Version 1
Copyright 2006 Nathaniel Boerke
___ ___ ___ _ _ ___
| \ | \ / \ |\ /| / \ (Darn. That totally
| | | | / \ | \ / | | | sucks. Can you tell
| / | / | | \/ | | it's my first attempt at
|__ / |___/ | | | > ASCII art?)
| \ | | __ | | |
| \ | \ / | | | |
| \ | \___/ | | \___/
To start off, this is NOT a general guide to using RPG Maker 3. I know that
there are a lot of question that people want answered, but I want to keep the
FAQ focused. Second, I probably won't answer questions about basic game
mechanics. That's why the game came with a manual. Most copies should have come
with a manual, but if they didn't, you can find it on the web. This is what
I've got in here:
1- Superceding Limitations
1.1- Weapon Equip Trick
1.2- Multiple File Trick
1.3- Relationship System
1.3 A- Simple Reputation System
1.3 B- Simple Reputation Event Model
1.3 C- Complex Reputation System
1.3 D- Complex Reputation Event Model
1.4- Transitive Events
1.4 A- Transitive Event Sample System (text)
1.4 B- Transitive Event Sample Model
1.5- Alternate Facility NPC's
1.6- Open-air Dungeons
1.7- Elemental Affinities
1.8- Leveling Chart
1.9- Treasure Chest Event Codes
2- Variables
2.1- As Switches
2.2- As Scales
2.3- As...Variables (for the more adept)
3- Enjoying Other Games
3.1- Finding Other People's Games
3.2- Posting Your Own Games
4- Credits/legal Information
4.1- Contacting me
Maybe I'll expand the scope of this document some day, maybe I won't. Actually,
it's almost guaranteed that I will, because people keep coming up with new ways
to expand the game beyond it's own limitations, but still.
--Section 1- Superceding Limitations--
In a supposed effort to increase the comprehensiveness of RPGM3 in relation to
RPGM2, the game's producers removed many of the options available in previous
installments of the series. The end result was a much more easily usable maker,
but one with multiple glaring limitations. Here are a few of the games most
irritating limitations and ways to get around them:
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| |
| 1.1- Weapon Equip Trick |
|_________________________|
Each class of weapon style is only accessible to a few pre-set characters. For
example, you may only use the Sword and Shield class if you consent to use the
Adventurer or Warrior model. That is, IF you allow the game to limit your
choices. Thanks to the now-legendary Weapon Equip Trick, you can give any
weapon to any character class, though the class animations will remain the
same. How do I go about doing this? In the example below, we are going to equip
a staff on an Adventurer character.
1) Create your Adventurer under the People heading.
2) Go into classes and create two new male classes; one is an Adventurer, and
the other is a Sage.
3) Assign the Sage class to the Adventurer character.
4) Create the staff that you want the Adventurer to use. Go to the weapon's
second page and assign the weapon to the Adventurer character.
5) Go back to the character and assign the Adventurer class instead of the Sage
class.
As long as you never try to edit that weapon, it will be usable by that
character now, regardless of the class you give them. Keep in mind that this
only affects the weapon that the character is holding; the character animations
will remain the same. This means that some weapons will look pretty ridiculous
on certain character classes (i.e. an archer trying to use a great sword).
If you decide to assign that weapon to the character as their initial
equipment, the game will notice that something is awry and remove the weapon
from your inventory. The weapon will still be equip-able, but you will have to
re-attain it.
__________________________
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| 1.2- Multiple File Trick |
|__________________________|
As we have all noticed, RPGM3 houses several glaring limitations, one of which
is data limitation. The limitation that seems to stand out most to the RPGM
community is the 100 NPC limit. The software offers no "expand my file" option
to fix this. However, were it not for limitations such as these, this FAQ would
not exist. Here's how to dupe the game into giving you some more space.
First, make the first half (or leg) of your game. Just keep creating as you
would a normal game, and be sure to give it a spiffy name. For our example,
we'll use "Ye Awesoumnes: Part I." When you reach maximum memory capacity, copy
this file. Then, back it up onto another medium, such as a MAX Drive or another
memory card. You will now have two files: "Ye Awesoumnes: Part I"-File A and
"Ye Awesoumnes: Part I"-File B.
Go into File B and start erasing. Be sure to keep anything and everything that
is essential to continue the game, i.e. items, characters, the last map from
the previous half of the game, etc. The two files need to match when you
overlap them during play. Then, rename File B "Ye Awesoumnes: Part II."
Now, start a new game by loading File A ("Ye Awesoumnes: Part I"). Play through
it normally. Once you reach the end of the data on that file, save your game.
Go into the editor and copy File B ("Ye Awesoumnes: Part II") onto File A. BE
ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT YOU ALREADY BACKED UP THIS FILE, OR IT WILL BE OVERWRITTEN
AND LOST FOREVER. Then, back up to the title screen and load File A (which is
now "Ye Awesoumnes: Part II"). Go to the Play option to load the in-game file
you just recently saved. You can now play through a whole new game with all of
your stats, characters, items, etc. that you had previously. The only problem
is that you won't be able to backtrack to areas on the Part I version, as they
will not exist unless you left them intact on Part II.
