-= FAQ ========================= by Gemin-eye ===(FAQ #4) Topics covered in this FAQ: 1. The Event Editor. 2. How to make a store./ inn. 3. How to connect map to house, map to world map. Teleporting. 4. How to set heroes movement speed. 5. How to use RAW Material Editor. 6. Simple switch King gives mission, pc does mission, King says something different. 7. Opening Events. 8. Victory and Defeat in battle, defeat dosent necessarily mean Game Over. 9. Random monsters. How to set monsters to an area, and set Encounter Rate. ================================================ First I am going to give a detailed description of the 'EVENT EDITOR'. I will be refering to it alot so get used to what everthing is called as I describe it. I will start at the very top of the dialog and work down from left to right. Its a good idea to open your rm2k and follow along with this text. -= The Event Editor =- ------------------------------------------------- Pressing f7 will put you in 'Event Mode'. While in event mode you can double-click on any square and create to event. Also you can right click and select 'New Event' from the pop up. When you first create an event a dialog pops up. In the Titlebar are the words " Event Editor - ID:0001 " yours may have a different ID number. This titlebar name will never change. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Below that is the 'Name' editbox. It contains the ID number when you first make a new event. You can change this name to suit the events purpose. This name will appear in certain 'Event Commands' that modify or have an effect on events. You dont have to name it; it's your choice. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To the right is the ' New Page ' button. Clicking this button creates a new page within this event. You can have 100 pages in each event. (as if you would need that many). Thats alot better than the meager 4 pages you had in the rpg maker 95+ huh.?! I may refer to each page sometimes as a 'tab'. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Beside that is the 'Copy Page' button, this does just what it says, it copies the active page, into the clipboard. A clipboard is a weird extradimentional space in your computer that holds many types of data temporaraly. You can paste data from the clipboard into sorces that are similar as where you copied it from. Each time you copy into the clipboard, the new data replaces the existing data. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Beside that is the 'Paste Page' button. Use this when you have a copied page you wish to place into the event. The paste page button will place the page after the topmost (active) page. Pasting does not empty the clipboard. The data is still in there, so you can paste as many identicle pages as you want. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The last button called 'Delete Page' removes the active page. Deleting a page does not place the page into the page into the clipboard. So its gone forever. You can however return the page if you select the cancel button. But then you lose all work you have done since you opened the event. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The 'Event Conditions' box contains options that need to be met before the event will execute. Events can require up to 2 different switches, a variable, an item, a certain character, or a timer setting, or any combination of the above. An event that requires one (or two) switches will not activate until one (or both) of the switche(s) are turned on. You select what these switches are. An event that has a variable set for its condition requires a selected Variable reach a certain number. Example: An event is set with a variable as the condition. The variable is named 0001:Test. and is set to 3 above. This means the event will only turn on when the 0001:Test variable reaches the number 3 or higher. [Unrelated tangent: HEY! I just thought of how to get the random Item in chest to show the name of the item!! <10 mins later> I did too! Wooo Hooo!. Anyway, back to this]. An event that requires an item means that the event will not execute unless a certain item is in the possession of the heros. You determine what the item is. An event the requires a Hero means that the event will not execute unless a certain hero character is in the party. You determine who that hero is. An event with a timer set for its condition executes when a timer that was just turned on reaches the time set in the events timer conditions. Example: Make a simple event that sets and turns on a timer. Make another event on the same map that will check that timer for a certain time and if it is, will do something. Heres how to do that: 1. When in the rm2k press f7 to goto 'Event Mode', Put a simple graphic in the 'Graphic' box, and set the 'Event Start Condition ' to "Push Key". 'Priority type' "Common Char Below". 2. Double-click in the 'Events Commands" box and select "Timer Operations" from (page1). Choose "Set" and put the 'Operand' to "Set" 1 min 0seconds. Click 'OK'. Again get the "Timer Operations" open this time select "Start", and select to display the timer. Click 'OK'. When the hero searches this event this will set and start a timer that will count down from 60 seconds, and you will see it in the top left corner of your test game window. Thats it for this event click 'OK'. 