How do you handle resource management?

[TMS]

I'm doing some mapping tonight, and it got me thinking about resource management. I (and, I would assume, a lot of other forum members) have a bunch of potential RPG Maker resources saved on my computer, whether stuff I bought from the store or downloaded as part of the ReStaff or Member+ releases. Tonight I'm trying to organize all of that stuff (besides by just the month it came out) so I can more easily find any particular resource I might need at a given time, and I was wondering how other people have handled that.

There are a number of ways I could see someone organizing resources by, such as who made them, whether they're available for commercial use, what type of resource they are, what style they are in, etc. Unfortunately only one setup or combination of setups can be used, and it's a little difficult to "tag" files on the hard drive. How did you deal with things?

 

[TheoAllen]

I usually organize the resource based on the artist. Because I usually forget who made those resources.

So, in that way, I can remember who is usually make tilesets, animation, character set, etc ...

I have no plan to use in commercial use, so that is out of question

 

[bgillisp]

I've been doing the same thing as Theoallen, posting them all in one folder called RPGMaker Assets, then a subfolder where it is by artist. However, I've also stuck with only graphics and sound I can use commercially (as it is easier to change my mind later and go non-commercial than vice versa).

 

[Susan]

I also sort my store resources the same way as TheoAllen. I separate them to Audio and Graphics too.

I place other free resources separately.

 

[Shaz]

I never used to worry about this, and now regret it, so have started the long task of redownloading everything (even purchased stuff). I don't have it with me at work, so I'm just going by memory. I use


Item name - Pack name - Artist name


I'm not sure whether it's better to have this:


A1 - futuristic - ...


A1 - volcanoes and dungeons - ...


A2 - futuristic - ...


A2 - volcanoes and dungeons - ...


or this:


futuristic - A1 - ...


futuristic - A2 - ...


volcanoes and dungeons - A1 - ...


volcanoes and dungeons - A2 - ...


Time will tell, I guess.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

..... and it's a little difficult to "tag" files on the hard drive.

I lie awake at night and think lovely thoughts of being able to tag files.....

 

[Alkorri]

It's funny but I nearly posted a question like this when I was new to the forums, but held off thinking it was trivial and silly ;D It might be that I don't have a huge collection of resources yet, but I currently have two organisation methods for Graphics and Music.

For tile graphics, I organise into folders named:

• A tiles (all floors, ceilings, walls etc)
• Interiors
• Exteriors (trees, preset buildings, barrels, clutter etc)
• Dungeon
• World

I know this might seem like a massive undertaking, but I like putting all A tiles or Exterior clutter etc into the relevant folder so I can quickly see at a glance what choices I have. Busts, faces, sprites, charsets, windowskins will all have their own folders.

Because I'm paranoid about losing track of who did what, I usually rename every file like this: Autumn tiles - Panda (codename for Pandamaru)

For audio, I have one Music folder where I have:

• ME
• SE
• BGM - Melancholy (soulful or sad pieces)
• BGM - Happy (usually town or cheerful tunes, or tracks for cutscenes featuring genki characters)
• BGM - Battle
• BGM - Dungeon (exploration)
• BGM - Epic (I know it's weird, but I anticipate there will be times when I need a badass piece of music to play for dramatic or triumphant moments, or sometimes for a title screen. I created a folder for this purpose)
• BGM - Mood (when themes that don't usually fit the above categories or are there for atmosphere or set a certain reflective mood. A lot of Quigon's tracks are here, for instance)
• BGM - Theme (all the above folders are usually for fantasy, but if I want to look for noir, futuristic, modern, pirate, seaside, I place them here so I can easily find them later)

Sometimes I come across a track that could go in several folders, so I just paste that same music into those folders. Naming convention is same as for the graphics eg Illusory Realm - Desp (short for Darren Curtis or DesperateMeasurez)

One thing I did was create a separate Credits folder. Here, I put all the readmes which I rename by artist or musician, and if necessary Resource Pack or Restaff Month etc. Admittedly this folder is a mess compared to the others. I don't worry so much about what pack a resource comes from; as long as I know who created it, I can track them down to find the terms of use.

I also keep a list of two-letter codenames in cases where artists collaborate. For instance, bust Dorothy-Blush1 - AS means that Archeia and Scinaya collaborated to make this bust.

