Ok now anyone here that knows me knows that i'm a hardcore fan of XP, but feeling a bit bored I decided to try out 2003 once I FINALLY found download link. First off what the hell! RPG maker 2003 is AMAZING! I just used it for like 10 min did 1 battle and was so mad at myself for all those years and money I spent on XP!

Where to begin, the battle system really blew me away like crazy, the default you actually get to SEE you char! And they in such a cool anime/3D style! And there is like words with the status effects and real time is already built in?! IT comes with a world map too!

Why the hell did they make XP but not bring over all these bad ass options, we all had to wait for ppl to script them and thats just a pain. I already started editing new char and its just like doing icons cause they so small I love it! so much simpler then trying to work with xp sprites.

That being said im switching my time now to 2003, ill still be working with xp but only when I get bored.

PS. And they have face graphics!!! Grr I wanna kick the ppl that made XP in the balls now!

Great to see you enjoyed Rm2k3.
Personally, I love 2003 for those reason stated above. The only reason why I chose to move away from it is because of the little resources it had. Sure, I can always get some but not all resources that people provide match everyone else. So either I make a game that clashes with characters that clash with each other, rip off some game, or make resources. I decided to leave....

Kinda miss having my old project now

I would say XP has that same problem only much worse! With all these "style" battlers there is way to much clashing in the games ppl make. 2003 is so basic in the char sprites thats its easy to make your own ppl, I just spend maybe 5 min to edit a char in 2003 when it would hve taken about 20 min to do in XP!

I got this weird happy/mad feeling going on! The lack of resources just mean that when I make them they will be even more cool and rare lol. With everything to old school pixel like I think I could even do a world map set with ease. Ive gotten some really cool ideas again, its like im a kid again lol.

That's true. There is more opportunity for that. If you look at some 2003 games I'm sure you'll get some inspiration there.

Have always been a rm2k3 fan from the very beginning when I first found out about the programs. Started to play around with the options and different things that can be done within the program and felt like it was one of the greatest game making engines available for RPG maker games.

Moved onto XP trial and didn't really seem all that fussed about it, couldn't find half of the options I used to use and the only decent thing good about it was the graphics you were given in the RTP.
Finally, I went to test out VX but at the time didn't have an internet connection (meaning I couldn't install it.) So left it at that and have since still always gone back to 2003

Im editing the RTP now to make my char and I gotta say just looking at the battlers alone I see that 2003 was made with a LOT more love then XP, the detail the options is just so much better. The only thing I see so far that is kinda bad is that I cant preview any of the res in the editor, in xp you can preview all rez, but im just guessing in 2003, I have to export it to look at it.

Yeah I think you do need to do that just to see the rez but in all fairness this engine is far superior to the newer ones which is a shame really as they should be getting better and more improved which would mean keeping all the old options that worked so well with rm2k3

Ok something weird just happened, I was using a old comp to use 2003 cause mine was getting fixed, now that mines good again I copy and pasted 2003 and installed it and when I went to make a new game it said failed to make new project! does 2003 not work with Windows 7???

Copy and paste... As in the installer or the folder in the program files.
It does work in windows 7

It was windows 7 security issue, I just did the run as admin. But I am finding other problems as I learn about it. I tried to import my edit of the battler and when I went to add it to the res I got the error "stream read error" when I go to import the default res it shows the image in the right preview screen, but when I just did some simple edits and tried to import it wont show it in the preview. Its the same file type and size so im a bit lost.

While I personally like the DQ battle systems more, there are things in both RM2K and 2K3 that have never been brought over (by default) into the newer makers. VX-Ace does try to correct a lot of problems, and it's a worthy follow up, but even that misses out on a few other enhancements.

First, RM2K and 2K3 have a boatload of resources from well known games, including retro tilesets for people who wish to emulate an NES game. It's simple to use, and you don't feel compelled to grab every script you can find. Either you learn to event it, or you live without it. I don't know all of the special features and events that RM2K/3 uses to compare to other makers, but I do know they offer true layering compared to VX and VX-Ace, it's easier to learn with, and one feature especially that I like is that you can determine which actors can use which items, making it easy to do things like scrolls and EXP bags, and whatever else you want.

The one drawback in 2K3 is the slow wait time in battle, but there are tutorials on how to speed that up (basically keep all agility from player and monsters low), as well as patches and plug-ins to fix this and other problems.

