RPG MAKER (FAQ) By: NWalterstorf Board Name: NWalterstorf Presents: Advanced Features and Code Logic |=================================================== | A. FORWARD [0001] |=================================================== Welcome to my first FAQ for RPG Maker titled: "Advanced Features and Code Logic." We will be featuring the game RPG Maker (from here on out referred to as RPGM or RPGM1), and will go in-depth with the game engine's various features. Of course, this FAQ's title does say "Advance", and I do get technical, so this FAQ is not recommended for beginners. If you are just starting out with the RPG Maker engine, I suggest viewing another person's FAQ (there are quite a few of them) and learn how to use the engine before attempting to work your way through my FAQ guide. This FAQ is created for those who enjoy using the RPGM engine, despite its limitations. This entire FAQ is dedicated to those people who wish to push the limits of this engine's software limitations. Also, if you are starting out and are reading this FAQ, then feel free to continue, as you will run into interesting suggestions and features that, if you don't yet understand, will become clearer as you grow in knowledge of this spectacular engine. Also, please note that this FAQ is written in a format of such which allows you to locate any particular area you wish using Control + F located on your keyboard to jump to any topic of interest. Simply press ctrl+f on your keyboard and type in whatever code you wish. Here's an example. To access the table of contents of this FAQ, press control and f to bring up the find box. Then type in the code [.0002] to search for the code. However, omit the "." I added, as I merely did that so, if you tried to search the table of contents, you would not come upon this explanation. |=================================================== | TABLE OF CONTENTS [0002] |=================================================== | | A. Forward [0001] | B. FAQ [0003] | C. Advance Code Logic [0004] | D. Features I've utilized [0005] | E. Contributions [0007] | F. Disclaimer [0008] | G. Version Info [0009] | | Please note: You can access the Table of Contents | at any time by using the code [.0002] (omit the | "." |=================================================== |=================================================== | B. FAQ or "Frequently Asked Questions" [0003] |=================================================== Q: What is the RPG Maker? A: The RPG Maker is an engine which allows you to, simply put, create your own RPGs! If you are just starting out, I would not recommend this FAQ to you, since it may be confusing. Instead, I would recommend that you learn and begin to master the RPGM1 engine for yourself. Please note that this is an in-depth FAQ, which goes into technicals such as Advance Code Logic and Features. However, if you are just starting out, then you can feel free to read on, as you will also gain good tips to intigrate into your gameplay. Q: How good do I have to be? A: Actually, you have to know the workings of the engine. You must know about switches, takeovers, and best of all have a good imagination. It's not much, but some of these subjects may be confusing to people just starting out with this engine. Q: What about Switch Compression? A: Whe you begin to use the RPG Maker, you'll run into some difficulties simply because you'll run out of Switches (you should know what Switches are before reading on). 500 switches sounds like a good ammount, but that's not even close to the number I wish I could have. In this FAQ, I will go into detail about Switch Compression. I will offer tips on switch compression, at the same time. Q: What are the different topics you will be discussing? A: I will be discussing various categories such as Switch Compression (as I mentioned at a previous time), Alternating Conversation, depicting the illusion of "super speed", a neat little theft/pickpocketing tutorial, among various other unique features and codes. As I go along, you'll also begin to understand, more and more, the abilities of the RPGM engine. My main goal is to show you the features that me and my friends have created, and to help you create your own. Q: What will NOT be featured in this guide? A: Ideas and Features which have been mentioned in previous FAQs will not be mentioned in this guide unless 1) it is by mistake, or 2) I am amending the code a little bit to make it easier (or more complicated). Also, I will not mention any mini-games which have been mentioned at a time previous to the publication of this FAQ. Q: Aren't you a newbie on the gameFAQ message boards? A: Yes, that's what my look-up data says. But then again, I used to be a member years ago, under a former screen name. Years have passed, and I've lost internet for quite a while, therefore I've completely forgotten the username and passwords. However, I will tell you that I understand almost all of the workings of the external RPGM1 engine. |=================================================== | C. Advance Code Logic [0004] |=================================================== This is where everything gets interesting. Hopefully you pretty much have RPGM mastered, or, for the most part, figured out to a good extent. This guide lists features and various ideas which you may impliment into your games. Also, don't just stop with my FAQ. Keep going, and create your own custom features for the RPGM. Once you've unlocked the door to the RPGM's advanced code logic, you'll realize just why the first RPGM is tied at being the best of all of the RPGMs. Remember: my goal is for you to take this coding and features, utilize it to its full potential, then go on to create your own codes and features. The following are the contents of the Advance Code Logic. I will list the contents along with their codes. Please note that the codes are different, alternating slightly with the previous codes of the main contents. Usually, the codes to using the ctrl + f method will be mentioned with the main topic being listed as the last digit, and the sub topic being listed as the first digit. |===|================================================ |===|================================================ |===| Contents of Advanced Code Logic |===|================================================ |===| C1. Theft/Pickpocketing [1004] |===| C2. Super Speed! [2004] |===| C3. Alternating Conversation [3004] |===| C4. Switch Compression [4004] |===| C5. Character Customization [5004] |===| C6. Shop Compacting [6004] |===|================================================ |===|================================================ |===|================================================ |===| C1. Theft/Pickpocketing [1004] |===|================================================ One downside to the RPGM engine is that there are no options to allow a character that is a, let's say, thief, to steal anything from an opponent like you would be able in a Final Fantasy Game. Unfortunately, there is no solution to this problem when it comes to the battle system. Luckily, you can administer this logic to events outside of battle. Here's the scenario. Let's say you have a party of 4, and one of the character's a thief, and you want the thief to be able to pick the pocket of a certain other character when he walks up to him. Keep in mind that this is a very rough sketch of the event, and you can feel free to amend the event in any way. First, you should have your character (the thief) created. Whomever he or she is lies completely up to you. Let's call this person, for the sake of the example, "Id." Create an (graphical) event in which the event will be a character whom the thief will steal from. Place him anywhere on any map, and give him something to say when the player talks to him. We'll use, for example, "Hello, stranger!" Your event should look something like this. Event 1 Page 01 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ?? (whatever you want he/she to look like) Movement: Random, Slow Event Activation: Check Conditions: none -- -- 00: Display Text: "Hello, stranger!" The above is the first page of this event. It's a barebone outline. Now note this, a second page will be created, which will be activated ONLY if you have the thief, named Id, in your party. We will dedicate this 2nd page to "If ID is in Character Party." We will also add a second condition to this page known as "If Switch 001 is off." Event 1 Page 02 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ?? Movement: Random, Slow Event Activation: Check Conditions: ~ Id is in Character Party ~ Switch 001 is off -- -- 00 Display Text: Will you attempt to steal from this person? 