How to make a Harvest Moon game using events (rm2k/xp/vx)

[Maria1]

How to make a Harvest Moon game using events

This was originally a project of mine, but since I stopped working on it a LONG time ago, I thought it might at least be helpful to people who are trying to make a farming game similar to Harvest Moon and so I'm releasing it as a kind of "tutorial game". You can open it in the RPG Maker and look how all the events are done.
It is made in RPG Maker 2003, not in XP or VX, but as the event commands are almost the same in all three versions, except for a few, I hope it won't be a big problem. Well, as long as you have RM2k3...


Features:

Everything is done by events as there are no scripts in RM2003.

-Choose from 4 characters (2 boys and 2 girls) and either dog or cat as a pet (they have no function, just run around your farm, cat has 6 colors to choose from)
-Simple crop growing system - plant seeds, water them every day, then harvest them
-Day/Night System with time stopping inside buildings and being shown in the corner of the screen
-Four Seasons - each has 30 days, different screen tones and BGM in each season
-Weather - only sunny/rain/snow, crops are watered in rain
-Running - You can run while holding Shift
-Taking care of chickens and cows - They give you eggs and milk, you must feed them. If you don't, they get unhappy, later sick and if not cured, they die
-Mining - you can go to the mine and get some ore, the better hammer, the better chance of getting it. The mine is like in newer Harvest Moons, but no digging and stairs to lower levels are not hidden
-Upgrading tools - The smith can upgrade your tools, if you have enough experience with them and the right ore
-Enlarging your house - With enough wood the carpenter can make your house bigger or build you chicken coop or barn. He also sells some things for your house - vase, mirror, clock and piano (you can play only one song...)
-Fishing - You can fish, the better your rod, the bigger the fish
-Stamina system - You lose it when using tools and recover by eating or sleeping
-Bank system - you can deposit money and gain interests, when shipping crops (through a barrel on your farm), the money goes to your account instead of being paid directly
-(Cheating - if you don't want to pay for all the upgrades to get cows, you can name yourself 'CHEATER' and there will be a fairy in the forest, who will help you.)


What is NOT done:

-Battles - It's Harvest Moon!
-Relationship system - actually almost no dialogues are done (except smith/carpenter/... and some 'Hi's and 'Hello's)
-holding-things-over-your-head-and-then-giving-to-people system (I tried, but it just didn't work)
-bag
-cooking
-festivals

Download link:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7M4RWWVU
or
http://www.zshare.net/download/12220614da314661/

Screenshots:

Spoiler: Warning! Rm2k3 graphics.

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/2523/screenshot1pe6.png[/img]
planting seeds

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/3797 ... ot2je1.png[/img]
cutting weeds in the rain

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/9263 ... ot3ld2.png[/img]
evening harvest

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/8280 ... t4adc0.png[/img]
in the mine

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5845 ... t5aef2.png[/img]
summer crops

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/4907 ... t6ary2.png[/img]
winter fishing

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/3066 ... t7agn2.png[/img]
picking up mushrooms

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/6109 ... t8awn9.png[/img]
Oh, I didn't feed Bess! Whole week...

I hope that at least somebody will find this useful.

For the others: You don't have to tell me that rm2k3 is old and that all these things can be done with scripts. I know that. But this can still help people who can't script.



Edit: I've finally found out a way to show things you're carrying above your head! Wasn't that hard after all...
The answer is: Animations!
I won't implement it in the demo, but I'm posting some screenshots of the events.

Spoiler

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/8457/scr1jc6.png[/img]

To choose the thing to hold...
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/179/scr2le4.png[/img]

Setting the animation
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/4118/scr3wb4.png[/img]

Parallel process
http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/9830/scr4ge8.png[/img]

I've already tried it in RMXP too and it works even better, because you can wait set amount of frames, instead of seconds.
And don't worry, the lag is hardly even noticeable. I had many events on screen and two other parallel processes running while trying this and it still didn't slow me down.
The longer animation and waiting, the less lag (at least I think so), but it will also take longer time to change if you put the thing down or take a different one.

