Scenario Questions & Answers 201-210

( Shadow )

Q201: Hey Topaz, I want you to know that everything I say in this post is NOT putting Scenario down.
(Insults, not to sleep at the vet).

(A) I've learned about all this great stuff about RPG Maker 2000. I've known it was around, but I never knew how to use it and it was far too big for my father's computer. (Only 12 k or so modem I think, AGGGGEEAH

Obviously Scenario is much easier than RM2K, but is putting the effort into RM2K worth it, I mean, I've seen some great screen shots of games. (Don't worry, even if I do get RM2K, I will always be mucking around with Scenario

(B) Can I use foreign sprites from other websites? I know all yours have the blue backrounds and all the angles and stuff, but you DID say Scenario was smart, so does this mean I can use foreign sprites from other sits, like gaminggroundzero.com?

(C) I really need a sprite of a sasquatch! If you can, can you please tell me where to find one or put one out in your next add-on group?

Thanks Topaz, I will ALWAYS really really really really really really really like Scenario anyway. (Is that enough really's for yah?)

( Topaz )
A201: Hi Shadow:

(A) You are encouraged to try other RPGMakers so you can just see how much easier mine is !

(Hehehe..)

Actually, this is good for you, so you can explore other RPGMakers more deeply then I have and perhaps contribute some good ideas on what you would like to see in current (and closing)

or the new Venture which is getting underway.

(B) That blue background for the Sprites is just what is default when I clip it. I am looking at the top-left-hand corner pixel of a Sprite and calling that the background so essentially, you can use any background you want,

is smart and will change it to the transparent background.

This is true also with the Critters so if you have a bright RED background for your critters, it will show up as BLACK in combat and transparent on the map.

All images that are imported to

are forced to fit the number of pixels it needs like combat backdrops for 160x32, critters for 52x56, Sprites for 64x128, Tiles for 32x32, Portraits for 48x48, and Frames/Fonts as of yet undisclosed.

Storyboards can be any size but for Venture they will be forced to a 160x96 to maintain regularity in RPGs and not have any offsided or ill-fitting displays. Naturally, you can have a full screen as well for the 320x224.

Remember that

uses .BMP format compared to the .PNG used by RPG2000 and I think RPG95 as well.. You should download a 100%

program like IrfanView to convert from one picture format to another. You can find that by clicking HERE.

(C) Regarding a Sasquatch sprite, I think there is one in Final Fantasy 3 called Umaro. If you can provide me the sprite(s) for it in a PKZip file, I will convert it to 64x128 and ultimately 32x32 for use in

and directly send you back the file, or include it in the add-ons if you like with your name as the contributor.

Really-really-really just enjoy yourself.

All I ask is if you make something interesting, then please share it with others. You have done so with Dark Rune so I am pleased and await your next creation. I hope you'll find Venture more powerful then

and, although I haven't gone in detail about this yet, Venture will be catering specifically to Win95/98 users making use of internalized PKZIP that earlier

had so the world files will consequently be much smaller, all files will be encrypted and keycoded but a more powerful and unique system overall focusing on multiple cameras for cinemagraphic events with frame forwards and backwards for very precise and complex sprite animations.

If someone would like to provide me a copy and install code for Windows 2000, that would be fine, but if not, I am going to stop trying to work so hard at making compatible coding and just ensure it runs in Win95/98 so I can optimize it for speed and function to this platform alone.

It is official, I have re-installed my true purchased compiler for

so those of you just now getting in on trying out my RPGMaker will notice a 3x speed increase with this next release since I won't be using my little compiler now but the one I purchased a few years back from Germany specifically for optimum speed and encoding.

On a side compliment Shadow, I'd like to say Thank You for providing a good website with RPG resources and images ! I am just now hoovering them out and have a little over 9,000 images currently. A good start to rebuilding the Add-Ons in

!

Now I need to LAN this little computer to my older re-formatted one with the 40 gig hard-drive so I can start to archive all of the RPGMaker coding I am starting to re-collect and downloading.

Hope This Helps !

( F.I.A )

(C:) Yo, it's me. To tell you the truth, I hadn't been with the Scenario for the past weeks.( July is a busy month. )

Sorry to have been passive for months.
To tell you the truth, I got lesser time to do Worldbuilding as I need to catch up with the study. I also got lesser time to manage my website.(Arrg, the artwork is a week late!)