01 2-way choice: yes/no 02 2-way choice 50/50 Chance 03 Sound Effect: 77 04 Display Text: You stole "Potion"! 05 Switch 001 turns on 06 Add Item: Potion 07 2nd Choice, 08 Display Text: Ohhh, you didn't steal anything. 09 Switch 001 turns on 10 2nd choice, 11 Display Text: "Hello, stranger!" What this second page will do is: 1) check to see if Id is in your party, and 2) check to see if you've already attempted to steal from this person (this way you can only attempt to steal from this person one time). If you say no to the pickpocket attempt, then the character (victum, for lack of a greater term), will speak as normal. If you say yes, then you'll obviously not hear what the person will say, but the computer will generate a 50/50 chance to see if you successfully pickpocket the person. If you choose the option to pickpocket from this man, despite if you succeed or fail, Switch 001 will activate, and will prevent you from attempting to pickpocket this person again. Please note that if Switch 001 is active, then you DO NOT have to create another page which indicates that the switch is active. Simply leave the two pages as they are. The computer will read the conditions for page 2 and discover that the second condition is not fulfilled (Switch 001 being on), and the page will not activate. Instead, you will get Page 1, the default page, and that's exactly what you want (unless you want the guy to say something different if you talk to him after attempting to pick his pockets). |===|================================================ |===| C2. Super Speed! [2004] |===|================================================ Probably the most correct term for this section would be, "Super Speed, or the illusion thereof". You really can't achieve a faster speed through "normal" means, other than moving an object at a "fast" pace. But there is one way to get an object to move faster, by the control of an event. I will try to explain this formula in the most simplest way possible. In the illustration bellow, one person is going to punch another person, and send them flying across the room. Here's the event map. The x's represent blank space ( or open space, rather ). 0 1 2 3 4 5 A x x x x x B x x x x x C x x x x x We're going to add the character who will be doing the "punching" at B.2. He will be your Event 1. The A's and 1's will be omitted in the following illustrations, as you can result to the above grid for coordinates. The o represents the first event, the puncher. x x x x x x o x x x x x x x x Now we're going to add the person being punched. He will be event number 2, and he will be located at B.3. The r represents the person being punched. x x x x x x o r x x x x x x x Now this is where it gets difficult, so try to stay with me. You are going to create 2 more events. this is what the Event Page 1 is going to look like for the 3rd and 4th events. Event 3 ( and 4 ) Page 01 Graphic: none Movement: none Activation: do not start Condition: none -- -- no contents Place event 3 at B.4. Now make event 4 just the same as event 3, but DO NOT DUPLICATE. It is absolutely crucial that you do not duplicate! Place event four at B.5. The f represents events three and four. x x x x x x o r f f x x x x x Now, I want you to go back to Event 1, and puncher, and insert this coding. Keep in mind that the form in which you start event 1 is completely up to you, but make sure that you START with event 1. Event 1 Page 01 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ??, face right Movement: none Activation: whatever (possibly use takeover from a previous event) Condition: none -- -- 00 Insert Text and Punching Movement Here (maybe use an event: turn: left command or something like that) 01 Takeover: Event 2: Page 01 Now be absolutely certain that you type in that takeover. Pay close attention as I continue. This is what I want Page 1 of Event 2 to look like. Event 2 Page 01 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ?? (the person being punched), face left Movement: none Activation: do not start (it's run from the takeover) Condition: none -- -- 00 Sound Effect: the sound of being punched 01 Change Event Graphic: none 02 Takeover: Event 3: Page 2 After coding that, then move to event three and insert this second page. Event 3 Page 02 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ?? (person being punched), face up Movement: none Activation: do not start (it's run from the takeover) Condition: none -- -- 00 Change Event Graphic: none 01 Takeover: Event 4: Page 2 Now add this second page to event 4. Event 4 Page 02 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ?? (person being punched), face right Movement: none Activation: do not start (it's run from the takeover) Condition: none -- -- 00 Change Event Graphic: none You can code whatever you want to happen next, whether the "punchee" hits a wall, or flies off the screen. Right now, I recommend saving your progress and then test playing it. What'll happen is you'll have the puncher attack the "punchee", and the man who gets punched will look like he's getting hit and flying backwards really fast ( note the unique spin effect he has with the different "facings" ). When you test play this coding, you'll get a pretty good effect that you can utilize for a number of things. You can alter this code and scenario to fit numerous other ideas, such as someone running really fast, someone falling, or something throwing an object. |===|================================================ |===| C3. Alternating Conversation [3004] |===|================================================ This is something I use all the time. In fact, I dedicate 10 switches in my game solely for its purpose. What it basically does is what the title of this feature implies: it alters conversation. Here's what happens in most games that my buddies make using the RPGM1 engine. Let's say that "so and so" talks to this guy, and this guy says "Hey there." Let's say that "so and so" talks to this guy again, and the guy still says "Hey there." Very full and repetative, isn't it? Most of the time when I play these games made using the RPGM engine, I only see one string of text come out of the mouths of the creator's NPCs. However, my games are always different. Here's an example. So and so talks to merchant, and the merchant says "Hello there, stranger!" So and so talks to the merhants a second time, and the merchant says, "Are you selling something today? Or buying?" Basically, this most simple yet important feature goes unnoticed by so many people ( at least by my friends ). I'll tell you what to do. Dedicate 10 switches out of your game for alternating conversation. Only 10. Sounds like a little, maybe but it's really not. In every town I make, I have so many people roaming about that I want to alter conversation for (I've had 30 switches dedicated for really, really big towns! ), so when you talk to one guy, he doesn't say the same thing. Here's an example. Make this event. Event 1 Page 01 