RPG Maker Times Migration Updates

For those who are interested, here are the updates (from Twitter) regarding the RPG Maker Times main site and domain migration. It'll also be updated as progress develops. Hopefully all the domains will be restored later tomorrow.

June 14, 2015

#RPGMaker Times Blog is about 85% complete. All that remains is retroactively fixing failed transfers. Projects subdomain not ready yet.

— RPG Maker Times (@CompanionWulf) June 13, 2015

June 13, 2015

#RPGMaker Times finally online (took time with DNS re-propagating). Now hideously tasked with restoring content/themes from backup.

— RPG Maker Times (@CompanionWulf) June 13, 2015

Nothing's THAT simple! Migration of #RPGMaker Times taking awhile longer than anticipated. Run into an unexpected error, so site is down!

— RPG Maker Times (@CompanionWulf) June 13, 2015

Migration of #RPGMaker Times is complete. Just waiting for the DNS to re-propagate. Man, am I *IMPATIENT* already!

— RPG Maker Times (@CompanionWulf) June 12, 2015

Forgot how long site migration takes! And how HUGE the site is! Backups of backups! Ewch! #RPGMaker #bitstrips pic.twitter.com/gIqMzj2LCi

— RPG Maker Times (@CompanionWulf) June 12, 2015

June 11, 2015

RPG Maker Times domain transfer tomorrow. Fingers crossed for smooth transition. #RPGMaker #GameDev #bitstrips pic.twitter.com/wMKl9ap0bs

— RPG Maker Times (@CompanionWulf) June 11, 2015

June 9, 2015

Blog Migration - Domain Disruption #RPGMaker #GameDev http://t.co/5ukr6RSqMx pic.twitter.com/LYTdhEyq90

— RPG Maker Times (@CompanionWulf) June 9, 2015

Looking for Guest Bloggers

The RPG Maker Times blog has come a long way since its earliest beginnings as a site devoted exclusively to RM2K/3 stuff on Blogger. And since migrating to its own domain name, it's come farther still.

As a result, I love checking the site's statistics: how many daily or monthly visitors, where visitors come from and ultimately which pages they're drawn to. I also like checking the keywords that people are using to find the posts, whether those keywords are organic or direct or are from social media sites. Most days RPG Maker Times averages 250+ hits per day. That's not bad considering it's not been up that long really, as traffic is still stronger at Blogger (obviously because it's Google's).

So I'd like to start expanding further. As much as I try to blog frequently, including sharing scripts and reviews, I don't have as much time as I'd like to mostly because of my odd hours. That's why I'm looking for guest bloggers to post regularly on RPG Maker Times. Guest bloggers can share anything from tutorials to games reviews, or even voice opinions.

There won't be any money, but if you have a website guest blogging will guarantee some exposure for you, including a short bio so you can promote yourself and any projects/games you might be working on! You can even post your own RPG Maker or game/project promo video on YouTube.

If interested, leave a comment and I'll give you a "Contributor" status to post your articles. When you're approved, they'll then be placed as a post or page (depending on the nature of the post).

Note: Please don't post the article in the comments, just sign up if you're interested and I'll give you a trial run. This applies to RPG Maker Times Blogsite. You have nothing to lose but a lot more to gain!

Windowskins Integrating With The Blog

The Windowskins subdomain is migrating to RPG Maker Times & Companion. The old site will remain but it won't be updated.

This is part of the integration process to make it easier to update. I do have a few more windowskins to update and convert, so once the migration is complete the new windowskins will be added. This also includes the windowskins tutorials, both old and new.

I'll be using the Windowskin Generator and adding my own graphics to create new ones on a more regular basis as well.

Just For Fun: Shut Down The Game With A Keypress

This just-for-fun (and seemingly pointless) scriptlet enables you to shut down the game by pressing a key. This is what happens when boredom kicks in. It might come in handy for a very quick shutdown, rather than going through the Status Menu and exiting that way. (This was created in RMVX, but it'll probably also work in RMVXA.)

Title Screen

So, from the Title Screen, add this bit of code:

#============================================================
# ** Scene_Title
#============================================================
class Scene_Title < Scene_Base
  #----------------------------------------------------------
  # * Frame Update
  #----------------------------------------------------------
  alias cwkpsds_scnttl_update update
  def update
    cwkpsds_scnttl_update
    if Input.trigger?(Input::Z); exit; end
  end
end

Map

Alternatively, it can be used on the map.

#============================================================
# ** Scene_Map
#============================================================
class Scene_Map < Scene_Base
  #----------------------------------------------------------
  # * Frame Update
  #----------------------------------------------------------
  alias cwkpsds_scnmap_update update
  def update
    cwkpsds_scnmap_update
    if Input.trigger?(Input::Z); exit; end
  end
end

Available Keys

You can use other keys too: Z, SHIFT, CTRL, ALT, F5, F6, F7 and F8.

Note

Using this scriptlet means that you WILL lose your progress after any save point. Where this script might be most useful is if you're at work and playing, and the boss is nearby, you'll be able to quickly shut down the game with just one button. That is, if you don't mind replaying from the last save point.

