Charas Project - User contributions [en]

Header

Osmose — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:36:26 GMT

Osmose:

Charas 3.0

Osmose — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:32:51 GMT

Osmose:

Charas 3.0 was a proposal put forth by [[Osmose]] in order to help revitalize the site. The plan called for much more focus on the capabilities of the site and new features rather than community involvement as a way of reform. Several new sections and pages for the site were proposed, including a game submission section and a rebuilt [[Complete Resources]] rebuild.

The proposal was discussed and worked upon publicly by members of the forum until it was deemed ready for submission. [[Alex]] was then contacted, and following a bit of convincing, agreed to the plan and helped arrange a server change to allow for the changes needed. After months of development, the server change was executed and the new site was launched. However, many of the original parts of the proposal were either never developed or did not function properly. As a result, changes were minimal at best.

Recently, another, unplanned server change occurred which involved another stab at the 3.0 idea.

== Original Plan ==

Charas 3.0 began during a conversation between Osmose and [[Sai'Kar]] shortly after Sai'Kar quit his job as administrator. While discussing what they saw as being wrong with Charas, Osmose suggested the idea of a revamp of the site. The idea was named "Charas 3.0" because the site had previously undergone a large change already when the site's design changed from white to blue.

After building up the list, Osmose posted the list to the [[All of All]] forum, announcing his intention to bring the plan to Alex once everyone had discussed it and decided on features that needed to be added or removed. The final list was not much different from the original one:

{{Quote|name=Osmose|text=Charas 3.0 Proposal

Unified Site Strcuture
* Global Navigation Bar
** Easy access to any section of the site; as of now forums are seperate from rest of site, as is Complete Resources and Generators.
* Integration of sections
** User profile can lead to lists of contributed resources and a person's saved generated sprites.
** Single login carries over to generators, forums, and complete resources (As in one time login rather than having to log into the generators after logging into the forums* same account functionality already exists)

New Interface design
* Lower contrast
** Easier to read than current theme
** Multiple color themes to choose from.

* Investigation of SVG format
** Incredibly smaller file sizes
** Layer capabilities could be integrated into generators
** Quicker generation than current system?

Update of Technology
* Better filters against malicious code (IE the Javascript bug)

* Support for 24-bit images (RMXP generators)

* General code sprucing up.
** Addition of spoilers tags that have to be highlighted to be read.
** Larger Avatar size limit (100x100? 120x120?)
** New banner (Several have already been made, such as Warxe's rotating one)
** Filter replaces swears with alternate words (Freaking, Poop, etc.)
** Better filter (removal of fu[B][/B]ck bug)
** Option for individual user to turn off filter for themselves.
** Lowercase BBCode made to work.
** Ability to preview post before actually posting.
** Maintenance is gewd.

* New sections
** Detailed below

Games Section
* General Game Bios & Specific System Descriptions

* User ratings and reviews
** Ability to rate screenshots, overall game, files uploaded, etc.
** Ability to comment on items.
** Section for user reviews of game.

* Screenshots section
** Screenshot limits? (Bandwidth is greatly improved in new server).
** Can be deleted/replaced.

* News updates

* Files
** Trailers, demos, System previews, etc.
** Trailers can be linked to rather than uploaded (Recommend Youtube), but still be rated and commented.
** All rateable and commentable.
** Any text article can display screenshots from screenshot section.
** Space limit to reduce bandwidth/storage usage. (Possibly not if switch to new server approved)

* Media
** Site awards, user awards, interviews, etc.

* Integrated with user accounts.

Revamped Complete Resources
* Better Categories
** More specific and consistent
** RMXP sections?

* Ability to sort by Most Viewed/Downloaded/Highest Ranked

* Code Examples
** Both RM2k/2k3 and RXMP examples

* Articles on Game Improvment
** Composing music, tutorials, etc.

User Profile Improvements

* User Groups
** Used to allow access to certain forums, such as Gary not being a mod but having code access and being able to read the private forum.

* New User Levels
** Veteran* Added benefits like no 1-minute rule. Awardable by any mod, but only given to memebers hwo have shown that they truely deserve such a rank.
** Fool* Restricted powers (Limited number of posts a day, no topic making, etc.) given temporarily to members who disobey a mod or break a rule repeatedly. Allows mods to more effectively enforce rules.
** Rank names are not final: Expanded and Restricted as possible alternative names

* User Awards
** Could show both specific user awards and awards for their games.
** Award ranking on post-side profile for added presteige?
** Users can create their own awards and give them to others.
** Mods can add "award levels" to awards if they are a good award (IE not a fake meaningless one, one the reequires merit). Each mod can add one level, up to a max of three levels.

* Site Awards
** Official awards given by staff for various things (Site contests, etc)

* For Hire option
** User can list if they are looking for a project to work on and can list their pros, cons, previous work, and what they want to do.
** Page that lists all users with "For Hire" option on and lists their info.

Server Change
* Dreamhost
** Dreamhost.com offers several plans that appear to be able to handle the bandwidth load of Charas and possibly the physical space load as well.
** Several reputable sites use Dreamhost, including OCRemix (As a mirror) and Editthis, the people who host our wiki.

* Donations to help cover costs
** Several members have pledged to donate money
** Award system could give awards to donators, as well as a donator symbol by their name.

* Ability to edit Charas
** Moving to a Dreamhost server allows people besides Alex to work on the website code.
** Allows for maintainability while Alex is away.

Mod Power Increases
* Global Mods can ban
** ALTERNATIVE: SiteMod level above Global Mod level that can ban accounts

* Head Admin can ban IPs.

* Temporary ban powers (Set time for a ban [set indefinate for permaban])

Merchandise
* Not compounded upon much, but Cafepress.com offers a service that we could possibly use.}}

Although not mentioned at the time, the main motivation to create such a giant list of requests was to push Alex to allow a server move. Charas was then stored on the Redna server, which also hosted many other sites, including some which stored sensitive information, such as credit card numbers. As a result, no one besides Alex could be trusted to have access to the code.

By presenting him with a huge list of requests, Osmose was able to convince Alex to switch to a different server so that Osmose and others would be able to access and edit the site code.

== Charas Summer of Code ==

A few weeks after Alex had agreed to a server change, he gave Osmose the information needed to access the new server and allowed him to begin working and testing before the switch actually occurred. For the next three months, Osmose worked on adding the features in the proposal to the website.

Unfortunately, many of the features added did not function properly or were beyond Osmose's skill to implement at the time. The Complete Resource makeover, for example, proved to be full of errors and was eventually scrapped shortly after the server move.

An incomplete list of the changes that were made and kept is as follows:

* Quick Reply Box added to threads.
* Post editing interface remade.
* Main site header remade.
* User group system implemented.
** Interface is still buggy and not reliable.
* Award system implemented.
** Interface and award display is buggy.
* Complete resource category system reworked to be easily extensible.

One of the unforeseen benefits of the new server is that a feature of the [[Generators]] that allowed for 24-bit resources to be submitted was made functional again, allowing for resources for [[RPG Maker XP]] with no changes to the code.

Header

Osmose — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:00:38 GMT

Osmose:

Charas 3.0

Osmose — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:29:23 GMT

Osmose:

Charas 3.0

Osmose — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:26:38 GMT

Osmose:

Charas 3.0 was a proposal put forth by [[Osmose]] in order to help revitalize the site. The plan called for much more focus on the capabilities of the site and new features rather than community involvement as a way of reform. Several new sections and pages for the site were proposed, including a game submission section and a rebuilt [[Complete Resources]] rebuild.

The proposal was discussed and worked upon publicly by members of the forum until it was deemed ready for submission. [[Alex]] was then contacted, and following a bit of convincing, agreed to the plan and helped arrange a server change to allow for the changes needed. After months of development, the server change was executed and the new site was launched. However, many of the original parts of the proposal were either never developed or did not function properly. As a result, changes were minimal at best.

Recently, another, unplanned server change occurred which involved another stab at the 3.0 idea.

== Original Plan ==

Charas 3.0 began during a conversation between Osmose and [[Sai'Kar]] shortly after Sai'Kar quit his job as administrator. While discussing what they saw as being wrong with Charas, Osmose suggested the idea of a revamp of the site. The idea was named "Charas 3.0" because the site had previously undergone a large change already when the site's design changed from white to blue.

After building up the list, Osmose posted the list to the [[All of All]] forum, announcing his intention to bring the plan to Alex once everyone had discussed it and decided on features that needed to be added or removed. The final list was not much different from the original one:

{{Quote|name=Osmose|text=Charas 3.0 Proposal

Unified Site Strcuture
-Global Navigation Bar
>Easy access to any section of the site; as of now forums are seperate from rest of site, as is Complete Resources and Generators.
-Integration of sections
>User profile can lead to lists of contributed resources and a person's saved generated sprites.
>Single login carries over to generators, forums, and complete resources (As in one time login rather than having to log into the generators after logging into the forums - same account functionality already exists)

New Interface design
-Lower contrast
>Easier to read than current theme
>Multiple color themes to choose from.

-Investigation of SVG format
>Incredibly smaller file sizes
>Layer capabilities could be integrated into generators
>Quicker generation than current system?

Update of Technology
-Better filters against malicious code (IE the Javascript bug)

-Support for 24-bit images (RMXP generators)

-General code sprucing up.
>Addition of spoilers tags that have to be highlighted to be read.
>Larger Avatar size limit (100x100? 120x120?)
>New banner (Several have already been made, such as Warxe's rotating one)
>Filter replaces swears with alternate words (Freaking, Poop, etc.)
>Better filter (removal of fu[B][/B]ck bug)
>Option for individual user to turn off filter for themselves.
>Lowercase BBCode made to work.
>Ability to preview post before actually posting.
>Maintenance is gewd.

-New sections
>Detailed below

Games Section
-General Game Bios & Specific System Descriptions

-User ratings and reviews
>Ability to rate screenshots, overall game, files uploaded, etc.
>Ability to comment on items.
>Section for user reviews of game.

-Screenshots section
>Screenshot limits? (Bandwidth is greatly improved in new server).
>Can be deleted/replaced.

-News updates

-Files
>Trailers, demos, System previews, etc.
>Trailers can be linked to rather than uploaded (Recommend Youtube), but still be rated and commented.
>All rateable and commentable.
>Any text article can display screenshots from screenshot section.
>Space limit to reduce bandwidth/storage usage. (Possibly not if switch to new server approved)

-Media
>Site awards, user awards, interviews, etc.

-Integrated with user accounts.

Revamped Complete Resources
-Better Categories
>More specific and consistent
>RMXP sections?

-Ability to sort by Most Viewed/Downloaded/Highest Ranked

-Code Examples
>Both RM2k/2k3 and RXMP examples

-Articles on Game Improvment
>Composing music, tutorials, etc.

User Profile Improvements

-User Groups
>Used to allow access to certain forums, such as Gary not being a mod but having code access and being able to read the private forum.

-New User Levels
>Veteran - Added benefits like no 1-minute rule. Awardable by any mod, but only given to memebers hwo have shown that they truely deserve such a rank.
>Fool - Restricted powers (Limited number of posts a day, no topic making, etc.) given temporarily to members who disobey a mod or break a rule repeatedly. Allows mods to more effectively enforce rules.
>Rank names are not final: Expanded and Restricted as possible alternative names

-User Awards
>Could show both specific user awards and awards for their games.
>Award ranking on post-side profile for added presteige?
>Users can create their own awards and give them to others.
>Mods can add "award levels" to awards if they are a good award (IE not a fake meaningless one, one the reequires merit). Each mod can add one level, up to a max of three levels.

-Site Awards
>Official awards given by staff for various things (Site contests, etc)

-For Hire option
>User can list if they are looking for a project to work on and can list their pros, cons, previous work, and what they want to do.
>Page that lists all users with "For Hire" option on and lists their info.

Server Change
-Dreamhost
>Dreamhost.com offers several plans that appear to be able to handle the bandwidth load of Charas and possibly the physical space load as well.
>Several reputable sites use Dreamhost, including OCRemix (As a mirror) and Editthis, the people who host our wiki.

-Donations to help cover costs
>Several members have pledged to donate money
>Award system could give awards to donators, as well as a donator symbol by their name.

-Ability to edit Charas
>Moving to a Dreamhost server allows people besides Alex to work on the website code.
>Allows for maintainability while Alex is away.

Mod Power Increases
-Global Mods can ban
>ALTERNATIVE: SiteMod level above Global Mod level that can ban accounts

-Head Admin can ban IPs.

-Temporary ban powers (Set time for a ban [set indefinate for permaban])

Merchandise
-Not compounded upon much, but Cafepress.com offers a service that we could possibly use.}}

Charas 3.0

Osmose — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:26:08 GMT

Osmose: Revamped since It's my project.

Charas 3.0 was a proposal put forth by [[Osmose]] in order to help revitalize the site. The plan called for much more focus on the capabilities of the site and new features rather than community involvement as a way of reform. Several new sections and pages for the site were proposed, including a game submission section and a rebuilt [[Complete Resources]] rebuild.

The proposal was discussed and worked upon publicly by members of the forum until it was deemed ready for submission. [[Alex]] was then contacted, and following a bit of convincing, agreed to the plan and helped arrange a server change to allow for the changes needed. After months of development, the server change was executed and the new site was launched. However, many of the original parts of the proposal were either never developed or did not function properly. As a result, changes were minimal at best.

Recently, another, unplanned server change occurred which involved another stab at the 3.0 idea.

== Original Plan ==

Charas 3.0 began during a conversation between Osmose and [[Sai'Kar]] shortly after Sai'Kar quit his job as administrator. While discussing what they saw as being wrong with Charas, Osmose suggested the idea of a revamp of the site. The idea was named "Charas 3.0" because the site had previously undergone a large change already when the site's design changed from white to blue.

After building up the list, Osmose posted the list to the [[All of All]] forum, announcing his intention to bring the plan to Alex once everyone had discussed it and decided on features that needed to be added or removed. The final list was not much different from the original one:

{{Quote|name=Osmose|text=<pre>Charas 3.0 Proposal

Unified Site Strcuture
-Global Navigation Bar
>Easy access to any section of the site; as of now forums are seperate from rest of site, as is Complete Resources and Generators.
-Integration of sections
>User profile can lead to lists of contributed resources and a person's saved generated sprites.
>Single login carries over to generators, forums, and complete resources (As in one time login rather than having to log into the generators after logging into the forums - same account functionality already exists)

New Interface design
-Lower contrast
>Easier to read than current theme
>Multiple color themes to choose from.

-Investigation of SVG format
>Incredibly smaller file sizes
>Layer capabilities could be integrated into generators
>Quicker generation than current system?

Update of Technology
-Better filters against malicious code (IE the Javascript bug)

-Support for 24-bit images (RMXP generators)

-General code sprucing up.
>Addition of spoilers tags that have to be highlighted to be read.
>Larger Avatar size limit (100x100? 120x120?)
>New banner (Several have already been made, such as Warxe's rotating one)
>Filter replaces swears with alternate words (Freaking, Poop, etc.)
>Better filter (removal of fu[B][/B]ck bug)
>Option for individual user to turn off filter for themselves.
>Lowercase BBCode made to work.
>Ability to preview post before actually posting.
>Maintenance is gewd.

-New sections
>Detailed below

Games Section
-General Game Bios & Specific System Descriptions

-User ratings and reviews
>Ability to rate screenshots, overall game, files uploaded, etc.
>Ability to comment on items.
>Section for user reviews of game.

-Screenshots section
>Screenshot limits? (Bandwidth is greatly improved in new server).
>Can be deleted/replaced.

-News updates

-Files
>Trailers, demos, System previews, etc.
>Trailers can be linked to rather than uploaded (Recommend Youtube), but still be rated and commented.
>All rateable and commentable.
>Any text article can display screenshots from screenshot section.
>Space limit to reduce bandwidth/storage usage. (Possibly not if switch to new server approved)

-Media
>Site awards, user awards, interviews, etc.