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ?? Movement: random, slow Activation: check Condition: none -- -- 00 Display Message: "Welcome to my home!" 01 Switch 001 turns on Now add a second page. Event 1 Page 02 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ?? Movement: randon, slow Activation: check Condition: ~ Switch 001 is on -- -- 00 Display Message: "Make yourself at home!" Then what? You're probably right now thinking, "what about reusing the switch later?" Simple. Intigrate it into your "move location" events! Ever notice how, when one of the big RPG companies makes a game, they have townspeople say something different when you speak to them a second time? Of course, more-often-than-not, they'll only say what they said to you a second time over and over ( which is not necessarily a bad thing ). Now walk into a store and walk back out, then approach and speak to the same person again. What do they do? They start over. You see, the C++ coding is much more complicated. They use something known as a boolean variable for all townspeople which says: if(character) leaves town (( however they code in games, now)); { bool x = 0; } What that above C++ talk says that, when the player leaves the current location, the equivalent of a "switch" will go off for all certain characters, indicating that they are to restart their conversation strings the next time the player talks to him or her. Here's an example of the RPGM engine language. Event x Page x Graphic: none Movement: none Activation: touch ( it's a move location event, taking you from the own and into the store ) Condition: none -- -- 00 Switch 001 - Switch 010 turns off 02 Move Location: wherever See how that works? When you change locations, the switches simply are set to reset to an off position, allowing you to reuse the very same switches in the next map, and into the following map, and throughout your entire game. The upside? you can reuse the 10 or so switches for every map. This is a simply feature, and my only hope is that more and more people will begin to utilize it. |===|================================================ |===| C4. Switch Compression [4004] |===|================================================ If you're anything like I am, then you'll know that 500 switches per game simply isn't enough. For those of you who are starting on your long journey through creating an RPG using the RPG maker, you'll think I'm crazy. Then again, there are some of you out there who know how difficult it is to do everything with only 500 switches. Luckily there's a little thing known as Switch Compression. Now keep in mind it's not a perfect science, and it should not be used in every form. Here's a scenario I believe can explain Switch Compression the best. We will dedicate the following switches to certain performances: Switch 001 = Hero gets his assignment Switch 002 = Hero destroys dragon Switch 003 = Hero returns having saved village Of course, there will be a ton more switches for all of these events, but I will use these three as a starting example, and I will elaborate. Let's say that your hero comes into town, and he hears ( switch 001 is off ) that there's a dragon terrifying the town. He goes to the king and gets his assignment ( switch 001 turns on ), goes out and slays the dragon ( switch 002 turns on ), and then comes back to the own and gets his rewards ( switch 003 ). Let's say that, however, while doing this, you wind up using 20 switches, and you're all ready on a "switch budget." This may easily be resolved by Switch 004. Let's say that, after all of this is done, you have used a ton of switches. Simply designate another switch to be used as a "task complete" switch. Turn switch 004 on, and turn switches 001 to 003 off. That way, you can have one switch to designate that all of the problems are resolved, as opposed to having 3 switches designated to the entirety of the situation. Then when you go to the next town or scenario, let's say you have another situation. You can then reuse switchs 001 to 003, as long as you indicate in the event conditions that Switch 004 is active. Then, you can use Switch Compression for that scenario, using Switch 005, and so on. I use this numerous times, and it saves the hastle of having to backtrack everything individually. Finally, you may impliment this in any way you wish. |===|================================================ |===| C5. Character Customization [5004] |===|================================================ This is something I once used in an old game that I never cared to finish. It's simple: you customize your characters' stats. There are a few things you're going to need to do. It will appear complicated at first, yet as you study this brief tutorial on your character customization, you'll find it surprisingly easy as you mentally put the pieces together. You will need to create these followign items, and make their type "food" items. STR power up (raises STR by 1 point) DEF power up (raises DEF by 1 point) INT power up (raises INT by 1 point) WIS power up (raises WIS by 1 point) HP power up (raises HP by 10 points) MP power up (raises MP by 10 points) That's about it for the basics. Just make sure they're food items. What'll happen is you'll need to set your monsters to drop these food items every now and then ( quite often, really ). The players can then "feed" these items to their characters in order to increase their stats. Just make sure that they are not able to be sold or dropped. Keep in mind, that when you use this system, your characters will not increase in level. They will not gain experience points, as all of their "powering up" will be done by these "food" items. The benefits of this method is that the player can decide how he want sto power up his party. If he wants to power his party up evenly, he can. If he wants to make one character much more powerful than the other members of the party, he can. Your only difficulty of this method would be your spells, as you'll have to 1) create items from which your characters can learns spells from, 2) create an event where certain characters can learn spells or choose some, or 3) create a magic shop. Also, while time continues in the game, you will want to create another set of these "food" items, such as: STR power up+ (raises STR by 3 points), HP power up (raises HP by 20 points) and so on, to fit in with the power the characters should be throughout certain points of the game. |===|================================================ |===| C6. Shop Compacting [6004] |===|================================================ One of the easiest ways to save time and precious, precious memory on your memory cards is to compact your in-game stores. In many games, you'll enter a store in a town, and it will be completely different than the previous town's shop. That's fine, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that; in fact, I even prefer it to a great extent. But let's say that you want to have a shop in every town, but the shop is, actually, the very same shop you visit in every town. Now you're using your noggin'. You see, there's no rule which says that you must go to a shop in a town that looks entirely different than the last town's shop. There isn't! Actually, I purposely create a different shop in every town, but you really don't need to, when it comes to the RPGM engine which, as we all know, burns memory about the same speed an SUV burns gasoline. Here's what you need to do. Create a map of a shop ( or use a preset one ). Make it look nice, give it a black background ( don't customize the background to fit a specific location, or else it will always appear awkward if you come from, let's say a snowing mountain and come to a shop which has sand as background ). Now let's make two switches. Switch 001 will represent if you visit the shop from