RPG Maker
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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 and Taiwan, and RPG Maker XP released as an official English (US) translation.
About RPG Maker
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. Click here to see a list of noteworthy games and sites.
Versions
RPG Maker has been released in several different versions. There are versions for the PC, and the Playstation.
PC Versions
RPG Maker 1995 (also called RM95) was the first Microsoft Windows based RPG Maker released. It was later translated into English by Don Miguel and distributed across the internet, downloading this version however could be considered an act of piracy as ASCII never gave the game away for free. Despite being older, Rpg Maker 95 has both a higher screen resolution, and sprite and tile resolution than Rpg Maker 2000.
RPG Maker 2000 (also called RM2k) was the second Microsoft Windows based RPG Maker released. It was also translated into English by Don Miguel and distributed in a fashion similar to RPG Maker 1995. While it is possible to do more with RM2k, is uses lower resolution sprites and tiles than RPG Maker 1995. However, does not have a noticeable limit of 'sprites', unlike RM95 which can only use one 'set', RM2k can use an unlimited number of 12x8 sprite sheets. 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.
RPG Maker 2003 (Also referred too as RM2k3, and sometimes RM2k/3) Unlike the difference between RM2k and RM95, RM2k3 is largely a improvement of RM2k, RM2k games can be ported to RM2k3 (but not back), 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 game was not translated by Don Miguel however, the most common translation being done by RPG Advocate. This game was frequently distributed in an illegal manner, as the previous games had been, However some people have bought RM2k3, and applied the English patch. It should be important to note that unlike Don Miguel, RPG Advocate only distributed a translation, and not the game itself. This was the first version made by Enterbrain, which had previously been a part of ASCII
RPG Maker XP (Also referred to as RMXP) RMXP is the first RPG Maker which can use Ruby, making it the most powerful. However, many normal features present in RM2k/RM2k3 have been removed. While most, if not all, of these features can be implemented with Ruby, this is somewhat more difficult than doing such things in RM2k/RM2k3. Such features include (but are not limited too) panoramas, vehicles, and facesets. While RMXP was initially distributed illegally, several people removed downloads for RMXP when Enterbrain released it in English. This may be a clear indication that many people are infact willing to pay for it, and are not simply pirating such games because they do not wish to pay.
RPG Maker XP Postailty Knights Edition Enhanced An upgraded version of the pirated RMXP. Includes a whole new scripting system, higher graphics support, new battle system, larger chipset support, .OGG .WAV .MP3 .MID support, larger characters, enhanced battle animations, and alot more.
Playstation Versions
RPG Maker was originally released on the Playstation in 2000.
RPG Maker 2 was released on the Playstation in 2003.
RPG Maker 3 was released on the Playstation in 2005.
Don Miguel
Enterbrain and ASCII released RPG Maker 2000 in Japan in 1999. It was translated into English and illegally redistributed by a Russian programmer with the handle Don Miguel, who also took part in the translation and piracy of RPG Maker 95. In 2002, Don Miguel was given a warning by Enterbrain. He subsequently discontinued work on RPG Maker 2000, removed web links to the software, and urged the community to stop using his translation, and buy the official (Japanese) version of RPG Maker 2000.
Due to the popularity of the program, and the lack of an official English version, use of the Don Miguel translation continued. Translated and pirated versions of RPG Maker 2003 and RPG Maker XP were also widely distributed, until an English version was released by Enterbrain on September 16th, 2005. It is offered on various websites which are accessible from Enterbrain's Official Website.
RPG Advocate
Another translator of RPG Maker was RPG Advocate. This person translated the RPG Maker 2003 version into English and distributed it over the internet similar to Don Miguel. It was quickly difficult to find, as it wasn't linked to on his main website, but with enough searching one could manage to get a copy of his translations. RPG Advocate also translated RPG Maker XP, but held it back, giving Enterbrain a grace period to release an official English version. Instead, he offered a translation patch to people who already bought the legal Japanese version. However, his translated version was accidentally leaked to the Net. This was quickly fixed, but the few people who managed to download it put it up for download themselves. The Postality Knights used RPG Advocate's translated RPG Maker XP to make their own version. When the official English version of RPG Maker XP was released, RPG Advocate announced on his website that he would not be releasing his translated version.
Legality
Some translations of the RPG Maker program are illegal, because people are downloading Enterbrain & ASCII's program without paying. Some purchase the Japanese version, and then use the translated version, claiming they have license to use the program so long as they did buy an official version. However, English versions have been released by Enterbrain and available for legal purchase, most notably the recent release of RPG Maker XP.
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 | ||
Two more RPG Makers are currently being unofficially translated from Japanese to English. Exact dates are not known. Tactical RPG Editor allows users to create games similar to Final Fantasy Tactics. 3D RPG Editor allows users to create 3D environments, probably much like those on Nintendo DS RPGs such as Lunar: Genesis.
See also
External links
Official sites
- 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