3. Make another event and put a check in the 'Timer' condition. Put a 30 in the seconds box of the timer. Select a 'Graphic and make the 'Start Condition' "Push Key". Double click in the 'Events Commands window and select "Message". Put a short message in saying whatever you want. Now when the hero starts the timer and comes to this event and searches on it, only when the timer reaches 30 secs or less will he see any message. Also the message will just keep repeating since we didnt use a switch to shut it off. Cool huh? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Graphics box is where you select the image you will see for the event, if any. You can set the image to be see through by putting a check in the Transp box. When you click the [Set] button a new dialog opens with the rtp charas/chipsets folder contents. Scroll through the list to find just the right graphic you want, and click it to select it on the right. The image will appear in the 'Graphic' box. You can have more charas/chipsets to choose from in the list if you 'Import' them into your game, (more on Importing later). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Event Start Condition is used to adjust the ways the event can interact with the hero, if at all. The first option "Push Key" means the hero must search/talk (spacebar/enter) on or by the event to activate it. The second option "At Hero Touch" means the hero just walks over it to turn it on. The third "Common Touch seems to me to operate reguardless of the Event Conditions. Change the second event in your timer example above from "Push Key" to "Common Touch" and walk over it without turning the timer on first. See what happens. I guess this type of Start Condition is like a failsafe for things that need to happen. Like if the hero has to do something to turn this event on, and he dosent do it, but the event still needs to happen or the story will mess up, then common touch is the choice. Note [That if the conditions are met anyway the common touch event happens when the hero walks over the event. So no matter what the hero does the event happens]. The fourth option is "Autostart". This option should only be used for elements in the game where control of the hero must be disabled. Like when you want to tell some of the story to the player and dont want him wandering around while that is happening. Autostart forces the hero char still and runs all the events in the 'Events Commands" box one after the other (or in what ever order of script you wrote). The autostart loops over and over and over unless you put a switch in to turn the event page or untill you teleport to a different map. (This is how opening events are made, more on that later). The final option is "Parallel Process" this is just like autostart except the player can still move around at will. Use this when you want events on a map to loop over and over without interrfearing with the players movements. (this is how Don made clouds move across his landscape in the SAMPLE game). Remember when using Parrellel Process you may need to use the 'Wait' command or your computer will run very slow due to event commands constantly overlapping each other (since they loop). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Priority Type box, is where you decide what layer to place the event. There are 3 layers in rm2k. Below: meaning the hero can walk over the event. Above: meaning the hero will bump into it like an obsticle and, Top: this means that when the hero walks over the event, the event's picture appears above the hero and the hero seemingly walks under it. The 'Overlap another Event" is a mystery to me. It implies that this event can be placed on top of other events (impossible), or maybe it's ... no thats not it..if you know or figure it out, let me know. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Next is the Animation Type. This is only available when you select a graphic. There are 6 types of animation types to choose from. Common/Without Stepping means the image will not move through its walking animation, however it will turn to face the hero if the start condition is a push key. Common/With Stepping makes the graphic "walk" through its walk animation. It will also turn to face the hero when searched/talked to but will not actually walk around unless you specify a path with the 'Movement Type'. Without Stepping makes the graphic totally motionless in one direction (chosen by the graphics' image) unless a movement route is set, then it walks around but stays facing one direction. Fixed Direction puts the event walking through a certain movement animation but keeps the image facing in the chosen direction. (Used for flapping wings and such). Fixed Graphics freezes the image totally, even if a movement route is set. It will always face the direction selected in the graphic. 4-Anim.(Turn Right) makes the image spin right over and over. Useful for some object types. Experiment with these to get the hang of how they operate. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement Type: This sets the wandering movement for the graphic. Useful when making towns people. The dropdown box pretty much is self explanitory. Except By it Route. With that you manually determine how the chara moves and when and where it moves to. Useful for when you want the char to move around but not randomly. Frequency sets the walking speed of the Chara. 1 is slowest, 8 is fastest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Movement Speed box is just like the Frequency. Except it determines how fast the image moves through its animation sequence. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Events Commands box is where all the action happens in the event. Double-click in here to add commands, right-click to Insert, cut, copy, paste, blaw, blaw, blaw, you'll see. You know how to use all that its the same as with every other Windows commands. When you double click (or Insert) a dialog pops up called "Event Commands" most of these can be figured out by using them and seeing what happens, the really complicated ones I detail in other FAQs. Read them when you are ready to explore advanced event scripting. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The OK, Cancel, Apply and, Help buttons. Ok: saves the event and exits. Cancel: returns the event to its prievious state when you opened it or last saved it, also closes the event. Apply: saves the changes to the event but does not close it. Help: does nothing, there is no help file for rm2k yet. [Thats why I am writting this]. Thats all there is too the Event Editor. You should know all the above fairly well BEFORE you move on because I will not be taking the time to describe things in the Event Editor. If you dont know it you will be lost (maybe). =============================================================== Behold; traveler of the web, creater of worlds, I shall teach you the mystic art of: -= TELEPORTATION =- Make a child map (a small section af map that branches off the main one) draw a small section of map that is the interrior of a room. Like a store. Enter Event mode and double-click at the doorway to your store. You dont need any switches when you make a simple teleport tile, so leave the 'Event Conditions' alone. Make sure the 'Graphic is either empty or has a pic of the image the hero will be interacting with when they teleport. The 'Event Start Condition' Must be set to, "At Hero Touch" do this by clicking the dropdown box that says "Push Key". (unless the image is a door, then leave it as "Push Key") The 'Priority Type' is "Common Char Below" if the teleport is a floor tile, (Above if its a door). Place a "Teleport" event command in. Select a different map to teleport to. If you are using a door, set the chara movement to make the door appear to open THEN put the teleport in. Steps: 1. Right-click on the world map name in the box on the bottom left. Select "Create New Map". 2. Right-click on this new map, select "Properties", Put a name ("General Store") in the Name box, choose a Chipset, (Inner is the indoor tiles I think), and leave the rest of the dialog alone (unless you want to set the BGM [background music] of the map, then select "Set to" and choose the midi song you want to play everytime the player enters this map). Click 'OK'. 3. Draw some walls and countertops and stuff you would see in a store. Make sure you have a gap in the top or bottom wall for a doorway. When you are done press f7. 4. Double-click on your doorway. Leave the 'Event Conditions' alone. Make sure the 'Graphic is either empty or has a pic of the image the hero will be interacting with when they teleport. The 'Event Start Condition' Must be set to, "At Hero Touch" do this by clicking the dropdown box that says "Push Key". (unless the image is a door, then leave it as "Push Key") The 'Priority Type' is "Common Char Below" if the teleport is a floor tile, (Above if its a door). 5. If your 'Graphic' is a door, "Set Chara Movement" (see my other Faq to learn how to use this), to make the door appear to open when the hero interacts with it. 6. In the 'Events Commands' box place a "Teleport" event. You will be prompted to choose a place to teleport to when you select the "Teleport" command. Select a different map to teleport to. Thats all there is to making a teleport. You just do basically the same process to teleport from a town's building into the store, just choose the place to teleport to as the entrance to the store. ========= While on the subject of stores ====================== Lets make this store. We will be adding one event that will be the store. First you need to check in your Database (f8) to check to see if your countertops tiles are set correctly. Click on the 'Chipsets' tab and select the 0003:Inner from the list on the left of the Chipsets Editor. Click the 'Chip Upper' tab and scroll down till you see the countertops. Click the 'Block/Pass' button and check that they are blocked (X). Click the 'Context Counter' and check that there is a big diamond on the countertops. If there isn't, click the small dot and make it a big diamond. This makes the tile so that the hero can search/talk through the tile to whatever is behind it, like an npc for example. Click 'OK'. 1. Press f7, make an event behind the counter of your store. Select a chara for the 'Graphic. Put the Event Start at "Push Key". (Thats all you need to change). 