RPG Maker

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RPG Maker

RPGTKool.png
Basic data

developer ASCII , Enterbrain
Publishing year 1992
Current  version RPG Tsukūru MV
RMMV EN 1.02
Windows
(October 23, 2015)
operating system PC-8801
PC-9801
MSX2
Super Nintendo
Windows
Sega Saturn
Mobile Phone ( i-mode / i-appli )
Game Boy
Game Boy Color
Game Boy Advance
PlayStation
PlayStation 2
Nintendo DS
programming language Ruby / RGSS
(RPGXP, RPGVX)
Borland Delphi 5/6
(RPG2000, RPG2003)
category Computer game development system
German speaking Yes
enterbrain.co.jp
http://tkool.jp
http://www.famitsu.com/

RPG Maker ( Japanese RPG ツ ク ー ル , RPG Tsukūru , often also written RPG TKool ) is a range of software for developing role-playing games . The Japanese name of the program series, Tsukūru , is a play on the Japanese words tsukuru ( 作 る ) for "create" and tsūru ( ツ ー ル ) from English tool . The RPG Makers were made first by ASCII and then by Enterbrain . English versions of the PS / PS2 Makers (3, 5 and 6) in the USA (numbers 1, 2 and 3 there) are marketed by Agetec .

About the PC versions

The RPG Maker is a program that is used to create computer role-playing games . Most versions include a map editor based on tilesets ( called chipsets before RPG Maker 2003 ), a simplified scripting language for programming "events" and a database editor with which the properties of all objects used in the game can be modified. All versions come with a package of ready- made graphics, pieces of music and other content ( R un T ime P ackage) and allow, depending on the functions of the operating system under which they are running, to add their own content.

PC versions at a glance

RPG Maker 95

The RPG Maker 95 was the first RPG Maker that was produced for Windows . It was published on March 28, 1997 in Japan. It pursued a fundamentally different approach than, for example, the later RPG Maker 2000, as it was designed for the development of computer games that were specifically recognizable as such and offered a development environment tailored to the needs of developers, including mouse support. As with other programs in the series, which appeared around the same time, the name comes from the Windows 95 operating system, which they at least requested.

RPG Maker 2000

The RPG Maker 2000 (abbreviations like RPG2000 and RM2K are more common) was released on April 5, 2000 in Japan after a long development. In this context, the mouse support was removed and the resolution was reduced from 640 × 480 to 320 × 240. This reduction made it easier to adapt the own graphics to well-known Super Nintendo games. It has a maximum color depth of 16 bits, although it can only display 8 bits at a time. The ribs , the removal of in SNES used -Play graphics was also popular with the RPG Maker 2000, although it from ASCII officially disapproves / Enterbrain and violates the Terms of both the source software, as well as the RPG Maker.

The RPG Maker 2000 surpassed its predecessor in terms of popularity, which was mainly due to a widespread English-language translation. The English version was created by a Russian programmer with the pseudonym "Don Miguel", who had already translated RPG Maker 95 into English. Based on the English translation, the RPG Maker 2000 was also translated into German by fans. The English version of RPG Maker 2000 was not official and for a long time was distributed free of charge on the Internet as supposed freeware. In 2002, ASCII / Enterbrain contacted the community with an open letter referring to the legal situation. As a result, most of the larger RPG maker communities took the program out of their downloads. However, RPG Maker 2000 continued to be widely used on the Internet. It is possible to legally purchase the Japanese version and then install the English translation. RPG maker games can still be offered for download, which is why the RPG maker scene has continued to exist.

Regardless of the legal status of the English translation, the program has been expanded by its fans over the years with new functions such as an MP3 patch, which enabled music files to be played in MP3 format, and a keyboard patch, which enabled the full keyboard to be used . Completely different expansions, some of them completely own additional programs, were added later from all over the world. Some will continue to be programmed.

Due to its beginner-friendliness and popularity, in connection with the initially great media interest in the supposed freeware , the illegally translated versions of the RPG Maker 2000 spread relatively quickly on an international level. In the years 2000 and 2001 there were both television shows ( GIGA \\ GAMES ) and game magazines ( Bravo Screenfun , GameStar , PC Action , PC Games ) in Germany that reported more or less regularly on the RPG Maker 2000.

In 2002 and 2003, when Enterbrain had long since taken over Digital Famitsu , new products and new editions of the older RPG Maker came out. The RPG Maker 2000 was also launched on May 14, 2003 under the name RPG Maker 2000 VALUE! reissued. This version (initially 1.50, later 1.51 as the final version) contains, among other things, the MP3 support already added via fan patches, as well as some other improvements. An unofficial, but legal (as it is only available in patch form) English translation of this version is also available.

