#rpg maker mv javascript

[directdogman]

hey dog! sorry to bug you with a coding question, but i'm learning rpg maker mv for a fangame & i'm wondering how you did a couple things. if it's not too much trouble, could you quickly explain some of it? i've scrounged around as much as i can but i cant find what i need so i thought it'd be worth asking directly ^^;

how did you get the players name to show up in the message log? i know theres a plugin that adds the name windows for other characters & i've got that figured out, but i have no idea how to get the players name to show up in the history after selecting stuff

how'd you get the graphic for the route diverging choices to show & play During choices? so far ive figured out that looping the images recreates the visual but then the game doesn't progress, bc its just stuck in that loop...

how'd you disable ( + grey out) dialogue options after selecting them??

how'd you add the fullscreen option? i found a code that was supposed to add a fullscreen option to the optionscore settings but that one just breaks the plugin & i simply Don't know enough javascript to figure it out myself

i'm using all the same plugins that dialtown has so clearly these are possible without extra ones, i just don't know how to do it,, thanks for explaining your pronoun system a little while ago btw! i wasn't the one who asked but your post was super helpful when i was setting it up for myself :D

It's been close to 6 years since I started making DT, and I had to figure out a few solutions to specific issues that cropped up which I've likely forgotten now, but I'll answer what I can remember. I'm also gonna give you some advice and advise you not to use RPG Maker for projects like these.

I basically Scott Cawthon'd DT and forced the engine to yield to my demands because I wanted to use the one I knew best. A few of these solutions are over-complicated because the easier ones (which would've worked in other engines) had to be constructed differently. I'll also mention a few solutions to problems you might not have encountered (but inevitably will if you try to recreate DT.) With that out of the way...

1)

You'll want these settings for the backlog plugin. the \c[x] commands refer to standard name colours. Log special inputs set to true, followed up by this below:

\n<\c[4]\n[1]\c[0]>%1

With \n[1] being the name you want and the number after the first c being what colour you want.

I'll also save you a potential future issue: I'd actually recommend you find the backlog plugin I used in DT's files (located inside the www/js/plugins folder) and use the version I have instead of the official release if you're not already, because I made a small change to fix an error. Basically, it breaks slightly with the plugin that lets you bring up the menu during dialogue because text reloads when you leave the menu and re-enter the text box, causing text to be logged at least twice after you pause it. If you keep bringing up the menu, you'll get constant duplication. I simply added a line of code that tells the log not to have two duplicates in a row. Not a programmer, but it seems works.

2)I did it in a funny way to ensure the engine wouldn't screw it up. Basically, there's 3 steps to the event and it's kinda hard to explain (and would be annoying to reproduce without a lot of trial and error for a beginner.) It's easier if I show my code. The first thing I do is run a common event (you can also just paste this code in and run it from the event) that renders the frames used by the popup, so they're loaded into memory + ready to go.

As you can see, they're set to 0 opacity but now ready to be used. Obviously they have to be on a layer that isn't being used by anything else in the scene (and won't be during this part of the game.) I run this event ahead of time, usually 4 messages before the choice comes up or so, so even slower PCs should have time to get them up.

The 'if head' thing just switches between the files for phone/typegingi's heads. I render each frame on separate layers and toggle their opacity from one to the next on a single frame to avoid flickering (bc RPG maker's renderer is hot trash and I have to work around it. Case in point.)

Step 2 is a second command event that orders the frames to fade in.

One layer is the text (which doesn't move) and the other is the first frame of the little head animation. A switch is also turned on at the end, and this signals the animation to go, which is handled by an event on any map where a choice like this comes up.

The event page that handles the animation itself has 2 pages, one to handle the animation as it goes and the other to handle when it stops (note that you could use one page and simply use a conditional branch. I didn't.)

Set to parallel so it runs in the bg behind normal events. As you can see, every 17 frames, I command one image to fade out over a single frame and another to fade in. It loops perfectly, cycling from middle frame, to left, to middle, to right, back to middle. Finally, when you select any route diverging choice, it sets off a second switch, which activates the second event page and commands the game to dispose of the graphics and then turn itself off.