2. In the Events Commands make a "Call Shop" event. When you select "Call Shop" (page2) you can choose The 'Shop Type'. Norm: is a normal store where the hero can buy or sell items. No Sale: The hero can only buy not sell items. Sale Only: The hero can sell but not buy items. Select Normal.Choose your Shop Message Type. (these are editable in the Database.) Select some items from the list on the right and 'Add' them to the list on the left. (Select an item from the list on the left and hit the 'Delete' button to remove it from the stores list. Click 'OK'. Thats it, you have made a store. To make an INN, just use the "Call Inn" event command. Pretty easy stuff huh. ==== Setting your Hero Movement Speed =========================================================== To set your heros walking speed to slower, or faster. You can use one of two methods. Use an event on every map you teleport to, or make a common event. I will describe both. The hard way is using an event on every map. You have to place the event right where the hero will walk over it immediatly. In the event you will use "Set Chara Movement" and a "Change Switch". 1. Place the event beside the spot where the hero first teleports onto the map. Set it 'At Hero Touch' and 'Common Char Below', make the Events Commands a 'Set Chara Movement', Make sure the Object char is "Hero", then choose the "Move Speed Down" or "Move Speed Up" from the list on the right. Leave the checks out of the 'Options' boxs. Make as many Move Speeds as you need' click 'OK'. 2. Double-click and select "Change Switch", select the top (One) box and click the [...] button to name a switch. Name it 'Hero Speed'. Make the 'Operation' ON and click 'OK'. You just made a switch. 3. Make a new page, and put a check in the Switch and click the [...] select the switch you just made. Thats it click 'OK' to finish the event. Copy and paste this event all around the teleport point so that the hero will be sure to walk on it when they first enter the map. Thats the hard way. Cause you'll have to do that for every map you teleport to. -= The easy way. Use a common event. You'll still need to use a "Call Event" option (page3) everytime you make a teleport though. =- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Common events definition. Common events are events that run/work on all maps. So if you need an event that you want to call on at any time from any where you dont have to keep making new events to support that, just make one in the common events. They're not different events they are the same thing as normal events just you dont have pages in the common events. Basically you turn the common event on with a switch. Or with a call event command. Or Auto Start. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Go into your Database (f8). Click the Common Events tab. Click an empty switch number. Name this event "Movement Speed". In the Event Start Condition select "Call". You only need one event command, "Set Chara Movement". As above make sure Hero is in the Object char box and select the "Move Speed Down" or "Move Speed Up" from the list on the right. Leave the checks out of the 'Options' boxes. Make as many Move Speeds as you need' click 'OK'. Now you only need to use "Call Event" to adjust the heros movement, so you can more than once per map if you need to. 2. Now when you make a teleport add a "Call Event" option (page3) to the teleport event. Call the "Movement Speed" common event you just made. Thats it. Its your choice which method you use, they both have the same effect. ========================================================================================== Using the RAW Material Editor. Its the 15th button from the left in the toolbar. It looks like a box with arrows wrapping around it. Right between the Database icon and the Music symbol. Found it yet? Good click it. This is the Raw Materials Dialog. You must use this to import EVERYTHING you use in your game from outside sources other than the RTP. If you dont Import everything your gamedisk will be screwed up. You'll get rtp errors and stuff (i think). On the left are all the RTP folders. Each one holds a certain type of png file(s). Each folder is a folder in your games directory. I know the rtp files are shown as being there but in truth you still have to import the RTP files to the folders when you make the gamedisk. The box in the middle shows the contents of the folder that is selected on the left. It will show files you have imported into your games folder as well as all the RTP files (although they arn't really there). When you click on the [Import] button a little dialog pops up. This is where you search through your computer to find the file you want to import. It will show only *.bmp,*.png,*.xyz filetypes. (*.xyz are the rm2k's default filetypes). When you find the folder where you want to import from, all those filetypes will be listed, when you click on a filename a picture appears on the right. Also shows the pictures dimentions widthxheight. Find the pic you want to import and select the "Open" button. If you get an error 'bad bitmap' or something, this means that the bitmap is not in 256 colors, or it is the wrong widthxheight for the type of folder you wish to import it to, or it might be a currupt file. Check to see if its 256 and the correct size, if