The Gladiator Project Redux

The Gladiator Project is back in development after being on hold for a while. So this means that I'm now working on two projects and balancing between the two.

After originally developing it for RMVX, because of its limitations, I decided to experiment with it in RMXP, and found a formula that works quite well with it.

The menu system has been redesigned from scratch, along with some features not present in the RMVX version. I've already started designing the characters and maps, so will have something more tangible soon.

For more information, visit the "official" Gladiator Project site. Or subscribe to the newsfeeds or newsletter for updates on RPG Maker Times, including new posts and project updates.

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.

Forthcoming Updates & Other News

Life has been hectic, as it tends to do, especially when you have so many projects on the go that there's no time to complete them all. I thought I'd publish a new update.

In the next few posts (time permitting), I'd like to publish the following:

• A list of all of the resource websites for RPG Maker - finally!
• Some more windowskins, perhaps this time including some of the specific designs that visitors have been looking for (according to trends outlined in Statcounter and Google Analytics).
• Another update on Ars Magia 1: Genesis, which, by the way, will officially be given the name change of Ars Mechanica. This is primarily to avoid all confusion with Atlus Games' tabletop RPG and any subsequent possible copyright infringements.
• A few more tutorials, including expansions to the Complete Chest Tutorial, along with demos for all RPG Makers.
• A better navigation bar, which will include all collections across the RPG Maker Times network.

The Ars Magia novella - also officially renamed Ars Mechanica - is nearing completion, at least as a prequel to the game. It is being expanded to a full novel prior to publication; I'm hoping this will be mainstream, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Ars Mechanica, the game, is at a standstill, but only because I'm creating and translating the maps and trying to decide whether or not an overland main map a la Final Fantasy would work better than the original interlinking maps I had in mind.

Regular readers will probably know that I've been experimenting with and reworking The Gladiator Project for use with RMXP. I must say that it is working much better than in RMVX and I'm having a great deal of fun with it. So, some time in the near future I will officially be continuing with it.

So ends another update. I'll obviously have way too much to occupy my time over the next few days, weeks even, but I'll post something soon!

Time For A New Layout - Poll Results

According to the poll results for January/February 2011, the majority of voters want a facelift for RPG Maker Times. Over 60% of voters in fact.

Interestingly, 27.27% are in favour of a layout change, 36.36% want to see a prototype first, and 18.18% are either in favour of keeping this one or aren't bothered. That leaves 63.63% total votes for the new facelift. Aside from these double digits or "gateway" numbers, numerologically speaking, is that the totals (63.63) equals 9 - 63+63 = 126; 1+2+6 = 9 or 6+3 and 6+3 = 9 and 9; 9+9 = 18; 1+8 = 9.

Among the numerological meanings for the number 9 (with the blog and its new layout in mind) are:

• Socially Conscious - Encouraging visitors to have a say in its direction and layout, including with prototype templates, and acting on it as best I can. The blog is even being shared on Facebook and other social networks.
• Improvement/Betterment - Throughout its development, this blog has tried to accommodate visitors' needs (in so far as it can) and add widgets to make life easier, such as a navigation menu. And, of course, I'm constantly searching for ways to improve it.
• Imagination and Creativity - Well, it's certainly that. Trying to find articles and tutorials that many would find useful and interesting.
• Sharing - Given that over the years, it's been shared with so many people, and they in return have often shared their comments (both as post comments and on the shoutbox).
• Popularity and/or Nobility - RPG Maker Times can now boast an average of about 120 hits per day and has achieved a Google Rank of 2 lately, with its popularity in the search engines also increasing.

Of course, I won't be able to accommodate everyone's wishes, but over the next few weeks I will develop 3 templates and when they are ready, visitors can vote on which one they like best. The template with the most votes will then be implemented.

Is That The Time Already?

I just realised it's February already - almost Valentine's Day! I hadn't even thought about it until today, which means I only have four days left to do something romantic for my "significant other"!

That doesn't mean I've abandoned this blog either, although I must admit to my newest addiction: Resort World on Facebook! It's become the bane of my life, building and trying to keep up! Their Valentine's Day "promo buildings" reminded me actually. EDIT: Inactive.

