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Tutorial explaining how to work with area events in AdventureJS. tutorial, area events

Working With...Area Events

Area events are snippets of text that can be set to print on every turn, or random turns, or every x number of turns. They are intended to provide ambient texture. 

MyGame.createAsset({
    class: "Room",
    name: "Southern Dunes",
    area_events: [
      "Sands shift beneath your feet. ",
      "A brief dry breeze does nothing to cool you. ",
      "Heat haze shimmers over distant dunes. ",
    ],
  });

Zone Area Events

Rooms can subscribe to zone area events, allowing multiple rooms in a region to share common events. 

MyGame.createAsset({
    class: "Room",
    name: "Southern Dunes",
    zone: "Desert Zone"
  });
  
  MyGame.createAsset({
    class: "Room",
    name: "Northern Dunes",
    zone: "Desert Zone"
  });  
    
  MyGame.createAsset({
    class: "Zone",
    name: "Desert Zone",
    area_events: [
      "Sands shift beneath your feet. ",
      "A brief dry breeze does nothing to cool you. ",
      "Heat haze shimmers over distant dunes. ",
    ],
  });

String Array Function

Area events are subject to String Array Function, which means they can be set to provide dynamic results. For instance, if you had a day/night cycle, you might set a function to print a different set of events during day and night. 

MyGame.createAsset({
    class: "Room",
    name: "Southern Dunes",
    area_events: function(){
      if( MyGame.getVar(is_night) ) { // using a world variable
        return A.FX.pickRandom([ // utility method for randomizing an array from within a function
          `An incredible tapestry of stars flares overhead. `,
          `A meteor streaks across the sky. `,
          `Moonlight shimmers across the dunes. `,
        ]);
      }
      else {
        return A.FX.pickRandom([
          `The blazing sun bakes the desert floor. `,
          `Heat haze shimmers across the dunes. `,
          `Random grains of sand sparkle with reflected sunlight. `,
        ]);
      }
    },
  });

When providing an array to String Array Function, it's possible to apply more granular control over the frequency and order of events. 

MyGame.createAsset({
    class: "Zone",
    name: "Desert Zone",
    area_events: {
      frequency: 0.1, // infrequently
      randomize: true, // vs each in order
      array: [
        "Sands shift beneath your feet. ",
        "A brief dry breeze does nothing to cool you. ",
        "Heat haze shimmers over distant dunes. ",
      ],
    },
  });

Enable / Disable

Area events can be enabled and disabled during gameplay by setting game.settings.enable_area_events, which means that you can turn them on and off in response to other game states. 

MyGame.settings.set({
    enable_area_events: true,
  });

Further Reference