Hi, my name is Lytta (an alias, and I'm a guy). I am currently starting work on a Survival Horror game using RPG Maker Vx Ace. I had come up with a couple of concepts I wanted to use in the Gameplay mechanics, but, being new to actually using RPG Maker, I'm not sure if I can do these things:

• I'd like to have a difficulty setting. The difficulties would be Easy, Normal, and Hard (the typical ones). Each difficulty will effect slightly different things. In Easy, enemies do the least amount of damage and HP will NOT decrease (see next bullet), but still present a challenge in Gameplay. Normal will have HP decreasing at its normal rate and enemies will deal the normal amount of damage. Hard will have HP decrease its fastest (without being annoyingly fast) and enemies deal more damage. The point being, is there a way I can have things affected based on difficulty? Or will everything always be set one way?
  
• The player's HP is intended to be connected to a phone's battery life. Meaning, if the battery reaches 0%, it's game over. Taking damage decreases battery life, kinda obvious, but sitting still and doing nothing can too. I want it to mimic real life, where battery life decreases on its own, but at a slow rate. There will be "Charging Stations" scattered around to recharge the battery, but I feel that taking damage AND the thought that the battery could die out before you could reach a charger would present more of a challenge. Is there a way to have HP naturally decrease, but at a slow enough rate that it still proposes a challenge while not being too difficult? Like, 1% every minute or two as an example.
  
• A "Sanity Meter," whether hidden or visible. When it gets lower, the player will experience strange things like the buttons not working, the screen blacks out and sounds will be heard (and the player might take a small, random amount of damage), changes in scenery and NPCs, etc. If anyone has played Eternal Darkness, they might get a sense of what I'm talking about. I plan on having things that will allow a player to increase the meter so these strange things might not happen, like candy or drinks or something. I'm still deciding on if I want to use this, but either way I'd like to know if something like this is possible.
  
• Multiple outcomes, but not necessarily just Endings. Certain actions you take, or certain items you've obtained, might effect how people react and whether another person might live, etc. Basically the story changes in minor details on how you play. It won't necessarily change the general plot or mechanics, but taking certain actions to ensure someone is alive when you reach a certain puzzle might have benefits (such as more hints or being able to solve the puzzle faster).
  
• Taller sprites. Not really for the effect of Survival Horror, but more so personal taste. I've noticed the sprites are on the smaller side. Is there any way to make them taller, possibly so the player might be able to differentiate between a child and an adult or someone standing and a person in a wheelchair?
  
• Speaking of sprites, does anyone know of any place (or person) where I can make a sprite of a character in a wheelchair? One of the characters I intend to use is supposed to be in a wheelchair, and it may end up being the main character.

Like I said, I'm new to RPG Maker, and I'd like to know if some of these things are possible. Also, if anyone knows a way to do these things or might have an idea as to how to do them, it would be greatly appreciated if you could provide that too, but if you don't it's okay.

well, if you try to google some of these it would work just as good, and you can research them for yourself. most of those can be done with scripts. as for the re-play through search new game plus. the battery meter for hp maybe a custom HUD also the 'difficulty im sure theres a script for that
Try here
If you cant find what your looking for although 99% of the time its there i'm sure someone will make the script for you.

as for the sprite you should be able to find them other wise you could probly request it same as you can the scripts.

Thank you for the quick reply! I actually looked some of this up on Google, but found little to nothing on them, especially the Sanity Meter. As for replays, I hadn't thought of New Game+. I'm not intending to have players replay with all the items they collected, but it might be useful if I decide to. The HUD though, I figured there's a script for a HUD, but I was more interested in whether there was something that would allow me to have HP decrease at a fixed rate, in addition to decreasing when taking damage.

I had been searching on Google for hours for the "Sanity Meter" and the gradual HP decrease and just kinda got fed up with not finding anything, so I'm sorry if I make anyone annoyed because I'm not doing what they'd expect. I thank you for the Master Script list, though!

Making your HP decrease gradually cn be done by scripting. and MOST scripts have configs so you can configure them to your likings the new game + im sure has a way to make it where they can replay the game and not have there equipment but have there level.. a script can build your sanity. Also MOST can be done with events.

defininf the word MOST in this post - some do and some don't. also when your looking for RM (RPG MAKER) resources and scripts you must make sure your getting the right thing, vx is RGSS2 and vx ace is RGSS3. and your welcome, lurking in the forum communities is what I do most of the time.

Pretty much everything can be done with variables and just events, aside from the sprites. Since you are using VX Ace, it actually supports taller sprites, you just have to use $Name for the file name instead. As for the request for a sprite in a wheelchair, there are several talented people on this site who could do something like that for you. I'll see if I can't write you up a few eventing tutorials for what you wanted when I get the chance.

Difficulty Selection script.
http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/t...ulty-selection/

It multiplies stats based on the difficulty setting player chooses.

Place it before the enemy levels script if you are using Yanfly's one.

All of the above seem decently easy to put together, most of them more reliant on scripting than anything (Which I suggest you leaf through and learn yourself so you have something to call your own as opposed to ripping other people's work and making your game look like stolen content from other RPG maker games (YES, COMMUNITY, THAT IS WHAT OFFERING UNEDITED SCRIPT ANSWERS DOES)). "Multiple Outcomes" Could be driven without any scripting at all, and is sort of the... POINT of RPG event making.

"Taller Sprites" are just a matter of making the graphic file dimensions larger, as it automatically splits the image file into portions. There are already "Taller sprites" in the RTP you can look at for reference, but generally the default script determines character height by character sprite image height. So all you need to do is make the sprites. (Oh hey look at that, the help file that comes with the maker says just that!)

