noob comin through

[larethian90]

1. when you create the script to resize the people so they arent deformed should you make a new thread for each member or just go ahead and do it all on one?
2. I can't seem to get a good battle system and I can't get my stats and levels to balance against the enemies.

im a big noob to this stuff so is there a guide or somethin online that tells you how to do all the scripting and crap like that cause theres a lot of stuff I dont get?

[ErikaFuzzbottom]

Re: noob comin through

1) For each member in the party, do it in one script. For people not in the party, just use a script that makes the event's size change and use that script in every person-event's action slot, with differences depending on how the person is supposed to move. Example, people who move about randomly are going to have a script that resizes them and move them randomly, people who move north/south are resized and are commanded to move north/south, etc.

2) This one is pretty hard to explain, as it really depends on one's preferences as well as what sort of monsters and attacks you want to have. For myself, I have it so that regular monsters take off maybe 10% of the party's average Max HP in a single hit, and gradually raise it as the game goes on until eventually they reach the toughest dungeon in the game (usually the final dungeon) and monsters maybe take off 25%. Just adjust their attack powers until they're taking off the right amount. For status effects, maybe the first level they won't have status effects, and as the game goes on, they begin to use status effects more frequently, and use more powerful status effects (based on how they hinder the party's success in battle; poison could be potentially worse than silence, for example).

When balancing the party members against each other, I would avoid making any of their stats differ from each other too much; maybe 3 points difference at the most. So one party member would gain 10 HP after every level, and the other would gain maybe 8HP per level. As far as experience goes, until you're more experienced, just set XP gain on each member the same, using one of the default XP bars (low, high, fast, etc.). Also, you may want the party to gain maybe two levels in each dungeon, usually close to the end of the dungeon instead of right at the end. Find out how much XP they need to gain a level, check how many monsters will be fought in a dungeon (not just battles, but count each monster in a party), and decide how much XP monsters give based on that.

Like for example, it takes 50XP before you want the party to gain a level, and you want the level gained maybe 3/4 of the way into the level. Count how many monsters are defeated between the start and where you want the level up. Maybe there are 25 monsters fought along the way. In which case, you'd want them each to give maybe around 4XP for each monster defeated (some would give 5XP, while others would give maybe 3XP), which would amount to two level ups by the time the dungeon would finish. If there were three monsters in each battle, this would mean roughly 12XP would be gained per battle. If this seems like a small amount to you, then perhaps you could lessen the encounter rate or decrease how many monsters are fought in each battle, and increase XP given by them to balance it out.

Anyway, that's pretty much all the help I can offer. I have yet to release an RPG of my own, so I don't know how well this method would work. Nor do I know how understandable it might be. Kinda hard to explain.

[larethian90]

Re: noob comin through

Thanks. That actually helps a lot.

1. I also don't understand the whole flags and variables things.
What do they do?
Can you change them and is it safe to do so?

2. How do you create graphics that aren't already in the game?

3. Is there like an online walkthrough or guide or something thats easy to follow or do I just have to buy the official one?

[ErikaFuzzbottom]

Re: noob comin through

1) Flags and variables keep track of progress in a game in various ways. Flags are like switches, in which they're either on or off. Variables are numbers. Their purposes vary greatly, but the most basic of uses would be to have events activate different ways depending on whether a flag is on or off, or if a variable is at and/or higher/lower than a specific amount. The most fequent use for flags are to use one for a treasure chest. If the chest is closed, then the flag is off. If it gets opened, then the flag has to get turned on (you control when this happens; it is not automatic). Since variables are actual numbers, they're useful for keeping track of amounts such as HP or maybe how many artifacts you've found to the ancient temple's door.

Generally the first 200 Flags and Variables can't be changed, as they're important to RPGM2 too much to be fiddled with. The next 100-200 can be used for your own purposes, though if you have any of the sample data, you'll want to avoid using them as the sample data already use some of them. The rest of them are okay to use, except for the ones near the end marked either as Normal or Battle, which are used once more for preset data.

2) You can't, really. There is an option to import pictures into your game, but they take up a huge amount of the available memory, plus in order to do so you'd need to use a digital camera with the Picture Paradise program. Picture Paradise has been discontinued for a long time, and so far there's only one camera known to work with RPGM2, the Sony P30. (I think that's the camera.) Luckily, assuming you're willing to settle for what's already there, RPGM2 provides plenty of resources to use for your game. Though you can't edit them to a great extent, you do have control over the colors of characters, and you can change the colors around to make the characters look completely unlike their default settings. The Visual Effects editor (VFX) also provides plenty of stuff to use, some of which can be combined to create your own models, if you're skilled enough. The basic use for the VFX editor is simply to create spell animations.