Town A. Switch 002 will represent if you visit the shop from Town B. When you go to enter the shop from a town, turn on the switch corresponding to the town you're in, whether it's Town A or B. Move the player's location to the shop. Use different switches to decide what the shop has in stock. Go ahead and experiment with different switches, or you may even want to set up the stock of a shop depending on what town you're visiting from! Now when the player goes to leave the shop, and he came from Town B, Switch 002 should all ready be active. Set up the event at the door ( to leave ) and add a page; make sure the page condition reads: Switch 002 is on. Have the event script move the player back to the town they came from. Easy huh? You don't have to utilize this, but it's there if you want to use it. |=================================================== | D. Features I Utilize [0005] |=================================================== Here's a list of the different features I utilize in my various games. Hope you enjoy. |===|================================================ |===|================================================ |===| Contents of Features I Utilize |===|================================================ |===| 1. House Customization [1005] |===| 2. Key to a healthy, growing town [2005] |===| 3. More Advanced Code Logic ( application of features) [3005] |===|================================================ |===|================================================ |===|================================================ |===| D1. House Customization [1005] |===|================================================ This is something really cool I've intigrated into numerous games of mine. I use this constantly, and it never fails to deliver great fun, no matter who's playing it. House Customization. Here's what you do: you create a map known as HOUSE or whatever. Make it a good size house ( if you want ), but don't include anything more than a bed, a table, and a counter. You'll also need to make a bunch of Switches ( indicators ). Let's say Switch 001 stands for a Blue Rug. Let's say that Switch 002 stands for a Red Rug. Switch 001: Blue Rug Switch 002: Red Rug Switch 003: Pink Rug, Rainbow Colored Banana Rug (okay, it's not in the game, but you get the picture!) Switch 004: Custom Bed Sheets (Blue) Switch 005: Stove (blue and black) Switch 006: Stove (red and blue) Switch 007: Bookcase Set up events where players can activate these switches. In one game I had the player receive recipts for different quests. It was very straight-forward in that game, because your house would turn out the same no matter what you did! You'd get certain receipts from different quests that you'd have to redeem using a shop owner. Your home went from a bummy looking home to a pretty good looking home ( with a flower garden you could view ). What I did in my second game was a lot better, and an example I hope that all of you planning on House Customization should follow. I had a place known as Futuristic Town ( I know, very origingal, huh? ). You'd go there and purchase house items from robots, depending on what you needed. A switch would activate depending on what you selected, and you'd get the results in your home. Make sure to apply those switches correctly. If you don't watch out, you may have the player purchase a second item when they've brought an item which is supposed to be in its place (example, buying both a blue and red rug, where only one can be used in the same place )! It is very simple once you start to better understand this simple. Here's an example of some coding. Create an event. Let's say it's going to be a rug, or whatever. Place it at the entrance of the home. And MAKE SURE IT'S AN EVENT! You DO NOT want to place the item there using the dungeon editor! Event 1 Page 01 Graphic: none Movement: none Activation: touch (you won't be using it) Condition: none -- -- no contents Now add a page to that same event. Event 1 Page 02 Graphic: Object: Rug, red (whatever) Movement: none Activation: touch Condition: ~ switch 001 is on -- no contents Event 1 Page 03 Graphic: Object: Rug, blue (whatever) Movement: none Activation: touch Condition: ~ switch 002 is on -- -- no contents What's what you'll need. Don't worry with any takeover events from the intro events. Whenever you have a condition fulfilled on a map, the event will take the appearance that was designated for that page ( according to the page which holds the fulfilled condition ). The event will show up, and you won't even have to worry about anything. |===|================================================ |===| D2. Key to a healthy, growing town. [2005] |===|================================================ In so many RPGM games I see made today most people's towns are very dull and lifeless. Many people, when the creator made a down using the RPGM engine, simply form the town in the dungeon editor, then add different people throughout their town. One person's saying "Welcome to Town A!" while another's saying "It's hard growing crops in the summer!", as well as "To get the orb you're searching for, head to Mount Terrible." These are not, in the least bit, creative or interesting. That's a big problem. Most of the time when people create a towm in their RPGM game, they simply "Create the Town as a stepping stone in their quest." That's a humongous error. They need to look at their town from a different perspective. They need to view their town like this: "This town has a history, these possibly people migrated from a certain region years ago. These people live and they carry out their daily activities here. This town is not a stepping stone for these townsmen. It's their home." And that's exactly the type of town I want to see. There are numerous RPGs on the market right now featuring some of the best work I've seen when it comes to creating a living, breathing town. So why not intigrate these ideas into your own towns? Here are some things to do in your town. ~~ Welcome Sign: This is an abstract term for the guys who welcomes people into the town. He's there for a reason: for the players to know where they are. But why is he there? Why is he welcoming people? One example comes from a game which hit shelves as of late featuring a charming young lady welcoming you to a back-country town. In another game, there's a man in debt, who's forced to stand around and welcome people to the town. There needs to be a reason why this person is here. Here's a good thing to do. Have a switch dedicated to this one person. Go ahead, it won't hurt. Here's the event for the person who welcomes you into the town. This is an idea of adding spice to an otherwise bland ontree. Event 1 Page 01 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ?? Movement: randon, slow Activation: check Condition: none -- -- 00 Display Text: Man: "Huh? Who are you?" 01 Display Text: Hero: "Huh? Me? I'm Hero." 02 Display Text: Man: "You're not from around here, are you?" 03 Display Text: Hero: "No, not really." 04 Display Text: Man: "Well, you're in Town A. This is the oldest mining town this side of the hemisphere." 