Be absolutely sure that all of the items, all of the characters in your party,
and the last map from your previous file are there, or else you will severely
confuse the game.
Using this method, you can approximately double your NPC, item, dungeon, town,
field, storyteller, event, and monster caps as compared to using only one file.
If you really want to, you could make more than two inter-connected files on
different memory cards for an utterly massive game. Just keep in mind that most
people won't be too happy about needing to delete, transfer, copy, and back up
multiple files multiple times. Also, give the player a message that tells them
to copy File B over File A, or they won't be able to enjoy the rest of the
game. Have fun with your epics!
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| |
| 1.3- Reputation System |
|________________________|
This is a very complicated system that will require several events to set up,
but can be used to unlock some very interesting goodies. Basically, it becomes
a sort of hidden stat that affects the entire party. There are two ways to go
about setting this up, depending upon your preferred type of reputation
tracking.
________________________________
|1.3 A- Simple Reputation System
The first is the simpler of the two, and can be used to track a gradual
increase in your fame (or infamy). At each event that will affect your rating,
you will need to create a variable alteration code (either increase or
decrease, depending on the situation). The best way to do this is to have a
decision branch at the event consisting of 2-4 options. Each option will have
an increasingly negative or positive effect on the situation. For example, you
could create an event that is a small girl lost in a large town, and create a
4-way decision event. The first response option would be "Figure it out, kid. I
don't have time for pitiful crybabies," the next would be "Tough. I can't
really help you now," the third would be "Go to the local (building). I'm sure
they can help you there," and the fourth would be "Come with me. I'll help you
find your home." After each option would be a variable modification code. For
option 1, you would create a code that decreases your 'reputation variable' by
2, because you made a really mean decision. Option 2 would decrease it by 1,
because you still weren't very nice, but you could have been worse. Option 3
would raise it by 1, because you helped her somewhat. Option 4 would raise it
by 2, because there's not much else you could have done to help her out. For
this example, we'll say that you have 10 similar events throughout the game.
Let's also create an event in the first area you go to that modifies the value
of your reputation variable to 50, and then runs a "Display Off" on itself so
you don't screw up the whole system by backtracking.
At each event that changes based on your reputation score, you would make a
value-conditional branch. You can use as many branches as you like, but we'll
use four for this example. If the reputation variable is greater than or equal
to 50, you've made more good decisions than bad, or haven't made any decision
either way. Things will react to you positively, but they may not even know who
you are. If above 60, you've made some very good choices, so you will receive
favorable reactions wherever you go, and you will have a good reputation. If it
is above 70, you have made only very good decisions, and you will be revered as
a hero of the people. If it is less than 50, however, you will be disliked
somewhat by most people. If it gets below 40, you've been a pretty negative
person, and you will be known for it. If it falls to the sorry value of 30, you
are the crabbiest person to ever walk the earth, so everyone you meet wants to
run you out of town on a rail. A system like this makes for some pretty
interesting events that the player probably does not realize that they are
triggering with their seemingly inconsequential actions.
_____________________________________
| 1.3 B- Simple Reputation Event Model
Mod Event (modifies variables)
-Message Display: (conversation; create more as needed)
-Decision Branch: What will you do?
--Option 1: (Very Good)
---Increase Variable: Var. 1: 2
--Option 2: (Good)
---Increase Variable: Var. 1: 1
--Option 3: (Bad)
---Decrease Variable: Var. 1: 1
--Option 4: (Very Bad)
---Decrease Variable: Var. 1: 2
Var. Event Simple (varies based on rep)
-Message Display: (conversation; create more as needed)
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 1
--Option 1: Variable >= 60
---(Very Good event codes)
--Option 2: Variable >= 50
---(Very Good event codes)
--Option 3: Variable <= 49
---(Bad event codes)
--Option 4: Variable <= 40
---(Very Bad event codes)
Var. Event Complex (varies based on rep)
-Message Display: (conversation; create more as needed)
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 1
--Option 1: Variable = 70
---(Perfect branch; do whatever you want)
--Option 2: Variable >= 60
---(Very Good branch event codes)
--Option 3: Variable >= 50
---(Good branch event codes)
--Option 4: Variable <= 49
---Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 1
----Option 1: Variable <= 49
-----(Bad branch event codes)
----Option 2: Variable <= 40
-----(Very Bad branch event codes)
----Option 3: Variable = 30
-----(Pure Evil branch event codes)
_________________________________
| 1.3 C- Complex Reputation System
The second method is much more complicated, and requires many more events to
fulfill, but yields even more interesting results. Rather than having good,
very good, bad, and very bad decision branches, you can have branches specific
to one style of response, such as spiteful, depressing, joyful, neutral,
deadly, etc. Using a system like this with multiple response types requires a
minimum of four events to complete each and every time it is invoked (or at
least one event with four modes), so it is much more limited that the first
system. It also requires a somewhat advanced understanding of variables.
A reasonably complicated example available involves four response types, so
that's the one that I'll be displaying here, rather than displaying the
simplest and letting you wonder at how to adapt it into far more complicated
situations. You can adapt it to your preferred number of responses as
necessary. Again, let's say that there are ten events throughout the world that
modify your reputation, and the default value of each reputation variable to
50.