3) This place is pretty much the best place to get answers to your questions. Although I would recommend trying to figure out some things on your own, and coming here only when you're completely stuck or confused. Along with that, I would also fiddle around with some of the options in the tool, seeing what sort of things you can do, before starting off trying to make your own game. Otherwise, you'll get lost in your work all too soon. The guide I myself would recommend. It doesn't really help too much with actual game development I've found, but the index in the back (full of pictures of the basic characters, monsters, etc.) can be very useful.

[larethian90]

Re: noob comin through

I found this RPGM2 Advanced FAQ thing by Dungeon Warden and it's got a lot of information in it so I wanted to print it. Has anybody printed it yet? Does it use up a lot of ink and paper or is it not so bad?

EDIT: I don't have my own printer so I can't check this on the print preview. I just don't want go all the way to the library to print this if it's going to cost a lot of money cause it's like 15 cents a page, which is insane.

[DYRE]

Re: noob comin through

101 pages, I reccommend that you do not print it at your library or you will have spent $15.15 on a free guide.

[RRpgmaker]

Re: noob comin through

Where is this advanced Guide? ><

[Valkysas]

Re: noob comin through

RPG Maker 2 Tutorials section. click to logo at the top of the page to go to the main site.

[Rodak]

Re: noob comin through

Where is this advanced Guide? ><

Here 'Tis

http://www.pavilionboards.com/forum/...read.php?t=870

A wealth of information.

Enjoy...

Peace.

EDIT:

AARGH... The old simultaneous post.

Oh well.

[HolyPhoenix]

Re: noob comin through

Actually, because of some very smart people on this sight, not me, there is a way to create custom graphics. I believe they either used the building editor or the map editor, I can't remember which. If you look around in the stuff about RPG Maker 2 you can find it.

[ErikaFuzzbottom]

Re: noob comin through

Map editor, actually. Basically, just throw textures on a map as if you were using some specialized art program, take a picture with the compass map at a size of your choice, and use it as an image in a VFX. Potentially one could create several icons for the screen in one map, which one would have to do anyway, since you can't have more than one image loaded at the same time.

[larethian90]

Re: noob comin through

1. So is it possible to make character models?

2. Would you have to get a digital camera or could you just use the in-game screen shot.

3. Once you have the design made in map editor and you've taken the screen shot, what would you have to do in VFX to make it actually look like the character was meant to go along with the rest of the characters and not stand out.

[Rodak]

Re: noob comin through

Cloud and Draygone... I have no idea to what you are making reference. But I'll try to answer the questions anyhow.

1. So is it possible to make character models?

Not as such. You can make Things to use as characters.

I'll use my own work as an example. Click Here for a thread showing some of my VFX work and characters.

The best stuff is near the bottom of the page, but it's all good.

2. Would you have to get a digital camera or could you just use the in-game screen shot.

It depends on the use to which you want to put the image.

3. Once you have the design made in map editor and you've taken the screen shot, what would you have to do in VFX to make it actually look like the character was meant to go along with the rest of the characters and not stand out.

You can not. The game's characters are made on wire frames and animated. The animation in the vfx editor works completely differently and you need to get creative for them to pass as characters. But when placed next to the rest of the characters in the game, they will never look anything alike.

I hope that helped.

Peace.

[WilliamKirk]

Re: noob comin through

I'll clear things up.

To make custom 3D graphics, you'd use the Visual Effects Editor, or possibly the Building Editor (with the Building Editor, everything will look very blocky, so it's really only good for things that should be blocky).

To make custom 2D graphics, you'd use the Screenshot Images, which in turn can use anything/everything else in the game, since you're taking a picture of everything on the screen. What they're referring to with the Map Editor is making a Map, that when the 'Display Map' command enlarges to the max (think like normal rpgs where a little guide is displayed to help the player navigate the map, with dots for enterable locations/player location/etc.), will look like something (like TFR's in-progress Cow-tinent).

Thus, you could use 2D images for characters' faces appearing when they speak (Doyleman's 'The Farm Life' does this), or 3D things for things that are 3D.

And, honestly, only an elite few are good enough with the Visual Effects Editor to pull off stuff like this. You can also make add-ons with the Visual Effects Editor, like glasses/sunglasses/etc. and stick them on the 'character models'.

[Rodak]

Re: noob comin through

Thanks, William... that helped a bit.

And that reminds me... Where is that Cow-Tinent? I've got a Cow waiting to roam about on it!

Peace.