Charas Project - User contributions [en]

Sprite

Kilyle — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 09:14:13 GMT

Kilyle: Crafted initial page

A '''sprite''' is a graphic used in games. (This editor tends to think only things that move (characters) or repeat (trees), not large backdrop pictures or the like, but she might be mistaken.)

While RPGMaker XP allows larger sprites, all previous RPGMaker versions had strict size restrictions:

*Tile Sprites: 16 x 16 pixels
*Character Sprites: 32 x 24 pixels
*Face Sprites: 48 x 48 pixels
*Battle Sprites: (someone please fill in)

Sprites for previous RPGMaker versions come in sheets. Character sheets allow 8 characters; face sheets allow 16 faces. Tilesets (aka chipsets) combine five different types of tiles:

#1 set of water, or other animated object, with two borders and a graduation-to-deep-water bit
#3 animated background tiles
#12 autotiles
#144 background tiles (including 1 blank if desired)
#144 foreground tiles (including 1 blank)

Prior to XP, the color depth for a given sheet was extremely limited: 256 colors. Working with tiny sprites and a limited color depth requires a lot of fudging, which arguably makes for nicer graphics, a la impressionism. Also kinda fun.

''This article is a stub, so please improve it!''

User:Kilyle

Kilyle — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 11:14:33 GMT

Kilyle: /* Contributions to Charas Wiki */ NOW I think I fixed it

''Because one language is never enough.''

==Quick Resource Links==

Just in case it's what you're here for, these are the resources I created myself:

RTP Children Edits: http://www.geocities.com/kilyle.geo/Craft/Games/Resources/RTPKids.htm

More information on my programming and editing can be found near the bottom of this page.

==Contributions to Charas Wiki==

So far, I created the [[Chipsets]] page and the [[Character Sets]] page. I hope to do more when I can make the time and find a subject I'm familiar with.

And now, on to information about me:

==Kilyle==

When I joined the internet, I chose the ident '''Kilyle''' because it was the first one I came up with that didn't require a fudge--or a number. Since then, I've learned that few if any people actually know who Kilyle is. He's my favorite character from a Star Trek novel (''Final Frontier'' by Diane Carey): a Rihannsu (Romulan) who interacted with George Samuel Kirk (father of James Tiberius Kirk) during an incident in the Neutral Zone involving the Enterprise back before it even had a name. His full name is t'Cael Zaniidor Kilyle, and this unique ident has served me well all the years I've been online.

Another favorite character who seems to be not well known is '''Alliar''' (from Josepha Sherman's ''A Strange and Ancient Name''). He's a wind spirit trapped in mortal flesh, capable of changing his form but incapable of freeing himself to become one with the wind once more. He's technically genderless, and knows nothing of "flesh games" (as he calls it). I made two characters on WoW based on him, but they are both female elves, since I can't see his character as having the male elf muscles, and anyway, at one point in the book he does shift into a female form for a moment. He's completely claustrophobic, and my characters stay true to that--which means I can't even enter Ironforge (giant cave!!) or Loch Modan (since I'd have to go through tunnels to get there).

==The Real Me==

My name is Alethia (Greek for '''truth'''). I was born in 1978 (making 78 my favorite number, and 7 + 8 the first numbers I learned to add instantly). I live in Washington State.

===Education===

I was homeschooled through my late teens (best thing my mom ever did for me), at which point my great uncle decided that I should be in college, and sent me a check. I said, "It's your money," and signed up at the nearby community college. I was a bit nervous because I wasn't used to a classroom environment, but I took 18 credits (get my money's worth! 18 credits cost the same as 10) in Japanese, Math, Computer Programming (VB), and Study Skills. I maintained a very high GPA (3.91 I think at last count) over six years, with B as my lowest grade. I finally graduated with two degrees: Associate of Arts and Sciences and Associate of Fine Arts (Written Arts).

Over my six years, I studied languages (two years of Japanese first, then audited the rest: ASL, French, German, and Italian), computer programming (one year each VB and C++) math (through Calculus), literature and writing (lots!), art (mostly drawing), acting (I'll stick to ''writing'' the plays), and psychology (wish I could've taken more than one class in that). I was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the Nippon Friendship Club, and started the Theatre Club (we had three members the first year, but I secured funding for the next year, at which point the club became more popular, but I was no longer President).

College revved me up, but I was already in love with learning anyway. I enjoyed most of my heavy course load and worked on side projects for many of my classes. I also managed to work elves into the final projects of quite a number of my classes, including art, programming, and psychology.

===Interests===

I'm a language buff, as a later section of this page goes into far more detail on. I also enjoy computer languages and conlanging. I'm a writer, insofar as I have always conceived of myself as eventually writing something significant to give to the world. Insofar as I actually write on a regular basis, no, I'm not a writer. I work in spurts and have numerous projects always on the back burner. The evil Procrastitron does not like me to actually get work done, and I'm afraid I bow to his will more often than not.

I enjoy a wide variety of written works, including Young Adult fantasy and sci-fi, textbooks (languages and writing), comic books, comic strips, web comics (latest favorite: ''Girl Genius''), plays, screenplays, and poetry. I also enjoy disecting good literature until it's a barely recognizable pile of guts on the table. That is, I love sites like '''The Sugar Quill''' (for discussing Harry Potter) and '''Tea at the Ford''' (for discussing Buffy the Vampire Slayer). I was in heaven the other day when a friend and I spent something like four hours just discussing the history of classical literature across various cultural and linguistic boundaries (the discussion was so good that I stopped playing Guitar Hero 2 (which my friend just got, and for which I have waited for months)).

My favorite TV program at the moment is Criminal Minds, and it's basically the only program that I consistently watch. I adore Dr. Spencer Reid and find Garcia hilarious. My favorite part about the series so far is that they act like a close-knit family and aren't afraid to tease each other; it's basically the sort of family I grew up in. The idea that the team can act as a family, willing to die for each other if need be, is, I think, the secret behind the success of Star Trek (among other shows), and I wish more people in Hollywood would pay attention to it, because I can't stand the string of writers who seem to think that a movie lacks conflict if the team members aren't at each other's throats (or trying to stab each other in the back).

I skate on inlines, and just tonight got back to the rink after about two and a half years of not skating at all. The skills came back pretty fast, which pleased me. I even managed a few steady spirals near the end of session (they're one-leg moves where you put your other leg straight out behind you... at least, the way I do it; the alternative is basically doing the splits in mid-air). My three-year-old nephew is skating now and I hope to go skating with him quite often.

==Programming==

I can program in Visual Basic and C++, although I haven't done so for a while. I grew up with GW-Basic and Q Basic, so VB was only a small leap and I expect that I'll have the basic programming down in my head for the rest of my life, but C++ is a bit more recent and I'll need a refresher course before I do anything serious with it.

I enjoy some of the aspects of RPG Maker, including its autotiles and the fact that many of the basic RPG interactions are already present (such as talking to other characters and dealing with items and inventory). However, at the moment, I prefer Mark Overmars's Game Maker. For making non-RPG games, it's not as cluttered, and I'm more used to it than I am to RPG Maker. Plus, of course, it's free (unlike XP) and legal (unlike previous RPG Makers). It even has a particle engine for making rain, snow, fireworks, and the like (okay, that one I had to register for). I'm currently teaching a friend to program with Game Maker, and we're up to the level of Frogger. Hope to do Tetris soon.

===Resources===

I'm decent with recolors and certain types of edits. I have done edits of the RTP children, and plan to do more. I've tried to recolor facesets, but they're not as easy.

I'm also working on ripping chipsets from Dragon Warrior III, Dragon Warrior IV, and Ultima: Quest of the Avatar, none of which seem to be readily available when I've looked for them online.

Any links to my resources are at the top of this page.

====The Never-ending Search====

I at one point encountered a marvelous page of original resources for RPG Maker. These included charsets of American Indians, Japanese schoolgirls, guys in togas, people from the slums, knights on horses, crawling babies, and so on. The characters were of a distinct style (odd number of pixels, for one, and the clothes were far more realistic than the RTP set). I will probably (eventually) post one of their charsets on my page and link to it so you can see what I mean.

Anyway, I have long hunted for this page, and can't find it. Either it's gone down or I'm just not looking in the right place (or with the right words). I desperately want to find this page. I want to thank them for putting so much time and effort into such beautiful charsets, and I want to find out whether I can use them in a game and how to properly attribute their maker. Furthermore, I have seen these on occasion in other collections, and I want to find out if they are supposed to be there or if I should inform someone that they're unauthorized (a resource designer this good deserves respect).

If you have any information about this page, and especially a link to it or the concrete information that the site has gone down, please let me know!

==Gengo (Language!)==

I'm a total language buff with an extensive history of language studies, none of which have yet made it to fluency; I'm not interested in pointless fluency. My general pursuit is to understand the principles behind a wide variety of languages, especially the grammar and interesting vocabulary distinctions (such as the wide variety of colors in Hawaiian, the distinction between hot and cold water in Japanese, the deferential verbs in some languages, the family member distinctions, the body part distinctions, and so on). In part, this allows me to better understand the subject as it pertains to a wide variety of specific instances. In part, it should allow me to at some point pick up a language that I have studied the basics of, and move into fluency with comparative ease.

===Statistics (of sorts)===

'''Native Language:''' American English

'''My "First Language":''' Japanese

'''The First Language I Ever Studied:''' French

'''Currently Studying:''' Spanish

'''Recently Dabbled In:''' Romani (Gipsy) and Basque

'''Likely to Be Soon Studying (Not for the First Time):''' Russian and Irish

'''Languages I Have Taken Classes In:''' Japanese, French, Italian, ASL, German

'''Languages I Can Piece Through (with a comparative passage in another (non-English) language, or a dictionary):''' Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Esperanto

'''Languages I Can Read but Lack the Grammar and Vocabulary for:''' Greek, Russian, Arabic (I've forgotten most of the Korean I at one point studied)

'''Languages I Was at Some Point Interested in:''' Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese (Mandarin), Fijian, Hawaiian, Tagalog, Yiddish, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Basque... (this list is non-exhaustive)

'''Most Irritating Languages:''' French and the Gaelics, mostly for reasons of their spelling not in any sense matching their pronunciation. And yes, I do support the Simplified Spelling Society's goal of eliminating such problems in English. And yes, I realize that this is <a href="http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ortho.html">a difficult undertaking</a>. Perhaps <a href="http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ortho.html">impossible</a>. Anyway, French and Irish have their appeal for me, so even though they're irritating, I continue to study them. But if we ever get into a conversation about languages, you'll hear me harp on French.

'''Quirkiest Language Goal:''' I intend to someday learn a click language. Or at least part of one. Even being able to make those sounds would be ''sweeeeeeet''.

===Conlanging===

In the fine tradition of Dr. Zamenhof, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Marc Okrand, I am a conlanger. That is, I create my own languages. (If you don't see the merit in this activity, I feel sorry for you, but I'm not going to try to convince you.) I hope to someday read Hamlet in the original Klingon (a minor goal of mine, not likely to be realized). I have studied Tolkien's writing systems and read passages of the Bible in Esperanto. I appreciate some of the principles behind such attempts as Láadan, and I enjoy the atmosphere from even a smattering of conlang in a fictional work, such as Lapine (rabbit language from Watership Down) or the Geisterdammen tongue in Girl Genius.

On the other hand, I abhor the English alphabet insofar as it lacks several symbols for vowels (and for a few consonants) while retaining four unnecessary letters (c, x, q, and j). For this reason alone, I have decidedly ''not'' studied Ido. And any language I work on starts with a basic understanding that I will use something resembling a sane spelling system. With the exception of Elite Elven, in which I plan to pour out my annoyance at the French language by making Elite Elven spelling as obtuse as possible. Possibly unreadable.

Other conlang pursuits include the following (listed by the race I based them on, although that's not likely to be exactly the race they finally end up with... that is, for example, my dwarves will eventually be called a different name, and likely will be distinct from what are in English called "dwarves").

'''Faerie:''' Based on Hawaiian, because I figure anything in the CVCVCVCV format has got to be either cute or annoying, and that fits faeries to a T.

'''Ogre:''' Based on principles gleaned from isolation languages such as Chinese and from what I understand of ASL, Ogre is a strongly gestural language with a structure of the sort "You go Seattle this day, get present bring me please please."

'''Dwarven:''' Strong verb changes (sing/sang/sung kinda thing), plenty of plosives and nasals, and the only conlang of mine so far that allows a plosive to end a word. Also, these dwarves live underground, and have no vocabulary for overworld items, except a rudimentary vocabulary spoken only by the women, who go aboveground to gather food. This "hunter dialect" is not spoken or understood by most of the men.

'''Gnomish:''' Irish-like lilt with a trilled R and an urgency to the conveyance of vital information (since they're constantly on edge about danger, like meerkats). They have an extensive locative system (prepositions, basically) and a set of verbs with inherent location/direction information, as well as a set of verbs and adjectives specifically regarding predators, for which no subject need be stated (e.g., "Outside cave [it is] hunting-along-ground" with a verb that conveys the information of a large cat-like creature).

