Back to The Original Template!

Just a brief update.

I reverted to the old template because the previous ones were crap and every time I visited, I just wanted to claw my eyes out! So I returned to this one. It's always been aesthetically appealing and is more appropriate. I guess the expression It it ain't broken, don't fix it! really does apply.

Much of the sidebar content is now out-of-date, so some time next week I'll bring it up-to-date and change the layout slightly. Plus, I'm re-downloading the original, unmodified template and uploading it again so that I have a fresh template to work on.

I'll then update old code, such as for JQuery, and try to cleanse it of its impurities to conform to XHTML/CSS3 standards. This may take awhile because the template is old and I don't think it's been updated on its originating site.

The main areas, however, that need the most attention are the sidebar and footer. So those will be the target areas first.

The Gladiator Project – An Old Game Revisited

Six years ago today, The Gladiator Project was actively in development for RPG Maker. It was an ambitious project, based on my personal interest in and fascination with the Roman Empire.

Sadly, for various reasons, I abandoned the project. And there it remains, gathering dust.

So What Happened?

The Gladiator Project was first developed for RMXP, based on its original hack-and-slash concept for RM2K3, but highly expanded. It then migrated to RMVX, where further expansion took place (including customized graphics). To begin with, I wasn't very competent at RGSS and frequently lurked in forums to try and learn from others' scripts.

I eventually emerged from the shadows to ask how to create a basic lexicon. Nothing special or spectacular, just a template from which to work with and learn from.

One coder arrogantly claimed that the script was boring and he could add bells and whistles to it for a complete script. This deviated from my original request and, despite re-quoting my desire for a basic template, still felt mortified and belittled.

So I continued on my own, refusing to revisit that particular forum. However, interest in the project began waning, along with the enthusiasm and drive to continue its development.

Eventually, I decided to cease development altogether.

Is The Project Scheduled for Redevelopment?

I've been thinking about redeveloping this for RPG Maker MV, perhaps as my next project after Otherworld SGB: Through the Veil. However, this may not happen anytime soon, tentatively this year, more likely next year.

Read More...

Last Official Layout Update

This is the new layout for Ye Olde RPG Maker Times Blog. Frankly, I hate it! I may end up going back to the original and KEEPING it. I remember now why I didn't change the original blog template for years!

Once upon a time Blogger used to be da bomb, but nowadays not so much. Their new dynamic layouts are fine as eye candy, but sadly they're not too widget-friendly in favor of Google's monsters.

And since it's been quite some time since I even poked around in the guts of Blogger's code, primarily in favor of WordPress, it took me HOURS to figure one simple thing out. If I'd have done the same thing in WordPress it would have taken a quarter that time. I guess I've just been out of touch with Blogger's code for too long!

As I've mentioned previously, this is no longer the official RPG Maker Times blog. It's new and official site is now here. And that's where it'll stay.

I'll mirror any updates on this blog, including for plugins, projects and anything else I'm working on, with any relevant links reciprocating to the official blog. And that way those who are already familiar with this blog will get the updates as well.

Spring Cleaning and Renovation

After my previous post, Neglected But Not Forgotten, I started thinking. Since yesterday was officially the First Day of Spring, I figured it was time to spring-clean the site.

Careful Consideration

After carefully considering on the best course of action for this, I decided to drop support for 2K3 and XP. These two RPG Makers seem less predominant nowadays, and besides I no longer actively use them. While some game developers may still use them, according to general statistics, their usage is less frequent in favor of VX, VX Ace and MV. Hence, the decision.

Most of the current posts containing references to 2K3 and XP will remain intact. However, I am removing the XP plugins and archiving many of the 2K3 materials (such as resources and utilities).

Spring Cleaning

As part of the spring cleaning, a necessary evil is to go through each and every post (from the very first) and remove redundant links, images, etc.

This is a hideous process, a road I've traveled many times before. But it is necessary and will, of course, take some time.

Afterwards, the main focus of the site will be VX, VX Ace, MV and Smile Game Builder, especially the latter two, as these are the ones I use most frequently.

Original Blog

This is the original RPG Maker Times blog and it's in desperate need of updating.

This won't be in the form of retroactively updating posts; that'd take way too much time, as its last update was in August 2016. I won't change anything either, except for tweaks to the sidebars.

Instead, the blog will become a repository for posts from this site and its subsites, with links to the posts instead of the full articles. This includes SGB news, scripts and plugins and news related to RPG Maker as they're posted.

The official RPG Maker Times site is now housed on its own domain, including its subsites.

Countdown to RPG Maker MV

There's only two days left before the "official" launch of RPG Maker MV and I'm getting excited!

This means that, since I preordered it from the start, it'll be readily available on 23 October, 2015, at 10:00 PDT. The biggest advantage is that I actually have the day off from work, so I will start playing around with it almost immediately. And I'm confident enough in my Javascripting skills that I can eventually start on some plugins of my own.

