More Windowskins VX #4

View More Windowskins

I know previously I mentioned that the next windowskin update would be for RMXP, but popularity trends dictate otherwise. So, here are some more RMVX windowskins that I've created. As usual, I've used the Windowskin Generator, but have imported my own resources into the program, rather than relying on the default ones.

Also as usual, these will be placed on the sister blog, RPG Maker Times Companion, where you can view examples of these (and all the other) RMVX and RMXP windowskins. Right-click and save the image to your hard drive.

Blue Bubble	Blue Cross	Darkwood
Leathery Gold #1	Leathery Gold #2	Parchment #4
Red Bubble	Stone Slab

Since I now have quite a collection of RMVX Windowskins, as well as a few scriptlets, I will be creating a separate website soon to house them all. Each windowskin there will include visuals of what the Status Menu, Status and Equipment screens look like with a particular windowskihn. Then, in the future, all windowskins from the blogs will be cross-linked there instead.

The website itself will be specifically tailored for RMVX (but may also include RMXP and RM2K3 later, as trends dictate). And this will make it much easier to properly categorize the windowskins, scripts and other resources in one convenient place.

Betrayal At Krondor Wordlock Script

For those who have played Betrayal At Krondor will know precisely what a "Wordlock" is. For those that don't, it's basically a chest (or door) locked by a riddle and they will only open once the correct word has been entered.

Once upon a time, I tried recreating the wordlocks in RM2K3, but encountered a few difficulties given its limitations. Everything had to be set up using Events and Common Events, including creating a customized menu specifically for entering the words. It was a nightmare.

However, now one exists for RMVX, thanks to the awesome talent of Modern Algebra. I've tried this script and, trust me, it is good - just like revisiting Betrayal of Krondor.

The script and demo can be viewed and downloaded here.

News & Updates

I realised today there haven't been any updates for a while, primarily because I've been busy with other things. However, I haven't been idle on the RPG Maker scene.

Snow Fun For Some

Right now though, the UK snow is the major talking point here at the moment, including being the longest persistent cold snap for 30 years! The family "in joke" at the moment is that I brought the snow with me from Canada, since British Columbia has hardly had any - at least not their "usual" amount - and when I go back there things will return to "normal". With several feet already fallen, and more on its way, people here are ill-equipped to deal with it. Schools have closed, 40% of the workforce have been unable to drive into work, and some of the more isolated areas are still closed off. It's certainly a winter they will remember for a while!

The Gladiator Project - Graphics Wanted

I've had to put TPG on hold for awhile because of a lack of graphics. I'm not good with graphics at all, so if anyone is willing (and able) to create tilesets, character sets, and other types of graphics for the game, it'd be more than greatly appreciated. Contact me here (in comments) or at Twitter. I will give full credit, of course!

Comprehensive Chest Tutorials (RM2K3)

One of the side-projects I have been working on is a huge multi-part RM2K3 "how to" tutorial for chests, which can also be used in RMXP and RMVX, since they use events. Here is a breakdown of the different parts of the tutorial:

• Part 1: Basic Chests
• Part 2: Locked Chests
• Part 3: Random Contents
• Part 4a: Combination Locks (Basic)
• Part 4b: Combination Locks (Advanced)
• Part 5: Trapped Chests
• Part 6: Picking Locks
• Part 7: Monster-In-A-Box
• Part 8: Items by Location (Map ID)
• Part 9: Items by Level (Hero Level)

There will be a demo that goes along with this tutorial as well.

The Gladiator Project Update #3

A lot of progress has been made on TGP lately, especially on the game itself. The maps are taking shape, although I do NOT like the RMVX tileset limitations. This makes it harder to create specific gladiatorial type maps without directly modifying the original or using the ambiguous Tileset E.

I decided eventually to change the menu again. The Achievements (Diarium Facti) has been removed. While it is an excellent, useful script, after playtesting it a few times, decided that it did not quite fit in with the game after all. Instead, I can achieve exactly the same thing with the Tasks (Laboris Tabulae) section, which has now been renamed the Quest Diary (Diarium Questae).

Another option added to the menu is an additional stats window, the Status Extra, which provides extra in-game stats in detail, such as Arena Level, Reputation, number of battles fought, won and lost, and several others.

I've been working out the final details of the characters' bios, which will be blogged at a later update, with all five characters present. At the moment though, the focus has been ironing out creases in the arena classes and skills, steering away from the historical classes (such as gladiatore, secutore, retiarius, etc.) and opting for the more traditional fantasy classes - Latinized, of course - such as Gladiatore (warrior/fighter), Clericus (cleric/priest), Magus (magic user), Alchemista (alchemist) and Summonitor (summoner).