We'll need 6 different variables, so let's use variables 1-6. You're reputation
parameters are:
-Happy: the number of times you've done something to make people happy
-Sad: the number of times you've made people sad
-Hateful: the number of times you've done something that made others angry
-Scary: the number of times you've done something to inspire fear in others
Variable 1 compares Happy to Sad. If it's above 50, you've made more happy
choices than sad ones. If it's below, you've made more sad ones than happy.
Var. 2 compares Happy and Hateful. Var. 3 compares Happy and Scary. Var. 4
compares Sad and Hateful. Var. 5 compares Sad and Scary. Var. 6 compares
Hateful and Scary.
Let's say you find the same little girl lost in the infinity of suburbia.
You're given 4 options: "Come with me, I'll help you find your home," "That's
life. You get lost. Get used to it," "Why should I help a girl?," and "You
should get home. Who knows what sort of people wander the streets at this time
of day?(glare menacingly)." Let's recap on our variables:
Var. 1- Happy vs. Sad
Var. 2- Happy vs. Hateful
Var. 3- Happy vs. Scary
Var. 4- Sad vs. Hateful
Var. 5- Sad vs. Scary
Var. 6- Hateful vs. Scary
Option 1 of the branch above will increase variables 1-3 by 1 each. Option 2
will decrease var. 1 by 1, and increase var. 4 and 5 by 1 apiece. Option 3 will
decrease var. 2 and 4, and increase var. 6. Option 4 will decrease var. 3, 5,
and 6. No matter how many times you activate that event, you can monitor
ACCURATELY which decision type you've made most and which you've made least.
Don't believe me? Watch this:
Trial 1: Hateful branch
Var. 1- 50 (neutral)
Var. 2- 49 (favors Hateful)
Var. 3- 50 (neutral)
Var. 4- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 50 (neutral)
Var. 6- 51 (Hateful)
Obviously, everything favors Hateful so far. Then again, we've only made one
decision. Let's go back and turn that frown upside-down.
Trial 2: Happy branch
Var. 1- 51 (Happy)
Var. 2- 50 (neutral)
Var. 3- 51 (Happy)
Var. 4- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 50 (neutral)
Var. 6- 51 (Hateful)
This is where we start to run into problems. We now have two variables that
favor Happy, and two that favor Hateful. How this all plays out will depend on
how you set up your events later on that monitor these variable values (more on
this later). So, in reality, it's not a problem at all. Let's go and spite that
poor girl again.
Trial 3: Hateful branch
Var. 1- 51 (Happy)
Var. 2- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 3- 51 (Happy)
Var. 4- 48 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 50 (neutral)
Var. 6- 52 (Hateful)
Now that we've got a nice even majority going again, Hateful beats all of the
other branches. However, this is getting boring, so I'm going to toss in a Sad
decision.
Trial 4: Sad branch
Var. 1- 50 (neutral)
Var. 2- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 3- 51 (Happy)
Var. 4- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 51 (Sad)
Var. 6- 52 (Hateful)
Now Happy only occupies one majority, and Sad occupies only one. Hateful, on
the other hand, is chugging along with a nice warm three-majority lead. So far
we've made two Hateful decisions, one Happy one, and one Sad one. Still,
Hateful leads as the ruling party. Go malice! This time, we need to use our
last branch: Scary.
Trial 5: Scary branch
Var. 1- 50 (neutral)
Var. 2- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 3- 50 (neutral)
Var. 4- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 50 (neutral)
Var. 6- 51 (Hateful)
Not only does Hateful still lead with three majorities, but all of the other
possibilities have been completely erased from the board. Pretty convenient,
huh? We now have chosen Hateful 2/5 times, but it still wins. Let's go make her
mad again.
Trial 6: Hateful branch
Var. 1- 50 (neutral)
Var. 2- 48 (Hateful)
Var. 3- 50 (neutral)
Var. 4- 48 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 50 (neutral)
Var. 6- 52 (Hateful)
This time, we just powered up all of our Hateful majorities, so nothing new
here. We need to go cheer her up after all that abuse.
Trial 7: Happy branch
Var. 1- 51 (Happy)
Var. 2- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 3- 51 (Happy)
Var. 4- 48 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 50 (neutral)
Var. 6- 52 (Hateful)
Hateful still wins. You could carry on this list forever, but only the branch
that was chosen most often will ever win, as I've fairly clearly proven.
