PHAENO'S PROFILE

I'm using RPG Maker VX, and I was hoping to implement something in the main menu that would log all the enemies the player comes across and give info on each of them...kinda like a Pokedex, for lack of a better example. I imagine this would require scripting...can anyone point me in the right direction to get started?

THE BASICS

I've been toying with the idea of making a game based on the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons since it's release last year. Those of you that have played it certainly know how well it lends itself to a video game conversion. It isn't my goal to turn this into a demanding project...I want it to, first and foremost, be a way to hone our individual skills and have fun. I'm not going to be slave-driving you or giving you scary dead-lines. ;D

Over the last few weeks, I've spent some time typing up a large document of where I want this project to go and what all needs to be done, and it's going to be too much for me to do alone. This board has always been friendly and helpful when I had questions, so this was the first place I thought of to find potential team members.

A knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons is definitely not necessary. In game form, it's largely a tactics game much in the vein of Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy: Tactics. The system is, essentially, balanced and well put together, which is why I'm using it. However, should our project take off, I have no qualms about taking the groundwork and creating a completely independent project with it...in fact, I would say that's a pretty good goal. I'm planning on using RPG Maker VX, but if there's a wide preference elsewhere, I don't have a problem switching.

The basic positions are as follows:

PROGRAMMERS

You know the drill. You'll be putting together...well, everything. The big ones are going to be character creation, which gets pretty complicated in the D&D world, and the tactical battles. I know there's some TBSes already out there, so if you'd to simply alter those, that's fine...or, of course, if you'd prefer to make a system from scratch, that's always acceptable as well.

ARTISTS

Menu designs, sprites, battle animations, tilesets. Just like with the programmers, if you can find resources that fit, that's fine, but I'm sure a lot of the creatures and such will need to be made from scratch.

SOUND ENGINEERS

Music, battle sounds, trap sounds, door sounds...everything we hear, it's all in your court. Once again, finding resources online is fine, making stuff yourself is fine.

IN CLOSING...

I want this project to be laid back and fun for everyone involved. If it sounds like something you're interested in, there's multiple ways to contact me:

A: Post a message here (also feel free to ask any questions)
B: Email me at Phaenox@gmail.com
C: AIM me at IGotUpAndLeft (I tend to ghost frequently, so just send a message and see if I respond)

Alright, basically, I have it set so the event (a zombie) chases the player. I know you can do this automatically by having the event's move pattern set to approach, however, I want to do it the long way so I can have the zombie chase NPCs if they're closer.

So, this is what I have (with some notes)

LOOP
V1 = Player's Map X
V2 = Player's Map Y
V3 = Zombie's Map X
V4 = Zombie's Map Y
(V5 is the X distance between player and zombie)
V5 = V1
V5 = V5 - V3
(V6 is the same, but with the Y axis)
V6 = V2
V6 = V6 - V4
(This conditional branch changes the values of V5 to a positive number if it's negative so it could be potentially compared to a positive Y)
Conditional Branch: V5 < 0
V7 = V5
V7 = V7 - V5
V7 = V7 - V5
Branch End
(This conditional branch does the same, but for a negative Y axis)
V8 = V6
V8 = V8 - V6
V8 = V8 - V6
Branch End
(This next branch compares X to Y to see which is greater)
Conditional Branch: V7 >= V8
(If the X axis is greater than Y, the zombie will move in the appropriate direction, left if the original outcome was negative...)
Conditional Branch : V5 < 0
Set Move Route : Move Left
(...or right if the outcome was positive)
Else
Set Move Route : Move Right
Branch End
(Now, if the Y is greater than X, the zombie should move in the correct direction, up if the original outcome was negative...)
Else
Conditional Branch: V6 < 0
Set Move Route : Move Up
(...or down if the outcome was positive)
Else
Set Move Route : Move Down
Branch End
Branch End
Repeat Above



Now, here's where my problem lies. Everything works perfectly except moving down. The zombie just won't do it. It'll move right, left, or up towards the player consistently and correctly, but it will never move down. Any help appreciated.

Anything that has modern buildings and furniture and such?

First off, I'd like to say that I'm pretty new to RPG Maker...I'm not fully aware of it's limitations and whatnot, and I'll probably be frequenting these forums quite a bit to get assistance.

Basically, on the game start up, I want a series of simple, black screens that present choices for race, class, etc. Now, I know I could probably execute this by having various "rooms" that the player would enter and talk to NPCs that present the choices, but I'd much prefer a more professional approach to start my game off right.

Any help appreciated!