Aside from spending a little too much time playing the game, I've been spending more time writing, this time trying my hand at sci-fi, although it's not the hardcore type. Just a short story set in the not-so-far-away future.

Work has also continued on Ars Magia: Genesis, but I'm at a standstill with that. Trying to get the maps just right is proving problematic, especially the overland map. I'll figure it out one way or another because I'd like to get a playable demo out soon! EDIT: The project is defunct.

In between, I've also been experimenting with a workable formula for rebuilding The Gladiator Project in RMXP RMVX. And I've realised that some features that were available in the RMVX version may need to be sacrificed in favour of other features. But I'm still playing around with it.

Finally, based on the poll results so far (in the right-hand sidebar), it seems that changing the layout of RPG Maker Times is inevitable, provided prototypes can be viewed - and voted on - first. So, I've been experimenting with different styles, colour schemes and layouts. Certainly, for the newest incarnation - you could say "version 3" - I'd like to add additional features, such as a better navigation menu, a table of contents, maybe some games showcases, and maybe even a forum and live chat! Who knows where it'll lead. That might be an idea for another poll.

I'll try to get a list of *good* resource sites for the next few entries.

RMXP/VX Windowskins #1

View More Windowskins

After having discovered the peerless Hiper WindowSkin Maker, windowskins for both RMXP and RMVX will now be placed in a single entry. There's no need for separate entries, but as usual all new windowskins will be easily accessible either from the RMXP Windowskins or RMVX Windowskins index pages.

Let's get the ball rolling and deliver some more windowskins.

RMXP

Dragonis	Gothic Horror
Futuristic #1	Futuristic #2

RMVX

Dragonis	Gothic Horror
Futuristic #1	Futuristic #2

Hiper RMXP/RMVX Windowskin Maker

DownloadI'm sure that RPG Maker enthusiasts and visitors to RPG Maker Times alike are aware of the Windowskin Generator VX and the Windowskin Maker XP by now. These are two separate programs: the VX one loads via RMVX or separately and the XP one is a standalone program.

Wouldn't it be cool if both windowskin creators were combined, where instead of having to create RMXP and RMVX windowskins separately, you could use a single program to create both simultaneously? If such a program existed, it would certainly make life much easier!

Well, such a program DOES exist, thanks to the superlative talents of one Narvelan, a nonpareil Brazilian programmer, who has created the peerless Hiper WindowSkin Maker (version 1.0 BETA). I tell you, this utility is THE DEFINITIVE windowskin creator! I can't laud this program enough, so I'll outline its rich features instead.

It is in Portugese, but is fairly straightforward and easy to use, although here's a quick rundown nevertheless.

Create the windowskins

When first opening the program, the first place to go is Estilo (Styles). This is where the different graphics parts are stored, with seven style categories to choose from - including my favorite, Medieval - but you can create your own. From there, you can choose the different components from the tabs to create the windowskins. As you add the components, they will be added realtime to both RPG Maker templates.

All graphics are dependant on the styles. The Background (Fundo) is the message window background. The Layouts (1, 2 and 3) insert the message window frame, directional arrows and flashing cursor respectively. Sets (Seta) 1 and 2 are RMXP only for the battle cursors. Set 3 is the animated arrows to forward messages. And the Extra tab I have no idea what that's for.

You also have the options to choose a colour (Escholer Cor) for the background transparency or revert to normal transparency (Transparente). You can even overlay templates or create blank templates from the Show Template (Monstrar Template) options.

Once you've created your masterpiece, you can save (salvar) each windowskin in either format, or both. They can then be imported and used in games.

Importing windowskins

The final very useful feature this utility has is the ability to import RMXP windowskins and split them up so you can use them in RMVX windowskins!

It's under Arquivo (File) then Importar (Import). There you will see one option: Windowskin XP (.png), which you can use to import RMXP only windowskins.

Caveat: Do NOT attempt to import RMVX windowskins (either by accident or by design). It will not work and the program will invariably crash.

Conclusion

Now there's absolutely NO excuse not to create more RMXP windowskins. In fact, I will be creating the same versions of both, since the commonest search term is windowskins.

