RPG Maker VX Ace is released! [First impressions]

[TDS]

So, VX Ace trial is out.

http://www.famitsu.com/freegame/trial/vxace_trial.html

RGSS3 confirmed to be faster than RGSS2.

There seems to be a few tutorials in the help file. Tutorials that look suspiciously familiar.

Edit: Terrain tags are back!, Lot's of things are now handled by modules.

When selecting icons it shows you their index in a little box at the bottom.

There is an option for using a console window. (No more having to use print to debug "If you want to test it out go to the option in (G) Alt + G and click on the (C) option" then put on a script call puts "text or something")

RGSS3 features so far.

The RPG::BGM and RPG::BGS modules seem to have a "play" method that allows you to select where to start playing the music if the format is ogg or wav. Audio module also has the feature to play at desire position and to get the position with Audio.bgm_pos.

There is a method to play movies. Graphics.play_movie(filename).

There's a new TestBattler module that is part of RPG::System.

Windows can now have tones which seem to be changeable at RPG::System.

A few flags such as "japanese", version_id and game_title that are also part of RPG::System.

It would seem that they "fixed" the F12 bug by using a new internal method "rgss_main { SceneManager.run }".

There is a rgss_stop method which sounds very useful to me. It stops the the process of a script and basically loops the screen.

And there seems to be quite a few new methods for the Window class.

[Adrien]

according to some articles I read, everything BUT the scripts will work in this new version. All your music, maps and what not will work. What I am waiting for is some to transfer over the parallax scripts so that parallax can be done like it is in VX

[Gracie]

Going to wait for an English release to this.

[Zylos]

Let me know if it gets confirmed that there'll be an English release, or just smack me if there already is one and I'm just being a lazyass for not bothering to look.

[modern algebra]

4way passability is also back too. Tilesets are greatly improved - you can again set bush and table tiles manually, in addition to ladder passability so that the character is facing the right direction when climbing ladders.

Autoshadows are gone and replaced with a simple 16x16 paint tool accessible on the map itself.

I didnd't have a lot of time to look around at everything, but so far there are only improvements.

[Adrien]

How do you know? if I might ask?

[TDS]

Because it's on the trial, even if you don't know Japanese most scripters can easily recognize old features and symbols because they are similar to previous iterations of the software, and as for the new ones they are pretty obvious.

[Adrien]

ahh understood

do we know when the English version comes out?

[TDS]

Nope, but there is already a full translation of the the Trial software. It's not a legal one so I don't know if I'm allowed to post any links to it.

[Adrien]

I wouldnt. Any ways I really want the english version out soon. Wiki sais both versions go on sale december 15 (worldwide) but I have no idea if thats right...

[modern algebra]

yeah, I don't have an english version, but as TDS says, the scripts are still in Ruby

The message system is way better designed too. Not only does it have better default features, like choice boxes, and key item selection, but more importantly the script itself is much better designed and far easier to alias. There is a lot more room for compatible message systems now, which means it is feasible to design them feature by feature rather than make one big script like the ATS. That would allow users to make more tailored choices about which features they want added, and you could even use message system features designed by multiple different scripters.

Also, it looks like the special codes are global by default, which means you can change colours, use icons, even make new lines anywhere - like in descriptions (help windows are now two lines, btw).


Also neat - areas aren't just rectangles any more - instead there is a paint tool that allows you to colour the area for each map, and when you select an enemy, you can either make it show up in all areas or up to three separate areas (or more, as it looks like you can simply set up two slots for the monsters).

[TDS]

modern algebra, I thought you would be more hyped about the console window.


(How to activate the console window)

Since you can't change the scripts you can try it out using script calls (Should be on Tab 3 of event commands and the last on the right column). Pretty sure I don't need to tell you how to use it, but for everyone else who wants to try it out it just use "puts" or "print" to output the contents to the console window.

[cozziekuns]

Yeah, after playing around with ACE a bit it seems pretty awesome. Can't wait for the full release. Anyways, IMO:

Also neat - areas aren't just rectangles any more - instead there is a paint tool that allows you to colour the area for each map, and when you select an enemy, you can either make it show up in all areas or up to three areas.

Probably the best feature. Will make things easier for scripter and non-scripter alike.

[modern algebra]

haha, cool. I didn't even notice it. I'll try it out soon.

[Zylos]

*whimpers and pines for an officially translated version* ;-;

[yuyu!]

*whimpers and pines for an officially translated version* ;-;

I think I'm going to whimper, too... we english-speakers are so forgotten!! D: (not really... but, yeah...)

By the way... Sorry I made your rep 666, MA. I swear I didn't do it on purpose... I was half asleep and was like "let's give MA some rep" and then was like "wait a minute... 666... aw, snap..." lol

[cozziekuns]

Videos have to be .ogv : (
Or at least it looks like it.

Fibers have been introduced for handling items through the interpreter, which is nice.

[TDS]

Random question for any musician who might be reading. When obtaining the Midi playing position it gives me a value in increments like: 0, 33076, 66152 etc all increments of 33076. Is it that way with all midi/ogg or does the value change as part of a setting.