Besides, I'm tired of retyping the same list over and over again. Just trust me
on this one. It works. Just to improve comprehensiveness, let's recap all of
our trials:
Trial 1: Hateful branch Trial 5: Scary branch
Var. 1- 50 (neutral) Var. 1- 50 (neutral)
Var. 2- 49 (Hateful) Var. 2- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 3- 50 (neutral) Var. 3- 50 (neutral)
Var. 4- 49 (Hateful) Var. 4- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 50 (neutral) Var. 5- 50 (neutral)
Var. 6- 51 (Hateful) Var. 6- 51 (Hateful)
Trial 2: Happy branch Trial 6: Hateful branch
Var. 1- 51 (Happy) Var. 1- 50 (neutral)
Var. 2- 50 (neutral) Var. 2- 48 (Hateful)
Var. 3- 51 (Happy) Var. 3- 50 (neutral)
Var. 4- 49 (Hateful) Var. 4- 48 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 50 (neutral) Var. 5- 50 (neutral)
Var. 6- 51 (Hateful) Var. 6- 52 (Hateful)
Trial 3: Hateful branch Trial 7: Happy branch
Var. 1- 51 (Happy) Var. 1- 51 (Happy)
Var. 2- 49 (Hateful) Var. 2- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 3- 51 (Happy) Var. 3- 51 (Happy)
Var. 4- 48 (Hateful) Var. 4- 48 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 50 (neutral) Var. 5- 50 (neutral)
Var. 6- 52 (Hateful) Var. 6- 52 (Hateful)
Trial 4: Sad branch
Var. 1- 50 (neutral)
Var. 2- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 3- 51 (Happy)
Var. 4- 49 (Hateful)
Var. 5- 51 (Sad)
Var. 6- 52 (Hateful)
Now that all of that's out of the way, it's time to start making our comparison
events. Be prepared; it could take a while.
First up is the event that the player manually activates. In our example, we'll
have it be a person, though it could be any event you want. For now, create
three other events on the same map as this person, but leave them blank. Name
one "Sad branch," one "Hateful branch," and the last one "Scary branch." Then
go back to your person and into their event codes.
(If you want to just see the bare-bones event codes, skip this text wall and
find the event model below, Section 1.3 D)
First, you'll want to set up your flavor text, or the thing that the event says
before it starts comparing variables. This is just to give the player a head's
up as to what's going on. If you like, you could skip this and just put the
text in each branch itself if you want the conversation to be entirely
different with each branch.
After that, you'll want your first comparison branch. You'll need a Val.-
Conditional branch with two or three options. Tell it to examine Var. 1. The
first branch should have a condition of Val. <= 49. The next branch depends on
your personal preference. With our system, we can come up with four different
"reputations," but our trials also show neutral points and standoffs between
equivalent variable values. This creates another quasi-reputation of "Neutral."
If you want this to be available, the next branch should be Val. = 50, followed
by Val. >= 51. If not, you'll have to decide what you want to prioritize. If
you want it to be easier to get the Happy branch, set it to Val. >= 50. If you
want to get the Sad branch easier, set it to Val. >= 51, then go back to the
first branch (thus far labeled Val. <= 49) and change it to Val. <= 50. Then
say OK.
In the codes for branch option 1, create an Event Transition under the Control
heading, and select "Sad branch." Leave branches 2 and 3 blank. Next, create
another Val. Cond. Code that looks at Var. 2. Use the same setup as with the
first Val. branch. This time, set branch option 1 to transition to "Hateful
Branch." Again, leave options 2 and 3 blank. Create one last Val. branch (just
copy and paste one of the others) and have it monitor Var. 3. Under option 1,
have it transition to "Scary Branch." Under option 2, do whatever you want for
the Neutral branch, such as text display, treasure gaining, whatever. If
they've made it to this branch, all of the variables turned out to be neutral,
or only the last one showed a majority (of course, this isn't possible, but it
helps to avoid programming headaches). Under option 3, do the same thing, but
for the Happy branch.
When you're done, move onto each of the other Branch events and program them
similarly. Make sure that the branch options match the variable value you're
setting them for!
______________________________________
| 1.3 D- Complex Reputation Event Model
(Keep in mind that the system below prioritizes, in order, Happy, then Sad,
then Hateful, and finally Scary. You may set up your system in any order,
following any mode of prioritization. Also remember that there are some
extraneous codes, as I wanted to keep the system as unchanged as possible
regardless of priority changes with different people using the system)
Event 1: Person (the manually activated event)/Happy Branch
-Message Display: (conversation; create more as needed)
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 1
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----Event Transitions: Sad Branch
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(blank)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
---(blank)
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 2
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----Event Transitions: Hateful Branch
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(blank)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
----(blank)
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 3
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
---Event Transitions: Scary Branch
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(whatever you want for the Neutral branch)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
----(Happy branch event codes)
Event 2: Sad Branch
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 1
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----(blank)
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(blank)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
--- Event Transitions: Happy Branch
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 4
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----Event Transitions: Hateful Branch
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(blank)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
---(blank)
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 5
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----Event Transitions: Scary Branch
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(Neutral branch event codes)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
----(Sad branch event codes)
Event 3: Hateful Branch
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 2
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----(blank)
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(blank)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
--- Event Transitions: Happy Branch
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 4
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----(blank)
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(blank)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
--- Event Transitions: Sad Branch
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 6
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----Event Transitions: Scary Branch
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(Neutral branch event codes)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
----(Hateful branch event codes)
Event 4: Scary Branch
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 3
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----(blank)
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(blank)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
--- Event Transitions: Happy Branch
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 5
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----(blank)
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(blank)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
--- Event Transitions: Sad Branch
-Val. Cond. Branch: Variable 6
--Option 1: Val. <= 49
----(Sad branch event codes)
--Option 2: Val. = 50
----(Neutral branch event codes)
--Option 3: Val. >= 51
----Event Transitions: Hateful Branch
________________________
| |
| 1.4- Transitive Events |
|________________________|
If you've really gotten into event scripting for any reason, you've probably
hit the horrible wall known as the Statute of You Not Getting Any More Space
Because of L0L t3h N00bi3. Mr. Whateverthatguysnamewas, tear down that wall!
