaptive Positioning option in a pre-set to allow windows on the bottom to automatically re-position themselves to the top (or vice versa) to avoid covering the player or the active event. This is great for townspeople who wander around a map!

Global parameters for McKathlin’s Message Control plugin for RPG Maker MZ, as seen in the Plugin Manager. The default window style can be set here, as well as the window style presets, and other settings.

Using the Plugin Manager, you can create Show Text widow style presets. You can then use the presets from anywhere in your game! This makes it easy to keep a consistent appearance throughout your game.

Each window style has many settings that can be customized! These include window width, line count, color, text alignment, whether to use word wrap, and more!

Each time you want to change the Show Text window style, just use the “Use Preset” plugin command from the McKathlin_MessageControl plugin.

You can even change the default message window style during the game! When the “Save Preset as New Default” plugin command is used, the selected pre-set is remembered as the new default for Show Text windows in the current save file.

Help Documentation

Message Control Plugin v2.0
For RPG Maker MZ
By McKathlin
Dependencies
We've done our best to make Message Control work easily with other plugins regardless of plugin list order, particularly our plugins, as well as any plugins that provide new escape characters. However, conflicts are possible with other developers' plugins if they heavily alter Game_Message, Window_Base, Window_Message, or Window_Help.
How to Start Using This Plugin
1. Be aware that this plugin enables word wrap by default. You can now type paragraphs in your text commands without thinking about line lengths. When word wrap is on, normal line breaks in editor will be ignored. To make a line break in your message text, use the text code
2. Look over Default Window Style and adjust its properties to your liking. For more details, look in this help text for the Plugin Parameters section, Window Style Presets subsection.
3. If your game sometimes needs a message window with a different size, dimensions, or other properties, define a preset for each style in the plugin parameter called Window Style Presets. You can call and apply these presets in your events with the Use Preset plugin command.
4. By default, changes made by calling Use Preset, Turn Word Wrap ON/OFF, or Adaptive Position plugin commands will automatically reset to default after each event finishes. If you want these changes to be permanent for each game save, find the plugin parameter Auto-Revert to Default Style and turn it OFF.
5. As needed, adjust the remaining plugin parameters to make your game's message windows and choice lists to look the way you want. For more info, refer to the Plugin Parameters section of this help text.
6. To learn all the ways you can alter the message window as the game runs, refer to the Plugin Commands section below.
Plugin Commands
Position Center
- Start centering the message window horizontally.
Position Left
- Start positioning the message window on the left side of the screen.
Position Right
- Start positioning the message window on the right side of the screen.
Use Preset
- Start using the window style defined in the preset named in the Preset Name argument.
- For info on setting up presets, see this help text's Plugin Parameters section for Window Style Presets.
Reset to Default
- Reset the window style to default settings.
Save Preset as New Default
- The preset named in this command's Preset Name will be the new default window style, preserved in the current game's save data.
Save Current Settings as New Default
- The current message window style settings (color, size, word wrap, etc.) will be the new default window style, preserved in the current game's save data.
Turn Word Wrap OFF
- Disables word wrap in this event's message window.
- When word wrap is off, editor newlines are honored.
Turn Word Wrap ON
- Enables word wrap in this event's message window.
- When word wrap is turned on, line breaks from the editor are ignored. To force a line break in a specific place, use the text code
Adaptive Position: Player
- Start making the message window adapt to the position of the player. If a bottom-positioned message window would overlap the player, it's top-positioned instead. If a top-positioned message window would overlap the player, it's put on the bottom instead. A middle-positioned messsage window stays where it is regardless of overlap.
- An Adaptive Position call lasts until the end of the active event's processing.
Adaptive Position: Event
- Start making the message window avoid overlapping the event that contains this plugin command call. As with Adaptive Position: Player, bottom may shift to top, or top to bottom, but middle stays where it is.
Adaptive Position: Off
- Disable the Adaptive Position feature until the active event's processing ends. Message Windows will show up exactly where their text commands dictate, regardless of the position of any on-screen sprite.
Plugin Parameters
Default Window Style
- Use this to customize the width, number of lines of text, color, text alignment, word wrap, etc. The message window will return to these settings whenever the "Reset to Default" plugin command is called. See Window Style Presets below for more info on properties.
Window Style Presets
- Define message window styles here, and you can call them in events with the Use Preset plugin command. Each window style preset is a bundle of message window properties, as follows:
-- Name: A unique name for this preset. Use this to reference a preset in the Use Preset plugin command.
-- Width: Message window width in pixels. If blank or zero, RMMZ's default message window width applies.
-- Line Count: Message window is tall enough for this many lines of text.
-- Color: This preset's message window color. Leave blank to use the game's default window color. Name box and choice list also take on the message color, but field menu and other in-game windows are unaffected.
-- Text Align: Align message window text lines Left, Center, or Right. DISCLAIMER: Using the text size change codes { and } may throw off line length calculations used by word wrap and center and right text alignment. Other RMMZ text codes have full Message Control support.
-- Word Wrap: Whether to use text wrapping. When word wrap is on, editor line breaks are ignored. Use
to insert a line break into message text.
-- Adaptive Position Target: Active Event, Player, or None. Move bottom window to top, or top window to bottom, to avoid overlapping the target character, if any. Middle windows stay in the middle always.
-- Instant Text: If true, each page of text appears in the window instantly.
-- Page Break Between Text Commands: If true, each text command starts a new page. This is default RMMZ behavior. If false, consecutive text commands flow together onto the same page if there's room, and if text command properties (name, position, etc.) match from one command to the next. Turning off the page break can be useful for presets that have large line counts.
Auto-Revert to Default Style
- If this plugin parameter is turned ON, the window style will automatically return to the Default Window Style at the end of processing any event. If the auto-revert parameter is turned OFF, the last window style used is permanent for the current save, until another Use Preset command or the Reset to Default command runs.
Word Wrap Width Percent
- Word wrap relies on JavaScript's text width measurement feature, which behaves differently depending on the font you use. If you've turned on word wrap but text overflows the right side of the message window, decrease the plugin parameter Word Wrap Width Percent slightly until it looks better. A fraction of a point may be enough. If your text stops too far short of the right edge of the window, increase Word Wrap Width Percent slightly.
Word Wrap Help Window
- Use this plugin parameter to turn word wrap ON or OFF for text shown in menus' help window.
- Note: To turn word wrap ON or OFF in the message window, use the plugin command Turn Word Wrap ON or Turn Word Wrap OFF, or customize the window style preset to have word wrap on or off.
Text Y Adjust
- Text Y Adjust alters where text sits on its line. If you notice the font you've chosen sits too high on its line, a positive Text Y Adjust can improve its appearance. Or if the text sits too low, a negative Text Y Adjust can correct it.
Line Height Adjust
- Line Height Adjust increases or decreases line height by a given number of pixels. If the text in the font and size you've chosen looks cramped, a positive Line Height adjust can give it vertical space. Lines per window will remain the same, so increasing Line Height Adjust makes the message window and other text-holding windows taller. A negative Line Height Adjust makes windows more compact; each contained line takes less vertical space.
Window Margin
- The parameter Window Margin alters the distance from the edge of UI windows, to the edge of the map or background on all sides. RMMZ's default is 4; a 4-pixel-wide sliver of background shows beyond window edges.
-- Increase Window Margin to show a wider band of background.
-- Decrease Window Margin to 0 to put the window's edge flush with the edge of the game's display, a look typical of retro games.
Dim Window Style
- RPG Maker MZ's text commands provide three background options: Window, Dim, and Transparent. When the background is Dim, by default RMMZ puts a gradient on the top and bottom of the message area.
-- If you want your game's dim message area to have a hard edge, set the Dim Window Style parameter to Hard Edge. Hard Edge dim windows use the exact same margins as standard windows.
-- Gradient Edge dim windows extend 4px outside standard window margins.
- Dim windows of either style use all attributes of the active Window Style Preset, except for color.
Show Window Contents Back Panels
- By default, RPG Maker MZ puts a gradient panel behind each selectable item on choice lists and on every selectable list or menu in the game. If you don't want your game's UI to show these back panels, set the parameter "Show Window Contents Back Panels" to OFF (false).
Version History
v1.0: 6/19/2021
- Word wrap
- Text line adjustments
v1.1: 9/10/2021
- Fixed bug where words longer than a whole line of text sometimes caused the game to freeze when word wrap was on.
- Words longer than 1 line now wrap mid-word.
- Added "Word Wrap Width Percent" parameter, which can be adjusted so that word wrap works correctly for your game's font.