-Integrated with user accounts.

Revamped Complete Resources
-Better Categories
>More specific and consistent
>RMXP sections?

-Ability to sort by Most Viewed/Downloaded/Highest Ranked

-Code Examples
>Both RM2k/2k3 and RXMP examples

-Articles on Game Improvment
>Composing music, tutorials, etc.

User Profile Improvements

-User Groups
>Used to allow access to certain forums, such as Gary not being a mod but having code access and being able to read the private forum.

-New User Levels
>Veteran - Added benefits like no 1-minute rule. Awardable by any mod, but only given to memebers hwo have shown that they truely deserve such a rank.
>Fool - Restricted powers (Limited number of posts a day, no topic making, etc.) given temporarily to members who disobey a mod or break a rule repeatedly. Allows mods to more effectively enforce rules.
>Rank names are not final: Expanded and Restricted as possible alternative names

-User Awards
>Could show both specific user awards and awards for their games.
>Award ranking on post-side profile for added presteige?
>Users can create their own awards and give them to others.
>Mods can add "award levels" to awards if they are a good award (IE not a fake meaningless one, one the reequires merit). Each mod can add one level, up to a max of three levels.

-Site Awards
>Official awards given by staff for various things (Site contests, etc)

-For Hire option
>User can list if they are looking for a project to work on and can list their pros, cons, previous work, and what they want to do.
>Page that lists all users with "For Hire" option on and lists their info.

Server Change
-Dreamhost
>Dreamhost.com offers several plans that appear to be able to handle the bandwidth load of Charas and possibly the physical space load as well.
>Several reputable sites use Dreamhost, including OCRemix (As a mirror) and Editthis, the people who host our wiki.

-Donations to help cover costs
>Several members have pledged to donate money
>Award system could give awards to donators, as well as a donator symbol by their name.

-Ability to edit Charas
>Moving to a Dreamhost server allows people besides Alex to work on the website code.
>Allows for maintainability while Alex is away.

Mod Power Increases
-Global Mods can ban
>ALTERNATIVE: SiteMod level above Global Mod level that can ban accounts

-Head Admin can ban IPs.

-Temporary ban powers (Set time for a ban [set indefinate for permaban])

Merchandise
-Not compounded upon much, but Cafepress.com offers a service that we could possibly use.</pre>}}

Template:Quote

Osmose — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:24:57 GMT

Osmose: Reverted edit of Osmose, changed back to last version by Razor

<table border='0' align='center' width='90%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1' style="background-color:#000066;"><tr><td><b>quote:</b></td></tr><tr><td style='BORDER: #000000 1px solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000099; color:#FFFFFF; font-family:Verdana; font-size:8pt;'><i>Originally posted by {{{name}}}</i><br />

<b>{{{text}}}</b></td></tr></table>
<noinclude>[[category:templates]]</noinclude>

Template:Quote

Osmose — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:24:17 GMT

Osmose: Removed wiki formatting on quote text.

<table border='0' align='center' width='90%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1' style="background-color:#000066;"><tr><td><b>quote:</b></td></tr><tr><td style='BORDER: #000000 1px solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000099; color:#FFFFFF; font-family:Verdana; font-size:8pt;'><i>Originally posted by {{{name}}}</i><br />

<b><nowiki>{{{text}}}</nowiki></b></td></tr></table>
<noinclude>[[category:templates]]</noinclude>

History of Charas

Osmose — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:37:19 GMT

Osmose: Reverted edit of SaiKar, changed back to last version by FFL

{{Memory}}

(this is a history of the forum, pieced together as best as possible from my own rambling memory and available posts that haven’t been deleted or something. Site history will be on a separate page and likely about 100 times harder to research…)

[[SaiKar]] wrote the core of this article. Have pity on his strained memory and add/clarify anything you can think of! Especially in the early days. Check the lingering questions part for specific holes I'm aware of.

==2003==
===The Beginning===
[[Image:AlexAvatar.png|100px|thumb|[[Alex]], the MASTER, was around near every day|right]]
The forum was established on January 19th, 2003 with this likely as its [http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2&forumid=2&catid=2 first post]. [[Alex]] was (and remains) the webmaster and owner. [[De KoFfie]] , also known as Steven Rombauts, and Ralph Rombauts apparently coded the forum script itself. What [[SMB]]’s role in everything isn’t entirely clear, but it seems he was a sort of global [[Moderator]] and a keeper of the peace.

Apparently the forums were established as support for the Charas [[Generators]] and character set creation in general. Most of the original posts are questions about how to use and submit the generators and announcements on new generator features, though even early on there were off topic posts in the [[All of All]].

For roughly a year, Charas stuck to the focus of the generators and RPG Programming. Three resource contests were held to gather resources. Non-RPGMaker talk was light. Moderator positions were relatively unimportant. There was essentially no drama between anyone that can be seen today. Alex frequented the boards most every day, and the generators were upgraded often.

It is an interesting piece of trivia that all languages were welcome on Charas at the beginning, but almost immediately English became the only accepted language. Alex himself conducted all business in English despite being Italian himself, and did this ''“Because this is an INTERNATIONAL forum!!!!”''

===Other Events===
Other Charas happenings between January 2003 and January 2004
* These sections are for any significant history that doesn't really fit well above.
* Everyone is encouraged to add stuff to this part!
* Probably best to keep them in bulleted format, though they can be a few sentences long.
* Try to include an external link to a thread if one can be found.

==2004==
===RRWP and the First New Mods===
:''Main Article: [[RRWP]]''
Enter into paradise in January 2004 [[RRWP]], a somewhat tragic historical figure. Notable for breaking the atmosphere of constant optimism that had been a major part of the forum for nearly a year, he and several older members were at odds due to his criticism. This culminated in a thread called "RRWP vs Gary", after which he deleted all of his posts and vowed to leave the forum forever. Though the opinion of RRWP has changed over the years, he still remains oe of the most referred-to and known forum members.

===Other Events===
Other Charas happenings between January 2004 and Feburary 29th, 2004
* These sections are for any significant history that doesn't really fit well above.
* Everyone is encouraged to add stuff to this part!
* Probably best to keep them in bulleted format, though they can be a few sentences long.
* Try to include an external link to a thread if one can be found.

===Chaos and the Tightening Fist===
Broken out of the “all [[RPG Maker]] all the time” mold, the spring and summer of 2004 brought Charas considerable growth, but not all of it entirely good. Spam and personal attacks began to become a major problem and it didn’t take very long for the off-topic aspect of Charas to reach a boiling point. By mid summer most everyone’s nerves began to fry. Even with three All of All moderators ([[Kijuki Magazaki]], [[Darkfox]], and [[SaiKar]]) the influx of bad feelings became overwhelming. Even Forum Gaming was full of more spam than usual.

Several moderators such as [[Kairou]] and [[Smokey Locs]] lost their [[Moderator|modship]] for stupid reasons. The [[Pop]] incident, and the first instance of someone being banned, happened around this time. Naysayers declared the end of Charas, as naysayers are wont to do. To quote Sai in the private forum, “It seems like half the topics are spam and the other half are people complaining spam.” Also, a lot of people created joke accounts to confuse and spam with impunity.

Tired of watching Charas slip away down a dark road, Alex made a few adjustments. One of the first was in April and countered smiley overuse by limiting posts to a total of 8 smileys maximum. On July 3rd, 2004 he promoted Darkfox and Kijuki to Global Mods; moderators of all forums, so that they could better watch over the forum as a whole and fight increasing spam. To replace them at All of All, Alex held the [[First Moderator Elections|first]] public [[Moderator Elections]] for moderators, resulting in [[Reain_|Reain]] and [[Trevlac]] winning. A few people, mainly [[Apex]], annoyed the hell out of Trevlac by posting a lot of spam, but it was later revealed to be a test authorized by Alex.

Things didn’t really calm down; it was more like there were enough people watching to lock or delete the spam before too much piled up. Also, Darkfox began doing very odd things with his new powers. He deleted apparently random posts in odd places and edited other posts to make the original poster look stupid. There was a big controversy surrounding deletion of Seth Aechi’s posts, though it’s rather disturbing and best not to go into. Darkfox also started a lot of arguments on the forums he was supposed to be modding. Tired of cleaning up after his messes in All of All, SaiKar retired from that forum on July 23rd, preferring to focus more on Requests and real-life concerns. On the other hand, Trevlac changed his forum profile to female and started hitting on people (including Alex) and also created two fake accounts himself. Needless to say the two didn’t get along very well, and Trevlac and Darkfox fought often in the shadows of the Private forum.

[[Double_account#wahba|Wahba]] (who later admitted to being [[Osmose]]) spammed the absolute crap out of some forums on August 25th and the “one post per minute” rule was implemented to prevent further such actions. Kairou continued to make vague threats about killing people and got banned September 6th (for publicly posting his password). These were the signs of the times.

And in one was probably record bad timing, Alex announced in mid September 2004 that he wasn’t going to be on the forum much due to his impending marriage. In reality, this was the last time he would be on the forum much at all other than to check in with people. But before taking off to start his new life with his wife, on September 28th he appointed Request mod SaiKar as an [[Administrator]] of the forums, a move that would alter how the forums were run forever.

====Other Events====
Other Charas happenings between Feburary 29th, 2004 and September 28th, 2004.
* These sections are for any significant history that doesn't really fit well above.
* Everyone is encouraged to add stuff to this part!
* Probably best to keep them in bulleted format, though they can be a few sentences long.
* Try to include an external link to a thread if one can be found.

===Life After Alex===
[[Image:SaiKarAvatar.png|100px|thumb|Seeing [[SaiKar]]'s name in admin yellow caused a stir!|right]]
It’s not like Alex is dead or anything. In fact he will pop up quite often in the next two years of history, even including the more recent stuff. Today if we really needed to we could probably get him to show up in a day or so. However the promotion of SaiKar as an administrator was effectively the end of Alex’s frequent visits to the forum.

The key here is that ''none of the staff knew or expected this at all''. Alex had mostly been around for the past two years and the staff assumed he’d be back soon. They assumed very wrong. SaiKar received a very fancy title on September 28th but no immediate actual power to back it up. Only after it became more increasingly obvious that Alex was taking more than a honeymoon off did Sai begin to take on some roles that had previously been held by Alex, and these often came with bloody battles between the staff in the Private forum.

Darkfox immediately objected to Sai’s promotion from mere moderator straight to administrator, skipping over the global mod level that he and Kijuki held and bypassing SMB, the “uncle of the forum” and long standing member. This lead to a rather long Darkfox vs. SaiKar feud which, since they both had high positions on the staff, highly crippled the staff’s ability to get along. [[Ghostclown]], a newer moderator, also expressed reluctance to the choice. SMB wanted to protest himself being skipped but eventually realized that his lack of mastery over English would have gotten in the way and consented. Kijuki largely supported the appointment. Most of the other mods didn’t care one way or the other. Even so, the only thing that kept the staff together was largely Alex’s faith in his decision and Sai’s ability, but even so, staff tensions would only grow for the next year and a half without Alex’s presence.

What also didn’t help the situation was that Sai’s appointment didn’t mystically solve a lot of the bad feeling that were going on at the time. The staff was still very concerned about the falling away from days of RPGs and general respect. [[Carmen]], at the time the moderator of the magazine team, asked Alex to make her a global mod because, according to her, SaiKar was doing an awful job (and in fact said such to Sai in the private forum), but Alex refused. A staff already saturated with feuds gained another.

Finally, after some time of bickering, the staff as a whole largely agreed on two points. One, Sai needed the ability to hire, fire, and promote mods while Alex was gone. And two, at Carmen’s suggestion, the mods needed to take a more hardliner approach. Simply asking people to shape up wasn’t working. Shows of force through editing, locking, and deleting posts and topics were necessary. Alex approved all these changes assuming the staff agreed as a whole in the future.

Carmen’s hardliner approach would be a major problem later, but not until 2006. In the fall of 2004 this policy was actually quite necessary to beat some sense into what was becoming an unreadable forum. The staff agreeing on everything would also be a major problem later, but for the time an uneasy truce existed. But enough about the bickering staff for now.

The event that largely ended the unorganized spam and general doom and gloom was, without a doubt, the second All of All moderator elections in mid October 2004.

'''Main Article: [[Second Moderator Elections]]'''

The elections, which resulted in [[Red Giant]] and [[Carmen]] becoming the new All of All mods, ended most of the spam on the forums. Generally, everyone was happy around this point - until another event that would redefine Charas.

====Other Events====
Other Charas happenings between September 28th, 2004 and December 1st, 2004.
* These sections are for any significant history that doesn't really fit well above.
* Everyone is encouraged to add stuff to this part!
* Probably best to keep them in bulleted format, though they can be a few sentences long.
* Try to include an external link to a thread if one can be found.

==2005==
===The Dark Ages===
:''Main Article: [[Lord Raffles]]''
A user by the name of Lord Raffles registered around December 2004. Though he was a slight nuisance, he would later grow to become quite the annoying pest, as detailed in the main article.

====Other Events====
Other Charas happenings between December 1st, 2004 and August 1st, 2005
* These sections are for any significant history that doesn't really fit well above.
* Everyone is encouraged to add stuff to this part!
* Probably best to keep them in bulleted format, though they can be a few sentences long.
* Try to include an external link to a thread if one can be found.

===Oppression and Conspiracy===
Despite being banned, Raffles didn’t get the hint. He registered a number of other logins and immediately started doing suspicious stuff on them. The staff, taking Alex’s banning of Raffles as precedent, banned these double accounts as well. A small-scale secret war between the mods and Raffles took place over the next few months. Darkfox and SaiKar, working as a team, became quite adept at finding a suspicious login, IP matching it to Raffles, and banning it sometimes even before its first post. The staff kept this quiet to prevent a witch hunt and return to the more panicked times.

The staff also fired the inactive Red Giant in almost the same manner as they fired Trevlac; they announced attention to remove him, Red returned and said he was sorry, the staff decided it was too late for that and fired him. Also, Ghostclown became a global mod and [[Warxe]] and [[Razor]], two well-liked and generally popular guys, joined the staff, the former as [[RPGMaker Programming]] and [[Tutorials]] mod and the latter got [[Forum Gaming]], and Carmen took over Requests in addition to All of All. Oddly enough, having to be on the constant watch meant the staff was working together better then they had since Sai’s admin appointment.

The rest of the forum was mostly uneasy because of Raffles. Despite the best work of the staff a few Raffles logins spread around word that Raffles was still sneaking onto the site. [[Charaman]], a then-Raffles supporter, also posted messages from Raffles and that added to the tension.

Eventually though Raffles’s attempts to disrupt the site became less potent and people relaxed. And they began to wonder about a few things. Why were the hardliner mods still cracking down so hard on spam? When Raffles was around it was easier to justify, but now that he was gone, it began to look less like security and more like needless squeezing the fun out of things.

[[Image:CarmenAvatar.png|100px|thumb|[[Carmen]], the most influential mod at the time, went a bit too far|right]]
Ghostclown, though a hardliner, stayed mostly under the radar and did a decent job as global mod. Carmen though almost went out of her way to make enemies in blatant shows of moderator force. Osmose, who had hated her essentially since he joined the forum, had a field day pointing out her stranger moves. [[Midnight]], a once popular member that had dropped out for a while before coming back, had one hell of a feud with her that ended with Carmen saying disturbing things like “Don't get in a fight with me, you won't win.”

