Welcome back to our series chronicling the many uses of The Sandbox Game Maker’s “On-Equip” feature.

For those new to the series, On-Equip is a versatile tool that enhances player experiences by allowing items to trigger specific actions or effects when equipped. By integrating On-Equip mechanics, creators can introduce new levels of interactivity, making gameplay more dynamic and engaging.

Today, we’re examining how On-Equip can be used to trigger a crowd event for social interaction or cooperative play

Ready to learn more? Update to the latest version of Game Maker and prepare to see what’s possible with On-Equip!

This article is part four of an 11-part series about using On-Equip. To read more, click one of the links below:

1. Part 1: NPC Interactions
2. Part 2: Toggling Between States
3. Part 3: Hex or Impede Players
4. Part 4: Trigger Unique Interactions
5. Part 5: Create Class-Based Systems
6. Part 6: Avoid Environmental Hazards

Using Equipment to Trigger Social Events

Imagine a lively social hub within your game where players can discover hidden items that allow them to start dynamic social gatherings. By combining specific equipment, like dancing shoes, with a unique item found through exploration, players can initiate crowd events such as impromptu dance parties. This not only adds a fun, interactive element to the game but also fosters community interaction.

How This Could Appear in Your Game or Experience

You may choose to create a multiplayer game where the player learns through an NPC or quest that there is unique equipment to be found with hidden power, like dancing shoes. Once these are collected and equipped from the player’s inventory, the player learns through a hint that they need a special item, such as a balloon, to activate the equipment’s power. The hidden item (a balloon) spawned into the game world when the player equipped the dancing shoes, so they must search the world for the new item.

They find the balloon and pick it up, learning that it holds a special enchantment that makes all who wear the dancing shoes the life of the party! The player is informed that they simply have to press a specific button on their keyboard or mouse to trigger a dynamic crowd event around them, anywhere and anytime. This event is not scripted and is player-driven.

How to Implement

Set Up Equipment

Start by placing the equipment item (in this example, dancing shoes) in your game environment with a Collectable component applied so the player can collect it and add it to their inventory. Set a Collect message with the Broadcast Type set to All. Set On Equip message with the Equip Broadcast Type to All.

To guide the player, use an Asker behavior or Popup window to display short hints about what the equipment does, how long its effects last, instructions on how to equip it once collected, etc. Trigger this with the equipment’s Collect message.

Set Up the Special Item

Next, you’ll create a preset of the special item that will trigger the equipment’s hidden power. Place the object (a balloon) that will be spawned when the player wears the equipment (dancing shoes). Apply the Pickable component and set a Message on Picked with Broadcast Type set to Rules.

Now, near the balloon, place a logic asset with the Crowd Event behavior settings you prefer and set its Message to Start as Start.Event. Open the Hierarchy and drag and drop the logic asset on top of the Pickable item (balloon). This makes it possible to move the Crowd Event anywhere the player carries the Pickable item. Select both objects, save them as a preset, and delete the objects.

Set Up the Special Item Spawner

Choose a location to hide the special item (balloon) and place a logic asset. Apply Asset Spawner behavior, triggered by the On-Equip message, and set it to spawn Once. Toggle Use Preset on and select the preset you created.

Set Up the Keypress Logic

To trigger the Crowd Event anywhere the player carries the Pickable item (balloon), we need a simple ruleset. First, add a Key Input rule set to respond to number 1 that will send the message Check.Item. Next we need a ruleset that, if we press that key, will check if the item was ever picked up and then trigger the Crowd Event if that is true.

To do this, we need a variable, a rule to update it, and a rule to check its status when we press the 1 key. Create a True/False variable set as false and name it Item Picked Up. Add an Edit true/false value rule, set its Required Message to the Pickable item’s On Picked message. Finally, add a Compare true/false rule, set the Required Message as Check.Item, set the variable to compare as Item Picked Up, set the condition to equal to, and compare it with the fixed value True. Set it to compare once and set the Message to Send as Start.Event.

Now, every time the player presses the key number 1, the logic will check if the player ever picked up the special item. If they did, the true/false variable will update to true, and the logic check will allow the Crowd Event to be activated (wherever the Pickable item is located).

Modification: Stationary Crowd Events

If you prefer that the player will trigger the Crowd Event in a specific location instead of anywhere the Pickable item travels, modify this setup by placing the Crowd Event logic asset in the preferred location (instead of joining it with the Pickable item via the hierarchy).

Modification: Require Multiple Equipment

If you would like to require the player to equip multiple equipment items before spawning the Pickable item, you can use a ruleset to count if all of the items have been worn before spawning the Pickable item. We’ve provided an event counter logic setup that’s easy to implement here.

Potential Uses for Crowd Events

You can craft an adventure where obtaining an explorer’s hat is proof of the player’s many skills. While delving into ancient tombs with friends, they discover a mystical crystal. They realize this crystal could be the key to unlocking a door that has previously kept them from moving forward. But there’s a catch: the instructions reveal that the door will only open if everyone performs a specific action in sync while they carry the crystal. They all head back to the door, ready to use emotes and teamwork to figure out the right sequence to solve the puzzle and open the way forward. You can design this so that each player must wear a different piece of equipment to allow the puzzle to be completed!

You can use a variety of emote types to complete a Crowd Event, but you may also want to consider the vast creative possibilities of using messages to progress the Crowd Event instead. A message can be sent from objects through interaction, destruction, spawning, detection, keypresses, and more!

Crowd Event behavior offers a world of possibilities with many ways to increase points using both emotes and messages.

Unleash Your Creativity with On-Equip

By strategically utilizing On-Equip mechanics, game designers can introduce new layers of interactivity and immersion into their creations. Whether enhancing the realism of an exploration game, adding cooperative components to a social experience, or creating a believable world, On-Equip mechanics enrich the gameplay experience and deepen player involvement.

Get started today and discover the transformative potential of the On-Equip feature in shaping your gaming experiences in The Sandbox. Stay tuned for Part VIII: Using Equipment to Trigger Unique Quests!