RPG Maker 2003

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Tools

First, you will be taught the function of all of the tools you see on your tool bar at the top of the screen. A diagram will be used to also help illustrate what is being said.

This is the New Game button. It can be recognized as a piece of folded paper. By clicking this (while a current game is closed), you can start creating a new game. When you click it, a new window will pop up, asking you for the title you want for your game folder, the title you want for your game, and where you would like to place it.
This is the Open an Existing Game button. It shows a small box, and a piece of paper pointed at by an arrow. When you click this, you will be able to open any existing game you have saved on your hard drive.
This is the Close Game button. It's designated with a piece of paper, and an arrow pointing to a small sun-like graphic. This will allow you to close your current project.
This is the Create a Game Disk button. This will allow you to save your game on a CD-ROM, a Floppy Disk, or any other disk you would like to save it on. When you open it, you will be able to play it immediately.
This is the Save Game button. It's designated with a folder, and an arrow pointing to a small box. This will allow you to save your current project.
This is the Revert Map button. It will allow you to revert your map back to the state it was in since you saved it last. It is useful when you make large changes that you end up not liking.
This is the Lower Tile Layer button. By clicking it, you will be able to edit the lower tile layer on whatever map you are currently on.
This is the Upper Tile Layer button. By clicking it, you will be able to edit the upper tile layer on whatever map you are currently on.
This is the Event Layer button. By clicking it, you will be able to edit the event layer on whatever map you are currently on.
This is the One-to-One scale button. This will allow you to see your map at a 1/1 scale.
This is the One-to-Two scale button. This will allow you to see your map at a 1/2 scale.
This is the One-to-Four scale button. This will allow you to see your map at a 1/4 scale.
This is the One-to-Eight scale button. This will allow you to see your map at a 1/8 scale.
This is the Database button. This will allow you to view the database, which will be discussed in a later page.
This is the Resources button. This will allow you to import and export various resources for your game, such as sprite sheets and tile sets.
This is the Music button. This will allow you to listen to any music you have imported to your game. It will also allow you to listen to the music as you work on your game, even while it is closed. To stop the music, simple click on the button again, and press "stop".
This is the Event Search button. This will allow you to search for any events you have saved onto your map or on any map in the game. You can search for it by any variables it uses, by any switches it activates, or by its name.
This is the Test Play button. This will allow you to test your game, starting from the main menu.
This is the Full Screen button. This will give you the ability to change your test play screen from full screen mode to small screen mode.
This is the Title button. This will turn on and off the title screen on your test play. When it is pressed in, the title screen will turn off, and when it is out, the title screen will turn on.
This is the Help button. This will give you basic instructions for some of the functions of RPG Maker 2003.
This is the Undo button. This will undo up to three tiles or sets of tiles you place on your map. Pressing Ctrl+Z is also functional to undo.
This is the Selection tool. You will be able to highlight any element of the current map and move it, copy it, or delete it as you please.
This is the Zoom tool. It serves the same function as the Scale buttons, but you can change the scale as you please using the left and right mouse buttons. The left zooms in and the right zooms out.
This is the Freehand tool. This will allow you to place map elements freehanded.
This is the Square tool. This will allow you to place map elements in varying square sizes.
This is the Circle tool. This will allow you to place map elements in varying circular sizes.
This is the Paint Bucket tool. This will allow you to fill in any area that is marked by same-tiles. It will not work inside differently marked tiles!!
This is the Map Tile Selection area. Choosing a tile inside this area allows you to place that tile on different areas on the map. This is a crucial area.
This is the Map Folder area. This area will allow you to choose and organize your maps. You will be able to rename your maps, edit your maps size and use, and organize them into folders.
This is the Map Editor area. This is the main area where you will be working. It will display the map you are editing, as well as any events you have placed on it.

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.

Map

Well, now that you know about the outline for the maps, let's introduce you to the maps themselves. They have a lot of features that may come in useful for any game-creators out there, and this book will try it's best to introduce you to them all.

Maps are the basis of a game; without them, your characters have nowhere to start, and nowhere to go. They have nothing to interact with, and, all in all, your game would be a very boring one.