Carmen made other enemies, but the reason these two people are being mentioned is that they are the best friends of SaiKar on Charas. The private forum had a discussion where Kijuki was trying to call Carmen on the point and Sai jumped in to try to emphasize how bad moderators fighting was getting, but Carmen shrugged it off and accused everyone of ganging up on her. A new resolve began to burn in Sai to gain his control over policy back. At this point Sai was more-or-less resigned to not being able to sway the staff through diplomacy, but the abuses became so blatant that he decided to take a more forceful approach if only the circumstances would present themselves.

====Other Events====
Other Charas happenings between August 1st 2005 and March 2006
* These sections are for any significant history that doesn't really fit well above.
* Everyone is encouraged to add stuff to this part!
* Probably best to keep them in bulleted format, though they can be a few sentences long.
* Try to include an external link to a thread if one can be found.

==2006==
===The Charas Judgment===
The Charas Judgment itself is one of the smallest pieces of history time-wise, taking place over a few weeks at the end of March 2006 and was essentially the violent reaction to months of built up population annoyance against tight moderator control over the forum. Several relatively unimportant people quickly rose in power while others fell from high in a matter of days and drastically different policies on what would be allowed were put into effect. Depending on which side you supported, it was either a revolution or a mutiny, but it’s hard to argue against the long-term effects it had on how Charas is run today.

For a year Sai had stewed on how to remove the oppressive moderators without getting himself fired without any real good ideas until one landed right in front of him. Razor and [[Robotam]], the community contest moderator (a very minor position) discussed on MSN how bad the lockings were getting and decided to seek help. Robotam approached Sai and asked for some sort of action. Sai decided that the time was right and encouraged Robotam to create a public thread on the All of All forum asking for an investigation. Knowing this would immediately get locked, Sai promised Robotam his admin protection of the thread to prevent people from mucking with it.

[[Image:RobotamAvatar.png|100px|thumb|[[Robotam]], dissatisfied with Carmen's modding, took action|right]]
On March 14th, 2006 Robotam posted [http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=15936&forumid=12&catid=6 the thread] bringing attention to the massive number of moderator actions by Carmen and Ghostclown that month alone (70!) including the aforementioned permission from Sai. Carmen and Ghostclown locked it anyway, saying essentially that they didn’t care what Sai said; this sort of moderator criticism was highly inappropriate. Sai showed up, unlocked it, told everyone it was okay to speak their mind, and gave them both a stern warning to the mods not to touch that thread at all until it was done. Carmen and GC edited (and later deleted) their posts and said nothing more. And the fun began!

A whole 12 pages, and the uncharacteristic part is, the vast majority of it is actually civil debate between people with somewhat different viewpoints. Except for MrMister, who was mainly trying to use weird examples to make the whole thing seem stupid. Most of the people that responded found that the lockings and deletions were. Sleepy users that hadn’t been seen much showed up for the event and tossed in their two cents. [[DragonBlaze]] is largely credited for making some of the best points, as is [[Arcanagirl]].

Naturally, behind the scenes, there was a lot of shady MSN talk, mostly between conspirators Osmose, Midnight, SaiKar, and probably a few other trusted mods like Razor and FFL. Most everyone supported some sort of revolution? But what? And would word reach Alex and he react harshly? Sai hesitated for a bit, but decided meh, what the hell, and posted the [http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=15968&forumid=12&catid=6 Judgment] thread on March 17th.

As far as fire and brimstone on the mods went, it was light. Carmen was removed from All of All mod but kept Requests and GC got off with only a sideways glare. More revolutionary were the policies put down that effectively countered a lot of Carmen and GC’s moderator actions; posts would no longer be edited and topics locked or deleted for “poor reasons”, with poor reasons being most anything that wasn’t illegal in some way. Also that topics that went off topic but stayed civil would be allowed to remain open. The damage to Carmen and GC was done though. Carmen essentially said her peace and gave herself a fair defense, then left immediately. Ghostclown more or less consented to the changes for a few weeks before going AWOL himself. They both resigned in May but played no further part in any Charas events.

If Sai miscalculated anything during the power play, it was how SOLID the forum was behind him on the changes. Though there was understandable nervousness for the future and a bit of regret at how badly Carmen and GC were getting smeared by it, as a whole the forum greatly praised the policies that reduced moderator actions and gave more freedom to the average, non-spammy guy that was just trying to talk on the forum.

Probably the best thing to give validation to the whole deal was when Alex himself showed up and [http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=16019&forumid=12&catid=6 expressed approval] to the changes. ALWAYS a huge relief when the boss tells you you’re doing a good job!

Trying to ride on the success of the revolution, on the 25th Sai appointed Robotam, the real instigator of the whole deal, as the new All of All mod. He also snuck in Osmose and Midnight in as [[General Programming]] and [[Test and Welcome]] mods since those two helped with the whole thing in ways that don’t really show up well in this history, but they helped a lot, darn it. Oh and Warxe got his old jobs back. Sai also said he would appoint another All of All mod after a month had passed, but this decision was forgotten in the absolute chaos of the next month (see below section)

(purely biased aside from [[User:SaiKar|SaiKar]]: at this point I’m supposed to admit I treated them badly and regret the whole thing, since time heals all wounds, or something. Well I’m not going to. My only major regret is that I waited so long and had so many people leave the forum before acting with strength. It’s sort of funny reading about how Carmen was defensive about everyone ganging up on her when all I did was finally stop her from silencing people and let them speak their mind. She said with her last words as a mod how she was just a person with feelings, but didn’t seem to care about the feelings of others when she said their posts were useless topics nobody wanted to read. And there is a junk bin for a freakin reason. And Alex said he didn’t want things locked or deleted unless they were totally unsalvageable. Meh. I don’t want to turn this into a Carmen and GC bash, but I mean, ''damn''. Though, to be fair to Carmen, she among everyone figured out that I had essentially planned the whole event to fire her. Which was true and it worked brilliantly.)

And so the conspirators won the day, and there was general dancing in the streets, and things eventually calmed down a bit while the staff tried to put some of their speeches into policy. But they would only get just over two weeks before the largest outside attack in Charas’s history would threaten to destroy it all.

====Other Charas happenings during March 2006====

===Troll Invasion and Sanctuary Fortress===
The Troll Invasion was a coordinated attack on Charas’s forums; the only one the forum has ever seen. It was one of our lowest moments as Charas had to face a situation that they really had no plan for.

As many online veterans know, attacking people and forums online is partially an exercise in futility. Honestly, there is only so much you can do. Saying “I stab you in the face!” won’t make you many friends and sure won’t be taken seriously. On the other hand, using hacking methods to disrupt or delete online files can bring real legal consequences and is generally suicidal to even talk seriously about. And so forum wars are largely a joke.

However, there is one way to attack a forum that doesn’t break the law but still does damage. Forums are run by people, and people enjoy certain aspects of talking online: comfort, security, freedom, and a general lack of worry. It is possible to disrupt these things and cause the forum’s inhabitants a good deal of stress. This was the sort of assault Charas faced in April 2006.

On April 9, 2006 an oddball group of weirdos began to trickle in. A mother concerned about violence in video games, an anti-environmentalist, a bible thumper, and others. Oh those trolls! Always so original with their personas! Immediately the anti-Raffles warning lights went off and all the logins were IP traced. One matched and was banned, but the others, for lack of serious evidence against them, were left alone for a while. But something definitely seemed wrong.

A day later it was clear that they had no intentions of playing nice. All of the threads they created were obviously designed to stir up opinions on controversial topics. One by one they were all banned until only Omega Weapon (the least offensive of the group) was left. Problem was, more accounts were created the following two mornings. These too were given a chance to prove that they weren’t trolls, these too failed, and they were banned as well. By now most everyone on Charas knew that there was some sort of massive troll invasion taking place. Once again complaints about how unfun Charas was began to surface and people drift away from the site.

On April 11th, while experimenting with forum security late at night, Sai created [[Sanctuary Fortress]], a semi-secret forum that required 800 posts to view. The following day many Charites discovered Sanctuary and its purpose and began to discuss plans to thrart the invaders. These varied from diplomatic solutions of talking to the trolls to shutting down the forums to an outright attack, but in the end everyone agreed to wait longer. More practically, Charaman, a previous Raffles-supporter, redeemed himself and threw his lot in with the mod staff to reveal Troll Kingdom as the source of the invaders with, of course, Lord Raffles as its protagonist. The staff began to watch TKs forums while TK remained ignorant that they had been discovered. Many trolls revealed their troll login names on their forums and these names were banned from Charas often before a single post. This greatly increased the defense of the forum but the energy drain of having to be constantly on the ball to ban the next troll took its toll on the staff and they began to search for a permanent solution.

The next day yet more troll logins were banned: the total of which was nearing 15. Sanctuary continued to debate the invasion but reached no reasonable conclusions. The most popular ideas involved shutting down easy resignation, but after researching TK lead the staff to ExIsle, a forum that TK had also trolled that was now a barren inactive shell, Sai vowed to never restrict registration. Still, something needed to be done. Realizing it was only a matter of time before their vigilance gave out, the staff talked with Alex and Trevlac about forum security, a discussion that lead to the implementation of an IP ban feature that, while useful against certain people like Raffles, didn’t exactly provide much defense against multiple invaders.

The staff plotted to use undercover operatives in TK to undermine the attack, but before any serious plans were made up a TKer named CHARAS UNITED posted a “victory” thread that had a link to TK itself. With all hope of subtlety out the window, on April 13th SaiKar authorized what he judged the least awful of all the awful plans: the invasion of TKs forums. A dozen or so Charas members spammed up TK. Some tried to debate, some flung insults, some just posted really long portions of random text. The TK response was more amused than anything else and everyone waited for the inevitable counterattack.

Said counterattack never happened. A few TK members registered on Charas but didn’t troll and eventually lost interest. Likewise a few Charas members stayed over at TK but themselves got bored. A bunch of strippers (of all things…) joined TK and the trolls mostly forgot about us. What seemed to be an uneasy peace began between the sites. The staff declared victory.

Yet, in the days that followed, no such peace could be said to take place within Sanctuary and on Charas in general though. Despite inexplicitly ending the invasion, many people were outraged at the lows Charas had sunk to get the job done. Osmose, frustrated by both his lack of duties as a mod and lack of voice on the staff, resigned in protest. Many people loudly proclaimed everyone else was acting childish or blowing it all out of proportion. Several members loudly declared that they were no longer participating in Sanctuary and were leaving Charas for a time. Facing increasing opposition, SaiKar, the only active admin with banning powers, also left for several days between the 18th and 23rd. SaintLucifer, a troll from TK that had gotten himself banned, apparently caught wind of Charas and trolled the forums most of the time Sai was away as the single unbanned troll remaining.

SaiKar returned to on the 23rd and revealed he wanted to take some time off to see of the forum could handle itself. No words can describe the hostility that met him. SaintLucifer himself was quickly dispatched but the anger lasted nearly a week. Arcanagirl posted a big thread in the All of All about what a bad job the staff (specifically Sai) was doing. In Sanctuary, many users, the most vocal of which was DragonBlaze, declared that Sai’s actions were totally unacceptable. Charaman and Midnight supported their friend, if not all his actions, in his dark hour, but basically everyone else was firmly upset.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Taking action made Sai enemies. Not taking action made Sai enemies. Most everyone wanted Sai to stay as an admin but definitely didn’t want him to do essentially anything he did during the entire Troll Invasion ever again. Sai began to wonder if all the time he was spending on Charas was worth it if he had so little support and announced his resignation, which sobered the hostility a little, but not much.

Finally, on April 29th, Sai announced that Kijuki was going to be promoted to administrator as his replacement. Sai himself stayed an administrator but with greatly reduced activity for some time and only a few token appearances. And on May 2nd, Sai made the following speech in Sanctuary.

{{Quote|name=[[SaiKar]]|text=Sanctuary Fortress will be closed soon. I'll make it a forum invisible to all but admins and there will be no activity here.

The trolls have been repelled through a combination of good strategy, bad ideas, and dumb luck. Though far too often the real enemies are ourselves and our inabilities to listen or compromise or admit we're wrong. No no, don't feel guilty. I'm just sayin'.

This forum will shut down officially some time tomorrow. Copy any threads you want for blackmail purposes soon. Some day, maybe, the fortress will arise again.}}

And so the Troll Invasion ended. Perhaps ironically, the trolls did far less damage to Charas than the Charites did to themselves. Though eventually most people got over it and resumed business as normal, trying to forget the chaos of March and April as best they could, with Kijuki mostly handling site affairs.

===Other Charas happenings during April 2006====

==Lingering Questions (and other sections)==
* Does anyone really remember Pop and Kairou and the whole conspiracy there? I think I missed that entirely.
* Why do I need some cheese?
* Didn't Asakura Hao have something going on? Something to do with Kairou, and he and Charaman agreeing with Raffles, setting the whole forum off at them or something?
* Anyone have logs of all the MSN chats from spring 2006? I know some important stuff was decided there.

==Sources==

This section will get integrated into the history eventually.

* Alex's first post - http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2&forumid=2&catid=2
* Gary’s “A history of Charas” - http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=15958&forumid=12&catid=6
* My own LiveJournal, an oddly good source for events and dates back then - http://saikar.livejournal.com/tag/charas
* Lots of sneaky Private forum threads you can’t read.

==Related articles==
* [[RRWP]]
* [[Pop]]
* [[Trevlac]]

[[Category:Charas Forums]][[Category:History of Charas]]

Leon 1990

Osmose — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 03:37:44 GMT

Osmose: Reverted edit of Lord Foil1212, changed back to last version by Admin

{{Addplz}}

[[Category:Charas Forums members]]

Amiable Scottish fellow. Known for producing a game demo that was actually good, saying APETROLEUM and being Scottish. Sadly no longer uses Charas.

Lord Raffles

Osmose — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:37:13 GMT

Osmose:

History is written by the victors, or at least the people with the most time. And the person with the most time right now is [[SaiKar]]. So while a goodly number of nice people joined and great number of awesome things happened between December 1st 2004 and August 1st 2005, Sai didn’t enjoy this period entirely too much, which is why it is being labeled as the dark ages.

[[Image:LordRafflesAvatar.png|100px|thumb|Jerk|right]]
The dates for this age and the main reason for its name unquestionably involve Lord Raffles. December 1st is when he registered. August 1st is when he was banned by Alex. For a whole eight months he was on the forums.

Lord Raffles, we now know, was a malicious [[trolls|troll]] having a good time laughing with other trolls on a faraway forum about how much trouble he was causing [[Charas]]. He, like most trolls, is also an ego whore and will delight from having a large section of history about him. But unfortunately it can’t be helped; to skip over this is to ignore extremely vital parts of Charas’s development.

That said, every single post by Lord Raffles has been deleted. Every one, down to the last. Probably by Raffles himself. So it falls to looking at the wake of destruction to piece things together.

Nobody knew that Raffles was intentionally trying to destroy Charas back then. Oh sure, a lot of people had their guesses, mainly [[Osmose]], but we had no proof of anything. All people knew is that Raffles was posing a lot of interesting and disturbing questions and that a goodly number of members were getting rilled up about it. Raffles’s main arguments were why moderators were punishing threads that were out of line instead of the specific people that were causing trouble. To be fair, that held a ring of truth. Some of the rest of his stuff was more nonsensical, such as the moderators getting great delight out of lording over common members and the plight of the average guy just trying to post online. Almost everything he said was a carefully calculated attempt to divide and fragment the forum.

It was disturbingly effective. Though almost everyone universally disliked him, the bigger question of what to do with him was a major raging issue. Should we ban him? On what grounds; he hasn’t broken any specific rules. Should the mods try to talk with him? They did, nothing meaningful was accomplished? What does Raffles want? Why is he asking so many questions? Doesn’t he have a point with some them? These issues and others built a great deal of tension.

