RPG MAKER 2003

Description

RPG Maker 2003 is a minor update to its predecessor RPG Maker 2000. It is a tile-based point and click engine tailored towards creating SNES-era-like RPGs. The biggest changes in RM2k3 include a new sideview default battle system (replacing the frontview battle system of RM2k), a class system and native support of MP3 playback.

Its interface includes all of the standard fare of RM2k (heros, equipment, spells, monsters, battles, etc...) plus tabs dedicated for managing the sideview battle system and the new class system. RM2k3 also has the same limited scripting system as RM2k.

RPG Maker 2003 runs in 320x240 resolution with 16x16 pixel tiles and 24x32 sprites using the .PNG image file format limited to a 256 color palette. The default battle system is a sideview system reminiscent of SNES Final Fantasy games, with player charaters sprites on the right facing off against monster sprites on the left, with limited animation for player characters. Battle order is determined by a new ative-time bar (ATB) system. The engine supports both the MIDI file format and MP3 file format for music and WAV format for sound effects.

RPG Maker 2003 games typically require the accompanying RM2k3 Run-Time Package (RTP) to be installed on the player's machine. This is different than the RM2k RTP.