05 Switch 001 turns on Now add a second page. Event 1 Page 02 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ?? Movement: randon, slow Activation: check Condition: ~ Switch 001 is on -- -- 00 Display Text: Man: "You're in Town A. This is the oldest mining town this side of the hemisphere." There you go, there's your welcoming man. By putting in just a little extra effort, your man goes from being a bland, stereotypical person to a more interesting person with a "reason" for relaying the information that he did. ~~ Random Townspeople So many times when I play my friend's games they make using the RPGM engine, they wind up with very dull townspeople. Here's an example. "It's hard growing crops in the summer!" Yeah, that's not exactly wrong, then again, it's not exactly right. Why is the man saying that? He must be a farm. He's speaking on the grounds that he finds it to be difficult to grow crops in the summer. What's his problem? What's his resolution? What should he do? So many questions go unanswered. Now it's time to bring this character to life. Let's say your Hero, who we'll name "Hero", walks into the town and starts talking to people. Let's say that this man who is going to say "It's hard growing crops in the summer!" is standing beside his home, beside the soil of his small garden/farm. Your hero approaches him. He talks to him. "It's hard growing crops in the summer!" he says. "Ahhhh... ..." your hero nervously responds. Event 1 Page 01 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ??, face left Movement: none Activation: check Condition: none -- -- 00 Dispaly Text: Farmer: "It's hard growing crops in the summer!" 01 Display Text: Hero: "Ahhhh... ..." 02 Switch 001 turns on There's your switch. It'll turn on when the player talks to this man for the first time. Now let's say that Hero walks across town and talks to another person. Let's say that this guy's standing in the back alley. Use this event for the man in the back alley. Event 2 Page 01 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ??, face down Movement: none Activation: check Condition: none -- -- 00 Display Text: Man: "Huh? Who are you? Go away!" Event 2 Page 02 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ??, face down Movement: none Activation: Check Condition: ~ Switch 001 is on -- -- 00 Display Text: Man: "What do you want?" 01 Display Text: Hero: "I'm trying to help this guy out. He's having trouble with this farm. Do you know of anything that can help?" 02 Display Text: Man: "Oh. Mr. Withers? He keeps planting the wrong seeds in his farm/garden. There's a man across town who sells seeds every now and then. Ask him for a bag of seeds and he'll give you some. But he will charge you." 03 Switch 002 turns on Add a third page. Event 2 Page 03 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ??, face down Movement: none Activation: check Condition: ~ Switch 001 is on ~ Switch 002 is on -- -- 00 Display Text: Man: "There's this man across town who sells seeds every now and then. Ask him for a bag of seeds and he'll give you one, but he'll charge you for them." Now you'll have to create a man on the other side of town who will only appear after Switch 002 is on. I want you to create a third event, this one with multiple pages. This is what I want you to code. Event 3 Page 01 Graphic: none Movement: none Activation: touch Condition: none -- -- no contents Now here's the second page. Event 3 Page 02 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ??, face up Movement: none Activation: check Condition: ~ Switch 002 is on ~ Player has 50 Gold or more ~ Switch 003 is off -- -- 00 Display Text: Sherman: "Hey there. Can I interest you in a bag of seeds? They're really good. They cost 50 Gold for one bag." 01 2-way chhoice: yes/no 02 Sound Effect: 77 03 Add Item: Bag of Seeds 04 Display Text: You bought a bag of seeds! 05 Gold: -50 06 Switch 003 turns on 07 2nd choice, 08 Display Text: Sherman: "No? Maybe next time, then." Now add a third page. Event 3 Page 03 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ??, face up Movement: none Activation: check Condition: ~ Switch 002 is on ~ Player has less than 50 Gold ~ Switch 003 is off -- -- 00 Display Text: Sherman: "Hey there. Can I interest you in a bag of seeds? They're really good. They cost 50 Gold for one bag." 01 2-way choice: yes/no 02 Display Text: Sherman: "Oh, I'm sorry. You don't have enough Gold." 03 2nd choice, 04 Display Text: Sherman: "No? Maybe next time, then." Now add a fourth page. Event 3 Page 04 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ??, face up Movement: none Activation: check Condition: ~ Switch 002 is on ~ Switch 003 is on -- -- 00 Display Text: Sherman: "Sorry! I'm out of stock." Now that you've done all of that, go back to your first event, Mr. Withers, the farmer. Add a second page to his event. Event 1 Page 02 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ??, face left Movement: none Activation: check Condition: ~ Player has item: Bag of Seeds -- -- 00 Display Text: Mr. Withers: "Oh! You have a Bag of Seeds! I'd ask for it, but still, nothing will grow anyways!" 01 Display Text: Hero: "They said it's because you're using old, dead seeds. Here are some fresh seeds you can use." 02 Display Text: Hero gave Mr. Withers "Bag of Seeds"! 03 Remove Item: Bag of Seeds 04 Display Text: Mr. Withers: "Thank you so much! Here's a reinbursment, and some extra. I can't wait to get to work now!" 05 Gold: 100 06 Switch 004 turns on And finally, page 3. Event 1 Page 3 Graphic: Char. Graphic ??, Clr. ??, face left Activation: check Condition: ~ Switch 004 is on -- -- 00 Display Text: Mr. Withers: "I can't wait to get to work, now!" You see? Those are three very simple evens which add life to a small scenario in your town. And you know something else? They've completely unrelated to the entire store. What you've just done was introduce your player to three inhabitants of the town, and rewarded them for their exploration. The players get back 100 Gold, which gives them a 50 Gold profit. Here's the key. You've just 1) created a scenario with a problem, 2) created a need for action, 3) resolved the situation, and 4) rewarded the player. These are the keys to may of your town events. Granted not every town needs to have all of the townsmen who must be appeased in this form, but 1 per town is pretty good ( in one form or another ). ~~ "To get the orb you're looking for, head to Mount Terrible. Wait a minute. How do I know this?" Ladies and gentlemen, que the "Unknown Quest Guidesman." There are so many of these in video games made by RPGM engines that it's not even funny. This is a GIANT problem . Like the title of this topic says, you must think; wait a minute, how DOES this townsperson know this? Isn't it interesting? So many times I've played some games where the hero will talk to somebody, and they suddenly blurt out, "When you fight Dark Beast, make sure to use your Ray of Light!" or "Head to the top of Mount Terrible to find the orb you're looking for!" But how do they know this? Why are they telling you this? Something needs to be done, and here's an example of how to do better. Bellow is a small excerpt from a video game of mine. What I do is I write down each important plot point in a small notebook, and keep it with me while I create my game ( something I will get to later ). Keep in mind this is only for a video game I made: |===| Excerpt |===|================================================ The hero entered the town. The sights and sounds of the mining town overwhelm his senses as he wrinkles his nose to the smell of dirt and smoke. The town had dark, drabby houses, each one indicating a new level of psychological depression. But the town did retain its one overall theme: That it was a mining town, and mine excavation was its one and only purpose. The hero looked around, not knowing where to begin his search for the Mother of Rubies. He approached some of the towns people. "Where's the mother of rubies?" he asks them. A small shrug indicated the person's answer before they could verbally relay it; "I don't know, you'll have to ask someone else." "Where's the mother of rubies?" asked the hero to another townsperson. "I'm a little busy. You should go ask the mining commity, right over there." answers the person as she points to a dingy cabin located to the entrance of the cavern. "I'm sure they'll know something." The hero approached the small cabin which was placed next to the mouth of the mines. He was tired out; he was never a man for quests. He hadn't a clue