The lesser problem, but still a crippling one, was the staff’s continued inability to get along. Well, that’s not entirely true. Everyone was getting along except for SaiKar, whom became the next scapegoat. Sai was assuming more of [[Alex]]’s roles in managing the forum but there was growing resentment and discontent in his ability to manage as an admin. Sai began to resent the hardliner approach of locking a lot of threads and tried to come down on [[Carmen]] and the other mods, but they all universally opposed lightening up on moderation, even [[SMB]] and [[Kijuki]] that had previously supported Sai. Everyone feared a return to the previous summer so much that they were willing to go to any lengths to keep the forum under control. Bizarrely, as some sort of disturbance in the force, the only one remotely on Sai’s side was [[Red Giant]], who questioned fellow All of All mod Carmen’s policies of deletion often until giving up and going inactive.

A deep rift between the mods and members opened. The mods became the enemies, sort of cops to avoid, instead of people to trust. A few protests among the public about the hardliner approach sprung up, but, as said previously, this wouldn’t become a major issue until 2006. The hardliners won out and continued to lock and delete stuff, and Sai essentially left the forum to play FFXI mostly, popping in every so often for the next year to try to sort out policy and meeting the same hostile reactions. A lot of people sent messages to Sai to try to set things right and send the heavy-handed moderation, and try he did several times over the period, but to no avail. Essentially Sai was stuck between a frustrated population and a staff that resented an outsider meddling with their policies. It sucked pretty hard.

If you’re clever at reading, you see the strange irony here. Though Sai was an admin attempting to save the forum and Lord Raffles was an evil troll trying to destroy it, they were essentially on the same “side” against the hardliner mods. Yeah, that’s why I didn’t ban him quickly. Sorry about that, I was getting desperate. Though in retrospect it did help get a lot of people to see how whack the staff was getting.

With Sai fallen entirely off the planet, the staff had to combat Raffles by themselves. The fact that a few key members such as Carmen and SMB didn’t see him as a threat in the slightest didn’t help them reach a decision. Kijuki lead the camp favoring letting Raffles get things out of his system and locking threads if they became too close to being flames. Alex showed up to add the [[Almost Banned]] feature in early March, which didn’t really help either. Long story short, the staff spent their fighting energies fighting themselves instead of Raffles and ever-increasing spam. Except when Sai showed up, of course; they’d unite against him. And the months ticked by.

More to the point, the staff saw Sai’s absence as a good time to get him kicked out of his admin position. They nominated Kijuki as a replacement but for reasons not entirely clear he never actually got the job. Again and again the issue came up until, on May 6th, Sai gave in the [[Private forum]] one of the most self-satisfying things he ever said (the “you” refers to [[Darkfox]]):

{{Quote|name=[[SaiKar]]|text=I'd resign in disgust and let you try to moderate (HAHAHA!) the forums, but I'm not going to for three reasons. One, I don't want to give you the satisfaction of finally getting rid of me. Two, I actually don't think anyone, with the exception of Kijuki, could do the job and I'm not willing to let you get the job and grind the forum into the ground. I like Charas more then that. And three, because I have hopes that eventually I can get rid of the people that are dragging this place down and focus more on the real problems of this community outside this little private forum.}}

The fourth reason being that he knew how much of the general population supported him against the mods if he could only figure out a way to remove some of them without so many accusations of power abuse that Alex would demote him. And so Sai kept his job against a tide of opposition but was forced to wait a bit longer.

All this staff drama must be boring. Facts are, during this time, the staff didn’t organize any contests nor appoint any new mods. All their efforts were focused on locking and deleting threads. Many members left Charas claiming the fun was gone, and though a few joyously would return, a good number did not. The naysayers claiming the end of Charas started up again (and got their stuff deleted, naturally) but it actually seemed they were right this time. Darkfox tried to combat Raffles as best as he could and, the longer he did, the more personal it became until his mental health was in danger. All this because of one stupid troll and a few stubborn mods.

Eventually the gnashing of teeth reached Alex, and he proved himself awesome again by talking to Raffles, researching him, deciding he was an evil jerk, and banning him on August 1st. Though many were still fearful because the day before, July 31st, word came out that Darkfox allegedly had tried to kill himself. For real. But thankfully he didn’t and came back smiling and everyone was happy.

History of Charas

Osmose — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:07:10 GMT

Osmose: Reverted edit of OMGTROLL, changed back to last version by Admin

SaiKar

Osmose — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:28:12 GMT

Osmose: /* Resignation */

{{CharasUserInfo|name=SaiKar|pic=SaiKarAvatar.png|join=Feb 2003|stat=Active|pos=Martyr|profile=http://charas-project.net/forum/viewmember.php?userid=261|bday=December 23, 1982|gender=Male}}
'''SaiKar''' (AKA '''Harvey/Jason Steffke''') is the oldest (as of registration date) active member of [[Charas-Project|Charas]]. He became a Request mod, then All of All mod, and finally Administrator of the forums. HE acted in [[Alex]]'s stead, though he didn't actually own anything on the site. He resigned.

==Charas History==

===Early Days===
Harvey joined Charas under the login SaiKar upon suggestion of his friend to share his battlecharacter sets that he had created for his own game. Receptions to the sprites was very positive and Sai started to get requests, which he answered for a time before burning out. Sai joined the [[VG Reapers]], the largest spriting group on Charas at the time. The image of someone trying to help the community was enhanced with Sai tried to solve the [[RRWP]] vs [[Gary Kertopermono|Gary]] arguments that were raging at the time. When Alex decided to appoint new moderators, Sai was appointed [[Moderator]] of [[All of All]] and [[Requests]] forum on Feb 29, 2004. Some of his policies set in the Requests forum are still in use today.

===Growing Power===
Sai resigned from All of All moderator on July 23rd, 2004. The actual reason wasn’t public knowledge until now, but it was in reality him being tired of cleaning up after Darkfox; the latter was starting a great number of personal feuds at the time that were spilling into the forum.

When the first global moderators were chosen, Sai was on the list but declined Alex due to growing real life concerns. Yet he saw the general state of Charas deteriorating under Darkfox and Kijuki’s global modship; the former has already been discussed and the latter was much more well-minded but rarely around when he was needed. [[Reain]] and [[Trevlac]], new All of All mods, were also doing little. In his panic, Sai sent a private message to Alex asking for a global moderator position himself. Instead, Alex made him an [[Administrator]]; someone with access to the control panel to appoint moderators, create new forums, and ban members!

===Quarrels with the Staff===
Darkfox immediately objected to SaiKar’s insane jump of power, making many accusations of impending power abuse. Several other moderators murmured in discontent, but with Alex supporting Sai nothing really could be done.

Sai took over his duties rather quickly. When Reain resigned as All of All moderator, Sai organized a public election to replace him. He also fired Trevlac for continued lack of presence and expanded the election to two winners. [[Red Giant]] and [[Carmen]] became part of the staff as All of All mods.

For many months afterward Sai was playing Final Fantasy XI, an online game that takes up the full screen. As such Sai wasn’t on the site very much and missed several rather important events, such as the coming of [[Lord Raffles]]. The staff ([[GhostClown]] and Carmen in particular) grew discontented with his lack of being around and began to criticize his policies, claiming he was “out of touch.” Which, to be fair, had some truth to it. The staff often complained at his actions, saying that Alex wanted him to run everything by the private forum first, and yet other staff members went ahead with their policies and complained of “ganging up” when they were called on it later. Some called for a new administrator but there weren’t any willing candidates that could be trusted. The staff became polarized and no meaningful decisions were made as a group, and the progress of the site stagnated.

===The New Charas===
However Carmen and GhostClown’s policies were not terribly well liked and they made a number of enemies, in particular [[Osmose]] and [[Midnight]]. They had a heavy-handed moderation style to them, and eventually people got rather annoyed at things being locked or deleted for no real particular good reason. [[Robotam]] approached Sai’Kar and asked for his permission to start an investigation. Sai granted it, seeing a public hearing as a good way to get rid of his rebellious staff.

Public opinion strongly sided against the two and Sai made his decision to remove some of Carmen’s powers in the infamous [[History_of_Charas#The_Charas_Judgment|Charas Judgment]] on March 17th. Co-conspirators Osmose and Midnight were appointed moderators on March 22nd. Many new policies on why threads would be locked and the future were introduced. GhostClown and Carmen retired shortly afterward.

This point essentially marks the time when Sai took a much more active role in the development on Charas, now that he had a staff that wouldn’t fight him on every point.

===The Troll Invasion===
TrollKingdom began sending trolls to stir up trouble on April 9th, mere days after the little revolution. Essentially, the entire reason there was a [[Troll Invasion]] was because Sai got sick of having to cross-check IPs and writing styles and always be on active alert to ban troublemakers. In order to counter the trolls tactics, a new forum [[Sanctuary Fortress]] was established to discuss the situation and try to keep the general population from making the situation worse. Behind the scenes, almost four solid days of MSN chats between staff members tracked down the source, located another forum that had been attacked, and tracked down of Alex to implement an IP ban feature.

On April 13th the trolls were still coming despite everything done, and, weary of constantly being ready to ban someone, Sai authorized a Charas flood on TrollKingdom, the only such action in Charas’s history, of which many are thankful for.

Bizarrely, the attack stopped the invasion, but Charas itself was fragmented by the actions. The situation was made worse when Sai took a few days off. People accused him of acting irresponsibly, of abandoning the forum. Sai decided to resign as administrator, but was talked out of it at basically the last moment by Midnight. Eventually everyone calmed down anyway.

===Aftermath to Present===
Other stuff happened, but nothing of it really defining of Sai, and so I’ll leave what happens next for a history article. Sai is still the administrator and still deals with stuff on occasion, and there haven’t been any sightings of lynch mobs in record time!

===Resignation===
On March 5, 2007, SaiKar posted his [http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=19754&forumid=12&catid=6 resignation thread], offering no reason for this turn of events. He recommended [[Razor]] and [[Osmose]] for promotion; both were eventually promoted.

==Personality Stuff==

===Administrative Style===
Sai was a proponent of the “new Charas” style of administration; rules designed so that the members don’t need the moderators and function on their own. This rarely works in practice as there is often someone out to stir up trouble or oblivious to the fact that they’re being annoyed. But it’s a goal!

SaiKar is something of a narcissist and enjoys typing up large triumphant speeches whenever possible to introduce a new forum feature or some judgment on a current issue. If anyone actually reads these speeches is unknown.

Sai administered the site mostly from afar, letting individual moderators handle as many problems as they can and work them out without management hanging over their heads. However when the situation gets out of control Sai had no problem diving into the action, often in the form of another big speech. Generally people listen when Sai gets involved; those that don’t tend to get threatened, or worse.

===Art and Programming===
Sai is a spriter and dabbles in making all sorts of resources for RPGMaker, though his best and most commonly known one is battlecharacter sets. He has made at least 15 sets based off of either Mack and Blue characters or generated characters from scratch and about the same number of RTP characters with added attack animations and status effect poses. He submitted a few resources to the battlecharacter generator.

Sai is also an artist, but a bad one. He never practices to get any better and occasionally complains about this. Perhaps ironically, at least a dozen people are better at drawing Sai'Kar than he is.

He has been working sporadically on several RPGs over the years. Control of Destiny 2 is a traditional questing RPG and is what the vast majority of his spriting work was created for. Outpost was an experiment in sim to manage a city that was partially successful. Control of Destiny Tactics is a more recent project to create a Final Fantasy Tactics-type engine that is still in the development phase (and by the looks of it will be there for a very long time to come).

===Friends===
Midnight and Osmose are Sai’s two closest friends on the site and are largely responsible for him not going nuts at some point and retiring for good. Over the years they have acted as advisors to Sai in making administrative decisions and the three clocked about 34 trillion hours in MSN chats since becoming friends. Realizing that they were essentially the “power behind the throne”, he finally gave in to their constant nagging to make them real moderators during the Charas Judgment. They were both given weak positions so that nobody would complain about appointing friends as mods too much, and then both upgraded of All of All mods, the positions they currently hold.

SaiKar is generally good friends with most of the rest of the moderation staff, particularly [[Warxe PhoenixBlade]], [[Razor]], and [[FFL2and3rocks]]. There isn’t really anyone on the site that Sai strongly dislikes anymore.

To the best of his knowledge, Sai is the only part of the moderation staff that Alex trusts explicitly.

===The Sai’Kar Character===
SaiKar’s login is based on Sai’Kar, a female character in the RPG Control of Destiny 2 that he has been working on for the past forever. Sai is probably one of the most recognizable faces on Charas, and several forum members have included Sai in their own arts of work.

===Gender Confusion===
Because of his female avatar, many '''many''' people thought he was a girl, and it's a common mistake even recently. It is rumored (and almost certainly true) that the "gender" field of the Charas profile was added because so many people thought Sai was a girl in real life.

===Historical Trivia===
* First post: http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=1657&forumid=2&catid=2
* In the original battlecharacter request topic, Sai only fulfilled three of four actual requests before quitting. But the reputation as a spriter stuck for years and was only really replaced by a reputation as part of the staff.
* Sai actually “hacked” into threads in the private forum and also read private messages by using URL abuse. Sai told Alex both of these things after a time, who patched up the bugs.

[[Category:Charas Forums members]][[Category:People who have submitted Generator resources]][[Category:People who have submitted Complete Resources resources]][[Category:Charas-Project SysOps]][[Category:Charas Forums moderators]][[Category:Micras Reality]]

Tutorials:Weapon Design Tutorial

Osmose — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 14:34:26 GMT

Osmose: Sorry, this is not your tutorial

{{TutorialIntro|
tutname=Weapon Design tutorial|
author=SaiKar|
diff=+}}
==Introduction==

Weapons go a long way to defining a character. Just holding a sword conjures up images of the hero charging into battle and bathing in the blood of his enemies. A bow makes us think of stealthy hunters in the wild, or perhaps huge volleys of arrows soaring against an enemy army. Bladed knuckles reveal a monk who has achieved inner tranquility. And a quarterstaff might hint at a frail old man who wields fierce elemental magic.

Making any part of an RPG can be tricky, but weapons are such a big part of the game that they need to be handled with care. When a player opens up a treasure chest, they are almost always hoping for a new weapon. Weapons are probably the items that your players ** will care the most about getting. They directly make your characters more powerful in battle, allowing them to mow down enemies and look cool while doing it. Because weapons are such a big focus in RPGs, it is important to make them interesting items.

This tutorial will explain how many of the default options can be used to create truly interesting weapons, and how these weapons can help tell more about the people that wield them and the world as a whole. It is designed for RPM Maker 2003, although RM2k users can get much out of it as well. It also assumes that you know basic RPG Maker commands like using the database, setting up shops, and equipping your heroes. Oh, and yeah, it's long, but there a lot of stuff here.

All that said, let’s get cracking!