How? Event Transitions! It's a handy little code under Control in event codes.
____________________________________________
|1.4 A- Transitive Event Sample System (text)
How's it work? First, you need two events, named Event 1 and Event 2. In Event
1, make a message, such as "test 1." After that, create an event transition,
and tell it to go to Event 2's mode 1. Add a second mode to that same event and
have it say "test end," then add a third mode and have it say "test 3" with an
event transition to mode 2 of Event 2. Finally, under mode 4, just create an
event transition to Event 2's mode 3.
Now go to Event 2. Have the first mode say "test 2," and create an event
transition to Event 1's mode 3. Create a second mode, and have it say "test 4"
with an event transition to Event 1's mode 4. After that, create mode 3 with
the message "test 5," and event transition to Event 1's mode 2.
Finally, go playtest it. If all was done correctly, you should get each "test"
message in correct order. Congratulations! You have leveled up in Event
Transitioning!
In case you didn't catch it, one type of event transition used in that whole
process was one that simply bounced off of one event to run another mode of the
first one. Why would you do this? Well, let's say you're scripting away and
having a jolly old time, and you end up with a series of codes that run about
48 events long. Then, let's say you want an almost identical mode. You'd
probably be thinking to yourself, "****." Then again, as we all (should) know,
you can just create new modes by copying the previous one IN A SINGLE EVENT.
For our purposes, that's not really helpful. See, we want that other mode to
run after a decision branch. Therefore, we can't really fit it into the same
mode, nor can we transition to it. Or can we? So you think to yourself, "Double
****." THAT'S where this all comes in. First, transition to another event. It
can even be another otherwise unused mode of an existing event. In that
(otherwise blank) mode, create another event transition back to the original
event, but to the next mode. Voila! Seamless.
I realize that this isn't really the most difficult concept to grasp, but it
does help with event scripting, so I wanted to remind everyone to use is some
time.
____________________________________
|1.4 B- Transitive Event Sample Model
Event 1
Mode 1:-Message Display: test 1
-Event Transitions: Event 2
Mode 1
Mode 2:-Message Display: test end
Mode 3:-Message Display: test 3
-Event Transitions: Event 2
Mode 2
Mode 4:-Event Transitions: Event 2
Mode 3
Event 2
Mode 1:-Message Display: test 2
-Event Transitions: Event 1
Mode 3
Mode 2:-Message Display: test 4
-Event Transitions: Event 1
Mode 4
Mode 3:-Message Display: test 5
-Event Transitions: Event 1
Mode 2
_______________________________
| |
| 1.5- Alternate Facility NPC's |
|_______________________________|
This is a really, really simple concept, but a somewhat novel one nonetheless.
When you are creating a town, you have four basic building options: Normal
House, Shop, Inn, and Sanctuary (in no particular order). If you look through
the Normal House models, you'll find that you have access to every type of
Shop, Inn, and Sanctuary. They just don't have anything in them yet. In a real
Shop, Inn, or Sanctuary, there are NPC's within that have pre-scripted commands
and dialogue. To change this dialogue, just create a Normal House with an NPC
that resembles one that would be inside a real such facility, and have them say
whatever you want. To fully simulate the experience, put an invisible event in
front of the counter that does the same thing as the faculty. Slicker'n'snot!
Just be prepared to sacrifice a few NPC's from your 100 NPC limit.
________________________
| |
| 1.6- Open-air Dungeons |
|________________________|
Say hello to the new Open-air Dungeon! With the Open-air dungeon, small,
cramped dungeons are a thing of the past! No more static elevation!
(Wow!)
No more hovering ceiling!
(Awsome!)
And no more lack of buildings!
(That's rad!)
And, it only takes a little of effort on your part! Just open up the field
editor and use the complementary V-mode to create ravines and walls! Then, use
the G-mode to change the terrain of your dungeons! It's so easy, your parents
could do it! You can even link indoor and outdoor areas with the Open-air
Dungeon!
(I want an Open-air Dungeon right now!)
Then get it right now! Call 1-555-DUNGEON! That's 1-555-386-4366! And, if you
call within the next 12 seconds, we'll throw in the Weather Editor and Clock
Setter for free! That's a 10 quadrillion dollar value, absolutely FREE! We'd
have to be crazy to give this stuff away! So call now! 1-555-DUNGEON!
(SomerestrictionsapplyvoidwhereprohibitedandinNevadanopurchasenecessaryseedetai
lsinside)
___________________________
| |
| 1.7- Elemental Affinities |
|___________________________|
While RPGM3 doesn't come with an 'elemental' system per se, it does allow you
to use several 'species types' in much the same way. The only problem is that
there is a dizzying number of species, and only one can be assigned to any
given character (you can't have a 'human' character who is also a 'man').
However, do not fret. Our good friend Crythania has come up with a fully
functioning elemental system.
To start with, there is no reason for you to use all of the available species
types if you don't want to, so you can limit your elemental list to as few
varieties as you wish. Secondly, there is no reason for you to sheepishly obey
the game's presets, so you can have these species represent anything you want
them to. Finally, anything can be any species, regardless of their appearance.
