RPG Maker 2003
Encyclopedia
RPG Maker 2003 is the third in the series of programs for the development of Role-Playing Games, developed by the Japanese group ASCII. It features a database of pre-made backgrounds, music, animations, weapons and characters.
, and makes use of the same graphical resources with a few minor changes in resolution. In addition, Battle Character and System2 sets are used to go with RPG Maker 2003's new battle system.
Sprites
The majority of all graphics within the game are achieved with sprites
, or single images that has a composition of frames in a specific orientation so that the graphics rendering software of RM2k3 can give the impression of movement.
much like RPG Maker 2000
, its predecessor, for background music, but in addition now also allows the use of MP3
files which was a strongly desired feature in RPG Maker 2000. RM2k3 does not support any audio editing software so a third party program is needed in order to compose desired sounds.
and its successor RPG Maker XP
, comes with its own set of Runtime Package files, also known as the RTP. The RTP is a whole set of default graphics, music, and sound effects that are used in RPG Maker 2003 and, in most cases, the RTP must be downloaded to the computer to play the games made with RPG Maker 2003. Thanks to the RTP, created games can lessen their file size if a lot of material from the RTP was used.
side view rather than the first person view that was used in the previous RPG Maker programs. In addition, unlike its predecessors, RPG Maker 2003 makes use of a real-time "ATB" system, like in the Final Fantasy
games, instead of the classical "turn-based" system. At what point a character or enemy can take actions depends on their agility levels instead of being rigidly defined as a turn.
RPG Maker 2003 is also the only program in the RPG Maker series which allows weapons and armor to cast spells when used as items.
Graphics
All graphics within RPG Maker 2003 are in 2D like its predecessor, RPG Maker 2000RPG Maker 2000
RPG Maker 2000 is the second Microsoft Windows version of the RPG Maker series of programs developed by Enterbrain and published by ASCII.-History:...
, and makes use of the same graphical resources with a few minor changes in resolution. In addition, Battle Character and System2 sets are used to go with RPG Maker 2003's new battle system.
Sprites
The majority of all graphics within the game are achieved with sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
, or single images that has a composition of frames in a specific orientation so that the graphics rendering software of RM2k3 can give the impression of movement.
Music
RPG Maker 2003 allows the use of MIDI and WAVWAV
Waveform Audio File Format , is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs...
much like RPG Maker 2000
RPG Maker 2000
RPG Maker 2000 is the second Microsoft Windows version of the RPG Maker series of programs developed by Enterbrain and published by ASCII.-History:...
, its predecessor, for background music, but in addition now also allows the use of MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
files which was a strongly desired feature in RPG Maker 2000. RM2k3 does not support any audio editing software so a third party program is needed in order to compose desired sounds.
Runtime Package
RPG Maker 2003, much like its predecessor RPG Maker 2000RPG Maker 2000
RPG Maker 2000 is the second Microsoft Windows version of the RPG Maker series of programs developed by Enterbrain and published by ASCII.-History:...
and its successor RPG Maker XP
RPG Maker XP
RPG Maker XP is the PC version in the RPG Maker series of programs developed and published by Enterbrain. It is the first PC version to be officially translated into English and released outside of Japan.-Features:...
, comes with its own set of Runtime Package files, also known as the RTP. The RTP is a whole set of default graphics, music, and sound effects that are used in RPG Maker 2003 and, in most cases, the RTP must be downloaded to the computer to play the games made with RPG Maker 2003. Thanks to the RTP, created games can lessen their file size if a lot of material from the RTP was used.
Bonus contents
Early order also included RPG Maker Alpha (RPGツクールα) I-mode i-appli for NTT DoCoMo 503 or later platform.New Battle System
The new battle system is in third-personThird-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
side view rather than the first person view that was used in the previous RPG Maker programs. In addition, unlike its predecessors, RPG Maker 2003 makes use of a real-time "ATB" system, like in the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
games, instead of the classical "turn-based" system. At what point a character or enemy can take actions depends on their agility levels instead of being rigidly defined as a turn.
RPG Maker 2003 is also the only program in the RPG Maker series which allows weapons and armor to cast spells when used as items.
Official sites
- Entebrain page
- Entebrain support page
- Agetec - US Publisher for the console RPG Maker series
- Agetec RPG Maker - Official portal for console RPG Maker series