==All Those Options==

If you open up the database and take a look all the options it can be pretty overwhelming. Here is a list of the different options you have. I will cover specific parts of this list later in more detail to show how they can be used effectively:

* Name – your weapon’s name! It may seem easy to name weapons at first (“Sword”, “Long Sword”, etc), but as you go along farther into the game, they can all start to sound alike.
* Price – how much this weapon sells for if you make it available in a store. All items sell back at half price. Even the price can define weapons. Rare or weapons made of expensive materials should sell for more in shops.
* Hands required – “one” being the default option. If you choose “two” then the character equipping this weapon cannot use their shield slot.
* Description – another good place to describe your weapon. Give a little history on it maybe, or what special effects the weapon has.
* Invoke skill when used – this is a powerful command. This lets you choose a skill, and when your hero with this weapon hits an enemy, that skill will be used on the enemy automatically with no MP cost. This can let you create some interesting effects (a weapon that sucks life, anyone?) but is hard to balance. If you are new at creating weapons I recommend leaving this section alone for now.
* Usable by – you can choose either hero or class. Obviously, if you are creating a sword, only characters that in your game understand how to use a sword should be able to equip the weapon.
* Statistic change – the most obvious way to make a weapon powerful. The numbers in this box will be added to your characters’ base stats. Most weapons should up the character’s attack score, but creative gamers can make weapons that up the other stats as well. Also, if you want a weapon to make you weaker in some area, you can put in a negative number to lower the scores a little too.
* Animation – this lets you set up how the actual attack on the enemy will look. You choose the weapon your character will hold here, as well as if they run up to the enemy, take a step forward, or just stay still when attacking.
* Attack animation – the actual animation for the attack. Be sure to make it look cool!
* Options – these five check-boxes can vastly alter how your weapon works. All of them will be explained in full a little later on.
* Attack attribute – this allows you to set up your weapons attack based on attributes you have created. Basic categories for weapons such as “bladed”, “blunt”, “ranged” and so on allow you to make enemies that are strong to some weapons and weak to others. You can also choose your magical element attributes here to make a weapon that does magic damage!
* Conditions – this lets you make your weapons add conditions to your enemies. A dagger, for example, might have a chance to poison or paralyze your foes. Set the % chance that it will happen below the list.
* MP Consumed – default 0, this lets you make weapons that use a certain number of MP every time you attack. If you are making a game where MP represents ammo for a gun, then setting this number above 0 could simulate shooting your ammo at the enemy. Or if you are making a powerful magic weapon, it could use MP to function. If a weapon requires MP and you do not have it, then the game will have your characters be unarmed when they attack.
* Hit Probability – even the best swordsman doesn’t hit on every attack. 90% is good for most weapons. Stronger but harder to aim weapons should have lower hit %.
* Critical hit bonus – critical hits are very strong random hits that do lots of damage. Fast characters have a better chance to critical on slow enemies. However, if you want your weapon to critical more often, you can add a % chance here.

Whew! That’s a lot, huh? Don’t worry: a lot of it is self-explanatory and can be figured out with some basic testing. It is not my goal to teach you everything about weapons, but rather to show you how some of these simple commands can be used in interesting ways.

==The RPG Cliché==

There are hundreds of clichés in RPGs, but there is one that is relevant now: that the main character must use a sword. There are innumerable examples of this, both in professional games (the entire Final Fantasy series) and most amateur games made on the RPG Maker. Yes, swords are very romantic and efficient weapons. Yes, having a powerful main hero can be cool. But there are lots of options a creative game maker can use when making weapons. Here is a list of weapons I was able to think of:

* Medieval weapons, melee:
** Dagger – small but light stabbing weapon
** Short sword – your basic sword, weighted but easy to use
** Long/great swords – large and heavy swords that usually use both hands
** Rapier – very light and thin sword that is easy to spin, used in fencing
** Falchion – curved one-sided blade
** Battleaxe – one-handed close-quarters axe
** Double Axe – shaft of wood with an axe blade on both ends
** Flail – spiked ball on a chain that is spun, useful in both defense and offense
** Club – a blunt weapon that is easy to connect with
** Greatclub – larger club, usually spiked
** Quarterstaff – straight piece of wood that is useful in both offense and defense
** Pike – long shaft of wood with a point on the end that has a long range
** Scythe – curved shaft of wood with a wicked blade on the end
** Lance – similar to a pike, but with a heavier point that can pierce armor easily
** Whip – flexible rope that can damage or ensnare enemies at a fair distance
** Spiked gloves and punching daggers – weapons that strap on to the hands for close-quarters fighting.

* Medieval weapons, ranged:
** Rock – even a rock to the head can kill someone. Used with a sling.
** Dart – smaller version of an arrow that can be thrown or launched
** Shortbows, longbows, composite bows – effective long-range weapons to shoot arrows
** Crossbow – slower then a bow, but launches bolts that can pierce armor
** Shurikens – bladed stars that can be thrown quietly, usually used by ninjas and assasins

* Non medieval weapons:
** Wands and staves – used by wizards and magic users to help cast spells
** Rifles – your basic firearm
** Handguns – smaller and more effective guns
** Machine guns, assault rifles, etc – modern-day guns
** Laser pistols – futuristic guns
** Large Rubber Trout – well, why not?

This is but a small list of weapons that could be used by your heroes. A little research online can yield many more. The big trick in the RPG programming is making a sword feel difference than, say, a flail. Although these weapons are used drastically differently, in the game they both have the same function – to do damage to your opponent.

This is where being a sneaky programmer comes in. If you know that swords are pretty effective against unarmed opponents but have trouble piercing plated armor, and if you know that spinning flails are difficult to get past and can bash armor very well, but are slower and harder to use, you can make the weapons very different indeed. Here are examples of how a sword and flail might be set up different:

Sword: increases attack score by 20. Attribute: bladed.<br />
Flail: increases attack by 15, increases defense by 5, lowers speed by 5. Attribute: blunt, piercing.

Add some different battle animations and you are set. The sword could have a “slash”, and the flail a “smash” effect. Now, what would happen when someone plays your game? Simply by equipping these items, your players will see that the sword gives more of a boost, and that the flail ups defense but lowers speed a little. They will think “Aha, my sword-user is better!” Let’s prove them wrong. Here are two possible enemies you might fight:

Soldier. Resistant to: nothing<br />
Royal guard: Resistant to: bladed

Your sword will be more effective on the first target, the soldier, because the attack bonus is higher and it doesn’t have a speed penalty, so it can attack faster too. However, the second enemy, the royal guard, is resistant to bladed. Since your sword is bladed it will do half damage. The flail, however, is blunt and piercing, not bladed, so it will do full damage against this armored foe.

Let’s assume that one hero has the sword equipped and another has the flail. When they are fighting the first enemies, your sword-user will do more damage, so your player will probably assume that is the stronger character. When you fight the second enemy, however, your flail-user will all of a sudden do more damage. This might be confusing, so adding a text box with something like “Haha! My flail can bash through this armor like it is paper!” might be effective. When your player sees this at work, they will realize the flail-user is not as useless as they thought he was.

At this point you will have to congratulate yourself. Though both weapons have the same goal of doing damage, you managed to make them sufficiently different so that the player can use both in their strategy. And when you have gotten the player to consider strategies, you have basically won them over for good.

The key to making weapons and fighting styles different is to learn a little bit about them, then figure out how to make them as different as possible in the database. Look to other games for how effective weapons are if need be.

==Culture Shock==

Weapons make your heroes stronger, but they can also make your story stronger as well. One of the hardest parts about RPG creating is making the world seem both real and realistic. Everything you add to your game can either make the world feel different, or can help destroy that illusion. Weapons are no different.

The biggest rule of culture is that isolated cultures usually solve problems in vastly different ways. Nearby countries usually develop closely because merchants and traders spread goods around until the culture mixes. Most games, however, involve traveling to far off, isolated, exotic lands. It doesn’t make any sense, therefore, for every city to have the exact same weapons. One country might have specialized in swords and axes while another on the other side of the world has never even heard of a sword and makes weapons out of wood, such as like longbows and pikes.

So what is your poor lance-using hero going to do when he visits this land? You have basically two options:

* Nothing. He simply can’t buy weapons here. This might be a good time to let another hero be more powerful for a while, until you can buy another lance and the balance shifts back.
* He could equip a similar weapon, such as a pike. Use the sneaky tricks above to make the pike and the lance seem a little different (pikes can’t pierce armor, but are easier to wield since they are a lot lighter) and add a few comments like “A pike? Well, I guess it will have to do…” from this hero.

Some weapons will just be more common than others. If you have a hero that is from the future and wields a laser pistol, obviously he won’t be able to buy more laser pistols or find them in treasure chests. Perhaps you could add a system where he gathers materials and then modifies his laser gun to make it stronger? Give it some thought.

==More than Just Damage - Dealing with Weak Weapons==

In order to make heroes seem like different people, programmers give them vastly different abilities. Some heroes might be good with weapons, others can be powerful mages, more could be healers or party enhances, and others could have truly oddball abilities that are cool but hard to use.

Balancing heroes is difficult work. Inevitably, you are going to end up with some that do more physical damage then others. Yet, you still want the player to care about these weaker heroes and their equipment, even if they don’t do much damage. Usually these weaker heroes are the magic-based ones, so they end up with wands, staves, and other weapons that are not terribly effective in combat. Most programmers assume that the player will not bother physically attacking with these weak heroes, since they do so little damage, and will use their special moves instead.

There are a number of ways you can still make these weapons effective, if not very damaging. Here are some ideas:

* Make the weapon increase the mind statistic. Skills can be based off the mind stat, so every little bonus makes the hero do more damage with their magic or other skills.
* Give the weapon an attribute that is not normally used on weapons, such as magic. Against normal enemies these weapons will be weak, but when fighting monsters that resist swords and arrows, but are weak to magic, these weapons will be more useful.
* Have the weapon inflict a status effect. Since these weapons might be designed for magic users, they should have magic effects! A weapon that has a 10% chance to silence or stun the opponent would be very useful in some cases.
* The weapon could invoke a skill. Perhaps instead of silencing the opponent, that magic weapon could do little damage but invoke a skill to drain a small amount of MP from the enemy!

Keep in mind here that the goal is NOT to make these weak weapons powerful, nor is it to make them stronger then the special moves the characters possesses, but simply to give them options. If the player has to think “Hmm, should I use a technique or attack with my weapon?” then once again you have gotten them to think, and that is always a good thing.

==The Ultimate Weapon==

By now, you’re probably wondering when I’m going to get to the good stuff. That is, how to make weapons that really do crazy stuff in battle! All right, all right, here we go. Some of these are summaries from techniques explained above. Here are all the techniques I have thought of to make weapons do different things:

* Weapons can raise more then just statistics! Daggers are fast weapons that could give a speed bonus. Quarterstaffs can be excellent defensive tools. Magic wands can up the mind of the mages that use them.
* Use different attributes to make weapons more effective on different targets. Bladed weapons could be strong on normal enemies but weak on armor. Blunt weapons could bash armor but be as effective on normal foes. Weapons can have magic attributes too, such as thunder, that let them do more damage against enemies that are weak to thunder but less to thunder enemies themselves.
* Some weapons can inflict status effects, further weakening your enemies.
* Other weapons can invoke skills, such as HP drain or defense down.
* Heavy, cumbersome weapons should require both hands.

The next five involve those special “Options” check boxes that I promised to talk about later.
* Always Attack First – when the battle starts, your heroes have half of their timed battle gauge filled up. Weapons that always attack first, however, start with the full gauge so their users are ready to attack, cast magic, use an item, or whatever. Very good for stealthy characters that are always prepared.
* Attack Twice – just what in sounds like. The hero will hit twice in a row, just as if they had used the attack command twice quickly. This effectively doubles their attack power.
* Attack All Enemies – just like it sounds, this weapon will attack all enemies. Damage will vary depending on the enemies defense and resists, but it is still a very powerful option.
* Ignore Enemy Evasion – this option makes it so enemies can’t dodge the attack very well, so that even slow heroes have a good chance of not missing fast opponents.
* Cursed weapons cannot be unequipped by the player. In order to remove the weapon, you need to use programming script to specifically unequipped the hero that has the weapon.

Those are your options. I would HIGHLY NOT RECOMMEND putting too many of these on weapons early in the game. Early weapons can be mundane since the player is just getting used to everything. Later on, however, introduce weapons that can inflict status effect, weapons that that have magical attributes, and so on in order to keep your players wondering what crazy weapon they will find next!

==The Arsenal – Example Weapons==

I wouldn’t ever send you on your way with just that though. Here are some ideas that I have thought of to get you started Use them, modify them, do whatever you want to them.

''Thunder Lance''<br />
Attack: '''30''', Speed: '''-7'''. '''Uses both hands.''' Attributes: piercing, thunder. Appearance: long metal poll that is stabbed at the opponent.<br />
The Thunder Lance is just like a normal lance except it has the thunder attribute. It was found in a temple of thunder. If it is equipped, it will be very ineffective against the enemies there. However, after leaving the temple the player finds themselves in a region with lots of water-based enemies, and the Thunder Lance will be vastly powerful in this area.

''Composite Bow''<br />
Attack: '''20''' Attributes: ranged. Appearance: bow that shoots out an arrow at the enemy<br />
The Composite Bow is a simple weapon used by hunters. It is powerful even at a long range. Although it is not the most powerful weapon, in a battle where the heroes are ambushed on a bridge by archers and soldiers, the melee-using heroes take care of the soldiers while the Composite Bow proves the only weapon with enough range to harm the enemy archers.

''Wave Master Wand''<br />
Attack: '''10''' Attributes: blunt, water. Invoke skill when used: ''Crashing Wave''. Uses '''20 MP'''. Appearance: a blunt stick.<br />
The Wave Master Wand is a totally pathetic attacking weapon. However, whenever it his an opponent it sends a powerful magical wave of water at them, doing a fair amount of damage. Unfortunately this ability drains 20 MP from the user every time it used.

''Ensnaring Whip''
Attack: '''20''' Attributes: ranged. Inflicts status: paralyze (20% chance) Invoke skill when used: speed down. Appearance: a thin cord that whips forward and hits the enemy with a powerful sting.<br />
Ensnaring Whips are used mainly to capture enemies. The sting of the whip is powerful enough to inure their legs, making them slower, and on rare occasion it will wrap around the enemy and totally immobilize them.

''Grenade Sling''<br />
Attack: '''15''' Attributes: ranged. Options: Attack All Enemies. Appearance: A slingshot throws small projectiles, which explode.<br />
The Grenade Sling was created by a crazy inventor. It lobs weak explosives every which way, which can soften up enemies for further attack. Unfortunately it is hard to aim and so it is not very effective against a single target, such as a boss enemy.

''Bloodsaber''<br />
Attack: '''80'''. Defense: '''-15'''. Mind: '''-25'''. '''Uses both hands'''. Attributes: Bladed, evil. Critical hit bonus: +35% Options: Cursed. Invoke skill when used: HP drain. Uses 10 MP. Appearance: a huge black great sword.<br />
This powerful but evil blade tempted your main hero, and now he is caught within its grasp. Although it makes him vastly powerful in combat and lets him feast on the souls of his enemies, it is slowly draining his spirit and he cannot put the blade down. Let’s only hope your other heroes find a way to remove the curse before it is too late!

''Assassin’s Dirk''<br />
Attack: '''35''' Speed: '''20''' Attributes: bladed. Critical hit bonus: '''+15%''' Options: Always Attack First. Inflicts status: poison (25% chance). Appearance: a small dagger with poison on its tip.<br />
This legendary dagger was used by a famous assassin during most of his killings. It magically keeps the user aware of danger, and the poison it caries is as deadly as always.

''The Sun Sword''<br />
Attack: '''80''' Defense: '''15''' Mind: '''50''' Speed: '''15''' Attributes: bladed, holy. Critical hit bonus: '''+25%''' Options: Attack Twice. Inflicts status: bleeding (stronger version of poison) (25% chance). Appearance: a golden short sword with a star-shaped hilt.<br />
The legendary Sun Sword as seen in one of my art works. This weapon makes even the low-attack Sai’Kar into a deadly melee fighter. About as far as a weapon can go without being absurd, the Sun Sword is a truly dangerous and powerful blade.

==To Arms!==

Weapons define the heroes of our games. From the first impression to the final battle, our impressions of these characters are shaped by what they carry into combat. Our adventurers will need their weapons to get them out of trouble time and time again, so we might as well make these instruments of war as interesting as possible.

[[Category:Tutorials]]

RPG Maker (series)

Osmose — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:28:57 GMT

Osmose: Removed stub marker

{{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.

=Online Community=

[[Category: RPG Maker]]

RPG Maker (series)

Osmose — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:26:14 GMT

Osmose: Removed stupidity

{{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.