'''Elven:''' I have half a dozen at least, some of which are interrelated. '''Classical Elven''' is the Elven Latin, from which sprang '''Elite Elven''' (my most deliberately hideous language, insofar as spelling goes, and with a far more exacting conjugation list than any other) and '''Morudan''' (Wood-speech). Morudan's about abandoning a number of categories from Classical Elven, and borrowing some simpler forms from Dwarven (such as a preceeding simple negative, roughly switching "hunt-nai" to "no hunt"). There's also '''Finogre''', a hybrid language from when a group of elves joined a group of ogres and formed a community (my "ogres" are far pleasanter than any ogres you've ever heard of), and '''Tatha''' (it means "soft, pleasant, mild, friendly" or a general concept thereof), which has an exhaustive supply of adjectives (such as "niffa," meaning "windborne" or something light enough to be carried by the wind, like a seed from a dandelion--and a group of adjectives describing size, among which is a specific word meaning "handheld" or about the size of an orange).

'''Hanlo:''' This is my human language, and possibly the only one in which I allow an H (aside from, I think, Faerie). I kind of dump bits here, anything that I am interested in but doesn't fit with my other language concepts. I'm vaguely patterning this after samurai culture.

I also have a language I'm designing for young children to learn before they speak English, in which the words they'll need to use are paired with the sounds they're capable of and the word structures they're first able to pronounce. Thus, the most basic verbs follow the CVCi format (like the words "doggy" and "baby"), and the most basic nouns and adjectives follow a similar CVCV format. My general hypothesis, after all I've read, is that a child is best served by you conducting a proper conversation with him as early as possible, and this language should allow you to do that. My hypothesis is a lot more detailed than that, but I won't go into it here.

My conlangs are by no means finished; most likely most of them will never even approach that goal. I am lazily collecting bits and bobs as I go, and now and then I make a few quick strokes toward my goal. I'm in no hurry.

User:Kilyle

Kilyle — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 11:13:34 GMT

Kilyle: /* Contributions to Charas Wiki */ Fixed links, I think

''Because one language is never enough.''

==Quick Resource Links==

Just in case it's what you're here for, these are the resources I created myself:

RTP Children Edits: http://www.geocities.com/kilyle.geo/Craft/Games/Resources/RTPKids.htm

More information on my programming and editing can be found near the bottom of this page.

==Contributions to Charas Wiki==

So far, I created the [[Chipsets]] page and the [[Charsets]] page. I hope to do more when I can make the time and find a subject I'm familiar with.

And now, on to information about me:

==Kilyle==

When I joined the internet, I chose the ident '''Kilyle''' because it was the first one I came up with that didn't require a fudge--or a number. Since then, I've learned that few if any people actually know who Kilyle is. He's my favorite character from a Star Trek novel (''Final Frontier'' by Diane Carey): a Rihannsu (Romulan) who interacted with George Samuel Kirk (father of James Tiberius Kirk) during an incident in the Neutral Zone involving the Enterprise back before it even had a name. His full name is t'Cael Zaniidor Kilyle, and this unique ident has served me well all the years I've been online.

Another favorite character who seems to be not well known is '''Alliar''' (from Josepha Sherman's ''A Strange and Ancient Name''). He's a wind spirit trapped in mortal flesh, capable of changing his form but incapable of freeing himself to become one with the wind once more. He's technically genderless, and knows nothing of "flesh games" (as he calls it). I made two characters on WoW based on him, but they are both female elves, since I can't see his character as having the male elf muscles, and anyway, at one point in the book he does shift into a female form for a moment. He's completely claustrophobic, and my characters stay true to that--which means I can't even enter Ironforge (giant cave!!) or Loch Modan (since I'd have to go through tunnels to get there).

==The Real Me==

My name is Alethia (Greek for '''truth'''). I was born in 1978 (making 78 my favorite number, and 7 + 8 the first numbers I learned to add instantly). I live in Washington State.

===Education===

I was homeschooled through my late teens (best thing my mom ever did for me), at which point my great uncle decided that I should be in college, and sent me a check. I said, "It's your money," and signed up at the nearby community college. I was a bit nervous because I wasn't used to a classroom environment, but I took 18 credits (get my money's worth! 18 credits cost the same as 10) in Japanese, Math, Computer Programming (VB), and Study Skills. I maintained a very high GPA (3.91 I think at last count) over six years, with B as my lowest grade. I finally graduated with two degrees: Associate of Arts and Sciences and Associate of Fine Arts (Written Arts).

Over my six years, I studied languages (two years of Japanese first, then audited the rest: ASL, French, German, and Italian), computer programming (one year each VB and C++) math (through Calculus), literature and writing (lots!), art (mostly drawing), acting (I'll stick to ''writing'' the plays), and psychology (wish I could've taken more than one class in that). I was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the Nippon Friendship Club, and started the Theatre Club (we had three members the first year, but I secured funding for the next year, at which point the club became more popular, but I was no longer President).

College revved me up, but I was already in love with learning anyway. I enjoyed most of my heavy course load and worked on side projects for many of my classes. I also managed to work elves into the final projects of quite a number of my classes, including art, programming, and psychology.

===Interests===

I'm a language buff, as a later section of this page goes into far more detail on. I also enjoy computer languages and conlanging. I'm a writer, insofar as I have always conceived of myself as eventually writing something significant to give to the world. Insofar as I actually write on a regular basis, no, I'm not a writer. I work in spurts and have numerous projects always on the back burner. The evil Procrastitron does not like me to actually get work done, and I'm afraid I bow to his will more often than not.

I enjoy a wide variety of written works, including Young Adult fantasy and sci-fi, textbooks (languages and writing), comic books, comic strips, web comics (latest favorite: ''Girl Genius''), plays, screenplays, and poetry. I also enjoy disecting good literature until it's a barely recognizable pile of guts on the table. That is, I love sites like '''The Sugar Quill''' (for discussing Harry Potter) and '''Tea at the Ford''' (for discussing Buffy the Vampire Slayer). I was in heaven the other day when a friend and I spent something like four hours just discussing the history of classical literature across various cultural and linguistic boundaries (the discussion was so good that I stopped playing Guitar Hero 2 (which my friend just got, and for which I have waited for months)).

My favorite TV program at the moment is Criminal Minds, and it's basically the only program that I consistently watch. I adore Dr. Spencer Reid and find Garcia hilarious. My favorite part about the series so far is that they act like a close-knit family and aren't afraid to tease each other; it's basically the sort of family I grew up in. The idea that the team can act as a family, willing to die for each other if need be, is, I think, the secret behind the success of Star Trek (among other shows), and I wish more people in Hollywood would pay attention to it, because I can't stand the string of writers who seem to think that a movie lacks conflict if the team members aren't at each other's throats (or trying to stab each other in the back).

I skate on inlines, and just tonight got back to the rink after about two and a half years of not skating at all. The skills came back pretty fast, which pleased me. I even managed a few steady spirals near the end of session (they're one-leg moves where you put your other leg straight out behind you... at least, the way I do it; the alternative is basically doing the splits in mid-air). My three-year-old nephew is skating now and I hope to go skating with him quite often.

==Programming==

I can program in Visual Basic and C++, although I haven't done so for a while. I grew up with GW-Basic and Q Basic, so VB was only a small leap and I expect that I'll have the basic programming down in my head for the rest of my life, but C++ is a bit more recent and I'll need a refresher course before I do anything serious with it.

I enjoy some of the aspects of RPG Maker, including its autotiles and the fact that many of the basic RPG interactions are already present (such as talking to other characters and dealing with items and inventory). However, at the moment, I prefer Mark Overmars's Game Maker. For making non-RPG games, it's not as cluttered, and I'm more used to it than I am to RPG Maker. Plus, of course, it's free (unlike XP) and legal (unlike previous RPG Makers). It even has a particle engine for making rain, snow, fireworks, and the like (okay, that one I had to register for). I'm currently teaching a friend to program with Game Maker, and we're up to the level of Frogger. Hope to do Tetris soon.

===Resources===

I'm decent with recolors and certain types of edits. I have done edits of the RTP children, and plan to do more. I've tried to recolor facesets, but they're not as easy.

I'm also working on ripping chipsets from Dragon Warrior III, Dragon Warrior IV, and Ultima: Quest of the Avatar, none of which seem to be readily available when I've looked for them online.

Any links to my resources are at the top of this page.

====The Never-ending Search====

I at one point encountered a marvelous page of original resources for RPG Maker. These included charsets of American Indians, Japanese schoolgirls, guys in togas, people from the slums, knights on horses, crawling babies, and so on. The characters were of a distinct style (odd number of pixels, for one, and the clothes were far more realistic than the RTP set). I will probably (eventually) post one of their charsets on my page and link to it so you can see what I mean.

Anyway, I have long hunted for this page, and can't find it. Either it's gone down or I'm just not looking in the right place (or with the right words). I desperately want to find this page. I want to thank them for putting so much time and effort into such beautiful charsets, and I want to find out whether I can use them in a game and how to properly attribute their maker. Furthermore, I have seen these on occasion in other collections, and I want to find out if they are supposed to be there or if I should inform someone that they're unauthorized (a resource designer this good deserves respect).

If you have any information about this page, and especially a link to it or the concrete information that the site has gone down, please let me know!

==Gengo (Language!)==

I'm a total language buff with an extensive history of language studies, none of which have yet made it to fluency; I'm not interested in pointless fluency. My general pursuit is to understand the principles behind a wide variety of languages, especially the grammar and interesting vocabulary distinctions (such as the wide variety of colors in Hawaiian, the distinction between hot and cold water in Japanese, the deferential verbs in some languages, the family member distinctions, the body part distinctions, and so on). In part, this allows me to better understand the subject as it pertains to a wide variety of specific instances. In part, it should allow me to at some point pick up a language that I have studied the basics of, and move into fluency with comparative ease.

===Statistics (of sorts)===

'''Native Language:''' American English

'''My "First Language":''' Japanese

'''The First Language I Ever Studied:''' French

'''Currently Studying:''' Spanish

'''Recently Dabbled In:''' Romani (Gipsy) and Basque

'''Likely to Be Soon Studying (Not for the First Time):''' Russian and Irish

'''Languages I Have Taken Classes In:''' Japanese, French, Italian, ASL, German

'''Languages I Can Piece Through (with a comparative passage in another (non-English) language, or a dictionary):''' Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Esperanto

'''Languages I Can Read but Lack the Grammar and Vocabulary for:''' Greek, Russian, Arabic (I've forgotten most of the Korean I at one point studied)

'''Languages I Was at Some Point Interested in:''' Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese (Mandarin), Fijian, Hawaiian, Tagalog, Yiddish, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Basque... (this list is non-exhaustive)

'''Most Irritating Languages:''' French and the Gaelics, mostly for reasons of their spelling not in any sense matching their pronunciation. And yes, I do support the Simplified Spelling Society's goal of eliminating such problems in English. And yes, I realize that this is <a href="http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ortho.html">a difficult undertaking</a>. Perhaps <a href="http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ortho.html">impossible</a>. Anyway, French and Irish have their appeal for me, so even though they're irritating, I continue to study them. But if we ever get into a conversation about languages, you'll hear me harp on French.

'''Quirkiest Language Goal:''' I intend to someday learn a click language. Or at least part of one. Even being able to make those sounds would be ''sweeeeeeet''.

===Conlanging===

In the fine tradition of Dr. Zamenhof, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Marc Okrand, I am a conlanger. That is, I create my own languages. (If you don't see the merit in this activity, I feel sorry for you, but I'm not going to try to convince you.) I hope to someday read Hamlet in the original Klingon (a minor goal of mine, not likely to be realized). I have studied Tolkien's writing systems and read passages of the Bible in Esperanto. I appreciate some of the principles behind such attempts as Láadan, and I enjoy the atmosphere from even a smattering of conlang in a fictional work, such as Lapine (rabbit language from Watership Down) or the Geisterdammen tongue in Girl Genius.

On the other hand, I abhor the English alphabet insofar as it lacks several symbols for vowels (and for a few consonants) while retaining four unnecessary letters (c, x, q, and j). For this reason alone, I have decidedly ''not'' studied Ido. And any language I work on starts with a basic understanding that I will use something resembling a sane spelling system. With the exception of Elite Elven, in which I plan to pour out my annoyance at the French language by making Elite Elven spelling as obtuse as possible. Possibly unreadable.

Other conlang pursuits include the following (listed by the race I based them on, although that's not likely to be exactly the race they finally end up with... that is, for example, my dwarves will eventually be called a different name, and likely will be distinct from what are in English called "dwarves").

'''Faerie:''' Based on Hawaiian, because I figure anything in the CVCVCVCV format has got to be either cute or annoying, and that fits faeries to a T.

