Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ RPG Maker FAQ (Read before asking a question!), (mostly rm2k3)

EDIT: Also, when posting a question, I've noticed that it helps when you say how experienced/knowledgable with the rm2k3 you are. That way, we can formulate a response that would better explain it to you, depending on your ability to understand.

DISCLAIMER: READ THIS! People are likely to call you an idiot if you ask a question that's in here. Since this faq is likely to be huge, you can use "CTRL+F" to find a word pertaining to the topic you're searching for... so if you're searching for where to download iDraw, you search for "download" or "iDraw", and if for some reason the CTRL+F feature was inadequate yet people yelled at you anyway, contact me so I can edit the FAQ to be easier. Also, if anything in this document needs some correction or clarification, I would appreciate a PM about it.
This disclaimer is subject to change without any prior warning, usually with the addition of productive quotes. So, be warned, if you're helpful in any way you're at risk of being quoted in this FAQ.

Thank you.

I'm writing this as a Q&A because that's easy to write and understand:

RM2K3 HELP:

Q: Where can I download Rm2k3?

A: Searching for "rm2k3 english translation" will give you the results you want in under an hour, I promise. The best one to download, to my knowledge, is the Advocate's version. Please try not to advertise sites with the download, as they could be forcefully removed, or worse, shut down.


Q: What's new in rm2k3?

A: Some of the better stuff includes being able to set your characters' HP to 9999 and an enemy's HP to 99999. Also, a built in side-view battle system is available, although you don't even have to use it. Most people think that the Battle Charsets that need to be made for it are tedious to make, so they express dislike towards the rm2k3. There's also a myriad of other conveniences that comes with the newer program, so it's really up to you which one suits you more.


Q: How do I draw [battlecharsets]?

A: Basic drawing skills, and iDraw which can be found here:

http://www.rmdownloads.com/downloads/utilities/i-draw.zip

I highly recommend it. A battlecharset template can be found in all sorts of places. Here's one I made:



Each box defines restrictions for each animation of each pose.

Q: What is the size of a...

A: Written in the format: Name, Size (X * Y):

Keep in mind that the screen is 320x240 pixels (it gets doubled so that it's a reasonable size, but in iDraw that's how many pixels it is. FOR AN ACCURATE VISION OF WHAT A DRAWING WILL LOOK LIKE, GO TO ZOOM 2 ON IDRAW)

Backdrop: 320x240 (Size of the screen)
Battle: 480x480 (each cell is 96x96)
Battle Charset: 144x384 (each animation is 48x48, three horizontally define one movement. Eight possible movements (vertical) are plottable. To gain a better understanding of battlecharsets, just look at how others are drawn)
Battle Weapon: 192x512 (Each animation is 64x64. This works the same as the battle charset)
Charset: 288x256 (Each character gets 72x128 pixels, each movement gets 72x32, and each of the three animations of that pose is boundaried by 24x32 pixels. The best way to understand these is to look at an already complete charset)
Chipset: 480x256 (Each block is 16x16. THESE ARE THE BIGGEST RPG MAKING PAIN IN THE ASS, EVER. I don't even fully understand them yet, although I have gained much cognizance of them through studying already complete once and seeing what function each part of the drawing serves. Some animate, some blend, others aren't even on the same layer)
Faceset: 192x192 (Each face is 48x48 pixels)
Frame: X*Y (edited)
Gameover: 320x240
Monster: X*Y (can be ANY size, except presumably not bigger than the screen)
Panorama: 640x480 (these serve as "backgrounds", and they only occupy spaces that are considered transparent (anything coloured by the top left colour in a palette in iDraw)
Picture: X*Y (I think they can even be bigger than the screen)
System: 160x80 (To best understand where everything in a system set drawing goes, look at an already made one)
System2: 80x96 (" " " ")
Title: 320x240

Q: What are the Pros and Cons of rm2k3...? (compared to rm2k)

A: The rm2k is limited in features, although the rm2k3 has more glitches and is slightly harder to work with. I find that a game could be much more epic if you used the potential of the rm2k3 to its fullest, but the best place to START, if you're a newbie at the system, is the rm2k. Once you have confidence in your rpg making knowledge, start an rm2k3 game.

Q: ...Glitches?

A: The most common glitch I find is something to this effect:

"error: event script referenced [?] that does not exist"
(replace "?" with the name of a resource (like a hero or monster))

The way to solve it, it seems, is to get the latest version of rm2k3. If that doesnt help, go to whatever the resource is in the database (hero, let's say) and increase the array size to the maximum it can be. For some unknown reason this seems to stop the glitch. If it persists, reinstall rm2k3 (save your game first) and if AFTER THAT it persists, contact me or some other rm2k3 guru and explain the situation.

GENERAL RPG MAKING HELP:

Q: Why is there a green box around all my sprites?

A: This is the most notorious of all problems. The way to solve it is simple... go into iDraw and open the sprite, be it a charset, monster, who cares. Then, make sure that the box surrounding the sprite, be it green or pink or whatever, is the same colour as the top left colour in your palette. That colour is called the "transparency colour", and it's use is self explanatory.

Q: What the hell is a switch?

A: Switches are the best invention ever... you'll probably use them as much as you use the "message" command and I'm serious.

Let's say something happens, and you want it to trigger something else. Well now the best and most flexible way to organize this is to make the event happen, and following the event, have it turn on a switch (switch 0001 let's say... it doenst matter. You should actually name your switches to keep track of them). Then, set the preconditions for the event you wanted the other event to trigger to "Switch 0001: On". That's the basic way of doing it... you'll learn how to be more flexible with switches later on as you practice using them.

