HBGames
I have decided to create this thread to explain how to do some things that I've seen asked about repeatedly, both here (even though it's the wrong section) and in general support, as well as in random other areas. I hope I don't repeat anything from other tutorials. If you want something to be added to the list, please PM me to keep the thread from being filled with requests. Please don't request something that I'm working on. Only questions or comments should be posted in this thread. I may eventually need to split some of these off into separate tutorials, but for now they will all be contained in one thread.
Index
Super Simple
Title Screen, Tilesets, Windowskins, etc. (VX)
Adding Scripts (XP/VX)
Taking a Screenshot (XP/VX)
Last Resort - saving your work when there is a glitch or corruption (XP/VX)
Simple
Changing Modes - ending autorun events, changing graphic (XP/VX)
Intermediate
Common Events and Triggers (XP/VX)
Advanced
Weapon Skills - how to make players learn skills based on weapon equipped (XP/VX)
_____________________________________________________
Super Simple
Index
Super Simple
Title Screen, Tilesets, Windowskins, etc. (VX)
Adding Scripts (XP/VX)
Taking a Screenshot (XP/VX)
Last Resort - saving your work when there is a glitch or corruption (XP/VX)
Simple
Changing Modes - ending autorun events, changing graphic (XP/VX)
Intermediate
Common Events and Triggers (XP/VX)
Advanced
Weapon Skills - how to make players learn skills based on weapon equipped (XP/VX)
_____________________________________________________
Super Simple
Of course, one thing that can make a game stand out is its graphics. I've seen numerous threads about how to change the title screen in VX, so I'm going to explain how along with how to incorporate other system graphics. The first thing you have to do is locate the Resource Manager.
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/1362/60394754vu7.th.png[/img]
(Click to enlarge)
The box circled in red is the Resource Manager. Click on this and you'll see a list of files on the left and a list of materials on the right. Find the file that is named Graphics/System (VX) and click on it. The system graphics for RMXP have been further broken down into Graphics/Title, Graphics/Windowskin, etc., but it's the same thing except for where to find/place it. On the right, you'll see the list of graphics which are used throughout the game - the title screen, tilesets, windowskin, gameover screen, etc. To see what each one looks like, highlight the material and click Preview... on the right.
It's always good to click Export... on what you want to change, save it to your computer, and opening it with your editor before making a custom graphic so you have a template to work with. After you have the graphic, to include it to take the place of one of the default graphics, you'll need to rename the graphic to what is shown in the Resource Manager. For example, if you want a new title screen, you should name the file that you're going to use Title. This is essential for RMVX, but the file can be named differently in RMXP.
Once this is done, click on the import button when under Graphics/System and choose the file you've named. You'll notice that whichever graphic you replaced will be moved to the top on the right and the small circle next to it will change from blue to orange. If you click preview, you'll notice that it now displays your custom graphic. In RMXP, you need to go into the Database (icon to the left of Resource Manager), go into the System tab, and set the graphic in there. That's it! You've now replaced a system graphic with your own custom graphic! Of course, I recommend testing the game to make sure everything aligns as it should.
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/1362/60394754vu7.th.png[/img]
(Click to enlarge)
The box circled in red is the Resource Manager. Click on this and you'll see a list of files on the left and a list of materials on the right. Find the file that is named Graphics/System (VX) and click on it. The system graphics for RMXP have been further broken down into Graphics/Title, Graphics/Windowskin, etc., but it's the same thing except for where to find/place it. On the right, you'll see the list of graphics which are used throughout the game - the title screen, tilesets, windowskin, gameover screen, etc. To see what each one looks like, highlight the material and click Preview... on the right.
It's always good to click Export... on what you want to change, save it to your computer, and opening it with your editor before making a custom graphic so you have a template to work with. After you have the graphic, to include it to take the place of one of the default graphics, you'll need to rename the graphic to what is shown in the Resource Manager. For example, if you want a new title screen, you should name the file that you're going to use Title. This is essential for RMVX, but the file can be named differently in RMXP.
Once this is done, click on the import button when under Graphics/System and choose the file you've named. You'll notice that whichever graphic you replaced will be moved to the top on the right and the small circle next to it will change from blue to orange. If you click preview, you'll notice that it now displays your custom graphic. In RMXP, you need to go into the Database (icon to the left of Resource Manager), go into the System tab, and set the graphic in there. That's it! You've now replaced a system graphic with your own custom graphic! Of course, I recommend testing the game to make sure everything aligns as it should.
Scripts are used usually for things that can't be done with events. They are often used for complex things such as battle systems, but sometimes come in the form of add-ons (things that are additional and don't replace default scripts). You'll need to locate the Script Editor box.
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/7728/60974308vc0.th.png[/img]
(Click to enlarge)
The box circled with red is the Script Editor. Click on it to be brought to a large white box on the right with a list of scripts to the left. This next part splits between XP and VX, but the idea is the same.
XP
Scroll all the way down to on the left until you find Main. Right click on it and choose Insert... to create a new section above Main. You'll automatically be brought to the new, blank line on the left. The change this, type the name of the script into the Name: box below the list. This does not affect the script's function. It's used for organization. Now, copy the script you want to use and paste it in the large white box on the right. That's it! There are a couple of things to keep in mind, though. First, if the creator of a script specifies where to place a script, you should follow those directions instead of these. Secondly, if you're looking for a script, you should browse the Submitted Scripts forum or use the search function if you want something specific. I will not provide scripts here.
