An explanation of how RM2K3 handles (custom) chipsets.
Rpg Maker 2003 Free Tilesets Full
- 05/01/2014 11:38 AM
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Rpg Maker Free Tileset
About one year ago, a question emerged in topic asking for help about a specific problem regarding a custom chipset used by a RM2k3 beginner. I tried to explain the solution to his problem in as much detail as I could, and it ended up being a pretty nice picture tutorial about the handling of chipsets (also called tilesets). Some months ago, Kentona asked me if I could write up a tutorial about it so the information wouldn't be lost forever in the big sea of topics. Fortunately, I finally got some time to write the tutorial up. I hope this will have some educational value for the reader and I would like to apologise for my English in advance. English is not my mother language and as such, you will probably find some typos or grammar mistakes while reading this.
Anyway, introduction:
A forum member posted a screenshot of his Editor, which showed that his custom chipset wasn't doing what it was supposed to do. The first thing that came to my mind was a mistake I made in my own early days: Simply copying the file to my game file without properly importing it (thus the transparent colour you intended isn't the transparent colour in the editor).
However, when he posted his custom chipset the problem became clear. The chipset didn't work because he didn't arrange his tiles in a manner that could be properly read by RM2k3. The custom 'bugged' chipset looked like this:
The solution:
To fix his chipset he had to rearrange a lot of his chipsets. I also decided that it would be a better idea to make a separate charset of the tree he used. He could also use a picture for this (which is my preferred method of solving this problem), but is more suited for advance users - thus the charset.
I ended up giving him these two files to use, the chipset (already existing, but basically what he needed) and the charset:
I accompanied the charset with the following post. It explains a bit about charset usage and why one would prefer it over pictures:
First off: here is the tree. I made it into a charset instead of a picture, because you would have to use a charset anyway to create the lower part of the three (pictures are always above the hero and that would look weird).
Anyways, be sure that you keep an image of the charset at hand when you try to use this in the editor. In the editor you have to place an event and set the graphic for it. Be sure to look for the part of the tree you want to show and click that piece of the character. After that, be sure to set the event's 'Animation Type' to 'Fixed Graphic'. If you don't do this it will not show the piece of the charset you wanted to show.
The explanation:
One of the standard RTP files look like this:
In the RM2K3 editor these will appear as the lower and upper layer. It isn't a direct copy from the chipset file though, since 2/5th of the chipset file is filled with autotiles. Now look at how the editor reads the chipset file:
Now compare that to the 'bugged' and the 'fixed' chipset files described earlier. Still don't understand why it didn't work and why a chipset file looks so 'empty' in the editor and why your transparent colour isn't there? Don't worry, I made an even more in-depth picture description of chipset handling:
After this picture explanation, you might still be wondering some things. As a beginner ripper you might wonder where to find the following stuff: icon, dummy and inner (for autotiles).
I explained that with this (last) post:
Well I must honestly say that from this point you just have to experiment with the information that was given to you. Nobody, including me, has done this properly in the first run.
If we are talking about ripping from games, you sometimes just have to sprite certain tiles yourself, leave them gone, or be intuitive with the rips you do have.
The icon isn't to be found in any game: It's just there to tell you which tile it is. It isn't even important for in-game graphics. Most people just tend to put a middle tile in there.
As for the dummy, they did put it in the RTP but it has absolutely no use whatsoever in the editor or in the game, you can leave this transparent, black, other tile etc, it just doesn't matter.
Inner corners are not used very much, so you have to look carefully. In this example you have to take part 4 from the top left tile (1 tile = block of 4 numbers):
{11}{33}
{12}{33}
{44}
{44}
So now your homework:
- Reread the info and look carefully at how the RTP handled this situation.
- Look at some other ripped tilesets available and see how people handled the tiles.
- Start small and try to do some stuff on your own, correct any issues and learn from your experiences.
Good luck =)!
Conclusion
The way RM2K3 handles chipsets is a bit weird. It's easy to make errors and this is all because of the fact that RM2K3 forces you to put a lot of information in one chipset (in RMXP, there is la lot more separation, and thus less room for error).
However, if you manage to do this right you will notice how much fun it is to start editing your own chipsets - even if it is something easy like putting that one tile in a downloaded chipset that you were missing.
Have fun doing so and I hope this tutorial helped you guys out a bit =). Here is another gift btw: Your own chipset template to fill with rips =D:
Anyway, introduction:
A forum member posted a screenshot of his Editor, which showed that his custom chipset wasn't doing what it was supposed to do. The first thing that came to my mind was a mistake I made in my own early days: Simply copying the file to my game file without properly importing it (thus the transparent colour you intended isn't the transparent colour in the editor).