Organization

Maps can be organized in the Map Folder area. This area is where you will select the maps you will work on in the Map Editor. Naming them is important, because you might be making a hundred or more maps, and you'll need to know which is which. organizing them is also important, as several maps can be grouped according to their placement in the game you are creating.

Creating a New Map

There is a window that opens when you create a new map (you can create a new one by right clicking the main folder or any existing map or folder and click "New Map"). This book will explain everything that can be found on that window. NOTE: You can also open this window by right clicking the map you want to edit, and clicking "Map Properties".

Name

This box is where you name your map. Make sure it's something you can recognize, and serves to summarize what the map is about. It's crucial that you know what your own maps are for.

Tileset

This box is where you select the tileset you want for your map. You can choose any of the ones that you have uploaded and coded (look at Tileset).

Dimensions

These boxes are for the dimensions of your map. They can enlarge or shrink your map to any size that you need, but they do have minimums and maximums of 20X15 and 500X500, respectively. The first number refers to the number of tiles across, and the second refers to the number of tiles going up and down.

Wrapping

This simply refers to whether you can walk across the edge of a map and appear on the other side. If you activate Vertical Wrapping, when you walk off the top of bottom of the map, you'll keep going down, but from the top of the screen. It's the same for Horizontal Wrapping. And the Both selection just applies both Vertical and Horizontal Wrapping to your map. This is useful for World Maps to make it seem as if your map is an actual globe.

Enemy Encounters

This area is for any enemies you want your characters encountering on your map. Simply right click or double click on the first spot on the box, and insert whatever enemy you want on that map.

Encounter Rate

This box is to determine how often you want the monsters you inserted in the Enemy Encounters area to appear. The lower the number is, the less often they will appear. Conversedly, the higher the number is, the more often they will appear.

Settings

This contains several smaller areas. First is the "Use Parallax Background" option. This simply means that if there are blank areas on your map (this will be explained later), it will be replaced instead with a picture of your choice as a background. This is useful for areas like in an airship or in space. Your choice. If you activate this, the other options become available. You can choose your background in the box immediately below it. Simply click the "set" button, and pick which picture you want as your Parallax background. After you choose your background, then you can choose if you want it to scroll or not. Choosing a horizontal scroll means that you can have it scroll horizontally. If you don't choose auto-scroll, it means that as the character moves, the background will scroll. Choosing auto-scroll means that even if the character stays still, the background will move. As with the encounter rate, the lower the number for speed, the slower it is, and the higher it is, the faster it moves.

BGM

This stands for Background Music. It has three options: Same as Parent Map, Entrust to Event, and Specify. If you choose Same as Parent Map, then the map will have the same BGM as the map that it is beneath. For example, if you right click on an existing map and choose a new map, then the map you clicked on would be the parent map. Next is Entrust to Event. This simply means that if you have an event that activates BGM, then it will acknowledge that, and not mess with it. Events will be discussed in a later chapter. Last is the Specify setting. This means that you choose which BGM that this specific map will have.

Battle Background

This option is for the background that appears behind the monsters and characters when you enter a random encounter. It has three options you can choose: Same as Parent Map, Use Terrain Settings, and Specify. If you choose Same as Parent Map, then it will use the same Battle Background that is used in the parent map. If the parent map doesn't specify a particular battle background, then it will automatically use the second choice. Use Terrain Settings means that whatever terrains you chose for a specific tile (see Tileset), it will use the battle background that you chose for that specific terrain (this will be discussed in a later section below). Lastly is the Specify setting. It is exactly the same as the BGM setting. You have to tell it which battle background to use whenever the characters experience a random encounter.

Teleport

This means you can allow or forbid the ability to teleport out of the map. You have three choices. Once again, you have the As in Parent option, you have the Allow option, and the Forbid option. Choosing the first one means that it will have the same setting as the parent map. Choosing the second means that you allow it, and the third means you forbid it, as in their names. The next three has the same options, so this book will forego the trouble of writing it out again.

Escape

This means you can allow or forbid the ability to escape. This is NOT the same as teleporting. This means that you can teleport out of it, but not to an entirely unrelated map. As with a dungeon, you escape out of the dungeon to the entrance, but no farther.