 

[Hollow]

I have four main folders for resources: Resource Packs, ReStaff, Members+, and then just a general resources folder. Resource Packs are separated by type (so audio, graphics, assorted, etc.) and by who made them, and the ReStaff and Members+ releases I organize by the month and year they were released. For most general resources, I separate them by whether they are non-commercial, commercial, or both, then by the artist, and lastly by the type (bgm, se, tilesets, sprites, etc.).

Honestly, I think no matter how you organize your stuff, the most important thing to do is make the resources' artists really obvious for yourself. The worst thing to do is find that perfect tile or sprite in your resource folder, only to not be able to remember who made it and whether or not you could use it in a commercial project.

 

[byronclaude]

I have come to use a system similar to one mentioned above by Shaz...    first of all, I only file and use resources that I can use commercially.  While I have no intention of selling my games...  I do enjoy having the freedom to do so if I choose...

...with that said...

...I organize everything into folders:  BGM, TileSets, FaceSets, etc.  Then, I give each Resource Pack a Code.  Example:  Futuristic Tiles = A1,   Arabian Tiles = A2 etc.

As I insert each file into its appropriate folder, I rename it to have its special code at the beginning.  (With CharSets it is slightly different...   Example:  !A5_Flames     The ! and or $ must remain in front.

THEN, I have one folder that is STRICTLY licenses...  with each license renamed as well with its appropriate code.  (Futuristic Tile license may be found here listed as A1_ReadMe

2 reasons I use this system.  #1  RPG Maker only showes the first portion of the file name if it is very long...  so listing artists names as a part of the file is not always beneficial.  #2  - This way, I don't have to worry about keeping track of who to credit until the very end...  at which time, I can go through imported files, get a list of codes, and use those codes to determine all contributors at once.

I use this system to store Premium Pack resources, member+ resources, commercially allowed ReStaff resources, AND private contributors, as well as resources I have gathered from outside of standard RPG Maker communities (other premium royalty-free graphics sites etc).

So far, this is the best system I have been able to find, and I like it

 

[_Shadow_]

I never used to worry about this, and now regret it, so have started the long task of redownloading everything (even purchased stuff). I don't have it with me at work, so I'm just going by memory. I use

Item name - Pack name - Artist name

I'm not sure whether it's better to have this:

A1 - futuristic - ...

A1 - volcanoes and dungeons - ...

A2 - futuristic - ...

A2 - volcanoes and dungeons - ...

or this:

futuristic - A1 - ...

futuristic - A2 - ...

volcanoes and dungeons - A1 - ...

volcanoes and dungeons - A2 - ...

Time will tell, I guess.

Personal belief in the spoiler:

Spoiler

You wanna make a game.

So you need to make a scene.

Then you have to use resources to do that.

Since a scene takes place in a certain location, in a certain place in the game, the need for data starts with distinct location needs.

Where will the scene take place? In a cave? In a vliaage? We just have to be careful for mistakes like "in a shop". Shops can exist everywhere. In a village, in a city, in a dungeon, in a valley.

So in my opinion, first we have to use abstract definitions of palces.

For instance: 

We start the separation with Outer, Inner and World map, if possible.

As long as we need a certain place we know if it is a n inner place or an outer.

So for instance under Inner, we go like this:

I will analyze a bit some directories.

City

   [SIZE=13.63636302948px]  City_House_sci_fi[/SIZE]  

     City_House

     City_Mansion

     City_Town_Hall

     City_Sewers

Village

     Village_House

[SIZE=13.63636302948px]     Village_Mansion[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63636302948px]     [/SIZE][SIZE=13.63636302948px]Village_[/SIZE][SIZE=13.63636302948px]Town_Hall[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63636302948px]     Village_Sewers[/SIZE]

Castle

Cave

Dungeon

Spaceship

Other Planet

Abstract_in_mind_places

Misc

Now you may ask me... why sci fi and futuristic in general are not seaprate distinctions?

It's because we separate assets like tilesets using place and not time or utility.

Time would be medieval, primitive, steampunk, present, future blah blah

Utility would be A1, A2, A3 blah blah blah....

Here we use place as an axis. Why? Well I had to analyze it a little before doing so.

Will I have to exclude ALL other tilesets if I am about to make ANY game with futuristic content?

Of course not. I can make afuturistic game that includes a dungeon that a Lovecraft's fiction creature lurks inside.  

But if I make a City_House I will probably wont use dungeon tiles for in house artwork.

So?

We make a tree like abstract classes really in programming.

We look what works from the beginning that way.

And HERE comes the big problem!

THIS works for ME! This might NOT work for Shaz. 

What I share here is my thinking process on sorting my tiles.