it is and you still get the errors, try coping and pasting it into a new (256) bitmap file and open it with iDraw (or other proggy that saves png files) and save it as a png file. If it still dosent work, dont use the file. If you click on a file in the center box you can select to delete it from the folder, or Export it. Exporting changes the file type. You can change them to different combinations of *.bmp, *.png, *.xyz. I have no idea what the size changes are, I k belive png's are smaller than bmp's, maybe xyz's are smaller than png's. I dunno, try it. Once you have imported all the files you need to use in your game to the proper folders, you can close the Raw Materials Editor. Now you should be able to access these new files when you need the images that they hold, whatever they may be, battle animations, backgrounds, or charas or pictures. On a side note, I have not tried this idea, but if you imported the files from the rtp folders that you need, and when you make a gamedisk select to not include rtp (run time package) in the gamedisk, maybe it will be a fully working game on computers that do not have rm2k installed, the chances are slim that it will work, but has anyone tried? I will and update in a later FAQ. ========================================================================================= A Simple Switch. Some people seem to be having trouble understanding switches, (WHY!!??). Here is the best explanation I can think of to help you grasp it. : A switch is used to make event commands turn on or off. Sometimes a switch is used to turn event commands off, [when the switch is on, the event commands are off, but when the switch is off the events commands are on]. However sometimes a switch is used to turn ON event commands. So when the switch is on, so are the commands. This sound confusing? Really all a switch does is turn pages in an event. The page may or may not have commands on it. (Note that variables can also be used like switches, but this is about switches sooo...). Let me break it down for you: If you make an event that has only one page, and you dont use a switch; the commands in the event will happen over and over. If you make a second page and make that page use a switch, then you add a "Change Switch" command on the first page to activate the second page. If there are no event commands that run automatically on the second page, then the event will end. Everytime the event is called; the second page will be the page that is used, if the switch stays on. If you turn the switch off, it goes back to using the first page. Just think of it as this, to get to page two, you have to turn on a switch. To get back to page one you have to shut off the switch. Making a switch is as simple as naming it. You just select one you are not using and type a name in it. Then you can call on that named switch for whatever event you need it in. [With "Change Switch"] You can even reuse switches in different events. I cant explain it any simpler than that, so heres yet another example. <>---------------------The Kings Quest-----------------------------------<> Suppose you want to talk to a King who gives you a mission. When you are done the mission and go back to talk to the King, he says something different. (If you already know how to do this, skip ahead, theres nothing new here) First you make the King event. In this event you will put messages (the King and the hero talking). That is all that will be in page one. Leave the event conditions alone, Put a graphic of the King in the 'Graphic' box, (People3 has a good one) and make the 'Start Conditions' "Push Key". In the event commands box, put in your hero/king conversation. (If you dont know what to make for a conversation, maybe writting rpgs isn't your thing. Just use your imagination.) It should look like: <>Messg:KING: Kiamanu Before I grant you my daughters hand in marriage you must prove your worth. <>Messg:HERO:Yes sir your magesty, tell me what thy wish is and it shall be done. <>Messg:KING: Very good Kiamanu, You must gather the Jade Monkey, and the Stars of Galhalhee together on the solistice equinox to destroy the Spirit Lichlord who terrorises the forest path between the Elven Homestead and our own fair kingdom. <>Messg:HERO: . . . uhh .. the LichLord! Uhh ok sire if thats what I must do. <>Messg:KING: Good now go with God and when you return you will recieve my blessing and your weight in gold. <>Messg:HERO: (under his breath), you mean IF I return, weight in gold hmmm...I wonder if there are any Lumberman Flapjack Houses in the Homestead forest ... tee hee. and so on. You can use "Message Style" and "Face Graphics" to make the messages more spiffy. I dont need to tell you how to do this, cause its really easy to figure it out. Make a new page in the event. Select (put a check in) Switch. Click the [...] button select and name a switch "KING". Put in all the conversation you will want to have for when the hero has finished his quest. Use what you did above as an example. Now when the hero finishes his mission, you use a "Change Switch" ("KING") to turn on this page in that end mission event. You see how it works? I'm sure you must. If not well .. I can't help you. Maybe someone else can. Good luck with your game, you'll need it. ======================================================================================= Once you learn the absolutly necessary skill of switches, you might need to know how to start your game. This is all about -=OPENING EVENTS.