Need some new foilage? Maybe for an alien world, or maybe your characters are shrunk down to a small size?
Either way, Lunarea’s Giant Mushrooms can fill some gap!
Free for commercial and non-commercial use in RPGMaker.
Free for commercial and non-commercial use in RPGMaker.
We are finally returning for Event Triggers Part 2! (It appears “Next Friday” is more fluid than I was thinking).
In Event Triggers Part 1, I covered the simpler Event Triggers: Action Button, Player Touch, and Event Touch. These three can be grouped together as Interaction Triggers. They trigger when the player character interacts with them in some way.
Today, we will look at the other two event triggers, which I will call the Automation Triggers. The reason I call them this is that these events activate independently of direct interaction with the player characters. These two triggers are Autorun and Parallel Process.
How it works: The Autorun trigger will start whenever the conditions are met. If the event page conditions are met, and you are on the same map as the event, it triggers. It will loop indefinitely until the conditions are no longer met.
What is this used for: Autorun triggers are used most often with cutscenes that start the moment you walk onto a map. You can also use it to reset a puzzle in a room, or set any conditions that need to be set when certain conditions are met.
Things to keep in mind: The biggest thing to keep in mind with autorun triggers is that as long as they are running, the player will not be able to do anything, and that until you end them, they will repeat forever. If something needs to happen every time you enter a map, you can use erase event after it runs through. If something needs to happen once and then never happen again, you will need to use some form of switch/self switch condition on a second page to stop it from occurring again.
How it works: Parallel Process triggers work similar to autorun triggers in that they start whenever the conditions are met, but instead of stopping player action, they run in the background allowing the player character to continue on while the process is working. They also, as with Autorun Triggered events, repeat indefinitely as long as conditions for them are met.
What is this used for: Parallel Process triggers can be used for anything where you need to constantly check for certain conditions. Examples of use include: Keeping track of the state of a timer, checking for a button press by the player, keeping track of the coordinates of the player or certain events, having a flash of lightning occur at certain intervals, etc. It can also be used in a lot of timed events, such as farming systems.
Things to keep in mind: As with autorun events, you will need to keep in mind that to stop it from repeating, you will need to end the process in some way. Another thing though to keep in mind with parallel process triggers is that you do not want to run too many at a time. The more of these events you have running, the more chance you will encounter a drop in your FPS.
And that covers all of the event triggers. A lot of systems can be made with only events without ever touching scripts, and mastering triggers is a huge part of eventing. Can you think of more uses for each trigger?
One of the greatest challenges facing indie game developers is finding effective ways to promote our games. With this article, I intend to offer some tips and advice that may help you in your goals. With that said, let’s get started. Continue reading
The first step to mapping is to come up with the function and the overall atmosphere you want to achieve. Is the home a place of business like a shop or an inn? Is it a basic NPC home where the player picks up a quest? Is the occupant rich or poor? Each setting has different considerations.
The next step is to gather your materials. Pick out what colors you will be working with, get your tileset ready and line up the NPCs that will be living and/or working there.
Inner mapping begins with a strong layout. Start by sketching out the same shape your building is on the outside. This small detail creates continuity and makes the transition between inner and outer maps feel natural. Note that you don’t have to work on a 1-to-1 scale. In fact, using the same scale for inner maps and outer buildings can lead to some funky-looking maps. You could end up with massive buildings that look awkward against trees and other outer decoration, while the inner maps will feel cozy or cramped. It is enough to keep the same general shape and proportions.
RoomsThe next step is to create sections or rooms. There’s two reasons why we want to do this. First, it is much more difficult to create a lot of detail in a wide, open space. The furniture ends up looking small and this makes the space look even more empty. Or the mapper might try to overcompensate and adds too much clutter. The second reason is that separate rooms are functional and they help us keep organized. Even people who live in studio apartments will sometimes divide their room with curtains, so to keep a sense of privacy or divide sleeping space from entertaining or cooking space.
Now it’s time to fill the map with furniture. Start with the basic necessities: a bed, a sink, table or bookshelves. These are staples in every home and it’s believable that most homes will have them. You don’t have to use a lot of variety for the basic furniture, but keep in mind that too much repetition will be noticed by the player. Mix and match pieces and introduce variation in color to make even the basics look interesting.
One big important thing to remember at this point is the sides and the bottom of the screen. When all pieces are on the north wall, it creates an imbalance with the rest of the map, and it may also force you to want to add unnecessary furniture or detail to get the right effect.
Lastly, add the details. This part can be a very fun process, because you can use details to express personality or history for your NPCs – something you may not be able to do otherwise. Surround your writer with books, your romantic with candles and roses or your cat lady with a dozen cats on various surfaces.
