Happy Halloween 2012

Just a quick note to wish all my visitors, past and present, old and new, and frequent and infrequent a Happy Halloween.

Image borrowed from Aldiko

Despite the recent events in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, life must go on. It has to! Mother Nature will always show us who's really boss and will happily demonstrate her power to us should we underestimate or abuse her. We have a lot to learn from her. So, hopefully, as with 9/11, where we go from here will lead us into a better world, where we can work together in peace and harmony to build that better world for our children and grandchildren. It gives that glimmer of hope out of tragedy, however small or insignificant it might seem.

The Deep - High Quality Resource Pack

Here's another awesome resource pack, purchasable for $5.49. This pack, entitled The Deep is ideal for those dungeon-delving adventurers to explore. When I say these resources are high quality, I mean they are high quality and I'm totally enamoured of them!

You can buy The Deep resource pack at RPG Maker Web website.

This showcases the Battle Scene using some of the high quality battlers available in the resource pack.

Image borrowed from RPG Maker Web.

Three Spam Sandwiches, Please!

Due to an increasing amount of spammy comments, the CAPTCHA has been turned on (again!) and all comments now need to be modified. Unfortunately, Blogger has no facility to modify the comments and delete offending content.

That's why I prefer Wordpress. I was considering migrating RPG Maker Times to Wordpress, but that probably wouldn't be viable given the blog's size.

In the meantime, however, I'll be scrutinising comments and if they contain any of the following they will be trashed:

• Contents irrelevant to the blog,
• Website or HTML related contents,
• Contents relating to software downloads (unless RPG Maker related), and
• User names and URLs contain irrelevant content, including pornographic references.

Also, I'm forced to disable "Anonymous" users from commenting. Commenters must have a registered account (OpenID) to be able to comment. I didn't want to do this, but fifteen spammy emails in a short amount of time is enough and it's difficult to sift the legitimate posts from the spammy ones.

For now, this is a semi-permanent measure, but at this point I feel it's a necessary one.

RPG Maker Lite - Free For All

RPG Maker VX Ace Lite has been released.

This is basically a dumbed down version of RMVXA itself. Quintessentially, it's the same as the Trial version, but without the 30-day limit and with the following additional limitations:

• 10 heroes
• 10 classes
• 126 skills
• 16 items
• 60 weapons
• 60 armours
• 30 enemies
• 30 troops
• 25 states
• 110 animations
• 10 common events
• 6 Tilesets
• 15 events per map
• Maximum of 20 maps

Furthermore, there is no call script because, like the Trial version, the Script Editor has been disabled. The Character Generator also does not contain all of the available materials, the same as the Trial version.

This is very useful as an introduction to RMVXA proper and for anyone wanting to learn the ropes before moving onto RMVXA itself. Ultimately, however, it's still a trial version of the program because of the limitations. It's "tryware" because the 30-day limit has been removed (unlike the trial version, where the countdown began from the moment you installed it, regardless if you used it or not). It's also "nagware" because every time RMVXA Lite is loaded it prompts you to continue with the trial or purchase the full product.

I think it's a very good idea that this has been made available because one of my major frustrations when experimenting with the Trial version wasn't the fact that scripts couldn't be edited (they can easily be created in RMVX and ported over into RMVXA), but the fact that I don't have the time to sit for 30 days straight and experiment. 12-hour days usually does that.

So, in conclusion, it's a worthy addition to the ever-increasing RPG Maker family to see how things fit together, even if it is really shareware masquerading as a free "Lite" version!

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.

Animated Title Screen Redux RMVX

The Animated Title Screen Redux RMVX 1.6 is an experiment with sprites and layers.

Although it started out as an experiment purely with sprites (showcased in a previous video), it developed into a simple title animation and then into something more complex, with the addition of a message or credits on the Title Screen. It may or may not be integrated into the Q-Engine in the future.

The title itself, "The Chronicles of Yrth", is taken from a novella I wrote in the early '90s, which was completed but never published. This will be a future project, based loosely on that novella.

The background music is Living Voyage by Kevin MacLeod.

Navigation Menu Changes

The next big project for RPG Maker Times is its top navigation menu. The current one is way too out-of-date now and there's no question that it needs updating. Because this blog is quite large, spanning four years worth of updates, it's a mammoth undertaking.

Now, I'm not entirely sure how this should be done. I've been thinking about it for a while and experimenting with the different ways of updating the menu to reflect the evolution of the blog and RPG Maker Times Companion.

Here are some ideas I've considered:

• Simple Menu - A menu displaying only the main areas of the blog, such as Resources or Tools & Utilities. These in turn lead to complete index pages listing their respective sub-pages. This, however, may lead to duplicate entries.
• Same Format Menu - Keeping the same format menu as the one currently in place, but updating the main categories to reflect the new changes. This includes additions to RPG Maker Times Companion.
• Keyword/Tag Menu - A menu based on keywords and tags. This utilises posts' categories and tags (rather like Wordpress's parent-child system).
• Sliding Menu - A hidden menu that, when clicked on, slides out to reveal the main categories and subcategories of the blog and RPG Maker Times Companion.

Further suggestions are welcomed, of course. I'd like to make it easier for my visitors to navigate throughout the site with only a few clicks. I have all the software I need to create some dynamic menus so, regardless, will be experimenting with a few styles and perhaps later will put them to the vote.

Feel free to make suggestions in the comments box below.

