What's up, RMers?

[DerVVulfman]

I have a little... side project... that I'm piddling with.  It is a sorta 'recreation' of the RPGMaker XP scripts database basedupon the RMXP SDK that was prominently advertised by top scripters within the RMXP.Org community of 2006-2008.

The RMXP SDK as it was commonly known had some decent concepts:

1. A standardization for script headers and comments
   
   1. Standardization included script author's name, version, date, etc
      
   2. Standardization would assist those examining the scripts: end users/debuggers
      
   
   
2. A set of coding policies to make custom scripts more compliant with one another
   
   1. The use of 'alias_method' or just 'alias' to attach code instead of forced rewrites encouraged
      
   2. A standardization in naming the new alias method IDs (or aliased method names to include:
      • The name of the script
        
      • The script author's name
        
      • The name of the class the alias ID is within (Scene_Equip, etc.)
        
      • The name of the actual method aliased
        
      • All of these subject to abbreviations
        
      
      
3. A recognition that the default scripts had overly-large methods/routines 
   
   1. Many methods such as Spriteset_Map>initialize were broken into smaller components
      
   2. The concept of smaller components made adding new code/features easier
      

These were good concepts, but execution was flawed.  They continually kept refining and updating their SDK packages, so those who crafted scripts based upon older editions found their work incompatible with the newer.  And this was an oft reoccurring issue.

---

 
What I am working on is intended to be a complete setup.  You would not be downloading a DerVV-SDK.txt file to import into your scripts database.  Nope... it would be an actual Scripts.rxdata file to replace the existing scripts collective.
 
I will also add that testing of my variation of the innate scripts is being performed with both the RPGMaker XP version of Game.Exe and with the Game.Exes from the HiddenChest project by Kyonides.  In truth, what I am working on is compliant with both Ruby version 1.8 through to Ruby version 2.7.
 

What does my edition of the RMXP scripts include? 

1. A more advanced Debug screen which includes:
   
   1. Access by the [A] key (aka Input::X) from the default Debug menu [F9]
      
   2. Actor Healing and God Mode
      
   3. Disable Random Encounters (if anyone ever uses random encounters)
      
   4. Item/Weapon/Armor inventory management
      
   5. Pre-set destinations in which to teleport
       
      
2. An actual BattleSystem Debug screen allowing for:
   
   1. Access by the [A] key (aka Input::X) when in any Actor Command Menu (Fight/Spells/Item...)
      
   2. Switch and Variable management
      
   3. Actor or Enemy Healing
      
   4. Hiding and revealing enemies
      
   5. Battle Turn management
      
   6. (and more)
       
      
3. Integrated DASH (press SHIFT to run).  That took all of 6 lines  
   
   
4. A better enemy combat-action system preventing useless actions from being evoked
   
   1. Skills without enough SP points will be bypassed
      
   2. Healing fellow enemies already fully healed will no longer occur
      
   3. etc.
      

It should be 'relatively' compatible with RMXP SDK scripts with a few things to consider.  Version 2.0+ of the RMXP SDK used  a  SDK::Scene_Base class that was a parent or superclass to all other "Scene" scripts.  The version I have is just "Scene_Base"... no "SDK::"  prefix added.  And this version still employs index values within menus, and not test for text strings as conditions within menus..

Do know that I am not adding anything that alters the appearance or functionality of menus, maps, battles or the like.  No advanced wandering-events system as that would require further customization.  No facesets for message systems, no mini-map, no splash screens, no kidding.   The only actual features added are debug, dash and (eventually) a better functioning enemy_actions and melee/skill/item actions result collection.

I am not playing ignorant.  I do realize that some things are to be learned from later editions of the RubyScript RPGMaker line. Fortunately, I do own a copy of RPGMaker VX (or is that...  unfortunate?)  And I do have access to the scripts database for RPGMaker VXAce.    But one must keep in mind, that I am also dealing with the database specific for RPGMaker XP, and will need to consider it uses Battlers, does not use Facesets, does deal with a different tileset system, and so forth.



Status:  So far... so good.