=Online Community=

[[Category: RPG Maker]]

Moderator

Osmose — Wed, 09 May 2007 19:03:38 GMT

Osmose: /* Admin */

A '''Moderator''' is a rank on the Charas Forums. Typically, they have the power to lock, delete and move posts and threads in a specified forum; many moderators have more than one assigned forums. They generally have an orange name on the forums, although the introduction of [[colored names]] has changed this.

==Promotion==
A moderator is assigned to a forum by the administrator or webmaster; typically, this has been through a vote in the [[Private]] forum, although there have been cases where [[moderator elections]] have taken place. Regardless, popular opinion has almost always determined the moderators chosen - this is seen as a mixed blessing by some.

===Powers===
Once assigned a forum, the moderator's job is to keep order in that particular forum. To this end, they have special "powers" that they can use at their discretion:

*Locking and unlocking threads. This prevents anyone from posting in said thread, but does not delete it outright, in case there is a chance that the thread may be salvageable.
*Deleting specific posts or entire threads. Post deletion is available to all members, but only to their own posts - moderators can delete any person's posts. This is typically used when the post is [[spam]]. Thread deletion is only supposed to be used as a last resort.
*Moving threads. If a thread is made in the wrong section, a moderator can move it to the correct section. This can also be used to move locked threads to the [[Junk Bin]].
*Stickying and unstickying threads. "Stickied" threads always appear at the top of the forum page they're in, and are mostly reserved for rules.
*Viewing the [[Private]] and [[Quarantine]] forums, which are both reserved for the staff only.
*Using the IP Check tool. This can be used to check all of the IPs that a forum member has used in the past, and is useful for determining who has a double account.
*[[Bonk|Bonking]] members.

==Administrators==

In addition, there is a rank above Moderator, called Administrator. There are three levels of Administrator:

===Global Moderator===
A '''Global Moderator''' is the lowest level of Administrator. They have access to all of the [[Moderator]] powers, but in every forum (hence, they have "global" power). Currently, the Global Moderators are [[Razor]] and [[Osmose]].

===Admin===
An '''Admin''' has access to all of the Global Moderator's powers, as well as the ability to ban members, promote new moderators, and even [[TestGroundZero|delete members]]. They have a degree of control over the forum, and some have access to the site code as well. Former Admins include [[SaiKar]] and [[Kijuki_Magazaki]], and both resigned their positions. The current Admins are Razor and Osmose.

===Webmaster===
The '''Webmaster''' has access to all levels of Charas, not just limited to the Forums; he can also edit the Generators as he likes. The current (and only) Webmaster is [[Alex]].

==Other types==
Though not strictly "moderators", there are other ranks on Charas that are more privileged than standard members. They may or may not be simply symbolic.

===Honourary Moderator===
This is used when a moderator has resigned, but is still recognized as an important member of the community. These people can still view the Private and Quarantine forums, and also have access to the IP Checker and Bonk tools. The current Honourary Mods are [[Darkfox]] and [[Robotam]].

===Complete Resources Uploader===
These people are able to upload and delete resources from the [[Complete Resources]]. Currently, the only Uploader is [[Darkfox]], although [[carmen]], [[GhostClown]] and Woundedgoat also have this power (despite their inactivity). They can be contacted in the [[Complete Resources Uploader Team]] forum.

===Generators Manager===
This group is able to upload and delete resources in the [[Generators]], as well as create new generator sections and edit current resources. [[Alex]], [[SMB]] and [[Osmose]] all have this ability, though only the latter is considered "active".

===Sysops===
On the Charas Wiki, there are a number of people who have access to special page functions (protect/unprotect, delete, move). Known as '''Sysops''', they are the equivalent of Global Moderators on Charas. The current sysops are [[User:Admin|Warxe]], [[Osmose]], [[Archem]], [[Razor]], [[Darkfox]], [[FFL2and3rocks]] and [[Saikar]].

==See also==
*[[List of Charas moderators]]

[[Category:Charas Forums]]

Osmose

Osmose — Wed, 09 May 2007 19:02:15 GMT

Osmose:

{{CharasUserInfo|name=Osmose(Moose)|pic=osmose_avatar.gif|join=July 2004|stat=Active|pos=[[Moderator#Head Admin|Head Admin]]|profile=http://charas-project.net/forum/viewmember.php?userid=9329|bday=March 7th, 1989|gender=Male}}
Osmose is a Head Admin of [[Charas Project]]. He is usually referred to by his nickname, "Moose".

==2004==
===Early Days===
Osmose first came to Charas after being disillusioned from programming due to a series of incidents at another game making site. He saw that Charas focused on spriting, and decided that he would practice his spriting skills for a while on the site. Most of his work during this period was not that great, although he did create much of the content for the FF5 style of [[BattleCharaset|battlecharas]].

===A Chance Meeting===
Then-Requests-Moderator, [[Sai'Kar]], created a thread offering to do a single battlechara, as he had stopped making them for awhile, and was quite famous in the community for his skill. By a stroke of luck, Osmose was the first to reply to the offer, and began a chain of private messages specifying what he wanted in the battlechara. To make things easier, they switched over to instant messager communication. This switch eventually led to a friendship which would later help Osmose attempt to sway forum policy and eventually aid in his attaining a moderator position.

===Feud with Carmen===
Around December 2004, Osmose began to make posts complaining about the then-moderator of All of All, [[carmen|Carmen]]. He accused her of locking threads unfairly, deleting posts, and brushing off any criticism without taking it into consideration. Although his efforts were not successful in rallying support against her, he would continue to hold the grudge and try to accuse her of being a bad moderator up until her demotion and afterwards.

===Wahba===
Sometime during 2004, Osmose teamed up with [[Chaotic Paradox]] to create an account called Wahba. Using this account, he exploited a forum bug where the user could post, hit the back button, and post again to spam a forum full of useless topics. After posting a few hundred threads, he handed over the account to Chaotic, who continued to spam.

After a while the two stopped and attempted to act innocent. Unknownst to them, however, [[Alex]] had the site record the IP of whoever registers an account, and traced it back to Osmose. He PMed Osmose and generally told him off. He was generous, however, and told Osmose he would not punish him, after Osmose explained that his reason for the attack was to point out a glaring flaw in the forum's security. Whether this was the real reason or a convenient excuse is not known.

Chaotic Paradox, presumably not found out, dissappeared from the forums soon after and never returned.

==2005==
2005 was an eventful year, that saw not many changes in Osmose himself, but rather the things he did. He was a major participant in the [[Rendersa]] RP in [[Forum Gaming]], he created [http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=8275&forumid=30&catid=6 a webcomic] based on forum events and the ridiculousness of some members, he created [http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=8697&forumid=33&catid=9 an issue of the dormant Charas Magazine Project] in an attempt to revive it, and was one of the most outspoken members against Lord Raffles (although since the first incident he has taken on a policy of ignorance, refusing to post to or about him or anyone associated with him).

Throughout 2005 Osmose maintained his friendship with Sai'Kar, and several times suggested actions that he wished Sai'Kar to take now that he had been promoted to active administrator for the forums. Although few of these were ever fully executed, he had still become a sort of advisor to Sai'Kar, in much the same way [[Midnight]] was, as they were all close friends.

==2006==
2006 was filled mostly with promotions for Osmose. At the beginning of the year he was promoted to the position of Programming moderator, on the condition that he would be considered for the All of All mod position after a month if he could manage the forum well enough. However, Programming rarely sees and posts, and any attempts to revive it failed. To make matters worse, Sai'Kar, now the active administrator, stated that he did not feel like appointing anyone as All of All moderator after the month had passed. In response to this, and in protest of actions by the staff concerning a troll invasion, Osmose resigned his position.

This did not stop his attempts, however. As time passed, his constant nagging, along with similar efforts by Midnight, led to the both of them being promoted to the All of All position. Osmose attempted to hold a more common-sense policy, refusing to lock threads that did not '''need''' to be locked, and allowing a change of topic, only stepping in to halt outright spam.

When [[Alex]] resigned as site head to focus on his personal pursuits, he appointed Osmose as the new generators manager, giving him the power to approve and deny resources for the generators, as well as create new generators, although access to site code was still restricted to Alex only. The option of choosing an aide for the generators was left open to Osmose, but so far he has not appointed anyone.

==2007==

After the [[2007 Forum Gaming attack|Forum Gaming incident]], Osmose was given [[Moderator#Global Moderator|Global Moderator]] status.

Following Sai'Kar's resignation, Osmose, along with Razor, was promoted to Head Admin.

==See Also==
* [[SaiKar]]
* [[Generators]]
* [[Complete Resources]]

[[Category:Charas Forums members]][[Category:Charas Forums moderators]][[category:Charas-Project SysOps]]

Talk:Lord Raffles

Osmose — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:44:04 GMT

Osmose:

==Notice==
Originally, we agreed to not make a Lord Raffles article, as it would only fuel his ego - but I now feel that it is unavoidable.

This is bound to be a very controversial article. For now, I am protecting it, so any edits that you want made to the article will have to go here first. If you don't like it, then screw you: it's my wiki, and I'll do whatever the hell I want with it. [[User:Admin|Admin]] 23:41, 5 March 2007 (EST)

:Actually, to make this Wiki as accurate and objective as possible, I think we should even add such articles, even though it might "fuel someone's ego".
:But I do think the article looks horrid. It doesn't appeal to get read.--[[User:GaryCXJk|GaryCXJk]] 14:11, 6 March 2007 (EST)
::One of the problems with it is that Warxe also ripped out the rest of the things that were going on during the Raffles era, namely the staff's inability to get along, and just stuck it with the Raffles article for some reason. He did the same thing with the RRWP + new mods. Don't know why. - [[User:SaiKar|SaiKar]] 22:41, 6 March 2007 (EST)
:::This isn't the type of organization that the History article quite needed. [[User:Osmose|Osmose]] 11:35, 7 March 2007 (EST)

:It's not your wiki. It's the community's wiki. You don't have free reign, you have other sysops to consult with, as well as the rest of Charas to reach consensus with. The whole concept of a wiki is to share with others, not to have one person own it. Also, no one is going to spam this page, and if they do, we can easily handle it. The protect is unneeded and I'm removing it until we can have a Sysop meeting to work out a few issues. [[User:Osmose|Osmose]] 11:44, 7 March 2007 (EST)

Talk:Lord Raffles

Osmose — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:35:09 GMT

Osmose:

Charasverse: Osmose

Osmose — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:33:39 GMT

Osmose:

The following [[Charasverse]] entry is about the fictional story created by the member [[Osmose]], mainly to supplement his character, known by either the same name or as "Moose".

==The Continuum==
The story begins with the creation of the Continuum, an organization stemming from the discovery of the ability to travel between possible universes. The organization was created in order to control and manage travel between alternate realities so that any problems that could possibly stem from this would be able to be handled efficiently.

The specific method of traveling between one reality and another is never explained. However, a few things are known about it:
* Travel is done in large ships that range between 100 meters and 400 meters long.
* Ships capable of traveling between realities are referred to as "Dimensional Ships" for convenience.
* Although it is not required for travel between realities, nearly every dimensional ship is equipped to operate in the air, in a vacuum, under water, or any other circumstance that the ship may find itself in (exceptions include molten rock, due to limitations on the ship structure and hull thickness).
* Not all realities can be traveled to - although they can be detected, the Continuum is of the habit of sending an unmanned probe to test whether travel will succeed or fail. This is only done if initial scans indicate that a reality is viable for travel. This is another reason why travel is so closely regulated, so that people do not attempt travel and end up dead.
* Any source of power may be used for travel, as long as it meets the massive energy requirements for travel. Some power sources work better than others and require less power, however.
* Each reality has various points of entry that an arriving ship may appear at, although there is a limited number of them. Once a ship has arrived at a certain entry point, it may plot the point and send the data to the Continuum, who can then distribute the data and allow other ships to choose their point of entry based on specific ship settings given to them by the Continuum.

The Continuum regulates travel and issues ships that are capable of travel on a limited basis to pilots employed by the organization. Generally, any sort of government or collection of governments is kept autonomous, and merely negotiations terms with the Continuum, such as limits on travel or no-travel zones. It is a commonly accepted theory that there is no reality currently more technologically advanced than the Continuum (Based in the first reality that achieved inter-reality travel), due to the fact that there is only one Continuum. However, this conflicts with the equally-common theory of infinite universes. Scientists working at the Continuum have long given up on attempting to figure out the true nature of alternate realities.

Of the realities the Continuum has discovered and made contact with, only 78 of them have agreed to allow unrestricted travel; 31 more have restricted travel limits, and 45 of them have requested no-travel status and been granted it. Several of the various realities have been the basis for stories in other realities; Halo, a story concerning a reality dominated by war, is one of the most popular.

==Project Sparkslide==
During a routine analysis of a reality that was a possible travel candidate, probes sent to scan the area around the initial entry point detected a huge amount of energy emitting from a planet near the entry point. Further scans indicated that the energy appeared to be emanating from a single being. Visual scans described the being as humanoid, with a blurred figure - the skin on the being appeared to be constantly masked in shadow despite ambient light. What appeared to be the eyes of the being appears as luminescent, oversized circles on the being's face - no other facial features were observable, although a rough nose shape could be gleaned from the profile.

The planet on which the being occupied was inhabited with a human-like species (Besides various slight internal differences, a large amount of alternate realities contained races very similar to humans, so much that they were dubbed "human-like" instead of simply humanoid). First contact was made successfully, and the being was soon brought to the Continuum for an interview.

The being called himself a "Black Mage," referencing his ability to manifest the energy he contained within his body as various forms of matter and energy, most easily being able to emit fire, lightning, and ice, although other, more complex effects were possible with concentration and training. It was discovered that he (He possessed a masculine frame and human male genetalia) was not a fully biological being; he was created by a scientist in his home reality during an experiment with gene splicing and DNA construction. A notable feature of the being was that he had been "alive" for 60 years (his creator was an extremely old man at this point) and showed no signs of aging - he had also achieved what could be roughly equated to maturity 10 years after his creation. The source of his internal energy could not be easily determined, but one thing was apparent to the Continuum - he had a massive amount of energy that was renewable and clean.

The technique of creation was described by the scientist, and soon enough the Continuum began attempting to recreate a similar creature. Most attempts failed outright; a few creations survived initially but died later due to imperfections in the creation. These experiments continued in secret; the moral implications involved were a threat to the possible rewards of what was now called Project Sparkslide, in a homage to a popular video game that contained a move called "Shinespark," which allowed the hero to fly through the air at high speed and power.

Over the course of 40 years, the Project slowly progressed to the point that 3 Black Mages had survived into adulthood (Age 10). At this point, it was decided that the first serious attempt at creating a "perfect" Black Mage should be attempted. The three current Mages were imprisoned and reportedly killed as a part of Continuum protocol.

It was agreed upon by the project heads that an external environment would be most amicable to the Black Mage's development, and a reality was selected. The location selected within the reality was Ice-type planet (It had been discovered that in some realities there were planets that contained a singular climate throughout the entire environment; an Ice-type planet had what was analogous to Winter all year long). The Black Mage was created and sent immediately to the planet along with a trainer who would act as the father of the mage. The mage himself was named "Osmose" by the project heads; the name symbolized the hopeful goal of the project: a being who would be able to travel between realities (As, say, water moves through various membranes via osmosis) and eventually be able to fuel Dimensional Ships.

'''To Be Continued'''

Talk:CharasVerse

Osmose — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:32:40 GMT

Osmose:

Is there any particular reason we're using random reality numbers rather than, say, "Micras Mythos" or "Iseo Reality" or something considerably easier to navigate? - [[User:SaiKar|SaiKar]] 11:28, 7 March 2007 (EST)

Yeah, these numbers only add confusion and clutter. A Charasverse: Namespace is all we need. I've already removed the number category from my user page and am going to do the rest to my pages because I think the idea is kinda ridiculous. Charasverse is an amazing idea, and good job on that, Warxe, but don't overcomplicate it. [[User:Osmose|Osmose]] 11:32, 7 March 2007 (EST)

Osmose

Osmose — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:29:32 GMT

Osmose: ...what? Numbered Reality? Even if it was a good idea, not my profile page, no.