HUD Designer (RMVXA)

VXAce HUD Creator

Forum Homepage

A HUD (Head Up Display), which is an interface overlaying the screen to display parameters and other information, always adds aesthetics to a game. In fact, many SNES games have HUDs. One in particular comes to mind: Zelda. The hearts container at the top of the screen is a HUD.

There is an online WYSIWYG HUD generator for RMVXA, where you can create your own by dragging and dropping elements into place to create one of your own.

There are only four options at present - Rectangle, Gradient Rectangle, Image and Text - but I'm sure more will be added at a later date. Notwithstanding, each has its own set of sub-options, including HP/Max HP and MP/Max MP, making it quite customisable.

Once you've created your HUD you can then click "Generate Script" and you'll be able to copy and paste the script into your game. You can also Export/Import your creations for later use and modification.

Open RPG Maker - Feature Review

Open RPG Maker is the "new kid on the block" and, while it's still under development, it still shows enormous potential. The game engine is not implemented yet, which includes playtesting (this will begin when the Editor is finished), but many of the functions are. So this review is based on its features and functionality. Preliminarily, I'm quite impressed with it.

What Is Open RPG Maker?

According to the blurb:

Open RPG Maker is aimed at being a free and open source clone of the RPG Maker series by Enterbrain. The end goal of the project is to allow users to create 2D console style RPG games similar to the original Final Fantasies / Zelda Games.

And that's exactly what it is. There are some features you are all familiar with, including the all important Database, Map Editor and Resource Importer. But it also has some additional, unique features that are not implemented in the other RPG Makers, such as Screen Layouts and Find Event.

Some Additional Features

At this point in development, the important thing isn't its functionality, but being able to see what this RPG Maker will be capable of when it's completed. Almost every aspect of Open RPG Maker can be edited and, when it is finished, I bet you there will be some awesome games made with it.

Graphics Resources

This entire RPG Maker seems to be initially founded on RM2K/3 (it is a clone after all). Subsequently, you can import resources from your old RM2K/3 projects via the built-in "Importer Plugin", including Character Sprite Sheets, Tilesets and Backgrounds.

In the Tileset section of the Database, one of the functions I particularly like is the ability to change the layout of the tileset directly. You can add or delete tiles with a few clicks. These are then appended to the tileset, as each tile is actually converted into a separate file, which can then be easily deleted from the tileset if you change your mind.

Battle Characters are the same as RM2K/3 in that you can use "poses" to reflect various status effects. I have some very fond memories of spending hours creating my own unique animations for the status effects I created, but this feature was omitted in the next-gen RPG Makers. So I'm glad that this feature is present.

In addition to being able to import RM2K/3 resources, it is also possible to import those from O.H.R.RPG.C.E, which is a neat idea.

There's something else that is a pleasant, very useful feature, lacking in many other RPG Makers, and that is the ability to take a snapshot of your finished maps and save them in PNG format without having to do it manually.

Note: Since this is an RPG Maker outside of Enterbrain's, it's probably better to create your own resources - the same way you would with RM2K/3 - so as not to step on any EULA toes. If it's RM2K/3 I really don't think Enterbrain will care, since that RPG Maker is so old now (and wasn't technically legal in the first place).

Menu Editing

Open RPG Maker has a unique method of editing the menus in the form of Screen Layouts. All data is stored in XML files, which you can edit according to the particular needs of your game. Even if you don't know anything about XML files, the learning curve isn't that steep since XML is essentially about structure rather than details.

The structure of the menu layouts can be modified directly by either dragging the items around the editing area or by tweaking certain variables, such as X- and Y-coordinates and font size and weight. And, with a cursory glance, it seems that it might also be possible to change the frames and add additional graphics to the menus, although I didn't experiment with that.

Within the editing environment, you can also modify menu access conditions. This is set up using conditions and event commands. As an example, if you want background music when you open the Status Menu you can add it under "On Load" and then if you want it to stop when you close the Status Menu, it can be disabled under "On Cancel".

As a result, the potential for creating aesthetic, dynamic menus is huge. So that means there are no scripts per se to modify the menu systems. It's all done here.

Conclusioni

Open RPG Maker certainly has the potential to become something great, earning the right to rank alongside some of the more popular RPG Makers, including Enterbrain's, and I'm looking forward to when it's completed.

It's still raw and rough around the edges, but you can see that it shows great promise. Many of the functions aren't properly implemented yet, but it's enough to demonstrate what this capable engine can do. It did crash frequently, but this is to be expected since it's essentially a Beta version, so it's not a big deal.

Although I wasn't able to playtest my creations, since that function is disabled at this point, I was still able to have a good look around and so far what I see I like. I will be looking forward to its completion date and may be able to add tutorials, etc. to RPG Maker Times and RPG Maker Times Companion some time in the future.

Arabian Nights Resource Pack

The folks at RPG Maker Web have done it again! We were previously presented with the Modern Shop Add-On, purchasable for only $5.99.

This time, however, we have the awe-inspiring Arabian Nights Resource Pack. It costs $9.99, but it's worth the price. It's stunning!

Image borrowed from RPG Maker Web

I'm promptly reminded of one of my favourite SNES games, Arabian Nights and, of course, the Aladdin movies.

To be brutally honest, I'm not sure about the music sample they have on their page, entitled Arabian Nights - Town. It's too shrill and tinny and gave me a headache, though it's probably not the best one in the pack.

I know one thing, there's a small fortune amassing in my bank account specifically for all this cool RPG Maker stuff (yes, including RMVXA).