RPG Maker 2003

The RPG Maker 2003 (often called RPG2003 or RM2k3) is an expanded version of the RPG Maker 2000 and was released on December 18, 2002. It includes some of the functions that were requested by users shortly after the RPG Maker 2000 was released, see above For example a system for the automatic generation of simple dungeons and dungeons (Dungeon Generator), a new combat system with a side view, MP3 support and some other script functions. The success of this version was still lower than expected. The RPG Maker 2003 can now be legally purchased on Steam, among others.

RPG Maker XP

The RPG Maker XP (also referred to as RMXP / RPGXP) contains many improvements and modernizations compared to its predecessor versions, such as increasing the resolution from 320 × 240 to 640 × 480 and the color depth from 8 to 32 bits. The number of editing levels ("layers") has been increased from 2 to 3. Furthermore, a possibility has been implemented to use base graphics of unlimited size (e.g. landscape graphics). It is also the first maker whose given game system can be changed profoundly through the Ruby language.

The Ruby Game Scripting System works as a programming language for game development (specialized in RPG Maker) and offers the user what is needed to develop an RPG Maker game. RGSS is not a classic programming language and differs from such by the specialization in game programming. RGSS also supports the integration of external library files ( DLL ) as well as completely new program parts. Because of performance problems and the introduction of the script language, especially because of the very high requirements placed on the user's system, many do not switch from older versions to this or its successor, RPGVX. The RPG Maker VX supports a newer version of the RGSS; the RGSS2. The newer RPG Maker VX Ace uses the much faster RGSS3.

In contrast to the RPG Makers for consoles, which had already been translated for several years and distributed in the USA, official translations of RPG Makers for PC remained a rare occurrence. After a protest by the large, international RPGMaker fan base, Enterbrain carried out a translation of the RPG Maker XP and published it worldwide in September 2005 in cooperation with Protexis and Download.com .

RPG Maker VX

The RPG Maker VX (called RMVX or RPGVX) was confirmed by Enterbrain on October 5, 2007 and was released in Japan on December 27, 2007. The English language version was released on February 29, 2008. The RPG Maker VX tries to bring together the elements that are most valued by fans of the different program generations, so the RPG Maker VX once again features the function known from the RPG Maker 2003 of automatically creating dungeons, and the battle system of the RPG Maker 2000 also maintains again indentation, as well as the possibility, without programming it yourself, to use graphics for the faces of speakers (facesets). But there are also new restrictions: The function for playing film clips is still not integrated and no additional chipset graphics can be imported to create game worlds.

Like the RPG Maker XP, the RPG Maker VX uses an implementation of the Ruby scripting language, called RGSS, but updates it to version 2. Due to the different conventions for formatting graphics and the incompatibility between the implementation of RGSS used in RPG Maker XP and that which is included in the RPG Maker VX, there is no direct compatibility between the two programs. However, there is the possibility that a script can find out whether it is currently being used in a game that is / was created with RPGXP or RPGVX. The APD ( A bt P loutôn D atabase) and additional scripts that are written for it, which makes them compatible with both, as separate code can be written for both versions in a script.

On September 29, 2011, Enterbrain announced on their website ツ ク ー ル Web - in addition to the new RPG Maker DS + - an extended version of the RPG Maker VX called VX Ace , which among other things has a function integrated in the program for assembling character graphics from a pool of templates and - in addition to a modified combat system - will use the Ruby library RGSS3. The release date in Japan was set for December 15, 2011.

RPG Maker VX Ace

The RPG Maker VX ACE is based on its predecessor, the RPG Maker VX, but has a lot more features than the VX. With version 1.02a, the languages ​​French, German, Italian and Spanish are officially supported for the first time.

The RPG Maker VX Ace is the first RPG Maker to be offered on Steam.

RPG Maker MV

The RPG Maker MV is the latest from the RPG Maker series and was released on October 23, 2015. It is the first product in the series that is compatible with MacOS and Linux . There is a higher resolution, which is now 816 * 624, and it is possible to control your characters with the mouse.

The 'Cover Art Character Pack' and 'Essentials Set' are available as packs.