Q202: There are some minor problems I found in Sprite Messenger in Scen94d:

(A) Adding "." at the back of the midi icon does not support to mute the game.
Seems like putting a "." behind a midi icon does not mute the background sound like it did in the previous Scenario.

(B) This maybe a little selfish, but about the warping icon in the Sprite Messenger. The warping is fine, but the screen also warp to the destination. When I try playing LastGem intro, it was at mess.

When wrapping in a Sprite Messenger, will it be
better to keep the screen position and not straight to the wrap point until the Sprite Messenger is finished?
That way the Builders can choose to take the screen to the player or just leave it for further story telling. Just try my intro in Lastgem and you will understand.
Aww... What a mess.

( Topaz )
A202: Hi F.I.A:

(C:) Long time no see !
My good friend Chris, and excellent watcher of JapAnime made a surprise visit recently so it's a good time for old and fond friends to meet and greet again.
Good to see you are still active in

.

(A) Huum.. Yes, the

is now used to play the default map music.
This is useful for if you were playing a RIFF or a different piece of music and want to return to the map's default music without typing out the full name.

However, I had forgotten it's earlier use. I'll go to fix it so it turns off the music completely and you must use

instead to play the default map music.. (changing) .. Done !
You will see this correction with the next update in

.

Use only

to play default map music and

, or

, to turn OFF the music completely until a new piece is played or the player warps to a new map with a different default music.

(B) Bringing up Last Gem .. Huum.. That is bad..
While I'd like to say you were taking advantage of a glitch, you weren't ..
Since my rewrite of the Warp routine for

, I decided it would be easier to change both the camera and player position in it instead of individually. I had not anticipated anyone warping the player minus the camera, and it would be pretty difficult to add this now since all coding points to warp being used solely for the player/camera in unison.

The newest engine will start with the player initially invisible so you can warp to the bed location at the last minute if you like. Sorry .. It would be too much coding to try and separate the player and camera at this point.. When the compiler is finished and your world has been compiled to a .EXE you won't have to worry about the programmer (me) making small changes that might affect neat tricks you did earlier and wanted them carried to later versions.

Right, so this means those who posted world files, your player will start out initially invisible but will become visible once a regular keystroke is looked for (like map navigation, or hitting

to bring up your player's status)

If you want the player's image to appear early, then somewhere in your initial Sprite Message or later use

to make the player appear, or to remove any mask the player already has to return to the New Game's default.

You can use

to make the player invisible anywhere in any Sprite Message.

If you find a neat trick or technique in your worldbuilding, and you wonder if it will be carried to later

, check with me first so I know it's important to you so I don't accidentally override or overwrite it.

Thanks !

(C) Well, hopefully not F.I.A.. I did get my compiler back so the newest version will run the good speed most of you were used to earlier. The warp routine, however, is firm. I'll have an open suggestion box for Venture so amongst other things, will allow multiple Sprites to use a warp to jump around, including to separate maps aside from using

Hope This Helps !

( Orion )

Q203: Will this program work with windowsXP
hense its compadability modes and such? I would really liek to beable to use this
thankyou.

( Topaz )
A203: Greets Orion:

It is unlikely that

will ever run on a platform later then Win95/98 until I can have first-hand experience at the environment, and that would require someone to send me an install to that operating system with ID code(s) for the install of that operating system to upgrade Win95/98.

If I was out to make a commercial product (which I'm not) then things might be different.
As it is, this is just a hobby of mine to get a chance to play some unique and interesting RPGs from all over the world as well as allow everyone else a chance to try them out too, to gain recognition for their fine works, and to be congratulated on designing such good RPGs, stories, and ideas.

It also gives me a chance to see RPGs written by others in action so I can determine how to make a system easier and more useful in the future.

is an almost 2-years old project and as such is full of band-aids and scotch tape. Venture will focus on correctly written code the first time and to have some outstanding features not in

such as multi-player combats/status, and Cinemagic Director used in place of camera/NPC Sprite Messenger commands.

If there is no change or installs sent, new Venture underway will be solely for Win95/98 users and will make use of _shell() and other tricks to both improve the speed and versatility of the engine. All add-ons of images, audio, and musics will be 100% compatible however, but must be imported/exchanged directly since Venture will be encoding to single files for entire world data for both protection to Worldbuilders of their unique and original creations and have full-screen credits for multi-author generated world creations as well.

