[Game Design Tool] RPGMAKER XP

An expansive list of features

Tools
RPG MAKER lets you create an original role-playing game without any specialized knowledge or training. RPG MAKER™ XP has an outstanding level of freedom even compared to the other titles in the series.

Easy to Use
You might think it's hard to make great games, but it's a breeze when you use RPG MAKER XP. First, make a map that will serve as the stage for your adventure, then set up your heroes, enemy monsters, items, magic-everything you need for a good RPG creation. Finally, create some events and place them around the map, and your very own RPG is complete. Map making is simple and easy when you have tiles to work with! You can even use ready-made graphics for heroes and monsters, so all you have to do is give them stats and a names.

Effortless Event Creation
Townspeople, dungeons, treasure chests, boss battles - all of the things that help develop an RPG's story can be created through events. You'll find a wide array of events stored under Event Commands, from simple text and graphic displays to variable-wrangling technical tricks. Just select a series of commands and you've created an event. You can even find clever ways of stringing together these commands for more sophisticated events-or sneak in a trap or two.

Share your Games
Save your completed game as a game disk and you can burn it onto a CD-ROM to give to your friends or distribute it over the Internet for other gamers to enjoy. You can even market your creations as shareware.

Powered Up Graphics
The game screen has been expanded to 640x480 pixels, much larger than previous RPG MAKER titles. With support for PNG full-colour mode and alpha channel, you can adjust the settings for graphic translucency as well as specify the transparent colour. Plus, there are now three map layers instead of just two, allowing you to create even more complex maps.

New Battle Scene Layout
The new battle scene layout is a front view with the enemy monsters facing the screen. A great new feature is the ability to display graphics of the characters in the status window at the bottom of the screen. These graphics are completely customizable.

Enhanced File Handling
RPG MAKER XP allows you to encrypt your completed game data. Since all of your individual pieces of data are combined into a single file, you'll be able to keep your source data safe from prying eyes.

Expanded Data & RTP
RPG MAKER XP comes complete with tons of sample data, including graphics for characters, monsters, map tiles, magic effects, battles, and more. You'll never have to draw a single pixel if you use these ready-made materials to create your own RPG masterpiece. Of course, you can also create your own unique graphics for games. RPG MAKER XP supports the PNG graphic format as well as MIDI, WAV, and Ogg Vorbis sound formats, making it easy to include your own original data.

Battle System
RPG MAKER XP features a front-view, turn-based battle system. In this edition, the hero's party members show up on-screen right there with the enemies. This new setup allows you to apply battle animations and various graphical special effects not only to enemies, but to protagonists as well. Pillars of flame filling the screen, lightning striking the party members - never before have battles been this spectacular!

Introducing RGSS
Various RPG MAKER XP functions, from character parameters to the battle system, are created via programs called scripts. RPG MAKER XP is equipped with the Ruby Game Scripting System (RGSS), based on the Ruby language and customized especially for this program. By editing these RGSS scripts, you are free to change or add to any of RPG MAKER XP's functions. Think of it as taking a peek into the engine of RPG MAKER XP and tinkering around with what's inside. Since RGSS is very similar to a programming language, it may take some time to master. Once you've mastered these scripts however, you'll not only be able to edit menu screens and the battle system but you'll also be able to create your very own event commands. Though this feature is geared toward expert users, becoming familiar with it will allow RPG creation with more complex and engaging games.