|
|
In this tutorial you will learn...
• What tilesets are
• How they work
• How to import graphics into RMXP
• How to set transparency settings when importing
So, welcome to the tutorial on tilesets. I'll only be covering the topic of tilesets in this tutorial, because Autotiles and other
resources like that need a little more explanation. If you want to read about other resources in more detail, use the Sitemap to
navigate to a tutorial that covers it.
So, let's begin. Head over yonder to the 'Tilesets' tab on your database. You'll be presented with a pane that looks something
like this...
Create a new entry using the normal button. You'll see a pane like this...
1 - The name of the tileset.
2 - The tileset graphic. I'll tell you more about this in a minute.
3 - The graphics of the autotiles that appear at the top of the tileset when you select it from the Map Properties box.
5 - This is where the tileset graphic is displayed.
6 - These are the different viewing modes. The Passage option lets you see whether a tile that you've set is passable or not. The
Passability (4 dir) button lets you view whether a tile can be walked on and exited from all four sides or not. The Priority button lets you
see how important the tile is on the top layer: whether the player can walk behind it or not. The Bush Flag lets you see whether
the tile has Bush Flag properties or not, and the Counter Tag lets you see whether the tile has Counter Tag properties. Finally,
the Terrain Tag is a complicated function used mainly in scripting and complicated event systems, so I'll go into that in more
detail in some of my tutorials on events. See the Sitemap for more information on that feature
and some specific event system tutorials.
So, let's import a graphic for our new Tileset. Now, to do that, we need to shut down the Database, and use the Tools menu again
to access the Materialbase. This allows us to import and export graphics to and from RMXP. You can also get to it by pressing
F10 on your keyboard. When you've opened it, it'll look like this...
Click onto the Graphics/Tilesets option in the left-hand menu, and then select import. Now you'll be presented with an explorer
window, and you need to find a graphic that you can use. There's plenty out on the internet that you can download for free, and I've
included some links to some of the most useful sites out there for resources.
When you've found a graphic that you want to use, select Open and you'll see a box like this (only with your graphic displayed)...
I've used the RTP's PostTown01 as an example. The two colour choosers at the bottom are for choosing the transparent and semi-transparent
colour of the tileset. Now, this is important. The background colour needs to be the transparent colour, and the colour of the shadows
needs to be the semi-transparent colour. For me, I'll have the typical turquoise-green RTP background colour for the transparent colour
(left-click to select the transparent colour) and I'll have the RTP's purple-grey colour as the semi-transparent colour (right-click
to select your colour). The colours in the boxes should change.
When you've done this, you'll be brought back to the original Materialbase screen, with a new entry in the tileset option, its icon
coloured orange, like this...
Click Close and return to the database. Head over to the tilesets tab, and scroll down to your new entry. Now, see
where it says 'Tileset Graphic:'? Click on the arrow next to the box, and select the newly imported tileset. Click OK. Now you've
got a custom tileset to use in your game! Now it's time to set all the options.
Firstly, name your tileset. Now you can select the Autotiles that are displayed at the top of the tileset in game. Use the arrows
next to the boxes to choose which tileset graphic to use. Then, if you need to, select the Panorama graphic. This will be displayed
behind all of the layers if you don't cover it in tiles. I'll come on to using Panoramas and Fogs effectively in an advanced mapping
tutorial, but you can still select one if you want to.
Now all that's done, we need to set the passability options. This often takes quite a while, so be patient!
So, let's begin with the autotiles. There are three types of passability for the autotiles...
The cross means that you cannot walk on it. This would be used for water, and things like that. The circle means that you can
walk on it, and is used for ground cover, shadows and roads. The square means that when the autotile is one row deep, you can
walk completely through it, but when it's more than one row deep, only the top row is set to passable. Their priority is normally set to 2 or higher; because when
the top row becomes passable, you appear to walk under it. This is used for canopies
and walls. Here, take a look to see what I mean...
When there is only one row, the tile is impassable. When there is more than one row, the tile is passable on the top row. I have
set the priority to one to show you what it looks like.
You cannot set normal tiles with a square. They can either be a circle or a cross - passable or not, respectively. The Passage (4 dir)
button lets you change whether the player can walk on or off the tile from all four sides or not. This is useful when you're
setting the passability for walking behind things, or single-way bridges, etc. Here, see this example...
See here that I can only walk up and down the ladder, not off the side of it. This feature requires some getting used to, so I
recommend having a fiddle with it and seeing what happens. Next is the priority tab. This is used when you want the player
to walk underneath something. You must bear in mind that the top half of the player has a priority of one, so if you want something
to cover both halves of the player, its priority must be two or higher. Have a look at the trees and see how they work. Don't worry
if it doesn't work the way you want it to; priorities even took me several weeks to get a proper hold on - so keep experimenting
and read the Tilesets Advanced tutorial if you want more information.
Finally, the last three tabs. The first is the Bush Flag. If you set a tile to have a Bush Flag, then when you step on it in the
game, it will make the bottom half of your character semi-transparent, so that it will appear that the tile is covering your feet.
Take a look...
This shows the player standing in some grass with a Bush Flag. Next, the Counter Tag. This is a useful feature that allows you to
'speak' through impassable tiles. For example, you can speak through the impassable counters to someone behind. Take a look at this
shop...
You can see from the database clip that I've set the counter with a Counter Tag, and I can 'speak' or interact through the counter
to events behind. Very useful for shops, etc.
And last of all, the Terrain Tag button. This allows you to set a number to different tiles and then use it later using variables.
However, this is more event stuff so I'll go into it in a more advanced tutorial. You don't need to worry about it for now.
If this tutorial has completely confused you, or you are getting problems with your tileset, then I've included a new section of tutorials
purely about resources, how to make them, and how to import them. Click on the Resources link on the left-hand menu, or go to the
Sitemap and work your way to it from there.
The next tutorial is the last one on the database: Common Events and System.
:: << Previous Tutorial ::
:: Home ::
:: Next Tutorial >> ::
|
|
