BlueCube
2003-06-03, 06:23 AM
Okay, if you even VISIT the RPG Maker 2000 section of Zelaron, then you are probably interested in hearing about RPG Maker 2003. I've downloaded it through a little Google-ing, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to find it yourself. On with the game!
As soon as you open RM2k3, you'll notice the interface - it's exactly the same. Just a few spruced-up icons. The RTP chipsets are the same as well, just cleaner and better-looking. At least it shouldn't be too confusing for you to navigate, right?
The first major part of any RPG is the world map and dungeons. You can't have a story or battles on a completely blank ocean, right? Here's where I found the first major upgrade - a random dungeon generator.
It allows you to pick a ceiling, floor, wall, etc. You just click a button. I tested it out for a world map, and it sucks for that. VERY badly. But, then, it's a DUNGEON generator, so I didn't expect much. I then told it to build a small cave area - a very decent first effort, and I can always improve on the map myself. A big time-saver if your map wasn't to be very complicated anyway.
Now that I have a dungeon to run around in, I need a character to run in it! In the Database, you'll notice a slew of new tabs, including the Class tab and the Battle Layout tab. I don't want to go into all of the new stuff here, so I'll focus on the best stuff.
The default Hero tab is very familiar, except for the lack of Alex as a default character. I'll chalk that one up to translation error, because his character and sprite is in the standard RTP folder. The Hero tab faces one of the problems with RM2k, the "Cut-off label bug". I'm not sure what the "Mighty Gro" checkbox does, so I looked it up in the Help and it's "Mighty Guard". I'll just have to make Alex myself, just by selecting the proper Face, Sprite, and Battle Sprite.
Ahh, yes, the Battle Sprite. As soon as I saw that, I clicked on the M. Groups tab and ignored everything but the Test Battle command. I have one thing to say - "HOLY CRAP!" The new battle system is a huge improvement over the old one, with a side-view for all your characters (using the Battle Sprites) and damage that appears on-screen, FF3 style. There's even the standard ATB bar at the bottom! I battled for a while, just to mess around.
The Conditions tab should be familiar, as well. This time, status effects can be helpful. Finally, Haste and Regen are possible! Not that anyone cares, I bet. At least I care..
Now there are an Animations tab and an Animations 2 tab. The Animations tab is the standard Battle Animation tab with a different name. The Animation 2 tab is where you set up various Animations to use with your battle characters. Not too complicated, but you'll have to like making your own animations to really enjoy this.
The Battle Layout tab allows you to show where your characters are on-screen during a battle, as well as the battle setup - the standard text-based bottom screen, or a screen showing the character's Face with the HP, MP, and ATB bar (Simply called the Time Bar in RM2K3.. bah, I'll still call it ATB). I still prefer the text version with the names.
The Class section lets you set up various classes (which you can change on the fly!) Alex is, of course, a "Hero A" class ("Hero B" is the female hero) but you can and should change the names of the classes.
I don't want this to go on too much longer, so I'll just summarize some of the main highlights:
You can set up different commands for different people (such as Magic for one person, and Tech for another).
The Events in the Event Layer are about the same, with a different translation of most commands.
Alex is cool.
The classes actually affect the character's growth - this might make for a FF5 - style Job system if implemented correctly.
You can set up a different animation for each status effect in battle.
Experimentation is still important to figure out some of the new features - But the help actually works on this version!
The Level ceiling is 99, the HP and MP ceilings are both 9999!
So if you don't mind the fact that Alex isn't default (GRR!!!!) then Google for it. Just don't forget that the RTP and the Program are two separate things...
As soon as you open RM2k3, you'll notice the interface - it's exactly the same. Just a few spruced-up icons. The RTP chipsets are the same as well, just cleaner and better-looking. At least it shouldn't be too confusing for you to navigate, right?
The first major part of any RPG is the world map and dungeons. You can't have a story or battles on a completely blank ocean, right? Here's where I found the first major upgrade - a random dungeon generator.
It allows you to pick a ceiling, floor, wall, etc. You just click a button. I tested it out for a world map, and it sucks for that. VERY badly. But, then, it's a DUNGEON generator, so I didn't expect much. I then told it to build a small cave area - a very decent first effort, and I can always improve on the map myself. A big time-saver if your map wasn't to be very complicated anyway.
Now that I have a dungeon to run around in, I need a character to run in it! In the Database, you'll notice a slew of new tabs, including the Class tab and the Battle Layout tab. I don't want to go into all of the new stuff here, so I'll focus on the best stuff.
The default Hero tab is very familiar, except for the lack of Alex as a default character. I'll chalk that one up to translation error, because his character and sprite is in the standard RTP folder. The Hero tab faces one of the problems with RM2k, the "Cut-off label bug". I'm not sure what the "Mighty Gro" checkbox does, so I looked it up in the Help and it's "Mighty Guard". I'll just have to make Alex myself, just by selecting the proper Face, Sprite, and Battle Sprite.
Ahh, yes, the Battle Sprite. As soon as I saw that, I clicked on the M. Groups tab and ignored everything but the Test Battle command. I have one thing to say - "HOLY CRAP!" The new battle system is a huge improvement over the old one, with a side-view for all your characters (using the Battle Sprites) and damage that appears on-screen, FF3 style. There's even the standard ATB bar at the bottom! I battled for a while, just to mess around.
The Conditions tab should be familiar, as well. This time, status effects can be helpful. Finally, Haste and Regen are possible! Not that anyone cares, I bet. At least I care..
Now there are an Animations tab and an Animations 2 tab. The Animations tab is the standard Battle Animation tab with a different name. The Animation 2 tab is where you set up various Animations to use with your battle characters. Not too complicated, but you'll have to like making your own animations to really enjoy this.
The Battle Layout tab allows you to show where your characters are on-screen during a battle, as well as the battle setup - the standard text-based bottom screen, or a screen showing the character's Face with the HP, MP, and ATB bar (Simply called the Time Bar in RM2K3.. bah, I'll still call it ATB). I still prefer the text version with the names.
The Class section lets you set up various classes (which you can change on the fly!) Alex is, of course, a "Hero A" class ("Hero B" is the female hero) but you can and should change the names of the classes.
I don't want this to go on too much longer, so I'll just summarize some of the main highlights:
You can set up different commands for different people (such as Magic for one person, and Tech for another).
The Events in the Event Layer are about the same, with a different translation of most commands.
Alex is cool.
The classes actually affect the character's growth - this might make for a FF5 - style Job system if implemented correctly.
You can set up a different animation for each status effect in battle.
Experimentation is still important to figure out some of the new features - But the help actually works on this version!
The Level ceiling is 99, the HP and MP ceilings are both 9999!
So if you don't mind the fact that Alex isn't default (GRR!!!!) then Google for it. Just don't forget that the RTP and the Program are two separate things...