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is a series of tools for the development of computer role-playing games (RPGs) created by the Japanese group ASCII, part of the company Enterbrain. Tsukūru is a pun mixing the Japanese word tsukuru (作る), which means "make" or "create", with sukūru (スクール), the phonetic pronunciation of the English word "school".

The RPG Maker series has been released primarily in Japan, with later versions also released in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and RPG Maker XP released as an official English (US) translation.

PC versions

RPG Maker allows users to make their own role playing games. Most versions include a tile set based map editor, (tilesets are called chipsets in pre-XP versions), a simple scripting language for scripting events, and a battle editor. All versions include initial premade tilesets, characters, and events which can be used in creating new games. The most recent version is RPG Maker XP. Earlier versions in the series include RPG Dante, RPG Dante 2, RPG Tsukūru 95, RPG Tsukūru 2000, RPG Tsukūru 2003, and RPG Tsukūru XP.

Enterbrain and ASCII released RPG Maker 2000 in Japan in 1999. It was translated into English and illegally redistributed by a Russian programmer with the handle Don Miguel, who also took part in the translation and piracy of RPG Maker 95. In 2002, Don Miguel was given a warning by Enterbrain. He subsequently discontinued work on RPG Maker 2000, removed web links to the software, and urged the community to stop using his translation, and buy the official (Japanese) version of RPG Maker 2000.

Due to the popularity of the program, and the lack of an official English version, use of the Don Miguel translation continued. Translated and pirated versions of RPG Maker 2003 and RPG Maker XP were also widely distributed, until an English version was released by Enterbrain on September 16th, 2005. It is offered on various websites which are accessible from Enterbrain's Official Website.

Console versions

A number of RPG Maker titles have been released for Playstation, including a version of RPG Maker in 2000 for the original PlayStation, RPG Maker 2 for PlayStation 2, released in 2003, and, most recently, RPG Maker 3 for PlayStation 2, released in 2005. This most recent version features advanced graphics compared to earlier versions, but the interface has been revised, limiting the flexibility of programmed events. However, there are also many pros to the newer version. The menu is simpler, allowing almost anyone to create a game.

Distribution of games created with the console RPG Makers is far more complicated than the PC series. It requires the use of a Dex Drive (RPG Maker 1), or a X-port/Shark-port or Max Drive (RPG Maker 2) to move the files from the memory card to a PC, where they can then be put online. Also unlike the PC series, you must own a copy of the RPG Maker software to play games created with it. However, Rpg Maker 2 for the PS2 may be the hardest to use, but may also has the most diverse interface. Usually, the console version of these makers are rare.

Functions

Events commands can do anything from making things move to making the shade of the screen darker. There are a total of 88 usable events, some of which are:
  • Display Messages
  • Show character faces
  • Change character's equipment, skills, life, gold held, etc.
  • Start Combat
  • Change system menu skin
  • Call shops/inns
  • Move NPCs/objects on screen
  • Teleport to a pre-set destination
  • Setting background music/playing sound effects
  • Create fog/shade and various other weather effects
  • Use custom or pre-set animations
  • Ability to disable and enable menus or save menus
  • Fully Customize an array of enemies, along with their skills and attacks.
  • "Key Input Processing" Which allows to creator to press a certain button to trigger an event.
There are also more advanced features that can be used to create more effects:

  • Switches - Similar to booleans, except that the terms "on" and "off" are used instead of "true" and "false"

  • Fork Condition - Similar to the 'if' function in most programs, it executes a different set of commands dependent on the truth or falsity of some conditions.

Advanced scripting

The RPG Maker 2000 proprietary scripting language makes certain simple interactions, like having characters talk to one another, easy, but is otherwise limited, making it difficult to significantly alter gameplay mechanics. It is possible for experienced users to alter gameplay significantly with considerable work. The current RPG Maker XP version adds a new proprietary scripting system, RGSS scripting, which allows for more radical changes; for example, completely rewritten battle engines, and menu systems.

Battle system
A customized battle system (CBS) is an RPG battle system in ASCII/Enterbrain's RPG Maker 95, 2000, 2003, or XP that either involves heavily editing the default battle system, or creating a completely new battle system using the game maker's scripting capabilities. One example is the Action/Adventure/Active Battle System (ABS). This style of combat departs from the traditional turn-based default battle system by allowing the battles to play out in real time, much like that of the Legend of Zelda series. This type of battle system is difficult to code, and there are few playable examples. Incomplete ABS systems are often criticized in the RPG Maker community. A high quality ABS system has become available for mass use, however, for RPG Maker XP through RGSS.