"Wheelchair sprites"... I can't help but question why you needed to ask this. Do you intend to just rip sprites from other games and can't find a resource with wheelchair sprites? In that case, if you need to find someone to make sprites for you, why not have them make sprites for the entire game to keep the visuals consistent? Seems like the better idea to me.

The only 'difficult' thing on this list would possibly be the "Sanity Meter" -- not so much the meter itself, that's the easy part, but rather the effects themselves. This would probably take a considerable amount of polish to make the game flow into these effects naturally, to make the player think it was intentional and actually freak out at what the heck is going on. Aka Eternal Darkness, your example. How exactly the effects occur is dependent a lot on custom animation and picture uses, and would take a lot of time and effort to get looking fluid.

I actually plan to make things on my own, ZarroTsu. Since the software is expensive, I'm merely asking if these things are possible so I don't buy a program that I won't end up needing. Some people may think that's stupid, but I for one would not like to spend $90 on a program that I might not use often. As for ripping people off, no I am not intending that at all. I'm just curious as to how scripts might be done or if there are sprite creators that can successfully create a sprite sheet of someone in a wheelchair (to which I had planned to ask them to make sprite sheets for the characters so I can have a consistent feel to the game). I actually want this game to feel as original as possible, even f that means I learn how to script and make the scripts myself.

I do agree with you about the Sanity Meter. I figured it would be difficult, especially since it should at least look and feel like it's on purpose so the player doesn't flip and restart the game. I might see how things work scripting wise and decide if I'll use it after I'm better at scripting.

Sanity meter doesn't sound too difficult with scripting. Actually it's probably trivial, except you just need to make a nice picture so it doesn't look mechanic.

I'm actually on the road to learning Ruby for RGSS3 as well. In your case though I Would get to be pretty good at eventing before I go through the long journey of scripting.

If it's such a risky purchase, I'd go so far as to suggest temporarily pirating the program, and purchasing when your project is complete so your game distribution is legal. That way, if you don't think VXAce is the program you're looking for, you can just uninstall it without having lost $90 for nothing (and without making Enterbrain cry).

Of course I'm sure I'm going to get heat for suggesting this, now.

Oh my god! the P word! No heat, not from me at least, but we really don't condone pirating, that is what trial versions are for. See if you like it, you get 30 days, if it is not what you want, you should be able to know by then. Just my opinion on the matter.

In my case, I got the rpg maker XP not even thinking if I would like it or not, as time went by I fell in love with the mapping, or was it that VX maps look horrible in general. I still use it on and off, I have been playing with Ace alot here recently and love it as well. If there is anyt problems in the future with anything in the game you always have the communities to help. I think its a good deal imo.

The problem is you don't, really. You get the thirty day bracket after opening the package, but you aren't likely to contribute every waking hour after the fact to studying the program. It would probably be a lot more effective if it only tracked the days you ran the program, but if you have a busy school/work week, or spontaneously go on vacation, it's cutting out of that 30 day trial.

P****ing it would both let you try it on your own time, as well as bypass some of the more annoying limitations, such as maximum items/skills/whathaveyou. It gives you a lot more breathing room than the trial would overall.

No but you well get some heat from me- under the forum guidelines for illegal activities.

Drop this now or I will close the topic,

I'd just like to bring RPG Maker VXAce Lite to the attention of the users you've quoted there kaz. It's the no time limit trial version.

http://tryace.rpgmakerweb.com/download-lite/

Thank you Holder- a nice LEGAL way to do things.

I'm just curious... what are the Lite missing features?
You cannot save or something like that?

Jens

You can save. More details are on the official forum.

No problem and here's the details of the limits from the Facebook post:
10 classes
126 skills
16 items
60 weapons
60 armors
30 enemies
30 troops
25 states
110 animations
10 common events
No call script but you can use the script functions of the other event commands like variable.
No script editor
6 Tilesets
15 events per map.
20 maps max.

No script editor?!?

What a shame. I was interested in the Lite version to approach RGSS3 without time limits, just to study the language...
Well, I'll probably go for the trial version...

Thanks a lot,

Jens

The 20 map limit isn't that interesting, although if you make big maps and put all the interior maps to the towns in one big map you could do it, I think this is more then enough for a complete noob to test it, like someone who hasn't never used the program needs the script editor?

You can OPEN the script editor, you just can't edit the scripts, or add any additional ones

Can I copy them as well? In order to paste them on a txt editor, I mean.
Anyway, I think I'll give it a try, then...

Jens

Then there isn't much point to the script editor

It is probably done to show that with the "script editor" they mean "actual scripting." There is people who do not would initially understand what that feature is. Considering how basic game you can do with most actual "easy-to-use" game makers.

Keep in mind it's not meant to replace the full program. If they added in a lot of the features that comes with the full program, most people would not have a need to buy the full program. It's meant to offer the user a chance to experience some of the features without a definite trial limitation. If you want to see all the features, you are better off with going with the 30 day trial as that the only difference between that and the full paid program is the 30 day limitation.

Not to be a party pooper, but isn't this sort of off-topic from the OPs original questions? Should we not start another thread to discuss the benefits of Ace vs Ace Lite?

If i'm wrong here, just ignore me, I'm never really sure what all is off-topic. XD

A little late mod, lol....

No, it's not too late, and this is spamming the topic further. Please don't make light of what a mod says.

Shaddowval, yes, it has gotten a bit off topic, but to be fair the OP did direct it this way when he stated in one of his posts how expensive the software is and didn't want to pay the $90 if it wasn't worth it. Naturally, the conversation then led to posts about Lite, as a result.

In any case, I agree that the topic has been derailed enough. Plenty of information has been passed along and I think it's time for this to be closed.