#ynfg tutorial

[roshii-pix]

Default Actions

Not sure how comprehensible this will be, but hopefully it helps

im not great with rm2k3 so this is pretty unoptimised ):

Things needed:

Default animation (sitting in this case)

Default Switch (called [USE]None in this tutorial)

Variable for the button input (called Use Effect in this tutorial)

If the action is toggled, you will also need:

Toggle Switch (called Is Sitting in this tutorial)

Sprites in the final state of the action (sitting and standing in this case)

This will be a common event with a parallel process trigger and no condition switch

Sprites needed (visual demo):

Sitting (Called: “Full Yoshika Sheet Three alt, 7”):

(this is the most space efficient way of fitting them, at first i had left and right directions separately)

Standing (Called: “Full Yoshika Sheet, 1”):

~~~~~~

First, you'll need to set up key input processing for the key you'll use for the action:

(this is found on page three)

You will need a conditional branch for when the input variable is pressed (in this case it's the 1 button, so the variable will be equal to 11)

(This branch doesn't need an else statement)

Inside this branch, you will need another conditional branch to check if the Default Switch is on

(This branch also doesn't need an else statement)

Inside this branch (sorry there are so many nested branches T-T) you will need a conditional branch for the player's direction (unless the direction doesn't matter)

(This branch also doesn't need an else statement)

The final nested branch is for toggle effects and it checks if the toggle switch is off

(This branch does need an else statement)

For sitting down, you need to:

Set move route to Wait (I did 3x)

Hide player character

Change player sprite to sitting (or whatever your default is)

Show animation

Unhide player character

Set move route to Wait (repeat) (So the player can't move while sitting)

Set the input variable back to 0

Turn on the Toggle Switch

What it should look like:

The else section is used for standing up, and you need to:

Set move route to Wait (I did 3x)

Hide player character

Change player sprite to standing

Show animation

Unhide Player character

Set input variable back to 0

Turn Toggle Switch off

What it should look like:

You need to copy/paste this for each of the directions (don't accidentally paste it into the previous direction, it won't break the code or cause an error, but it'll not work for that direction)

~~~~~~

And then you're done :D

Hopefully it was understandable :3

[pinkuboa]

forgot I made this silly chart during Dream Diary jam: a small list of perspectives you could possibly put into your fangame (or non-yume nikki related game!)

[skyllion-uwu]

The closer I get to the YNFG Jam start date the more I don't think I'll be able to do it this year, but I think I just won't officially enter and just keep playing with RPG Maker 2003 by following the tutorial series I'm watching right now and making my own "game" (AKA a Hit and Run in this Mundane World! prequel thing that's mostly just throwing the characters around like dolls)

[sleepymichaelagames]

ALL these events

Just so my boy can go up and under these stairs lol

Inspiration from YNFG Withers and thankfully some bridge crossing tutorials lol

[stoic--rose]

the people on tumblr who have made tutorials on making ynfgs, specifically @/pinkuboa and @/nyrator have been massive lifesavers holy smokes

[rpgmgames]

February’s Featured Game: Returning Nightmares

DEVELOPER(S): Saturn ENGINE: RPGMaker 2003 GENRE: YNFG, Exploration, Adventure WARNINGS: Blood, Gore, Swearing, Suicide SUMMARY: Returning Nightmares is an exploration adventure-horror game being developed in RPG Maker 2003, inspired by Yume Nikki and it's multiple fan-made homages (but with dialogue & easier to navigate maps). You play as Akira, a young man locked up in his own bedroom, exploring his dreams to remember the events that lead him to where he is now. But some things are better left alone…

Play the demo here!

Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! Hi, I'm Saturn and I like videya game. I've been into Yume Nikki since about... 2010? And RPG Maker in general since 2011. I've been cateloguing resources and reblogging RPG Maker projects on Pinkuboa for 6 & 1/2 years now (7 in June) and I run Dream Diary Jam, a game jam for making Yume Nikki Fangames. I also love pixel art, writing, and cooking, but the last one I can't make into a game (yet).

What is your project about? What inspired you to create your game initially? *Saturn: I was originally trying to make like a little intro to Yume Nikki project that people could peak into and copy for Dream Diary Jam & future use. However, it ended up taking a life of it's own as something I could goof off in and enjoy without thinking about it. The eventing I did for it could be better optimized, so I wouldn't use it as an example anymore (but don't mind at all if people look & learn from it!). It's basically about me thinking back on my edgy years and my years of looking at other's OCs and celebrating how goofy and fun the stories could be. A lot of the game is me asking "What would someone who watched a lot of anime and listened to MCR do?" There's an appeal to cool edgy stuff I think we forget about when we look back on our edgelord years. Sure, you may not have been the best writer and some of the stuff is over the top, but it was enjoyable to make and some of the characters still appeal to you for basic emotional reasons (good design, relatable story, fun power trip, you just like their hair, etc.) I hope the game is enjoyable to people whether or not they laugh at it or honestly have a good time with it. Both ways are valid - enjoyment is enjoyment!