These are the basic parameters behind the elemental system. Now all you have to
do is decide how many elements you want, how they fare against each other, and
which species types to replace with them. In our example, we'll just use four
basic elements: water, fire, wind and earth.
Water characters easily defeat Fire characters.
Fire characters easily defeat Wind characters.
Wind characters easily defeat Water characters.
Earth characters are evenly matched with all.
Water = Plant species
Fire = Beast species
Wind = Insect species
Earth = Golem species
Now when you are making characters, skills, and monsters, you can use the
'strong against' and 'weak against' options to assign elemental attributes to
each of them. Of course, you don't have to use the example above. That was just
used for convenience; the species you set has no built-in bearing on the
element you attribute it to, but it would be wise to connect species and
elements into pairs that you can easily remember.
Since there is no way to identify the element/species of anything in the game,
you can use Crythania's 'Quick Identify' feature to alert the player to such
statistics, i.e. "Big Bat-Wind," or "Butt Monkey-Earth." If you don't want to,
or aren't able to do that, you can just have the player figure it out through
experience.
_____________________
| |
| 1.8- Leveling Chart |
|_____________________|
For an effectively streamlined RPG, it is always useful to know how much
experience your characters are going to need before they level up. Even if your
RPG isn't streamlined, you can use the following table to plan out how to
distribute experience points at various parts of the game.
Level | Exp. Needed- Avg. | Exp. Needed- Fast | Exp. Needed- Slow
------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------
1 | 0 | 0 | 0
2 | 15 | 11 | 30
3 | 43 | 31 | 89
4 | 99 | 71 | 165
5 | 183 | 131 | 281
6 | 309 | 221 | 453
7 | 498 | 356 | 711
8 | 781 | 558 | 1116
9 | 1206 | 861 | 1723
10 | 1843 | 1316 | 2634
11 | 2799 | 1999 | 4000
12 | 4233 | 3023 | 6048
13 | 6025 | 4303 | 8608
14 | 8265 | 5903 | 11808
15 | 11065 | 7903 | 15808
16 | 14565 | 10403 | 20808
17 | 18940 | 13528 | 27058
18 | 24408 | 17434 | 34870
19 | 30560 | 22316 | 43658
20 | 37480 | 27808 | 53544
21 | 45264 | 33986 | 64665
22 | 54021 | 40936 | 77176
23 | 63873 | 48755 | 91251
24 | 74956 | 57551 | 107084
25 | 87424 | 67446 | 124896
26 | 101451 | 78578 | 144934
27 | 117230 | 91101 | 167476
28 | 134982 | 105189 | 192836
29 | 154953 | 121038 | 221366
30 | 177420 | 138868 | 253462
31 | 202695 | 158926 | 289569
32 | 231129 | 181491 | 330189
33 | 263117 | 206877 | 375886
34 | 299103 | 235436 | 427294
35 | 339586 | 267564 | 485127
36 | 385129 | 303708 | 550189
37 | 436365 | 344369 | 623384
38 | 494005 | 390113 | 705727
39 | 558850 | 441574 | 798363
40 | 631800 | 499468 | 902578
41 | 713868 | 564598 | 1019819
42 | 806195 | 637869 | 1151715
43 | 910062 | 720299 | 1300097
44 | 1026913 | 813033 | 1448479
45 | 1143764 | 905767 | 1596861
46 | 1260615 | 998501 | 1745243
47 | 1377466 | 1091235 | 1893625
48 | 1494317 | 1183969 | 2042007
49 | 1611168 | 1276703 | 2190389
50 | 1728019 | 1369437 | 2338771
51 | 1844870 | 1462171 | 2487153
52 | 1961721 | 1554905 | 2635535
53 | 2078572 | 1647639 | 2783917
54 | 2195423 | 1740373 | 2932299
55 | 2312274 | 1833107 | 3080681
56 | 2429125 | 1925841 | 3229063
57 | 2545976 | 2018575 | 3377445
58 | 2662827 | 2111309 | 3525827
59 | 2779678 | 2204043 | 3674209
60 | 2896529 | 2296777 | 3822591
61 | 3013380 | 2389511 | 3970973
62 | 3130231 | 2482245 | 4119355
63 | 3247082 | 2574979 | 4267737
64 | 3363933 | 2667713 | 4416119
65 | 3480784 | 2760447 | 4564501
66 | 3597635 | 2853181 | 4712883
67 | 3714486 | 2945915 | 4861265
68 | 3831337 | 3038649 | 5009647
69 | 3948188 | 3131383 | 5158029
70 | 4065039 | 3224117 | 5306411
71 | 4181890 | 3316851 | 5454793
72 | 4298741 | 3409585 | 5603175
73 | 4415592 | 3502319 | 5751557
74 | 4532443 | 3595053 | 5899939
75 | 4649294 | 3687787 | 6048321
76 | 4766145 | 3780521 | 6196703
77 | 4882996 | 3873255 | 6345085
78 | 4999847 | 3965989 | 6493467
79 | 5116698 | 4058723 | 6641849
80 | 5233549 | 4151457 | 6790231
81 | 5350400 | 4244191 | 6938613
82 | 5467251 | 4336925 | 7086995
83 | 5584102 | 4429659 | 7235377
84 | 5700953 | 4522393 | 7383759
85 | 5817804 | 4615127 | 7532141
86 | 5934655 | 4707861 | 7680523
87 | 6051506 | 4800595 | 7828905
88 | 6168357 | 4893329 | 7977287
89 | 6285208 | 4986063 | 8125669
90 | 6402059 | 5078797 | 8274051
91 | 6518910 | 5171531 | 8422433
92 | 6635761 | 5264265 | 8570815
93 | 6752612 | 5356999 | 8719197
94 | 6869463 | 5449733 | 8867579
95 | 6986314 | 5542467 | 9015961
96 | 7103165 | 5635201 | 9164343
97 | 7220016 | 5727935 | 9312725
98 | 7336867 | 5820669 | 9461107
99 | 7453718 | 5913403 | 9609488
_________________________________
| |
| 1.9- Treasure Chest Event Codes |
|_________________________________|
Okay, obviously I know that you can create a Standard Event that looks like a
treasure chest and alters a variable. Give me some credit. I'm here to talk
about something slightly more complicated that I stumbled upon in the distant
days of my RPGM youth.
