Beginner RPGM2 FAQ/Walkthrough

[Deleted]

I was thinking of making this.

I was thinking it'd go like this roughly:

Tell how much memory files consume.

Explain how memory works.

Tell them to begin on Beginner or Normal then switch to Hard and explain Why.

Link to the Domain Mag pages and Neo's awesome articles for non-technical advice on creating their game.

Teach them about the start/help function. Tell them how some/many of the help files are wrong and link/refer/recommend DW's 'Advanced RPGM2 FAQ' because of it.

Then we'd get into explaining things basically. Basic things like Scripts (not in depth at first!), Events, Event Placement, Object Placement (not in depth!), Map/Dungeon Creation (not in depth!), and World Organization. This is what your World Creation Guide does, right Doan? If so I'll link/refer/recommend it instead of explaining it myself.

Eventually we'll get to recommending the advanced FAQs like mine and Nash's. Those are very advanced though, so those are only at the very end. Anyways, if we do this we can just link people to it instead having to explain the same ****over and over.

So, basically, WHAT THE POOP DO WE NEED TO PUT IN IT AND IN WHAT ORDER?! BE SPECIFIC IF POSSIBLE!! It should be commonly asked things if possible. So far the FAQ/Walkthroughs to link to I can think of our my DBS Guide at my site, DW's Advanced RPGM2 FAQ, Nash's ACBS one, Doan's World Creation Guide, truecoolness's database, BloodKnight's Scripting faq at gamefaqs, BlueSenshi's exclusive class faq at gamefaqs, Neo's tips and tricks at his site, Rodak's VFX one, Ves's new tactical one, the common script database, Final Rune's Map Editor Guide and when it's ready his next Map Editor Guide, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Let me know!!!!! It doesn't neccessarily have to be labeled as a 'FAQ/Walkthrough', just be somewhat of that nature!!!!!

[Neo Samurai]

Hmm...

Well, from what I read, it seems you have all the appropriate FAQs/Walkthroughs/Tips. All I can think of is KingSpoom's articles (which you could use along with my own articles) and Drew's VFXs Elements list.

Besides that, I've got nothing else in mind.

[soldyne]

if it means anything, I would really like a newbie/beginners guide. it will make jumping right in much easier.

[Neo Samurai]

Hey, Will. Are you going to make this? If not, I would be glad to do this in your place. If you don't reply to this, I'll try to e-mail you.

It's a great idea, and I'd hate to see it be cancelled.

[soldyne]

I would like to chime in again. Having just bought the tool myself I think a beginner guide would be most helpful. I spent about 1 hour last night just trying to figure out how the default poison spell worked. there are so many submenus within submenus to trace the path of the spell. so mand different scripts all working at the same time. there were direct effects calling indirect effects through scripts and events. it just seemed overly complex for what should be a simple standard ability.

it just seems so complex to make a single simple spell I am starting to think I have gotten in over my head...and I am a software engineer by trade! does the tool really need to be that complex or are there easier ways to make simple things like a healing spell for instance. I can see how to set the direct effect with a rate but I dont see how to easily apply the rate as health and not damage unless I use a complex set of scripts in the advanced tab.

understanding the basics such as what is the minimum required complexity to make a few simple, standard spells, weapons, items, classes and such would be most helpful. an overview of direct and indirect effects and how to use the advanced tab settings.

I also was having trouble understanding some of the script commands like what the point of switching the instigator was or something like that. the in game help (start button) was somewhat helpful but I swear that some of the more complex concepts just came across as gibberish.

I only spent about a minuet or two on the map editors and I still have not found the VFX editor.

I still have so many questions about this game. The biggest problem though is that I don't know what I should be asking most of the time.

My first suggestion for a Begginner guide would be to write it from the perspective that we are starting the game with a blank slate. what are some basic scripts we would need to get a basic game going. also, try to remember that nothing is obvious in a game like this, don't say something is self explanatory and don't assume we know anything. an example would be the script command of switching attributes and variables. HUH?! what attributes, what variables, whoes attributes, why are we switching them, etc. if you say to use a basic script than explain why that script should be used and explain each line of script at least once so we understand how this tool is designed so we can start making our own decisions about creative exploration.

basically try to remember when you first started with this game and what kinds of questions you were asking.