'''Ogre:''' Based on principles gleaned from isolation languages such as Chinese and from what I understand of ASL, Ogre is a strongly gestural language with a structure of the sort "You go Seattle this day, get present bring me please please."

'''Dwarven:''' Strong verb changes (sing/sang/sung kinda thing), plenty of plosives and nasals, and the only conlang of mine so far that allows a plosive to end a word. Also, these dwarves live underground, and have no vocabulary for overworld items, except a rudimentary vocabulary spoken only by the women, who go aboveground to gather food. This "hunter dialect" is not spoken or understood by most of the men.

'''Gnomish:''' Irish-like lilt with a trilled R and an urgency to the conveyance of vital information (since they're constantly on edge about danger, like meerkats). They have an extensive locative system (prepositions, basically) and a set of verbs with inherent location/direction information, as well as a set of verbs and adjectives specifically regarding predators, for which no subject need be stated (e.g., "Outside cave [it is] hunting-along-ground" with a verb that conveys the information of a large cat-like creature).

'''Elven:''' I have half a dozen at least, some of which are interrelated. '''Classical Elven''' is the Elven Latin, from which sprang '''Elite Elven''' (my most deliberately hideous language, insofar as spelling goes, and with a far more exacting conjugation list than any other) and '''Morudan''' (Wood-speech). Morudan's about abandoning a number of categories from Classical Elven, and borrowing some simpler forms from Dwarven (such as a preceeding simple negative, roughly switching "hunt-nai" to "no hunt"). There's also '''Finogre''', a hybrid language from when a group of elves joined a group of ogres and formed a community (my "ogres" are far pleasanter than any ogres you've ever heard of), and '''Tatha''' (it means "soft, pleasant, mild, friendly" or a general concept thereof), which has an exhaustive supply of adjectives (such as "niffa," meaning "windborne" or something light enough to be carried by the wind, like a seed from a dandelion--and a group of adjectives describing size, among which is a specific word meaning "handheld" or about the size of an orange).

'''Hanlo:''' This is my human language, and possibly the only one in which I allow an H (aside from, I think, Faerie). I kind of dump bits here, anything that I am interested in but doesn't fit with my other language concepts. I'm vaguely patterning this after samurai culture.

I also have a language I'm designing for young children to learn before they speak English, in which the words they'll need to use are paired with the sounds they're capable of and the word structures they're first able to pronounce. Thus, the most basic verbs follow the CVCi format (like the words "doggy" and "baby"), and the most basic nouns and adjectives follow a similar CVCV format. My general hypothesis, after all I've read, is that a child is best served by you conducting a proper conversation with him as early as possible, and this language should allow you to do that. My hypothesis is a lot more detailed than that, but I won't go into it here.

My conlangs are by no means finished; most likely most of them will never even approach that goal. I am lazily collecting bits and bobs as I go, and now and then I make a few quick strokes toward my goal. I'm in no hurry.

User:Kilyle

Kilyle — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 11:13:04 GMT

Kilyle: /* Quick Resource Links */ Fixed link, I think

''Because one language is never enough.''

==Quick Resource Links==

Just in case it's what you're here for, these are the resources I created myself:

RTP Children Edits: http://www.geocities.com/kilyle.geo/Craft/Games/Resources/RTPKids.htm

More information on my programming and editing can be found near the bottom of this page.

==Contributions to Charas Wiki==

So far, I created the [[Chipset]]s page and the [[Charset]]s page. I hope to do more when I can make the time and find a subject I'm familiar with.

And now, on to information about me:

==Kilyle==

When I joined the internet, I chose the ident '''Kilyle''' because it was the first one I came up with that didn't require a fudge--or a number. Since then, I've learned that few if any people actually know who Kilyle is. He's my favorite character from a Star Trek novel (''Final Frontier'' by Diane Carey): a Rihannsu (Romulan) who interacted with George Samuel Kirk (father of James Tiberius Kirk) during an incident in the Neutral Zone involving the Enterprise back before it even had a name. His full name is t'Cael Zaniidor Kilyle, and this unique ident has served me well all the years I've been online.

Another favorite character who seems to be not well known is '''Alliar''' (from Josepha Sherman's ''A Strange and Ancient Name''). He's a wind spirit trapped in mortal flesh, capable of changing his form but incapable of freeing himself to become one with the wind once more. He's technically genderless, and knows nothing of "flesh games" (as he calls it). I made two characters on WoW based on him, but they are both female elves, since I can't see his character as having the male elf muscles, and anyway, at one point in the book he does shift into a female form for a moment. He's completely claustrophobic, and my characters stay true to that--which means I can't even enter Ironforge (giant cave!!) or Loch Modan (since I'd have to go through tunnels to get there).

==The Real Me==

My name is Alethia (Greek for '''truth'''). I was born in 1978 (making 78 my favorite number, and 7 + 8 the first numbers I learned to add instantly). I live in Washington State.

===Education===

I was homeschooled through my late teens (best thing my mom ever did for me), at which point my great uncle decided that I should be in college, and sent me a check. I said, "It's your money," and signed up at the nearby community college. I was a bit nervous because I wasn't used to a classroom environment, but I took 18 credits (get my money's worth! 18 credits cost the same as 10) in Japanese, Math, Computer Programming (VB), and Study Skills. I maintained a very high GPA (3.91 I think at last count) over six years, with B as my lowest grade. I finally graduated with two degrees: Associate of Arts and Sciences and Associate of Fine Arts (Written Arts).

Over my six years, I studied languages (two years of Japanese first, then audited the rest: ASL, French, German, and Italian), computer programming (one year each VB and C++) math (through Calculus), literature and writing (lots!), art (mostly drawing), acting (I'll stick to ''writing'' the plays), and psychology (wish I could've taken more than one class in that). I was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the Nippon Friendship Club, and started the Theatre Club (we had three members the first year, but I secured funding for the next year, at which point the club became more popular, but I was no longer President).

College revved me up, but I was already in love with learning anyway. I enjoyed most of my heavy course load and worked on side projects for many of my classes. I also managed to work elves into the final projects of quite a number of my classes, including art, programming, and psychology.

===Interests===

I'm a language buff, as a later section of this page goes into far more detail on. I also enjoy computer languages and conlanging. I'm a writer, insofar as I have always conceived of myself as eventually writing something significant to give to the world. Insofar as I actually write on a regular basis, no, I'm not a writer. I work in spurts and have numerous projects always on the back burner. The evil Procrastitron does not like me to actually get work done, and I'm afraid I bow to his will more often than not.

I enjoy a wide variety of written works, including Young Adult fantasy and sci-fi, textbooks (languages and writing), comic books, comic strips, web comics (latest favorite: ''Girl Genius''), plays, screenplays, and poetry. I also enjoy disecting good literature until it's a barely recognizable pile of guts on the table. That is, I love sites like '''The Sugar Quill''' (for discussing Harry Potter) and '''Tea at the Ford''' (for discussing Buffy the Vampire Slayer). I was in heaven the other day when a friend and I spent something like four hours just discussing the history of classical literature across various cultural and linguistic boundaries (the discussion was so good that I stopped playing Guitar Hero 2 (which my friend just got, and for which I have waited for months)).

My favorite TV program at the moment is Criminal Minds, and it's basically the only program that I consistently watch. I adore Dr. Spencer Reid and find Garcia hilarious. My favorite part about the series so far is that they act like a close-knit family and aren't afraid to tease each other; it's basically the sort of family I grew up in. The idea that the team can act as a family, willing to die for each other if need be, is, I think, the secret behind the success of Star Trek (among other shows), and I wish more people in Hollywood would pay attention to it, because I can't stand the string of writers who seem to think that a movie lacks conflict if the team members aren't at each other's throats (or trying to stab each other in the back).

I skate on inlines, and just tonight got back to the rink after about two and a half years of not skating at all. The skills came back pretty fast, which pleased me. I even managed a few steady spirals near the end of session (they're one-leg moves where you put your other leg straight out behind you... at least, the way I do it; the alternative is basically doing the splits in mid-air). My three-year-old nephew is skating now and I hope to go skating with him quite often.

==Programming==

I can program in Visual Basic and C++, although I haven't done so for a while. I grew up with GW-Basic and Q Basic, so VB was only a small leap and I expect that I'll have the basic programming down in my head for the rest of my life, but C++ is a bit more recent and I'll need a refresher course before I do anything serious with it.

I enjoy some of the aspects of RPG Maker, including its autotiles and the fact that many of the basic RPG interactions are already present (such as talking to other characters and dealing with items and inventory). However, at the moment, I prefer Mark Overmars's Game Maker. For making non-RPG games, it's not as cluttered, and I'm more used to it than I am to RPG Maker. Plus, of course, it's free (unlike XP) and legal (unlike previous RPG Makers). It even has a particle engine for making rain, snow, fireworks, and the like (okay, that one I had to register for). I'm currently teaching a friend to program with Game Maker, and we're up to the level of Frogger. Hope to do Tetris soon.

===Resources===

I'm decent with recolors and certain types of edits. I have done edits of the RTP children, and plan to do more. I've tried to recolor facesets, but they're not as easy.

I'm also working on ripping chipsets from Dragon Warrior III, Dragon Warrior IV, and Ultima: Quest of the Avatar, none of which seem to be readily available when I've looked for them online.

Any links to my resources are at the top of this page.

====The Never-ending Search====

I at one point encountered a marvelous page of original resources for RPG Maker. These included charsets of American Indians, Japanese schoolgirls, guys in togas, people from the slums, knights on horses, crawling babies, and so on. The characters were of a distinct style (odd number of pixels, for one, and the clothes were far more realistic than the RTP set). I will probably (eventually) post one of their charsets on my page and link to it so you can see what I mean.

Anyway, I have long hunted for this page, and can't find it. Either it's gone down or I'm just not looking in the right place (or with the right words). I desperately want to find this page. I want to thank them for putting so much time and effort into such beautiful charsets, and I want to find out whether I can use them in a game and how to properly attribute their maker. Furthermore, I have seen these on occasion in other collections, and I want to find out if they are supposed to be there or if I should inform someone that they're unauthorized (a resource designer this good deserves respect).

If you have any information about this page, and especially a link to it or the concrete information that the site has gone down, please let me know!

==Gengo (Language!)==

I'm a total language buff with an extensive history of language studies, none of which have yet made it to fluency; I'm not interested in pointless fluency. My general pursuit is to understand the principles behind a wide variety of languages, especially the grammar and interesting vocabulary distinctions (such as the wide variety of colors in Hawaiian, the distinction between hot and cold water in Japanese, the deferential verbs in some languages, the family member distinctions, the body part distinctions, and so on). In part, this allows me to better understand the subject as it pertains to a wide variety of specific instances. In part, it should allow me to at some point pick up a language that I have studied the basics of, and move into fluency with comparative ease.

===Statistics (of sorts)===

'''Native Language:''' American English

'''My "First Language":''' Japanese

'''The First Language I Ever Studied:''' French

'''Currently Studying:''' Spanish

'''Recently Dabbled In:''' Romani (Gipsy) and Basque

'''Likely to Be Soon Studying (Not for the First Time):''' Russian and Irish

'''Languages I Have Taken Classes In:''' Japanese, French, Italian, ASL, German

'''Languages I Can Piece Through (with a comparative passage in another (non-English) language, or a dictionary):''' Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Esperanto

'''Languages I Can Read but Lack the Grammar and Vocabulary for:''' Greek, Russian, Arabic (I've forgotten most of the Korean I at one point studied)

'''Languages I Was at Some Point Interested in:''' Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese (Mandarin), Fijian, Hawaiian, Tagalog, Yiddish, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Basque... (this list is non-exhaustive)

'''Most Irritating Languages:''' French and the Gaelics, mostly for reasons of their spelling not in any sense matching their pronunciation. And yes, I do support the Simplified Spelling Society's goal of eliminating such problems in English. And yes, I realize that this is <a href="http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ortho.html">a difficult undertaking</a>. Perhaps <a href="http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ortho.html">impossible</a>. Anyway, French and Irish have their appeal for me, so even though they're irritating, I continue to study them. But if we ever get into a conversation about languages, you'll hear me harp on French.

'''Quirkiest Language Goal:''' I intend to someday learn a click language. Or at least part of one. Even being able to make those sounds would be ''sweeeeeeet''.

===Conlanging===

In the fine tradition of Dr. Zamenhof, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Marc Okrand, I am a conlanger. That is, I create my own languages. (If you don't see the merit in this activity, I feel sorry for you, but I'm not going to try to convince you.) I hope to someday read Hamlet in the original Klingon (a minor goal of mine, not likely to be realized). I have studied Tolkien's writing systems and read passages of the Bible in Esperanto. I appreciate some of the principles behind such attempts as Láadan, and I enjoy the atmosphere from even a smattering of conlang in a fictional work, such as Lapine (rabbit language from Watership Down) or the Geisterdammen tongue in Girl Genius.

