A starting point for new users (V1.2)

Andar · 2013-06-28T18:39:35+0900

Hello and a welcome to all beginners in the RPGM-community EDIT: The forum update has destroyed the original links in this topic. I'll repair it when I have time, but unfortunately this may take a week or two... Note to RMMV users: While this tutorial was written for VX Ace, everything above scripting/plugin level is identical in RMMV and RMVXA. There are a few wording differences and you can't open VXA games with MV, but otherwise just work yourself through these tutorials. The purpose of this topic is to provide a starting point for all beginners by explaining how some things are handled in these forums, providing links to important topics and explaining those strange abbreviations you might read while making your game. This intentionally goes beyond RPGM/program handling and includes general points that any game developer has to keep in mind, and I'm more concerned with pointing into the correct direction than with creating complete link lists (which will change anyway when new games or tutorials become available). Let's start with a basic sentence: 1) Creating games is fun and work. A lot of people stop reading that sentence at the word "fun", and there is no problem with that. For myself I developed several story/world settings knowing (before I put down the first word in the first notebook) that I'll never play in those worlds with anyone else - simply because it's fun to think out and develop new stories. However if you want others to play in your world and distribute it, then it takes more to create the game - that is where the "work" part becomes important. If you think you can purchase a RPG-Maker today, learn how to use it tomorrow, create your game next weekend and have it played by half the world next week: Please think again, because that is absolutely impossible. This topic intends to help you make your game as fast as possible, but no one can work miracles ;-) There is one more reason why I began this topic with comments on how much work creating a game can be: You don't have do put in all that work yourself. This community is one of the most helpful communities that exists - there are several request forums here where you can ask others to make pictures (sprites, logos, tileset,...) or scripts or events for you for free, and those request are often answered within a few days. But they cannot make your game for you - you need to show and prove that you put your own work into your game as well. If you do this, then the request are usually solved fast - otherwise they might be ignored. But more on that at a later point, we're still at the beginning. 2) What is the first thing to do after installing the RPG-Maker (or better, even before that)? Download the sample game Crysalis (for VX Ace) or Knight Blade (for XP) and play it for a minimum of one or two hours. If you have not yet installed the full editor or the trial, you will need to install the RTP before you can play. The RTP is available at the download area as well. http://www.rpgmakerweb.com/download/additional/sample-games There is no official sample game for RMVX, but several can be found on the list of unencrypted games (link below) There are two reasons why you should do this. First, Crysalis uses the default VX Ace engine - no scripts have been added to the game. You can learn what is possible without big problems in RPGM-Games by playing this sample game. Second, that game still contains all project data and can be opened in the editor. If you want to know how something is done, you can open the Crysalis game in the editor and check all events and maps and how they work. Many other games are encrypted and can't be opened in the editor any longer, but there is a list of other unencrypted games that can be checked in the editor, allowing you to learn from them: http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/topic/13580-list-of-unencrypted-games/ 3) Doing the tutorials There are a lot of tutorials available to help you to learn how to make your game. The most important advice about them is: Do not simply read them, but make your own project to completely do the tutorials. On one side of your computer's screen you open the RPG-Maker and start a new project "Tutorial", on the other side you open the browser or the PDF with the tutorial. And every step the tutorial talks about, you do for yourself in that tutorial project. Do not try to get away with simply reading the tutorial, because in a lot of cases that would be a waste of your time. There are a lot of tiny details that can't be explained or learned just by reading a tutorial, you have to see what happens if you use the tools or options described. If you have any problems with any tutorial, simply ask in the forum and someone will answer – but that only works with specific questions of where you’re stuck. Asking general questions without trying to work through the basics first usually becomes obvious fast, and it’s difficult to answer such general questions… The official tutorials cover…

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Started by Andar Jun 28, 2013, 09:39 AM 93 posts Page 4 of 5 View original ↗

animalia555

#61 Dec 9, 2017, 05:14 PM Source

I am on part 4 of the Make your own game tutorial and I have hit a snag. I am at the part where it has me making a guy running a shop and it wants me to have him sell an herb, herb powder, life gem, and cure gem, But they are not default options for RPG Maker VX ACE, the tutorial doesn't show me how to make these items either so that is out of the question as well. I would like advice on what to do next so I can continue the tutorial.
Andar

#62 Dec 9, 2017, 05:23 PM Source

@animalia555
I do not know what part of which tutorial you're talking about, but items are created and added on the item tab in the database.
animalia555

#63 Dec 9, 2017, 05:37 PM Source

Andar said:
@animalia555
I do not know what part of which tutorial you're talking about, but items are created and added on the item tab in the database.
https://d289qh4hsbjjw7.cloudfront.net/rpgmaker-20130522223546811/files/RPGMakerVXAceTutorial4.pdf Page 13
Kes

#64 Dec 9, 2017, 09:01 PM Source

@animalia555 Those items are purely for illustration. You can pick any item you like out of the default list. The point of the tutorial at this stage is to help you to see how to set up a shop, it isn't to teach you how to create items in the database, that comes at a different stage.