I think I have rambled enough for now. If you like I can compile a detailed list of the Frequently Asked Questions that I keep asking to give your guide a more comprehensive feel.

thanks in advance for the guide, I will be your biggest fan!

[Bigfoot]

Yeah, there really is alot to put into the game just to do one simple thing, but its worth it since because of that, the customization is endless.

[BloodKnight]

This part of my post isn't intended to offend, but the "complexity" issue is really just the person's lack of intuitive deduction.

For example, an item consists of 1 direct effect, 1(or in the default's case, possibly more than one but not more than 3) system event and 1 script. Then there's the various parameters you can set in the direct effect. You don't really have to understand what something is to know how an item works, just where everything goes. For example, the direct effect goes in the item's "effect" area. Simple enough, since the tabs are named in such a way. The system event goes in the direct effect's "function" area. And of course, the script goes in the event's "execution" area. Each part of the item is basically just a simpler part, using other parts together to create an accumulated effect.

Figuring all this out doesn't take much brain power, you just have put everything aside and examine the sum as all of its parts, instead of how the sum relates to everything else. When I get questions like this in my inbox, I think it's kind of odd that people like hardcore programmers and technicians, can't seem to grasp something simple like RPG Maker 2, it's in some ways similar to a programming language structure like C++, but much easier to understand if you bother to sit down and take baby steps. All it takes is a gradual, intuitive approach. But anyway...

I was in the process of creating a major FAQ just like this one. I wanted to make sure that one person could start from scratch and expand on their own. However, holding a person's hand isn't my forte, but I explain why you do the things you do, and that you should use every resource of help possible(this is what I recommend, to use the various help text throughout the game, they are VERY USEFUL, DO NOT IGNORE THEM!!!). I also tell people to experiment, and go back and reference the guide in case something goes wrong. You can't effectively learn anything if you don't do things yourself, that's the problem with most newbies.

If I happen to give up, I'll give you guys what I've completed. But until then, my recommendation for where to start on creating a guide? Go to hard and start from there. Examine all the preset data, and give some basic examples on where certain things go. Sometimes certain parts of the preset data can be confusing to explain, because they waste a lot of resources, but then again the preset data wasn't created with optimal memory usage in mind, so the bare bones are easy enough to explain.

Um... I hope I haven't discouraged anyone. I strongly recommend something like this be completed, I'll take way too long.

[soldyne]

ok, so according to you, I should understand very easily why the default poison spell is set up to create an indirect effect by calling a direct effect. that makes no sense. there is an indirect effect selection field for abilities so why must an indirect effect spell be set up with a direct effect that applies an indirect effect within the script?

and as far as programming languages being "intuitive", anyone who has any programming experience knows that you can't just open the source code for a few premade programs and all of a sudden learn the language. you need reference materials, even if you claim to be an expert in a given language you still need a reference (book, online, forum, other people). this tool is very close to being a programming language and so it needs a reference book.

it may seem intuitive to you but you have been using this tool for quite some time and have a lot of experience under your belt. things that seem complicated to you may seem very roundabout and complex to those new to the language. when you started using this tool were you an expert on the first day? if so then you have quite a gift and should be making quite a bit of money in whatever field you choose to apply it in. Yes I could understand this tool as well you do if given enough time (a year or more perhaps?). my point is that if you have the knowledge then please share it.

Of course I will experiement. Of course I will learn by doing. but the whole point of communication and this forum as a whole is to reduce the time needed to experiment by sharing information and ideas. one must see that this tool has a rather large learning curve. such a curve can be greatly reduced with a beginners reference manual.

The whole point of having teachers and schools is to reduce the learning curve. imagine if all we had were advanced reference materials of physics and math written by a few geniuses and the rest of us had to figure out the basics based on experimentation and direct experience.