First, make the item you want to get from a treasure chest. Then, if it's not
already a Treasure item, make a Treasure by a similar name. Make sure it isn't
the exact same thing, or you may not be able to differentiate between the two
items when assigning them. Now, go make your Treasure Chest event. NOT a
Standard Event, but a REAL Treasure Chest. It's much cooler that way. Next,
have the Treasure Chest give you the Treasure version on the item you just
made. Somewhere else on the same map, create an auto-event with one condition:
With Treasure. Obviously, set the With Treasure condition to the treasure you
get out of the chest. If you're into sprucing up your maps, make the event look
like a decorative object. It will never activate, so the player will think that
it's just an innocent code-less tree or something. Sneaky, sneaky.
Anywho, in the event scripts, make three codes. The first is a Remove Treasure
code under Party Control; tell it to remove the treasure item you just found in
the chest. The second is a Receive Item code (also under Party Control), so set
it to give the party the item by the similar name. The third is the Modify
Variable code under Property Control, so you can guess what that's for. You can
also put whatever else you want in there; it doesn't matter. Have a blast.
Now, playtest and be amazed. If you did everything right, it should go off
without a hitch. After it's done, check your items, key items, and variable
values. You should have no treasure version of the item, one item version of
it, and the variable should have changed. Cool, huh? Be sure to go back and
rename the treasure item so that it matches the normal item, so you don't end
recieving one item and owning a different one. You can also use this basic
process to activate battles, change dungeon/field/town properties, run
storytellers, play special effects, etc.
--Section 2- Variables--
Seriously, variabels must be the hardest part of RPGM3 to grasp. It's
definitely the most commonly asked-about topic. Because of it's complication
to the average gamer, multiple explanations have been created to serve
multiple people. Here are the explanations that I have gathered so far from
consenting sources.
____________________________
| |
| 2.1- Variables As Switches |
|____________________________|
Obright likens variables to switches. Think about a light switch on a wall. It
has two positions, up and down. That gives it two "values" in variable terms:
0 (down) and 1 (up). That means that in position 0, the switch is off. In
position 1, it is on. Now, imagine that switch has a lot more positions. Let's
say, 99,998 more. This means that it's position can be anywhere from 0 to
99,999. That's one mother of a switch. What you've got now is either a giant
circuit board filled with light switches, or a giant dial. EACH VARIABLE is a
switch just like that; that is to say, it has all of those positions. In lamens
terms, you've got quite the buttload of opportunities.
How does that work? With a value of 0, the variable (switch) is OFF. At 1 or
more, it is ON. Remember, whenever you begin a new game, all of the switches
are OFF. None of them will do anything just yet. Once you move it to position 1
or above, it is ON, and can activate several different things. Let's say you
have an event with a 4-way Val. cond. branch. For branch option 1 to occur,
your chosen variable must equal 0. For branch 2 it must be 1, branch 3 must be
2, and branch 4 must be 3. This means that that variable-switch must be off for
option 1 to occur, must be in position 1 for option 2 to occur, must be in
position 2 for option 3 to occur, and it must be in position 3 for option 4 to
occur. Change it's position with event codes in other events (or in that event
if you do it right) to activate each of the four branches.
__________________________
| |
| 2.2- Variables As Scales |
|__________________________|
My variables explanation was as scales that measure weight, like what most
people seem to have in their bathrooms (though, for the life of me, I can't
figure out why anyone would want to weigh themselves while using the John).
Each variable is a seperate scale. Each value of that variable corresponds to a
weight on the scale. If the variable equals 0, there is no weight on the scale.
If it equals 1, there is 1 pound (lb) on the scale. If it's 2, there are 2 lbs
on the scale. If it's 999, you've got one huge scale. In any case, every time
you put something onto the scale, it's value changes.
