CHARTLEY'S PROFILE

Oh man. These are some exciting Olympics for us Canadians. 14 golds on our own turf. Sick!
I'm not really a hockey fan at all, but I had to watch that. The odds weren't too good after our first game with the US, but what an epic come back. Today's game was just nuts! OT is the right way to finish the last hockey game of the Olympics.

It should be said that the US team played remarkably well, especially Miller! The US team deserved to win that as much as Canada, they certainly played the part. Cheers to all parties!

I began thinking about this after the recent map design contest. What exactly makes a good map? There are many factors, but I think what it boils down to is this: A map can either be tailored for game play, or focused on aesthetics and atmosphere. Perhaps if you are lucky, you can find a balance of both! I shall post some polar extreme examples of some maps from well known games, and illustrate a few thoughts on each.

Pokemon: Accessible

Pros
- Clearly defined boundaries of passability. It is very easy to see where you can walk, and where you can't.
- More suitable to action gameplay. This is debatable, but it does make sense. Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past is a good example of this, because the maps were very clearly defined, though not so pretty. They fit very well for gameplay!
- Generally easier to design.

Cons
-Not unnecessarily ugly, but generally much more simple and less atmospheric than the aesthetic maps.
-Possibly restricting on artistic vision.


Chrono Trigger: Aesthetic

Pros
-These types of maps have the potential to be absolutely gorgeous, and can be extremely successful at establishing atmosphere and setting.
-Allows for some more complex map structures.

Cons
-Requires much more effort to design
-Restricts gameplay

So those are the two extreme examples I can think of. I think this discussion is especially relevant to Rpg Maker, considering the recent release of Rpg Maker VX. With the release of VX, we now have a bit of a split between those who like XP, and those who prefer VX. One of the dividing points is that of the RTP, and how it handles map design. VX generally produces much more accessible maps, where as XP's tends to be more complex and aesthetic.

So, what do you guys have to say on the topic? What are some factors to consider in map design? Neither of these polar extremes is really any better than the others, both are widely used in the history of Video Games. Which type do YOU prefer, and why?

Okay, this has been a little project I've been working on in between massive amounts of studying. I originally just made this for myself, but I thought it might be useful for others. So, here I am, proud to present Algxel!

http://www.rpgmaker.net/Algxel.zip

In order to use this, you must have excel, or something that can read excel spread sheets, because that is what this is! I won't say much more, because I typed up a bunch for the readme, which is included in the file. I'll post the readme below as well! Also, I just tested it out, and it works for rm2k3 as well. :)

AlgxelHi folks, Chartley here! Welcome to Algxel, an excel sheet designed to calculate algorithms in Rpg Maker 2000!

So, what does Algxel calculate?
• Attack Damage: Both from hero to enemy, and enemy to hero.
• Skill Damage: Both from hero to enemy, and enemy to hero.

In earlier versions, I had hit ratios and escape chances calculated in as well, but I found them to be rather useless, and such things as hit ratios are a little hard to test. I wasn't really sure if it was accurate in these departments, so I left them out. However, the formulas are still listed on the last page for your reference..

I believe that this generator be used for either 2000 or 2003, but if you choose to use this for 2003, you will need to expand some columns to account for levels greater than 50. If you need help with this, let me know and I'll be glad to help! I am only guessing that it will for 2k3, I am not entirely sure that the algorithms are the same, and you'll have to test it out for yourself.

How does Algxel work?

Algxel calculates damage and skill damage the same way Rpg Maker does: Algorithms. However, the purpose of this sheet is so that you don't have to worry about these algorithms. You can simply play with the stats until you see desired effects. If you've entered the data for every level of the hero, you will see how much damage they will inflict or succumb from a particular monster for all 50 levels. That's pretty nifty! You can also test out the effects of equipment by entering the total stat changes of that piece of equipment. Awesome.

Instructions

When you open the sheet up, you will see a variety of colored cells. The ones you have to worry about are the black ones! Here, I'll summarize all the different colors:

• Black: These are the input areas. These are the ONLY cells that you should ever input data in. All other cells are only meant to be read!
• Pink (Ugly): These display the hero names, which referenced from the black cells where you entered the hero names.
• Blue: These are the column labels. The monster name is another referenced cell.
• Green: These are the row labels.
• Yellow (Gold if you will): These cells are your results. These cell values are generated according to a pre entered formula. The values update themselves automatically as you change the values of the black cells.

The sheets

I'll give a brief run down here on the different sheets in the excel file. Algxel includes four sheets: 'Attack Damage', 'Skill Damage', 'Hero Statistics', and 'Algorithms'.

Attack Damage - On this page, enter your monster stats, your heroe's equipment statistics, hero names (if you want), and enemy name if you want.
Some stats are on the sheet only for your convenience and are not used in any calculations. These extra stats are: 'Max MP' and 'Agility'. Entering these stats will make no difference in damage results, so you may leave them out of the sheet. By looking at the formulas on the last page, you may see their use in Rpg Maker.

Skill Damage - There is less information to be entered on this page. Only the three numbers: 'Base Effect', 'Hit Chance', and ‘Mind Chance'. These numbers are taken directly from the skill from the skill tab in database of Rpg Maker 2000. The only other thing to remember about Skill Damage is that it borrows the monster stats from the Attack Damage page, so make sure you have that filled in!

Hero Statistics - On this page, all four hero's statistics may be entered. Again, Max MP and Agility can be left out to save you time typing them in. I just kind of threw them in there anyway, who knows why I did it. Anyway, these statistics are taken directly from the database, on the hero tab. Typing all these stats in may take a long time, so I recommend maybe just typing a couple levels at a time as you work through the creation of the game. If you don't care about seeing the different levels all at once, you can just enter one set of values in level 1. You can use Algxel however you want. :)

Closing Notes

The sheets are very easy to use, and you'll probably be able to figure it out very easily just by looking at it. If you do need any additional help, you can email me at: chartley2003@gmail.com and I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have. :)

I hope that somebody might find some use with this, despite the fact it is for a very outdated program. If enough people like the concept, I might just make an Rpg Maker VX version!

That's all I have to say. Cheers!

Chartley

PS

The excel file is locked for simplicity. This means the only cells you can edit are the ones you are supposed to! The black cells, specifically. If you do want to modify the excel sheet to fit RM2K3 or whatever, you can use the TOOLS menu, and under protection, unlock the sheet using the password “rpgmaker.net”. You will have to unlock every sheet you wish to edit. Happy Algxel. :D

http://www.famitsu.com/freegame/tool/chibi/index1.html

For those who haven't found this yet, it's a character generator for Rpg Maker VX. It's in Japanese, but it's easy enough to use as it is mostly graphical. It's pretty awesome and very useful!

And for those who want a sample, here's a terrible one that looks intentionally goofy!

I don't know if anyone else has seen this or not. If you haven't, check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=jcl5m

They're videos of some dude who's done some real cool stuff with the wii. One example of an experiment he did was a 3D effect by wearing LED's on safety glasses. It produced a pretty neat virtual reality effect.

I don't know. I've never been one for long posts explaining anything at all. I don't really know what to say about it other than it's interesting, and you ought to check it out.