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Contact Me

Comments go to my E-Mail address, I won't really answer them here

E-Mail: wolfcoder (at) dreamincode.net
Dream.in.code: http://www.dreamincode.net/
AIM: wolfcoder
Yahoo: umbracoder
MSN: wolfcoder (at) dreamincode.net
20XX Irc: irc.esper.net #20xx

Installation: Delete RPG_RT.exe and paste this program where it used to be. There you go.

Introduction

To address the old-age and technology of RPG Maker 2003's RPG Runtime engine, a replacement will be written that implements more modern features. This is intended to work both as a 1-1 replacement for the RPG_RT.exe executable and as an extender to allow features which would be cumbersome to implement conventionally as event scripts.

There are also a long string of bugs and feature requests that will be addressed with this engine, especially the more commonly known battle bugs and speed/agility problems.

This is not a patch, it is a ground-up open-source engine that plays RPG Maker 2k/3 games. There are others out there, but usually for systems like the GP32X, PSP, and DS so that you could play RPG Maker 2003 games on those systems.

This technology enables you to create something new with something old, comfortable, and most importantly, fun. The G.E.C.K. for example, still sports that Win95 look but uses the next-gen engine you actually play. After all, it's this engine that your users will actually see and not your tools.

Participants

Thanks to the following people who submitted games for me to test against:

Kentona (Hero's Realm)
Drakonais (Tiamat Sacrament)
J-Man (Phantasia 5)
Ocean (Paradise Blue)

These participants will decide the engine's current level of compatibility with the original system.

Features

Features that 20XX will extend onto your project:
- Fixes the hit list of bugs and annoyances with the original engine
- Many more supported image and sound/music formats
- 32 bit color with alpha images
- Bitmapped fonts let you draw your own font pixel-to-pixel (also 32-bit alpha possible)

Tell me what you want and I'll implement them depending on how annoying/frequent you are at asking for them.

Specs and Stats

License: LGPL
System: SDL / Win32
Video: DirectX 9 3D
Audio: FMOD Ex
Libraries Used:
- SDL (system)
- DirectX (graphics)
- FMOD Ex (sound)
- SDL_image (loading many different image formats)

Latest Blog

Cancelled

Cancelled

I have lots of scientific study and work to do, so my time is pretty limited. I've been thinking this engine was a bad idea three months in, but I wanted to finish it anyway. Almost a couple years later, it's become apparent that this project is dragging itself out. I'm not sure I'll even be finishing normal games either, this is the end of posting in-progress projects. Any further announcements of projects I'm working on will be after it has already been completed.

Bad Idea?

The idea of using any of the RPG-Maker series of engines, in retrospect, is a bad idea. They already exist as a suite to satisfy your curiosity and boredom. For the more ambitious game authors, I recommend you just pick up GameMaker, Acknex, or any of the other higher quality toolkits out there for lower prices or free. People claiming to be from the Terraria staff are planning an independent RPG Maker, you should be supporting those projects. Regardless of what you use, it always takes great effort to make a fun game- there are many better engines (in all use cases) than this one to make your game with. Hence, I've been trying to finish something I feel was a mistake for about a year now.

Hell, if I didn't already have a job, I'd ask the "Producer of Terraria" if they could use me in making an independent RPG Maker- something like that I feel is the true solution. Do it right from the ground up and discard the nonsensical Enterbrain designs altogether.

What Now?

RPG Maker 20XX is missing the cookie cutter battle system. It can be used to make games, but the optimal use will happen when the source code is modified to fit whatever game is being made. Yes, this is identical to editing the ruby scripts of XP/VX to match your game. This requires a few coders to make different flavors of 20XX and the rest of the consumers to make various games. It's not pretty, but I have to point out that I left behind some pretty usable materials.

I will leave Feld here to manage any newcomers to produce the different flavors of 20XX, and I will add anyone working with the code to the project staff. I will continue to respond to questions and comments via E-Mail, if you use anything other than E-Mail, your message will go unanswered. I recommend you e-mail me especially if you want to work with the code since the code is heavily commented but also very messy.

Conclusion

20XX was just a curiosity of mine, and I thought I might be able to help the community. There's only so much I can do, and I am sure I will no longer be capable of providing adequate support for 20XX by myself, and therefore it will not be enough to serve you well. I may release games in the future, but you will only see them here when they are finished. That means they're probably not going to be RPGs (I have finished games a long time ago, but they weren't RPGs).