Save

This means you can allow or forbid saving in that map. Allowing means that the save option in the main menu is available, and forbidding makes it unaccessible.

Random Dungeon Generator

This is a very special feature, allowing the program itself generate a dungeon for you. It has several options which will be explained to the best of this book's ability. To find it make a new map, the in the top right hand corner it says "Use random Dungeon Generator" tick the box if you'd like to use it.

The Dungeon Generator Guidelines

This area is a set of options that tell the program how to make the dungeon. You can choose whether or not you want your dungeon to have a Single Winding Passage, Rooms linked with Passages, a Maze-like Passage Structure, or an Open Room with Obstacles. Also, it has and option of whether or not to surround the map with wall tiles. This means if it should make the map look more realistic, and have the wall tiles shown from respective angles.

Single Winding Passage

This is an option that makes, as in its' name, a single winding passage. Sometimes, it could overlap itself, but it is usually very simple, and starts at one place and ends at another. You are also able to change the width of the passages using the Passage Granularity option. You can make a 1X1 tile width, or a 2X2 tile width. The only difference there is the width of the passage. Nothing else.

Open Room with Obstacles

This is an option that uses the obstacles you choose at the bottom and places them randomly throughout an open room. This is by far one of the least successful ways of making a map, unless the map is very small.

Tile Selection Area

This area allows you to choose tiles for the dungeon generator to use. Make sure to choose carefully, because it may not look as good otherwise!

Ceiling - This is the tile it will use as the ceiling. In other words, it will be the tile that surrounds all of the passages and rooms.

Lower Wall - This is the tile it will use as the lower wall, or if you don't want an upper wall, as the main wall.

Upper Wall - If you choose to use it, this will couple the Lower Wall, and create a combination wall. It's good to use if you want to make a shadow effect.

Floor A, B, and C - B and C are optional floors, but A is not. You can choose whichever tile to use as the floor. If you want more than one floor, then you can make B and C active, and create a multi-floor tiled dungeon.

Obstacle A, B, and C - Once again, like the Floors, you have to have an Obstacle A, but B and C are up to you. These are the obstacles that will be used in the fourth option. It's not highly recommended to use the random dungeon generator for the placement of obstacles, because it repeats too much. It is much better to place obstacles by hand for that personalized touch.

Layers

Finally, we have the layers to talk about. The layers are the crux of the maps, as the maps are the crux for the game. The layers give the map its flavor, so to speak. Without them, maps would seem too boring, and in fact, there would be only one.

First is the Lower Layer. This is the main layer that you use to make floors, walls, ceilings, and most other landscapes. You usually want to create the map using this first.

Second is the Upper Layer. This layer gives obstacles and objects for interaction. This gives the Lower Layer its detail, and allows the characters to have a real journey!

Last is the Event Layer, the most important layer of them all. This allows your characters to interact with NPCs, with chests, objects, doors, and other things. It allows music to play in the background, characters to speak, and the ability to teleport from map to map. Events do many things for the game, and without them, your game will just be a game where characters walk and do battle without a story line. Events will be explained more in the Tutorials chapter.

Well, that's all there is to talk about maps. This book has given all it could to make sure you have all the knowledge for maps. Onwards we go!

Resources

Resources, as with an essay, are essential to making a game. Without them, many of the things you would like to see would be non-existent from the characters walking around to the title screen and fonts. Resources are the way to make your game original, and to make it look great!

How to Import Resources

Well, first things first, let’s tell you how to get them up there. Most of the resources will be images, but some of them are also sound files. Make sure you have something to import and you know its location before you try getting it onto your resources list. Then, make sure that the something you chose is in the correct format: .png or .xyz image files for images, and .midi or .mp3 for audio files.

After you’ve clarified what file type you have and where you put it, it’s time to import. Click on the folder icon label that fits your image or sound (and in some cases, movies, but we won’t get into that) and press the “Import” button. Then choose the file you want to import, and Voila! You’ve got your new resources up!

Now that you know how to import your files, we’re going to talk about the topic they can fit into.

Types of Resources

There are several types of resources you can import into. Nineteen in fact. Before you import though, it’s good to know which area your resources are going to be needed in!