 

[Ryanna]

Yay now we can all make wonderfull harvest moon games!
Really, I love the game its one of the few only ps1 games i still play.

Now too bad its for rm2k .
Maybe you can convert it? Like you said most of the commands are the same so it shouldn't be as hard..If not then oh well But some of these event systems are really easy but still =D

But you forgot 1 big event system, The bag :P well you cant do it with events but you should add that for the WHAT IS NOT DONE list :P

 

[Maria1]

Now too bad its for rm2k .
Maybe you can convert it? Like you said most of the commands are the same so it shouldn't be as hard..If not then oh well But some of these event systems are really easy but still =D

Actually, I've been working on the XP version for quite some time... But it's nowhere near complete, it doesn't even have the animals yet... Maybe sometime in the future.

But you forgot 1 big event system, The bag :P well you cant do it with events but you should add that for the WHAT IS NOT DONE list :P

Yeah, you're right, although I in fact included it in the "holding-things-above-your-head...." thing.

 

[xBrokenSin]

*shifty-eyes*

Although I haven't posted anything yet, I'm making my own Harvest Moon game using RMXP and scripts.

Back on topic, thats actually pretty cool. I tried making a HM game for rm2k/3 but it was just too laggy with all the events needed. If you had ripped the GBA HM graphics and used that, I think that it would have made the systems seem more... HM-y.

Anyway, good job~! Im sure that will help alot of people... But it probobly would have been better if you actually posted the event codes for each thing you did so people could look at them and figure out how to make it themselves without downloading your project. Some people are just lazy like that. *points to self*

 

[Ryanna]

i love you harvest moon :D!!

and Yay i cant wait for it. I think i'll have to make my game back to Xp just for this. Lol :D


EDIT:  Good luck on your game Brokensin! I cant wait to see it

 

[Maria1]

*shifty-eyes*

Although I haven't posted anything yet, I'm making my own Harvest Moon game using RMXP and scripts.

Back on topic, thats actually pretty cool. I tried making a HM game for rm2k/3 but it was just too laggy with all the events needed. If you had ripped the GBA HM graphics and used that, I think that it would have made the systems seem more... HM-y.

Anyway, good job~! Im sure that will help alot of people... But it probobly would have been better if you actually posted the event codes for each thing you did so people could look at them and figure out how to make it themselves without downloading your project. Some people are just lazy like that. *points to self*

I would have done that if this were a simplier tutorial, but unfortunately there are so many events here that it wouldn't be even possible.
This way people can also better understand what all the things do because they can just run the game.

 

[Ryanna]

Lazy people like me just copy&Paste the event Sytems :D

On: Topic
Oh yea there might be a way for you to have a bag... Cuz one time i played an harvest moon game for 2003 and it had it. It was an evented page. I might be able to do it for XP/VX but its an shot :D yea but sadly it was on an Website who didn't give credits for it recourses so i dont really want to post their website but i might Pm you the link to the game if i can find it..

 

[Gray]

http://www154.megaupload.com/files/afbc ... arming.rar

That's a direct link to the game. Well , at least I think it is. I can't preveiw because of server problems.

 

[Maria1]

http://www154.megaupload.com/files/afbc ... arming.rar

That's a direct link to the game. Well , at least I think it is. I can't preveiw because of server problems.

Which one do you mean? At first I though it was the one Ryanna mentioned, but it's just another link to this one...
So why did you post it? There's a link in the first post...


Edit: I've finally found out a way to show things you're carrying above your head! Wasn't that hard after all...
The answer is: Animations!
For more details see the first post...

 

[fucbillgates]

How long will the xp version take, I don't have rpgmaker 2003 anymore.

 

[Maria1]

How long will the xp version take, I don't have rpgmaker 2003 anymore.

The question is not when but IF it will be ever made. When I said I was working on it, I meant spending about 10 minutes per month...
But I suppose I could do a bit more... At least finish the custom menu I was making (nothing special, I'm a beginner at RGSS) and the features that are present in the rm2k3 version.

 

[Ryanna]

I'm Working on an VX harvest moon i'll work prob atleast 3hours a week ( mostly more )
But it wont be the same as Maria's. But hey its still harvest moon.