# Temp Disable Stat Screen **URL:** \ **Category:** ChoiceScript Help\ **Created:** [December 6, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403 "2016-12-06T20:04:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TheMaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/themaker/32/5813_2.png) [@TheMaker](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/TheMaker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/1 "2016-12-06T20:04:47Z")
It would be nice if there were a command to temporarily disable the selection of the Stat Screen. For instance, during a stat modifying scene or a stat check/roll and you don’t want the player to be able to check their stats in that specific scene. If anyone knows of a way to do this please share, otherwise, head honcho developers I hope you read this! > [@Temp Disable Stat Screen](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/5): > > That’s a good solution, but for the super top secret reason I need it, that won’t work disappointed_relieved Okay I guess I can reveal my super secret plan… When the player selects an option I want it to then set the variable to a random number, but the issue is that if they go to the stat screen during that page and then go back the command runs again and the variable changes AGAIN. I only want the random generation to run once and the only way to do that is to have all the random generatio… ---
**Author:** ![ParrotWatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/parrotwatcher/32/49963_2.png) [@ParrotWatcher](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/ParrotWatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/2 "2016-12-06T20:10:01Z")
You could do it like this: Have a variable called something like `showstats`, which is set `true` normally, but set `false` when you don’t want people checking their stats. And then in the `choicescript_stats.txt` file, you would have: ``` *if showstats *stat_chart (Put the stats here) *if not(showstats) Stat Screen temporarily disabled ``` Myself, I don’t see any problem with people checking their stats at any time. But that’s how I’d do it if I wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![TSSL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/tssl/32/49833_2.png) [@TSSL](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/TSSL)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/3 "2016-12-06T20:11:05Z")
This is more of a work-around, but for some purposes, you could just have a variable called hidestats, and set “hidestats true” when you want them invisible. Then on choicescript\_stats.txt you could have the stats only display under \*if hidestats false. Edit: PARROTWATCHER ---
**Author:** ![Lucid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/lucid/32/39775_2.png) [@Lucid](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/Lucid)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/4 "2016-12-06T20:11:40Z")
Edit: Fast repliers! Just use a variable. 🙂 \*set showstats false action \*set showstats true more action * * * and in the stats file: \*if (showstats) Here it is! \*finish Sorry, no stats to show right now. \*finish ---
**Author:** ![TheMaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/themaker/32/5813_2.png) [@TheMaker](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/TheMaker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/5 "2016-12-06T20:23:23Z")
That’s a good solution, but for the super top secret reason I need it, that won’t work 😥 Okay I guess I can reveal my super secret plan… When the player selects an option I want it to then set the variable to a random number, but the issue is that if they go to the stat screen during that page and then go back the command runs again and the variable changes AGAIN. I only want the random generation to run once and the only way to do that is to have all the random generations run before the choice screen, but that becomes a hassle when there are multiple options because each option would then require its own variable. ---
**Author:** ![RETowers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/retowers/32/21477_2.png) [@RETowers](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/RETowers)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/6 "2016-12-06T20:42:24Z")
Randomize the variable before you need it. (If I’m using random variables I generate a batch at the very start of the game.) As for why there’s pretty much no chance something like this is going to be implemented anytime soon, this is what a game looks like on the iPad: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/original/3X/b/a/ba44cad3ef0129bb127ed667720dae312f55b5a6.png) ---
**Author:** ![TSSL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/tssl/32/49833_2.png) [@TSSL](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/TSSL)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/7 "2016-12-06T20:44:04Z")
Set random variables above, and then reference them as needed 🙂 Heh, @ParrotWatcher and I have clone moments now and then… welcome to the club, @Lucid Edit: ninja again? Curse my slow typing 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TheMaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/themaker/32/5813_2.png) [@TheMaker](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/TheMaker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/8 "2016-12-06T21:01:08Z")
Yes I know, the solution is to just have a variable for each option that is set to randomize to the appropriate value during each choice interval, but It’d be nice to not have to manage half a dozen variables that essentially all do the same thing. But see, the ipad version solves the problem though because its not changing screens and forcing the commands to rerun. ---
**Author:** ![ParrotWatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/parrotwatcher/32/49963_2.png) [@ParrotWatcher](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/ParrotWatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/9 "2016-12-06T21:03:25Z")
So, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you want the variables randomised? ---
**Author:** ![TheMaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/themaker/32/5813_2.png) [@TheMaker](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/TheMaker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/10 "2016-12-06T21:04:36Z")
Damage rolls. (Posts must be at least 20 characters so I put this here.) ---
**Author:** ![TSSL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/tssl/32/49833_2.png) [@TSSL](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/TSSL)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/11 "2016-12-06T21:08:23Z")
Maybe a gosub after each damage roll to set the result for the _next_ one? ---