On the other hand, I abhor the English alphabet insofar as it lacks several symbols for vowels (and for a few consonants) while retaining four unnecessary letters (c, x, q, and j). For this reason alone, I have decidedly ''not'' studied Ido. And any language I work on starts with a basic understanding that I will use something resembling a sane spelling system. With the exception of Elite Elven, in which I plan to pour out my annoyance at the French language by making Elite Elven spelling as obtuse as possible. Possibly unreadable.

Other conlang pursuits include the following (listed by the race I based them on, although that's not likely to be exactly the race they finally end up with... that is, for example, my dwarves will eventually be called a different name, and likely will be distinct from what are in English called "dwarves").

'''Faerie:''' Based on Hawaiian, because I figure anything in the CVCVCVCV format has got to be either cute or annoying, and that fits faeries to a T.

'''Ogre:''' Based on principles gleaned from isolation languages such as Chinese and from what I understand of ASL, Ogre is a strongly gestural language with a structure of the sort "You go Seattle this day, get present bring me please please."

'''Dwarven:''' Strong verb changes (sing/sang/sung kinda thing), plenty of plosives and nasals, and the only conlang of mine so far that allows a plosive to end a word. Also, these dwarves live underground, and have no vocabulary for overworld items, except a rudimentary vocabulary spoken only by the women, who go aboveground to gather food. This "hunter dialect" is not spoken or understood by most of the men.

'''Gnomish:''' Irish-like lilt with a trilled R and an urgency to the conveyance of vital information (since they're constantly on edge about danger, like meerkats). They have an extensive locative system (prepositions, basically) and a set of verbs with inherent location/direction information, as well as a set of verbs and adjectives specifically regarding predators, for which no subject need be stated (e.g., "Outside cave [it is] hunting-along-ground" with a verb that conveys the information of a large cat-like creature).

'''Elven:''' I have half a dozen at least, some of which are interrelated. '''Classical Elven''' is the Elven Latin, from which sprang '''Elite Elven''' (my most deliberately hideous language, insofar as spelling goes, and with a far more exacting conjugation list than any other) and '''Morudan''' (Wood-speech). Morudan's about abandoning a number of categories from Classical Elven, and borrowing some simpler forms from Dwarven (such as a preceeding simple negative, roughly switching "hunt-nai" to "no hunt"). There's also '''Finogre''', a hybrid language from when a group of elves joined a group of ogres and formed a community (my "ogres" are far pleasanter than any ogres you've ever heard of), and '''Tatha''' (it means "soft, pleasant, mild, friendly" or a general concept thereof), which has an exhaustive supply of adjectives (such as "niffa," meaning "windborne" or something light enough to be carried by the wind, like a seed from a dandelion--and a group of adjectives describing size, among which is a specific word meaning "handheld" or about the size of an orange).

'''Hanlo:''' This is my human language, and possibly the only one in which I allow an H (aside from, I think, Faerie). I kind of dump bits here, anything that I am interested in but doesn't fit with my other language concepts. I'm vaguely patterning this after samurai culture.

I also have a language I'm designing for young children to learn before they speak English, in which the words they'll need to use are paired with the sounds they're capable of and the word structures they're first able to pronounce. Thus, the most basic verbs follow the CVCi format (like the words "doggy" and "baby"), and the most basic nouns and adjectives follow a similar CVCV format. My general hypothesis, after all I've read, is that a child is best served by you conducting a proper conversation with him as early as possible, and this language should allow you to do that. My hypothesis is a lot more detailed than that, but I won't go into it here.

My conlangs are by no means finished; most likely most of them will never even approach that goal. I am lazily collecting bits and bobs as I go, and now and then I make a few quick strokes toward my goal. I'm in no hurry.

User:Kilyle

Kilyle — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 11:12:28 GMT

Kilyle: Created my user page! Links to my resources and contributions, and information about me

''Because one language is never enough.''

==Quick Resource Links==

Just in case it's what you're here for, these are the resources I created myself:

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/kilyle.geo/Craft/Games/Resources/RTPKids.htm">RTP Children Edits</a>

More information on my programming and editing can be found near the bottom of this page.

==Contributions to Charas Wiki==

So far, I created the [[Chipset]]s page and the [[Charset]]s page. I hope to do more when I can make the time and find a subject I'm familiar with.

And now, on to information about me:

==Kilyle==

When I joined the internet, I chose the ident '''Kilyle''' because it was the first one I came up with that didn't require a fudge--or a number. Since then, I've learned that few if any people actually know who Kilyle is. He's my favorite character from a Star Trek novel (''Final Frontier'' by Diane Carey): a Rihannsu (Romulan) who interacted with George Samuel Kirk (father of James Tiberius Kirk) during an incident in the Neutral Zone involving the Enterprise back before it even had a name. His full name is t'Cael Zaniidor Kilyle, and this unique ident has served me well all the years I've been online.

Another favorite character who seems to be not well known is '''Alliar''' (from Josepha Sherman's ''A Strange and Ancient Name''). He's a wind spirit trapped in mortal flesh, capable of changing his form but incapable of freeing himself to become one with the wind once more. He's technically genderless, and knows nothing of "flesh games" (as he calls it). I made two characters on WoW based on him, but they are both female elves, since I can't see his character as having the male elf muscles, and anyway, at one point in the book he does shift into a female form for a moment. He's completely claustrophobic, and my characters stay true to that--which means I can't even enter Ironforge (giant cave!!) or Loch Modan (since I'd have to go through tunnels to get there).

==The Real Me==

My name is Alethia (Greek for '''truth'''). I was born in 1978 (making 78 my favorite number, and 7 + 8 the first numbers I learned to add instantly). I live in Washington State.

===Education===

I was homeschooled through my late teens (best thing my mom ever did for me), at which point my great uncle decided that I should be in college, and sent me a check. I said, "It's your money," and signed up at the nearby community college. I was a bit nervous because I wasn't used to a classroom environment, but I took 18 credits (get my money's worth! 18 credits cost the same as 10) in Japanese, Math, Computer Programming (VB), and Study Skills. I maintained a very high GPA (3.91 I think at last count) over six years, with B as my lowest grade. I finally graduated with two degrees: Associate of Arts and Sciences and Associate of Fine Arts (Written Arts).

Over my six years, I studied languages (two years of Japanese first, then audited the rest: ASL, French, German, and Italian), computer programming (one year each VB and C++) math (through Calculus), literature and writing (lots!), art (mostly drawing), acting (I'll stick to ''writing'' the plays), and psychology (wish I could've taken more than one class in that). I was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the Nippon Friendship Club, and started the Theatre Club (we had three members the first year, but I secured funding for the next year, at which point the club became more popular, but I was no longer President).

College revved me up, but I was already in love with learning anyway. I enjoyed most of my heavy course load and worked on side projects for many of my classes. I also managed to work elves into the final projects of quite a number of my classes, including art, programming, and psychology.

===Interests===

I'm a language buff, as a later section of this page goes into far more detail on. I also enjoy computer languages and conlanging. I'm a writer, insofar as I have always conceived of myself as eventually writing something significant to give to the world. Insofar as I actually write on a regular basis, no, I'm not a writer. I work in spurts and have numerous projects always on the back burner. The evil Procrastitron does not like me to actually get work done, and I'm afraid I bow to his will more often than not.

I enjoy a wide variety of written works, including Young Adult fantasy and sci-fi, textbooks (languages and writing), comic books, comic strips, web comics (latest favorite: ''Girl Genius''), plays, screenplays, and poetry. I also enjoy disecting good literature until it's a barely recognizable pile of guts on the table. That is, I love sites like '''The Sugar Quill''' (for discussing Harry Potter) and '''Tea at the Ford''' (for discussing Buffy the Vampire Slayer). I was in heaven the other day when a friend and I spent something like four hours just discussing the history of classical literature across various cultural and linguistic boundaries (the discussion was so good that I stopped playing Guitar Hero 2 (which my friend just got, and for which I have waited for months)).

My favorite TV program at the moment is Criminal Minds, and it's basically the only program that I consistently watch. I adore Dr. Spencer Reid and find Garcia hilarious. My favorite part about the series so far is that they act like a close-knit family and aren't afraid to tease each other; it's basically the sort of family I grew up in. The idea that the team can act as a family, willing to die for each other if need be, is, I think, the secret behind the success of Star Trek (among other shows), and I wish more people in Hollywood would pay attention to it, because I can't stand the string of writers who seem to think that a movie lacks conflict if the team members aren't at each other's throats (or trying to stab each other in the back).

I skate on inlines, and just tonight got back to the rink after about two and a half years of not skating at all. The skills came back pretty fast, which pleased me. I even managed a few steady spirals near the end of session (they're one-leg moves where you put your other leg straight out behind you... at least, the way I do it; the alternative is basically doing the splits in mid-air). My three-year-old nephew is skating now and I hope to go skating with him quite often.

==Programming==

I can program in Visual Basic and C++, although I haven't done so for a while. I grew up with GW-Basic and Q Basic, so VB was only a small leap and I expect that I'll have the basic programming down in my head for the rest of my life, but C++ is a bit more recent and I'll need a refresher course before I do anything serious with it.

I enjoy some of the aspects of RPG Maker, including its autotiles and the fact that many of the basic RPG interactions are already present (such as talking to other characters and dealing with items and inventory). However, at the moment, I prefer Mark Overmars's Game Maker. For making non-RPG games, it's not as cluttered, and I'm more used to it than I am to RPG Maker. Plus, of course, it's free (unlike XP) and legal (unlike previous RPG Makers). It even has a particle engine for making rain, snow, fireworks, and the like (okay, that one I had to register for). I'm currently teaching a friend to program with Game Maker, and we're up to the level of Frogger. Hope to do Tetris soon.

===Resources===

I'm decent with recolors and certain types of edits. I have done edits of the RTP children, and plan to do more. I've tried to recolor facesets, but they're not as easy.

I'm also working on ripping chipsets from Dragon Warrior III, Dragon Warrior IV, and Ultima: Quest of the Avatar, none of which seem to be readily available when I've looked for them online.

Any links to my resources are at the top of this page.

====The Never-ending Search====

I at one point encountered a marvelous page of original resources for RPG Maker. These included charsets of American Indians, Japanese schoolgirls, guys in togas, people from the slums, knights on horses, crawling babies, and so on. The characters were of a distinct style (odd number of pixels, for one, and the clothes were far more realistic than the RTP set). I will probably (eventually) post one of their charsets on my page and link to it so you can see what I mean.

Anyway, I have long hunted for this page, and can't find it. Either it's gone down or I'm just not looking in the right place (or with the right words). I desperately want to find this page. I want to thank them for putting so much time and effort into such beautiful charsets, and I want to find out whether I can use them in a game and how to properly attribute their maker. Furthermore, I have seen these on occasion in other collections, and I want to find out if they are supposed to be there or if I should inform someone that they're unauthorized (a resource designer this good deserves respect).

If you have any information about this page, and especially a link to it or the concrete information that the site has gone down, please let me know!

==Gengo (Language!)==

I'm a total language buff with an extensive history of language studies, none of which have yet made it to fluency; I'm not interested in pointless fluency. My general pursuit is to understand the principles behind a wide variety of languages, especially the grammar and interesting vocabulary distinctions (such as the wide variety of colors in Hawaiian, the distinction between hot and cold water in Japanese, the deferential verbs in some languages, the family member distinctions, the body part distinctions, and so on). In part, this allows me to better understand the subject as it pertains to a wide variety of specific instances. In part, it should allow me to at some point pick up a language that I have studied the basics of, and move into fluency with comparative ease.

===Statistics (of sorts)===

'''Native Language:''' American English

'''My "First Language":''' Japanese

'''The First Language I Ever Studied:''' French

'''Currently Studying:''' Spanish

'''Recently Dabbled In:''' Romani (Gipsy) and Basque

'''Likely to Be Soon Studying (Not for the First Time):''' Russian and Irish

'''Languages I Have Taken Classes In:''' Japanese, French, Italian, ASL, German

'''Languages I Can Piece Through (with a comparative passage in another (non-English) language, or a dictionary):''' Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Esperanto

'''Languages I Can Read but Lack the Grammar and Vocabulary for:''' Greek, Russian, Arabic (I've forgotten most of the Korean I at one point studied)

'''Languages I Was at Some Point Interested in:''' Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese (Mandarin), Fijian, Hawaiian, Tagalog, Yiddish, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Basque... (this list is non-exhaustive)

'''Most Irritating Languages:''' French and the Gaelics, mostly for reasons of their spelling not in any sense matching their pronunciation. And yes, I do support the Simplified Spelling Society's goal of eliminating such problems in English. And yes, I realize that this is <a href="http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ortho.html">a difficult undertaking</a>. Perhaps <a href="http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ortho.html">impossible</a>. Anyway, French and Irish have their appeal for me, so even though they're irritating, I continue to study them. But if we ever get into a conversation about languages, you'll hear me harp on French.