How long did you work on your project? *Saturn: Oh gosh...I believe I started at the very end of 2017, like a week before the new year. Then I worked on it for like 2 months, took a break, then picked it up and went hard in September 2018 again.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Saturn: You bet buddy: -Yume Nikki -.flow -Ignite -The Looking Glass -Fleshchild -Yume Nisshi -Akuma (Yume Nikki Fangame) -Answered Prayers -Ultra Violet -Cheesy internet OCs I read as a kid -Cheesy modern horror movies -Cheesy Creepypastas ...and probably other stuff but I can't think of it right now.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *Saturn: Sometimes I make a world without thinking about it all the way through and I don't know what to do it with or what to fill it with. That's why you can find a map of an Ouija board in the map files with some events and such that you can't access elsewhere. It's driving me mad still. >:T

Did any aspects of your project change over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Saturn: It went from a side project to my current project, a project I wanted to use to help others but ended up teaching myself. I know better ways of eventing now and have an idea of how to make maps and tiles better and faster.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Saturn: I prefer working alone on this game. Had it been something that I started with someone else, I'd like it with them. I do crowdsource ideas though: I'll ask discord randomly, "Hey, what should I put next in Returning Nightmares" or "Hey, what else should I put in this world?" Big shout out to Dream Diary Development & Pixel Horror for their help!!

What was the best part of developing the game? *Saturn: Seeing the worlds come together. Once a world has music in it and all the bits and pieces properly moving and intractable, it's immensely satisfying. I'd say finishing an event and having it work properly is second. Eventing is fun!

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Saturn: I find myself playing with the engine and seeing what I can do with it myself.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Saturn: I don't relate to anyone in particular because they're all kinda hollow. However, I like the hidden wizard the best since he was a D&D character I never got to use, so I have a whole backstory and personality for him!

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Saturn: I wish I planned better & fixed a few bugs for the first release. At least there's nothing game breaking: you can't get a few menus if you don't have enough money, but that's it.

Do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Saturn: Leave as is. This one is mostly to get me comfortable with the idea of releasing a larger game. Akira doesn't have any great stories in him, he's just him. Most of the games I got ideas for are one off since I like one off stuff. Makes everything feel complete.

With your current project, what do you look most forward to upon/after release? *Saturn: I look for people's reactions to it. There's, there's a particular place in the game that's in the shape of a 10 year old webcomic meme that I had people @ me in chats and ask if it was a reference to, while I giggled like a fool. Games like most media can be an interaction between player & creator, and that's one of the fun parts of it all.

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *Saturn: God I don't know if I'll break the game or make it boring in any particular way. That's my top concern.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Saturn: Learning how to make a game is like learning how to read or how to do math: you won't be able to read To Kill a Mockingbird right away, nor will you be doing advanced algebra. It took a lot of time for you to be able to do either. Give yourself a break when you learn how to make a game as well: you won't learn how to make a big one in a month! Feel free to screw up. Someone says "Don't do that, it'll be too big"? Do it anyway: you'll either fail and learn a lesson, or you'll succeed and then look back and say, "Oh crap, I could of done that better now that I learned everything new." Either way, you got more practice to make another game, but better. "But I screwed up...." - see paragraph 1 on this question for the answer to that. Cut yourself some slack and remember you're doing this because you want to enjoy making a game! I found the best way I learned is by looking into other games (thanks Bleet & Jojogape for being cool with people looking at their games). I suggest finding the best way you learn as well, whether it's written tutorials, asking people, looking at other people's games, video tutorials, or just messing with the engine yourself. Lastly, I found the best way to take pressure off myself when making a game (as someone who loves perfection) was to make a few goofy joke games first. If they were bad, that was fine: they were supposed to be funny bad! It's like releasing steam by making MS Paint drawings, it makes you laugh and feel less nervous.

