in no more than 10 minutes - keep it simple, stupid!
Auf Theutsch bitte sehr1. Introduction
In the following I am going to explain you how to use the engine of VX Ace (RGSS301.dll + Game.exe) in combination with your XP games which I fully entrust to everybody, for several reasons:
- Lag no more: The new Ruby Version 1.9.2 is about 5 times faster than ancient 1.8.1 and will give your game an enormous performance boost, especially if you're an avid eventer.
- Hyperliquid rendering: The XP engine is well-known for its stuttering scrolling and the associated tearing (graphics being cut). The image is lacking in calm, particularly in window mode. However after you have seen how beautifully soft and silky smooth your game looks with the new engine you're not going to want to miss it anymore.
- Improved font rendering: The VX and VX Ace engine implemented an improved font rendering which makes your character more refined and a pleasure to read.
- 60-120fps: While XP's standard frame rate is at a punny 40fps you can set the frame rate in Ace's engine up to 120fps with a single script call.
- Up to 1024x768 in fullscreen: in combination with a suitable script you can easily more than double your resolution from 640x480 to 1024x768 - in fullscreen too.
2. Required Files and Licences
Even though you can get all the files either from the Ace RTP (dll) or any game (Exe), you officially need a valid VX Ace maker licence in order to use them in your own game. A trial licence is in no way inferior to a bought one. You can't tell whether the creator of an XP game using the Ace engine had or has a valid licence or not from looking at it.
For convenience reasons all for this tutorial required files and scripts are contained in my
XP Ace Upgrade Kit.3. Step-by-step instructions
- 3.1 Remove RTP dependency
Copy all used ressources from the XP RTP into your game folder. The RTP is usually located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Enterbrain\RGSS\Standard or C:\Program Files\Common Files\Enterbrain\RGSS\Standard.
- 3.2 Insert the Engine
Copy Game folder files\Game.exe and RGSS301.dll from the kit into your game folder. Open your Game.ini and see what is written behind Library=. Rename RGSS301.dll accordingly (in most cases to RGSS102E.dll).
Copy the folder Fonts into your game folder. Game.exe always checks whether these font files are present there if they're not already installed on the system. It's irrelevant whether they are used in your game at all.
- 3.3 Paste Scripts
Paste Scripts\RPG Module.txt above all other scripts in your project.
Paste Window Padding Fix.txt above Main.
Replace Main with Main.txt.
Optional: If you're using print in your game, paste Print.txt above Main.
The Tilemap class is unalterably compiled in the RGSS dll and its task is to read map files and build maps as we know them. Since VX and Ace are using a different mapping system and thus a different tilemap class, you need a replacement that knows how to deal with your XP maps.
At the moment there are 6 alternatives in Ruby (=rewrites):
- Pros | Cons
- me(tm) [Recommended]: Fluid rendering and highly stable, also at higher resolutions | Incompatible with smooth scrolling scripts
- ForeverZer0 [Recommended]: Great performance, especially at higher resolutions | None known
- The King [Recommended]: Very liquid rendering, many additional features, made for RGSS3 | Possibly high RAM consumption, still in the works
- poccil: Decent for small and mid-size maps | Micro stutters on large maps
- SephirothSpawn: Absolutely fluid and stable rendering | Requires SDK Part I+II and parts of MACL Complete, Bugs
- RTH: Okay for small maps | Heavy stutters on large maps
Paste the script of your choice below the standard scripts and above your own scripts. If you're using Sephiroth's rewrite please note that SDK and MACL have to be above the tilemap script.
- 3.4 Adopt Windowskin
Either edit your windowskin so that the elements match those on an Ace windowskin or use Scripts\Windowskin Converter\Windowskin Converter.txt.
- 3.5 Optional: Encrypt Project
Download the VX Ace trial and install it. Create a new project, delete all files in your new Ace project folder without closing the maker, then paste all XP game files into the Ace game folder. Now select File -> Compress Game Data... -> (Create Encrypted Archive) OK. An self-extracting archive will then be created, containing a .rgss3a file instead of Data and Graphics folders.
Keep in mind that the rgss3a encryption has been cracked and released 5th of June 2012.
4. Bag of tricks
- In order to use a resolution beyond 640x480 use Game folder files\(optional)\RGSS300.dll and a script supporting custom resolutions (e.g. me(tm)'s or ForeverZer0's rewrite). Furthermore change Graphics.resize_screen(640, 480) in Main accordingly.
- To slow down in-game graphics to XP speed again use the script call Graphics.frame_rate = 40. This also decreases CPU load en passant. You can set the wanted fps to anything between 10 and 120.
- All differences between RGSS v3 and v1 can be listed in the
VX and
Ace help file by searching for (RGSS2) respectively (RGSS3).
5. Credits
Dargor - XP->VX tutorial
ForeverZer0, me(tm), PK8, poccil, RTH, SephirothSpawn, The King - scripts in the kit
Terv - everything else
6. Appendix: Error messages, known incompatibilities & solutions
It's quite likely that the first thing you will see from your tuned XP game is a mysterious error caused by a script that used to never make any trouble. In most cases it's just a small thing and can be easily fixed in minutes. However if you know as much about Ruby as the man in the moon, or encounter a more persistent error, there's a dedicated bugtracker now! Presenting you
www.Aluxes❤Eric.tk
I hope you liked my petty tutorial. Feel free to ask if you got questions or correct me when something is phrased cloudy :haha:
How to use the VX Ace engine in your XP games by Terv is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.