Q: What is wrong with my font?

A: Lot's of shit. To fix it, download the font patch:

http://tommy.impulsestorm.com/projects/view/rm2k3fix

This doesnt appear to have all the font fix downloads. If anyone knows where they ALL can be found, PM me the links please and I will add them.



Okay, soon to come are CBS tutorials, CMS tutorials, and tutorials for various other things. Be patient...

See now THIS is what I encourage:


From Cyberian:
"

Rm2k3 Helpfile says:

11) Monster Graphics

Folder: Monster

Image size: 16 to 240x16 to 240

You have it as just not bigger than the screen. -_-

"

E-mail me with all your concerns. Although Cyberian couldn't be more wrong, it's still nice to see someone with balls :P

If you save a monster with over 241+ pixels as an x value into the monster folder, it does indeed work. The helpfile is wrong... if someone would like to further contradict me, about this or about any issue in my faq, feel free to PM me.

http://www.kobrasrealm.com/forum/index.php...st=0&#entry4053

alack and alas, the font fix problem and pretty much everything concerning it is discussed here.

EDIT: Sigh, must I emphasize it...
"

Just...copy the fonts in the font folder of the RM2K3 folder.
I'd be in something like:
C:\Program Files\rpg2003\Fonts
Then paste them in the Windows font folder.
I'd be in something like:
C:\WINDOWS\Fonts
After you paste them, double click on the files you had just copied over.
Ta-da their installed.

That will work, it will ALWAYS work."

http://www.kobrasrealm.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=487

Another helpful thread. About six posts down you can find all the font files for Monkeydog's crazy method up there ^

Here's a question that took me awhile to figure out, but you could probably explain it better than me cause I'm not much into rm2k3 and I'm sure others don't quite understand.

What exactly is a frame and how do they work?

Answer by Eyesore: A frame is many things. In "System2" in the database, you can select a frame as a sort of other screen that is on your screen... usually an HP bar or something of that sort.



Above is a good example of where frames are used. Although I think those kinds of frames are more manipulated (so that HP bars can actually move and quantities of, rupies let's say, actually change).

Another use for a frame is my most prefered: in battle.

In "Terrain" you can select an option called "Frame". Here you can impliment various Frames (up to two at once) into a battle background such that it moves. Like in Earthbound how the backgrounds in battle are always funky and moving... well you can do that with frames. You can also take a normal background but use the frame as a sky with a bunch of clouds. It'll occupy the transparency colours on the backdrop you use so that you can have a sky with moving clouds in the background. Really, the uses of frames are infinite. I once had frames be running lava in a backdrop of mine (the frame was drawn as a bunch of lava, and the volcano-esque backdrop was drawn with a sort of "running water" shape with the transparency colour so that it would give the illusion that the lava was running).



green being the transparency colour where the lava was seen, moving downward, like it was running. Looked AWESOME.

Really, frames are very complex, so you won't use them right as you begin being accustomed to the rm2k3, but say you want moving backgrounds in battle... when, that's where frames will come in handy once you learn how to use them.

For those of you who can't understand something simple about the font fix, I'll repeat it a million times:

http://monkeyproductions.frihost.net/downloads/FONTS.zip
http://monkeyproductions.frihost.net/downloads/FONTS.zip
http://monkeyproductions.frihost.net/downloads/FONTS.zip
http://monkeyproductions.frihost.net/downloads/FONTS.zip
http://monkeyproductions.frihost.net/downloads/FONTS.zip
http://monkeyproductions.frihost.net/downloads/FONTS.zip
http://monkeyproductions.frihost.net/downloads/FONTS.zip
http://monkeyproductions.frihost.net/downloads/FONTS.zip
http://monkeyproductions.frihost.net/downloads/FONTS.zip

GO THERE GO THERE GO THERE GO THERE

FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS:

" Just...copy the fonts in the font folder of the RM2K3 folder.
I'd be in something like:
C:\Program Files\rpg2003\Fonts
Then paste them in the Windows font folder.
I'd be in something like:
C:\WINDOWS\Fonts
After you paste them, double click on the files you had just copied over.
Ta-da their installed."

Here's a question...

How are variables used? If i found this out i could use a lot of hawkeye's tuts! (Like the night/day system which i really need)

Variables are like switches... really they're very self explanatory. Let's say you want something to track how many times you talk to a person... mundane, I know, but still.

"message: blah blah blah"
Variable: talk + 1

This will make it so that you can have someone later on say "you have talked to that creepy old man \v[1] times" and it will tell you how many times you've spoken. Variables are basically just ways of tracking quantities in your game, and as you become more advanced as an RPG Maker you will find them more and more useful.

Having problems importing?

http://www.kobrasrealm.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1114

For those of you who are screenshotially impaired:

Step One: Go to the screen you want to capture

Step Two: Press PRNT SCR

Step Three: Press CTRL+V in MSPaint.

Step Four: Punch hawkeye in the nuts

Thank you, thank you

http://www.kobrasrealm.net/forum/index.php...342&#entry27342

switching party members etc

Having problems importing?

http://www.kobrasrealm.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1114

this link is invalind now since the switch to .net.. is this topic still in existance? im having a hell of a time trying to figure this out.

Having problems importing?

http://www.kobrasrealm.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1114

this link is invalind now since the switch to .net.. is this topic still in existance? im having a hell of a time trying to figure this out.

nvm i found it.. but im still having problems importing.. my chipsets seem to import but they do not show up in my dropdown menu.

nvm i found it.. but im still having problems importing.. my chipsets seem to import but they do not show up in my dropdown menu.

Did you edit them in the database?