Questions from a newcomer

[Cysma]

I just got this for Christmas, and am amazed at how much there is you can do! However, it all seems too daunting for me to figure out! Anyways, as a longtime user of every other RPG Maker, this one seems to be the most powerful, except for maybe XP. I have some questions about this now...

1. How much of the menus and battles in game will run without any scripts?

2. Is it possible for a player character to have more than 999 in any stat? I'm mainly concerned about HP...what I want is for PCs to have up to 9999 HP and monsters up to 99,999 HP. Are either of these possible?

3. What script would be necessary to find the square root of a number? I'm asking this because it's part of my custom battle formula.

4. Can you change the PC's stats so that they'll go up by different amounts each level, so their stat progression won't be linear?

5. Can the battle system be modified so that the PCs are visible on the battle screen? How about for the damage numbers to splash over the affected character rather than just displaying the damage done in a text box?

6. Can you have each combatant in battle decide their action when their turn comes up, rather than setting actions for the entire party and then watching the turn play out?

[Hikari no Kaze]

Number One: None. :) However, if you're not doing any custom stuff, you don't have to do the actual scripting.

Numbers Two, Four, Five, and Six: Make a CBS.

Number Three: I don't know. You also appear to BE making a CBS. :(

Well, that's all for now. I'll also try to answer any more specific questions you might have... just Think Outside The Box and you should do fine.

[Dungeon Warden]

I just got this for Christmas, and am amazed at how much there is you can do! However, it all seems too daunting for me to figure out! Anyways, as a longtime user of every other RPG Maker, this one seems to be the most powerful, except for maybe XP. I have some questions about this now...

1. How much of the menus and battles in game will run without any scripts?

Most of the menus are built into the system and are not effected by the scripts. Some things like the buy/sell screen are scripted, but the menu you get pressing X can't be altered, though you can add some user menus or turn it off.

The battle menus can't be altered (though they can be replaced - see 6 below), but the combat is 100% scripted. Therefore, without scripts you could enter a battle but nothing would happen.

2. Is it possible for a player character to have more than 999 in any stat? I'm mainly concerned about HP...what I want is for PCs to have up to 9999 HP and monsters up to 99,999 HP. Are either of these possible?

Yes and no. The default HP can't go over 999, but you can alter the game to allow higher HP values. The reason for the limit is that it is the highest value that can be shown in the battle screen. This can not be changed (though you can turn it off).

3. What script would be necessary to find the square root of a number? I'm asking this because it's part of my custom battle formula.


The easiest thing to do is compare the number to the closest whole number that is it's square root. i.e. if the number is 27, this is close to 25 those square root is 5, so the answer is 5. You could ever compare the half way point. i.e. 30 is about halfway between 25 and 36, so you can use 5.5 as the square root.

There is no square root command, so if you need a more accurate value you'll have to devise a formula to figure it out yourself.

Note, RPGM2 rounds off all fractions so you'll need to use a multiplier (i.e X 1000) to avoid errors in your formula. Just remember to divide by the same number at the end so that the answer isn't too large (i.e 50 damage becomes 50000 damage).

4. Can you change the PC's stats so that they'll go up by different amounts each level, so their stat progression won't be linear?


Yes, this is easily done by selecting the value you want the character to acquire before progressing instead of using the defaults. You can find it in the character editor.

5. Can the battle system be modified so that the PCs are visible on the battle screen? How about for the damage numbers to splash over the affected character rather than just displaying the damage done in a text box?

Yes, however it is very complex. I believe I am the only person to succeed in doing this despite many people being interested in the idea. I'd try to explain how it's done but you really need to understand scripting inside and out. It's over the heads of most people.

You can use VFX to place the damage over the character when they are hit. You need to write a script that determines the damage and then displays the VFX on the target. It's a little complex, but not too hard to figure out once you understand scripting. You'll also need to know how to create VFX. Learn the basics before attempting any advanced stuff.

6. Can you have each combatant in battle decide their action when their turn comes up, rather than setting actions for the entire party and then watching the turn play out?

Yes, but it's not without problems. There is something in RPGM2 call traits that will replace a character or enemies actions with a trait script. You can use this to replace the default menu with your own menu and allow characters to act on their turn instead of at the beginning of the battle. However, replacing the menu means you no longer have access to the item, magic or skill menus. You can create your own, but they need to be created from scratch, which is a long boring process. You need to determine what skills, magic and items the character has, what they plan to do and who they plan to do it to. The default scripts can determine if the action is successful, but you need to create menus that control what actions the character can do.

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My advice is don't worry about what RPG Maker 2 might be able to do, worry about what it does do. That is, it is a very good system for creating an old school Dragon Quest like game. Therefore, as your first project you should create an old school Dragon Quest like game. Once you understand how to script, place events, and create interactive story elements, then you can worry about changing the game so it's more customized to your tastes.

Play around with the default town (you access it by play testing a new project). The scripts for the default game are after the Hard scripts in the script menu. Change something and see what happens in the play test. Don't worry if anything messes up. You can always start a new project and try again. Playing around with the existing elements is a good way to learn how things are placed in the game and what script commands do.

Don't be too ambitious in the beginning. Do small things and build up your skill. Eventually you'll be able to figure out many of these things on your own. Good luck.

[Cysma]

Thanks for your answers, people.

One feature that I am really excited about that perhaps no one else is is the ability to make your own experience point progressions from scratch! As far as I know, this is the ONLY RPG Maker that allows for complete customization of an EXP curve. In RPG Maker 1, there was only a single curve set in stone. In RPGM3, there are three curves to choose from, but they were also set in stone, and stop climbing after level 42 or 43. In RPG Maker 2000, 2003, and XP, you modified the curves by using sliders, which was confusing.

[Cysma]

Oh, and about your solution to question 4, I can't find anything of the sort in the Party Member editor!

[Dungeon Warden]

In the party member editor, go to the custom tag and go down to Exp Curve.

The default is standard. You can select from 5 preset curves (remove the check mark first) or change the numbers yourself. The maximum level is 99.