System2 Set - Tutorial (RM2K3)

System 2 graphics, located in the System2 folder, are the "Battle Menu Set", used in battles to determine the cursor for targeting enemies and allies. It also displays the ATB bar and the numbers for HP and MP display in gauge type battles (set in the "Battle Layout" options of the Database).

Image Size: 80x96.

This is a "default" template for creating your own System2 designs.

So now, breaking it down into its component elements, we can gain a better insight into how it all fits together.

1: The three-frame animation sequence for the left arrow.

2: The three-frame animation sequence for the down arrow.

3: The numbers for displaying damage values in battles.

A, B and C are the frames for the HP, SP and ATB bars respectively.

D: This is usually kept blank. Although I don't know precisely what this is used for, most likely this is used for transparencies.

E: These four blocks are for the gauge colors, displayed when the "Battle Layout" is set to "Gauge".

F: This is the gauge for the ATB, which is used for determining times between turns.

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Now that we know what each section does, we can add the components. Again, I've used Character Maker 1999 to recreate the System2 set.

Let's do the arrow animations (1 & 2) first. The first row is for the left arrow and the second is for the down arrow. These arrows can be anything, provided each frame is 16x16 pixels an in sequence.



Next task is "fleshing out" the stat containers - HP (A), MP (B) and ATB (C). Each one needs to be 8x48 pixels and usually comprises a frame and blank or empty container for the gauge graphics. These can be left completely blank but for aesthetics I always prefer putting something here.


Each gauge - two for HP and MP gauges (E) and one for the ATB gauge (F) - is also 8x48 pixels, but must be positioned centrally against the stat containers so they fit into the blank or empty containers.

The penultimate addition are the numbers (3), 0 through 9, which are used for damage in combat. They can be any color, font or design provided that each number fits into a 16x16 block.



The final part of the System2 template is the 16x16 block (D). This is usually kept blank for, I suspect, transparency values.

System Set - Tutorial Part 2 (RM2K3)

As part of the new, expansive resource templates tutorials, which will eventually extend to all RPG Makers, this series will demonstrate how to create your own resources from scratch. You can use any graphics editor for editing, but for RM2K3 resources the best program to use is Character Maker 1999.

The first one we'll focus on is the System Set, which is located in the System folder; this is used for the main menus and windows/text boxes.

Image Size: 160x80.

The basic System layout looks like this:

Once "filled in", this will determine how the messages appear, including text colors, in text boxes and menus; in other words, the main interface.


Breaking the template down into its component parts, we can have a better understanding about how the components work, thus:

A: Size: 32x32. This is the window background. It can be a single color or gradients, or even an image.

B: Size: 32x32. This is the frame around the window (3 pixels wide) and the up and down arrows for scrolling through options. The arrows are 8x8 in size by default, but for the best results 10x8 is recommended with 2 pixels between each arrow.

C: Size: 32x32. These two are the patterns used for the command cursor. If they are two different patterns, the cursor will flash rather than be static if they are both the same.

D: These are the four animated arrows used in shops. Each is 8x8 in size, comprising four frames each. The first row is for stat increases, the second is for unequippable items, the third is for stat decreases, and the fourth is when an item is already equipped.

E: Size: 16x16. This is the background color of the menu, used as "opacity".

F: Size: 16x16. This is the letter shadow color, displayed "behind" the letters to give it a shadow effect.

G: These are the numbers used for timers. There are twelve in total, each one 8x16 in size and comprising a set of two numbers, with the last one a colon (or other separator). It's important to note that, except for the colon, there are two numbers in each square spaced 1 pixel apart.

H: Size: 16x16. These are the two shadows for airships, which are displayed on the map whenever an airship is used as a vehicle.

The last two rows are for the twenty basic colors used in the game. Each is 16x16 in size. The first four are the "system" colors, where:

• 0: The default text color.
• 1: The stats default color.
• 2: The color for when stats increase.
• 3: The color for when stats decrease or when commands are unavailable.
• 4: The color for when HP or SP decrease.

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So now that we know what each of the components are, let's create an example System Set. I've used Character Maker 1999 for this because it makes it much easier to edit.

The first thing we need to do is create the window background (A).

For this tutorial, I created a simple blue gradient background. This will now be the background for all windows.

For the next part, let's create a simple gold border, including gold arrows (B). The white color (default is orange) must be consistent throughout the template, as this will be used to determine transparency. For the cursor command windows (C), they are set to two different background colors, but they can also be the same background colors with slightly different border colors to give that "flashing" effect.

The next part to modify is the shop cursors (D). Again, I've opted for a goldish and silvery look. As a quick reminder, the top row is for increased stats, the second is unequippable items, the third is for decreased stats, and the fourth is for items already equipped. When purchasing items from shops, the animation will cycle through the animation (frames). These can be any images, provided each individual frame is 8x8 pixels and they are consistent; it will look weird if animations jump from one image to another not in sequence.

For this next part, the penultimate, it's a simple matter of filling in two squares - the window opacity color (E) and the letter shadow color (F) - with a single color. The opacity color is usually the same as the background color in the first window of C. The shadow color is usually set to black but can be any color as long as it matches the color scheme.

The final part is where we add the numbers for the timers (G) and the airship shadows (H). Each individual number needs to be 8x16, with a colon and blank square for the spacer.

The final step is to fill in the white background to the default orange. This will be the transparency color when importing this System Set. (This could have been done earlier, but because we were creating gold lettering and borders, white makes it much easier to work with until the final product.)

Windowskin Maker XP

A lot of people lately have been searching for Windowskin Generators to make life easier. No doubt regular visitors to this blog (or the forums) already know about the RMVX Windowskin Generator, which is a superlative utility that I use frequently.

