Windowskin Maker XP

RMXP Unlimited

Until now there has only been a Windowskin Generator for RMVX, which is a superlative utility that I use frequently.

Now, there is one for RMXP, created by the talented Evil Cabbage, found on RPG Maker Times Companion and at RMXP Unlimited. Note: Right-click on the "Download" link and Save As for it to work.

Unlike the RMVX version, which runs within RMVX itself or standalone, this utility is just standalone. Its ease of use makes it very useful indeed, but you do have to create your own resources for it - backgrounds, arrows, etc. - as it none are provided with the program. This should not pose too many problems anyway, as long as you know the individual sizes for the different parts. (I should cover this in a later entry for all RPG Makers.)

Aside from manual creation of material parts, this program does have two distinctive disadvantages. The first is that it has no feature to redefine the windowframe, which is displayed as the "default" thin white frame with white scroll arrows. The second is that it can only be exported as BMP format, which means that it would need to be converted to PNG in another graphics program. Notwithstanding that RMXP will quite happily import BMP files, they are much larger in size than PNG files.

Aside from these "flaws", I would still recommend using this, as it's the only windowskin creator available for RMXP. This will still prove to be a valuable asset to any would-be RMXP windowskin creators.

RMTool

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This utility scans RPG Maker games for missing files and gives instructions on how to fix it. For example, if a MIDI or particular graphics file is missing from the game's Project folder, this tool will tell you which one is missing.

RMTool - Scan Resources

If any files are missing, you can then import those resources into your project. The program will then "fix" the missing files.

RMTool - Import Missing Resources

Note: The program was specifically made for RM2K, but works as well with RM2K3, except for 2K3-specific folders (i.e. System2, BattleChars, CharSets, etc.); they just won't be scanned.

Windowskin Generator VX

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I found this awesome and very useful utility. It's a Windowskin Generator, programmed by Woratana and with graphics by Aindra, for RMVX and it works! The idea behind this is to make Windowskin creation easy by selecting various parts and applying them to the skin. It even has a preview area where you can see what the resultant image will look like! Once you're done, the finished product can be saved and imported into RMVX for use in your games.

Download it directly here, then extract it to the RMVX Projects folder (using WinRar or Winzip) and open it up in the RMVX program.

It can be run directly from RMVX or as a standalone program. If used as standalone, the RGSS2002e.dll may be needed. Information on creating and running standalone games (including downloading the appropriate files) can be found on the RPG RPG Revolution forum.

AnimGet

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The primary purpose of AnimGet (or Animation Get) is to extract animation frames for use in RPG Maker (or other animation programs). When activated, it will work in the background, taking snapshots every 10 milliseconds, which can then be rendered in a suitable graphics program, such as Paint Shop Pro.

In the beginning, AnimGet was used in conjunction with various emulators, particularly the NES or SNES ones, to capture sprite or battle animations. These could then be rendered and ported into RM2K/3 for use in games. Copyrights were flouted in those days, but that didn't stop the mass productions of RM2K/3 made Final Fantasy or Zelda fan games!

A much more up-to-date (and perhaps ethical) use for AnimGet is to create still-frame images for animations for tutorials or mini movie clips. But, since the program runs in the background, snapshotting every 10 milliseconds, whatever you do while it is active will be logged.

RM Recker

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RMRecker, created by AnomyWare, is specifically designed for "editing resources, such as splash screens, icons, and glyphs, in your RPG Maker games quick and easy".

With it, you can change any of the three logos, the glyphs and icons used in the game with your own, then save them. The way that RMRecker does this is it patches the EXEcutable RPG_RT file, overwriting the "defaults". It certainly is a quick and easy process and, although it was created with RM2K/3 in mind, it can be used with other EXE files as well.

There are some limitations:

• You can only use 8-bit images. It won't accept 24-bit high color images unless you decrease the color depth first.
  
  
• While glyphs can be BMP, PNG or the proprietary XYZ formats, logos can only be PNG or XYZ formats.

The current version is v1.0 Beta 2, but although there have been no apparent updates since 2003, it is still a useful utility nevertheless.

ResHack

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ResHack (short for Resource Hack is a great utility that allows modification of games or RM2K/3 settings. Game icons, logos, text, individual settings, etc. can be modified to suit individual needs.

For the most part, ResHack is used primarily to alter the "default" icons and in-game graphics, as well as some information about the game. Other icon files can be used for this purpose and then the EXE file is re-compiled accordingly.

Note: It is against Enterbrain's Terms & Conditions to directly modify the RPG Maker program, Runtime Package (RTP), and resources, but the English versions of RM2K/3 were never "legal" or endorsed by Ascii/Enterbrain. This utility is included here only because of its usefulness and perhaps for posterity.