Basically, it's the same animation but with a twist. The text is faded out over 60 frames and then the same animation is played as before, except the values it fades back into go from 255, to 170 to 85. Each of those commands is also followed by a 17 second fade to the opacity of the next frame. So, frame one renders in one frame at 255. Then seventeen frame fadeout to 170... Next frame renders for 1 frame AT 170, then fades out gradually to 85. Then next frame renders at 85 during 1 frame, fades to 0. This is how i synced the turning animation to fade out convincingly.

At the very end, I turn both of the switches this event page uses off so both event pages don't continue on loop. I also have a check for the first event variable to check if the game should still think the animation is running, as a failsafe. I don't remember if this mattered.

3)It's a function in the YEP Extended Message Pack. You'll see the commands for hiding (temporarily removing) + disabling choices (greying them out) as you scroll through the help list, almost 2/3 down. The thing you have to remember though is that messages that are commanded to be hidden/disabled will STAY disabled unless you turn them back on. So, ANY time there's a possibility to make a choice with a disabled or hidden message, add this plugin command to EVERY selectable choice

ClearChoiceSettings

This will ensure the game doesn't break from having a choice permadisabled. If you use loops or labels to make the game return to a previous choice, make sure the looping point is BEFORE any logic that may disable/hide a choice so it doesn't autoenable everything if the game has to go back.

4)Make a new RPG Maker project, copy the js folder from www/data/js and open the new project alongside your other one. Then check my YEP Option core plugin and follow this path in the plugin editor

This code should work.

On a similar note, I'd also take a look at how my plugins are ordered, if your list is different. I had to meddle with the list to make sure some plugins functioned correctly. This engine is held together with duct-tape and spite, so do what this advice what you will.

Hope this helps!

[landsharkrawr]

Do you have any tip for working in RPG maker?

Don't be afraid to use the default assets. they're there to be used.

javascript stuff can feel really daunting at first but once you start to get it you're either going to start using it to your advantage or want to remake your game in its own engine. do not restart from scratch getting it all set up is going to take a long time if you're not like really experienced with that sorta thing. i sure as hell ain't gonna do that.

plugins can be your bestie (like the big yanfly pack for MV was instrumental in making a lot of mechanics i wanted) but don't be afraid to make things simple so that you dont need them.

if you're trying to figure out how to balance your games enemies i suggest learning how to use a spreadsheet editor to calculate how much damage you're going to do to an enemy with charts and stuff so you can better visualize how many hits something to takes to kill and in what contexts (ie: magical vs physical damage, elemental weaknesses and resistance, buffs and debuffs). because rpg maker lets you just straight up write the damage formula you could just make the baseline for damage be "attack - defense" and work with really small numbers like paper mario does.

and especially if you're new to making games in general you wanna have a small endpoint. like "only one or two dungeons" (preferably one) or like with The Unlife of Gorlak "30 day time limit" (3 or 7 days would also be a good short one if you wanted a time based game)

kinda the main things i think of when working with rpg maker idk if you had something more specific in mind. hope it helps!

[onehobgoblin]

At college I only learned C, java and fucking assembly (who the fuck uses assembly???). Also a little bit of phyton but it was more "look up how to make this thing happen, copy and paste in the code" instead of actually learning how it works.

Right now I'm trying to understand the rpg maker mv engine, that uses javascript. I've only learned object oriented programming using java.

Imagine my head trying to work around not needing to define the classes, methods and attributes of everything before creating an object.

The fuck you mean I can just add a new attribute out of nowhere to the object? Where are the fucking classes?

Well, after hitting my head against the wall for awhile I'm finally getting the idea of how things works here. Using prototypes to inherit stuff was really confusing at first.

[k0nstanta]

can anyone here who knows javascript help me edit an rpg maker mv plugin. it's not that hard (i assume) i just don't know how to do it

[2headedb0y]

Which platform do you use for coding the game :O also any interest in helpers? Both art and coding

Honestly it requires such a minimal amount of coding. I do have to use Javascript for some parts of it due to the limitations of the engine, which is designed for beginners like me (rpg maker mv).