Backdrop

The backdrop is the background for random encounters. These pictures will be used depending on what you set as the battle background on your map properties (see Map).

Battle

The battle folder is used for importing graphics for the battle animations. These usually include graphics such as dark spheres for dark spells, music notes for spells that encompass singing, as well as many others. This allows you to import some color and animations into your battles.

Battle2

This is for really really large battle animations. They can be useful for a variety of things like a character walking around the screen to do a move or a really large picture of something that does something.

BattleCharSet

This simply means the character sheet you will use during the battle scenes. When you play the game, this sheets allows your battle characters to appear to move, not move, use spells, attack, and many other things. Without this, you would have a very bland game, or at least bland battle sequences.

BattleWeapon

As with the BattleCharSet above, these are necessary for battle animations. These are what the characters you create are displayed as using for attacks. You can set each one to use a different set, so each character can have a different mace, sword, and staff.

CharSet

One of the most important aspects of RPG Maker 2003 is the CharSet, or Character Set. This is the sheet of sprites that are used to display characters walking in all directions, and allow them to interact with the environment you create.

ChipSet

These are what make a map. Please see The Chip Sets page.

FaceSet

When speaking, you may want some important characters to display faces next to what they say. That’s what the FaceSets do. It’s a collection of squares with a characters face in it, and can be inserted into messages on either the left or the right.

Frame

A frame is a graphic that can be laid over the game window. It allows for nice graphics around the screen based on what you want your game to look like, or you could have a demo overlay for when you release your game as a demo.

GameOver

These are graphics that will cover the screen either when all characters in the party in your game die, or when a game over event is initiated. These can be customized as you like.

Monster

Monster graphics are a necessity for your game if you plan on fighting anything during your battle sequences. This is where you would upload monster graphics for your battles.

Movie

Movies can be a big part of your game if you’d like them to. You can create your own, and then upload it to RPG Maker 2003 as an .avi or a .mpg. These can be played at any time during the game using an event.

Music

Music files can come as .mid, .wav, or .mp3, and are usually played in the background as something happens, such as a small cutscene, or just someone playing the game. Boring games usually don’t have music, so if your game is heading in that direction, this will be a big part in creating a successful game.

Panorama

Panoramas, although not needed, would be nice additions to any game. They allow you to show movement in an environment without having to move any other aspect of the map. You could show an airship flying through the sky by using a sky panorama and making it move on that map.

Picture

Pictures are just what their name suggests; they are merely images that will sit stationary on the screen, and can change depending on what keys are pressed, or can be there for a certain amount of time to display a certain idea. Many games, such as the Legend of Zelda: Ages and Seasons, used this to show Link dancing and singing with the oracles.

Sound

Like music, this is a very important aspect of the game to prevent boredom. It allows doors to sound like they’re opening, monsters sound like they’re being hit, and any other sounds you can think of.

System

System is the set of files used for shop inventories and character item comparisons and for the menu screen. This includes arrows, the color of words, and the frames surrounding different parts of the screen.

System2

System2 is the set of files you use for battle meters and indications. This includes arrows to tell you whose turn it is, which monster you are targeting, and how much magic and health you have left.

Title

This is the image that will become the title screen. This can be any number of pictures, like the Game Over screen, and is fully customizable to your whims and desires. It still, like all of the other resources, has a pixel size limit to it, and can only be 320X240.

Database

The database holds all important information for creating your perfect RPG. The database is where you can edit the names and looks of your heroes, give them the skills necessary for survival, make items and weapons for them, make monsters to give them a challenge, the attributes that could help or hinder them, as well as many of the crucial layouts of the battle scenes, the animations of their attacks, and what the menus could look like. Without the database, your game might look like everyone elses, and who wants that?

Make sure to read this section so you can get a handle on everything that you need to create the backbone to a successful game.

Hero

The Hero tab, like the heroes and heroines you will create, may look complicated at first, as if it was a monster itself and stand in the way of you creating your perfect game, but all in due time. We'll take this tab apart piece by piece.

The Hero Area

See the area on the far left? Those are your heroes and heroines! These are the characters that you can create and customize, down to the last detail. The two main functions this serves are as follows:

It creates a list of all of your heroes and heroines, and allows you to select any of them for editing and customization.