Dan's RMXP Tool

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EDIT (31 May, 2012): Unfortunately, the download link does not appear to be working.

Dan's RMXP Tool is a useful utility for inspiration, which allows you to create names for characters, game titles, and a plethora of other things. The title is something of a misnomer because it can be used for all of the RPG Makers and other game makers also. (I have, on occasion, even used it for inspiration for titles for short stories!)

The screenshot below shows an example of what it can do. (The skill it chose, "Cruel Skill", conjures up quite a few visuals, some of which are just cruel.)

• Random Title Generator: Generates game titles, examples of which are Old Birthright or Deep Spirit. Some humorous ones are Comfortable Tormentor or Shallow Parasite.
• Random Character: Generates names for characters, male and female. There is also an option to choose the character's nationality, which reflects the nature of the name - English, Greek, Japanese, Gaelic and Demon.
• Random Item Name: Generates dynamic names for items. Examples are Crooked Root and Divine Water, with some humorous ones being Nervous Nut or Flat Chance.
• Random Equipment: Generates names for equipment (weapons, armor, etc.). The first few tries yielded the following results: something down-to-earth, Massive Sword; something dynamic, Ghost Shoulder Pad; and something humorous, Ill Shield and Upset Plate.
• Random Skill Name: Generates random skill names, such as Giant Blow, High Rain or Flaky Nebula.

In addition to all this, under "Select Generate Mode" is an NPC Stats Generator, which randomizes the stats for non-player characters, including providing a name. You can also choose the level of difficulty for the NPC.

While this certainly is a nifty utility, sometimes it takes ages to get the "right" name for something, especially items, since it draws from separate data files for adjectives and nouns or first names and last names. That said, it is still a useful utility nevertheless.

Move Event

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EDIT (31 May, 2012): The download link no longer works. Unfortunately, I don't have a backup copy of this utility. If anyone can help track this utility down for me, I'd be grateful. Thanks.

It can be very time-consuming trying to figure out specific character movements, often meaning that you have to playtest and tweak until you have it just right. I've had many frustrating moments where the characters have moved slightly too far, putting the rest of the "scene" out of sync. Or where the cut scene has frozen because characters are trying to move but are walking into walls.

With this utility, which can be downloaded here, it takes some of the pain away. What it does is allow you to record the keystrokes from the directional keys, then either preview it as a graphical representation or as a "live" demonstration (playing back the recorded keystrokes) in RMXP itself.

As you can see from the snapshot above, you can also save the current movement commands and load them later for additional tweaking and testing.

Since using this utility, the amount of time taken for cutscenes where a lot of character and NPC movement is required has been slashed in half. It's very useful to be able to test that out before actually implementing it in the Command Events and then having to go back in to edit them manually.

If you're like me and have a lot of movement in your games, then this utility will assuredly help. It's one of those rare gems you stumble across that certainly help you out and you don't want to get rid of - even after there are no further updates.

Character Maker XP

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When it comes to designing character sets from scratch, I am stuck so rely on these kinds of utilities to help me out. Character Maker XP makes life much easier, as it will create character sets and sprites for you.

Although it is limited as far as the number of resources, you can still create some reasonably good custom character sets for RMXP, even with a small set of graphics available.

As you can see from the snapshot above, characters are highly customizable, with a virtual mannequin to model the clothes and extras to work with. You can then export your finished product to RMXP character sets and import them into your games. It also has a feature to edit the resources, but use with caution since it directly modifies the program's default graphics, with no way to undo the changes, except to reinstall it.

Its ease of use makes it a worthy addition to your games creation software, but there are slightly better ones out there, including online web editors.

EDIT: This maker is no longer available. The download is also unavailable because Megaupload was taken down.

Face Maker

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What's a character set without a matching face? Well, with Face Maker, currently at version 3.1, you can design facesets for message boxes. It doesn't seem to have been updated in over a year, but it does its job and suffices quite well. It also does not come with a Help file - not that you need it though - it's fairly self-explanatory.

To download it, you'll have to become a member of the Game Dev Unlimited forums, but it's definitely worth it in the end.

One of the things I really like about this program is that every aspect of the face is customizable, from the face to the additional accessories:

• Face and neck
• Eyes (including the pupils and eyebrows)
• Mouth
• Mustache (including beard)
• Ears
• Hair (including bangs)
• Neck and head wear
• And two sets of accessories (including helmet)

There are literally hundreds of possible combinations and quite a large range of resources to choose from.

Once you're done creating your masterpiece, you can save it for use in your games, with three sizes to choose from, depending on the RPG Maker used and the purpose of the faceset.

Overall, this is a very neat program, one which I've used on occasion too, primarily just for the fun of it.