I never imagined anyone would offer to help. This community has been so supportive so far it blows my mind. I'm in such an early stage of things I'm not sure I am ready to bring any help in yet but that could absolutely change...I might just come crawling into your asks/DMs sometime and checking to see if you're still interested. It would probably be art if I did need help I am guessing?

What programming language(s) do you use btw?

[biocrafthero]

Guys is it possible to make a visual novel in RPG Maker MV with JavaScript or should I just get RenPy and learn Python

[emeraldcatears]

Seeing what's new.

I used RPG Maker XP before (though mainly only used Pokemon Essentials) so MZ has a lot new that folks who used the RPG Makers in between like VX and MV are probably already familiar with.

For example:

It comes with a character generator that makes easy-to-use sprites!

While I intend to use my own resources eventually you know I have to play with this...

Also? Children exist beyond gender! In that case...

There's also a dark theme (as well as two high contrast ones that... don't appeal to me.

That should be easier on the eyes after staring at a computer screen at work all day.

Another thing I noticed right away is that the tilesets give you a lot more autotiles than XP. XP maxed at 8. This one has loads!

Autotiles, for those newer to this than I am, are tiles that automatically draw corners and the like based on what tiles they're drawn next to rather than needing to be put together with individual tiles. These can also be animated to show the motion of waves or waterfalls.

The tilesets are also broken into tabs! Looks like the bases are in the A tab and the details to add on top are in B and C. I'll have to look more into this when I eventually import my own tiles but it already seems nice for organizing.

Another thing?

Four layers for mapping! XP had three. Apparently they took away layers for some of the iterations between XP and MZ? That sounds irritating. Good thing MZ has them again.

MZ defaults to 48x48 tiles but has options for others as well. Again, I'll worry about that when I play with my own resources.

Those are just what I noticed right away. Apparently another difference is that XP used the Ruby programming language and MZ uses Java JavaScript. I never touched the code back in my Pokemon Essentials days so anything involving that is going to be new to me.

Oh, man. I'm already getting ideas for things to make with this. I plan on using the default resources to start with while I'm learning (for the most part) but when I start putting my own in I'll probably record the process here.

[lunariamv]

Hello. I have heard that you are trying to make an RPG game. What game engine are you using? Can I help you out with some bugs and stuff for something like porting?

hello!! im currently using rpg maker 2000; so i don't really need any help with porting atm, since easyrpg is basically an emulator for said engine

perhaps in the future when i start using rpg maker mv, which seems more port friendly, as it uses javascript and html (idk how it works so we'll see);; i will let you know!

thank you for offering, i appreciate it!

[kkdreamboat]

Which RPG Maker is that game you're making made with? :O 👀

we're using RPG Maker MV, which is the main reason our main programmer has been able to do the wizardry he's accomplished, since MV is built on JavaScript so he can mostly do whatever... albeit after working out MV's guts first

its. it sure has been an experience lmao

[1slur]

MV is on sale too for 85% off which is like

MV is a damn good engine if you know programing because you can modify literally any part of the javascript, you're basically given the source code

RPG MAKER 2003 IS ON SALE FOR 2 DOLLARS ON STEAM UNTIL THE 9TH

[nerdwithascreen-game-dev]

Shipping Bin Tutorial For RPG Maker MV (RMMV)!

The tutorial is under the cut due to it being long! Everything you need to create a shipping bin like Stardew Valley, Rune Factory, Harvest Moon, etc. Is right here!

So this took a lot of trial and error, but! It appears to be working just fine, and it can definitely probably be edited and changed if you’re more skilled with javascript, but given that I’m an amateur, it’s not going to be spectacular. This is meant as the barebones really and to explain the basics to others who either are new to javascript or have spent countless hours trying to make a shipping bin for people!