It also allows you to create more simply by increasing the array size.

Array size: An array is the amount of a category you would like to exist. Many are limited to 5000 of any object, so use sparingly! Items such as switches, variables, items, heroes, and even some events are limited by the array size.

Name, Title, and Character Graphics

Now it's time to give your heroes and heroines some personality! These are the areas where, like in their names, allow you to change the name of your heroes/heroines, their titles, and what they'll look like during the course of the game. If you want someone to look like a ghost as they walk around, click "Transparent" next to their character sprite.

Under "Battle Sprite", there will be the picture of some battle sprites, and a scroll bar. You will go over those options in the Animations 2 page.

Options, Crit Hit, Min and Max Level, and Class

Such a big category of options! However, each is very basic and covers a minimal amount of options. The options area is a checklist, giving characters certain abilities, such as whether or not they can wield two weapons (Two Wpn), if they can't change equipment (Lock Eqp), if they can be controlled by artifical intelligence during battle (AI Control), or if they can have exceptional guarding abilities during battle (Mighty Grd).

The critical hit probability is exactly as it states; give them a chance to hit the enemies weakspot by changing the critical hit ratio. Want them to hit it a lot? Make the number lower. Is your hero/heroine really clumsy? Make it higher. Or, you can remove it completely.

The Minimum and Maximum Levels are the levels in which your characters are limited by. You can make them arrive in the game at a very high level, but not allow them to get much higher, or you can make them long lasting by giving them a low minimum level and a high maximum level. They are both limited at 1 and 99 as their lowest and highest.

The class is a different story though. This allows characters to be customized even more later in your games. If you feel one character is a soldier, give him/her that class. Don't worry though. You can have class changes later in the game.

Base Statistics

Now we're getting into some of the more complicated messes. These are the curves that you can create that make a character's leveling curve unique. If you want to change the base of a curve, simply double click the graphs. You will now see several tabs, labeled by the names of the different stats you can change, and buttons on the right. A complicated looking graph will be situated on the left.

Let's not worry about that right now. On the right, you'll see buttons labeled Outstanding, Above Average, Average, and Below Average. These are preset curves you can create for that specific character. Try clicking one of those buttons. See how the curve changes? You can use these to create general curves for characters, if you are kind of lazy.

Instead, this book suggests that you use the "Specify Endpoints" tab, and alter the "Accelerate Growth". First, you start with the amount you want your level 1 character to have of that stat, and then do the same with what you want your level 99 character to have. After you specify that, change the growth. You can make it where the character grows fast sooner, but starts slowing down as he/she gets higher in level, or make the character a late bloomer, and get more powerful later in the game. It's up to you.

If you're not satisfied with the graph, you might have to make it manually. You can do this by selecting the Level on the right, and changing the Maximum __ in accordance with your wishes. This might become a bit tedious after a while, but if you really want to do it manually, no one is stopping you. It could also have a bigger pay off.

Instead of manually entering the numbers, you can also click on the graph itself. Try clicking on some spot above the first bar. It should rise to where you clicked. The number underneath the Maximum __ should also change. This could make the task easier, but accuracy becomes a problem, since you have to be situated exactly above the bar you want to change. Otherwise, you can change a different bar, and ruin the perfect graph you had going.

Experience Curve

This is even more complicated than the Base Statistics section above, and you must read this to understand how it works. You should see two tabs on the top of the new window after you click the "Experience Curve" button. One should say "Total Experience", and display a large list of green numbers, three sliders on the bottom, and a graph on the right.The second tab should say "Experience per Level", and instead of green numbers, should have a large list of blue numbers.

Unlike the "Base Stats" section of the Hero tab, there is no way to manually change the numbers, but with the knowledge you'll gain here, you should be able to manipulate the numbers enough to get what you want.

Primary

First, start off with the "Experience per Level" tab. This will help you understand what is going on. Otherwise, you will get confused with the numbers being displayed on the other tab. Also, blue is a lot easier on the eyes than green.

Set the Tertiary and Secondary sliders to 0 and 1, respectively. Now, set Primary to any number. Do you see something? As you should, the first number on the list should be the primary number you chose, plus 1. This allows you to set a base for your curve. You will always have this number in the experience curve you choose.

