Common RPG Maker Acronyms

A lot of people have questions about what acronyms stand for, and so I thought it might be useful to post them. This list is going to be heavily modified as I doubt that I will get all of them in one go. If anybody sees one missing or a way to improve an existing definition, or if a definition is wrong, post it and I will correct that.

RPG Makers
- RM :RPG Maker. A general acronym, referring to any RPG Maker program or the series as a whole
- RMVX :RPG Maker VX. The newest RPG Maker. Released on February 29, 2008
- RMXP :RPG Maker XP. The most commonly used version of RPG Maker
- PKE :Postality Knights Edition. An illegal translation of RMXP. Very popular before Enterbrain released an official (and too easily crackable) English translation of the program. Other acronyms: RMPK, RMPKE, standing for RPG Maker Postality Knights (Edition).
- RM2k3:RPG Maker 2003. The version of RPG Maker before XP. Some members prefer the "old school" feel of this. Most RMs before this version are not used, but acronyms for them are RM2k (2000) and RM95 (1995). Also, whenever you see this: RM2k/3 - it refers to both RM2k and RM2k3.
Program Related
- RPG :Role-Playing Game. A type of game in which the player assumes the role of a fictional character. RPGs typically feature fictional worlds (though some take place on Earth) and follow the adventures of the character you are role-playing. In RM, you create the RPG. You can read more in the Wikipedia article.
- RTP :Run Time Package. The bundle of default resources (battlers, spritesheets, tilesets) that comes with the program. It can also be used to describe the graphical style of these resources.
- BGM :Back Ground Music. An Audio file that can be looped either in the map or in battle
- BGS :Back Ground Sound. A usually short Audio file that can be looped in the map. The primary use of this is to achieve a sound effect, such as rain.
- SE :Sound Effect. A short Audio File that is played just once. It can be attached to item, skills, animations, etc... and is intended to be an audio representation of the action taken
- ME :Musical Effect. A short audio file that is played just once and is a short bit of music not intended to represent an action, though it can be used for that purpose. An example of a musical effect is the Victory ME that is played upon winning a battle
- DB :Database. The database is the medium through which you edit much of your game. Accessed by F9 (or by clicking on the icon), this tool allows you to set up actors, tilesets, monsters, classes, common events, pretty much everything for your game
- HUD :Heads Up Display. Any script which shows relevant information on the map, such as the HP of your characters. There is no default HUD in any of the programs, but HUDs can be made either through events or through scripts in later versions of RM
Scripting Tools
- SDK :Standard Development Kit. This is a scripting tool which was designed in response to incompatibility between scripts. It rewrites some of the default classes into smaller, more accessible methods, making them easier to alias. Common criticisms are that it is not, in fact, standard, and as such it merely replaces the old compatibility issues with new ones between SDK scripts and Non-SDK scripts, as well as decreases performance. Read more here
- MACL :Method and Class Library. This is a scripting tool. It is a collection of methods and classes intended to be useful for a scripter. If a script uses the MACL, you'll need to add it. Another acronym for this is MCL.
- YERD :Yanfly Engine ReDux. This is a series of scripts for RMVX by Yanfly, with the goal of revamping most of the default systems and adding new features. It is widely used and can be found here
- YEZ :Yanfly Engine Zealous. This is a new series of scripts for RMVX by Yanfly, with the goal of improving game mechanics - the focus is primarily on customizability with this generation of Yanfly scripts. It can be found here
Menu Systems
- DMS :Default Menu System. This is the in-game menu that comes standard with RMXP.
- CMS :Custom Menu Script/System. This is a menu script which is not default. In other words, it is a script which alters the look of the in-game menu and, in some cases, also alters its functionality (like adding an options menu)
Battle Systems
- DBS :Default Battle System. This is the battle system that comes with RM. RMXP's battle system is a non-animated, turn-based battle system where you choose the action for each party member, and then the battle phase sets the actions off in a sequence based off the agility of the members in a battle, with some random variance. RM2k and RMVX use a very similar system, though they do not use battlers for the actors. RM2k3 uses an animated SVBS
- CBS :Custom Battle Script/System. This is any battle system which is not the default one. The following are examples of CBSes.
- RTAB :Real Time Action Battle. This gives each actor in the battle a bar which fills up faster or slower based on each actor's agility. You choose the action in Real-time, meaning that the enemies can still attack while you are selecting, and actions are chosen at separate times for each actor, instead of all at once. The most common one, cogwheel's, also has a few other features such as zoom. It does not take place on the map, and it is not to be confused with ABS
- ABS :Action Battle System. This is a battle that occurs on the map, similar to a Zelda type battle system. You control your actor, and you use skills and attack/defend using hotkeys from the keyboard. Generally, you control just one actor, though some have functionality added for party and AI. There are many ABSes, including Mr. Mo's and Blizzard's, but there are also quite a few event-based ABSes out as well. For RMVX, the most popular ABS is Vampyr's
- SVBS :Side-view Battle System. A battle system which changes the display of the battler from on the bottom of the screen to on the right. Some require you to make battler sprite sheets for these. This type of battle system can be either animated (ASVBS) or Non-animated (NASVBS). Other acronyms: SBS
- TBS :Tactical Battle Script/System.This is a type of battle system which lays out the battle on a grid. Generally turn based, but not neccesarily, this battle system plays out like a game of chess, where each unit has a special set of moves. This type of battle system is used in games like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy: Tactics. The most common systems for RMXP are gubid's, Zenith's and Nick's.
Message Systems
- AMS :Advanced Message System. This is a script which adds new functionality to the Show Text command. The exact functions differ depending on which script you are using, but common features are the ability to add face sets, name boxes, and also a letter-by-letter functionality, so that the text does not all come out at once. AMS is often used as a "super" category for all custom message systems, and so it is not uncommon that other message systems are also called AMSes
- UMS :Universal Message System. Ccoa's version of the AMS. Widely considered to be the most powerful Message System, though each system has their own unique benefits
- SMS :Scrolling Message System. A message system which scrolls the text. The most common SMS also has letter-by-letter functionality and was created by Slipknot (Seasons In the Abyss on this forum). It may also have other add-ons like face and namebox, but it's defining feature is the text scrolling rather than being shown all at once.
- ATS :Advanced Text System. modern algebra's AMS for RMVX.
- NMS :Neo Message System. woratana's (worale on this forum) AMS for RMVX

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