Required: 3 Variables, 1 common event/event

This image is what I will be referencing to for the entire post! So what you want to do is either have a common event page or event page open (I prefer common event as it’s easy to add to multiple events if I wish). 

We will first begin with the loop command under our flow control.

 This is what will allow us to use the select item command under the message section over and over without having to enter and exit repeatedly. It’s more or less for an aesthetic reason, and it keeps us from frustrating our players! After the loop, we will create the select item option. This is where our first variable comes in!

For all intents, we will be using the variable numbers I used, but feel free to use any variable you want! This first variable (#11), I named Shipping Bin Item. This is where the item ID will be stored every time the player adds something to the bin. You can choose whether your shipping bin will be able to hold Regular Items, Hidden Items, or Key Items, but for this tutorial, mine will be set to regular items! This is so you can set things like Tool Items or one of a kind items to key/hidden, so the player cannot sell them!

So far you should have:

Loop

Select Item: Shipping Bin Item, Regular Items

Now we add the If else statement! For our player to either hit escape or to have zero items in their inventory, we want it so they cannot get anything from it. So  we should have

If: Shipping Bin Items = 0

This is where the other two variables will occur. They may seem confusing right now, but it’ll be explained shortly!

Control Variables: 11 Shipping Bin Items = 0 Control Variables: 12 Shipping Bin Items Price = 0

This will set values to 0 and make sure something silly doesn’t happen that gives your player extra gold when they shouldn’t have it.

After we do this, we will break the loop so that the player can exit!

So in total, our event should look like this

Loop Select Item: Shipping Bin Item, Regular Items If: Shipping Bin Items = 0 Control Variables: 11 Shipping Bin Items = 0 Control Variables: 12 Shipping Bin Items Price = 0 Break Loop

Else:

Now this is where the javascript comes in! For anyone using other versions of rpg maker, these script codes may vary if using older or newer versions of rpg maker. However, it should be easily to find these script codes either in forums or google!

To start, we will set our variable to some script!

When you click on Control variables under the game progression tab on page one, you will have the option to set it to constants, variables, etc. What we want is the button option of script. This will allow us to write our own script that we cannot always normally do with the predefined options rpg maker gives us!

But Screeny! What do we type there? Well, I’ll tell you!

We need to set our second variable (12 for this example) to Shipping Bin Item Price first. After which, we need to write some script that will tell us what the item price is. With select item set up, the game is already storing the item ID to variable 11, and it will change every time our player selects an item to put in the shipping bin.

If you have not set up items, don’t worry! If you add items later, it should still work with this! All you need to do is set a price base in the database for it! Then the game will later read the price with our line of code we’re adding.

Anything involving data for items can usually be found with ($dataItems[x]) with x being the id number. However, since we need to check all items, it would be a cluster of chaotic else ifs to check every single item ID, so we can instead set x to a variable! For this we will type ($dataItems[$gameVariables.value(11)]). What this is doing is saying that the item is equal to the value of Variable 11. You can use this for a lot of things such as item ids and item price! Which what we need next is exactly that! Typically, to find an item price, we would say $dataItems[x].price, but since we’re using a variable, we will need to use the variable in the x again! This gives us:

($dataItems[$gameVariables.value(11)].price);

So this is what we write in the script field on the variable! Now is the actual script.

For our script line, we will need the script command that can be found on page three under the “Advanced” tab. This is going to be long again, but this is how we control what items the player loses. Again, this is simplified, but we will set it up so that the entire party will lose 1 of each item they click. You can most likely change this with variables and allow the player to choose the quantity they want, but again, this is the simple version!

