RPG Maker 2003/ChipSets

Chips sets are one of the biggest pieces of RPG Maker 2003, because without them, you can't create the dungeons or towns your characters will explore. They've got so many interesting aspects about them, an entire section is dedicated to them.

Uploading

First, you need to know how to get them onto RPG Maker 2003. First of all, you would open the Resources Catalog. Make sure to click on the ChipSet folder, or you could be importing them to the wrong area, and won't be able to open it. Next, click "Import", and select the file you would like to import to the game. It will show you a preview of the image, and then after looking at it, you can determine whether you definitely want it in there, or if you'd like a different one instead.

This next part is CRUCIAL. To access your new chipset as a map tileset, you MUST open the Database Catalog. Click on the Tileset tab. From here, you can upload, modify, name, and edit any new or existing maps. To upload your new chipset to be usable as a map tileset, make sure you have enough numbers (on the left hand side of the window) to accompany it. If not, click on the Array Size button, and increase the array by one. Make sure you click on that new number, or you could be replacing an existing map! After you click on it, look to the center of the window. There will be two boxes at the top, one with the label "Name" and the other with the label "Tileset File". You can name the map tileset or upload the chipset first, since order doesn't matter, as long as they both get done! Click the two dots next to the box under the lable "Tileset File" to choose the file you want as your new map tileset. There! You are (basically) all done with uploading your map!

Customizing

Unless, of course, you don't want your characters walking where they aren't supposed to! Before you can use your new map, you have to customize it first. If you look below those two boxes, then you will see another box with a scroll bar containing your uploaded chipset! This is the work area for customizing your new map tileset. This book will explain it all in the best of it's ability.

You are able to edit both the lower layer and the upper layer of the map. The lower layer is presented with three major buttons, a fourth less major button, and a small area for the water tile animation. The upper layer is presented with three major buttons only. Make sure you don't get the two confused, okay?

Lower Layer

Terrain

The first button on the lower layer tab is the terrain button. By clicking this, you are able to change the terrain of any tile. You can choose the terrain on your right, and change the terrain of the tile by simply clicking on it. You have many terrains to choose from, and can make more if your little heart desires it!

Passibility

The second button on the lower layer tab is the passibility button. This button is probably the most tricky of the buttons shown. It has three possibilities for a tile's passibility. First is the Circle. This means that if a tile is showing this on it, it can be passed from any direction at any time. The second is the Cross. When this is shown above a tile, then it means that that particular tile cannot be passed. Lastly is the Star. This is a specialty marking, and it means that the character can pass BEHIND the tile. For example, if you have a trunk of a tree as a tile, you can make it so the character can pass behind it, like in real life.

Directional Passibility

The third button on the lower layer tab is the directional passibility button. Don't get this confused with the second button. This gives specifics for most of the passibilities. For example, the tree trunk from before. If you want your character to be able to walk in front of it, but not head through it to get behind it, then you can change it's directional passibility. It will show you four arrows, from the four main directions your character can move. By clicking on one of the arrows, it will turn into a dot. This means that your character CANNOT move in that direction while it stands on that tile. Removing all of the arrows will be the same as marking it with a Cross. It cannot be passed at all.

Uniform Terrain

The button "Set Uniform Terrain" simply means that ALL of the tiles will be set with the same terrain. So if you want this, simply click on the terrain you want it to be, and then click that button. All of the tiles will be transformed into that terrain.

Water Tile Animation

The water tile animation area is for the water tiles animations, obviously. You can set how it will be animated, and what speed it should animate at. It will show you a sample tile above it, so you can see how it looks.Now it's time to see the upper layer tab. It's a LOT more simple than the lower layer, and most of the functions are the same, so less explaining is a lot more necessary!

Upper Layer

Passibility

As with the lower layer, all of the shapes mean the same thing under the passibility button. Circle means you can pass, Cross means you can't, and Star means only from behind.In addition to passibility, it ALSO has directional passibility. This is EXACTLY the same as the lower layer, so please refer to that to find out how it works.

Counter Flags

The only difference between the two is the counter flag button. This button allows you to tell it which tiles should act like a counter. Any tile that is told to act like a counter acts in the following: when your character presses the Action button on the counter, and another character or NPC stands on the opposite side, the characters are able to interact with each other. When there is a diamond, it means that it is to act like a counter, and when there isn't a diamond, it shouldn't act like a counter. Very simple.

Extra Stuff

Well, that is all there is to know about tilesets. There ARE a couple of special facts about them that will be listed below for everyone's common knowledge, in case you want to make your own from scratch.

In addition to the Circle, Cross, and Star, there is a FOURTH setting. It is the Square, which makes the tile act like a wall, where you can pass under the top row you make with it, but is solid for any other ones. To use this terrain, it needs to be set on the tiles that would be named "autotiles" in future RPG Makers, the ones formed by three collums of four tiles.
Each tile for a tileset is a 16X16 pixel square. One tileset (as the program will recognize) is composed of 16 rows of 30 chips. The total image size should be 480X256 pixels.
It only accepts two types of images: PNG image types, and XYZ image types. It will also only recognize those of the correct size as well.
All pictures need to be in 256 colors, or else it won't be accepted. RM2k3 (RPG Maker 2003) will also accept 256 color bitmaps.