Trying to figure out how to get the current position of the midi playing in seconds rather than those large values so I can make a method to play at a certain second.

Also something I discovered while playing with the Audio, it would seem that you need to stop a song before playing it again. Otherwise the song wont play at the desired position.

For those who want to try it out for themselves.

Code Select Expand


filename = 'Audio/BGM/Field3'
Audio.bgm_stop
Audio.bgm_play(filename, 100, 100, 0)

prev = -1
loop do
  if Audio.bgm_pos != prev
    p "Play Pos:" + Audio.bgm_pos.to_s
    prev = Audio.bgm_pos
  end
end


It should all fit within a script call.

[Adrien]

I dont think many people will use this until some scripts are made.

[LoganF]

This post now has it's own thread:

VXAce Database - Rough Translations

Check it out for a look into a (roughly) translated database.

[modern algebra]

I dont think many people will use this until some scripts are made.

Alrighty then; challenge accepted

Code Select Expand


#==============================================================================
#    Geomancy [VXA]
#    Version: 1.0
#    Author: modern algebra (rmrk.net)
#    Date: December 1, 2011
#++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
#  Description:
#
#    This script allows you to set it so that certain skills can only be used
#   on particular types of terrain.
#++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
#  Instructions:
#
#    To set it so that a skill can only be used on particular terrain tags,
#   simply put the following code in the notebox of the skill:
#
#        \Terrains[x, y, ..., z]
#
#   where x, y, ..., z are the terrain tags you want to enable it for. If you
#   don't set this code at all, then the skill can be used on any non-excluded
#   terrains.
#
#    You can also do it backwards - if you want the skill to be usable on all
#   terrains EXCEPT specified terrains, then you use the following code:
#
#        \!Terrains[x, y, ..., z]
#
#   where x, y, ..., z are this time the tags you DON'T want to be able to use
#  the skill on.
#==============================================================================

#==============================================================================
# ** RPG::Skill
#++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
#  Summary of Changes:
#    new method - valid_terrain?
#==============================================================================

class RPG::Skill
  #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  # * Valid Terrain?
  #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  def valid_terrain? (terrain_tag)
    if !@valid_terrains
      @valid_terrains, @invalid_terrains = [], []
  self.note.scan (/\\(!?)TERRAINS\[(.+?)\]/i) { |match|
    match[1].scan (/\d+/) { |tag|
  if match[0].empty? 
    @valid_terrains.push (tag.to_i)
  else
    @invalid_terrains.push (tag.to_i)
  end
}
  }
    end
    return false if @invalid_terrains.include?(terrain_tag)
    return true if @valid_terrains.empty? || @valid_terrains.include?(terrain_tag)
  end
end

#==============================================================================
# ** Game_BattlerBase
#++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
#  Summary of Changes:
#    aliased method - skill_conditions_met?
#==============================================================================

class Game_BattlerBase
  #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  # * Skill Available?
  #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  alias mal_vxageo_sklconds_6gc1 skill_conditions_met?
  def skill_conditions_met? (skill, *args, &block)
    return false unless skill.nil? || skill.valid_terrain?($game_player.terrain_tag)
    return mal_vxageo_sklconds_6gc1(skill, *args, &block) # Run Original Method
  end
end


If anyone else wants to play around with writing scripts, it's not too hard but it's a pain.

The trial doesn't let you save any changes made to scripts, but you can get around it. Basically, all you need to do is create a new project in RMVX Ace. Then, go to the folder in which it is created, go into Data, and copy the Scripts.rvdata2

Create a new RMVX (Not Ace) project. Go into the Game Folder, and then go into Data. Paste the Scripts.rvdata2 into the Data folder, delete Scripts.rvdata, and rename the Scripts.rvdata2 to Scripts.rvdata.

Now, when you go into the VX project and go to the Script Editor, you will see that they are the scripts from RMVX Ace. It will obviously be totally broken if you try to play test, so you'll have to script blind. Once you write your script, save the project. Go back into the Data Folder of the RMVX project. Copy Scripts.rvdata and move it to the Data Folder of the RMVX Ace project. Delete the Scripts.rvdata2 and rename Scripts.rvdata to Scripts.rvdata2. Now playtest the RMVX Ace project. The changed script won't show up in the Script Editor (since you can't shut down without the whole project being deleted), but when you playtest, the script will be interpreted with the rest and so you can test it there.

It would be a huge pain if it was a script that needed to be tested often. Anyway, now I've written my first script for RMVX Ace I attached the Scripts.rvdata2 with it included if anyone wants to test it out, though it's kind of boring.

Also, that's a great idea to go through it like that LoganForrests. Thanks for doing it.

[TDS]

Congratulations modern algebra, I think that may be the first public functional VX Ace script.

[Adrien]

Speaking of not saving in a trial, hows the piracy controlls? has enterbrain decided to step it up?

[IAMFORTE]

I've downloaded this and it looks like they've listened to everyones complaints, multi tilesets for one

[Adrien]

Hows parallaxing?