So we’re going to use $gameParty.gainItem which seems weird, but sometimes the lose item function will not remove an item and actually stop at 1 of the item. We will then use the information from above, without the price of the item, so: ($dataItems[$gameVariables.value(11)]. After which, we will use , -1 to signify the player is gaining a negative of an item, which actually subtracts from player inventory! All together, you’ll have:

$gameParty.gainItem($dataItems[$gameVariables.value(11)], -1);

And the last step is the easiest! The third variable (13 for this example) we need is Shipping Bin Final Value. This will add up all of the items price values that are set in the database for a grand total value of all items added! Create a control variable for Shipping Bin Final Value and set it to Add. Then click the variable and select Shipping Bin Item Price. This adds all the values to it, and now we are finished! Our completed script should look like this:

Loop Select Item: Shipping Bin Item, Regular Items If: Shipping Bin Items = 0 Control Variables: 11 Shipping Bin Items = 0 Control Variables: 12 Shipping Bin Items Price = 0 Break Loop

Else:

Control Variables: 12 Shipping Bin items Price = ($dataItems[$gameVariables.value(11)].price); Script: $gameParty.gainItem($dataItems[$gameVariables.value(11)], -1) Control variables: 13 Shipping Bin Final Value += Shipping Bin Item Price

Now you can add this to your shipping bin event and it’s ready to use! You can also set up events like a bed where when the player sleeps, their gold amount will change += to Shipping Bin Final Value every night. Then you can reset all three variables to make sure that the player doesn’t have gold left in variable 13 that they add to from the day before!

[draconisknight]

The feeling of getting something to work. And then realize that it is at least half the potential.

[bunchashapes]

would you like to take a gander what this 10yr old video’s “Dubstep and Dance Remix” of Gustav Holst’s The Planets Suite is like .

https://youtu.be/NKFFAcgPDu0

real question though, what’s it like working with rpg maker? i’m considering using it for a future project.

this is stupid but very funny. thank you for sharing.

and i think the real trick of rpg maker is setting your expectations beforehand. it's a very sound program if you're doing stuff entirely within its limited interface, but you're probably going to want to use plugins for more features/better control/etc, which is a whole other ballgame. the biggest pro of the program is that it's done a lot of the hard work for you! changing maps, storing data and running battles is already handled for you. if you just wanna try making a simple rpg or visual novel for fun, i'd say go for it!

BUT if you have a specific idea in mind, i would recommend looking at what rpg maker can do by default and seeing if you can fit your game within those constraints BEFORE you start shopping for plugins. plugins are great for changing formulas and altering basic things, but if you decide you want more features, say, "i want atb mechanics" or "i want timed hits" or even "i want 'tales'-style combat where the player can move in real time", there ARE plugins that can help you, but they're often hacky and usually won't feel good to use, at which point you're better off moving up to gamemaker and learning how to do the hard stuff yourself. it's all about determining scope before you get too far in the process.

as for version, i use MV because it uses javascript rather than its earlier counterparts that use ruby, but every version has its pros and cons that are worth looking into before you get too deep, it'll be very hard to switch from one to the other after you've started.

[knockoff-fuze-tea-brewery]

NONE of the playstation titles can compete im sorry lol

the game boy ones are cute but not all that useful either though i did play the game boy color one a while back on an emulation website and that wasnt too intuitive i think

rpg maker 2000

im the least familiar with so i cant give it a just rating but my educated guess is that rpg maker 2003 surpasses it. graphics vise its solid but also dated and doesnt allow for too much fun with custom graphics this one supports front view battle system

2003

its good! it has by default a whole lot of customization even if it seems limiting and even some amazing feature like its show picture capabilities are unrivaled as far as im aware but its also software from... 2003 its not all that easy to understand especially since you need to work within its limitations. the rtp is pretty solid! i personally like it. and this one works with the side view battle system with the active time battle system bar

XP

spent a whole lot of time on this one its pretty fun! if with its own shitty design decisions like removing what 2003 had but its the first entry to offer ruby game script system (rgss) and its pretty solid and fully customizable... it does require you to understand ruby, an obsolete programming language. xp also requires a lot of customization to not feel clunky and more of a legitimate game rather than a flash game. which sucks! the rtp is alright im personally not a fan at all though

vx

kind of the black sheep of the line up i think? it was something like xp but way more polished lmao though it also removed really good features from xp for no reason and it made the creators later release vx ace (instead of making an update for vx to make it good... what..). it supports an ugly picrew as its attraction and its... blegh. the other assets are pretty solid i think