v2.0: 12/11/2021
- Presets can adjust message window width, line count, align, etc. all at once with a single plugin command.
- Window style auto-reverts when each event stops running.
- Dim windows may have gradient edge or hard edge.
- Message windows can position dynamically to avoid overlapping the player or the active event.
Terms of Use
1. You joined Tyruswoo.com as a paying member when you downloaded this plugin. You do not have to remain a paying member to use the plugin you downloaded. However, your support is greatly appreciated, and allows me to continue improving and updating plugins.
2. You agree to not redistribute this plugin. You agree to direct others to Tyruswoo.com if they want the plugin.
3. You may use this for any game for which you are one of the main developers. This includes any commercial or non-commercial game you are creating.
4. Adding "McKathlin and Tyruswoo", "Tyruswoo Studio", or "Tyruswoo Team" to your game's credits is greatly appreciated, but not required.
5. Likewise, listing which Tyruswoo Team plugins you used is appreciated, but not required.
6. A free copy of your game is awesome, but not required.
Happy storytelling!
-McKathlin

Many thanks go to McKathlin for her excellent work in adding so many features and options for RPG Maker MZ’s Show Text windows!

Remember, only you can build your dreams!

Tyruswoo

McKathlin

• Software Engineer
• Pixel Artist
• Music Composer
• Sound Engineer