The full, updated scriptlet can be downloaded here.

Windowskins Updates

The Windowskins section has been updated. More will be added over time, available for both RMXP and RMVX/VXA. I'm planning on converting the ones currently unavailable on the site as well.

Several windowskins tutorials are also available, which will also be expanded in the near future.

Work on the migration/conversion is continuing, slowly but very steadily, and much of it has already been completed. All the dead links are now working (those on this blog haven't been updated).

Attack of The Blog Gremlins!

It appears that gremlins have invaded RPG Maker Times!

Borrowed from BubbleWS

The layout is messed up, although I suspect it's due to a re-import of the prototype skin that resulted in many of the additional coding (including the tabs layout) being overwritten.

From this point, I may just return to the previous layout and redo the style sheets accordingly - kind of like a child theme - or I'll re-imagine this one and make it much better. It's too bad Blogger's dynamic templates are so limited and cumbersomely uncustomizable; otherwise, I'd use one of those and add the same widgets I have now.

I've a lot of work to do on this site and the RPG Maker Times & Companion blog, which I can only do on my days off unfortunately, resulting in slow but steady progress.

Work on Merged Blogsite Continues

Work on RPG Maker Times & Companion is continuing. Right now, I'm attempting to streamline it by cleaning up some of the widgets, along with the categories and tags list, and some of the posts.

As far as this blog is concerned: It will still continue, as it has been, but the major posts and articles will now appear on the RPG Maker Times & Companion blogsite, with links posted here. Any other articles posted here will also be replicated on the other as well. A number of links on this blog no longer work, but they're being updated on the other blogsite, and will eventually be modified here as well, since the main focus will now be on the domain name blog.

I'm also in the process of revamping the Windowskins subdomain. This year, you can also expect more windowskins and a better keyword search feature (search engine optimized) to make it easier to find specific types of windowskins.

I don't have much time to spend on this re-organization, but I'm determined to spend in between 2-3 hours per day on it to bring it up-to-date and where I'd like it to be. Keep checking (both blogs) regularly for updates.

Blog Update/Revamp Continues

As the merging of this blog and RPG Maker Times & Companion continues, I've started revamping the tags system for easier reference.

Although progress is slow, it's a lot easier than I thought it would be. Still a lot of work to go before completion, so here are some of the things being worked on:

• Reformation of all tags
• Non-working links now working
• Revamping and recategorisation of sections, particularly Scripts/Scriptlets and Tutorials/How-To's

Other areas to be worked on are the Resources section. This includes the Windowskins, which will eventually be complete.

I'll continue working on this in between work and my days off.

And then from that point on, the big updates will be on RPG Maker Times & Companion, while the updates on this blog will point to the pages there.

Merging Sites, Emerging Updates

As of February 13, 2014, the RPG Maker Times and RPG Maker Times Companion blogs have merged.

The latter will now be the official blog for RPG Maker Times and will no longer be a "companion" site. The original RPG Maker Times blog will remain, but it will be used mostly for any updates that appear on the site. (The title will remain the same to avoid confusion.)

I will be doing a lot of work on it over the next few weeks (on my days off from work), tweaking keywords/tags, posts and layouts, and updating any old posts with links that no longer work.

A Few Days Off For Updates

I have the rest of the week off (starting tomorrow), since I'm now mostly working three nights per week, so I've determined to update this blog and RPG Maker Times Companion, finally uploading some of the scripts.

What I'll start doing is transfer the main downloads to RMT Companion and then change the articles in the blog to redirect to the appropriate articles, essentially using the blog as an announcement platform for new scripts or resources, etc. rather than having it as the main site.

This will then unclutter the blog and give room for other RPG Maker news (from various sources) to be placed there.

RPG Maker (the Facebook page, website and blog) are migrating to Google+. The FB page will eventually be deleted, but for now it'll stay up. A decision proper will be made after Christmas, when all of the various projects (RPG Maker and non-RPG Maker related) come together and we know just what we're doing. Most likely this will go ahead for the new year, but I may still keep the page active with links to the Google+ and RPG Maker Times articles/posts.

Since I bought RMVXA, I'd also like to share some of the awesome scripts that are available for it. I've been experimenting with it for some time and, while I'm no expert in scripting, preferring RMVX for now, am making plans to convert the Q-Engine to RGSS3/RMVXA.

I noticed that some of the resources and links on this site no longer work, so I'll be going through the posts and correcting or deleting them. Where appropriate, I'll also be redirecting certain links to their correct websites.

The RPG Maker Windowskins site is in dire need of updating, so that will be revamped as well, with the windowskins being properly updated and categorized.

RPG Maker Times Companion Revamp Update

The RPG Maker Times Companion blog is undergoing a few changes. Instead of being the primary host for RPG Maker Times & Companion, most of the scripts, resources, utilities and other downloads are being migrated to its root domain name. Posts and articles relating to them will become updates, with links to the corresponding sections and related ones here will point to those sections as well.