=- I'm going to use Don's SAMPLE game as a referance, since you will have this game in your Projects folder. Follow this order: ALT+p, ALT+c, ALT+p, ALT+o, select Sample Don's Adventures. Open. Click on the Init map (bottom left corner). You will see a big pink screen with a hero start position and an event. Double click on the event, See how its only one page. Notice how its Auto Start. You might now be thinking, "How could it be only one page with an Auto Start, that would loop the intro forever cause theres no switch." This is not true. You can kill an Auto Start with either a switch, or a Teleport. Look at the second last line of the Events Commands. Thats how its done. You make a map with either a complete black screen or a picture behind it, (right click on the map name ((bottom left corner)) and select 'Properties') and place your 'Starting Party Position', (right click on the map grid somewhere and select it from the pop up). You have to decide the actual commands that go in, usually it is part of the story. Take a look at what Don did in his intro for tips on what you could do in yours. ======================================================================================== Your party has perished, but you dont have to end the game there... -=VICTORY and DEFEAT=- You can set up a boss battle where if you get defeated you goto someplace, like a church, or the last save point. Virtually any command can be put in for "if defeated then..." and even "if party wins then...". This will be done in an event. On page 2 of the event Commands is an option called "Start Combat". When you click it you can choose to set the enemy/group you fight, or use a variable to determine the enemy group (random bosses!? you bet). You can set the battle background, the escape case, (weither or not the heros can escape the battle), and the defeat case, and last an option to allow the player the first attack in a combat. The defeat case is what you edit to make it so that the hero wont be killed in a battle, just shipped off to a safe (or not so safe) place when defeated. Put a dot in "Independant Fo (fo=fork but gets cut off)" This allows you to change a combat's victory and defeat cases. (What happens after a special battle). Put your what happens when victory occurs in the Victory Case, and what happens when defeat occurs in the Defeat Case. You can put anything in either, teleports, move chara, whatever you need to make your story cool. If you can make a fork you can do this. ======================================================================================= -=RANDOM MONSTERS=- How do you just set up random monsters though? First its a good idea to go into your Database (f8) and set up your monster parties. Once you have that done, you just right click on the map name (box in the bottom left corner) and select "Create Area", this creates the area where random monsters will attack the hero. When you first create it, you can select what monster parties will 'live' in this certain area. Just double click in the monsters party box and select them. I have heard that the more same types of monsters you put in, in comparason to other types will increase the rate at which they attack. (Example: If you have 6 Slimex2 parties, and only one Batx2 party, you will encounter the slimes more often than the bats) this is pure speculation, I have never tried this, also since its random it would be difficult to tell if this is really true at all. Click on the "Set Area" [...] button to draw a rectangle around the map area where you want the random encounters to happen. You can edit the area's size and monster parties at any time by right clicking on the Area and selecting 'Area Properties'. How do you set up the steps per encounter in an area (like in rm95)? Theres an event command that does this. Just make an event within the Area and on page 3 is a command "Encounter Rate", set it for the number of steps a hero must take before he gets attacked. It seems more acurate than rm95, 1 step actually means every step the heros take they will encounter a monster party. The higher the number the more steps needed before an attack occurs (999 steps max). Just make the event a Parallel Process. (by the way, you can change the battle music in the Database. System tab.) ======================================================================================= This FAQ was several days in the making, I've been busy with life, and I appologize for the messyness of this FAQ, I could have spent some more time on it and made it neater, but my head is very cluttered right now (sometimes you're the dog, sometimes you're the fire hydrant), so I just whipped up some quit topics for newbies and anyone else who needs this help. I hope everything is clear enough for you all to understand. Im not a writter, I just noticed there was a need for help files on rm2k. So I'll write what I know as best I can till I die or you find someone better...Later Gemin-eye .. June 30th - July 3rd/2000 .. 10:16 pm. .. Be an innovator.. not an imitator..