So just select a few items that seem sensible to you and carry on.
animalia555

#65 Dec 9, 2017, 11:40 PM Source

Is there any way to download to tutorial pdfs in case my internet goes offline and I want to refer to them?
Andar

#66 Dec 10, 2017, 01:03 AM Source

The official basic tutorials are pdfs, start there. They're linked first in my lists.
animalia555

#67 Dec 28, 2017, 02:24 AM Source

I tried to recreate the dungeon in Tutorial 5 exactly but I couldn't make it fit in the small grid size they said to use.
Andar

#68 Dec 28, 2017, 09:37 AM Source

@animalia555
I don't know every tutorial here, but if it didn't fit then either you started wrong, overlooked a sentence telling you to increase size or the tutorial is wrong there.
In all cases the solution is to increase the map size.

There are several mistakes in several of the tutorials, those who write them are only human.
And one of the most important lessons in developing anything is to learn to look for solutions instead of shutting down on the first thing that doesn't work as intended.
So the mistakes in the tutorials are good things...
animalia555

#69 Dec 28, 2017, 03:07 PM Source

Andar said:
@animalia555
I don't know every tutorial here, but if it didn't fit then either you started wrong, overlooked a sentence telling you to increase size or the tutorial is wrong there.
In all cases the solution is to increase the map size.

There are several mistakes in several of the tutorials, those who write them are only human.
And one of the most important lessons in developing anything is to learn to look for solutions instead of shutting down on the first thing that doesn't work as intended.
So the mistakes in the tutorials are good things...
So in other words don't take the tutorials literally?
Kes

#70 Dec 28, 2017, 03:30 PM Source

I would say rather: follow them and where the result doesn't fit what you expect, you take this as a valuable opportunity to learn to start bug-hunting. Throw assumptions out of the window. Do not assume that you are wrong, do not assume the tutorial is wrong. Go through and check each stage, maybe redo that section of the tutorial from scratch to see if the same thing happens again. Analyse what is going on so as to learn to identify incongruities which might be the cause of the issue.
GrandmaDeb

#71 Dec 28, 2017, 04:49 PM Source

animalia555 said:
I tried to recreate the dungeon in Tutorial 5 exactly but I couldn't make it fit in the small grid size they said to use.

I'll try it. too. I agree that you should persevere and it is great to work things like that out.

Plus, let's find the bug if there is one, just for fun.

@animalia555 I don't know what you mean about the size they said to use. Make sure you make your map the same size as the pictures. You can see from the pictures it is all do-able. =]

Give it another shot, eh?
animalia555

#72 Dec 28, 2017, 07:25 PM Source

They said to use 40x30 for the Fire Cave. My Fire cave has a width of 40 and a height of 30 but it isn't nearly wide enough to reate the dungeon in the exact shape they use. I can try to upload my file if that will help
Andar

#73 Dec 28, 2017, 07:34 PM Source

I checked that tutorial, the map IS wider than 40 tiles and you need to increase the size exactly as I said above.

And as I said above (and grandmadeb explained as well) one of the most important parts of learning how to develop a game is to learn how to analyse where an error comes from.
I simply counted the tiles in the screenshot of the map.
RyeBreadWHLGRN

#74 Jan 5, 2018, 10:54 PM Source

Hello! I am brand spanking new (Literally just a handful of days into learning). I just wanted to say that it is awesome that you have put so much time into helping the community, including us noobs. Thank you very much for this awesome post.
animalia555

#75 Jan 17, 2018, 12:20 AM Source

I need help again. I am on tutorial 6. I have gotten to the part where it says to play test but I haven't figured out HOW to play test the game. I apologize if this is a dumb question.
Andar

#76 Jan 17, 2018, 12:27 AM Source

There is a play command in the menu and a play button in the top icon area near the left side
animalia555

#77 Jan 17, 2018, 08:49 PM Source

Ok I tried playteesting and I can't make it so that the bridge in my mountain village can be walked over. If I upload the file can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?
Roninator2

#78 Jan 18, 2018, 12:51 AM Source

how do you have the bridge setup?

If you are using just a bridge piece in the middle of the mountain ledges then it will not work because of passage settings.

As you can see here, in the tileset configuration (select passage) you can see which ways the character can move.
This is necessary as otherwise the character could move anywhere without restrictions.

You can overcome this in two ways.
1. the simple use more bridge tiles

Here you can see extra bridge pieces placed in front of the character.

2. copy the sheet with the bridge pieces from the rtp folder, put it in the tileset folder for your project (use a different name) and use photoshop or gimp to edit it.

you can see here that i copied the bridge tiles and cut off what is not needed. getting the result you saw in the last picture at the top.

does this help?
animalia555

#79 Jan 18, 2018, 01:20 AM Source

I am not sure that's why I need to show you. I think it's set up correctly. But I still get trouble
animalia555

#80 Jan 18, 2018, 01:26 AM Source

I am not sure. I think I did it right. But I can't get it to work. I even tried playing around with things. But nothing works. Its a bridge over a river by the way

EDIT: Sorry about the double post.