Creating Tiles that Actually Work?

[TheSynan]

I feel like I've been all over the internet twice by now trying to figure out the tile system. I'm trying desperately to find a thorough instructional guide to creating tiles in an image editor, saving them (including transparency explanation) and uploading them to RPG Maker VX Ace. It seems like the only resources I've found so far have been from people that understand how to use it but can't understand how to explain it to a newbie. I've posted the topics I'm searching for below. If anyone has a link to something I can read, I'd greatly appreciate it and I apologize in advance if this has been asked before or this is the incorrect place to post this question. 

I wish there was a user manual so I could RTFM haha. 

Tile Set definitions: I have no idea what A1 - A3 means.. The C, D and E tabs perplex me. 

Auto Tile Functions: how it works and how to create tiles that work together fluidly in the game. Corners are giving me a run for my money and I feel like I've tried everything. 

Transparencies: how to get a clean "window" effect without the transparent color artifacts. I'd also like to create dirt windows, but I think that might be asking too much :/

Thank you. 

 

[Lunarea]

This should help a bit with the auto-tile construction.

I would also encourage you to read the VX-Ace help file (Reference Material > Resource Standards -- then click on Tileset link), as it explains what the different sections are used for.

 

[kerbonklin]

Tile Set definitions: I have no idea what A1 - A3 means.. The C, D and E tabs perplex me. 

A1 tiles are animated, usually involves stuff like water/lava. Follows the 4x2 setup similar to A4 with the corners.

A2 are floor-tiles that are set up as 3x2 (rowXcolumn) tile sections. Top-left is single-placement, top-right is non-adjacent corners pieces that matches a floor tile., and the rest below are adjacent groupings, or grouped corners,

A3 is for some rooftop building tiles, and other kinda of floors, kinda miscellaneous. Follows A4 formatting 4x2 except there's no corner-work. Actually I don't think there's any special format rulings for these.

A4 are wall and ceiling auto-tiles that follow the same format as A2, but being 4x2. They produce auto-shadows when walls are grouped together.

A5 is similar to A3, aka miscellaneous. I don't think it involves auto-tiling either.

B through E tiles are just tiles that show above A tiles. However B tilesets must have the first index set as a Star-passability.

*This is all from my novice understanding of observation but I think I described it right.. Correct me if im wrong anywhere*

 

[Shaz]

One of the best ways to understand this is to actually look in the help file - F1 from the editor, Contents tab, choose RPG Maker VX Ace > Reference Material > Resource Standards and click on Tilesets.


That explains the difference between the A1-A5 tiles and how each is used, as well as the format of the B-E tiles. It explains how the animations work on A1, how tiles in A2 overlay each other depending on the tileset mode, what A3 and A4 are used for and how they create shadows when drawn together. It explains how autotiles work and which part of the image repeats.


Then export the RTP tilesets and have a good look at the images that are exported (and that the A* tile images look nothing like they do in the actual tileset - what's a single tile in the tile set could be 4, 6 or 18 tiles on the image).

 

[TheSynan]

Thank you!

I have some reading to do and If I still have issues I'll return.