{{CharasUserInfo|name=Osmose(Moose)|pic=osmose_avatar.gif|join=July 2004|stat=Active|pos=Generators Manager<br />[[Moderator#Global Moderator|Global Moderator]]|profile=http://charas-project.net/forum/viewmember.php?userid=9329|bday=March 7th, 1989|gender=Male}}
Osmose is a prominent member and moderator of [[Charas Project]]. He is usually referred to by his nickname, "Moose".

==2004==
===Early Days===
Osmose first came to Charas after being disillusioned from programming due to a series of incidents at another game making site. He saw that Charas focused on spriting, and decided that he would practice his spriting skills for a while on the site. Most of his work during this period was not that great, although he did create much of the content for the FF5 style of [[BattleCharaset|battlecharas]].

===A Chance Meeting===
Then-Requests-Moderator, [[Sai'Kar]], created a thread offering to do a single battlechara, as he had stopped making them for awhile, and was quite famous in the community for his skill. By a stroke of luck, Osmose was the first to reply to the offer, and began a chain of private messages specifying what he wanted in the battlechara. To make things easier, they switched over to instant messager communication. This switch eventually led to a friendship which would later help Osmose attempt to sway forum policy and eventually aid in his attaining a moderator position.

===Feud with Carmen===
Around December 2004, Osmose began to make posts complaining about the then-moderator of All of All, [[carmen|Carmen]]. He accused her of locking threads unfairly, deleting posts, and brushing off any criticism without taking it into consideration. Although his efforts were not successful in rallying support against her, he would continue to hold the grudge and try to accuse her of being a bad moderator up until her demotion and afterwards.

===Wahba===
Sometime during 2004, Osmose teamed up with [[Chaotic Paradox]] to create an account called Wahba. Using this account, he exploited a forum bug where the user could post, hit the back button, and post again to spam a forum full of useless topics. After posting a few hundred threads, he handed over the account to Chaotic, who continued to spam.

After a while the two stopped and attempted to act innocent. Unknownst to them, however, [[Alex]] had the site record the IP of whoever registers an account, and traced it back to Osmose. He PMed Osmose and generally told him off. He was generous, however, and told Osmose he would not punish him, after Osmose explained that his reason for the attack was to point out a glaring flaw in the forum's security. Whether this was the real reason or a convenient excuse is not known.

Chaotic Paradox, presumably not found out, dissappeared from the forums soon after and never returned.

==2005==
2005 was an eventful year, that saw not many changes in Osmose himself, but rather the things he did. He was a major participant in the [[Rendersa]] RP in [[Forum Gaming]], he created [http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=8275&forumid=30&catid=6 a webcomic] based on forum events and the ridiculousness of some members, he created [http://charas-project.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=8697&forumid=33&catid=9 an issue of the dormant Charas Magazine Project] in an attempt to revive it, and was one of the most outspoken members against Lord Raffles (although since the first incident he has taken on a policy of ignorance, refusing to post to or about him or anyone associated with him).

Throughout 2005 Osmose maintained his friendship with Sai'Kar, and several times suggested actions that he wished Sai'Kar to take now that he had been promoted to active administrator for the forums. Although few of these were ever fully executed, he had still become a sort of advisor to Sai'Kar, in much the same way [[Midnight]] was, as they were all close friends.

==2006==
2006 was filled mostly with promotions for Osmose. At the beginning of the year he was promoted to the position of Programming moderator, on the condition that he would be considered for the All of All mod position after a month if he could manage the forum well enough. However, Programming rarely sees and posts, and any attempts to revive it failed. To make matters worse, Sai'Kar, now the active administrator, stated that he did not feel like appointing anyone as All of All moderator after the month had passed. In response to this, and in protest of actions by the staff concerning a troll invasion, Osmose resigned his position.

This did not stop his attempts, however. As time passed, his constant nagging, along with similar efforts by Midnight, led to the both of them being promoted to the All of All position. Osmose attempted to hold a more common-sense policy, refusing to lock threads that did not '''need''' to be locked, and allowing a change of topic, only stepping in to halt outright spam.

When [[Alex]] resigned as site head to focus on his personal pursuits, he appointed Osmose as the new generators manager, giving him the power to approve and deny resources for the generators, as well as create new generators, although access to site code was still restricted to Alex only. The option of choosing an aide for the generators was left open to Osmose, but so far he has not appointed anyone.

==2007==

After the [[2007 Forum Gaming attack|Forum Gaming incident]], Osmose was given [[Moderator#Global Moderator|Global Moderator]] status.

==See Also==
* [[SaiKar]]
* [[Generators]]
* [[Complete Resources]]

[[Category:Charas Forums members]][[Category:Charas Forums moderators]][[category:Charas-Project SysOps]]

Charasverse: Osmose

Osmose — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:04:29 GMT

Osmose:

RPG Maker (series)

Osmose — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 06:35:48 GMT

Osmose: /* Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color */

{{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 it's 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]]

RPG Maker (series)

Osmose — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:47:15 GMT

Osmose: /* Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2 */

{{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 it's 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:
===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)

Osmose — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:43:01 GMT

Osmose: /* RPG Tsukūru GB */

{{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 it's 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:
===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===
===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)

Osmose — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:40:50 GMT

Osmose: /* RPG Tsukūru GB */

{{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 it's 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:
===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.

===Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2===
===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)

Osmose — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:35:41 GMT

Osmose: /* Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color */

{{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 it's 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:
===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. It is also worth mentioning that games made in RMGB are very laggy, despite being made to be played on the handheld.

===Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2===
===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)

Osmose — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:27:46 GMT

Osmose: /* RPG Tsukūru GB */

{{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 it's 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==
===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

===Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2===
===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)

Osmose — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 14:11:42 GMT

Osmose: /* Platforms */

{{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 it's 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==
===RPG Tsukūru GB===
===Uchujin Tanaka Tarou De RPG Tsukūru GB 2===
===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)

Osmose — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 00:11:19 GMT

Osmose: /* Super NES */

{{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 four 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.
===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 it's 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==

==Playstation and Playstation 2==

==Other platforms==

=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]]

Talk:History of Charas

Osmose — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 01:13:03 GMT

Osmose: /* Removal of Second Moderator Elections */

Just so everyone knows, this article is a massive work in progress. It ends right now still in 2004. I'm going to try to take it up to the present and will be using the topic created on the forums to supliment my own research/rambling memories. - [[User:SaiKar|SaiKar]]

Oh, and I've essentially given up trying to avoid putting my bias into the article. The section labeled "The Dark Age" pissed me off to no end and caused a ton of trouble for the forum. [[User:SaiKar|SaiKar]]

:I'll try to get rid of some bias, if needed, and I will try to add some more light in it.--[[User:GaryCXJk|GaryCXJk]] 09:58, 19 January 2007 (EST)
:Okay, never mind. Somehow this article is too messed up to fix.--[[User:GaryCXJk|GaryCXJk]] 09:59, 19 January 2007 (EST)

::It's not really messed up. It's just very long. <_< [[User:SaiKar|SaiKar]] 10:32, 19 January 2007 (EST)
:::Dude, you really need a life. And from what I've read about this whole TrollKingdom thing, I really don't like it. It's like, when I'm not around, things get really whack. As if the whole forum's on crack. Ya dig?--[[User:GaryCXJk|GaryCXJk]] 10:37, 19 January 2007 (EST)
::::I like typing, so what? And I dig about TK. Not some of my better moments. But I didn't see any bright ideas from anyone else on how to stop an infinite influx of Raffles-esque trolls. We did the best we could. [[User:SaiKar|SaiKar]] 10:39, 19 January 2007 (EST)
:::::Actually, I did like how you handle it. It's just that I didn't like the whole "ZOMG IT R TEH FAULT OF TEH MODERATORZ UND SAIKARZ DAT WE R IN TEH SHITZ". They basically put blame on others of their own failure. That is so weak. And you really had the right to leave, seeing as moderators and administrators can't do everything.--[[User:GaryCXJk|GaryCXJk]] 10:54, 19 January 2007 (EST)

Oh, and I would also like to add this, because it is a great quote which should be used for this article, to conclude the troll article:

{{Quote|name=SaiKar|text=Sanctuary Fortress will be closed soon. I'll make it a forum invisible to all but admins and there will be no activity here.

The trolls have been repelled through a combination of good strategy, bad ideas, and dumb luck. Though far too often the real enemies are ourseleves and our inabilities to listen or compromise or admit we're wrong. No no, don't feel guilty. I'm just sayin'.

This forum will shut down officially some time tomorrow. Copy any threads you want for blackmail purposes soon. Some day, maybe, the fotress will arise again.}}

Maybe just the center part, but it's really a good closure for the article.
--[[User:GaryCXJk|GaryCXJk]] 11:39, 19 January 2007 (EST)

: Kay. When I finish the troll article that is next that will go on there. - [[User:SaiKar|SaiKar]] 12:20, 19 January 2007 (EST)

==Bonk!==
After the troll wars, you've got to mention the bonking thing. It's amazing how such a simple idea of keeping people inline exploded so terribly, with absolutely no help from Kijuki. Wait. Except, he was helping the exploding. But he wasn't helping us. And that's what I meant.[[User:Razor|Razor]] 05:14, 21 January 2007 (EST)
: In good time, in good time. - [[User:SaiKar|SaiKar]] 06:29, 21 January 2007 (EST)

Oh, don't mind me. I'm just EAGERLY AWAITING THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF SAI'S FANTASTICALLY WRITTEN UP TEXT. [[User:Razor|Razor]] 18:41, 1 February 2007 (EST)
: Ok that was pretty awesome. But it lacked a cliffhanger, for the next exciting installment! Whatever that is. ... What did happen next? [[User:Razor|Razor]] 02:01, 7 February 2007 (EST)
:: Kijuki's appointments and increasing moderator / member tensions that finally erupted into the Bonk argument / Kijuki getting banned. I think. I haven't researched it that much yet.

==Removal of Second Moderator Elections==
I thought we were going to cut up the History AFTER it's been finished? [[User:Razor|Razor]] 20:01, 9 February 2007 (EST)
:If not that at least a more orderly system being established before it gets chopped. Having that random link there throws the whole thing off. [[User:Osmose|Osmose]] 20:13, 9 February 2007 (EST)

RPG Maker (series)

Osmose — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:11:17 GMT

Osmose: /* Legality */

{{Addplz}}
{{Cleanup}}
'''RPG Maker''' (also known as RPG Tsukuru) 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 four 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.
===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 it's 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==

==Game Boy Advance==

==Playstation and Playstation 2==

==Other platforms==

=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)

Osmose — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:50:43 GMT

Osmose: /* RPG Maker XP */

{{Addplz}}
{{Cleanup}}
'''RPG Maker''' (also known as RPG Tsukuru) 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 four 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.
===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 it's 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==

==Game Boy Advance==

==Playstation and Playstation 2==

==Other platforms==

=Legality=

=Usage=

=Online Community=

[[Category: RPG Maker]]

RPG Maker (series)

Osmose — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:43:40 GMT

Osmose: /* RPG Maker 2003 */

RPG Maker (series)

Osmose — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:38:34 GMT

Osmose: /* RPG Maker 2000 */

RPG Maker (series)

Osmose — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:33:34 GMT

Osmose: /* RPG Maker 2003 */

RPG Maker (series)

Osmose — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:43:08 GMT

Osmose:

RPG Maker (series)

Osmose — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:42:01 GMT

Osmose: Added a little on the PC versions - will try to add more later.

Talk:Complete Resources Uploader Team

Osmose — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 09:32:09 GMT

Osmose:

Damnit Warxe! For the last time, I am not a Complete Resources uploader! [[User:Osmose|Osmose]] 04:32, 7 February 2007 (EST)

Complete Resources Uploader Team

Osmose — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 09:31:34 GMT

Osmose: /* In a Nutshell */

{{addplz}}

===In a Nutshell===

Complete Resources Uploader Team is users who oversee and manage the resources contained on the Complete Resources section. Though there were more users before all have fallen leaving only [[User:Darkfox|Darkfox]].

===Order to be Upheld?===

Complete Resources is usually subject to either stolen sprites, generated resources, RTP recolors, and the dreaded MSPaint scribbles. It is the job of these users to filter those out and make sure that each submission is in it's proper category.

===Why can't I submit JPEGs?===

JPEGs or JPGs are a bad image format and is impossible to convert to with MSPaint without image distortion. Too many were submitting things this way so this format was blocked. The PNG format is much more acceptable anyways as there is no distortion and they are properly compressed.

New members on Charas

Osmose — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 09:03:17 GMT

Osmose: /* Mistreatment of Noobs and Newbies */

{{cleanup}}

== Noob vs Newbie: the Common Misconception ==
On Charas, and indeed on most forums, there is a certain disrespect for newer members or people with less knowledge of the forum. A few young egotistical kids that have no respect for any rules or standards of the forum get on everyone's nerves. These people get labelled as noobs (or n00bs). In short, a noob is someone who doesn't have a clue, much common sense, or any respect for anyone or anything on the forum.

Not everyone has this attitude while joining the forum of course. Newbies, newcomers to the forum, still don't really understand what is going on but aren't a jerk about it. It's not that hard to tell the difference between the two.

The following are common descprtions of noob and newbie behavior and how they compare.

* Noobs post without THOROUGHLY understanding the rules, expecting to know them already. Newbies may post without knowing the rules, but when said rules are pointed out, they generally read them and understand the basics.

* Noobs claim superiority over those who clearly are superior of them. Newbies are usually too lost or uncomfortable to get involved much at the beginning.

* In comic threads, Noobs plead for cameos, despite only being a member for 2 weeks. Newbies generally don't and just compliment the comics they like.

* Usually Noobs try to be cool by imitating other members or mentioning something that's always talked about. One example would be having Sephiroth in their name and/or having Cloud in their avatar and/or signature. (Sephiroth Rocks being a notable exception)

Everyone is a newbie at one point. It's not really a bad thing. Being a newbie just means you're new to the forum. Once some time passes and these people get comfortable the label goes away.

Being a noob is an attitude. Being a newbie is measure of time. The two labels are only partially related. Some new people avoid being noobs because they aren't insulting or egotistical. Other noobs stay noobs even long after they're no longer considered newbies simply because they keep the attitude of being a jerk.

==Mistreatment of Noobs and Newbies==
Unfortunately all newbies suffer under the shadow of the noobs. Noobs leave bitter memories in the minds of older members and they view every newcomer with some suspicion even if those people have done absolutely nothing wrong. The mistreatment of newbies is a major problem on Charas and is largely blamed for a slowing down of newer membership.

Noobs are a different story. Although this article may lead you to believe all those labeled as "noobs" are free game, this is hardly the case. The only group of people larger than noobs are the people who hate them and feel it's their responsibility to insult these people to either shape them up or, ideally, make them leave.

In the minority, however, are people who believe that all new people should be treated with just as much respect as older members. They see the flaming of these people as cruel and unnecessary. The idea is this: At one point in everyone's life, they were inexperienced with the internet. They didn't know the proper way to act online and simply wanted to have fun on the internet. Instead of driving potential users away, these few people believe that newbies should be pointed towards the rules and encouraged to shape up, rather than berated for their mistake.

Sadly, the number of people dedicated to helping newcomers to the website is too small to combat the excessively large amount of people who think their ridicule is acceptable.

Main Page

Osmose — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 03:13:24 GMT

Osmose: Updated policy box a bit.