Secondary

This one is what caused the extra numbers you saw in the Primary test. Notice how it starts with 1 on level 1, and then increases by 1 every level? That is what characterizes the secondary curve. Start with Primary on 300. Now set Secondary to 2. Now set it to 3. Do you see the pattern? It will increase by the number you set it to every time the character becomes the respective level.

This is true for any number you give it. If at level 1, (with Primary still at 300) it is 400, then at level 2, it should be 500. Can you guess what the Secondary curve is set at?If you guessed 100, then you are correct.

Tertiary

This is probably the easiest curve to change and understand. In the most simple of terms, it adds what number you give it to EVERY LEVEL. If you give it a number of 5, then 5 will be added to every number on the list. Try it out with Primary set to 300 and Secondary set to 300. Now change the Tertiary to any number you choose. Notice how the numbers change in the exact same way? That is how the Tertiary curve works.

Starting Equipment

Just as it states, the starting equipment is what the hero/heroine will start with at the beginning of the game. You can set the weapon, shield (this will be a second weapon if you chose Two Wpn in the options area), armor, helmet, and accessory of that particular hero/heroine.

You can change the kinds of equipment your hero/heroine can equip by changing them in the Item tab, which will be explained later.

Unarmed Battle Animation

This is what your hero's/heroine's punch or kick will look like when they are unarmed, or without weapons. You can select any of the premade animations, or create your own in the Animations tab, which will be explained later.

Skill Progression

You know how certain RPGs, like Pokemon, have you gain skills or attacks as you gain levels? You can do the same here using the "Skill Progression" area. To add a skill, right click on where the first skill will be, and click on "Edit". Now, you can choose any skill you want, and tell it on which level your hero/heroin will learn it.

You can add and edit skills in the Skill tab, which will be talked about later.

Condition Resist and Attribute Resist

Condition: a condition is what affects your character during a battle, and if specified, after a battle. These can range anywhere from poison, to sleep, to death.

Attribute: an attribute is the type of an attack or spell. This includes, but is not limited to, sword attacks, fire spells, or even fire-attributed swords.

These lists allow your character to live during certain attacks and falter during others. Let's assume that your hero is from the mountains. He can be very resistant to earth-attributed spells and attacks, as well as being very resistant to being confused. However, he is weak to water-attributed attacks and spells and the berserk condition.

To make these conditions and attributes able to be resisted (or otherwise), simply click on the letter next to it. It ranges from A to E, E being very weak to that condition or attribute, and A being very resistant to it.

You can create more attributes and conditions in the Attribute and Condition tabs, which will be discussed later.

That is the end of the discussion of the hero tab in the Database. If you are ready to move on, please proceed to the Class section, and learn about classes so you can further your RPG education!

Tutorials

This tutorial will familiarize yourself with the most common of commands used in RM2k3. You'll learn how to use, edit, control, and activate the following:

Creating Maps
Editing Map Attributes
Copying and Pasting Maps
Setting Start Party Position
Create Events
Edit Events
Sprite Association
Sprite Facing
Switch Creation and Use
Creating Multiple Pages
Editing Party Inventory

Getting Started

Since this is only a tutorial, and should not be used directly with the construction of a new game, please create a New Project. Name it RM2k3 Tutorials, or something like that We'll be using this Project file to create other maps used for this tutorial, and you wont clutter your computer with 12 different project files.

You'll see the usual blank map. We won't need all that space, so right click where it says Map0001 and edit it's properties. Change the map name to "Blank Tutorial" and make it's map size as small as possible. Click OK and allow the settings to take effect.

Cover the map with the grass tile, as to remove all the water.

Save your Project at this point.

Copy And Paste New Map

Now that we have the blank map set up, right click the blank map and choose "copy"

Right Click the Game Folder (You should have named it Blank Tutorials) and choose "paste"

A new map has been added, and it should be exactly the same as the first map.

Right click the new map (making sure Blank Tutorial will remain as the very top map) and edit it's properties.

Change the name to "Chest Tutorial"

Get familiar with this action of copying the blank map and renaming it to the name of the tutorial you are working on. If you use this tutorial step by step, you should eventually have a composite list of maps that will have a working model of all common RM2k3 FAQs.