I do agree that the reference manual should be written as though a new game were being started on Hard Level and from the perspective that there are no default anythings present in the game (no scripts, no events, no classes, no effects, no abilties). In other words, clear all the databases and start from scratch. If you can't start a game with a clean slate explain why and explain which default things are needed. this will let beginners know to what extent things need to be done. for example, I have noticed that the default battle view is set to DW style views. I assume this can be changed, but where? how are battle scripts applied and which database is it all stored in.

The context of the guide can be writen from the perspective of creating a short simple story. like a single character starts off in a small town with a shop, some people, and a few objects. they walk outside to a small world with another town, cave or tower outside. there are battles and whatnot. the dungeon is small but has one or two interesting (basic features) and the boss is at the end of the small dungeon. Throughout the short adventure the character can evolve to one class (to show how that is done) and gains the use of one or two spells (one direct and one indirect) and may need to use a special item or two (to describe the different types of items and how they are made and used).

this set up gives beginners everything they will need to know to start learning more advanced techniques. it will show how a town is made and how events in a town are created (people, shops, inns, hidden items in dressers, etc). It will also give the opportunity to show how to transition between maps, how to apply events to different maps and the different kinds of events like how to make random battles work, set encounter areas, enemies, units, etc). there should also, be a section on flags, variables, and inputs (especially which ones are used by the system and in what way and which ones are free to use). I am not sure what else to include because I don't know the system as well as the rest of you, but, I think you get the idea.

BloodKnight: if you truly lack the ability to teach then the world is at a great loss. You claim to have a superb ability to deduce things about complex situations which would take most people factors of time longer to learn. but without the ability to teach others what you learn, then when you leave, all that you know and have accomplished leaves with you. One of my abilities is teaching. I create job aides, faqs, stategy guides for work and recreation. I have been acknowledged as a superb writer and teacher in professional, educational, and gamming spheres. perhaps what we need to do is team up.

I can learn this tool from your experiences and I can enhance your knowledge with my questions and unique point of view as a beginner to help extract the detail of information a beginners guide needs.

I apologize for such a large post but when I start typing I get into a sort of typing inertia...

must...

stop......

typing!!!

[Rodak]

The VFX Editor Guide linked to in my signature is geared for the Absolute Beginner!

It has a tutorial on Very Basic stuff to get you up to par for the rest of the guide.

I still need a good tutorial on Indirect Effects!!

Don't worry about the intuitive side of it.

In 6 months you will be fine!

Yes, it can take that long.

But is Well Worth it!!

Good Luck.

Peace.

[soldyne]

I have seen your VFX guide. I really liked it and I am certain it will get put to great use once I get that far (I really like that laser cow pic btw). Unfortuantely, I am on Dial Up right now and the pics are comming in really slowly so I will have to look at it later (when I have access to cable).

6 months eh? it should take me that long to get a decent story anyway so I am cool with that. I hate to say it but solid stroylines and plots are my weak point. its the mechanics of game design that i excel at. Until then I will keep rumaging through the default stuff and asking questions.

[BloodKnight]

soldyne said:

BloodKnight: if you truly lack the ability to teach then the world is at a great loss. You claim to have a superb ability to deduce things about complex situations which would take most people factors of time longer to learn. but without the ability to teach others what you learn, then when you leave, all that you know and have accomplished leaves with you. One of my abilities is teaching. I create job aides, faqs, stategy guides for work and recreation. I have been acknowledged as a superb writer and teacher in professional, educational, and gamming spheres. perhaps what we need to do is team up.

I can learn this tool from your experiences and I can enhance your knowledge with my questions and unique point of view as a beginner to help extract the detail of information a beginners guide needs.

Probably. I wasn't an expert on day one, I'll admit that. However, like a baby learning to crawl, I simply, like I said, examined the sum as all of its parts. Say I was looking at a script. Instead of trying to figure out the entire script itself, I'd look for the commands in the script and one-by-one learn what each command did through the start help files. After that, the cumulative effects made a lot more sense and I was able to make my own(albeit small) scripts. At the time of RPG Maker 2's release, the only way you could learn was by experimentation and direct experience(aside from getting the strategy guide, but that was little help for advanced users). Those who went that route know a lot about the game and how to do various things.