'''Quirkiest Language Goal:''' I intend to someday learn a click language. Or at least part of one. Even being able to make those sounds would be ''sweeeeeeet''.

===Conlanging===

In the fine tradition of Dr. Zamenhof, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Marc Okrand, I am a conlanger. That is, I create my own languages. (If you don't see the merit in this activity, I feel sorry for you, but I'm not going to try to convince you.) I hope to someday read Hamlet in the original Klingon (a minor goal of mine, not likely to be realized). I have studied Tolkien's writing systems and read passages of the Bible in Esperanto. I appreciate some of the principles behind such attempts as Láadan, and I enjoy the atmosphere from even a smattering of conlang in a fictional work, such as Lapine (rabbit language from Watership Down) or the Geisterdammen tongue in Girl Genius.

On the other hand, I abhor the English alphabet insofar as it lacks several symbols for vowels (and for a few consonants) while retaining four unnecessary letters (c, x, q, and j). For this reason alone, I have decidedly ''not'' studied Ido. And any language I work on starts with a basic understanding that I will use something resembling a sane spelling system. With the exception of Elite Elven, in which I plan to pour out my annoyance at the French language by making Elite Elven spelling as obtuse as possible. Possibly unreadable.

Other conlang pursuits include the following (listed by the race I based them on, although that's not likely to be exactly the race they finally end up with... that is, for example, my dwarves will eventually be called a different name, and likely will be distinct from what are in English called "dwarves").

'''Faerie:''' Based on Hawaiian, because I figure anything in the CVCVCVCV format has got to be either cute or annoying, and that fits faeries to a T.

'''Ogre:''' Based on principles gleaned from isolation languages such as Chinese and from what I understand of ASL, Ogre is a strongly gestural language with a structure of the sort "You go Seattle this day, get present bring me please please."

'''Dwarven:''' Strong verb changes (sing/sang/sung kinda thing), plenty of plosives and nasals, and the only conlang of mine so far that allows a plosive to end a word. Also, these dwarves live underground, and have no vocabulary for overworld items, except a rudimentary vocabulary spoken only by the women, who go aboveground to gather food. This "hunter dialect" is not spoken or understood by most of the men.

'''Gnomish:''' Irish-like lilt with a trilled R and an urgency to the conveyance of vital information (since they're constantly on edge about danger, like meerkats). They have an extensive locative system (prepositions, basically) and a set of verbs with inherent location/direction information, as well as a set of verbs and adjectives specifically regarding predators, for which no subject need be stated (e.g., "Outside cave [it is] hunting-along-ground" with a verb that conveys the information of a large cat-like creature).

'''Elven:''' I have half a dozen at least, some of which are interrelated. '''Classical Elven''' is the Elven Latin, from which sprang '''Elite Elven''' (my most deliberately hideous language, insofar as spelling goes, and with a far more exacting conjugation list than any other) and '''Morudan''' (Wood-speech). Morudan's about abandoning a number of categories from Classical Elven, and borrowing some simpler forms from Dwarven (such as a preceeding simple negative, roughly switching "hunt-nai" to "no hunt"). There's also '''Finogre''', a hybrid language from when a group of elves joined a group of ogres and formed a community (my "ogres" are far pleasanter than any ogres you've ever heard of), and '''Tatha''' (it means "soft, pleasant, mild, friendly" or a general concept thereof), which has an exhaustive supply of adjectives (such as "niffa," meaning "windborne" or something light enough to be carried by the wind, like a seed from a dandelion--and a group of adjectives describing size, among which is a specific word meaning "handheld" or about the size of an orange).

'''Hanlo:''' This is my human language, and possibly the only one in which I allow an H (aside from, I think, Faerie). I kind of dump bits here, anything that I am interested in but doesn't fit with my other language concepts. I'm vaguely patterning this after samurai culture.

I also have a language I'm designing for young children to learn before they speak English, in which the words they'll need to use are paired with the sounds they're capable of and the word structures they're first able to pronounce. Thus, the most basic verbs follow the CVCi format (like the words "doggy" and "baby"), and the most basic nouns and adjectives follow a similar CVCV format. My general hypothesis, after all I've read, is that a child is best served by you conducting a proper conversation with him as early as possible, and this language should allow you to do that. My hypothesis is a lot more detailed than that, but I won't go into it here.

My conlangs are by no means finished; most likely most of them will never even approach that goal. I am lazily collecting bits and bobs as I go, and now and then I make a few quick strokes toward my goal. I'm in no hurry.

Character Sets

Kilyle — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 09:14:21 GMT

Kilyle: /* The Expressive Character */ Thought "rice ball" more interesting than "sandwich"

A '''charset''' is a set of [[sprite]]s for characters (both player characters and [[NPC]]s). A charset is also used for any object that moves from one spot to another, for animated objects in general (although a tileset can handle three 16 x 16 animated objects), and for objects slightly larger than a 16 x 16 square).

==The File==

A charset file is 288 x 256 pixels and holds 96 frames divided into eight sets of twelve frames. Each frame is 24 x 32 pixels, allowing for a character twice as tall as a 16 x 16 tile and slightly wider (4 pixels on either side).

===Basic Character Walk Animation===

If you use a basic walk animation for a character (player character or NPC), RPG Maker will properly determine which animation to use based on the direction the character is facing, and will automatically animate the character's walk. The most general form of a charset, therefore, contains eight distinct characters (or sometimes just eight recolors of the same character), each with four walk animations (one for each direction).

For a basic walk animation, the topmost animation is the back of the character (walking up or away), the second is the character walking right, the third is the front of the character (walking down or toward the player), and the lowest is the character walking left. Each animation has three frames, which RPG Maker animates in B-A-B-C sequence. Usually, the walk animation is symmetrical, and the center frame doubles as the character's standing still sprite.

===Paired Animations===

A similar format covers only four characters, giving each a walk animation and a second animation, usually running, jumping, climbing, or swimming. The programmer must determine when to switch sprites (switch to running sprite while the run button is held down, switch to swimming sprite while in the water, etc.), but RPG Maker again handles the animation by itself.

===The Active Character===

A charset can be used to cover two characters, each with four animations, or only one character, with up to eight animations. This can allow you to use a character who can walk, run, jump, climb, fall, swim, shoot, and dance, all from a single charset file. The programmer again must determine when the character changes sprites, but RPG Maker will handle the animation.

Generally, when a charset is used for a single character with multiple movements, any unused animations are left blank (instead of filled in with another character). This makes it easier to keep track of where the animations are.

===The Expressive Character===

A charset does not need to stick to the format of a single four-directional movement. A more complex charset can be developed for a character, covering the animations of movements that do not need to have four directions, or even three frames. This style of expressive character was used in Final Fantasy VI, where characters nodded and shook their heads, waved, sighed, looked surprised, and so on. Each animated expression took only one to three frames, and most were used in one direction only (generally the front of the character).

This style of charset cannot be largely controlled by the computer, but must be specifically indicated by the programmer at each step. The programmer indicates when to switch frames and which frame to switch to. Care must be taken to make sure that the character is not allowed to walk around while wearing an irregular set of frames (step! he's sitting down; step! he looks surprised; step! he's sobbing; step! he's dancing).

While commonly used in [[cut scene]]s or for NPCs, this style of animation can be used to add some flavor to the player character. A common usage is the animation of impatience: If you don't move for, say, fifteen seconds, the character starts tapping his foot, or looks back at you with annoyance, or sits down and eats a rice ball.

===Characters as Wallpaper===

When NPCs are more like decorations than living, moving beings, they may need far less than twelve frames of animation--perhaps only one or two frames total. This can crop up when a merchant never moves from his counter, or when a cheering crowd watches a horse race, or when a caged bird merely hops around now and again (or just sings). In such cases, a single charset might contain 96 one-frame characters, 48 two-frame characters, 32 three-frame characters, 24 four-frame characters, or any mix thereof. The programmer must designate for a character which frames are used and when to switch frames.

==Charsets for RPG Maker XP==

RPG Maker XP allows much larger characters with a much wider range of colors. Instead of a file that holds eight character animations, a single character animation for XP is a single file by itself, and holds only the four directions of movement. ((Someone verify this information? I haven't yet used the program, but read it somewhere.))

==Techniques==

===Four-Frame Animation===

While RPG Maker takes care of three-frame animation on its own, a four-frame animation effect can easily be produced by spinning a character around (front, left, back, right, front, left, back, right).

Character Sets

Kilyle — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 09:13:26 GMT

Kilyle: (sigh) wrong emphasis code again

A '''charset''' is a set of [[sprite]]s for characters (both player characters and [[NPC]]s). A charset is also used for any object that moves from one spot to another, for animated objects in general (although a tileset can handle three 16 x 16 animated objects), and for objects slightly larger than a 16 x 16 square).

==The File==

A charset file is 288 x 256 pixels and holds 96 frames divided into eight sets of twelve frames. Each frame is 24 x 32 pixels, allowing for a character twice as tall as a 16 x 16 tile and slightly wider (4 pixels on either side).

===Basic Character Walk Animation===

If you use a basic walk animation for a character (player character or NPC), RPG Maker will properly determine which animation to use based on the direction the character is facing, and will automatically animate the character's walk. The most general form of a charset, therefore, contains eight distinct characters (or sometimes just eight recolors of the same character), each with four walk animations (one for each direction).

For a basic walk animation, the topmost animation is the back of the character (walking up or away), the second is the character walking right, the third is the front of the character (walking down or toward the player), and the lowest is the character walking left. Each animation has three frames, which RPG Maker animates in B-A-B-C sequence. Usually, the walk animation is symmetrical, and the center frame doubles as the character's standing still sprite.

===Paired Animations===

A similar format covers only four characters, giving each a walk animation and a second animation, usually running, jumping, climbing, or swimming. The programmer must determine when to switch sprites (switch to running sprite while the run button is held down, switch to swimming sprite while in the water, etc.), but RPG Maker again handles the animation by itself.

===The Active Character===

A charset can be used to cover two characters, each with four animations, or only one character, with up to eight animations. This can allow you to use a character who can walk, run, jump, climb, fall, swim, shoot, and dance, all from a single charset file. The programmer again must determine when the character changes sprites, but RPG Maker will handle the animation.

Generally, when a charset is used for a single character with multiple movements, any unused animations are left blank (instead of filled in with another character). This makes it easier to keep track of where the animations are.

===The Expressive Character===

A charset does not need to stick to the format of a single four-directional movement. A more complex charset can be developed for a character, covering the animations of movements that do not need to have four directions, or even three frames. This style of expressive character was used in Final Fantasy VI, where characters nodded and shook their heads, waved, sighed, looked surprised, and so on. Each animated expression took only one to three frames, and most were used in one direction only (generally the front of the character).

This style of charset cannot be largely controlled by the computer, but must be specifically indicated by the programmer at each step. The programmer indicates when to switch frames and which frame to switch to. Care must be taken to make sure that the character is not allowed to walk around while wearing an irregular set of frames (step! he's sitting down; step! he looks surprised; step! he's sobbing; step! he's dancing).

While commonly used in [[cut scene]]s or for NPCs, this style of animation can be used to add some flavor to the player character. A common usage is the animation of impatience: If you don't move for, say, fifteen seconds, the character starts tapping his foot, or looks back at you with annoyance, or sits down and eats a sandwich.

===Characters as Wallpaper===

When NPCs are more like decorations than living, moving beings, they may need far less than twelve frames of animation--perhaps only one or two frames total. This can crop up when a merchant never moves from his counter, or when a cheering crowd watches a horse race, or when a caged bird merely hops around now and again (or just sings). In such cases, a single charset might contain 96 one-frame characters, 48 two-frame characters, 32 three-frame characters, 24 four-frame characters, or any mix thereof. The programmer must designate for a character which frames are used and when to switch frames.

==Charsets for RPG Maker XP==

RPG Maker XP allows much larger characters with a much wider range of colors. Instead of a file that holds eight character animations, a single character animation for XP is a single file by itself, and holds only the four directions of movement. ((Someone verify this information? I haven't yet used the program, but read it somewhere.))

==Techniques==

===Four-Frame Animation===

While RPG Maker takes care of three-frame animation on its own, a four-frame animation effect can easily be produced by spinning a character around (front, left, back, right, front, left, back, right).

Character Sets

Kilyle — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 09:12:56 GMT

Kilyle: Created the Charset page, including note on XP and four-frame animation technique

A ''charset'' is a set of [[sprite]]s for characters (both player characters and [[NPC]]s). A charset is also used for any object that moves from one spot to another, for animated objects in general (although a tileset can handle three 16 x 16 animated objects), and for objects slightly larger than a 16 x 16 square).

==The File==

A charset file is 288 x 256 pixels and holds 96 frames divided into eight sets of twelve frames. Each frame is 24 x 32 pixels, allowing for a character twice as tall as a 16 x 16 tile and slightly wider (4 pixels on either side).