This is a bit a-ways from where I am now, but I do want to finish up the compiler for

fairly soon and lay out the technics for new Venture.

Hope This Helps !

( Zijj )

Q204: I'm trying to reg in the big book, but it says it's disabled until open.

Wassup?

( Topaz )
A204: Greets Zijj:

Whazzzuuuuuupp !!

(Hehehe..)

As here in the Q & A part of

, I must cut and paste manually from my Email to Notepad to Frontpage Express to enter in the inquiries and data listed.

Before I was getting too many invalid Guestbook accounts and I did want to limit the system to 500 accurate ones, from people who were open, honest, told which state/country they were from, their honest opinions and background with RPGs and RPGMakers, and hopefully in time, contributors to the

project.

On the 15th of every month (this month included) I post a Newsletter out to all of the Email addresses listed in the Guestbook. If any are returned as invalid, that entry is revoked and open for a new person.

Since I have been absent for a few weeks with the demise of my prior hard-drive, I have not had a chance to send out any newsletters or open the Guestbook for vacant areas.

I prefer anyone downloading

to have a unique opportunity to enter in a good Guestbook entry stating their interests and what part of the country they are hailing from, and as such, you will always find the latest version of my engine here.

I am well aware most people come to visit just to download my engine and some sample games to try out and that is fine. This prompts them to tell a bit about themselves and hopefully to return later to contribute to Q & A and/or

oncepts.

You will have to wait until the 15th of this month for an opening, and it is on a first-come first-serve basis. I operate at very strange hours, sometimes in the middle of the week from 11pm to 6am the next day so always check the top rainbow bar at the top of my main homepage to see important events as they occur.

I have that there so if you are in a hurry, and sometimes some of you are, you can get a summary of what important changes and updates have taken place before the entire page is ever loaded.

On the last day of each month, usually the 28th or before, I post Add-Ons which is a collection of new images, audio, and music to import directly into your newest world creations to both enhance and expand your Worldbuilding efforts.

Amongst these are new Alpha Objects, Bosses, Combat Backdrops, Critters, Background Music, Sound Effects, Sprites, Storyboards, Tiles, and Anime Portraits.

It takes me about 8 hours to collect and put these all together for each month so be looking for them !

Hope This Helps !

( Zijj )

Q205: WHASSSUP!!

(A) Me... again. I'm trying to get edit my world, but it's unamed,{though the map is called Zijj,}and can't be found. How would I find it? Or *sniffles* is it gone for good?

(B) Hey, How do I make my map flat? 14 spaces from an edge and I hit another.

( Topaz )
A205: Greets Zijj:

Sorry for taking so long to post/reply to this.
I'm waist-deep in programming for the .MDX Jukebox and I'm also taking the time to write some mouse-driven GUI library routines that will be used in, not just it, but other packages in the future like Venture and Image Clipper for building and screen-capturing your own RPG Add-Ons from other programs and emulators.

I am also with great difficulty getting these two computers hooked up so I have a LAN between then and can store off my bulk unsorted RPG files in the 40 gig hard-drive as well as my own RPGMaker/Gamemaker collections, reference materials, work and source files and image tables.

(A) You change between the 16 maps in

by using the "[" and "]" square-bracket keys.
They are located just to the right of the

on your keyboard and slightly above-left
of your

key.

If you want to change the reference name of a map that appears in the info window at the top-left-hand corner of the screen, from the editor hit

for Map,

for Name Map, and then type in or correct the name you want for this map.

(B) I'm not sure I understand your question fully, Zijj.
To make a map wrap-around, that is where you go off the far side left/right or up/down you wrap-around to the other side, hit

for Bordered View.

I'll try to post a Bulletin before Saturday but this coding for MDXJKBOX is really turning out to be quite a bit !

Hope This Helps !

( Daven )
(Zijj, your last question is entered in the prior frame)
Q206: I had tried to replace a 24-bit .bmp portrait, renamed it face5.bmp (Er, the replace the fifth portrait out f the default set...
maybe is that the problem?

in the /Realm folder, just as it said to do at the bottom of the portraits page and now, every time I try to start Scenario, my computer restarts
right after it loads the world, even if I start a whole new one....erm....where am I going wrong?

BTW, am I able to use my own portrait? O.o; Thats what I tried to do...

( Topaz )
A206: Greets Daven:

Current

shouldn't be giving you any trouble; especially crashing.
The name for the imported faces are FACE00 - FACE23.