How's it work? Think of it as an old-fashioned scale (like the one held by the
statue of justice). To work, both sides have to have the same amount of weight
on them. Let's say you have an event with a Variable=Val. condition, and the
variable needs to equal 5. If there aren't any weights on the scale, it won't
move, and the desired effect won't be achieved. Once you put 1 lb on the scale,
it still won't balance out. Only when you put 5 lbs on the scale will it work,
activating the event. If you put 6 lbs on though, the scale will tip over, and
the event won't activate. It has to be precise.
_____________________________
| |
| 2.3- Variables as Variables |
|_____________________________|
To those already affluent in the basic definition of a variable, and to those
of you who just recently learned, this is where you will find out what
variables can be used for in RPGM3.
First, variables can be used as conditions for events. Setting an event with a
condition means that the event will do absolutely nothing until that condition
is met (or until you use an event transition, though it returns to stasis
afterward). With a variable condition, the event cannot be activated until the
value of that variable meets the requirements for the condition. For example,
if you have a condition of Var=1, the event cannot be activated until the
variable is exactly 1.
The second use of a variable is in a Val. Cond. (Value Conditional) branch.
Branches such as these can be put into events to achieve multiple outcomes, but
only one outcome at a time. Let's say you have a 3-way branch. Your
requirements for each branch are Val=1, 2, and 3 respectively. If you activate
the event and the variable does not equal 1, 2, or 3, the event will simply
skip the branch. If it equals 1, only the codes in branch option 1 will play
out. If it is 2, the codes in branch option 2 will occur. You can also use the
Val. >= and Val. <= options for further possibilities. This allows you to
script multiple outcomes that the player can achieve, but only 1 that will
actually play. You can also put other branches inside a branch option,
potentially resulting in more than 4 options. With some clever scripting
elsewhere, branches such as these can allow you to simulate a random number
generator.
--Section 4- Enjoying Other Games--
One of the best features of the RPG Maker series is the ability to put ye games
on ye Internet for others to play, and to download games that others have made
for your own entertainment. Although it's always important to create a game
that you enjoy (it is your brainchild, after all), it can be just as rewarding
to hear how much other people enjoyed your intense battles, or your hair-
raising mysteries, or your good sense of humor. So, why not share in the genius
of a fellow gaming enthusiast's creation, and share your beautiful creation
with the world in turn?
___________________________________
| |
| 3.1- Finding Other People's Games |
|___________________________________|
There are only two places that I know of where you can download other people's
games in large quantities. There are probably other, fairly random sites where
you can download some specific person's sinlge game, and there are probably
sites with recongized download zones that I am unaware of, but these are the
only two places that I AM aware of:
The RPG Maker Pavilion
<
http://www.pavilionboards.com>
The RPG Mag
<
http://www.rpgmmag.com>
Downloading other people's games requires an external memory device that can be
connected to a PS2 (namely, a MAX Drive). Action Replay MAX Drives should also
work. They're small tongue-depressor-shaped things about an inch or so long,
with a USB connector. Once you have one of those in your hot little hand, just
plug it into the back of your computer. When you go to download the file,
download it into the Drive. If you're not using Windows XP, you'll need to
install the software that comes with the Drive. If you do have the luxury of
XP, it should recognize the device as a "plug and play" device, or something to
that effect. I myself do not have XP (Windows 98 all the way), so I'm not
entirely sure.
To get the PS2 to recognize the file on your shiny new Drive, you'll have to
uncrush it on your computer with a Zip program, such as WinZip (the file is
saved as a .zip). Otherwise, the PS2 will not say that there is anything there,
and you won't be able to transfer the data to your memory card. If you don't
have any such program, get one! There are freeware/shareware versions floating
around on the internet, but it's probably not a good idea for me to give you
those site names here.
_____________________________
| |
| 3.2- Posting Your Own Games |
|_____________________________|
More on this later. Once I post my first game, I should be pretty familiar with
how the process works, so hang tight. It's probably similar to downloading
games, but in reverse. Just don't take my word for it!
--Section 4- Credits and Legal Information--
First and foremost, I have a list of people to thank for their contribution of
ideas, and for making this whole thing come to fruition. If your name isn't
here or you would like your name listing changed/removed, try contacting me.
Obright
Wavelength (a.k.a. BlueCrest)
Crythania
Blood Knight
VonwertRPGM
Valkysas
vgsrule
Veridianedge (a.k.a V_Edge)
gameboy9
CycoSpore (a.k.a. Crate)
GameSpot
GameFAQs
Agetec
Koei
My parents
Shigeru Miyamoto
My cat
MACv12-SIDA (me)
Now, the boring legal stuff. Thanks for reading!
>ONLY the following web sites may display this document, in whole or in part,
without direct prior permission:
GameFAQ's <www.gamefaqs.com> (obviously)
GameSpot <www.gamespot.com>
RPG Maker Pavilion <www.pavilionboards.com>
>Individual persons affiliated with the above listed sites (i.e. members or
users) are NOT included. Only the site administrators may decide to post this
document, and only if it is properly annotated with publication and copyright
information.
>Not including the above listed sites, this may be not be reproduced under any
circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web
site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use
of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
>All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
____________________
| |
| 4.1- Contacting Me |
|____________________|
Don't. Simple as that. For the time being, I don't have my own email address,
and I can't just invade someone else's for my personal use. I'll have something
here eventually, but not yet. Sorry.