I'm not quite sure how to index the sections on RPG Maker Times Companion yet, but as it stands right now only the main sections and scripts have been indexed. The layout may change in due time to a different "magazine" layout; I'm just not sure yet. I'm also hoping to recategorize the windowskins and maybe create some more, including tutorials.

Because I've started my new job, working the night shift, updates will take place during my days off.

RPG Maker Times Companion

Scripts Updates and News

New Site Formula

RPG Maker Times Companion has been going through a metamorphosis. This is the front page for the entire blog, highlighting some of the major sections. It also acts as an index for some pages, leading directing to the blog.

Scripts Updates

I've developed a "Universal Configurations Module", which consolidates all of the settings for my scripts (past and present) and makes it easier to set them all up, rather than going into each one individually.

Other features include a "Required Modules Checker", where you can set modules to become required. If any are missing, the Required Modules Checker will throw a corresponding error message.

Also, the "Extra Stats VX" script has undergone a slight makeover, with a few additional stats added as well (including the shop count). The VXA version will be brought up-to-date as well.

These will all be updated next week (particularly after my interview).

Blog Entries Migration

A number of posts on this blog are being migrated to RPG Maker Times Companion. That way, they can be kept up-to-date and any missing links can also be updated.

All resources will also be transferred, including templates and windowskins.

All of the projects and projects news (past, present and future) now each have their own separate subdomains, so they'll be easier to update as and when necessary. This may eventually include the Q-Engine, depending on how it progresses.

By consolidating certain sections in this way, not only will it be convenient for all, but it'll also be much easier to update. And, of course, the updates will also appear here, on RPG Maker Times.

RPG Maker Times Companion Progress Update

RMT Companion Main Site

RMT Companion Blog

Progress on RPG Maker Times Companion website is slow but steady. It has now been transferred to its own domain name, with the blog itself having its own subdomain.

In order to expedite development, I've prioritised some of the sections:

• The top navigation menu on this blog (currently most of the links are pointing to the old defunct domain)
• Resources - Windowskins, Character Sets, Resource Makers
• Tutorials - Including the Complete Chest Tutorial and the forthcoming Bank Tutorial
• Q-Engine for RMVX - Development has continued on the script, which is now ready for release (it should have been a few months ago).

RPG Maker Times Companion v2 Coming Soon

Development on the new RPG Maker Times Companion site is underway. The previous site sadly closed temporarily when the co.cc domain provider shut down. I didn't really lose anything because I made backups. Bitter experience has taught me well over the years!

Anyway, the theme is a modified version of the Middle Earth one found at Smart Magazine Themes. And, of course, since I’m a HUGE Tolkien fan, what a perfect way to start RPG Maker Times Companion v2!

So now the onerous task begins of restoring the blog to its former glory. I’ll go through each of the posts and pages from the previous version and tweak them accordingly, and will continue working on it throughout December in readiness for its domain name launch in January 2013!

RPG Maker Times Companion Site Is Down

The RPG Maker Times Companion website is down. This is because the domain site (co.cc) is also down and it has been for a few hours now, but this is more permanent. The domain site closed yesterday. Google confirmed that it would no longer be indexing any co.cc sites because too many people were using it for spam and other questionable sites, making life very difficult for the legitimate sites. Trust the few who make it hard for the majority! As a result, as of today, RPG Maker Times Companion is closed.

However, this is only temporary. If all goes well, RPG Maker Times Companion will have its own permanent domain name soon. I'm aiming for the dot-com or dot-info at the beginning of December, if not definitely for the New Year. It's time to bite the bullet and go for it!

In the mean time, I'm working feverishly on creating an alternative, temporary website to re-upload RPG Maker Times Companion, notwithstanding the problems that may arise because of the co.cc and Wordpress database settings. This is going to be a hideous process that may take some time. Unfortunately, this will also affect most of the links on the navigation menu at the top and this will not be updated until either the new temporary site or the domain site are ready.

This blog will continue as normal and will be updated alongside the Facebook page.

Finally A New Nav Menu

RPG Maker Times has finally had a long needed, often deferred facelift. Regular visitors will notice that the top navigation menu has changed from its old incarnation. It's much simpler now, but is easier to update should the need arise to add items to the menu.

After careful consideration, and much experimentation, I opted for this format because, with the advent of RPG Maker Times Companion, the need to have the dropdown subsections is greatly reduced.

Most of the links are tag-based, so if you're looking for specific engines you can easily skim through all of its related articles. Furthermore, many links go to the various index pages of RPG Maker Times Companion, which lists the articles clearly.

Note: The "Windowskins" portion of the menu is NOT implemented yet. All Windowskins are still available on the Companion site.

RPG Maker Times and Companion are cross-referenced, so I'll be going through each of the articles on this blog and deciding if and how they'll be linked. This process might take a while, but I'm determined to make progress on it this month, although it probably won't be all the way complete.

I'll also begin trying out some of the other RPG Makers, which is reflected in the menu, but that most likely won't be this month. Guest bloggers are welcome to submit articles relating to these other RPG Makers, as at the moment I know next to nothing about them.