Narvelan, Tiramos o chapéu para você, mano! (Uh...Google-translated since I'm not bi-lingual.)

Ars Magia Novella (Draft)

The first draft of the Ars Magia novella is complete. I'll be working on proofreading and editing it in preparation for the final draft. Publication (through self-publication) is on schedule - I was aiming for March 2011 initially - although I'm still hoping for mainstream publication.

If I do opt for self-publication, most likely the novella will be in a downloadable PDF format. The original price I quoted was $9.99, but this will be reduced to either $3.99 or $5.99, depending on the completed novella's length. This will be available for purchase directly from the RPG Maker Times blog or from the Ars Magia blog (most likely both of them).

There will eventually be four novellas in total, which will tie all of the RMVX games together. The first, Genesis, is the prequel to the eponymous RMVX game, detailing events immediately before where the game starts. The second novella will be the interim between the first and second games, with another novella set between the second and third games. And the epilogic novella will be set immediately after the third game in the series, tying up any loose ends and concluding the Ars Magia story.

Although the series title is still exploratory, even at this stage, it may end up being that the individual novellas are self-published and the mainstream publication is a consolidation of all four novellas (including the games stories, which will be elaborated upon). This would ultimately depend on a number of factors, especially time constraints, as I'm not entirely sure how long this rather ambitious, multi-faceted project will take.

Another consideration is a name change, most likely reverting to Ars Mechanica, which was the original name of the series upon which the first short-short stories were based and around which the games have been loosely based. This applies to both games and novellas.

List of Other RPG Makers

Almost everyone knows about Ascii/Enterbrain's RPG Maker by now - from RM95 to RMVX - but these are not the only programs capable of producing RPG games. RPG Maker Times has been going for quite some time now, including its predecessor blog RPG Maker 2K3 Master (now closed), and its primary focus has been on these three most well known RPG Makers.

As part of its growth, however, it's about time that RPG Maker Times expanded, encompassing some (or all) of the other RPG makers available today. Of course, this may take some time as I'll have to try them proper.

Below is a list of some noteworthy others (most I have tried at one point or another).

• BYOND - BYOND stands for "Build Your Own Net Dream". With it you can not only create RPGs but other types of games too. This is a quote directly from the website.
  
  

  BYOND is the premier community for making and playing online multiplayer games. Enjoy hundreds of games created by our community, by people just like you. BYOND supports board and card games, role-playing, action, strategy, and more!
  
  Making your own multiplayer games with BYOND is free. As a game creation system, BYOND is powerful and flexible, with an easy-to-learn language that stands apart from any other game maker, tools for developers, plus articles and tutorials. Building multiplayer games is easy with built-in online support. Find out how easy it is to create the game of your dreams. Your game could be the next big indie games sensation!

  
  I'm very intrigued by this program, especially by one of its games, called Nestalgia, an interesting-looking "unique MORPG inspired by the gameplay of classic console RPGs".

Read more »

Fun With Events #1 - NPC Interaction

This was a question on Yahoo! Answers a while ago, which I answered and thought I'd share. Although initially tailored for RM2K3, it will also work the same way in RMXP and RMVX.

The basic idea is that while the Hero is walking around, someone shouts hello, the Hero turns and that person walks (or runs) up to him and they start conversing.

The simplest method (and easiest to adapt) is with an "autoevent". For this example, the NPC event is 5 squares to the right of the Hero position.

Create a blank event and set the "Trigger Condition" to "Auto-Start". In the "Event Commands", place the following:

<>Move Event: Hero, Move Left, Move Left
<>Wait: 0.8 Sec
<>Message: Hey!\|\^
<>Wait: 0.8 Sec
<>Move Event: Hero, Face Right
<>Move Event: NPC, Move Towards Hero
<>Wait: 1.8 Sec
<>Message: It's good to see you,\n[1]!

The Hero will move left two squares, the NPC will shout (and will automatically enter - no keypress), the Hero will turn around, the NPC will run up to the Hero, then will say "It's good to see you..." (with the \n[1] switch being the name of the Hero you set up in the Database).