Unfortunately, there has been no RMXP equivalent...Until now!

The talented Evil Cabbage has created just the utility. It's available for download (from RMXP Unlimited) here. Right-click on the "Download" link and Save As for it to work.

Now there are opportunities aplenty for us "non-artists" to create windowskins for both our RMXP and RMVX projects!

A full, light review is available here.

More Windowskins VX #6

View More Windowskins

Here are some more parchment type RMVX windowskins that I found lurking on my hard drive. As always I assume they were created with the Windowskin Generator and Paint Shop Pro combination. Also as usual, these are also placed on the sister blog, RPG Maker Times Companion, where you can collectively view the other RMVX and RMXP windowskins. Right-click and save the image to your hard drive.

Dark Bronze Parchment	Dark Parchment
Feather Parchment	Light Parchment

RMTool

Direct Download This utility scans RPG Maker games for missing files and gives instructions on how to fix it. For example, if a MIDI or particular graphics file is missing from the game's Project folder, this tool will tell you which one is missing.

RMTool - Scan Resources

If any files are missing, you can then import those resources into your project. The program will then "fix" the missing files.

RMTool - Import Missing Resources

Note: The program was specifically made for RM2K, but works as well with RM2K3, except for 2K3-specific folders (i.e. System2, BattleChars, CharSets, etc.); they just won't be scanned.

Windowskin Generator VX

Direct Download

View RMVX Windowskins

I found this awesome and very useful utility. It's a Windowskin Generator, programmed by Woratana and with graphics by Aindra, for RMVX and it works! The idea behind this is to make Windowskin creation easy by selecting various parts and applying them to the skin. It even has a preview area where you can see what the resultant image will look like! Once you're done, the finished product can be saved and imported into RMVX for use in your games.

Download it directly here, then extract it to the RMVX Projects folder (using WinRar or Winzip) and open it up in the RMVX program.

It can be run directly from RMVX or as a standalone program. If used as standalone, the RGSS2002e.dll may be needed. Information on creating and running standalone games (including downloading the appropriate files) can be found on the RPG RPG Revolution forum.

Chapter 8: Items by Level (Hero Level) - The Complete Chests Tutorial

Chests can contain higher-level items, such as weapons, which are only accessible when a character reaches a certain level. If the character is the required level, they can open the chest, otherwise it remains closed. This is easy to do, thus:

Set up the basic chest (from Part 1), setting the chest name to "Chest 8" and the switch precondition on Page 2 to "Chest 8 Opened" also.

In the Events Commands, we need to set up a Branch Condition to check the Hero's level. If it's the required level, the chest is opened as usual. If not, a message is displayed stating the you are not a high enough level to receive the item.

The complete code is:

<>Branch if Zack Level is 2 or more
  <>Play Sound: open1
  <>Move Event: This Event, Face Right
  <>Wait: 0.2 Sec
  <>Move Event: This Event, Face Up
  <>Wait: 0.2 Sec
  <>Move Event: This Event, Face Left
  <>Wait: 0.2 Sec
  <>Change Items: Potion 1 Add
  <>Message: Potion received.
  <>Switch Operation: [0009:Chest 8 Opened] ON
  <>
: Else Handler
  <>Message: You are not a high enough level to
  :               receive the item.
: End
<>

To increase the level required, simply change the value in the Branch Condition, and the item accordingly. Additional Branch Conditions and items can be added (in the Else Handlers) for additional levels.

More Windowskins VX #5

View More Windowskins

Here are some more RMVX windowskins, some of which I created from scratch and some of which were created with the Windowskin Generator. I can't remember which belongs to where, but it doesn't really matter. As usual, these are also placed on the sister blog, RPG Maker Times Companion, where you can view examples of these (and all the other) RMVX and RMXP windowskins. Right-click and save the image to your hard drive.

Torn Parchment	Roman Gothic	Writer's Papyrus
Final Fantasy IX #1	Final Fantasy IX #2

Notes:

• The Roman Gothic windowskin was originally designed for The Gladiator Project, but I created a different one instead.
• The Final Fantasy IX ones took ages to get the boxes "just right", but they turned out in the end.

AnimGet

Direct Download The primary purpose of AnimGet (or Animation Get) is to extract animation frames for use in RPG Maker (or other animation programs). When activated, it will work in the background, taking snapshots every 10 milliseconds, which can then be rendered in a suitable graphics program, such as Paint Shop Pro.

In the beginning, AnimGet was used in conjunction with various emulators, particularly the NES or SNES ones, to capture sprite or battle animations. These could then be rendered and ported into RM2K/3 for use in games. Copyrights were flouted in those days, but that didn't stop the mass productions of RM2K/3 made Final Fantasy or Zelda fan games!

A much more up-to-date (and perhaps ethical) use for AnimGet is to create still-frame images for animations for tutorials or mini movie clips. But, since the program runs in the background, snapshotting every 10 milliseconds, whatever you do while it is active will be logged.

RM Recker

Direct Download RMRecker, created by AnomyWare, is specifically designed for "editing resources, such as splash screens, icons, and glyphs, in your RPG Maker games quick and easy".

With it, you can change any of the three logos, the glyphs and icons used in the game with your own, then save them. The way that RMRecker does this is it patches the EXEcutable RPG_RT file, overwriting the "defaults". It certainly is a quick and easy process and, although it was created with RM2K/3 in mind, it can be used with other EXE files as well.

There are some limitations:

• You can only use 8-bit images. It won't accept 24-bit high color images unless you decrease the color depth first.
  
  
• While glyphs can be BMP, PNG or the proprietary XYZ formats, logos can only be PNG or XYZ formats.

The current version is v1.0 Beta 2, but there have been no apparent updates since 2003; it is still a useful utility nevertheless.