So I decided to work on an RPG engine for Game Maker (8.0) that will hopefully include useful things for people.
Features -
Grid based player movement ( working )
NPC movement ( working )
Message system ( working )
Window system ( working )
Inventory and items ( working )
Menu system ( working )
Equipment system ( working )
Save and Load slots ( working )
Battle system ( working )
Cut scene system ( working )
Full tutorial page for the engines use ( in progress )
Details of working and in progress features -
Grid based player movement – So, like in all RPGs the player moves around a grid. Pressing any of the arrow keys causes the player to move ( by default ) 32 pixels in the required direction at a certain speed and of course holding down said arrow key will make the player move more spaces.
NPC Movement – Setting NPC movement is meant to be an easy task. It uses the timeline feature and all you need to do is add a script that moves NPC in any direction you want. You can also set the number of spaces the NPC should move! By default the NPCs also interacts with the player, where the NPCs will not move into a space where the player is moving and the player can’t move into the space the NPC is moving into and when the player moves out of the way the NPC continues along it’s assigned path! =)
Message and Window system - These both kind of go hand in hand, you have the window appear and the message written on it. The window system is designed to draw all windows you may need, all you have to do is set the size (length and height) and where it should appear on the screen and that’s it! You can also get one object to draw multiple windows. The message system is also meant to be easy; you only need to add new lines of text to show multiple sets.
Inventory and Items - This works very similar to some older sytle RPGS ( and those made in RPG Maker ). You have a set of items that do a number of differrent things that can be used on characters when required ( such as healing and mana potions, but can also include other things such as scrolls that teach new abilities and even potions that permenantly increase stats ).
Menu system - This works using the window system and will include things like character information, shops, inns and other general details.
Equipment system – Some items can be equipped ( if set ) that increase characters stats ( available item slots include – chest, helm, weapon, trinket/other and ring/finger ).
Save and Load slots - there will be a limited number of these slots which will provide a little bit of information about the saved game, such as the current character’s level and time played.
Battle system – This is pretty self explanatory, this system handles all aspects of battling. It is a side view, similar to the older games from the Final Fantasy series. You can use your characters abilities and gained items in order to defeat monsters.
Cut scene system – This system is very useful for making the player interact with NPCs. Example - Player makes a discovery and all characters in the party appear and walk around and talk about it and so on.
Full tutorial page – I have also started a full tutorial page, which will help people in the use of the engine.
More updates will be posted when they become available =)