===Basic Character Walk Animation===

If you use a basic walk animation for a character (player character or NPC), RPG Maker will properly determine which animation to use based on the direction the character is facing, and will automatically animate the character's walk. The most general form of a charset, therefore, contains eight distinct characters (or sometimes just eight recolors of the same character), each with four walk animations (one for each direction).

For a basic walk animation, the topmost animation is the back of the character (walking up or away), the second is the character walking right, the third is the front of the character (walking down or toward the player), and the lowest is the character walking left. Each animation has three frames, which RPG Maker animates in B-A-B-C sequence. Usually, the walk animation is symmetrical, and the center frame doubles as the character's standing still sprite.

===Paired Animations===

A similar format covers only four characters, giving each a walk animation and a second animation, usually running, jumping, climbing, or swimming. The programmer must determine when to switch sprites (switch to running sprite while the run button is held down, switch to swimming sprite while in the water, etc.), but RPG Maker again handles the animation by itself.

===The Active Character===

A charset can be used to cover two characters, each with four animations, or only one character, with up to eight animations. This can allow you to use a character who can walk, run, jump, climb, fall, swim, shoot, and dance, all from a single charset file. The programmer again must determine when the character changes sprites, but RPG Maker will handle the animation.

Generally, when a charset is used for a single character with multiple movements, any unused animations are left blank (instead of filled in with another character). This makes it easier to keep track of where the animations are.

===The Expressive Character===

A charset does not need to stick to the format of a single four-directional movement. A more complex charset can be developed for a character, covering the animations of movements that do not need to have four directions, or even three frames. This style of expressive character was used in Final Fantasy VI, where characters nodded and shook their heads, waved, sighed, looked surprised, and so on. Each animated expression took only one to three frames, and most were used in one direction only (generally the front of the character).

This style of charset cannot be largely controlled by the computer, but must be specifically indicated by the programmer at each step. The programmer indicates when to switch frames and which frame to switch to. Care must be taken to make sure that the character is not allowed to walk around while wearing an irregular set of frames (step! he's sitting down; step! he looks surprised; step! he's sobbing; step! he's dancing).

While commonly used in [[cut scene]]s or for NPCs, this style of animation can be used to add some flavor to the player character. A common usage is the animation of impatience: If you don't move for, say, fifteen seconds, the character starts tapping his foot, or looks back at you with annoyance, or sits down and eats a sandwich.

===Characters as Wallpaper===

When NPCs are more like decorations than living, moving beings, they may need far less than twelve frames of animation--perhaps only one or two frames total. This can crop up when a merchant never moves from his counter, or when a cheering crowd watches a horse race, or when a caged bird merely hops around now and again (or just sings). In such cases, a single charset might contain 96 one-frame characters, 48 two-frame characters, 32 three-frame characters, 24 four-frame characters, or any mix thereof. The programmer must designate for a character which frames are used and when to switch frames.

==Charsets for RPG Maker XP==

RPG Maker XP allows much larger characters with a much wider range of colors. Instead of a file that holds eight character animations, a single character animation for XP is a single file by itself, and holds only the four directions of movement. ((Someone verify this information? I haven't yet used the program, but read it somewhere.))

==Techniques==

===Four-Frame Animation===

While RPG Maker takes care of three-frame animation on its own, a four-frame animation effect can easily be produced by spinning a character around (front, left, back, right, front, left, back, right).

Chipsets

Kilyle — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:19:00 GMT

Kilyle: Made "sprites" link singular instead of plural

A '''chipset''' is a set of [[sprite]]s (game graphics) used to map out the game world in an RPG Maker game. It is a single file (480 x 256 pixels) that holds the sprites for both background and foreground objects. Each sprite is 16 x 16 pixels, and either made of one or more 16 x 16 tiles or composed of tile pieces by the computer within the game.

==Transparency==

Any of the tiles can be made partially transparent. Transparent areas in foreground tiles will show the background tiles through them, and transparent areas in background tiles will show either black or a background picture through them. A single color must be used as the transparency color throughout the file; the color usually chosen is pink or green, although sometimes blue, black, white, or grey will be used; it can in fact be any color you choose. Any pixel left in that color will be transparent, so you cannot use that particular shade to draw things; if you want to use black or white as the transparency color, you must use a slightly off shade (say, 5, 5, 5 or 250, 250, 250) for any black or white areas in your tiles.

==Tile Categories==

RPG Maker uses the chipset file to create six types of animated tiles, twelve autotiles, 144 background tiles, and 143 partially transparent foreground tiles.

===Animated Tiles===

The first three sets of tiles are interrelated and generally used for animated water. Two of the sets are used for the shallow water and to account for the edge where water touches the land. The third set is used for deep water, and uses the first set as its edge when it touches anything.

Three other four-frame animations are available. These are still 16 x 16 tiles, but can be joined creatively to make, say, a 2 x 1 fireplace, a 1 x 2 moving statue, or a wide yet not monotonous waterfall (by varying the tiles used). These are background tiles, and while you can set them to star (so that the hero can walk behind them), you cannot put backgrounds behind them--hence, you must give them a proper background yourself (preferably not, say, a black square, unless you're doing a night scene).

===Autotiles===

The next twelve sets of tiles are patterns for the computer to use to paint large, joined sections, such as fields of grass or snow. A single set shows the computer how to draw the middle and every edge, as well as internal and external corners. This way, you don't need to worry about any of the details of which area needs a corner or where the edges fall--you just draw the trees and let the computer take care of how they join up.

===Background Tiles===

The next 144 tiles are background tiles. Background tiles are generally left without transparency, although a common tile is the diagonally transparent glass floor, which can be used over a background image depicting, say, a star field. While autotiles such as grass, dirt, and snow provide good blank canvases for foreground tiles, the general background tiles are often more complex: floors, walls, roofs, rocks, and so on. However, you can still add paintings to the walls, barrels to the floors, and weathervanes to the roofs.

===The Background Transparency Tile===

The last background tile is generally a blank square of whatever color is used as the transparency. It can be used for sections where you want a background image to show through. This is a good way to show a sky (still or animated): for example, clouds, a sunset, or a star field. It can also be used for bizarre dungeons in which you can't see the objects around you but instead see a kaleiodoscopic background.

===The Foreground Transparency Tile===

The last 144 tiles are foreground tiles. However, the first foreground tile is necessarily blank (unlike the last background tile, which need not be blank). It is left as a square of whatever color you're using for the transparency (generally pink or green). RPG Maker uses this first foreground tile as the default foreground tile for every square on the map. If, say, a flower were in that square, the entire map would start out covered by flowers (not just on the ground, either).

===Foreground Tiles===

After the Foreground Transparency Tile, the last 143 tiles are foreground tiles. These are sprites to be placed atop background tiles so that part of the background tile (usually) shows through. The areas that are transparent are colored in the chosen transparency color (usually pink or green, but you can choose any color you like), and the background tiles placed behind them will show through in those transparent areas. For example, a statue may be placed on a marble floor, on the grass, or in the middle of a stone dungeon, and the transparent areas of the statue tiles will show marble, grass, or stone. Some foreground tiles, such as bridges and stairwells, have no transparent areas, in which case nothing of the background tile will show through.

==Techniques==

===Overlapping the Hero===

This is most common with roofs and cliffs, where the edges are diagonal. If you have, say, a roof that the hero cannot climb on top of, you make most of it from square background roof tiles that the hero walks behind, then make the edges from diagonal ''foreground'' tiles that the hero also walks behind.

===Using Multiple Foreground Tiles===

You can use multiple foreground tiles by making a single foreground tile and then putting over it events using the other foreground tiles you want. This technique will allow you to, for example, set up a table on a tile floor, and then put a plate of food on the table.

===How to Create Your Own Chipset===

(If no one else creates this section, I'll eventually get in here and make it myself.)

Chipsets

Kilyle — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:18:30 GMT

Kilyle: Fixed emphasis code

A '''chipset''' is a set of [[sprites]] (game graphics) used to map out the game world in an RPG Maker game. It is a single file (480 x 256 pixels) that holds the sprites for both background and foreground objects. Each sprite is 16 x 16 pixels, and either made of one or more 16 x 16 tiles or composed of tile pieces by the computer within the game.

==Transparency==

Any of the tiles can be made partially transparent. Transparent areas in foreground tiles will show the background tiles through them, and transparent areas in background tiles will show either black or a background picture through them. A single color must be used as the transparency color throughout the file; the color usually chosen is pink or green, although sometimes blue, black, white, or grey will be used; it can in fact be any color you choose. Any pixel left in that color will be transparent, so you cannot use that particular shade to draw things; if you want to use black or white as the transparency color, you must use a slightly off shade (say, 5, 5, 5 or 250, 250, 250) for any black or white areas in your tiles.

==Tile Categories==

RPG Maker uses the chipset file to create six types of animated tiles, twelve autotiles, 144 background tiles, and 143 partially transparent foreground tiles.

===Animated Tiles===

The first three sets of tiles are interrelated and generally used for animated water. Two of the sets are used for the shallow water and to account for the edge where water touches the land. The third set is used for deep water, and uses the first set as its edge when it touches anything.

Three other four-frame animations are available. These are still 16 x 16 tiles, but can be joined creatively to make, say, a 2 x 1 fireplace, a 1 x 2 moving statue, or a wide yet not monotonous waterfall (by varying the tiles used). These are background tiles, and while you can set them to star (so that the hero can walk behind them), you cannot put backgrounds behind them--hence, you must give them a proper background yourself (preferably not, say, a black square, unless you're doing a night scene).

===Autotiles===

The next twelve sets of tiles are patterns for the computer to use to paint large, joined sections, such as fields of grass or snow. A single set shows the computer how to draw the middle and every edge, as well as internal and external corners. This way, you don't need to worry about any of the details of which area needs a corner or where the edges fall--you just draw the trees and let the computer take care of how they join up.

===Background Tiles===

The next 144 tiles are background tiles. Background tiles are generally left without transparency, although a common tile is the diagonally transparent glass floor, which can be used over a background image depicting, say, a star field. While autotiles such as grass, dirt, and snow provide good blank canvases for foreground tiles, the general background tiles are often more complex: floors, walls, roofs, rocks, and so on. However, you can still add paintings to the walls, barrels to the floors, and weathervanes to the roofs.

===The Background Transparency Tile===

The last background tile is generally a blank square of whatever color is used as the transparency. It can be used for sections where you want a background image to show through. This is a good way to show a sky (still or animated): for example, clouds, a sunset, or a star field. It can also be used for bizarre dungeons in which you can't see the objects around you but instead see a kaleiodoscopic background.

===The Foreground Transparency Tile===

The last 144 tiles are foreground tiles. However, the first foreground tile is necessarily blank (unlike the last background tile, which need not be blank). It is left as a square of whatever color you're using for the transparency (generally pink or green). RPG Maker uses this first foreground tile as the default foreground tile for every square on the map. If, say, a flower were in that square, the entire map would start out covered by flowers (not just on the ground, either).

===Foreground Tiles===

After the Foreground Transparency Tile, the last 143 tiles are foreground tiles. These are sprites to be placed atop background tiles so that part of the background tile (usually) shows through. The areas that are transparent are colored in the chosen transparency color (usually pink or green, but you can choose any color you like), and the background tiles placed behind them will show through in those transparent areas. For example, a statue may be placed on a marble floor, on the grass, or in the middle of a stone dungeon, and the transparent areas of the statue tiles will show marble, grass, or stone. Some foreground tiles, such as bridges and stairwells, have no transparent areas, in which case nothing of the background tile will show through.

==Techniques==

===Overlapping the Hero===

This is most common with roofs and cliffs, where the edges are diagonal. If you have, say, a roof that the hero cannot climb on top of, you make most of it from square background roof tiles that the hero walks behind, then make the edges from diagonal ''foreground'' tiles that the hero also walks behind.

===Using Multiple Foreground Tiles===

You can use multiple foreground tiles by making a single foreground tile and then putting over it events using the other foreground tiles you want. This technique will allow you to, for example, set up a table on a tile floor, and then put a plate of food on the table.

===How to Create Your Own Chipset===

(If no one else creates this section, I'll eventually get in here and make it myself.)

Chipsets

Kilyle — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:17:57 GMT

Kilyle: /* Overlapping the Hero */ Messed up emphasis code again

A ''chipset'' is a set of [[sprites]] (game graphics) used to map out the game world in an RPG Maker game. It is a single file (480 x 256 pixels) that holds the sprites for both background and foreground objects. Each sprite is 16 x 16 pixels, and either made of one or more 16 x 16 tiles or composed of tile pieces by the computer within the game.