Menu system
A customized menu system (CMS) is a menu used in ASCII/Enterbrain's RPG Maker 95, 2000, 2003, or XP. The system has two variants - a "Semi-Custom Menu System," which is a CMS that usually has an option that brings the player to the default menu system, and a regular CMS which usually shows no trace of the default menu system at all. CMSs are harder to implement in RPG Maker 95, 2000, and 2003 because of the lack of RGSS. Like the battle system, the default menu system in RPG Maker XP can be rewritten completely.

RPG Maker 2003 also adds an alternate battle view which is similar to some Final Fantasy games, rather than the traditional RPG Maker battle system which is similar to the classic Earthbound for SNES battle system. RPG Maker 2003 also supports the old battle system.

Pirated graphics and music

An overwhelming majority of RPG Maker games made with the PC versions of the program (2000 and 2003 in particular) contain graphics and/or music that is "ripped", used illegally without the permission of the respective authors and copyright holders. A majority of such games fail to credit the original authors of the pirated content in any way. These games include all "noteworthy" PC RPG Maker titles listed in this article, including A Blurred Line, Legion Saga, Laxius Power, Legend of the Philosopher's Stone, and The Way (though it is significantly less frequent in The Way).

Timeline

TitleSystemReleaseDeveloperPublisher
PlaceDate
MamirinPC-8801Japan1988ASCII
Dungeon ManjirouMSX 2Japan1988ASCII
RPG Construction Tool : DanteMSX 2JapanFeb. 8, 1990ASCII
Dante 2MSX 2JapanFeb. 8, 1992ASCII
Chimes QuestPC-9801Japan1992ASCII
RPG Tsukūru Dante 98PC-9801JapanDec. 19, 1992ASCII
Dungeon RPG Tsukūru Dan-Dan DungeonPC-9801JapanApr. 28, 1994ASCII
RPG Tsukūru Super DanteSuper FamicomJapanMar. 31, 1995ASCII
RPG Tsukūru Dante 98 IIPC-9801JapanJul. 14, 1996ASCII
RPG Tsukūru 2Super FamicomJapanJan. 31, 1996ASCII
RPG Tsukūru 95Microsoft WindowsJapanMar. 28, 1997ASCII
Simulation RPG TsukūruSega Saturn, PlayStationJapanSep. 17, 1998ASCII
Enterbrain Collection : Simulation RPG TsukūruPlayStationJapanNov. 29, 2001Enterbrain
Simulation RPG TsukūruMicrosoft WindowsJapanMay. 29, 1998ASCII
RPG Tsukūru 3PlayStationJapanNov. 27, 1997ASCII
PlayStation the Best : RPG Tsukūru 3Nov. 19, 1998ASCII
RPG MakerUSASep. 18, 2000Agetec
RPG Tsukūru GBGame Boy ColorJapanMar. 17, 2000ASCII
RPG Tsukūru 2000Microsoft WindowsJapanApr. 5, 2000ASCII
RPG Tsukūru 4PlayStationJapanDec. 7, 2000Enterbrain
Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2Game Boy ColorJapanJul. 20, 2001Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru 5PlayStation 2JapanAug. 8, 2002Enterbrain
RPG Maker 2USAOct. 28, 2003Agetec
RPG Tsukūru 2003Microsoft WindowsJapanDec. 18, 2002Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru αMicrosoft Windows/CellphoneJapanDec. 18, 2002Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceJapanApr. 25, 2003Enterbrain
RPG Tsukūru XPMicrosoft WindowsJapanJul. 22, 2004Enterbrain
RPG Maker XPWorldwideSept. 16, 2005Enterbrain
RPG TsukūruPlayStation 2JapanDec. 16, 2004Enterbrain
RPG Maker 3USASept. 21, 2005AGETEC

Two more RPG Makers are currently being unofficially translated from Japanese to English. Exact dates are not known. Tactical RPG Editor allows users to create games similar to Final Fantasy Tactics. 3D RPG Editor allows users to create 3D environments, probably much like those on Nintendo DS RPGs such as Genesis.

Noteworthy games made with console RPG Makers

Dark Illusions

Dark Illusions is an RPG Maker (Playstation/PS) game created by “Vonwert”, released in April 2003.

Having taken time to reflect on himself in the woods, a young man named Lex finds himself in the midst of a fierce storm and loses consciousness. He awakens inside a huge mansion occupied by various guests after being cared for by the mysterious and beautiful Mistress, who treats him well. However, Lex comes to know that things are not always what they appear to be. He, nor any of the guests in the mansion, can leave the mansion grounds and many strange and supernatural occurrences are happening everywhere. The only way he can leave is to solve the mysteries...

The lengthy, detailed plot of horror and mystery and adventure-like gameplay are key features in this game.

Fu-Fu The Acid Trip Bunny

Fu-Fu The Acid Trip Bunny is an RPG Maker (Playstation/PS) game created by Dave Carter and released in August 2001.