Make sure that you use 2 (two) digits for the face imported name, such as # 8 would be
FACE07.BMP, and be certain it is located in the subdirectory \REALM\.

In Venture you won't have to worry about this since an auto-imported will be written inside the system, maintenance-free of the Worldbuilder.

Can you explain in a bit more detail what it is that is causing the problems with the world not loading the correct way for

Hope This Helps !

( Shadow )

Q207: Hi Topaz! How's it going? First of all:

I WANT VENTURE WAAAHHAHAHAHAHHA!
Venture looks so cool! But you know the feeling you get when something new comes out and you really like the old thing and now you feel that you have to catch up with the new thing and, trust me, it goes on.

I want to know what system Venture runs on. If it is Gameboy (which I think it is) can you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make it avaliable for computer also?

Thanks Topaz.
PS: When will the link option be avaliable?

( Topaz )
A207: Hi Shadow:

Venture will run on IBM-pc Win95/98. Not Gameboy.
Gameboy color is - gone.. Gameboy Advance has taken the scene and to my knowledge the last Gameboy Color game made was Shantae. A good game about a cute girl genie-wanna-be saving her home city.

I've been playing a bit of it

on VisualGameboy, the very best Gameboy emulator I have yet to come across. You can find that by clicking HERE.

The Link Option (Tag-along Sprites) will be available in less then 24 hours.
Just wait..

To clarify for others, there will be indeed be a compiler for

.
While it is awfully tempting to skip over it and jump right into Venture, many of you have worked very hard on your world files and deserve to get them into a protected .EXE, with your credits listed, as you deserve, and running the way they were intended before I "enhance"

(ouch!) the code any more.

Hope This Helps !

( Sephiroth )

Q208: Hey, will the future Scenario have more choices for sprites and portraits. And will it have bosses included in it, or will you still have to download them all.

(C:) By the way, Scenario is the easiest, and funnest game maker I've ever played!

( Topaz )
A208: Greets Sephiroth:

New

, or Venture as it will be called, will have more choices in that everything can and will be imported. There will be about 200 files all out in the open with the default package which will include Tiles, Sprites, Faces, combat backdrops, and Critters not to mention the large amount of music.

Because everyone is making worlds about 500k in size, there is no need to "couch" the music or image files any longer and instead leave them out in the open where you can use Venture's internal importer to add them to your world file, or outside to be archived and catalogued for later use. I may decide against this and internalize these several hundred files as I did with

, but I just haven't decided where to go on this yet and would appreciate Feedback regarding the PROs and CONs of it.

(C:) Hey !!
I'm very glad to hear that !

I really get frustrated when I hear someone find a bug and I can't seem to isolate it myself.
If you come across any, and it can be reproduced, please let me know about it so I can fix it.

Also, by submitting a world file, I have a good idea of where you worked too hard at something needed in the system or there were too few options or abilities for something else you did. I learn the most in adding to the

engine by trying out world files in them.

Many of the good and easy ideas you see in current

are thanks to several of the hard-working and very creative Worldbuilders out there who show me what needs to be in the system, simplified, or diversified.

Also remember, I am just one person. I am working on many other projects including keeping this website updated and that takes time. If you don't see your question posted in here the next day, and it is a good question, look for it the day after.

I will always try to answer yours and everyone questions.

Hope This Helps !

( Shadow )

Q209:

(A) I'm stumped on the link option.

(B) Like I said about Venture, I REALLY REALLY like it!

But...wll it work like Scenario? Because if it is completely different, I'll think I'll be in tears. And when will Ventue be avalaible to download?

( Topaz )
A209: Hi Shadow:

Boy you don't miss a beat !

This is a good question tho since it's a new command.

(A) To answer your question, the link-up is a single flag that tells if there is a Shadow (no pun intended) following the player. I could not get it exact with map scrolling which is why it looks a bit twitchy. I messed with it for 2 hours, I'll dabble with it some more later, but for jumping, vanishing under bridges, rotating and so forth, you have an after-image, your tag-along Sprite.
Use

for instance, to have the little girl

follow after the player.
To vanish your tag-along, use

to not being followed around by a sprite.
This is saved in a save game file and reinstated when you continue your game.
Any Sprite the player walks over causes your tag-along to "catch up" to your current frame so it isn't in an inappropriate place when you start moving objects around the player.