In fact, I've been going through a refresher course on Codecademy. It's easier than I thought it would be; although it's been quite some time since I wrote anything in Javascript, it's all coming back to me!

Wonder if wanting to remake Otherworld in #RMMV to make use of its plugins is running before you can walk. #RPGMaker #GameDev #IndieGameDev

— RPG Maker Times (@CompanionWulf) October 21, 2015

Based on what I've seen so far, I've been thinking about recreating Otherworld to RMMV, but that probably won't happen since the project's fairly well established now for RMVXA. Nice idea though!

RPG Maker MV Preorder & Release Date

RPG Maker MV is being released on October 23, 2015.

You can preorder your copy with a 10% discount and two bonus packs: the Cover Art Characters Pack and the MV Essentials Set. Steam or non-Steam keys will be available when RPG Maker MV is officially released.

The preorder cost (with the discount) is a princely $71.99, but to me (based on what I've seen so far) it's worth it!

RPG Maker MV Official Trailer

What Makes RPG Maker MV Exciting

Previous RPG Makers (from 2K to VXA) have been limited to Windows only. However, RPG Maker MV can now be used on both Windows and Mac machines. Not only that, you can also export games you create to Android or iOS, as well as to HTML5 so games can be playable on your websites.

In this video, Stephen Plays showcases some of the features in RPG Maker MV. He was one of the fortunate ones to have a preview version to play with.



The tiles are larger with "intelligent" tile transparency and you can choose between front-view or side-view battles, depending on your preference. RPG Maker MV also comes with a built-in character creator, complete with sprites and facesets, which will be very useful for creating styled characters.

RPG Maker MV Official Page

You can view some of the major features in RPG Maker MV on the RPG Maker Web page, which includes a playable demo on the website.

I've preordered my copy already and, although the price may be somewhat high, it's definitely worth it! Being able to create and produce RPG Maker MV games on a wide range of formats is a huge plus! I'm looking forward to RPG Maker MV; I'll activate my copy through Steam, though you can choose to have a non-Steam key if you prefer.

Payday is literally just around the corner (tomorrow actually), so I'll be preordering my own copy of RPG Maker MV. I'm surprisingly excited. And then, of course, it means I have to relearn JavaScript, not necessarily a bad thing.

One key lets you activate the Steam and Non-Steam Version!Expand MV with free Preorder Resources!Bonus plugins,...

Posted by RPG Maker MV on Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Hopefully, most likely later in 2016, I'll be giving away Steam keys for RPG Maker MV in the form of a competition. At least that's the plan. Watch this space for details!

RPG Maker 2003 Updated to v1.11

The official version of RM2K3 was updated (and released) yesterday. There are a number of bug fixes and some cool and, indeed, welcome additions to the Maker.

You can view some of its main updates (the ones that jump out at me) or the official RM2K3 English Changelog.

Extra Stats Script v4.0 (RMVX) In Development

The Extra Stats script is being updated to version 4.0 and is nearing completion.

Version 4 will eventually supersede version 3, but the older version will still be available for download for those who prefer it. Several new features have been added, notably that each stat section now has its own display. Each section can include a filler picture as well.

Some of the changes are:

• Separate Sections - The stat sections are displayed separately instead of in a single window. This makes it easier to view instead of being clumped together, thereby improving aesthetics.
• Add Pictures - Each section can have their own filler pictures. At the moment, pictures are preset, but a function to add your own pictures will be implemented later.
• Additional Stats - A few additional stats have been added to the various sections. I'm also working on implementing more in-game stats, such as the number of potions used.

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

RPG Maker Times Blog - Important Notice

The RPG Maker Times blogsite domain is down is up again.

Visitors to the site will receive a "503 - Service Temporarily Unavailable" error. This means that the current webhost claims that CPU resources and capacity have been overloaded, yet all the other subdomains work perfectly.

As many of you know, this is not the first time I've had problems with the webhost, but this is the final straw! I've managed to secure enough funds now to finally migrate to another, more expensive VPS webhost and from 12 May, 2015, onwards the migration process will begin. This means that the blogsite will be temporarily unavailable during this time.

It needs to be done, as the site has been expanding for a while, so with the new migration there will be no more interruptions.

The "Complete Chests Tutorial" Is Being Updated

The Complete Chests Tutorial is finally being given a long overdue update!

Since my recent purchase of the officially translated version of RM2K3 from Steam, I decided to finally bring this tutorial up-to-date. I'm basically rewriting them but using the tutorials as templates and adding some additional features as well.

Included will be some new chapters, which again were planned but never fully implemented. A downloadable demo will be available for each RPG Maker. Maps will be unique to each but the basic principles will be the same throughout. The demos will be more puzzle-orientated as well.

Once complete, the Complete Chests Tutorial will also be uber-updated.