How do you achieve this level of detail? You can use some of the tilesets that our community members have provided (just check out Resource Showcase section). Or you can create your own by layering pieces in an art program.
Here is the set used in my screenshot. Use it as a launching point:
So, you’ve found yourself facing the exciting world of game development. You’ve done your research, crunched the figures and now you’re ready to jump into those little details that will really make your game stand out. In other words, you’re ready for art. But where to start?
Most developers will start with what’s easily available: the RTP.
The RTP has a lot going for it. It’s essentially free with the purchase of RPG Maker, it’s done in a single and cohesive style, and it’s got a huge variety of edits from many community members. If you’re creating a classic medieval-style game, it’s got most everything you’ll need. As a style, it’s bright, cheerful and reminiscent of adventure.
Continue reading
In this tutorial, we will be going over the theory of how to design Events!
If you would like to read the full version, right click save as the pdf version HERE. But now, let’s get on to the preview!
Guide to Creating Tiles in RMVX-Ace Style
by Lunarea
Tutorials 1 and 2 covered the theory necessary to creating tiles. Part 3 will also be covering some of the basic theory, but will also begin to introduce practice.
Included in this tutorial:
One of the many things that may be a bit tricky for beginner’s is how to start events. Some triggers are easy, but some you may start wondering “what’s the difference here?” or “what do I use this for?”
To make things easy, I’m going to go over all the event triggers. This week we will go over the simpler triggers: Action Button, Player Touch, and Event Touch. Next Friday, we will explore Parallel Process and Autorun events.
How it works: When the player presses the action button while in the proper position (when on the same tile for events that are above or below the characters, when adjacent and facing the event for events that are at the same level as the characters) the event starts.
What is this used for: This is probably the most common type of event trigger. Any time you want the player to activate the event, you should probably use Action Button triggers. Examples of use include talking to NPCs, flipping a lever, opening a treasure chest, or any other situation where the player should be in control of whether to start the event or not.
Things to keep in mind: There generally isn’t any special considerations with Action Button events. The only thing that occurs to me to keep in mind is that facing doesn’t matter on above or below level events, so if your scene will need the character facing a certain way, make sure to use a Set Move Route command so they are facing the direction you want them to.
How it works: This is also a relatively simple trigger. The moment the character moves into contact with the event (either bumps into it for events that are set to the same level as characters, or moves into the same square as the event for those set below or above the characters) the event starts.
What is this used for: Player Touch events are also incredibly common. Any time that you want something to happen when the player is in a specific location, regardless of whether they start it themselves, you use Player touch. Examples of use include depression switches on floors, all types of transfer events (stairs, edge of town, etc.), and starting cutscenes.
Things to keep in mind: The biggest thing to keep in mind when dealing with Player Touch events is that it comes into effect only when the player moves INTO the event. If the player is standing still and the event bumps into him, it will not activate.
How it works: This works a lot like Player Touch, except it activates whether you touch the event, or the event touches you.
What is this used for: The main use for this is anything that MOVES that should affect the player. Examples of use include wandering monsters, flames, and moving blades.
Things to keep in mind: Remember that unlike Player Touch, this activates whether the player touches the event or the event touches the player. Also, if the event does not move, this operates identically to Player Touch.
Tune in next week when we cover the two more complicated event triggers: Autorun and Parallel Process.
This month’s theme for Member+ extra resources is Vikings. We have an exciting set of bonus resources, created by our wonderful community contributors.
The bonus resource release includes:
Our contributors have also submitted some modern pieces, such as a modern version of RTP’s Erik, behaviors for a dog, howling wolf and a pig character set.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Member+ program, it’s a great subscription service that gives you:
You can sign up right here.
As you know, this weekend we held a major sale on all of our products. We know that some people had an issue with the coupon during a short time during the sale and we have received many, many requests for a sales extension, and we are going to give you one more chance to grab as many goodies as you’d like at 40% off.
We will be holding another 24-hour Golden Week sale this upcoming weekend: Saturday, May 4th, 12:00PM (noon, 8pm GMT) PST to Sunday, May 5th, 12:00PM (noon, 8PM GMT) PST.
To keep celebrating Golden Week, we will also have giveaways for the next 4 days! Each day is a new chance to win something from our store.
Tuesday: FaceBook Giveaway — To participate, you will need to share a trailer video from our FB page (it will be posted on Tuesday).
Wednesday: Forum Giveaway — To participate, you will need to create a blog post on an off-site blog and reply to the giveaway thread (thread with details will be posted on Wednesday).
Thursday: Twitter Giveaway — To participate, you will need to re-tweet a message that will be posted on our Twitter on Thursday.
Friday: Steam Giveaway — To participate, you will need to recommend RPG Maker VX-Ace to your friends (or add it to your wishlist) and post in the community thread that will be made on Friday.