I didnt really think that XP and VX battle systems are faster, I mean 2003 is the only one that seems active battle to me so thats a bit slower but it has to be to look more realistic, unless im missing something. The default battle system for XP and VX is just horrible visually when you compare it to 2003, and when you add in the years between them that just adds insult to injury!

This topic made me happy.

Most of your reasons stated above on the first post is the main reason why I stayed on 2k3.
XP and VX makers just didn't handle retro rpgs like 2k and 2k3 did.

Even the games that come out of VX/XP look way too blocky on the default level, and with such high res graphics, it's a real drag on making resources.

Happy making for you. =D

I know right! I mean they have FLYING TANKS!!! Flying tanks lol I want flying tanks in xp but they just not there! Everytime I learn something new about 2003 I just start to hate the newer game makers even more, I mean they even have a movie insert section! I'm throwing a buch of cool stuff together to see what happens

Same with Ranmaster, the reasons you stated is why I still work on RPG Maker 2003. RPG Maker 2003 is SO powerful. It may not have scripting, but it EASILY has the most powerful eventing out of all of them. Personally, I prefer eventing over scripting in RPG Maker. RPG Maker 2003 has features that were abandoned in future makers like, as you stated, the play a movie option. My only complaint, a minor one though, is the color format needed. Other than that, it is just plain awesome.

Yeah ive always used XP, been using it for like 4-5 years and ehh it just feels like a waste, I like it only cause I HATE the vx/ace sprite style and other looks to it, but its just not worth using anymore, I gonna finish my commercial game and NEVER use it again! I might even give ace a try if I get the money. Kinda weird though ace just came out and ppl are posting there ace games like crazy now and its just kinda a mess.

Ok I had a question about that cause this color depth thing is kicking my ass bad! is there a easy way to edit your pic so that it will work with 2003?

Don't double post before 48 hours. Edit previous one instead. ~ Kayden997

Not sure if this is what you are looking for or not, but since RM2K/3 relies on 256 colors, you lose quality if you are saving an image to 256 bmp using MS Paint. There are other programs available allowing you to save in 256 colors without losing quality such as Irfanview.

Wow now thats a old program lol, ill have to look into that, ok another question problem! I have this cool idea to make everything black and white since its a old war game but the only thing I cant seem to make black and white is the dam face set pic!!! IS there a good way to do this?

I'm glad you stopped by to 2k3.
A difference of XP, this tool with many events no lags, besides there are some rip games that you can use as many graphics.

Ok I still my my other questions answered but I have another one as well hehe im learning ok. I know we have tilesets maps for 2003 here but they say they are rips so I cant really use them for my commercial games, does anyone know of a custom maps done for 2003 and the person that does them??

What?
I'm sorry, but I haven't understand this question very well.

The maps that come with 2003 are very few, I was wondering if someone made a custom tile set that wasnt just a rip off a old game.

I don't know, but you can find many rips on spriters resource:
http://spriters-resource.com/gameboy_advance/gs2/
http://spriters-resource.com/psx_ps2/alundra/index.html
http://spriters-resource.com/snes/saga3/index.html
http://spriters-resource.com/psx_ps2/lunar2ebc/index.html
http://spriters-resource.com/psx_ps2/lunarssc/index.html
Just a few examples.

Wow!! that site is amazing!! I cant belive it lol, though its very confusing, I looked at the terms of use and it was very vauge! ok the res that is off official games like final fantasy are of course off limits, however from what I saw of the other ones they just said dont give credit but dont steal, they dont tell you if you can use them for commercial games or not.... so um yeah doesnt really help.

Wait, so you use rpg maker 2k3 for making commercial games?

Well no, not yet at least, but I would like the option

Yeah, options are great. Also, here is a great (and popular) RPG Maker 2k/2k3 site:
http://charas-project.net/resources.php?lang=en

Charset maker:
http://charas-project.net/charas_ex.php?lang=en

I didn't understand what you want to know, so I try to be brief and clear.
To create commercial games you have to use the graphics and music created entirely from scratch yourself.
Or you can use ONLY RTP resources.
While if you want to create a simple game indie, you are free to use resources ripped, but you must give credits where the game was ripped graphics, and author who has ripped the graphics.
I hope that answers your question.