Other programmers are welcome to take the source code (everything available from the SVN) and branch off in an attempt to adapt or modify the engine.

Posts

Just read the blog posts in order, it should give a good idea.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
4873
I'm confused. So you put this program in the RM2k3 program folder, or the project folder?
with your actual game, right next to RPG_RT.exe
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
4873
I must be pretty dumb, because it isn't changing a thing.
edit: Am I supposed to open the game in RM2k3 or is there a program in the files on your download link?
Magi
Resident Terrapin
1028
You double click the executable in the folder and it will play your project. Adding year=20xx to rpg_rt.ini will enable all the advanced features.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
4873
Ah, so what about the editor? Will I be able to edit the game with advanced features or what's all this then? (I'll check when I get home I guess!)
Versalia
I was looking forward to some gam mak
1165
author=Dudesoft
Ah, so what about the editor? Will I be able to edit the game with advanced features or what's all this then? (I'll check when I get home I guess!)


It works kind of like some VX scripts, where it ties a function to a switch or variable. For example, "Mirror Picture" function to flip a picture, which RM2k3 has no default support for, probably has a "MIRROR PICTURE SWITCH" (let's say Switch 001 for simplicity's sake). If you turn on SWITCH001 then the next time you use Show Picture, it will be Mirrored. Turn it OFF and Show Picture with a different picture and it will not be Mirrored.

So, it doesn't change the Editor, it just changes some of the stuff you can do with it.
*error induced double post*
Actually, you should probably read the instruction booklet that comes with the download since it tells you exactly how it works (switches are not involved in calling the extra features).
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
4873
I just need some down time to figure this out. Life is too hectic right now.
Versalia
I was looking forward to some gam mak
1165
Okay, VARIABLES. But yes.
Will .avi's be supported?
author=Conmon
Will .avi's be supported?

Of course not. The movie command will do nothing in this game- you shouldn't be using straight-up movie files in your game. If you have to use movie files, consider using a different engine. Strongly consider actually creating scenes normally using events, scenes, pictures, animations, etc. and have it all execute in runtime.
author=WolfCoder
author=Conmon
Will .avi's be supported?
Of course not. The movie command will do nothing in this game- you shouldn't be using straight-up movie files in your game. If you have to use movie files, consider using a different engine.

How come?

I've seen it used in an interesting way to create 3d-like animation.
I've seen it used in an interesting way to create 3d-like animation.

If you want a 3D game, use a 3D engine. This is an engine designed to make neo-retro 2D RPG games with an emphasis on runtime quality. This is not an FMV game engine, and the show movie command doesn't really work that well or get used often. People don't like downloading huge games here either.
I'm talking bout mode 7 effects, not FMVs. Also, I was asking how come you shouldn't be using movie files in game. I don't think the movie command needs any more functionality because it would be a waste because most rm2k3 users never use the movie command.
You might aswell leave it in wolf. How hard/long will it be/take to code?
tardis
is it too late for ironhide facepalm
308
author=ldida1
You might aswell leave it in wolf. How hard/long will it be/take to code?


there is no 'leave it in,' as WC is making this engine from scratch, not modifying RPG_RT.exe.
NewBlack
☽ TRASH THAT IS A WASTE OF TIME
4879
author=McBick
I'm talking bout mode 7 effects, not FMVs. Also, I was asking how come you shouldn't be using movie files in game. I don't think the movie command needs any more functionality because it would be a waste because most rm2k3 users never use the movie command.

Honestly... Does that even make sense/is that even possible?
there is no 'leave it in,' as WC is making this engine from scratch, not modifying RPG_RT.exe.


Yes, and I would have to connect a video player or something like mplayer. This engine already has enough DLLs.

I'm talking bout mode 7 effects


Mode 7 has nothing to do with the movie command. Mode 7 is just one of those features, everyone is going to expect an old school RPG engine calling itself the engine that goes up to 11 to at least have Mode 7.

What you see on the screen is already in 3D, it's only a matter of applying a projection matrix to the tile map, and then retain events as point sprites, and then have the parallax become the background with the bottom edge of it being the horizon point.