+++ DYNRPG - THE RM2K3 PLUGIN SDK +++

author=WolfCoder
You still have to be a cracker to be able to make anything useful with this hook toolkit and thus the task of adding new features falls upon people who bleed C/C++ and how is this any different from now?

Certainly not. You are comparing hacking around in (of course) undocumented assembly code with using a documented C++ library. Do you see the difference?

author=WolfCoder
You'll actually have a harder time implementing half of the above magik features than I will (or had, since I've already implemented many of those),

Yes, your engine is great. I actually was surprised that you got that far because many people had the same idea and failed. Great that you can do all this easier. And now you are here to make us do our things your way?

author=WolfCoder
hope you've got at least three years of C/C++ under your belt.

Again: Certainly not. By the way, this is the first project I did with C++ which has more than ~30 lines of code. Of course you have to be familiar with the general concepts of programming, but that's the same with Ruby.

author=WolfCoder
You need enough knowledge to basically just write your own engine to be able to use this hack kit

Did you take a look at the example plugin's source code? Seems like you didn't.

author=WolfCoder
and even then it reduces the stability of the underlying software rather than just writing a new engine where you go from an unstable state to a stable one.

Not to mention you're piling duct tape on top of 10 year old software.

If you're all gung ho about modifying or writing a new engine in C/C++ you are better off just getting VX or XP. It's much easier than C/C++ and those engines already have alpha and such. Yes, the author of 20XX basically told you to spend a night in Ruby/VX/XP to basically do the same thing. Heck, they even have pre-made Ruby kits with all the features you were looking for.

You'll have more fun that way.

I do not. Why are people there having an old car or motorcycle in the garage and spending hours on working on it? They could also just buy a new one which can everything they want, no need for do-it-yourself stuff. Well, it's just not as much fun (at least for people like me)!

See: One of my key interests (and also key qualities, I think) is finding creative solutions to problems which are considered unsolvable. This is what I do with the RPG Maker too. It's fun for me. Okay, and now I have a big knowledge base... but probably I could never give it to anyone else because nobody would understand nor would he be able to do anything useful with it before spending years with it too.

What I did now was "converting" this knowledge into a form which many more people can use. And if I am gone some day and there are still people who love the RM2k3 more than other RPG Makers, they might still benefit from that knowledge because somebody else may still create extensions (based on my research).

author=WolfCoder
edit:
I know most of you are going to ignore me and try it out anyways- go ahead. Experience will be a better teacher.

Nobody coerces anybody to use anything of the stuff I am publishing here. If you don't like it, I don't mind. And as long as at least one person has use for what I am doing, it was not for nothing. :-)

author=LockeZ
Well, this is easily the biggest announcement in the RPG Maker community since the release of RMXP, and Cherry spent years on it and is releasing it for free. So, yeah. Maybe it's a little harder to use than XP and VX scripting, but what's amazing is that it's backwards compatible with ten years' worth of RM2003 projects, instead of being a new engine.

To be honest, I started this project two weeks ago. But you are right, without the prior research, gathering of knowledge and experience over the past years, it would not have been possible.

author=heisenman
I understand WC point of view though, most 2k3 users stuck with it because they didn't care to learn rgss/2/3 for like ten years, I can't see people suddenly learning C++ and going all productive with it.

author=Jude
Neat, but beyond my skill level.

That's not what I am expecting. I am running a contest because I hope to find people who already know C++ and know the RM2k3 too. Most of the users won't benefit from the SDK itself but more from the plugins which are created.

author=hima
I wish Cherry would opensource this. I'd love to learn how he does all these stuffs!

Maybe later. It probably wouldn't help you much either, because most of it is zero percent documented and also in assembly language and patched directly into the RPG_RT.exe - that's the main reason why I didn't make the library and the patch open source.

author=hima
As for C/C++ problem, I guess one can always write a lua/squirrel/javascript plugin so that you can use that scripting language inside rm2k3. This way, hardcore programmers that require raw power can go for C/C++, but for something that need more flexibility than power, the programmers can go for a scripting language instead.

I wouldn't recommend a Lua/whatever plugin because I think the performance would be horrible. That's also why I cancelled CGSS.

author=Craze
if only this was possible

It is possible to catch comments and do something with them.

author=WIP
It's quite cool adding in hooks to 2K3. Unfortunately it's a totally academic project and really doesn't serve anything but an antiquated community.

And what's the problem with that? It's my business what I spend my time on and who it serves at the end. :-)

author=WIP
The community of RMlets can't even write their own Ruby scripts, let alone native code plugins. Nobody is going to write their own fucking plugins. They're going to wait for other people to write them. Since the barrier to entry is too high, not many plugins will end up getting made, and everyone will just use the same plugins that probably aren't great.

If nobody else does it, there will still be me creating plugins. :-) So this is not going to be a problem. By the way, I do know people who created most of their action battle system in C++ als plugin for Power Patch, which is far less powerful, slower and more complicated than using DynRPG, so...

author=WIP
LockeZ, WolfCoder owned your ass. C++ is fucking nothing like Ruby other than LOL THEY BOTH HAVE IF STATEMENTS. Totally different worlds and styles of languages.

I never started comparing these two, let alone claiming that this would be kind of an RGSS for 2k3.

@all: Thank you for your responses. To make this clear: This is not "every game maker can now create plugins". This is "every game maker can now benefit from even more powerful, easy to install extensions", "every C++ programmer can now create plugins if he wants" and "every C++ programmer who also uses RM2k3 for fun or whatever can now make his game even cooler". So if some of you think the whole thing is a bad idea, then they just should't use it. Period.

Best regards,
Cherry