==Transparency==

Any of the tiles can be made partially transparent. Transparent areas in foreground tiles will show the background tiles through them, and transparent areas in background tiles will show either black or a background picture through them. A single color must be used as the transparency color throughout the file; the color usually chosen is pink or green, although sometimes blue, black, white, or grey will be used; it can in fact be any color you choose. Any pixel left in that color will be transparent, so you cannot use that particular shade to draw things; if you want to use black or white as the transparency color, you must use a slightly off shade (say, 5, 5, 5 or 250, 250, 250) for any black or white areas in your tiles.

==Tile Categories==

RPG Maker uses the chipset file to create six types of animated tiles, twelve autotiles, 144 background tiles, and 143 partially transparent foreground tiles.

===Animated Tiles===

The first three sets of tiles are interrelated and generally used for animated water. Two of the sets are used for the shallow water and to account for the edge where water touches the land. The third set is used for deep water, and uses the first set as its edge when it touches anything.

Three other four-frame animations are available. These are still 16 x 16 tiles, but can be joined creatively to make, say, a 2 x 1 fireplace, a 1 x 2 moving statue, or a wide yet not monotonous waterfall (by varying the tiles used). These are background tiles, and while you can set them to star (so that the hero can walk behind them), you cannot put backgrounds behind them--hence, you must give them a proper background yourself (preferably not, say, a black square, unless you're doing a night scene).

===Autotiles===

The next twelve sets of tiles are patterns for the computer to use to paint large, joined sections, such as fields of grass or snow. A single set shows the computer how to draw the middle and every edge, as well as internal and external corners. This way, you don't need to worry about any of the details of which area needs a corner or where the edges fall--you just draw the trees and let the computer take care of how they join up.

===Background Tiles===

The next 144 tiles are background tiles. Background tiles are generally left without transparency, although a common tile is the diagonally transparent glass floor, which can be used over a background image depicting, say, a star field. While autotiles such as grass, dirt, and snow provide good blank canvases for foreground tiles, the general background tiles are often more complex: floors, walls, roofs, rocks, and so on. However, you can still add paintings to the walls, barrels to the floors, and weathervanes to the roofs.

===The Background Transparency Tile===

The last background tile is generally a blank square of whatever color is used as the transparency. It can be used for sections where you want a background image to show through. This is a good way to show a sky (still or animated): for example, clouds, a sunset, or a star field. It can also be used for bizarre dungeons in which you can't see the objects around you but instead see a kaleiodoscopic background.

===The Foreground Transparency Tile===

The last 144 tiles are foreground tiles. However, the first foreground tile is necessarily blank (unlike the last background tile, which need not be blank). It is left as a square of whatever color you're using for the transparency (generally pink or green). RPG Maker uses this first foreground tile as the default foreground tile for every square on the map. If, say, a flower were in that square, the entire map would start out covered by flowers (not just on the ground, either).

===Foreground Tiles===

After the Foreground Transparency Tile, the last 143 tiles are foreground tiles. These are sprites to be placed atop background tiles so that part of the background tile (usually) shows through. The areas that are transparent are colored in the chosen transparency color (usually pink or green, but you can choose any color you like), and the background tiles placed behind them will show through in those transparent areas. For example, a statue may be placed on a marble floor, on the grass, or in the middle of a stone dungeon, and the transparent areas of the statue tiles will show marble, grass, or stone. Some foreground tiles, such as bridges and stairwells, have no transparent areas, in which case nothing of the background tile will show through.

==Techniques==

===Overlapping the Hero===

This is most common with roofs and cliffs, where the edges are diagonal. If you have, say, a roof that the hero cannot climb on top of, you make most of it from square background roof tiles that the hero walks behind, then make the edges from diagonal ''foreground'' tiles that the hero also walks behind.

===Using Multiple Foreground Tiles===

You can use multiple foreground tiles by making a single foreground tile and then putting over it events using the other foreground tiles you want. This technique will allow you to, for example, set up a table on a tile floor, and then put a plate of food on the table.

===How to Create Your Own Chipset===

(If no one else creates this section, I'll eventually get in here and make it myself.)

Chipsets

Kilyle — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:08:30 GMT

Kilyle: Started the Chipset page, including tile categories and some techniques

A ''chipset'' is a set of [[sprites]] (game graphics) used to map out the game world in an RPG Maker game. It is a single file (480 x 256 pixels) that holds the sprites for both background and foreground objects. Each sprite is 16 x 16 pixels, and either made of one or more 16 x 16 tiles or composed of tile pieces by the computer within the game.

==Transparency==

Any of the tiles can be made partially transparent. Transparent areas in foreground tiles will show the background tiles through them, and transparent areas in background tiles will show either black or a background picture through them. A single color must be used as the transparency color throughout the file; the color usually chosen is pink or green, although sometimes blue, black, white, or grey will be used; it can in fact be any color you choose. Any pixel left in that color will be transparent, so you cannot use that particular shade to draw things; if you want to use black or white as the transparency color, you must use a slightly off shade (say, 5, 5, 5 or 250, 250, 250) for any black or white areas in your tiles.

==Tile Categories==

RPG Maker uses the chipset file to create six types of animated tiles, twelve autotiles, 144 background tiles, and 143 partially transparent foreground tiles.

===Animated Tiles===

The first three sets of tiles are interrelated and generally used for animated water. Two of the sets are used for the shallow water and to account for the edge where water touches the land. The third set is used for deep water, and uses the first set as its edge when it touches anything.

Three other four-frame animations are available. These are still 16 x 16 tiles, but can be joined creatively to make, say, a 2 x 1 fireplace, a 1 x 2 moving statue, or a wide yet not monotonous waterfall (by varying the tiles used). These are background tiles, and while you can set them to star (so that the hero can walk behind them), you cannot put backgrounds behind them--hence, you must give them a proper background yourself (preferably not, say, a black square, unless you're doing a night scene).

===Autotiles===

The next twelve sets of tiles are patterns for the computer to use to paint large, joined sections, such as fields of grass or snow. A single set shows the computer how to draw the middle and every edge, as well as internal and external corners. This way, you don't need to worry about any of the details of which area needs a corner or where the edges fall--you just draw the trees and let the computer take care of how they join up.

===Background Tiles===

The next 144 tiles are background tiles. Background tiles are generally left without transparency, although a common tile is the diagonally transparent glass floor, which can be used over a background image depicting, say, a star field. While autotiles such as grass, dirt, and snow provide good blank canvases for foreground tiles, the general background tiles are often more complex: floors, walls, roofs, rocks, and so on. However, you can still add paintings to the walls, barrels to the floors, and weathervanes to the roofs.

===The Background Transparency Tile===

The last background tile is generally a blank square of whatever color is used as the transparency. It can be used for sections where you want a background image to show through. This is a good way to show a sky (still or animated): for example, clouds, a sunset, or a star field. It can also be used for bizarre dungeons in which you can't see the objects around you but instead see a kaleiodoscopic background.

===The Foreground Transparency Tile===

The last 144 tiles are foreground tiles. However, the first foreground tile is necessarily blank (unlike the last background tile, which need not be blank). It is left as a square of whatever color you're using for the transparency (generally pink or green). RPG Maker uses this first foreground tile as the default foreground tile for every square on the map. If, say, a flower were in that square, the entire map would start out covered by flowers (not just on the ground, either).

===Foreground Tiles===

After the Foreground Transparency Tile, the last 143 tiles are foreground tiles. These are sprites to be placed atop background tiles so that part of the background tile (usually) shows through. The areas that are transparent are colored in the chosen transparency color (usually pink or green, but you can choose any color you like), and the background tiles placed behind them will show through in those transparent areas. For example, a statue may be placed on a marble floor, on the grass, or in the middle of a stone dungeon, and the transparent areas of the statue tiles will show marble, grass, or stone. Some foreground tiles, such as bridges and stairwells, have no transparent areas, in which case nothing of the background tile will show through.

==Techniques==

===Overlapping the Hero===

This is most common with roofs and cliffs, where the edges are diagonal. If you have, say, a roof that the hero cannot climb on top of, you make most of it from square background roof tiles that the hero walks behind, then make the edges from diagonal '''foreground''' tiles that the hero also walks behind.

===Using Multiple Foreground Tiles===

You can use multiple foreground tiles by making a single foreground tile and then putting over it events using the other foreground tiles you want. This technique will allow you to, for example, set up a table on a tile floor, and then put a plate of food on the table.

===How to Create Your Own Chipset===

(If no one else creates this section, I'll eventually get in here and make it myself.)

RPG Maker (series)

Kilyle — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:11:51 GMT

Kilyle: /* RPG Maker XP */ Changed "available" to "legally available"

{{Addplz}}
{{Cleanup}}
'''RPG Maker''' (Also known as RPGツクール or RPG Tsukūru) is a computer program that allows users to create their very own RPG, in the style of the 16-bit RPGs commonly seen on the Super NES or Sega Genesis. It uses a point-and-click based engine, which is easy to learn but is versatile enough to create truly complex systems. The most well-known RPG Makers are [[RPG Maker 2000]], [[RPG Maker 2003]] and [[RPG Maker XP]], all for use on the PC; however, there are RPG Maker programs available on other platforms as well.

(OOC: This article needs a proper format. If you want to see the previous version, check the history page at the top, but I think it's better off just to start from scratch. The headings below should give an idea as to how the article should look.)

=Platforms=
Over the years, RPG Maker has been released on several different platforms. Console versions have not been as popular as the PC versions, however, mainly due to the difficulty/impossibility of importing custom resources or sharing games with others.
==PC==
There are five different editions of RPG Maker released for the PC.
===RPG Maker 95===
RPG Maker 95, abbreviated RM95, was the first PC edition of RPG Maker. It used 24-bit BMP graphics, and did not double the resolution of graphics, which allowed for higher-resolution games at the cost of large graphics file sizes. RM95 did not enjoy the sweeping popularity of the other RPG Makers, and because it does not run on NT-based versions of Windows (IE Windows XP), it is rarely used today.

===Simulation RPG Tsukūru===
Simulation RPG Tsukūru, more commonly known as Sim RPG Maker, is a version of RPG Maker that focuses on tactical-style battles.

===RPG Maker 2000===
{{Mainarticle|link=RPG Maker 2000}}
RPG Maker 2000, abbreviated RM2k, was the next installment in the PC line of RPG Maker games, and one of the most popular ones. It was a vast improvement over its predecessor, and added several changes. The amount of allowed pictures, heroes, variables, and other features were all upgraded. Resources were changed from BMPs to 8-bit PNGs in order to cut down on space used by graphics. The amount of resources allowed was uncapped, allowing a virtually infinite amount of charsets, chipsets, and other resources. Other noticeable changes included a decrease in the allowed resolution, most likely to make games appear similar to other sprite-based games that were prevalent during this time, and the removal of other visible part members on the main map.

===RPG Maker 2003===
{{Mainarticle|link=RPG Maker 2003}}
RPG Maker 2003, abbreviated RM2k3, was the follow-up to RM2k, and was mainly focused on a few key changes - several resources that were usable in RM2k were reusable in RM2k3. The biggest change was the battle system - previously a front-view type that resembled Dragon Quest and Earthbound, RM2k3 introduced a side-based battle system similar to the Final Fantasy series. Accordingly, party members gained a new type of resource - battlecharas, which were much more difficult to make than the portraits that were previously used. The new battle system also used another new type of resource, the System2 resource. RM2k3 also added the ability to use MP3 files alongside MIDI and WAV files for background music.

===RPG Maker XP===
{{Mainarticle|link=RPG Maker XP}}
RPG Maker XP, abbreviated RMXP, is the latest installment in the RPG Maker series, and the first to be officially translated into English and made legally available outside of Japan. RMXP contains a few older features of the franchise, such as a return to a resolution of 640x480, as well as returning to a front-style battle system similar to that used in RM2k and RM95. The biggest change in RMXP is the introduction of the Ruby scripting system, which opens up the game system to a level of customization previously unavailable in the RPG Maker series. Resources for RMXP are much more flexible in size requirements; charasets, for example, only contain a single set of poses for a single entity, but can be as big or as small as the creator wants as long as its dimensions are multiples of 4. In addition, resources are now 24-bits in color depth, allowing for millions of colors available in any graphic.

==Super NES==
Two versions of RPG Maker were made for the Super Famicon - they were released only in Japan and never enjoyed a US release on the Super Nintendo.

===RPG Tsukūru Super Dante===
RPG Maker Super Dante was the first RPG Maker ever released on a videogame console (previously it was only on home computer systems). It was very primitive in comparison to the more well know RPG Makers. Games made in RPG Tsukūru Super Dante are similar to those of the Dragon Warrior series - the player interacts with the world by opening up a menu that has Talk, Search, Stat, and other similar options. Graphics are 16x16 tiles, and looked mediocre compared to other RPGs of the era.

Battles are fought in a front-facing view, much like the style used in RM95. All party members choose their action before the turn commences. The system is very limited in terms of customization: There are only 43 images for monsters, and only 53 pictures for entities. Spells were pre-set, and only the amount of damage/healing, cost to cast, and level that a spell is learned is able to be changed. The game allows for an estimated 17748 events.

