This guide will present the general steps to take if you are interested in creating a RPG (Role Playing Game) with a program called RPG Maker XP, also known as RMXP, manufactured by the Japanese company Enterbrain. You can download the software here:
You can download a trial version for 30 days, or purchase the program for $ 29.99. You will notice that the download will contain two items: the RPG Maker program itself and a Run-time package (RTP) file. The RTP file is basically a collection of game material that will be uploaded by the RPG maker.
Two more tips: First, this guide won't help you learn how to perform the recommended steps. There will, for example, be no advice on how to make the map. Its purpose is to describe the general steps to take if you are new to the process of creating a video game. On the official website you will be able to find several tutorials, as well as on the many forums that deal with the topic: they will certainly be more useful than this article to deepen the specific topic. At the bottom of the page there will be links to these external resources.
Second, most of the learning process requires you to understand how the various steps work on your own. There are so many small complexities in the program that it would not be possible to explain them in detail in this article. You will learn by simply exploring and experimenting, and as it is a fairly simple program, relatively speaking, it shouldn't be too complicated to tackle.
ATTENTION: The screenshots shown below were taken with RPG Maker VX Ace, not RPG Maker XP. They only serve to illustrate the various steps generically. The interfaces are quite similar, so you can find your way around easily.
Steps
Step 1. Find a good idea and try to expand it
Concept creation should always be the first step in any creative activity, as it is impossible to start working on a project without at least having the basics. It is one of the steps that will probably be more fun since, in all likelihood, you already have tons of ideas running through your head. For the moment, however, it is likely that they are simple ideas: try to have a lot of meat on the fire and delve into the most interesting ideas. Try to come up with all the characters, settings, enemies, items, weapons, abilities, and everything else you can think of. The implementation process will be far easier if you work on a solid foundation, rather than adding lots of small details as they come to mind.
Step 2. Write a script
The level of depth depends on you, but for a well-made game it is important to have a script, which contains both the dialogue and the description of the main events. Just like in the previous step, spreading everything out on paper will not only allow you to get a clearer idea of how to make the rest of the game, but it will also make the process a lot easier, as you just have to copy and paste the dialogue from the script to the program.. The script, combined with the draft created in the first step, will be your most important assets.
Step 3. First, make the map
The reason we recommend creating the map right away is that it will help you visualize the world better. By doing so, you can potentially change your mind and refine all aspects of the game. To start creating a map, click with the right mouse button on the initial map in the map panel, just below the "tileset", ie image files that present a large variety of different objects and environments, separated by the programmer in a Grill. Everything you do in the game will be based on a grid; each square will represent a movement of the character. In these squares you can then place a piece of the selected tileset. You will also be able to create events, a process that will be discussed later. It is also important to remember that you can use three levels to make your map, especially useful for making walls, ceilings and anything you want to be above the ground level. You can also modify each square in a tileset to have different characteristics, such as the ability to be traversed and the directions from which it can be crossed. You can make these changes from the Tilesets tab in the Database, although this step will be explained later.
If you are creating sub-maps that will have to coexist with larger maps, for example a small cave in a forest, immediately create it as a sub-map by clicking on the larger map and creating a smaller one inside it, instead of passing through the map. of the world. This will make viewing the exact location of the maps much easier
Step 4. Create the game items
The next step will take a lot of time and work. It will be fully realized in the Database. The screens at the top of the program will practically be the list of steps to be performed. You will have to pass them through one by one, making sure to fill them with everything the game will have to contain, such as main characters, weapons, character abilities, items, status effects, monsters, the experience they give, the items they offer as rewards, and, of course, the groups they will split into to attack your party. You will also need to edit the different tilesets you own. In other words, you will need to create a foundation for the game. Don't worry about the "Common Events" or "System" screens just yet. You will have to go back to the Database several times as you check what you have created but, for the moment, just create a "preliminary draft".
Step 5. Create your events
This step is the core of the game creation process. To create an event, select the "Events" level. Double-click on a square on the map. The options are endless, but the most used ones allow you to place an NPC (non-player character, such as a villager) with whom you can talk, set up a conversation between characters, or start a battle. You can adjust the start of these events in different ways, such as when a character physically touches the square, or by clicking with the space bar (the "select" button by default) next to the square, or automatically as soon as you enter the map. There are so many customization possibilities in creating the boxes that kick off an event, discovering them is part of the fun.
Step 6. Arrange the monsters on the map
Once you have created the monster groups, you will need to arrange them in the right place on the respective maps. You can do this in the map menu by right clicking on the menu panel and then on "Map Properties". From here you can select which group of monsters you want to appear on the map and how often you want them to appear.
Step 7. Choose the music
What would a RPG be without a soundtrack? Music is the real "atmospheric backbone" of a video game. The soundtrack you choose will be part of the memories of those who play your video game. You can choose any type of music you prefer, from the tracks included in the program to an MP3 of your choice, customizing it according to the maps, battles, boss fights, movies or any element of your choice. The music will set the mood for each aspect of the game, so make sure it matches the type of event you're associating it with. You can select map music from the menu from which monster groups can also be set, while battle music is selected in the Database, just like music for more general aspects of the game, such as the title screen and game over screen.. You can also play a song to your liking using an event.
Step 8. Add side quests
This step is optional, but strongly recommended. Sure, the main story is the most important part, but everyone loves good side quests; make the game much less linear. You could have your characters kill an optional monster to get a prized weapon, complete a special dungeon that ultimately offers a large sum of money, but any idea you can think of is fine.
Step 9. Test the game
Continuously. Do not repeatedly test the individual parts and battles, but the game as a whole, as it is vital to maintain a good balance (ie, a level of difficulty) and an engaging experience. A good idea might be to have a main save that you will use to play the game as a whole, and then tweak the battles, from time to time, depending on what level a normal party should have gotten to at that point in the game. Make sure you check everything very carefully, as there will be bugs everywhere and many will be easy to skip. Some may completely ruin the gameplay experience, such as a door, needed to progress through the story, that doesn't open. Make sure you play the video game you created firsthand to make sure it's perfect. Congratulations, you just made your first video game! At this point there is nothing left to do but make someone else play, right?
Step 10. Distribution
Once you have finally finished the game and you want someone else to try it, you have several options available. The easiest and most immediate way, if you have friends interested in the subject, is to let them play directly from your computer and through the RMXP program. However, you can also easily pass the file to a disc and give it to someone to play.
- Compress the game data. Go to the "File" screen and click on "Compress game data". You will be prompted for a destination folder (or a CD). The compressed files will contain all the information the game needs to play, except for audio files and graphics. It is therefore possible to refer to what was mentioned at the beginning of the article regarding the RTP file. If the users of the game have installed the RTP file on their computer, they can simply start the game with this compressed file. You will not need to have installed RMXP.
- To download the RTP file separately, go to this link:
- If they have not installed the RTP file, you will need to include the audio and graphics folders along with the compressed data: the file weight could therefore grow quite a lot. To play, simply double click on the "Game" file.
Advice
- First of all, remember to have fun!
- If you are looking for more advanced options, you can download a complete script editor of the Ruby programming language that will allow you, after knowing the necessary notions (or the ability to search for them on Google), to modify all aspects of the game even beyond the possibilities. preset of the program. You will be able to add a side view of the battle screen, special climates, lighting effects and much more!
- Explore all the possibilities. The choices and options are truly endless and discovering them is part of the experience.