vx ace

probably the best one purely because it doesnt lag the shit out of my laptop

im so glad they put this one on 100% sale LOL its the better vx with added features like an updated tiling system also i often see people pull some cool shit battle system vise here specifically because of rgss. im yet to get it into fully but its a huuuge leap in quality from xp i can tell you that much. the picrew has also been updated and is more serviceable but you should make your own graphics i think... or ask to use some from the rpg maker forums they have those. the assets like tiles are, i think, the same as vx

mv

its very good! but its also awfully optimized in my experience. it moved to JAVASCRIPT (NOT an obsolete programming language) with its scripts and plug ins and its cross platform by the way, it also lets you make mobile games too. by default it has a lot more customization baked into it (still 2k3 beats it LOL) like the battle system, it supports a character maker and its a bit more respectable this time, the other assets are alright i think. NOW, the resolution is fully customizable this time while the previous versions were confined to a set one, which is huge.

mz

i heard its very similar to mv but i cant tell you for certain. i do know that it changed how battle animations work, by downloading another program you have more customization over the anims, buuut im not at all familiar with that either and if i had to guess its also not optimized very well

unity

what the hell is that

To celebrate that RPG Maker VX Ace is free¹ on Steam until the 11th, perhaps, I'mma share a question with ny'all.

Of aaaaaall the versions RPG Maker out there, which one's the best?

Here's the list I'm aware of:

RPG Tsukuru - Dante 98 (PC-98)

RPG Tsukuru - Dante 98 II (PC-98)

RPG Tsukuru - Super Dante (SNES)

RPG Tsukuru 2 (SNES, I ripped this one for The Spriter's Resource)

RPG Tsukuru 3 (PS1)

RPG Tsukuru 4 (PS1)

RPG Maker 2 (PS2, apparently in full 3D)

RPG Tsukuru GB (GBC, another one I ripped for TSR)

Uchūjin Tanaka Tarō de RPG Tsukuru GB2 (GBC)

RPG Tsukuru Advance (GBA)

RPG Maker 2000 (Windows)

RPG Maker 2003 (Windows)

RPG Maker XP (Windows)

RPG Maker VX (Windows)

RPG Maker VX Ace (Windows)

RPG Maker MV (Windows)

RPG Maker MZ (Windows)

RPG Maker Unite (Windows)

Judging visuals and features, which one would you say is best, and why?

(Wow, the later Windows releases had real useful names.)

¹: The base application is free, including the RTP and character generator. The asset packs are not.

[norsaeae]

as the votes decided, development will be displayed here on this blog.

regarding the whole game developing, i have prepared some pointers i could sorta use as to familiarise you with what i had in mind with the game, which ill be curious myself if it will ever come to fruition.

with that i want to say please please please don't get your hopes up. I have tried back in the day making games and it never left development phase because the ideas were too convoluted and i lost the direction of the game or my dev team fell apart.

i have some sketches that could convey the vibe i am going for and i am gonna try and explain where i want the story to go.

i will from now use the tag #smblgame which means sink, my black lung, which i will use as a stand in for the name of the game unless ill think of smt better.

i present my concept art of the place and main character, again, it's concept art, nothing is final!

while i want the game to have underground exploration, it is not about being stuck in mines, but rather coming to the place basically after the whole collapse went down to investigate further what really happened. I want to think of this as how here around Ostrava, teens often go to abandoned mining places to just explore it. that itself will include a lot of danger, since the whole place will be unstable but I don't want to think of this project to be the classical horror rpg random encounters or chase scenes. idk might change in the future, who knows.

i think ill use RPG maker MV, so ill have to learn a bit of JavaScript to get it going the way i want it to work. while i do have small experience in coding, i'll have a lot to learn to be able to make functional plugins and stuff for the game.

once again, please think of this project as a fun project that might never come to fruition!!!! don't get your hopes up!!!!

for updates on my progress, please follow the tag #smblgame

[crustyclarinet]

javascript is fun