Introducing something from around the web that might interest RPG Maker users:
http://cherrytree.at/cms/lang/en/projects/ultimate/
RPG Maker 2009
RPG Maker 2009 is a "hack" of RPG Maker 2000 and 2003. It is not a hack in the "opened up and edited" sense of the word; all it does is open the RPG Maker editor as normal and then uses dlls to change it's looks and functionality.
What does it work with?
It works with all forms of RPG Maker 2000 and 2003, which can be legally purchased in Japanese (and then translated using this editor to English without modifying the program illegally) for $50 from import shops around the net.
Description from the site
Features
Interface modification: new, compact toolbar, seperated (”floating”) map tree and chip selector, project’s name in title bar
User-defined interface modification or localization through INI files (UIMod). This replaces the old way, where you had to use Resource Hacker.
Support for multiple instances (up to 100) without conflicts
Opening project by entering the path
Replacement of fonts (this way eliminating the bug where RM2k3 would display a yen sign instead of a backslash)
“User tools” menu where you can put tools you want to call quickly
Support for resources in subfolders
File info for resources (image size, title/copyright information for MIDIs and MP3s, …)
“Undo” button for many event commands
New charset animation type “No steps when moving”
New hotkeys, F11 can now be used in every window to open the music selector, F9 also works in the database
Event command highlighting
Size of event listboxes can be increased
“Secret”, password-protected events
Support for lower layer tiles in upper layer (with one important restriction, read ultimate.txt for details)
Go to a map by entering its ID or a part of its name
Support for comments up to 128 lines
No size check at importing images
Support for 125 (5×25) sprites instead of 25 (5×5) in one animation file
Useful tips and tricks
Language files included: German, French, Spanish and Polish
Language file editor
Anyway
Anyway this is basically a cool continuation of the RPG Maker 2x series. What's more because it is simply a wrapper if you like for the legal Japanese editions of RPG Maker 2000 and 2003, Enterbrain still get that vital money from it.
Screenshots
Please note
HBGames are not associated with RPG Maker 2009. This is simply a link found on the web.
If this picks up we could easily support it as a full engine, since now due to this we can have an English language RPG Maker 2x without hacking the exes. Great!
http://cherrytree.at/cms/lang/en/projects/ultimate/
RPG Maker 2009
RPG Maker 2009 is a "hack" of RPG Maker 2000 and 2003. It is not a hack in the "opened up and edited" sense of the word; all it does is open the RPG Maker editor as normal and then uses dlls to change it's looks and functionality.
What does it work with?
It works with all forms of RPG Maker 2000 and 2003, which can be legally purchased in Japanese (and then translated using this editor to English without modifying the program illegally) for $50 from import shops around the net.
Description from the site
Patches of the RPG Maker 2000/2003 editor have always been the greatest problem, because they all changed the resource section in the executable. So there were two ways of distrubuting such a modification: Either the users had to change their RPG2000/3.exe by themselves using the famous “Resource Hacker” or replace it by a new one, which was often a big problem because modifications made in the past, and even localizations were overridden.
The aim of my project is to make things easier. RPG Maker 2009 Ultimate neither changes the executable file nor replaces it. It’s compatible with all versions and this way very flexible. When started, it will load any RPG Maker 200x editor and inject itself into it. From the inside, it is able to modify the RPG Maker then.
Features
Interface modification: new, compact toolbar, seperated (”floating”) map tree and chip selector, project’s name in title bar
User-defined interface modification or localization through INI files (UIMod). This replaces the old way, where you had to use Resource Hacker.
Support for multiple instances (up to 100) without conflicts
Opening project by entering the path
Replacement of fonts (this way eliminating the bug where RM2k3 would display a yen sign instead of a backslash)
“User tools” menu where you can put tools you want to call quickly
Support for resources in subfolders
File info for resources (image size, title/copyright information for MIDIs and MP3s, …)
“Undo” button for many event commands
New charset animation type “No steps when moving”
New hotkeys, F11 can now be used in every window to open the music selector, F9 also works in the database
Event command highlighting
Size of event listboxes can be increased
“Secret”, password-protected events
Support for lower layer tiles in upper layer (with one important restriction, read ultimate.txt for details)
Go to a map by entering its ID or a part of its name
Support for comments up to 128 lines
No size check at importing images
Support for 125 (5×25) sprites instead of 25 (5×5) in one animation file
Useful tips and tricks
Language files included: German, French, Spanish and Polish
Language file editor
Anyway
Anyway this is basically a cool continuation of the RPG Maker 2x series. What's more because it is simply a wrapper if you like for the legal Japanese editions of RPG Maker 2000 and 2003, Enterbrain still get that vital money from it.
Screenshots
Please note
HBGames are not associated with RPG Maker 2009. This is simply a link found on the web.
If this picks up we could easily support it as a full engine, since now due to this we can have an English language RPG Maker 2x without hacking the exes. Great!