Best thing to do (but needs more time and disk space)

is sorting them in different folders, in different manners.

For instance:

Tilesets

       BY_UTILITY

       BY_TIME

       BY_PLACE

Even here you must not make any mistake. Do NOT separate by license HERE!

This is a more abstract separation.

For example:

BY LICENSE

     FREE_FOR_ANY_USE

          Tilesets

               BY_UTILITY

[SIZE=13.63636302948px]               [/SIZE][SIZE=13.63636302948px]BY_TIME[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63636302948px]               [/SIZE][SIZE=13.63636302948px]BY_PLACE[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63636302948px]               [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63636302948px]     FREE_FOR_NON_COMMERCIAL[/SIZE]

          Tilesets

               BY_UTILITY

[SIZE=13.63636302948px]               [/SIZE][SIZE=13.63636302948px]BY_TIME[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63636302948px]               [/SIZE][SIZE=13.63636302948px]BY_PLACE[/SIZE][SIZE=13.63636302948px]             [/SIZE]

I start sorting by place, since it is the easiest way to find something, if you think that way.

Then IF I need utility separation (tile type) I make a new folder for that, with the same tree as the first.

Of course this will take double space, double effort on adding removing and double trouble indeed.

The best way to....

 *Thinking*

   *Idea comes up*

HEY! I got an idea!!! Give me some time.

I will be back with something nice!

And I will share it with you. 

 

[Kes]

Mine is a variation on the folders theme.  I only keep things I can use for commercial, so I don't have to worry about that distinction.

I have audio and graphics separate.  Audio by composer, and - if needed - by Member+ and/or store Pack within each composer's folder.  Graphics I do by theme/type.  I can't imagine how the system of organising by artist can work once you've got even a reasonable number of resources, because there are just so many artists, and if I need a tree I want to be able to go to one place and review what I have, not desperately try to remember all the people who have done trees.  So I have a lot of folders.  Just a few here - Animations (mainly Timmah), Autotiles, Battlers, Forest and Flowers, Futuristic and Modern, Icons etc. etc.  Resource Packs from the store are in their own folders because they tend to be themed anyway.

Some folders are sub-divided e.g. Auto-tiles have sub-folders for A1, A2 etc.  Houses have e.g. roofs, doors, windows etc.  Furniture & Interior has cupboards, curtains, carpets etc.  Sprites, as you can imagine, has many sub-folders and, because some people have done a lot of sprites, or have a distinctive style, that is where I might make a sub-folder by artist.

Each resource has what it is and who the artist is e.g. Bookcase Pandamaru so that I know exactly who to credit.  If it's a Members+ resource then I include the month & year as that is also needed for the credits.  Yes, it's a bit more work, but it actually saves me a lot of time in the long run.

 

[Shaz]

You wanna make a game.


So you need to make a scene.

We're not talking about organizing resources for a game - we're talking about organizing your entire collection of resources, so you can pull from it when you need to put it in a game.


What I use in a small village interior in one game, I might use in a large city exterior in another game. What I use in a dungeon in one game I might put on an external village map in another.


This is a question of how to keep everything organized before you've even thought of the game or the scene you're going to use it in


Others saying it reminded me that I didn't say it, but I do it. I only keep resources that can be used commercially as well.

 

[Alkorri]

Others saying it reminded me that I didn't say it, but I do it. I only keep resources that can be used commercially as well.

Shaz, you and ksjp hit on a sound organisation method I never considered before! For myself however, I prefer seeing everything that could be available to me and making choices as to how it affects game development.

I do foresee that I will make commercial titles one day, so I can imagine myself down the line looking at some gorgeous tiles and thinking, "I love this so much, but it's only available for free games. How can I make/get something like this?" There are so many free-only resources that inspire me to create exciting scenes or even games, so I guess that's why I organise mine like this

Still, yours is an awesome time-saving measure!

 

[Kes]

I do foresee that I will make commercial titles one day, so I can imagine myself down the line looking at some gorgeous tiles and thinking, "I love this so much, but it's only available for free games.

And part of the problem is that unless you have done very careful organizing and/or labeling, how are you going to know/remember in 2 years' time that it is for non-commercial only?  Now might be the time to go through your resources putting e.g. n/c (= non-commercial) in the file name, before you have such a huge collection that sorting it out becomes nothing short of a nightmare.

EDIT

Putting that in reminds me that if the TOS for a resource is to receive a free copy of the game, then I put fg in the file name, and when it is used that person's name goes straight into a file where I list all the payments that have to be made.