While I didn't just open up the game and instantly learned everything, I learned how most of the game worked in a matter of weeks, just by taking baby steps, not skipping around and only progressing to the next step when I felt I was ready. There were few things I got stuck on for weeks in RPG Maker 2 because I skipped around, I just wanted to get to X thing. It was stupid, because if I took my time I would've learned it a lot faster. Trial and error reared its ugly head a lot too.

What I'm saying is, simply buckling down for a bit and learning the game won't take as long as you think. People become intuitive at their own pace, but it doesn't happen unless they let it. Unlike C++, there's a ton of reference in the game itself and many people managed to get proficient using that alone, possibly with some other kind of small resource. Some just don't look at the help files or the manual. People need to do this.

Did you know I used to get a lot of questions about the controls in the map editor, when they're RIGHT THERE in the manual and in the help files for quick reference in the game itself? My reply: "Go to page X in the manual, read it." I know a lot of newbies who'd instead of reading the manual, would go to a board and ask their question to get a quick answer. In that case, it's a question of whether or not they WANT to read the manuals given to them.

With that said, I'm sure the community would greatly appreciate a "RPG Maker 2 for dummies" guide. So get on it Will!

If anyone needs help on what to explain and how in such a guide, I'd be glad to assist.

[Neo Samurai]

Unfortunately, I don't think Will is going to be doing this now. He's leaving the board indefinitely. However, I'm going to try e-mailing him tonight to see if he would like me to take over.

[Doan the Nado]

To start off, indirect and direct effects are quite different. Indirect effects are "statuses" that remain on the party while they are walking around on the map (or fighting in battle), and their various scripts are activated after each step (or at the end of each turn in battle).

Direct effects are directly introduced by a spell, item, or some other action. So a poison spell (and all other spells) must have a direct effect that indicates what is to occur when the spell is cast. In the case of poison, it must place a status on the party which is to remain throughout the battle, so an indirect effect is necessary. If you wanted a simple heal/damage spell, all you would need is the direct effect.

It is a bad idea for a beginner to start on hard unless they are following a very well-explained FAQ and they are not using the Default Battle System. The Dragon Warrior view is the default, yes, and there is not a whole lot you can do to change that without radically altering the default stuff. Some have thrown out traditional RPG battling and used a more adventure-style approach (see Nash's and Doyleman's Zelda games), others have gone to great lengths to stay within the confines of the DBS while highly customizing it (known as an MDBS - Modified DBS): one such member is Dungeon Warden. Yet others are building their own systems completely from scratch.

This is what makes a Beginners FAQ difficult. First of all, a huge emphasis needs to be placed on personally examining the game by pressing Start anywhere that you have questions, or by reading the appropriate Guides that are already in existence. Another problem is with the battle system: many want to do their own custom stuff that is really outside of the scope of a beginner guide, and all that can really be done is to explain why things are the way they are in the preset scripts.

I totally agree that a beginner walkthrough needs to be done, and personally I think the best approach would be to break it up among the various "experts", figure out what has already been covered in other guides and add references where appropriate, and get everyone who can working together on this thing. For example, I cover quite extensively in the World Creation Guide how to create a basic area, complete with custom Enter and Exit Map scripts. I also have experience with disabling the standard menu and creating my own menu system (albeit incomplete), and with keeping scripts short, simple, and efficient. Others have worked extensively with the DBS and Classes, and it would be nice to see someone explain those things. I think such a walkthrough would be a daunting task for one individual member, but if we can all put our heads together, we should be able to come up with some sort of comprehensive guide.

[Neo Samurai]

Yeah.

I agree that we should explain how to do most default stuff. However, we can also add an Advanced section at the end that covers more technical stuff (such as customizing the battle system or creating your own custom menu). We could place a warning for beginners that states that they should learn the default stuff first before trying them out.