<center><font style="font-size: 36px; font-weight:bold; align:center;">Welcome to the Charas Project Wiki</font>
<br /><br />
We are still working on setting ourselves up, so please bear with any messy formatting and such. If you want to help out, check the [[current events|Stuff to Do]] and [[Special:Wantedpages|Pages We Need Made]] pages.
<br /><br />
Wiki created January 15th, 2007.</center>

<table width="100%"><tr>
<td width="50%" style="vertical-align: top;">{{Generalbox|title=Letter from the Admin|width=100%|content=Don't forget to try to be at least partially neutral, speak in the third-person narrative, and generally clean up articles. Also, check out the new forum for discussing improvements to the wiki. [http://charas-project.net/forum/browse_forum.php?catid=4&forumid=48 Check it out here].<br /><br />
If you're signing up to this wiki, '''please''' use your forum member name. It gets too confusing when we have members with obtuse, unheard-of names.<br /><font align="right">- ''Management''</font>}}<br />{{Generalbox|title=Helpful and Interesting Links|width=100%|content=[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style Wikipedia Manual of Style] - Shows some great ways to write a good article.<br />[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cheatsheet Wikipedia Editing Cheatsheet] - Quick reference for Wiki markup.<br />[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:How_to_edit_a_page Wikipedia How to Edit a Page] - Much more detailed resource for editing wiki pages: Highly Recommended}}</td>

<td width="50%" style="vertical-align: top;">{{Generalbox|title=Administive Pick|width=100%|content='''Every so often the admins will add a new page here as an example of a decent article.'''<br />'''The current pick is [[Vol. I Iss. I|Charas Magazine Vol. I Iss. I]]'''<br /><br />''What is a Wiki?<br>A Wiki is like an encyclopedia that users can edit whenever they want. It allows for a universal knowledge on a subject that people can agree upon or take into consideration. Now Charas-Project has their very own!<br><br>The Charas-Project Wiki covers topics from specific members to the [[All of All]] forum. You can add your own member page and create articles dealing with the forum or the main website. Some of the most viewed articles include:
*[[Razor]]
*[[Trolls, tools and other rejects]]
*[[MrMister]]''}}</td>
</tr>
<tr><td width="100%" colspan="2">
{{Generalbox|title=Useful Categories and Such|width=100%|content=<center>[[:Category:Articles that need more information|Articles That Need More Information]] - [[:Category:templates|List of Templates]] - [[:Category:Charas Forums|Charas Forums]] - [[:Category:Charas Forums members|Charas Forums Members]] - [[:Category:Charas Forums moderators|Charas Forums Moderators]] - [[History of Charas]] - [[:Category:Tutorials|Tutorials]]</center>}}
</td></tr>
</table>

List of Charas moderators

Osmose — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 01:46:28 GMT

Osmose:

The following is a list of the [[Moderator|moderating staff]] at Charas.

===Current Moderators===
* [[Alex]] - [[Moderator#Webmaster|Webmaster]]
* [[Razor]] - [[Moderator#Global Moderator|Global Mod]]
* [[SaiKar]] - [[Moderator#Admin|Administrator]]
* [[Ace of Spades]] - [[Games]], [[Requests]]
* [[Darkfox]] - [[Moderator#Honourary Moderator|Honourary Moderator]], [[Moderator#Complete Resources Uploader|Complete Resources Uploader]]
* [[De KoFfie©]] - [[PUB (Php Über Board)]], [[PHP]], [[HTML & DHTML]]
* [[FFL2and3rocks]] - [[Charas Project (forum)]], [[Resources]], [[Gallery]]
* [[GPI]] - [[Charas.EX]]
* [[Grandragora]] - [[SEER (Simple Engineering Environment for RPGs)]]
* [[Midnight]] - [[All of All]]
* [[Moosetroop]] - [[Creative Arts]]
* [[MrMister]] - [[Test & welcome board]]
* [[Osmose]] - [[Community Contest Team]], [[All of All]], [[Moderator#Generators Manager|Generators Uploader]]
* [[Robotam]] - [[Moderator#Honourary Moderator|Honourary Moderator]]
* [[SMB]] - [[Resources]], [[Requests]]

(Note that all current non-Honourary Moderators also have moderation power in the [[Junk Bin]].)

==Former Moderators== (incomplete)
* [[Kijuki_Magazaki]] - [[Moderator#Admin|Administrator]]
* [[Gary Kertopermono|GaryCXJk]] - [[Moderator#Global Moderator|Global Mod]]
* [[GhostClown]] - [[Moderator#Global Moderator|Global Mod]]
* [[carmen]] - [[All of All]], [[Community Contest Team]], other ones
* [[Reain_]] - [[All of All]], others
* [[Trevlac]] - [[All of All]]
* [[Red Giant]] - [[All of All]] (Seeing a pattern here?)
* [[PyroAlchemist|PyroAlchemist/Gary]] - [[Creative Arts]]
* [[Trolls, tools and other rejects#kAiRoU|kAiRoU]] - [[Charas Project Official Magazine Team]]
* [[Charaman]] - [[THE MODIFIERS]]
* [[Warxe_PhoenixBlade]], [[RPG Maker Programming]], [[Tutorials]], [[Forum gaming]], [[Complete Resources Uploader Team]], [[Moderator#Complete Resources Uploader|Complete Resources Uploader]]

==References==
* [http://charas-project.net/forum/forumleaders.php Forum Leaders]

==See also==
*[[Moderator]]
*[[List of forums in the Charas Forums]]

[[Category:Charas Forums members]]

SiteDoc:Uploading to the Generators

Osmose — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 23:03:00 GMT

Osmose: /* Battlechara Generator */

Charas is a site that runs on the fuel of its users: without them, the generators have no resources, and thus cannot make anything. Contributing something to the generators is a great way to give back to the community, but there are guidelines and rules in place to ensure that the submission process is as clean as possible.

==General Rules==
Each generator subscribes to similar rules: You must make sure that what you submit is what you want to appear - generator uploaders will edit a resource in case it is not compatible with the generators, but only to a certain extent - if you made little effort to check if your resource is compatible with the generators, odds are it will be rejected. Do not fret! You can clean up your resource and submit it again if you think this has happened. Don't go overboard though - sometimes resources are not up to the generator standards, but this is a rare occasion.

===Do not submit complete charasets, battlecharas, or faces!===
:Whether it be out of confusion with Complete Resources or simply ignorance, many people will create a full charaset and submit it as a part for the generators. These resources are rejected outright - even if the hair, clothes, and face are all custom, we will not take the time to split up your work and possibly have to edit it ourselves for the generator. It's that simple: Only submit bodies to the bodies section, hair to the hair section, clothes to the clothes section, etc.

===Make sure your background is pure white!===
:This one is a little less obvious. The Charas Generators detect transparency by setting the color pure white, hex color '''#FFFFFF'''. as transparent. Thus, the background and any other transparent parts of your resource must be pure white, NOT green like the generator produces. If a part of your resource needs to be white, use a shade of white that is not quite pure white; we suggest the color '''#FEFEFE'''. It is so light that it is perceived as white, but the generators will not cut it out from the final product.

===Submit to the right section and do not submit the same resource!===
:Unless you have made a major mistake and believe it is necessary, please refrain from submitting the same resource multiple times. We get it every time, and although it's not a dire problem, it is annoying regardless. One larger problem, however, is people submitting parts to the wrong section. Again, this is fixable, but it speeds up the acceptance time by making sure what you submit is in the right section.

===Keep resource filenames short!===
:The five most current resources are shown on the main page of the website. If you upload a file with a huge filename, it may stretch and skew the main page. Be brief yet specific - your image name should be unique. Try a format such as: "Username_Resource_#.PNG" It is relatively small and yet highly unique.

===PNGs Only!===
:Charas will only accept 8-bit (256 color) PNG files. If you cannot create a PNG file with your current software, try an alternative, such as [http://www.ultimatepaint.com/ Ultimate Paint].

==Battlechara Generator==
[[Image:BattleChara Base.png|thumbnail|right|Battlechara Template]]
The [[Battlechara]] generator is for creating battle graphics for [[RPG Maker 2003]]. A few months ago it underwent a change in format as Charas upgraded to a new generator system, and as such the dimensions for battlechara resources are a little different.

Resources submitted to the Battlechara Generator must:
* Have dimensions of 288x384 pixels.
* Be an 8-bit PNG
* Contain both the Battlechara 1 and 2 standard animations.

Charas generated Battlecharas must be split into two parts in order to be imported into RPG Maker, as they combine the two separate resources needed by the program for a Battlechara.

==Charaset Generator==
[[Image:Charaset Base.png|thumbnail|left|Charaset Template]]
Charasets are common to all RPG Makers, although [[RMXP]] uses them in a different layout that Charas does not currently export to. Charasets submitted to Charas must:
* Have dimensions of 72x128 pixels.
* Be an 8-bit PNG
* Be a single charaset, not an 8-charaset image that RPG Maker normally takes.

To import a charaset into RPG Maker, you must add it into a larger image along with 7 other charasets arranged in two rows of four charasets. Charas can actually generate one of these from your saved resources.

==Faceset Generator==
[[Image:Faceset Base.png|thumbnail|right|Face Template]]
Facesets are another resource used in every PC-based RPG Maker. They generally use more colors than other resources and are often subject to color loss because of this. Faceset resources submitted to Charas must:
* Have dimensions of 48x48 pixels.
* Be an 8-bit PNG.
*Be a single face, as opposed to a 16-face set.

RPG Maker accepts faces in a larger image containing 16 faces arrange in 4 rows of 4 faces each. Charas, however, cannot currently make one of these automatically - you have to handle it yourself.

SiteDoc:Uploading to the Generators

Osmose — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:57:30 GMT

Osmose: Site Documentation Page

Charas is a site that runs on the fuel of its users: without them, the generators have no resources, and thus cannot make anything. Contributing something to the generators is a great way to give back to the community, but there are guidelines and rules in place to ensure that the submission process is as clean as possible.

==General Rules==
Each generator subscribes to similar rules: You must make sure that what you submit is what you want to appear - generator uploaders will edit a resource in case it is not compatible with the generators, but only to a certain extent - if you made little effort to check if your resource is compatible with the generators, odds are it will be rejected. Do not fret! You can clean up your resource and submit it again if you think this has happened. Don't go overboard though - sometimes resources are not up to the generator standards, but this is a rare occasion.

===Do not submit complete charasets, battlecharas, or faces!===
:Whether it be out of confusion with Complete Resources or simply ignorance, many people will create a full charaset and submit it as a part for the generators. These resources are rejected outright - even if the hair, clothes, and face are all custom, we will not take the time to split up your work and possibly have to edit it ourselves for the generator. It's that simple: Only submit bodies to the bodies section, hair to the hair section, clothes to the clothes section, etc.

===Make sure your background is pure white!===
:This one is a little less obvious. The Charas Generators detect transparency by setting the color pure white, hex color '''#FFFFFF'''. as transparent. Thus, the background and any other transparent parts of your resource must be pure white, NOT green like the generator produces. If a part of your resource needs to be white, use a shade of white that is not quite pure white; we suggest the color '''#FEFEFE'''. It is so light that it is perceived as white, but the generators will not cut it out from the final product.

===Submit to the right section and do not submit the same resource!===
:Unless you have made a major mistake and believe it is necessary, please refrain from submitting the same resource multiple times. We get it every time, and although it's not a dire problem, it is annoying regardless. One larger problem, however, is people submitting parts to the wrong section. Again, this is fixable, but it speeds up the acceptance time by making sure what you submit is in the right section.

===Keep resource filenames short!===
:The five most current resources are shown on the main page of the website. If you upload a file with a huge filename, it may stretch and skew the main page. Be brief yet specific - your image name should be unique. Try a format such as: "Username_Resource_#.PNG" It is relatively small and yet highly unique.

===PNGs Only!===
:Charas will only accept 8-bit (256 color) PNG files. If you cannot create a PNG file with your current software, try an alternative, such as [http://www.ultimatepaint.com/ Ultimate Paint].

==Battlechara Generator==
[[Image:BattleChara Base.png|thumbnail|right|A basic template for making BattleCharas for the generators.]]
The [[Battlechara]] generator is for creating battle graphics for [[RPG Maker 2003]]. A few months ago it underwent a change in format as Charas upgraded to a new generator system, and as such the dimensions for battlechara resources are a little different.

Resources submitted to the Battlechara Generator must:
* Have dimensions of 288x384 pixels.
* Be an 8-bit PNG
* Contain both the Battlechara 1 and 2 standard animations.

Charas generated Battlecharas must be split into two parts in order to be imported into RPG Maker, as they combine the two separate resources needed by the program for a Battlechara.

==Charaset Generator==
[[Image:Charaset Base.png|thumbnail|left|Charaset Template]]
Charasets are common to all RPG Makers, although [[RMXP]] uses them in a different layout that Charas does not currently export to. Charasets submitted to Charas must:
* Have dimensions of 72x128 pixels.
* Be an 8-bit PNG
* Be a single charaset, not an 8-charaset image that RPG Maker normally takes.

To import a charaset into RPG Maker, you must add it into a larger image along with 7 other charasets arranged in two rows of four charasets. Charas can actually generate one of these from your saved resources.

==Faceset Generator==
[[Image:Faceset Base.png|thumbnail|right|Face Template]]
Facesets are another resource used in every PC-based RPG Maker. They generally use more colors than other resources and are often subject to color loss because of this. Faceset resources submitted to Charas must:
* Have dimensions of 48x48 pixels.
* Be an 8-bit PNG.
*Be a single face, as opposed to a 16-face set.

RPG Maker accepts faces in a larger image containing 16 faces arrange in 4 rows of 4 faces each. Charas, however, cannot currently make one of these automatically - you have to handle it yourself.

File:Faceset Base.png

Osmose — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:54:37 GMT

Osmose: Base for Faceset resources submitted to Charas. Originally by The_question.

Base for Faceset resources submitted to Charas. Originally by The_question.

File:Charaset Base.png

Osmose — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:49:50 GMT

Osmose: Base for Charasets submitted to Charas. Originally by Iron.

Base for Charasets submitted to Charas. Originally by Iron.

File:BattleChara Base.png

Osmose — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:42:30 GMT

Osmose: White Man BattleChara Base taken from Charas Generators - Originally by juanosarg

White Man BattleChara Base taken from Charas Generators - Originally by juanosarg

HTML & DHTML

Osmose — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 15:49:15 GMT

Osmose:

==HTML==
===Description===
----
HTML or Hypertext Markup Language, is the skeletal form of every webpage. It is what tells your computer what to load and what a website looks like. It is comprised of many things called tags and several descriptive texts further explaining the tag.

===Tags===
----
Tags are used for different aspects of a website, such as images, forms, and more importantly, text itself. There are many tags for use, however the tags you can use in your website can differ according to the version of HTML your browser uses. Some tags have been deprceiated, or discontinued. When using HTML, be sure to keep your tags up to date.

===HTML's use in Charas===
----
HTML is commonly used in signatures and titles (to get around the avatar limitations). Charas has it's own code for images, however more people are more familiar with HTML.

===Inserting an image with HTML===
To insert an image with HTML, you must first upload it onto a host (see external links). When that is accomplished, copy the image's URL including the .PNG, .GIF, .BMP (not allowed!), etc.

After you have the URL to the image, find where you want to place the image and type in <img src="URL" />, replacing the letters URL with the URL of the picture.

In cases of posts or threads with more than one image needed, such as a game thread with screenshots, the tags can be used more than once.

==DHTML==
===What is it?===
DHTML is a term used to refer to web pages that use client-side scripting techniques. Web programming languages, such as PHP or compiled CGI, process their code before the page is delivered to the user - once the page reaches the user there is no more scripting going on. With DHTML, however, script actions can continue to take place and are processed by the client instead of the server. Expanding and collapsing Javascript menus are one example of DHTML.