Or would you like the tag-along to not do this catch up if you hit a Sprite ?
Which would you like best, Shadow ?

(B) Venture will function in much the same way that

does.
In fact, I am so pleased with the map editor portion that I will probably copy it's code direct.
It's to the Testplay, data table layouts, and organization of coding that I want to change.
I was thinking to build a Cinemagic generator, but instead, it will have a Sprite Messenger all the same. Now that code I am going to rewrite.

There are so many band-aids, scotch tape, and crafter's glue in the Messenger there it's a very messy coding indeed.

(C) ? ? What ? You didn't ask a 3rd question ? Well let me answer it anyways.

Making use of the multiple choice is a bit tricky.
It must be on the last 5th line of a page and there can be no other commands on that same line, therefore, the

must be the 1st character and the only Sprite Messenger command listed. From there it flips back and forth comma delimited between the visual text of the choice and the label to go to. So, you could have:

Now you can use any labels you want just like you normally use and in this case, two choices will appear in the top-right-hand corner of the screen, FIGHT and RUN AWAY.

You have "F" and "SCAT" after your first two choices, so if you did choose to FIGHT, you would jump to the label "F", and if you chose RUN AWAY then you would jump to the label "SCAT"

If you hit

for no-choice, then it would continue on to the next page.

Yes and No are nice for some things, but there are times when you want to ask more complex questions of the player, and there might be more then two choices like several in fact.

A new Sprite Messenger token made is one that will be seen and required in Venture and, for now, is strictly optional but still available for

in the Label marker

.

Use the Label marker followed by a name anywhere on that page which is the same as typing out a Label for that page from the menu. You cannot have more then one label or both one listed in the message and defined from the menu.

(D) ? ? You didn't ask a question #4 either ?
Well, I'm on a roll so don't stop me now !

The Caption is used to put a nice little bubble above the player.
They do not use the 8x8 font set so the 7 choices I doodled to comfortably fit the bubble and look very presentable.

gives you ... ,

yields zz,

makes a red exclamation mark ,

presents an orange question ? mark,

makes a violet

music note,

draws a cherry

heart, and lastly

brings up the lightbulb IDEA

above the focused Sprite's head.

The bubble vanishes the next step after any keystroke is read to continue or exit the Sprite Message. Venture will have the bubble snap into view like a comic soap bubble.
Those of you who have seen my earlier Fruity Jamm game know what I am talking about.
Also there will be more special effects in Venture since I am rewritten the entire graphic driver TOTO for it including Bolt from the heavens, ninja jump up/down (from or to top of screen), BOP with special FX to show a Sprite getting whacked by another easily, the list goes on. Since I can now do sound effects in the background I even want simple stuff like the gold leaf breaking around the player's heart when they are hit the first time in combat and have a nice glass breaking sound. Since the player attacks first unless it is a BOSS, the player could go on quite some time doing 150% damage to single attackers with the bonus arising from the maxed out HITS.

I may make hits cumulative as well, meaning anytime you gain or lose HITS it starts to rapidly slide up or down, giving the player a chance to recover from "death" if they nipped a potion just before hitting the dreaded 0000 mark.

There are - many possible ways to travel with this.
Most noteable Venture will have completely absent from it's list:

since all items will use a custom defineable and image importable 32x32 pixel image and all can be defined by the Worldbuilder. There will be no fixed items whatsoever.

If I kept the original premise of multiple players (3) then I would need to once again have fixed items to keep the system simple and easy enough to use. Since your companions are "items" in themselves, this opens up freedom of complete definition for everything.

So the next time you are talking with a friend of yours about a RPG and they ask if you and your favorite companion are an "Item," you can say YES ! (ka chazz!)

Hope This Helps !

( Shadow )

Q210: Can I have more than one tag along
sprite? If only I could have one more it would be great!

( Topaz )
A210: Hi Shadow:

While I could add another tag-along sprite in

, I still need to address the problem of why it is jerking incorrectly on the last animation frame of a step.
Trying to add another would really be a lot of work at this point.

You should look for multiple tag-alongs (up to 4 additional) for Venture when I start it.
It will be the graphic monster designed for complex maneuvers like this.
With

, I am constantly having to patch up bits of code here and there cause I never expected it to animate more then just the player, and the routines I wrote for it a year ago are pretty primitive compared to what I can write for today.

Hope This Helps !

( If you would like to link me, please use this picture, it's just under 10k )