 

[Alkorri]

Good point, ksjp. It isn't very difficult to insert a CF (commercial friendly) or FG into the resource file name. It recently occurred to me that I better do this for Member+ and Community DLC etc content, since I'm starting to lose track.

Btw I'm fairly selective about what resources I download to my computer (I'm not a hoarder! Honest!). If it's not something I'm likely to use in the near future ie the next four projects I'm planning, I usually hold off. So my collection is manageable

...So far.

 

[Matseb2611]

I just stick all the stuff in the folder where I keep the resources. Any store bought packs remain as their own separate folders (e.g. HF Megapack, or Dungeon Music pack). That way I can find what I need right away, because I can easily remember what resource came from which pack.

All the ReStaffs and Member+ are in their own folder that I called 'ReStaff' and they're all sorted by month and year of release. With these it can be a bit hard to remember what resource was in which, but more often than not I go into these folders to generally browse through everything in search of what I need, rather than seeking a specific tilesheet or piece of music.

All the rest of the stuff, like the stuff given for free on the forums, I organise into their own individual folders by artist's name and type of resource. E.g. Battlers Thalzon or Music Scythuz.

One thing I haven't considered much before is the distinction of commercial vs non-commercial use. Up until a few months ago I hadn't considered going commercial and with my most recent project I hadn't had too much trouble (since most of it was just High Fantasy resources), though I can see this might be an issue with future project that I'd want to make commercial. At the very least all the ReStaff releases have their terms inside the folder. For any other stuff I might have to include a quick text file that lists the terms of the resource inside it. Also, there's always an option to bookmark/favourite the webpages where you've found the resource in case you feel you might need to check up on the terms or need to re-download stuff later, etc.

 

[Andar]

There is another point you need to consider when organising your resources, especially in case of a commercial game:


What if the author/artist changes the terms-of-service?


It rarely happens, but I know of a case where several scripts were originally "free for commercial game" and then later changed to "licence required for commercial game, free only non-commercial".


If you really want to be on the save side, you need to store the TOS of the time when you place something into a commercial game to proof that you did so when it was allowed, and you also need to be able to find the current TOS to check when using a resource that had been on your drive unused for years.

 

[_Shadow_]

We're not talking about organizing resources for a game - we're talking about organizing your entire collection of resources, so you can pull from it when you need to put it in a game.

Yes. That's what I was talking about. How I personally make folder structure for my entire collection.

I believe most of the devs search for let's say tile assets by what they need to make at that point.

Thus according to that need, I made my folder structure.

Sorry if i expressed myself incorrect, English is not my native language. 

@Andar said:

[SIZE=11.8181819915771px]There is another point you need to consider when organising your resources, especially in case of a commercial game:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11.8181819915771px]What if the author/artist changes the terms-of-service?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11.8181819915771px]It rarely happens, but I know of a case where several scripts were originally "free for commercial game" and then later changed to "licence required for commercial game, free only non-commercial".[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11.8181819915771px]If you really want to be on the save side, you need to store the TOS of the time when you place something into a commercial game to proof that you did so when it was allowed, and you also need to be able to find the current TOS to check when using a resource that had been on your drive unused for years.[/SIZE]

SUPER point! Actually I save a screen shot of the TOS of the place I  get them, plus a few more of that website.

 

[TMS]

Sorry if i expressed myself incorrect, English is not my native language. 

Your profile says it is...

However I wind up organizing my stuff, I'll be keeping any Terms of Use files with the resources so I don't have to go hunting it down later. Last night I went through and deleted some stuff I'd downloaded long ago without saying where it came from (most of it wasn't that good anyway). I suppose there is a chance that the terms might change, but at least I'll know who to ask about it.

 

[reno385]

I like to organize my graphics based on categories. Like I have a folder for jungle resources, desert resources, modern, steampunk, etc. With general folders holding more specific ones (i.e. sci fi > sci fi exterior > train yard). It's nice because I can plan out an area on paper then quickly peruse my collection to see if I have what I need to draw it in the game. But the downfall is I can't keep always keep a single artist's work all together, so I have to rename a lot of files one by one to add the credit. Most of the other resources typically have just one folder and maybe a few subfolders within them.

I also like to keep a .txt that lists everyone whose resources I've used as well as contact info and which website(s) they're affiliated with. Kind of cumbersome, but lord knows if I ever finish a game I don't want to have to scramble around trying to figure out how to touch base with them if needed.