Timetable

title system Release Publisher
place date
Mamirin PC-8801 Japan 1988 ASCII
Manjirō dungeon MSX 2 Japan 1988 ASCII
RPG Construction Tool: Dante MSX 2 Japan February 8, 1990 ASCII
Dante 2 MSX 2 Japan February 8, 1992 ASCII
Chimes Quest PC-9801 Japan 1992 ASCII
RPG Tsukūru Dante 98 PC-9801 Japan December 19, 1992 ASCII
Dungeon RPG Tsukūru Dan-Dan Dungeon PC-9801 Japan April 28, 1994 ASCII
RPG Tsukūru Super Dante Super famicom Japan March 31, 1995 ASCII
RPG Tsukūru Dante 98 II PC-9801 Japan June 14, 1996 ASCII
RPG Tsukūru 2 Super famicom Japan January 31, 1996 ASCII
RPG Tsukūru 95 Windows Japan March 28, 1997 ASCII
Simulation RPG Tsukūru Sega Saturn , PlayStation Japan 17th September 1998 ASCII
Simulation RPG Tsukūru Windows Japan May 29, 1998 ASCII
RPG Tsukūru 3 PlayStation Japan November 27, 1997 ASCII
PlayStation the Best: RPG Tsukūru 3 November 19, 1998 ASCII
RPG Maker United States September 18, 2000 Agetec
RPG Tsukūru GB Game Boy Color Japan March 17, 2000 ASCII
RPG Tsukūru 2000 Windows Japan April 5, 2000 ASCII
RPG Tsukūru 4 PlayStation Japan December 7, 2000 Enterbrain
Uchūjin Tanaka Tarō de RPG Tsukūru GB 2 Game Boy Color Japan June 20, 2001 Enterbrain
Enterbrain Collection: Simulation RPG Tsukūru PlayStation Japan November 29, 2001 Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru 5 PlayStation 2 Japan August 8, 2002 Enterbrain
RPG Maker 2 United States October 28, 2003 Agetec
RPG Tsukūru 2003 Windows Japan December 18, 2002 Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru α Windows / mobile phone Japan December 18, 2002 Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru Advance Game Boy Advance Japan April 25, 2003 Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru XP Windows Japan June 22, 2004 Enterbrain
RPG Maker XP Worldwide August 16, 2005 Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru PlayStation 2 Japan December 16, 2004 Enterbrain
RPG Maker 3 United States September 21, 2005 AGETEC
RPG Tsukūru for Mobile Windows / Cell Phones Internet April 17, 2006 Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru VX Windows Japan December 27, 2007 Enterbrain
RPG Maker VX Worldwide February 29, 2008 Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru DS Nintendo DS Japan March 11, 2010 Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru VX ACE Windows Japan December 15, 2011 Enterbrain
RPG Maker VX ACE Worldwide 2012 as download (30-day trial version) Enterbrain
RPG Maker VX ACE Lite Worldwide October 13, 2012 as download Enterbrain
RPG Maker MV Windows / Mac Worldwide October 23, 2015 as download Degica

Alternative implementations

In addition to the official RPG Maker versions, there are now alternative implementations of the RPG Maker and their runtime environment. The aim of these implementations is mostly to make the games run on other platforms (e.g. Linux , macOS and Android ).

EasyRPG can be named as an example. A free software which is compatible multi-platform compliant with RPG Maker 2000/2003. A player for playing the games and an editor for creating the same are provided.

Well-known games

Vampires Dawn

Vampires Dawn is one of the most popular game series in the German RPG maker scene. The games were programmed by Alexander "Marlex" Koch. It's about the vampire Valnar, who first fights against his vampire existence and later against the enemies of his own race. The sequel to the game is called Vampires Dawn 2 - Ancient Blood , which continues the story about the vampires and answers some open questions. Furthermore, an offshoot for mobile phones was released with the title Vampires Dawn: Deceit of Heretics , which was not created with the RPG Maker. A third part of the series has been announced and will be created with the RPG Maker MV. A first demo of Vampires Dawn III: The Crimson Realm appeared in December 2018. At the same time, a crowdfunding campaign was started to finance the completion of the full version. The target amount of € 15,000 was exceeded within one day by over € 20,000 and the campaign is to run until the end of April 2019.

To the moon

To the Moon is Freebird Games' first commercial game and the first in an upcoming series. The game was officially translated into German and released on March 28, 2012. An English retail version of the game was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on July 6, 2012, and a German retail version of Lace Mamba is due to appear on August 31, 2012. The game is about the life of a dying man who uses technology to grant his last wish. The game had commercial success and was also highly praised by the German media, including the newspaper Die Zeit , for the story and the soundtrack.

More games

Web links

Manufacturer

Large German communities

  • RPG-Atelier (Formerly RPG-Maker.com || German community, more specialized in RPG Makers 2000 and 2003)
  • RPG-Studio.org (German community, more specialized in RPG Maker XP).
  • Scientia (German wiki lexicon about RPG makers and game programming)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Enterbrain.co.jp: to "RPGMaker2K" Users ( Memento from March 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ RPG Atelier Forum: RPG Maker 2000 VALUE! v1.51 English patch
  3. ↑ RPG ツ ク ー ル DS +
  4. ↑ "2011 年 12 月 15 日 、 ふ た つ の RPG ツ ク ー ル が 新 た な 世界 を 創造 す る ――" Announcement page for VX Ace
  5. ↑ "RPG ツ ク ー ル VX Ace | エ ビ テ ン" RPG Maker VX Ace to pre-order with the first small pieces of information
  6. ↑ RPG Maker VX Ace Update 1.02a Release Notes
  7. ↑ easy-rpg.org - About
  8. ↑ Patrick Beuth: "To The Moon" - a game that doesn't want to be. In: The time . November 28, 2011, accessed August 24, 2012 .