Of course, guides like Nash's ABS FAQ would go here. I also agree that it should be done kind of like what was done in the Prima's guide (with the walkthrough in the beginning), only more in depth (there wasn't enough to do to cover how most of the system worked).

Like for example, we could teach how to create a basic spell. They would name it, create the direct effect, and add the events/scripts onto it (of course, they'll use the default stuff, to save confusion).

[Nje]

Just make an "event page switching" part, and make it nice 'n obvious where everything is-

Instead of just a table of contents, you could also make large numbers beside each section, so one can scroll through a large document really fast to find what they're looking for.
Send it to gamefaqs as well as here, so it'll get to more rpgm2 users.

[Neo Samurai]

All right. Here's the table of contents:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
I. HISTORY
II. INTRODUCTION
III. GETTING STARTED
A. GAME SETTINGS
B. GENERAL SETTINGS
IV. IN-GAME FEATURES
A. PARTY MEMBERS
B. CLASSES
C. TRAITS
D. ITEMS
E. ABILITIES
F. DIRECT EFFECTS
G. INDIRECT EFFECTS
V. ENEMIES
A. ENEMY ACTIONS
B. ENEMIES
C. UNITS
D. UNIT PLACEMENT
VI. SCRIPTS
A. SCRIPTS
1. DUNGEON WARDEN’S ADVANCED FAQ
B. EVENTS
C. EVENT PLACEMENT
VII. GRAPHICS
A. CHARACTER MODELS
B. OBJECT MODELS
C. ENEMY MODELS
D. BUILDING EDITOR
E. DUNGEON EDITOR
F. MAP EDITOR
1. THE FINAL RUNE’S MAP FAQ
G. OBJECT PLACEMENT
H. WORLD ORGANIZATION
1. DOAN’S WORLD CREATION FAQ
I. VISUAL EFFECTS
1. RODAK’S VFX FAQ
2. REALITY BITE’S VFX ELEMENT LIST
J. IMAGE
VIII. STORY
A. NEO SAMURAI’S ARTICLES
B. KING SPOOM’S ARTICLES
C. WILLIAM KIRK’S “HOW TO TELL A STORY” ARTICLE
IX. ADVANCED TECHNIQUES
A. BROCK NASH’S ACBS FAQ
B. WILLIAM KIRK’S DBS FAQ
C. DOAN’S CUSTOM CAMERA SYSTEM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What do you guys think?

[Doan the Nado]

That looks good. Head over to the RPGMWiki and create an RPGM2 beginner's guide page if you'd like. Then, we can all start adding to it when we have the time.

[Deleted]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cool, maybe this'll give me the push to FINALLY write up a better draft of my "How to Make a Good Story" article!

The Table of Contents looks AWESOME!!!

And, YEAH!!!!!!!!! We totally gotta at least link to this at the Wikimedia RPGM2 page!!!

[Maindric Games ©]

YES! Just what I was looking for, a beginners guide! ;D ;D ;D

Thank you sooo much. :3

[darksteel]

A great way would be to have a beginner with you while you're doing this. Maybe a friend or msn with one of us beginners on the board. If we don't understand something we can immediately ask you and then it will be easily understood by all. You guys might know too much about this game and forgotten what it was like when you didn't know what a flag or variable was, when and how to use it. When you know nothing it takes a while to learn. I remember when I couldn't get simple text to scroll up. I got it the last time I picked this game up but I didn't get the screen to turn black during it, what a shame. Another way I just thought of is having a live chat while writing the information, so we can ask you stuff you post and then we respond to the posted material. This is coming from a beginner who can't make a cutscene-and thats all I ever wanted just a simple cutscene but it was too hard for me.
Thanks for finally making something useful

[Neo Samurai]

That's a great idea, darksteel.

I think I might just post up what I've written so far some time this week.

Edit:

doyleman: If you'd like, I'd like to add your scripting guide to the Beginner's Guide. Is that okay with you?

[doyleman]

Sure, you can use my tut. in yours