San Francisco, 1967: Three friends are ready to party hard, as it's the last day of school. One of them has a vial of acid on him. Just when they're about to drop, the coach catches them. They bail as fast as they can and dispose of the drug in the science class rabbit's water bottle. When an earthquake hits, breaking the bottle, the poor rabbit is drenched in the water and goes on an acid trip. During the trip, the rabbit meets a godlike creature who declares that he will return him to normal if he finds the keys of each world. The creature then turns the regular, white rabbit into a yellow, anthropomorphic rabbit named Fu-Fu. Fu-Fu The Acid Trip Bunny is born.

This game was the first platforming game created for RPG Maker (PS). The game consists of 3 worlds, each with a varying amount of levels and secrets including cameos by the creator himself.

A noteworthy feature of the game is the amount of custom artwork. Dave Carter used this to depict various movements (such as jumping and swimming) and emotions of Fu-Fu, as well as custom enemies. Because of the limited amount of custom sprite slots in RPG Maker (9 character slots), the amount of unique movement was a great technical achievement.

Another notable feature is the jumping system. Since RPG Maker (PS) was created primarily for RPGs, any other kind of play must be emulated using the existing system. Carter combined character movement controls with custom art to create the jumping seen in the game.

Remote Control

Remote Control is an RPG Maker (Playstation/PS) game created by “Alzar”, released in December 2000.

In the small town of Aloha, Oregon, one peaceful Saturday morning, everything was going great. The Aloha Hardware Store has picked up some new TVs, and unknown to the residents of the town, they're going to flip some people upside-down. It all happens once a weird purple man drops his remote control in the store. From there, a group of teens get sucked into their favorite TV shows.

Remote Control was the winner of Electronic Gaming Monthly's RPG Maker contest. The game also features an arcade full of minigames, which had never been done before on RPG Maker (PS). One of the minigames was a take on Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution entitled “Go Go Super Mega Happy Smile Dance Dance.”

Noteworthy games made with RPG Maker 2000

The following games are widely regarded as classics, or games of exceptional quality within the RPG Maker community. All of the games presented here have won Misao Awards, awards for RPG Maker excellence given by RPG Maker veterans.

A Blurred Line, by Lysander86

A Blurred Line is a RPG Maker 2000 game created by "Lysander86" and released in 2001. The game is set in a futuristic environment, where a giant corporation known as 'the Agency' provides the lifeblood energy to the world through a solar semi-orbital station linked to the planet. This station is known as the Catch Colony.

The player starts in medias res, but the RPG swiftly flashes back to an epoch "One Year Ago". The protagonist of the game is Talan, a nearly destitute worker for Delcentric, a subsidiary of the mammoth Agency which exercises effective control of the world. (The world in question does not appear to be Earth.) Talan is essentially framed, seemingly by the supposed victim himself, for the apparent murder of the director of the agency, who tells Talan to "seek Paradise. You will find safety there." This, at first, appears to be a metaphor. It is later discovered, though, that "Paradise" is an anti-technological society. He finds himself on the run toward "Paradise". The main theme throughout the game is the blurred line between who is "good" and who is "evil." For example, at one point in the game, an Agency Captain is filled with the memories of an entire society that was destroyed by his own hands. However, once he recovers, the Captain returns to his "evil" goals. Talan's destruction of the Catch Colony by releasing its support pillars in a manner idential to Shin-ra's destruction of a Midgar Sector in Final Fantasy VII at the beginning of the game is a direct contrast to how he acts during the remainder of the story.

One of A Blurred Line's key features is its "magic" system. In most RPG Maker games, the player acquires new spells as a matter of course, upon gaining a new level. This is not the case with Talan. Similarly to Final Fantasy VIII, Talan acquires spells by first "identifying" them, then drawing them out of various enemies. Initially the spells will be lost after battle, but should Talan draw out the spells enough in repeated battles, they become his permanently. Moreover, Talan's android can equip weapons that determine both how many Skill Points (SP) it uses and the skills that it has at its disposal, much like the robot class in Final Fantasy Legend 2 for the Game Boy. Other features include a built-in database that can be accessed from the menu, alternative story paths that depend on which job Talan takes upon arrival at Paradise, and several side quests that enhance replay value.

Lysander released an updated version in early 2003, named "A Blurred Line 2.1", which added hours of gameplay, as well as graphical fixes and other additions. Two years later, however, (as of November 2005), Line's End remains unreleased. Nevertheless, a teaser trailer at the end of "A Blurred Line 2.1" shows that the game is very much in progress and continues right where "A Blurred Line" left off.

Laxius Power, by Indinera Falls

Laxius Power is a three-part series created by "Indinera Falls." This game borrowed sprites and music heavily from many other games (without permission from their authors) but gave full credit to the original companies. This series is lengthy and has many sidequests. The first in the series is Laxius Power: Random Story, which contains 3 difficulty levels. The second release, Laxius Power II, focuses more on gameplay than the first, and is divided into a different sub-game for each character, with each being played separately. The third release, Laxius Power: The Final Terror, is approximately 200 hours long and features several original character portraits and soundtrack pieces.

