RPG Maker (series)
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- This article is about the entire RPG Maker series. For the first RPG Maker for the PlayStation, see RPG Maker (PlayStation).
RPG Maker (RPGツクール Ārupījī Tsukūru?, commonly Tukuru, also Tkool) is the name of the expansive series of programs for the development of computer role-playing games (RPGs) created by the Japanese group ASCII, part of the company Enterbrain. The Japanese name, Tsukūru is a pun mixing the Japanese word tsukuru (作る), which means "make" or "create", with sukūru (スクール), the phonetic pronunciation of the English word "school".
The RPG Maker series has been released primarily in Japan, with later versions also released in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the US.
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[edit] About PC RPG Makers
RPG Maker is a program that allows users to create their own role-playing games. Most versions include a tile set based map editor, (tilesets are called chipsets in pre-XP versions), a simple scripting language for scripting events, and a battle editor. All versions include initial premade tilesets, characters, and events which can be used in creating new games. An interesting feature of the PC Versions of RPG Maker programs is that a user can create new tilesets, characters, and add any new graphics he/she wants. Several sites have developed, dedicated to helping users share their creations.
[edit] Versions
[edit] RPG Maker 95
RM95 was the first Microsoft Windows-based RPG Maker released, in Japanese from the ASCII company. Despite being an early version, Rpg Maker 95 had both a higher screen resolution, and higher sprite and tile resolution than the later version of Rpg Maker 2000.
[edit] RPG Maker 2000
RPG Maker 2000 (also called RM2k) was the second Microsoft Windows based RPG Maker released. While it is possible to do more with RM2k, it uses lower resolution sprites and tiles than RPG Maker 95. However, it does not have a noticeable limit of 'sprites', unlike RM95 which can only use one 'set', RM2k can use an unlimited number of sprite sheets with specific sizes for each type. The tilesets also have a similar non-limitation, however due to the fact that tiles must be entered into a database, there is a limit on tiles. This limit however is rarely a problem (normally 5000), and even when it is, an unofficial patch based off the illegal English distribution exists which can bump most limits much higher at the risk of potential game corruption.
[edit] RPG Maker 2003
RPG Maker 2003 (Also referred to as RM2k3, and sometimes RM2k/3) Unlike the difference between RM2k and RM95, RM2k3 is largely an improvement of RM2k, RM2k games can be ported to RM2k3 (but not back to RM2k, the conversion is permanent), and most resources are interchangeable. It does however feature a side-view battle system similar to the Final Fantasy games on the Super Nintendo. This was the first version made by Enterbrain, which had previously been a part of ASCII.
[edit] RPG Maker XP
RPG Maker XP (Also referred to as RMXP) RMXP is the first RPG Maker which can use Ruby, making it the most powerful, programming-wise. However, many normal, simplified features present in RM2K(3) have been removed. Most of these features, however, have been programmed with Ruby, and distributed online.
RMXP runs at 1024x768 resolution (though games made in it run at 640x480), while offering four times the playable area of its predecessors. Additionally, it allows greater user control over sprite size (there is no specific image size regulation for sprite sheets) and other aspects of game design. This more open-ended arrangement, coupled with the inclusion of the Ruby Game Scripting System (RGSS) makes RPG Maker XP more versatile than other versions in the series, at the cost of a steeper learning curve.
[edit] Illegal Distribution
Notably, each PC version of RPG Maker has been, in some form, distributed illegally through the internet[1]. RPG Maker 95, as well as a translation patches for the Super Nintendo titles RPG Maker Super Dante and RPG Maker 2, were illegally translated and distributed by a group called KanjiHack. In 1999 KanjiHack closed upon receiving a cease and desist e-mail from ASCII's lawyers. RPG Maker 95 was re-released with a more complete translation under the name "RPG Maker 95+" by a Russian programmer, under the alias of Don Miguel[2], who later translated and released RPG Maker 2000. Later versions, RPG Maker 2003, and RPG Maker XP, were similarly translated and distributed by a programmer under the alias of RPG Advocate. RPG Advocate took the translated versions and patches off his website and later promoted the full english version of RPG Maker XP. Both the translations RPG Advocate made are still in circulation in spite of Advocates wishes that they are not redistrubuted.
