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Make a 2D RPG in a Weekend: With RPG Maker VX Ace

Make a 2D RPG in a Weekend: With RPG Maker VX Ace

by Darrin Perez
Publisher: Apress
Release Date: April 2015
ISBN: 9781484210406
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Book Description

Make a 2D RPG in a Weekend shows you how to create your very own dungeon crawler game in RPG Maker VX Ace in a single weekend. The entire process, from start to finish, is covered within this book. You will see a variety of dungeon maps and events, all broken down for your convenience.

One of the hardest parts of game development is actually finishing a game, but it is also one of the most important steps on the way to becoming a game developer. If you have yet to finish a game, this book will give you the confidence and resources you need to finally be able to create your very own RPG. Once you've completed the game in this book, you'll be able to modify it as much as you like, adding new monsters and quests, and you'll have the skills to go on to create your second game all by yourself. Among the topics covered in this book are:

• Creating various types of enemy encounters via the use of the eventing system.

• Creating a special area that allows the player to pick their character of choice instead of being forced to play a particular character.

• Clever uses of events to create items that allow the player to return to town instantly and summon vehicles to their side.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents at a Glance
  6. Contents
  7. About the Author
  8. About the Technical Reviewer
  9. Acknowledgments
  10. Introduction
  11. Chapter 1: Laying Out the Framework
    1. Story
    2. Basic Game Play Considerations
    3. The Town of Eagle’s Crossing
    4. The Adventurer’s Quarter in Eagle’s Crossing—A Minimalist Item Shop
    5. Of Blank Maps
    6. Summary
  12. Chapter 2: The Characters of Our Game
    1. Overview
    2. Equipping the Characters
    3. Some More Equipment-Related Talk
      1. Pricing
    4. Creating Your First Weapon and Armor
      1. First the Axe…
      2. …Then the Tunic
    5. Equipping a Bow and Arrow
    6. Creating a Character Select System
    7. Summary
  13. Chapter 3: The Upper Catacombs of Eagle’s Crossing
    1. Overview
    2. The Upper Catacombs
      1. The Catacomb Key
      2. Of Damage Formulas and Spells
      3. The Enemies of the Upper Catacombs
      4. The Blocking Door
    3. Creating Wall Tiles That the Player Can Pass Through
    4. The Treasure Room
    5. Creating Chests with Contents Dependent on Characters
    6. Creating the Spell Scrolls
      1. Considerations
    7. Eventing the Spell Scrolls
    8. Summary
  14. Chapter 4: Populating Eagle’s Crossing
    1. Populating the Equipment Shop
    2. Populating the Pub
      1. Creating Our Companions
      2. Eventing Our Companions
      3. Creating the Dismissal NPC
      4. Creating the Innkeeper NPC
    3. Populating the Magic Shop
    4. Populating the Item Shop
    5. Companions and Shops
      1. Creating the Return Item
      2. Creating a Return Portal
    6. Connecting Eagle’s Crossing to the Upper Catacombs
    7. The Town Greeter
    8. Summary
  15. Chapter 5: The Lower Catacombs of Eagle’s Crossing
    1. The Lower Catacombs
      1. What Does the Town Greeter Have to Say?
    2. Level Overview
    3. Creating Transfer Events for the Upper Catacombs
    4. Static Encounters with Variable Enemy Troops
    5. Let’s Create a Puzzle!
      1. The Stone Tablets
      2. The Statues and the Gate
    6. The Treasure of the Lower Catacombs
    7. The Living Statues
    8. Summary
  16. Chapter 6: The Caves
    1. The Caves
      1. What Does the Town Greeter Have to Say?
      2. Level Overview
    2. Creating Transfer Events for the Lower Catacombs
    3. The Enemies of the Caves
      1. Random Roaming Enemies
    4. Doors!
      1. Doors That Require Keys
      2. Doors That Open with Switches
    5. The Cave’s Treasure
      1. Random Treasure
    6. The Magic Oar
      1. The Magic Oar Chest Event
    7. Kerberos, the Three-Headed Dog—Our First Boss
    8. Summary
  17. Chapter 7: The Pixies’ Forest (West)
    1. The Pixies’ Forest (West)
      1. What Does the Town Greeter Have to Say?
      2. Level Overview
    2. Creating Transfer Events for the Caves
    3. The Enemies of the Pixies’ Forest (West)
      1. Ambush Encounters
      2. The Ambush Encounter Parallel Process Event
    4. Unlocking the Pixies’ Vale
      1. The Queen of the Pixies
      2. The Accessory Shop
      3. The Portal to Eagle’s Crossing
    5. The Treasure of Pixies’ Forest (West)
    6. The Path to Pixies’ Forest (East)
    7. Summary
  18. Chapter 8: The Pixies’ Forest (East)
    1. The Pixies’ Forest (East)
      1. What Does the Town Greeter Have to Say?
      2. Level Overview
    2. Creating Transfer Events for the Pixies’ Forest
    3. The Enemies of the Pixies’ Forest (East)
      1. Paired Encounters
    4. Hidden Dwellings and Portals
      1. The Magic Sail
      2. Hidden Pixies
    5. The Treasure of Pixies’ Forest (East)
    6. Lamia, the Snake Monster—the Second Boss
    7. Life After Lamia
    8. Summary
  19. Chapter 9: The Ancient Temple
    1. The Ancient Temple
      1. What Does the Town Greeter Have to Say?
      2. Level Overview
    2. The Enemies of the Ancient Temple
      1. The Dark Priests
    3. The Lost Adventurers
    4. Barrier to the End
      1. The Braziers
      2. The Wall of Fire
    5. The Ancient Artifact
    6. The Great Escape
      1. The Ancient Spirit
      2. Encountering the Ancient Spirit
      3. No Return, Yes Escape
    7. Congratulations!
    8. Summary
  20. Chapter 10: What Comes Next
    1. The Bazaar NPC
      1. Overview
      2. Shop Processing—Scripting Style
      3. Creating the Bazaar
      4. Finishing Up the Bazaar
    2. The Next Leg of the Journey
    3. A Portal Appears
    4. Using the Portal
    5. A Random Portal
      1. Spawning the Random Portal
      2. Quibbles
    6. Handling Random Encounters with Common Events
    7. Other Cool Things
      1. Another Way to Randomize Chests
      2. Day-Night Cycle
      3. Random Encounters in a Day-Night Cycle
      4. Achievements
    8. Summary
  21. Appendix: Useful Resources for 2D Game Creation
    1. RMVXA Help Resources
    2. Art Creation
    3. Art Databases
    4. Sounds and Music
    5. Fonts
    6. Other Game Engines
    7. Closing Notes
  22. Index