Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Now that we're back where we started, let's integrate everything I've talked about. First, let's change those terms
I mentioned. If you click on the Tools item in the menu toolbar for RMVXA, you will see several options.
•
Database (Hotkey: F9)
: The Database is the meat and bones of RMVXA in its stock form (even
if you make ample use of the Script Editor). It contains a whopping 14 tabs that contain very
nearly everything you could ever think of needing for an RPG.
•
Resource Manager (Hotkey: F10)
: The Resource Manager allows you to sample, import, and
export assets from your RMVXA project.
•
Script Editor (Hotkey: F11)
: The Script Editor is where most of RMVXA's hard-coded data is
contained, as well as where you can add, remove, and tweak from what has been coded to
make your game even more unique. Discretion is advised when you tamper with the included
code, as most of it is essential for the proper functioning of RMVXA. Experience in Ruby is
useful, as RMVXA runs on RGSS (Ruby Game Scripting System) 3, although you can still do a
few things even if you're a total novice. I will touch upon some scripting opportunities later on
in this text.
•
Sound Test
(Hotkey: N/A)
: As the name suggests, you can listen to sounds contained within
your project. The four different types of sounds are the following:
•
BGM—Background Music
: Such things as the default title screen song are
considered BGM.
•
BGS—Background Sounds
: If you can hear something constant in an area, but it is not
music, it is probably a BGS. Rain and Wind are two of the stock examples present within
RMVXA.
•
ME—Music Effects
: Mini-songs, if you will, such as the tune played when you rest
at an inn.
•
SE—Sound Effects
: The simplest of sounds, yet so important as well. A slew of things are
SE. The sounds of fire spells and sword attacks are but two of the types of SE present
within RMVXA's stock content.
•
Character Generator
(Hotkey: N/A)
: Allows you to create new character (human-based)
models by mixing and matching hair, eye, and skin color with 20 other customization options.
If you'd rather, you can always click Generate Random and see what pops up.
•
Options
: Allows you to change the color that is considered “transparent” by RMVXA. Defaults
to 0 Red/0 Green/128 Blue. Additionally, you can toggle the map grid (minimum size 2x2)
from here as well.
So, much like most other things we'll be seeing during the course of this topic, we will want to go to the Database.
Once there, you will see the 14 tabs I mentioned previously. To change the menu options, we have to click the Terms
tab (which happens to be the last one). You'll see three major categories.
1.
A block of four lists denoting types of skills and attacks
2.
A block of three groups of terms I'll call “Character Terms,” as they're relevant to the player
characters
3.
A block of terms called Commands
The Commands section of the Terms tab is what we're looking for, as displayed in Figure
1-3
.