If you would like to know some games from which to rip a nice graphics, you can ask me.

These sites all have such beautiful work, I love the old pixel faces sets from Final Fantasy 6, but I cant just love the art I need something I can used or even better edit. So ill pm ya

That's not really true.

For commercial games, you can use RTP resources, resources created yourself, or other resources that allow commercial game use.

For non-commercial games, you are not free to use ripped resources at all. I'm not sure what gave you that impression.

Thanks Rob, yeah its never ok to use a rip from any big company like squaresoft or bioware, just because they are not suing your ass on the spot doesnt mean they want you doing it.

I personally enjoyed 2k3 for it's ability to play videos and the battle system
My for fun project is a 2k3 project.
I do have something for XP but i just like how 2k3 runs.. more like w hat I am used to.
I use charas.ex to make a basic char then use gimp and Idraw for making clothes and other things..
I need someone good at making tilesets though D: i might ask someone in the recruiting thread sometime.
I just feel that the battle system in 2k3 is much more solid and that some of the commands are far better
XP has nice stuff.. but it takes away some of the functions i would like.

Honestly, I don't know. I suck when it comes to art and have used Photoshop and the likes very minimally. You might want to ask in the Visual area and see if somebody can provide feedback.

Holder hangs around from time to time and seems to have a handle on various programs like GIMP and GraphicsGale, so you could even send him a PM and see if he knows.

Edit: Just realized you added this at the end of June, but my eyes deceived me and I saw July. So sorry about the late response.

That's do to skill and ability, not with a maker.

Just because 2k/3 uses 16X16 tiles doesn't make it a retro RPG dev kit, far from it.
The fact is, once you reach the program's limits it's impossible to use. Sure, my own game does use smaller sprites than Xp or Vx/ace mainly because I love old school RPGs, but the issue is Rpg Maker simply was not built for advanced action combat systems period. I could hack and tweak to my needs but in the end programming your game is so much more satisfying.

Ace is the only RM that I like since 2003 though.

Keep in my it's art ability and just know how that makes a game, not a maker lol.

XP/Ace are much more versitle than 2003 was or ever will be, scripting plays a huge role.
Each can change it's own resolution (XP is a pain with this...) but VX or Ace it's just..easy as eating a slice of pie it's simply instinct.
You can also change animation cycles or how how many frames per charset batch.

XP/Ace may not be a right step for you if you want to stick with 16X16, or smaller tiles or sprites but XP and Ace are vastly superior in the sense of what they can do over 2003.

While this might be true to the average user, I've been greatly surprised with just how much RM2K & 3 can still accomplish. For one of the better games that showcases just how much events can do, you should check out Forever's End. While it's still not a perfect game, it's actually pretty impressive just how much you can do if you know what you're doing, even without scripts.

It could be worth noting that the capability gap between rm2k3 and the newer makers has been narrowed down somewhat if you include Cherry's DynRPG patch into the equation which allows you to write C++ plugins for rm2k3.

Technically speaking, this allows for easy to integrate systems like particle effects or/and modified/custom battle systems by simply downloading the plugin dll. They can be made configurable by modifying files on the outside or by event commands at runtime as well, making it somewhat equivalent in terms of what you can do with scripting on the newer makers (Though not having quite the same freedom in terms of physically recoding objects of rm2k3 itself).

Only thing is of course that there hasn't been released that many plugins yet, as the SDK is fairly new, but potential wise it stretches far.

Its a great program, i personally find it more apealing than the newer programs like XP and VX.

The only downer is that I can't find any script editing anywhere and the uploader for graphics and music is just a picky little shit of a thing.
And that really bugs me, how is it that some games out there made by 2003 have somehow modified the graphics before the title screen even apears? There's no event or system option that can change that?

"script editing"? The only scripts you'll find in rm2k3 are the event scripts (Not accounting for the LUA script patching which you could get in a limited version with some patching, as these scripts would be contained in seperate files outside of the editor anyway).

Also, the keyword for seemingly impossible stuff (not just facinating event magic which a lot of it might be as well) is generally "patches".
In particular, the most common one used for skipping the title screen is called the BAEP (Better Auto Enter Patch). This is probably what was used whenever you saw a rm2k3 game skip the title screen, or having an animated title screen

I played with DynaRPG, but it's not the same thing. You need to know or at least have basic knowledge of C++ to use it. The entry is just too high and people that use Rm2k/3 generally DO NOT HAVE A PROGRAMMING BACKGROUND.