about the mother of rubies, and he didn't even care. The much travelling he'd been through had knocked all ambition he once had straight out of him. Of course, the dingy cabin he approached actually began to sparkle. It looked like a star, a great, vibrant beam of light, no, it wasn't that. It was his mind. The cabin was hope, as it indicated the first clue towards reaching his goal. The man approaches the door and enters the cabin. "Excuse me, do you know anything about the mother of rubies?" "Asks the Chief." answers a disgruntled man who was honing the blade of an iron axe using a sharpening stone. The hero turned his head and glanced about the innards of the cabin; the walls were littered with axes, picks, chains and plaques. He found the hall leading to the back, and the hero slowly made his way to confront the chief of the miners. |===| End Excerpt |===|================================================ The above is something I wrote down in a notebook to get a feel for the movement and directives of my story in my game. When I wrote that piece for my game, I wrote it down in the form of a book one is reading. RPGs, as you know, are simply "visual stories" in which the player takes charge of the life of the characters and guides them through the story. When I wrote the above excerpt for one of my games, I realized I was writing a visual story, and so I gave it a non-visual directive. Now, let's contrast this Good Example with something known as the Bad Example. -- Good Example The hero runs into town, searching for something. He's tired, out of supplies, and he doesn't know where to look. -- Bad Example The hero runs into town. He runs into a person. "Head to back of the caves to find the mother of rubies!" -- Good Example The hero can't get a straight answer. He starts asking the townspeople for clues. He finds that he must go speak to the mining commity. -- Bad Example The Hero speaks to someone and, POOF!, they magically know what he's doing and where to find what he's looking for. -- Good Example The Hero makes his way to the mining commities' cabin. He asks around, and gets told to talk to the chief. -- Bad Example It doesn't matter what the Hero does. There's always someone in in the town that always knows what he's after and where exactly he is to find it. -- Good Example Character development, questing, searching for information, having to pull information out of people. -- Bad Example "Head to the back of the caves to find the Mother of Rubies"! One has impact and drama. One even has appeal to the senses, excersizing the sights and sounds, and even smells, of this mining town. The Bad Example may have some of that perceptive and sensory appeal, yet none of the mental appeal. In the bad example, the Hero runs into the town and immediately finds what he came searching for. In the Good Example, the Hero seems a little frustrated as he makes his way through town, searching for answers. His searchs eventually narrows down as he finally finds someone who knows what he's after. You see now? The Good Examples show the player a living, breathing town. When you read the story of the hero searching for the town, you read about someone searching for something, but they don't know where it is. They walk around. No help. They continue. They go to the cabin. They speak to the chief. We have exploration at work. This is what I like, and I guarantee you this is what the players will like. Keep in mind the story excerpt I did before, and the reasons why I did it. As we continue, I will move back to that subject. -- Great Advice -- Here's what you should do whenver you create a town. 1) Remember, you're creating a world. You're creating a world which the player is to explore. The town's not just a stepping stone; the town is a home for those living within it. Things happen, events occur. There are dramatic changes in people's lives. They work, eat, sleep, live and die. 2) Here's something else you should do. Do what I do. I keep a notebook with me at all times when I make my games using the RPGM engine. I keep a notebook with me, and I chart down what town I'm making. I chart down what the buildings look like, what the town's atmosphere is, and what the people are like in this town. Look at your town, and think of its history. If you were a tourist in your world, and not a player-character, what would you do when you entered the town? What would you see? What would you hear? What would you smell? What kind of food would you taste in the restaurants, and how would you feel about the overall atmosphere? Imagine that you're exploring your world through the eyes of a tourist when you write it. What great culture is there? Perhaps the town you're creating has a history, much like Athens Greece, or possibly Vatican Rome. Maybe it was an ancient battleground? What history is here? What about great learning? Incorporate this into your game. Is there an ancient cult group about? What about a group of witches who can make pretty much any kind of soup imaginable? Maybe there are elves in this town, who guard the forest you're entering? These are things which are key to the world you are creating. The work is difficult, and keeping a notebook while you create your game isn't always fun, but the feeling of accomplishment you get after you do all of this is your payoff; and it doesn't just stop at that. When other people play your game, they won't just think of a town as a stepping stone. They'll see your town as a world in which stories and characters come to life. 3) Don't just work on the town from an external viewpoint. Move to the internal, the person viewpoint, as well. I chart down every single person in my towns into my into my notebook. Take, for example, the Chief from the story I made for my game a whiles back ( the excerpt didn't cover him ). He's the chief of the mining commity within the mining town. If I had used them in my game, I would have createst his back story. His history. I would have jotted down what age he wanted to become a miner, and what goals he had and/or now has. The people in your towns are not blank faces; they are createst in your world. You dictate the events, you form their backstory, just as people in real-life have backstories. 4) Avoid cliches! Here are two extremely prominent cliches which were mentioned in a post by gameFAQs three or four years ago in a topic known as "RPG Cliches". Here are two of the most used cliches of all time in RPGM game. - Create a town which has 2 people, but with 10 homes. - Create a town with a million people, but with 2 homes. 'Nuff said, huh? |=================================================== | E. Contributions [0007] |=================================================== Now for the contributions to my FAQ. A special thanks goes out to all of the people who contributed to this FAQ and made it such a big success. Here are their contributions, indicated along with their names. 