**Author:** ![FairyGodfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/fairygodfeather/32/16709_2.png) [@FairyGodfeather](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/FairyGodfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/12 "2016-12-06T21:10:13Z")
Why do you want random damage? I think Choice of Games tends to discourage randomness in that way. ---
**Author:** ![TheMaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/themaker/32/5813_2.png) [@TheMaker](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/TheMaker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/13 "2016-12-06T21:15:54Z")
Hey FairyGodfeather, Watttuppppp? Trust me I know what I’m doing. Probably. ---
**Author:** ![FairyGodfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/fairygodfeather/32/16709_2.png) [@FairyGodfeather](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/FairyGodfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:16pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/14 "2016-12-06T21:16:37Z")
Heh! Just asking. Random damage annoys me. 🙂 I suppose it works for a RPG though. ---
**Author:** ![RETowers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/retowers/32/21477_2.png) [@RETowers](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/RETowers)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/15 "2016-12-06T21:19:32Z")
1. As for why it’s a bad idea for combat to be random, beyond that it can be frustrating and boring (remember, the player doesn’t see what’s happening under the hood for the most part), it also adds a _lot_ of work for what value it can add if done well. > [@TheMaker](#): > > But see, the ipad version solves the problem though because its not changing screens and forcing the commands to rerun. True(~ish in that you can still use a stats screen in portrait mode), but still, it’s the reason why there’s no possibility of a ‘disable stats’ button, and why there’d be no easy way to add one. > [@TheMaker](#): > > […]but It’d be nice to not have to manage half a dozen variables that essentially all do the same thing. I’m not sure why you need multiple variables for this? The easiest way is to just back up from where you need the stat and run it on the page before. [details=That is to say this:]``` previous page \*choice #option \*rand foo 0 9 \*if foo \> 5 random not random ```choicescript becomes: ``` \*rand foo 0 9 previous page \*choice #option \*if foo \> 5 random not random ```choicescript (Even when I way overengineered a random variable system, I used like six variables tops.) ``` ---
**Author:** ![TheMaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/themaker/32/5813_2.png) [@TheMaker](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/TheMaker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/16 "2016-12-06T21:26:50Z")
Because the range of the randomized variable changes depending on the choice chosen. Ex: ``` #Cast fireball *rand dmg 3 9 You cast a totally awesome fireball and deal ${dmg} damage! #Kick *rand dmg 1 4 You kick him in the shin and deal ${dmg} damage! ``` In that instance I would have had to use two separate dmg variables because they have different ranges. ---
**Author:** ![TheMaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/themaker/32/5813_2.png) [@TheMaker](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/TheMaker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/17 "2016-12-06T21:29:31Z")
My hopes are that it’ll add to the realism/chaos of the world. Like, I have 100 hp and you deal 25 dmg, how much do I have left? What is this Preschool Number Theory? Now if I have harvested 1019 souls and your soulsteal channels for x seconds and manages to consume a random number based off of x seconds. Now that makes a game seem more alive! Edit: Oh, and don’t worry, the game uses \*selectable\_if so I don’t allow the player to choose an option that has the potential to kill them without the player knowing. That stuff pisses me off more than other things that piss me off… The player is immersively warned that their action they are choosing is potentially dangerous if they dont have the stats to safely roll it ---
**Author:** ![FairyGodfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/fairygodfeather/32/16709_2.png) [@FairyGodfeather](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/FairyGodfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:33pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/18 "2016-12-06T21:33:52Z")
See. I find hit-points and damage points completely lack realism of any sort. If I was to get a fireball to the face I’d be screaming in agony and covered in burns, and I would want to go to the hospital to get that fixed. Unless it was just like toasty sunburn, in which case I’d still be standing up. If I kick someone, well maybe I shatter their kneecap and force them to stop fighting me, or maybe I hurt my own foot! Or maybe I miss. Yeah. But I’m not taking off damage points, especially not a hundred of them. I’m not going to have to kick someone roughly 40 times until they’re out of hit points. ---
**Author:** ![ParrotWatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/parrotwatcher/32/49963_2.png) [@ParrotWatcher](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/ParrotWatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/19 "2016-12-06T21:39:44Z")
> [@FairyGodfeather](#): > > See. I find hit-points and damage points completely lack realism of any sort. Hit points have always been an unrealistic gaming abstraction. For a proper RPG, they’re pretty much necessary (unless you want to have ridiculously complicated rules), but for Co/HG I think they get in the way of the story. You’re fighting a giant robot? Don’t just hit it for 999 points of damage; you have to think: attack the weapon, the power source, the legs, or the driver? ---
**Author:** ![FairyGodfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/fairygodfeather/32/16709_2.png) [@FairyGodfeather](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/FairyGodfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403/20 "2016-12-06T21:43:07Z")
Yep! That’s my own thoughts. I prefer fights like in [Gun Mute](http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=xwedbibfksczn7eq) (have you played that, mute Cowboy looking to rescue his boyfriend in a sci-fi wild-west) where there’s no hit points at all, just puzzles. [Next page](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/temp-disable-stat-screen/22403.md?page=2)