Question from last month's featured dev @leirin: What's something you really hope to see an RPG Maker game achieve in the future? * *Saturn: I want to see more games do something with the picture system in RPG Maker 2003. Like, I've seen games play with the new picture system, but not release and it's really burning my britches because it's such a great cosmetic game changer hnnnngh. Otherwise, I'm not sure. RPG Maker is a limited engine specialized for RPGs. I like watching fellow developers Cachi, Hogwash-dev, Rindre, and a few other people see how far they can push the system, but I don't have a particular "I want to see this" from something. I kinda like RPG Maker for it's limits, but I also like seeing what I wasn't expecting from it!

We mods would like to thank Saturn for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Returning Nightmares if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[roshii-pix]

A good website to turn sprites/tilesets into 8bit for rpgmker2003 :3

[roshii-pix]

Sleep wake event for YNFGs

This is a sleep wake event for Yume Nikki Fangames that involve beds.

Honestly I’m only writing this bc i feel like my computer’s going to delete all my progress towards the game and i cannot be bothered to brute force it again. Hopefully this helps someone else though. 

(This was made using the steam version, idk if it makes a difference though)

So, Step one is to have at least three maps:

Real life bedroom

Sleeping bedroom

Dream map 

Make sure that there is a switch that is toggled when entering and exiting the dream world. I called mine sleep.

Step Two is to make your animations. There will be three needed:

Walking into the bed

Walking out of bed

Cheek pinch/whatever wake up thing you have.

Step Three is to bind your key. This means that whenever this key is pressed It will do the code that attached to it. To bind your key: 

Create a common event and call it Button input

Create a second common event and call it Wake up_ (Although this isn’t necessary, if you put all the code into one event, Your mc will slide around during the animation)_

In the Button input event, find the key input processing button _(should be on page three) _and open it.

In key input processing choose your variable _(It’s best to call it input processing or something similar but you can technically name it whatever) _and unselect every button except the one you want (normally the number key)

It should look like this:

Step Four is to call the event Wake up withing the Button input event and turn the button input event into a Parallel Process

Step Five is to switch to the Wake up event and turn it into an autorun event with a condition switch (This switch has to be unique for this event and can be called anything (mine’s called ----------))

Step Six is to create the wake up event itself - I cant explain it that well so i’m just going to add a screenshot:

If you want your wake up key to be 9 you have to choose 19, else follow the instructions on the key input processing.

The final Step is to play the animations for getting into and out of bed. 

Getting into bed:

Create an event on the bed, set the trigger to ‘action button’ and the priority to ‘same as player’

Hide player, show the animation, and transfer player to the sleeping bedroom

You can turn the sleep switch on here, or in the timer section

In the sleeping bedroom, set an even that is ‘Autorun’ and make it so that a timer is set for 3 seconds and transfers player to the dreamworld when it counts down

It should look like this:

Getting out of bed:

Create an event on the floor next to the Go to bed event, make its trigger ‘Autorun’, its priority ‘below characters’, and its switch ‘sleep’ (or whatever you called the switch that tells the difference between real-life and dreams)

set it so that it makes the mc transparent (if not already done so)

Set it so it shows the get out of bed animation

Show your mc

Turn off the Sleep Switch

Erase event (It doesn't actually erase the event but idk what it does) 

This is what it should look like:

You should then have a working going to bed and waking up event!

This was messily written and probably not optimized to the fullest extent but hopefully it is understandable.

[skyllion-uwu]

Old school forums really are the best place to find information on software, that was a really easy tutorial to follow. Unfortunately the author seems to have never made any follow-ups so I'll have to look for other RPG Maker tutorials

Anyways, I'm making a short RPG to get a feel for RPG Maker 2003, which is also an excuse to develop my isekai parody OCs. It's called "I died & woke up in a fantasy world?!" but that's a placeholder title for now since it's. Not the catchiest. Anyways, it's a prequel to "Hit and Run! In this Mundane World", so it'll be based on Shiko's adventure through Phitania to (though more likely just be like one small snippet). I'll just be tagging it under "h&r!" since it's part of that story. I'm just going "FUCK IT WE BALL" as I make it so we'll see what happens! I definitely need to rewrite the intro since Shiko is out of character in it

I also wanna make a couple YNFGs, one being an idea I've been calling "W?" (Short for Who What When Where Why?). There's another that I should make sure I can make since it was more like a hypothetical one my friend and I were talking about and I wanna make sure I could actually work on it so I'm not talk about it but anyways I wanna make that into a real thing too

I need to look into how to add my own assets, but I got a bunch of free music off the rpgmaker website that can be used for non-commercial releases so that's nice! Need to learn pixel art too but right now I just want to get a feel for the software and using it before I start going "I can't work on the game because my art sucks"