[edit] Console Versions
RPG Maker was released for the Playstation in 2000.
RPG Maker 2 was released on the Playstation 2 in 2003.
RPG Maker 3 was released on the Playstation 2 in 2005.
[edit] RPG Maker Series Timeline
| Title | System | Release | Developer | Publisher | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Date | ||||
| Mamirin | PC-8801 | Japan | 1988 | ASCII | |
| Dungeon Manjirou | MSX 2 | Japan | 1988 | ASCII | |
| RPG Construction Tool : Dante | MSX 2 | Japan | Feb. 8, 1990 | ASCII | |
| Dante 2 | MSX 2 | Japan | Feb. 8, 1992 | ASCII | |
| Chimes Quest | PC-9801 | Japan | 1992 | ASCII | |
| RPG Tsukūru Dante 98 | PC-9801 | Japan | Dec. 19, 1992 | ASCII | |
| Dungeon RPG Tsukūru Dan-Dan Dungeon | PC-9801 | Japan | Apr. 28, 1994 | ASCII | |
| RPG Tsukūru Super Dante | Super Famicom | Japan | Mar. 31, 1995 | ASCII | |
| RPG Tsukūru Dante 98 II | PC-9801 | Japan | Jul. 14, 1996 | ASCII | |
| RPG Tsukūru 2 | Super Famicom | Japan | Jan. 31, 1996 | ASCII | |
| RPG Tsukūru 95 | Microsoft Windows | Japan | Mar. 28, 1997 | ASCII | |
| Simulation RPG Tsukūru | Sega Saturn, PlayStation | Japan | Sep. 17, 1998 | ASCII | |
| Enterbrain Collection : Simulation RPG Tsukūru | PlayStation | Japan | Nov. 29, 2001 | Enterbrain | |
| Simulation RPG Tsukūru | Microsoft Windows | Japan | May. 29, 1998 | ASCII | |
| RPG Tsukūru 3 | PlayStation | Japan | Nov. 27, 1997 | ASCII | |
| PlayStation the Best : RPG Tsukūru 3 | Nov. 19, 1998 | ASCII | |||
| RPG Maker | USA | Sep. 18, 2000 | Agetec | ||
| RPG Tsukūru GB | Game Boy Color | Japan | Mar. 17, 2000 | ASCII | |
| RPG Tsukūru 2000 | Microsoft Windows | Japan | Apr. 5, 2000 | ASCII | |
| RPG Tsukūru 4 | PlayStation | Japan | Dec. 7, 2000 | Enterbrain | |
| Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2 | Game Boy Color | Japan | Jul. 20, 2001 | Enterbrain | |
| RPG Tsukūru 5 | PlayStation 2 | Japan | Aug. 8, 2002 | Enterbrain | |
| RPG Maker 2 | USA | Oct. 28, 2003 | Agetec | ||
| RPG Tsukūru 2003 | Microsoft Windows | Japan | Dec. 18, 2002 | Enterbrain | |
| RPG Tsukūru α | Microsoft Windows/Cellphone | Japan | Dec. 18, 2002 | Enterbrain | |
| RPG Tsukūru Advance | Game Boy Advance | Japan | Apr. 25, 2003 | Enterbrain | |
| RPG Tsukūru XP | Microsoft Windows | Japan | Jul. 22, 2004 | Enterbrain | |
| RPG Maker XP | Worldwide | Sept. 16, 2005 | Enterbrain | ||
| RPG Tsukūru | PlayStation 2 | Japan | Dec. 16, 2004 | Enterbrain | |
| RPG Maker 3 | USA | Sept. 21, 2005 | AGETEC | ||
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Enterbrain.com - Japanese Company that produces the RPG Maker Series.
- Enterbrain RPG-Maker XP Page - Official English Page
- Agetec - US Publisher for the console RPG Maker series
- Agetec RPG Maker - Official portal for console RPG Maker series