Scripts/Scriptlets Updates

I have two days off (from tomorrow) so will spend the time tweaking and updating all Scripts/Scriptlets. They'll also be uploaded to Pastebin, providing the option to copy and paste them directly or download a text version from the site.

Saturday is my last work-night before I have a week's holiday, which will give me the chance to finally make some proper progress on my project, Otherworld.

I'm hoping to finally publish Version 4.0 of the Q-Engine, along with its add-ons, following some additional testing and tweaks.

We'll see how things go. My priority IS Otherworld, however, and creating something of more substance.

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!

Otherworld Inspiration and Influences

I was asked some days ago about the inspiration behind Otherworld and its influences.

Although it draws its inspiration from several sources, its main influence is Celtic mythology, with others interwoven into its conceptual faric. I’ve also drawn on my own experiences as a "paranormalorist", a term I coined to combine parapsychologist and paranormal investigator. (I have a little over 30 years experience in the fields and, although I’ve now retired from the investigations side of it, am still consulted by individuals and groups on paranormal, psychic and spiritual topics.)

When I first wrote the short story, upon which much of the game is based, its basic concept was that the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped. Usually, ghosts and spirits are invisible but every so often manifest physically.

Read More...

Q-Engine v5.0 In Progress - Improvements

The Q-Engine and its add-ons are undergoing some improvements.

This is primarily to remove the dependency on the UCSM. Instead, the Q-Engine will contain the global settings required for the main scripts and the relevant configuration settings will be placed in the add-ons themselves. This will make it much easier to tweak rather than relying on a single configuration to set them.

I'll also be creating a downloadable demo (finally), which will enable you to install the Q-Engine and all of its available add-ons without having to copy and paste them individually.

I'm making this a priority over the next few weeks to get this done as quickly as possible so I can focus on my other projects, especially Paranormality: Otherworld.

Karma (Good vs Evil) Script - Game Notes

The Karma (Good vs Evil) script was created for Otherworld to present a number of moral dilemmas that Anna, the main character, faces.

Hence, because of the nature of Otherworld and ultimately its underlying moralistic theme, I decided to have some kind of system in place where actions and interactions are influenced by alignments. After searching around for a decent "good vs evil" script, however, none of them quite fit in with these requirements.

Most of them were the simple generic Good and Evil scripts that only really showed characters' alignments and that's pretty much it. There were a few "morality" systems that gave some scope for reactions from people depending on alignment, but these were still limited.

Read More...

Where Are All The Updates?

That's a good question, since this blog has been sadly neglected! This does not, however, mean that RPG Maker Times has been abandoned, nor has my interest in RPG Maker diminished. Most of the updates now occur on the new RPG Maker Times & Companion blogsite.

Those who follow me on Google+, Twitter and Facebook will already know what I've been up to. So, for the latest updates, why not follow me at one - or all - of them? Each one usually has unique content!

Otherworld (Paranormality) - RMVXA Project

Otherworld is a paranormal-themed RMVXA project I'm working on. Development will continue on it until its completion, on my days off or when I have some spare time in between work and time off.

All updates, including game pages, will be on the Otherworld (Paranormality) official blogsite.

Without giving too much of the plot away yet, the game is single-player, focusing around Anna Carrera. She's an ordinary but introverted girl with nothing extraordinary about her. She leads a normal life, studies diligently, works hard, yet she doesn't really socialize much, so she has very few people she calls "friends".

One fateful day, however, on her way back from school, something happened to her that changed her life and her perspective on things in general. And she embarked on a journey to the "other side" and back to change the course of history and save Mankind from a deadly fate.

This supersedes my other projects, Paranormality: Portals and The Gladiator Project.

Update: Q-Engine v4.0 Release Notes

The Q-Engine v4.0 is being restructured and rewritten with newer cleaner code before its final release. I'd like it to be perfect first and thoroughly tested before uploading it to the blogsite. This also includes the add-ons:

• Animated Title Screen Add-On
• Equipment Add-On
• Status Screen Add-On
• Game Over Add-On
• Combat Add-On

And also eventually:

• Animated Game Over Add-On
• Character Add-On
• Map Add-On

If you'd like to be a pre-release beta tester, write "BETA TEST" in the comments below. Nearer the time, you'll have exclusive access to the script right before its release to test for errors and/or incompatibilities.

Blog NOT Abandoned, But Here's Why No Updates

This blog has not been abandoned. Most of the content and updates have now migrated to RPG Maker Times & Companion. To keep up-to-date with the latest news and script updates, as well as resources, be sure to visit the site.

While this site will still not be abandoned, it will be used for updates to RPG Maker Times & Companion, as well as other general updates and fun RPG Maker related things. You can still follow me at Facebook.

For the most part, I've been dividing my time between work and writing, and trying to establish an online business. This means that the time I'd like to devote to RPG Maker and the various projects is limited, so when I am able to it's like tasting candy again after a long absence!