Chest Tutorial

Creating The Chest

OK, now that we have our Chest Tutorial Map set up, go ahead and switch the program into it's Second Layer. Above the Map Screen, you'll see three icons, colored box with a white arrow cursor. These are your "Layers" which will be explained later. For now, click the Third layer, The yellow/orange box; this is the Event layer. Your chipset on the left hand screen should have changed. Right click anywhere on the blank map and choose "Set Party Start Position." This is self explanatory, but it essentially tells the program that when the game is first loaded, to set the starting location at this point. Moving along...

Next Step Is To Create Your Chest. Stay under the Event layer. Right click anywhere else on the map and choose "New Event"

Changing The Graphic

On the Left Hand Side of the window that popped up, there should be a Pinkish Tile under the Event Graphic. Choose "Set". Choose Object 1 and pick a chest. Click OK. At the Top of the window, left hand side, you should see the words "EV001." Rename that to "Chest"

Right Next To Event Graphic, You'll see Trigger Condition. Open the drop down menu and choose "Action Key" (It should have been set by default, but I wanted you to actually USE the Trigger Condition.)

Coding The Chest Part 1

Now the fun part. In the Event Commands window, click the first line and press enter. Click the Second Tab. Choose the fourth command from the bottom "Move Event."

At The Top of this window in the left corner, pull down the drop down menu and choose "Chest" since this is the event we want to move.

Now press the following commands in this order. Take your time as necessary, and make sure your code is the same as mine

Face Right
Wait
Face Up
Wait
Face Left
Wait

After the Wait Command, you'll play a sound effect. I think "key" at this point would be right. Your code should look EXACTLY like this:

<>Face Right
<>Wait
<>Face Up
<>Wait
<>Face Left
<>Wait
<>Sound effect:key
<>

There you go... Now what that has done is change the look of the graphic. The chest event will turn in the directions you've chosen it to face. The RM2k3 default graphics have it set up as if it is opening. You can choose to close the chest if you wish by reversing the facing commands. We're not going to do that yet. We're going to attempt to give the party something cool... So.. moving along..

Press OK out of that window and go back to the main event's Command. You should see the following..

<>Move Event:<>Face Right <>Wait <>Face Up <>Wait <>Face Right <>Wait <>Sound effect:key

Believe it or not, all that is only 1 line of code. Make another line of code beneath that with the following command, "Wait" (2nd tab, bottom right)

Have the wait duration 00 tenths of a second.

Next Command: Change Money (First Tab, Seventh From The Bottom)

Increase the money amount by 100 or so.

Next Command: Switch Operations (First Tab)

Open the ... button next to 0001 The first switch is already chosen for you. In this window, you can create, rename, and choose switches. Name the 0001 switch to "Chest1"

Make sure the operation is Turn ON. Click OK. Your code should look EXACTLY like this:

<>Move Event:<>Face Right <>Wait <>Face Up <>Wait <>Face Right <>Wait <>Sound effect:key
<>Wait 0.0
<>Change Money: 100 Add
<>Switch Operation: [0001:chest1] ON
<>

Coding The Chest Part 2

Now that all that is finished, at the top of your window, you should see the words "New Page" Click it. A Second Tab should have been added to the window, and it should be labeled number 2. It also should be completely blank.

Change the Event Graphic. The chest should still be shown, so make it face LEFT. Click OK.

At the Top of the Window, you'll see the word "Preconditions"

Below that, click the first check box. Make sure 0001:chest1 is shown in the window. If not, change the command to that switch.

Now why did we do that? Obviously, after the Chest Opened, the hero took out the gold right? And you remember turning on that switch.

Now you created a new page under the same event. The page has absolutely nothing on it (though you can in fact add a message if you want saying "Nothing inside...") This page is only activated if the preconditional switch was turned on. Since after the hero takes the gold, the switch comes on, he'll only come back later to find the message "Nothing inside..." (or unless the hero figures out how to turn off the switch, or a later event toggles that switch.

Now test play the new map. Your hero should be able to walk a short distance before unable to proceed further. There will also be a chest in the field... try using it... find out what happens...