1. Day/Night, by: kikzmyster92 on gameFAQs [1007] 2. Shovelling, by: kikzmyster92 on gameFAQs [2007] 3. Bombing, by: kikzmyster92 on gameFAQs [3007] 4. Shovelling ( alternate form ), by XpertGamer0989 on gameFAQs [4007] 5. Item Combining, by: XpertGamer0989 on gameFAQs [5007] 6. Monster Arena, by: XpertGamer0989 on gameFAQs [6007] 7. Horse-back Riding, by: NWalterstorf on gameFAQs [7007] |===|================================================ |===| E1. Day/Night, br kikzmyster92 on gameFAQs [1007] |===|================================================ The way I made it will only work nicely with my custom world map, explained later ((Editor: see gameFAQs)). Have an event that is activated as you enter a place that randomly chooses one of 2 swithces, "d", and "n" ( of course, they'll have to be numbers in the creation process... de will be day, and n night ). So if d is selected, tint the screen its normal color, then proceed with the transition to the place you're going, and if n is selected, tint the screen to whatever you want [ some dark hue, though :) ]. This means, however, that the houses, if it's a town and if it's night, will be darkened too, so you have 3 options: 1 - leave it 2 - make an auto start event in the house that tints the screen to the default hue IF the switch n is on, and make a page to the event makes you exit the house with the page condition of "switch n = ON" switch the hue back to the night hue. 3 - make a "light switch" event in the house that, only when on, will change the hue to the default hue. However, this way could get a little tricky and use too many switches, so I suggest sticking with method 2. Note: Make the position of BOTH the day and night switches OFF when exiting the place or town, and make an auto start event that will change the world map's hue to the default hue, because darkened worldmaps are annoying, so just avoid them all together. (( Editor: For more information, see gameFAQs. )) |===|================================================ |===| E2. Shovelling, by: kikzmyster92 on gameFAQs [2007] |===|================================================ First, make an item "shovel". With the method I present, you will enable the action of shovelling for stuff. Okay, so make a bunch of TREASURE evnts with the condition of your having the item "shovel". Leave the before graphic blank, and make the after graphic the lil' black hole. Make a bunch of three-way choices in the percentage form, and for like rare items make small percentages. You can make 3-ways in the 3-ways, so the possibilities are endless (3-way choice - 1, 3 way choice, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2 - three way choice, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 - 3-way choice 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and so on). So for each possible combination make a little sound effect that you think is appropriate for digging and make an event for the prize... it could be "you got nothing!" or "You found a dollar!" Well, anmyways, at the end of the every combination, put on temporary removal ( or was that the terminology in RPGM2? Well, anyways, I know there's a command that stops the event's processing until the next time you come to that dungeon ). (( Editor's Note: What kikzmyster92 is thinking of is located in your event editor. The method is: Event Status: Unable to Execute. This will prohibit the event from being executed until the next time you enter the dungeon. The only problem is that it works with normal events, not treasure events. )) Have a consistency on the places that you want to be shovellable... like in my game, only the dirt (brown tile) can be shovelled, but this is all up to you... ... If you want to have like some necessary item be underground, thus you must shovel it out, don't use treasure events, but instead regular events with a switch activated after you shovel that thing out, leaving it out for good. |===|================================================ |===| E3. Bombing, by: kikzmyster92 on gameFAQs [3007] |===|================================================ This is extremely simple and extremely similar to shovelling. Make a TREASURE event with the graphic of a rock in the "before" graphic and leave the "after" graphic blank ( or like the graphic of pebbles, but I'm not they're walkable or not ). So, set the treasure events activation to "use item: bomb". So this means that the player will have to whip out the bomb, just like the shovel, and then the event is triggered. Just put in the "explosion" effect ( it can be found in "effects", the event command ) and set sound 10 to it, or whatever you think is appropriate... and remember to take away 1 bomb after this happens. Rocks, which can be blown up, will serve as barriers and can definitely add some fun to your game. You can also make like monsters and treasures hidden in the rocks, if you add 3-ways and stuff (look at "shovelling" ^^, it's explained. :) ). You can set the event to temporary removal (explained in "shovelling", too) so that the rocks will be there next time, or you can just... well, not, so that once the rocks are gone, it's goooooone. Enjoy. :) |===|================================================ |===| E4. Shovelling, by: XpertGamer0989 on gameFAQs [4007] |===|================================================ Those ideas sound great. Just make sure you don't use treasure events if you want to allow people to leave and come back to the same area. You have to use a normal event with the command that prevents an event from activating again ( sorry, I forgot the name ). I also made a shovelling mini-game that I haven't seen here before, but it may have been done. It gave the player a certain amount of tries to find a rare object, but also gave other treasures. It's hard to explain in words, so I'll make a picture. x x x x g x x x x x x x g q g x x x x x g q o q g x x x x x g q g x x x x x x x g x x x x x = normal floor o = treasure q = one space away event g = two spaces away event The object is to find the treasure burried at the "o". By showing how far you are, it gives the player a certain amount of direction. It used different color "star" events at the q's and g's. By limiting it to a few chances, it becomes pretty fun. Also, I had a few of the other places give prizes with the option to keep the prize, or to continue to search for the "rare" treasure. I know it might be hard to understand, if I can find it, I'll plug my dexdrive back in, and I can make a small demo of it and show anyone interested. |===|================================================ |===| E5. Item Combining, by XpertGamer0989 on gameFAQs [5007] |===|================================================ This can be used for a few different things. I will use the example of mixing together herbs for now. First, figure out how many different types of items will be used. For now, let's use 3. Create a Red Herb, Blue Herb, and a Yellow Herb as items. Now, create a dungeon with 3 blank graphics with two pages, and no events right next to each other in a line. Next, create an event anywhere you like in your game ( not in this dungeon ) with a man that asks you if you would like to combine herbs. When you choose yes, have a move location event move you to the dungeon you made ( right in front of the other events ). Now, go back to the dungeon you made. On the first event, have the second page have a red flower graphic and page condition: Having a Red Herb. The second event having a second page with a blue flower graphic, and page condition "Having a Blue Herb." Do the same for the third event but for a yellow herb. Now, for the second page of each event, set it to start on "check". Now, have it turn on a switch: Red herb turns on switch 1, Blue Herb switch 2, Yellow Herb switch 3. Now, duplicate the dungeon and copy the events to it. Go back to the first dungeon and add a "move to" event that moves you to the copy of this dungeon. Now, go back to the copy, delete the 2nd page's event contents ( not the page ) of each event. Add 2 more pages to the back of each event ( each event should have 4 ). Copy the second page's page conditions to each page after it. Now, add the page requirement of having Switch 1, 2, or 3 on ( one for each page ). Ex: The Red Herbs Page 2 has the conditions: Have Red Herb, Switch 1 on. Page 3 has page conditions: Have Red Herb, Switch 2 on. Page 4 has the page conditions: Have Red Herb, Switch 3 on. The Blue Herbs Pafe 2 has the page condition: Have Blue Herb, Switch 1 on. And so on... After that is done, create 6 items name potion. Choose how much life you would like each combination of herbs to heal. Ex. Red Herb + Red Herb = Potion that heals 10 HP Red Herb + Blue Herb = Potion that heals 20 HP Blue Herb + Yellow Herb = Potion that heals 100 HP Now, find the pages that correspond to having the hoice made add the potion you would like to your inventory. Ex. Red Herbs Page 4 would give the potion that is made for a Red Herb + Yellow Herb. Blue Herbs Page 3 would give the potion that is made for a Blue Herb + Blue Herb. Right after the add item event, put a remove item from inventory and remove the two herbs that were used to create the potion. Ex. Choose the Red Herb first, then the blue Herb will cause you to get the potion for Red Herb + Blue Herb. After the add potion event, remove the two herbs that were "used" ( Red and Blue ). And that, the event should have a move location event that sends you back to the man from earlier. The event is done and should work now. |===|================================================ |===| E6. Monster Arena, by XpertGamer0989 on gameFAQs [6007] |===|================================================ This works best if you are using a custom world map and non-random battles. After each non-random battle, have a specific switch turn on... Ex. after beating a slime, turn on switch 1. After beating a goblin turn on switch 2, etc... Next, create a world map ( with the built in world map editor ) and create a town named after each monster you have that turns on a switch ( use the diamond or circle graphic ) and set it to show only when the corresponding switch is on. Ex. Town 1 is set to only be on when switch 1 is on. You would first have to beat a slime before it would show up. Now, create a dungeon ( using any background you wish ), and name it the name of the first monster that has a switch assigned to it. In the event for this dungeon, have an intro event that starts a battle with the monster for your first switch ( the same as the name of the dungeon ). Ex. After choosing slime at the world map, it takes you to the dungeon named "slime", where a battle with a slime starts. Now, do this for each monster you have in the game that you would like to have in the area. When creating a map, have one central town and each town branches off of the main one. Ex. Slime x x = the towns representing monsters to choose from | o = a main town where you can cancel | Ogre x--O--x Bat | x Goblin |===|================================================ |===| E7. Horse-back Riding, by NWalterstorf on gameFAQs [7007] |===|================================================ My friends near where I live begged me to add this little bit of information to the FAQ. I finally succumbed to their demands and added this feature in just before I published this FAQ. One of the features I implimented into some of my earlier games was one known simply as Horse-back Riding. To be honest, it didn't have a name, but essentially, that's what it was. The main character had a horse, and they could ride it about on a custom world-map whenever they left their Head Quarters. What I did when the main character would use the horse, was change the graphic of the main character to a horse. That's all I needed to do. That and use switches to dictate the various times when the main character's graphic would change back to normal, such as disembarking. But this is the interesting part. While on the horse, the player can go places they cannot go on foot. Here's an example: x = ground b = bushes x x x x x x x x b b b b x x x x Now let's say that the player wanted to cross a "road" or whatnot, and some bushes were in the way ( the one's that you cannot walk through ). On foot, the player could travel across ground, but, as per normal, could not walk over the bushes. However, when she was on her horse, I had a switch turn on indicating just that; that she was on her horse. Then what I did was place little events on the bushes. They had two pages. The first had no graphic, which would act as default if the player tried to cross. The second page had an object graphic which was, essentially, a 64x64 box of pure WHITE. That's all it was. But what did I do then? I changed the color to, I believe, three. Then what happened? The event turned invisible! Great! you think. That doesn't explain anything! Ahh, but you see, it DOES explain EVERYTHING. When the main character was riding her horse, and Switch 001 was on indicating that she was riding on her horse, the second page of the event would be on "stand -by", just like every event where the condition's been fulfilled; it's not active, yet it's on stand-by. Now here's the trick. The object graphic I selected for page 2 of the event covering the bushes is invisible. But what does it do for the ground? Here's the fun part. It makes anything WALKABLE. That's right. If you place that there, and the Switch is active indicating that the player is riding their horse, they will actually be able to WALK OVER the bushes, instead of having to stop. Cool, huh? I've used this numerous times. Alternative options to this method would be, in application to the character not on the horse, the player having to go through an entire new map in order to get to the other side, which is also cool, indicating a longer passing of time because the character has to travel on foot. Another thing you can do for when the player is not on horseback, is to make more maps throughout the worldmap that the player must travel and battle through. Then when they get on their horse, they can bypass those maps, bypass the swampy marshes, and march straight over the bushes, rocks, and whatnot on the worldmap. This adds fun to the game, as it gives a feeling of the passing of time, as well as gives the player a good reason to hop on their horse to travel across the worldmap. Off-the-feature topic, though, I've even taken this further in one of my games, as to have you taking care of and feeding the horse that you'll use to traverse the worldmap. I even set up an occasion where the player is without a horse for a while, but can borrow one from a horse ranch for a certain amount of money. This is a unique feature, and I hope you enjoy it. |=================================================== | F. Disclaimer [0008] |=================================================== RPG Maker video game is copyright 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Agetic, ASCII CO/Kuusou Kagaku/SUCCESS/SPLINE Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. This FAQ is copyright 2006 Nick Walterstorf (NWalterstorf on gameFAQs message boards). All contributions are of their owners, as listed by username from gameFAQs message boards. |=================================================== | G. Version Info [0009] |=================================================== 3/10/06 - And so, the FAQ is complete. I've finally finished it. It took be two to three weeks, plus about three top-to-bottom remakes ( as I made quite a few mistakes ), but I'm finally finished. I'd like to thank everyone at gameFAQs for their support. I'd also like to thank gameFAQs for hosting this website, as well as RPGM Mag. If this FAQ is at any website other than gameFAQs, RPGM Mag, the RPG Pavillion, or IGN, contact me, as the reproduction of this version from any other person than myself is a copyright violation. If you are a webmaster of any of the companies I listed and you have not received the this FAQ, I am either 1) preparing to send it to you, or 2) you can request this FAQ for me. Heck, you can even 3) post it anyways, AS LONG AS YOU ARE MENTIONED ABOVE. Any other website or persons not varified by myself or gameFAQs is violating a copyright. Once again, thank you all for the oppertunity to add just one more FAQ to this fantastic game. Currently I'm working on games using the RPGM2, as I've learned all I can from the first RPGM. Who knows, maybe you'll see updates and more FAQs for the other excellent games by Agetec. Until then, game on. |===================================================