This is why lately I love to program games from scratch, though if you know me I'm on the move constantly.
The only thing I've improved on in the last 12 years was my programming ability, pixel art, and maths.

I can't recommend DynaRpg to someone, but I myself could use it once it get's to 1.0 or beta. I don't like to use alpha software..
If this makes it to 1.0 RPG REVOLUTION will see a suped up Seiken Densetsu 3 kit!

But seriously.. Game Maker is hella easy to use, no C++ required, GML is like a C language but it borrows from various languages to make GML.
Game Maker 9 does have me intrigued.. Now if only they'd scrap GML and use lua we'd all be winners, but stencyl also looks awesome.
If you seriously like editor coding like Rpg Maker give Game Maker, Stencyl, or Construct a try. All are capable of anything the snes can do(construct, and stencyl I'm iffy on anything 3d even fake 3D like the snes used) But game maker does have basic 3D and that's why it's a better fit..but lua is just so damn awesome.

If Cherry commits to this project, see's a 1.0 release, tries and gives rm2k/3 some 3D capabilities aka mode7 effects, truly opens up the rm2k's actor, and event objects, meaning you can do anything to them. Change movement patterns(pixel based, tile based, iso based, etc), even emmit actors like particle effects.

I personally should have done something like that when I used Rm2k/3, I can't just go back to Rpg Maker(unless it's ace..rgss3 ftw!) these days. I love precision and the control of programming my own game.

Has anyone written Pixel movement for Dyna? Or is it to early, even creating example code it should work but at version 0.14.. I'm even iffy to try it. Certainly iffy as hell to program a mode7 script. It's pretty easy in C++...

Hmm, I do have an idea for mode7, basically take the pano image, scew it, write some code to rotate, but this may be better to try at say.. version .5?

Pixel movement hasn't been done yet as far as I know, but it's on my (rather long) todo list. A reason why it hasn't been made yet could be related to how you need to use some undocumented functionality to get a hold of the right data (basically recasting specific memory adresses as relevant types, and you'll have to know how to read out of the map file as well).

Also, as far as I know, there is no access to the panorama image at the moment, but you could access Picture with the same graphic as the panorama, or load it directly into a 8 bit image buffer, and then start to play around with it.

It's not without limits though. Emitting actors probably won't become possible at any time. The SDK primary capability is to read and modify existing data, while creating new will generally cause crashes or/and other bad stuff, with exceptions like the 8bit image buffers I mentioned.

Also, while we're at it, since a lot of the "other maker stuff" seemed directed at me. Already have, I'm playing around in SFML every now and then, and have made a little game in it as well, and I think Construct and Construct 2 are pretty cool too, and have made some simple stuff in them as well. I never really liked Game Maker, which is probably related to how I disliked it's interface, so while it might be more mature and very useable (as long as you make good use of GML), I couldn't get around to like it. I still simply love playing around in 2k3 though, the C++ bit allows me to have some more fun with it as well.


You don't need to have programming background to be able to simply install a plugin someone else has written, much like how you don't need to know how to script to install a script someone else has written for the later makers, which was the point I was getting at, in terms of them being somewhat analogues in usage. The average VXPace user don't know how to script either.

It's not like many of XP's missing features can't be recreated from RM2k3. That is was RGSS is for. Needless to say, 2003 is okay, I just don't like the lack of self-switches, the stupid graphic limitations and the lack of in-depth customization it has. If it floats your boat, however, then go with it.

Like "lack of scripting"? Guess what? You CAN make scripts!

And in terms of self switches, you can work around, by creating a dummy hero which dummy skills that are added when an event is done. You can use irfanview to create lossless "256" graphics. And customization? What are you talking about? I could actually set up my battle layout like XP.

Hey, it's Kazesui. Now I know this thread is popular.

There used to be many resources. I am lucky to of found a hard drive filled with some that i will be needing. But i been having fun learning how to make my own as well.
The only problem with 2k3 versus XP is ogg files. Oggs would make my music files smaller so it would be nice im too spoiled to make midi anymore.

The topic has been dead for over 3 months. Necroposting is only allowed in this part of the forum by the topic starter if it's over a month old.