Only a single game can be made on a single cart, which is stored along with a sample game that comes pre-made to show off the system. Games cannot be transferred due to the lack of a memory card system to transfer settings.

===RPG Tsukūru 2===
RPG Tsukūru 2 was the second and last RPG Maker to be released on the Super Famicom. It is a marked improvement over its predecessor in nearly every field. It followed the same basic formula, however; battles were still front facing and in the same format as Super Dante, and the player still uses a popup menu to interact with the world. All of the graphics have been remade, however, and look much more detailed and vivid. People are taller, similar to the height of characters in Chrono Trigger. There are 30 brand new music tracks to use in game, which are set to different areas that are later applied to maps.

Maker-wise, RPG Tsukūru 2 is also greatly improved. There are 72 different entity sprites for use, and a new vehicle system utilizes Mode7 surface rotation to imitate the airship effect from games like Final Fantasy 4(FF2 in the US), as well as allowing for a land and a sea vehicle with 8 different sprites to choose from. The new map editor allows for larger maps and easier tile laying, and offers 5 different chipsets for maps. About 300 maps can be made total. RPG Tsukūru 2 also allows for a larger variety of items than the earlier game, ranging from healing potions to keys for doors to items that call vehicles.

Magic is much more customizable, with each spell having a spell type that dictates the effects of the spell, with the name, cost, magnitude, spell animation, and level learned (character specific) able to be changed. Events are also more unique, with the ability to create an array of different effects, such as dungeon traps. There are 74 enemy sprites available for use, all improved over the previous version, including massive boss sprites. Lastly, there is an option for loading data from some sort of memory pack in order to either replace or expand the amount of graphics and music available, but the actual usage of these options is unknown.

==Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color==
There are 3 portable RPG Makers. The first two were for the Gameboy Color, and the third was for the Gameboy Advance.
===RPG Tsukūru GB===
RPG Tsukūru GB was the first portable version of RPG Maker, and was only released in Japan. Due to the limited graphics capabilities of the Gameboy Color, RMGB lacks the detail of it's SNES-based predecessors. RMGB uses the same front-facing battle system that most other RPG Makers use, as well as the same 16x16 sprite style as RPG Maker Super Dante. Unlike Super Dante, however, RMGB does not use a popup menu to interact with the environment - one button activates everything in the overworld.

The amount of sprites and monsters available is comparable to RPG Tsukūru 2 on the SNES, although they were hardly as detailed. The simplistic style was only improved by the addition of color thanks to the expanded palette of the GBC. The game also has an airship and boat feature built in.

===Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2===
Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2, easier said as RMGB2, was the second RPG Maker to be made for a portable system, and is very similar to RMGB - it uses what appears to be the same overworld and battle system. It's graphics are much more detailed and vivid, however, as well as containing nearly double the amount of entity sprites and triple the amount of monster graphics. It also comes with two different demo games instead of one, and a guided tutorial for editing your game. It also can make use of the GBC's infrared port (assumed - it could possibly require a Gameboy transfer cable) in order to send and receive games. In addition, there is an option to connect with a "TurboFile", although what this is and what it is used for is unknown.

===RPG Tsukūru Advance===

==Playstation and Playstation 2==
===Simulation RPG Tsukūru===
===RPG Maker===
===RPG Tsukūru 4===
===RPG Maker 2===
===RPG Maker 3===

==Other platforms==
Several versions of RPG Maker were released on the PC-8801, MSX, and PC-9801 home computer systems.

=Legality=
Regarding the PC RPG Makers, none of them have been legally translated and sold outside of Japan until RMXP. Several people have, however, gone ahead and translated them in order to let people who do not understand Japanese to use the program. Although this in itself is illegal, several translations come along with a crack that unlocks the limits on the demo version of RPG Maker that are publicly available for download. Thus, if you are using a version of RPG Maker that is not RMXP and is not in Japanese, it is illegal.

RPG Maker sites make it a point to let people know that they do not support this in any way, and assume that all their users are using legal versions of RPG Maker. It is the user's responsibility to ensure that they are using a legal version of RPG Maker.

=Usage=

=Online Community=

[[Category: RPG Maker]]

RPG Maker (series)

Kilyle — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:10:20 GMT

Kilyle: /* RPG Maker 2000 */ Fixed "it's" to "its"

{{Addplz}}
{{Cleanup}}
'''RPG Maker''' (Also known as RPGツクール or RPG Tsukūru) is a computer program that allows users to create their very own RPG, in the style of the 16-bit RPGs commonly seen on the Super NES or Sega Genesis. It uses a point-and-click based engine, which is easy to learn but is versatile enough to create truly complex systems. The most well-known RPG Makers are [[RPG Maker 2000]], [[RPG Maker 2003]] and [[RPG Maker XP]], all for use on the PC; however, there are RPG Maker programs available on other platforms as well.

(OOC: This article needs a proper format. If you want to see the previous version, check the history page at the top, but I think it's better off just to start from scratch. The headings below should give an idea as to how the article should look.)

=Platforms=
Over the years, RPG Maker has been released on several different platforms. Console versions have not been as popular as the PC versions, however, mainly due to the difficulty/impossibility of importing custom resources or sharing games with others.
==PC==
There are five different editions of RPG Maker released for the PC.
===RPG Maker 95===
RPG Maker 95, abbreviated RM95, was the first PC edition of RPG Maker. It used 24-bit BMP graphics, and did not double the resolution of graphics, which allowed for higher-resolution games at the cost of large graphics file sizes. RM95 did not enjoy the sweeping popularity of the other RPG Makers, and because it does not run on NT-based versions of Windows (IE Windows XP), it is rarely used today.

===Simulation RPG Tsukūru===
Simulation RPG Tsukūru, more commonly known as Sim RPG Maker, is a version of RPG Maker that focuses on tactical-style battles.

===RPG Maker 2000===
{{Mainarticle|link=RPG Maker 2000}}
RPG Maker 2000, abbreviated RM2k, was the next installment in the PC line of RPG Maker games, and one of the most popular ones. It was a vast improvement over its predecessor, and added several changes. The amount of allowed pictures, heroes, variables, and other features were all upgraded. Resources were changed from BMPs to 8-bit PNGs in order to cut down on space used by graphics. The amount of resources allowed was uncapped, allowing a virtually infinite amount of charsets, chipsets, and other resources. Other noticeable changes included a decrease in the allowed resolution, most likely to make games appear similar to other sprite-based games that were prevalent during this time, and the removal of other visible part members on the main map.

===RPG Maker 2003===
{{Mainarticle|link=RPG Maker 2003}}
RPG Maker 2003, abbreviated RM2k3, was the follow-up to RM2k, and was mainly focused on a few key changes - several resources that were usable in RM2k were reusable in RM2k3. The biggest change was the battle system - previously a front-view type that resembled Dragon Quest and Earthbound, RM2k3 introduced a side-based battle system similar to the Final Fantasy series. Accordingly, party members gained a new type of resource - battlecharas, which were much more difficult to make than the portraits that were previously used. The new battle system also used another new type of resource, the System2 resource. RM2k3 also added the ability to use MP3 files alongside MIDI and WAV files for background music.

===RPG Maker XP===
{{Mainarticle|link=RPG Maker XP}}
RPG Maker XP, abbreviated RMXP, is the latest installment in the RPG Maker series, and the first to be officially translated into English and made available outside of Japan. RMXP contains a few older features of the franchise, such as a return to a resolution of 640x480, as well as returning to a front-style battle system similar to that used in RM2k and RM95. The biggest change in RMXP is the introduction of the Ruby scripting system, which opens up the game system to a level of customization previously unavailable in the RPG Maker series. Resources for RMXP are much more flexible in size requirements; charasets, for example, only contain a single set of poses for a single entity, but can be as big or as small as the creator wants as long as its dimensions are multiples of 4. In addition, resources are now 24-bits in color depth, allowing for millions of colors available in any graphic.

==Super NES==
Two versions of RPG Maker were made for the Super Famicon - they were released only in Japan and never enjoyed a US release on the Super Nintendo.

===RPG Tsukūru Super Dante===
RPG Maker Super Dante was the first RPG Maker ever released on a videogame console (previously it was only on home computer systems). It was very primitive in comparison to the more well know RPG Makers. Games made in RPG Tsukūru Super Dante are similar to those of the Dragon Warrior series - the player interacts with the world by opening up a menu that has Talk, Search, Stat, and other similar options. Graphics are 16x16 tiles, and looked mediocre compared to other RPGs of the era.

Battles are fought in a front-facing view, much like the style used in RM95. All party members choose their action before the turn commences. The system is very limited in terms of customization: There are only 43 images for monsters, and only 53 pictures for entities. Spells were pre-set, and only the amount of damage/healing, cost to cast, and level that a spell is learned is able to be changed. The game allows for an estimated 17748 events.

Only a single game can be made on a single cart, which is stored along with a sample game that comes pre-made to show off the system. Games cannot be transferred due to the lack of a memory card system to transfer settings.

===RPG Tsukūru 2===
RPG Tsukūru 2 was the second and last RPG Maker to be released on the Super Famicom. It is a marked improvement over its predecessor in nearly every field. It followed the same basic formula, however; battles were still front facing and in the same format as Super Dante, and the player still uses a popup menu to interact with the world. All of the graphics have been remade, however, and look much more detailed and vivid. People are taller, similar to the height of characters in Chrono Trigger. There are 30 brand new music tracks to use in game, which are set to different areas that are later applied to maps.

Maker-wise, RPG Tsukūru 2 is also greatly improved. There are 72 different entity sprites for use, and a new vehicle system utilizes Mode7 surface rotation to imitate the airship effect from games like Final Fantasy 4(FF2 in the US), as well as allowing for a land and a sea vehicle with 8 different sprites to choose from. The new map editor allows for larger maps and easier tile laying, and offers 5 different chipsets for maps. About 300 maps can be made total. RPG Tsukūru 2 also allows for a larger variety of items than the earlier game, ranging from healing potions to keys for doors to items that call vehicles.

Magic is much more customizable, with each spell having a spell type that dictates the effects of the spell, with the name, cost, magnitude, spell animation, and level learned (character specific) able to be changed. Events are also more unique, with the ability to create an array of different effects, such as dungeon traps. There are 74 enemy sprites available for use, all improved over the previous version, including massive boss sprites. Lastly, there is an option for loading data from some sort of memory pack in order to either replace or expand the amount of graphics and music available, but the actual usage of these options is unknown.

==Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color==
There are 3 portable RPG Makers. The first two were for the Gameboy Color, and the third was for the Gameboy Advance.
===RPG Tsukūru GB===
RPG Tsukūru GB was the first portable version of RPG Maker, and was only released in Japan. Due to the limited graphics capabilities of the Gameboy Color, RMGB lacks the detail of it's SNES-based predecessors. RMGB uses the same front-facing battle system that most other RPG Makers use, as well as the same 16x16 sprite style as RPG Maker Super Dante. Unlike Super Dante, however, RMGB does not use a popup menu to interact with the environment - one button activates everything in the overworld.

The amount of sprites and monsters available is comparable to RPG Tsukūru 2 on the SNES, although they were hardly as detailed. The simplistic style was only improved by the addition of color thanks to the expanded palette of the GBC. The game also has an airship and boat feature built in.

===Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2===
Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2, easier said as RMGB2, was the second RPG Maker to be made for a portable system, and is very similar to RMGB - it uses what appears to be the same overworld and battle system. It's graphics are much more detailed and vivid, however, as well as containing nearly double the amount of entity sprites and triple the amount of monster graphics. It also comes with two different demo games instead of one, and a guided tutorial for editing your game. It also can make use of the GBC's infrared port (assumed - it could possibly require a Gameboy transfer cable) in order to send and receive games. In addition, there is an option to connect with a "TurboFile", although what this is and what it is used for is unknown.

===RPG Tsukūru Advance===

==Playstation and Playstation 2==
===Simulation RPG Tsukūru===
===RPG Maker===
===RPG Tsukūru 4===
===RPG Maker 2===
===RPG Maker 3===

==Other platforms==
Several versions of RPG Maker were released on the PC-8801, MSX, and PC-9801 home computer systems.

=Legality=
Regarding the PC RPG Makers, none of them have been legally translated and sold outside of Japan until RMXP. Several people have, however, gone ahead and translated them in order to let people who do not understand Japanese to use the program. Although this in itself is illegal, several translations come along with a crack that unlocks the limits on the demo version of RPG Maker that are publicly available for download. Thus, if you are using a version of RPG Maker that is not RMXP and is not in Japanese, it is illegal.

RPG Maker sites make it a point to let people know that they do not support this in any way, and assume that all their users are using legal versions of RPG Maker. It is the user's responsibility to ensure that they are using a legal version of RPG Maker.

=Usage=

=Online Community=

[[Category: RPG Maker]]