However, when he posted his custom chipset the problem became clear. The chipset didn't work because he didn't arrange his tiles in a manner that could be properly read by RM2k3. The custom 'bugged' chipset looked like this:
The solution:
To fix his chipset he had to rearrange a lot of his chipsets. I also decided that it would be a better idea to make a separate charset of the tree he used. He could also use a picture for this (which is my preferred method of solving this problem), but is more suited for advance users - thus the charset.
I ended up giving him these two files to use, the chipset (already existing, but basically what he needed) and the charset:
I accompanied the charset with the following post. It explains a bit about charset usage and why one would prefer it over pictures:
First off: here is the tree. I made it into a charset instead of a picture, because you would have to use a charset anyway to create the lower part of the three (pictures are always above the hero and that would look weird).
Anyways, be sure that you keep an image of the charset at hand when you try to use this in the editor. In the editor you have to place an event and set the graphic for it. Be sure to look for the part of the tree you want to show and click that piece of the character. After that, be sure to set the event's 'Animation Type' to 'Fixed Graphic'. If you don't do this it will not show the piece of the charset you wanted to show.
The explanation:
One of the standard RTP files look like this:
In the RM2K3 editor these will appear as the lower and upper layer. It isn't a direct copy from the chipset file though, since 2/5th of the chipset file is filled with autotiles. Now look at how the editor reads the chipset file:
Now compare that to the 'bugged' and the 'fixed' chipset files described earlier. Still don't understand why it didn't work and why a chipset file looks so 'empty' in the editor and why your transparent colour isn't there? Don't worry, I made an even more in-depth picture description of chipset handling:
After this picture explanation, you might still be wondering some things. As a beginner ripper you might wonder where to find the following stuff: icon, dummy and inner (for autotiles).
I explained that with this (last) post:
Well I must honestly say that from this point you just have to experiment with the information that was given to you. Nobody, including me, has done this properly in the first run.
If we are talking about ripping from games, you sometimes just have to sprite certain tiles yourself, leave them gone, or be intuitive with the rips you do have.
The icon isn't to be found in any game: It's just there to tell you which tile it is. It isn't even important for in-game graphics. Most people just tend to put a middle tile in there.
As for the dummy, they did put it in the RTP but it has absolutely no use whatsoever in the editor or in the game, you can leave this transparent, black, other tile etc, it just doesn't matter.
Inner corners are not used very much, so you have to look carefully. In this example you have to take part 4 from the top left tile (1 tile = block of 4 numbers):
{11}{33}
{12}{33}
{44}
{44}
So now your homework:
- Reread the info and look carefully at how the RTP handled this situation.
- Look at some other ripped tilesets available and see how people handled the tiles.
- Start small and try to do some stuff on your own, correct any issues and learn from your experiences.
Good luck =)!
Conclusion
The way RM2K3 handles chipsets is a bit weird. It's easy to make errors and this is all because of the fact that RM2K3 forces you to put a lot of information in one chipset (in RMXP, there is la lot more separation, and thus less room for error).
However, if you manage to do this right you will notice how much fun it is to start editing your own chipsets - even if it is something easy like putting that one tile in a downloaded chipset that you were missing.
Have fun doing so and I hope this tutorial helped you guys out a bit =). Here is another gift btw: Your own chipset template to fill with rips =D:
Jun 24, 2016 RPG Maker 2003 Overview. RPG Maker 2003 Free Download for PC (RPGツクール 2003) is the third in the series of programs for the development of role-playing games, developed byKadokawa Games. It features a database of pre-made backgrounds, music, animations, weapons and characters.
- Relive the golden age of RPGs with RPG Maker 2003’s diverse selection of 16-bit default graphics. If you’re feeling especially creative, RPG Maker 2003 allows you to import custom 16-bit graphics, including character sprites, tilesets for your environments, battle animations, backgrounds, and more!
- Some autotiles are even animated, such as water. In RPG Maker 2000 and 2003, the autotiles are part of the image. RPG Maker XP allows each tileset to have up to seven autotiles which are changed by using the database. In RPG Maker VX and later, the tilesets themselves, and thus the autotiles, consist of separate images.
- RPG Maker 2003 Free Download for PC (RPGツクール 2003) is the third in the series of programs for the development of role-playing games, developed byKadokawa Games. It features a database of pre-made backgrounds, music, animations, weapons and characters.
Rpg Maker Xp Pokemon Tilesets
6 days ago Relive the golden age of RPGs with RPG Maker 2003’s diverse selection of 16-bit default graphics. If you’re feeling especially creative, RPG Maker 2003 allows you to import custom 16-bit graphics, including character sprites, tilesets for your environments, battle. Relive the golden age of RPGs with RPG Maker 2003’s diverse selection of 16-bit default graphics. If you’re feeling especially creative, RPG Maker 2003 allows you to import custom 16-bit graphics, including character sprites, tilesets for your environments, battle animations, backgrounds, and more!