Legion Saga, by Kamau

Legion Saga is a game series by "Kamau" made with RPG Maker 2000 and RPG Maker 2003 game engines. Similar to the Suikoden series, the games feature army management and large-scale combat. The series currently holds a total of five games: Legion Saga, Legion Saga II, Legion Saga III for the RPG Maker 2000 engine, Legion Saga R (a remake of the original Legion Saga), and Curse of Silence (a side story featuring Sazaku, an assassin who appeared in the first and second installments of Legion Saga) for the RPG Maker 2003 engine. The story of the series revolves around a god named Dansa, falsely believed to be the creator of all and the keeper of peace. In reality, his might is to be used to destroy the world of Beryllusir, which is the series's setting. Only the "Legion Masters", warriors who are capable of commanding a limitless army, were able to defeat Dansa in the end. Dansa had many minions during the crusades of the Legion Masters, including Barbatta, a man who was hypnotized by the Legion Sword, and the false acolytes of the Church of Dansa.

The Way, by Luke Wacholtz

The Way is an RPG Maker 2000 game series released in six parts, created by Luke Wacholtz of Crestfallen Studios. It contains a complex storyline and custom duelling system (known as 'The Plunge'). Several of the game areas were not created using chipsets, but rendered using the Bryce 3D Image Rendering Software, and displayed as panorama backgrounds.

The worldview of The Way is very different from ours; instead of seeing it as flat or spherical, the 'Wanderers' of the Way view their world as a single, ever-changing path. The 'Rolling Mists' supposedly swallow up wanderers who fall too far behind, and prevent others from reaching too far ahead. It is unknown whether this reflects the actual nature of their world, or if it is a fiction designed to prevent the supposed corruption and vice that comes when people establish permanent settlements.

The Way follows the story of Rhue of Landorin, a young wanderer on a search for his lost love, Serena. As Episode One begins, he's already been searching the Way for many years. Another major plot element is a mysterious serial killer known as 'The Phantom Slasher', that appears to be somehow connected to Rhue, often appearing near or just behind Rhue on the Way. Rhue himself may not be all that he appears; it is not known whether his confused memories are really his own.

Although it is unknown whether there will be further episodes, it seems unlikely as Episode Six appears to be the conclusion to the story.

“The Way” has been characterized as everything from a Jungian Ur play to a Freudian allegory. Fans have noted that nearly all of the major characters of “The Way” conform to Jungian archetypes. Most notably the Phantom Slasher as the shadow, Traziun as the wise old man, Serena as the anima, and Rhue as the self. A running joke amongst the Way fan community is that the obvious phallic character of the “Shadow Swords” and their seemingly sexual interactions imply that the game is merely a metaphor for Freudian sexual repression.

Super Columbine Massacre RPG!, by Danny Ledonne

Super Columbine Massacre RPG! is a controversial computer game based on the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The game follows Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold through Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, the date of the Columbine shootings.

Notes

  1. When making a custom battle system in RPG Maker 2000 and 2003, it is necessary to take many "detours" in order to create something viable. For example, a game author usually needs to use images to draw numbers on the screen; the event editor does not allow setting the depth of an image by a variable and limits the user to 50 images on screen at a time. People sometimes add images of numbers in the maker's sprite data, which is usually used to display sprites of characters and objects, to get around this limitation. This can reduce the amount of work a game author has to do because they don't need to hardcode every possible position of a number, although it also limits the ability to position and move the numbers, as they are now restricted to the same movement that character sprites have.

See also

External links

Official sites

Fansites

The RPG Maker series has acquired a large following on the Internet. Many active online communities make it simple to get into using the program. This is a list of the largest and most noteworthy sites — as such, its communities generally have a member count of around or over 5,000 members.

  • Gaming World - Game development community with games, resources and tutorials.
  • PhanxGames - A community for game development with plenty of resources and tutorials. Also hosts games for free.
  • Ultima Island - A community centered around RPG Maker, and oter game desing programs. Full of resources, tutorials, and other helpful information.
  • RPG2KNET - RPG Maker community with games, resources and tutorials
  • RMXPORG - Source for RPG Maker XP downloads
  • Charas Project - Has online resource generators, and a large collection of resources.
  • RPG Maker Pavilion - Officially endorsed USA fansite for the console RPG Maker series
  • RPG Maker Magazine - Officially endorsed USA fansite for the console RPG Maker series
  • RPG RPG Revolution - RPG Maker community focused on resources and RGSS scripts
  • RPG Maker Wiki - A wiki devoted to RPG Maker.
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "RPG Maker".

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