VX
Scroll all the way down to on the left until you find (Insert here) below Materials. Right click on it and choose Insert... to create a new section above (Insert here). You'll automatically be brought to the new, blank line on the left. The change this, type the name of the script into the Name: box below the list. This does not affect the script's function. It's used for organization. Now, copy the script you want to use and paste it in the large white box on the right. That's it! There are a couple of things to keep in mind, though. First, if the creator of a script specifies where to place a script, you should follow those directions instead of these. Secondly, if you're looking for a script, you should browse the Submitted Scripts forum or use the search function if you want something specific. I will not provide scripts here.
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/7728/60974308vc0.th.png[/img]
(Click to enlarge)
The box circled with red is the Script Editor. Click on it to be brought to a large white box on the right with a list of scripts to the left. This next part splits between XP and VX, but the idea is the same.
XP
Scroll all the way down to on the left until you find Main. Right click on it and choose Insert... to create a new section above Main. You'll automatically be brought to the new, blank line on the left. The change this, type the name of the script into the Name: box below the list. This does not affect the script's function. It's used for organization. Now, copy the script you want to use and paste it in the large white box on the right. That's it! There are a couple of things to keep in mind, though. First, if the creator of a script specifies where to place a script, you should follow those directions instead of these. Secondly, if you're looking for a script, you should browse the Submitted Scripts forum or use the search function if you want something specific. I will not provide scripts here.
VX
Scroll all the way down to on the left until you find (Insert here) below Materials. Right click on it and choose Insert... to create a new section above (Insert here). You'll automatically be brought to the new, blank line on the left. The change this, type the name of the script into the Name: box below the list. This does not affect the script's function. It's used for organization. Now, copy the script you want to use and paste it in the large white box on the right. That's it! There are a couple of things to keep in mind, though. First, if the creator of a script specifies where to place a script, you should follow those directions instead of these. Secondly, if you're looking for a script, you should browse the Submitted Scripts forum or use the search function if you want something specific. I will not provide scripts here.
This is one of the most helpful things to know when trying to make a game thread or get help. I'll explain the process step-by-step.
1. Find the PrtSc button on your keyboard. It is usually found above SysRq (they are both on the same key).
2. Get the screen you want to take a picture of, hold Shift and press the PrtSc button.
3. Open a picture editing program such as MS Paint and click Edit > Paste. Save the file onto your computer somewhere. You can delete it after it's uploaded, so I usually put it on my desktop.
4. Create an account on an image hosting site if you haven't already. The ones I use are Photobucket and ImageShack. Find the Upload Image button and choose the picture you want to upload.
5. Find the Image Code (the one that looks either like this (IMG). . .(/IMG) or this (URL=. . .)(IMG). . .(/IMG)(/URL) *Replace the () with []). Copy this and paste it where you want the image to be displayed.
And that's it! It's always a good idea to include a screenshot when asking for help.
1. Find the PrtSc button on your keyboard. It is usually found above SysRq (they are both on the same key).
2. Get the screen you want to take a picture of, hold Shift and press the PrtSc button.
3. Open a picture editing program such as MS Paint and click Edit > Paste. Save the file onto your computer somewhere. You can delete it after it's uploaded, so I usually put it on my desktop.
4. Create an account on an image hosting site if you haven't already. The ones I use are Photobucket and ImageShack. Find the Upload Image button and choose the picture you want to upload.
5. Find the Image Code (the one that looks either like this (IMG). . .(/IMG) or this (URL=. . .)(IMG). . .(/IMG)(/URL) *Replace the () with []). Copy this and paste it where you want the image to be displayed.
And that's it! It's always a good idea to include a screenshot when asking for help.
I've seen quite a few people have trouble with their game after they spent so much time on it. They post a general support topic, but there isn't anything they can do. Most of the time they say "I have to start over, then?" The answer is no. This will teach you how to transfer data from one game to another when you run into problems.
First, open up the original game folder and the new one. They should look something like this:
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7865/44520265iv0.th.png[/img]
In the original, go into the folder labeled "Data", and you should find something similar to this:
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1168/39552736yl0.th.png[/img]
Each one of these files contains the information that you've been altering throughout the game creation process. Now, if you just wanted to copy the game exactly, you'd select all of these files, copy, and paste them into the new game folder, replacing the old files. However, in most cases, one of these files is creating the problem. It's usually the "Scripts" file, so you would copy every file except that one into the new game, but the problem file is sometimes unidentifiable, in which case you would copy/paste each one individually until you find the problem. This is a last resort, which means it takes a while, but not as long as re-creating everything. Sometimes, the entire game folder can become corrupted, in which case this wouldn't work, but in most cases, this is an effective way to save yourself a lot of time.
First, open up the original game folder and the new one. They should look something like this:
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7865/44520265iv0.th.png[/img]
In the original, go into the folder labeled "Data", and you should find something similar to this:
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1168/39552736yl0.th.png[/img]
Each one of these files contains the information that you've been altering throughout the game creation process. Now, if you just wanted to copy the game exactly, you'd select all of these files, copy, and paste them into the new game folder, replacing the old files. However, in most cases, one of these files is creating the problem. It's usually the "Scripts" file, so you would copy every file except that one into the new game, but the problem file is sometimes unidentifiable, in which case you would copy/paste each one individually until you find the problem. This is a last resort, which means it takes a while, but not as long as re-creating everything. Sometimes, the entire game folder can become corrupted, in which case this wouldn't work, but in most cases, this is an effective way to save yourself a lot of time.