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.

RPG Maker Times Anniversary

I just realised today that last month was RPG Maker Times's third anniversary. The very first entry I posted was What Is RPG Maker? on 20 November, 2008. And not a single anniversary celebration. Time certainly flies! Originally, the post was placed on the now closed RPG Maker 2K3 Master blogsite.

Although I'd been using RM2K for awhile before that, I only "upgraded" to RM2K3 a long time after its "release". The original RPG Maker 2K3 Master blog was hosted somewhere else (I can't remember where) as a comprehensive guide for RM2K3. It included a complete breakdown on the Database and Events Commands, including examples. Sadly, though, the blog host went belly-up and all of the content was lost, barely up long enough to become something. I had the backup for a long time, with plans to re-release it somewhere else, but several hard drives and computers later it never saw the light again. And I no longer have the original files.

In the middle of 2008 (I think, or at least around that time), I discovered Blogger and started producing something for RM2K/3 a few months later. The rest, as they say, is history!

RPG Maker Times is still going strong and probably will continue into the future, especially since it's gradually expanding into other areas as well.

Resource Sites for RPG Maker #1

I've been using RPG Maker for awhile, as regular visitors will know, so it would be inevitable that I'd have some graphical resource sites at hand. In fact, my collection of bookmarks is huge! Sadly, however, some of the sites have faded into obscurity. These are some of the best resource sites, listed in an almost comprehensive list.

Where applicable, sites have been translated into English using Google Translate.

• Etorie Material
• English version

(RMXP/VX) A Japanese resource site with the slant on anime. All resources here are good quality. Windowskins are for RMXP for the most part.

• Mutation Genes
• English version

(RM2K3/XP/VX) A Japanese site with some stunning graphics for all RPG Maker platforms, from Title/Game Over screens to transitions to message backgrounds.

• Neo RTP (RMVX) - This Japanese site has very few resources on it, but it's mentioned because it's the only one I know of with "school" themed resources, from characters to windowskins.
• Onirology (RPG-Maker) (RM2K3/XP/VX) - A French site with a few resources, but they are quite good, including Windowskins. The site does not appear to have been updated for a while. — English version (Google Translated)
• Zanyzora's RMXP Resources RMXP - Contains a comparatively small amount of resources, but good ones nevertheless. Some are matching sets and some are add-ons too, including ships. It does not appear that the site has been updated for a while.

RPG Maker XP vs VX

Having experimented with both RMVX and RMXP for a while now, I have to say that ultimately I still prefer RMXP. There are a number of reasons for this and most of these are because many features available in RMXP were omitted in RMVX. This doesn't really detract from the game-making capability of the program, it's more of an annoyance and inconvenience.

Omissions in RMVX

Following is the list of some of the event commands removed from RMVX. Most (if not all) of these can be reproduced via scripts.

• Change Text Options - This one has been integrated in the Show Text command in RMVX, along with another option, "Batch Entry", which allows multiple text entries. It automatically splits the text into further text boxes if the 4 default line limit is reached.
• Button Input Processing - This was one of those commands carried over from RM2K/3, which wasn't really necessary since most keypress processing can be done with scripts.
• Change Windowskin - This useful command was omitted in RMVX. While windowskins can be changed in RGSS2 by changing the "Window" default skin, I found this command useful as part of the options for changing themes. The disadvantage of its removal (without scripting it into the game) is that only the default windowskin can be changed in Window_Base.
• Change Map Settings - This command enabled controls for the Panorama (Parallax), Fog and Battle Background graphics, all of which have been omitted in RMVX. These commands can still be emulated with scripts, but it's a major inconvenience.
• Change Fog Color Tone and Change Fog Opacity - These were additional options for manipulating the Fog effects. Again, scripts can be used to emulate these effects, but it's inconvenient.
• Wait For Move's Completion - In my opinion, this was a useless command, since it's an option in the Set Move Route command.
• Prepare for Transition and Execute Transition - I never used these commands, but their purpose was to change the way the screen transitioned between battles. Since it has been omitted in RMVX, it only has one default named "BattleStart" in the Graphics/System folder. A new one can be imported and used, provided its name is "BattleStart", which supersedes the default. It can also be changed via script using the Graphics.transition command.
• Memorize BGM/BGS and Restore BGM/BGS - These were two more commands imported from RM2K/3. Again I never used them in RMXP (but did in RM2K3), but their purpose was to remember certain background musics and sounds and recall them later. There's really no need for them, so omitting them in RMVX isn't necessarily a bad thing.
• Deal Damage - This command allowed a specific amount of damage to be inflicted on enemies, used particularly in cut scenes. Again, it can be emulated with scripts, but it's annoying nevertheless that it's missing in RMVX.

Some of the other omissions/changes are:

• Map Tilesets - Map tilesets are fixed in RMVX, divided into Tiles. There are no options to change them or add additional tilesets or autotiles, as there was in RMXP. There are now basically 5 tiles, including TileE, which is kept blank for "user tiles". These default tilesets are very limiting when making maps and don't allow many options. I think I've seen a script somewhere that enables tileset changing, using complete user-created tilesets completely replacing the default ones (they are named the same, i.e. TileA1, TileA2, etc. through TileE), but haven't ever tried it, let alone create my own.
• Multiple Icons - Instead of having separate icons for each item, RMVX uses a single iconset capable of "storing" 256 icons. While this has its advantages and disadvantages, again the default Iconset is limiting. The main advantage is that a single sheet can be smaller than 256 individual icons and the major drawback is that only the default Iconset must be used (or replaced with a new one named "IconSet"). It is possible to use multiple Iconsets using RGSS2, but I'll have to go into that in a future entry.

Additional Features in RMVX

Not only has the Ruby script (RGSS2) been improved, but there are some additional commands and features lacking in RMXP.

• Set Vehicle Location and Get on/off Vehicle - This command is an import from RM2K/3 that seems to have been omitted in RMXP, but has returned in RMVX. Vehicles in RMXP were controlled using events instead.
• Show Balloon Icon - Balloon Icons are animations above characters' heads designed to simulate their emotions. I like this feature, as previously they had to be created manually and used as Battle Animations.
• Fadeout Screen and Fadein Screen - Useful for effects between cut scenes or map transitions, these commands fade the screen to and from black.
• Change Vehicle Graphic - This command simply allows the vehicle graphics to be changed into something else, lacking in RMXP except through events using Set Move Route. As an example of its use, a vehicle can be changed if it has been upgraded (think Final Fantasy III where the boat changes to a submarine and airship).
• Facesets - The reimplementation of Facesets, lacking in RMXP, is a welcome one. Facesets in RMXP were still possible, but using script methods.

In RGSS2, some additional features have been added, such as text shadows, which is quite a useful effect for emphasis or titles. Some of these I'll cover in a future entry.