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 v4.0 Released

The Extra Stats v4.0 is finally finished.

Extra Stats Script v4.0 released. #RPGMaker #RGSS2 #GameDev http://t.co/X7QE3xs481 pic.twitter.com/909BZDezj9

— RPG Maker Times (@CompanionWulf) August 29, 2015

The main feature of the ESS v4.0 is a menu system to categorise sections accordingly. It's now available to download and use in your projects if you find it useful. Some stats are still pending - I haven't had the time to code them yet - but it's still fully functional.

I'm not sure when it'll be updated to v5.0 (the final version). It all depends on what happens between now and then.

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.

Is It Legal To Change The Game.exe Icon?

I came across a question a few weeks ago about the legality of using such software as Resource Hacker to change the Game.exe icon, so I thought I'd answer it.

First of all, according to the EULA:

Licensee shall not reverse engineer, de-compile, or disassemble the Software.

which means, in short, that technically it IS illegal, since you're modifying something that is part of the "Software", i.e. RPG Maker.

With that said, however, you're not actually directly modifying the software itself, only the game's icon for creating shortcuts. And, since there isn't an apparent option for the INI to use an icon, for some developers having a game-exclusive icon is a preference they don't want to be without.

According to Archeia on Steam:

Technically it isn't [legal] and Enterbrain is aware of it. But they're loose about the rule.

In other words, Enterbrain doesn't condone using software to hack Game.exe to change its icon (which is what Resource Hacker does), since that would be a violation of the EULA, but they are tolerant of it provided you're ONLY using it to change the icon - and nothing else - and do NOT directly modify the software itself. This includes anything that comes bundled with the RPG Maker itself, the RTP software, Game.exe, and any accompanying DLLs.

If you're in doubt, don't do it!

Instead, you might be interested in the How to Change the Game.exe Icon Tutorial for alternative methods that don't directly modify or hack Game.exe.

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.

RPG Maker 2003 Official English Translation

Yes, it's official! RPG Maker 2003 has been officially translated into English and is now available on Steam.



I just bought it to add to my Steam collection. I now have them all in one convenient place.

The final results for the March 2015 Poll What RPG Maker Do You Use Most Often? are in.

The three "other" options were:

• Unity3D - Not strictly speaking an RPG Maker product, but it still counts. Making RPGs with Unity3D is something I've always wanted to do but just haven't learned any of it.
• RPG Maker 2K - Kudos! A true diehard!
• RPG Maker VX Ace - Already an option, so the official count is 102!
  

I find the results most interesting, not what I expected. So, based on these results, I'll try and tailor the content accordingly.

Thanks to ALL who voted and commented!

Fix: Gold Comma Separators Scriptlet

In reference to the Gold Comma Separators Scriptlet, a bug was found. It was pointed out that in RMVXA, the commas worked fine in the main Gold Window, but opening up a shop and buying items resulted in a "Comparison of Fixnum with string failed" error.

And, since the previous method worked in RMXP and RMVX, but not in RMVXA, I was quite interested in finding a solution (not being one to shy away from a challenge), since I did overlook this in the first place.

Thanks to Dahcster for finding it and pointing it out.

Read More: Fix: Gold Comma Separators Scriptlet