MV School Round 1 Winners & Round 2 Announcement!

[Rhino]

Hello everyone!
Thanks for your patience! It took a while to reorganise everything in light of the decision to implement a story mode, but I’m delighted to finally be announcing the winners of Round 1 and the launch of our new submission round!

We really enjoyed going through everything that’s been submitted, so a huge thank you to everyone who got involved!
Without any further ado, our winning lessons that will be included in the project are;
@shockra - How to Create Cutscenes
@dragoonwys - Changing map events via terrain tag variables and Shift Mapping
@Poryg - Lesson about console use
@Candacis - How to set up a shell game
(And mine - Select Item)

Our winning music for this round is @ma5amune with his walkaround theme!

Prizes for these and the NPC raffle are coming! But we wanted to open up the floor and ask- what kind of prizes would you like to receive?

The lessons that passed quality checks will also be implemented into the main project in the future, but we’re currently working on setting up beginner stages for now. Read on for the details of submitting to that~

Updates to the Base Project

• Bug Fixes
• Yanfly Message Core Integration
• Character Customisation (The intro has been replaced by a lesson on using the generator.)

Background
We’re updating the original orientation to be more, well, ‘orientation’! The student will be walked around the main ‘beginner’ departments to gather their bearings, meet teachers, hear about the kinds of lessons that will be offered and learn some of the basics e.g. using the Database.

This is where we need your help- as contributors, we want the student to be able to meet you! We’re looking for people to help map the new departments and event the introductions. We’re also continuing music submissions to get some more awesome tracks to go with these new rooms. Please check this thread for more info on that!

We’re also in the process of organising some forum badges that will be awarded to contributors, which I’m really excited about. (Maybe a bit too much!) But keep your eyes peeled for those!

Mapping
For now, all departments will have a main classroom on the first floor. These will be moved about as we build more floors, and introduce things such as clubrooms and individual teacher classrooms for those who submit more than one lesson.

Being an interdimensional school, maps can be made to any theme of your choice! Set it in a cool classroom or a crazy castle- be as creative as you’d like! (If you’re trying to event for a department that hasn’t been mapped yet, just create an empty room.)

We’d like to invite our favourite mapper from this round to help us create the second floor of the school.

General Structure
The basic format for each introduction is "Hello I'm X! Welcome to Y department where we'll be teaching you about Z!" The overall structure has not changed much from the first round, so as a reminder;

• In person communication is always message, window, bottom. Messages that aren't people talking, such as just describing the scene (She is painting) are message, window, middle.
• Spoken messages should include a name box \n<name>. If the character has a name that’s different to their username on this forum, the format is \n<\c[6]Character Name\c[14] (Username)>
• The student is a silent protagonist- though you can write thought/directions in the message middle set. Other characters do react as though they have said something.
• Colour codes: \c[1]+icon is used for Items, and \c[2] is used for key words or hints.
• Screenshots of the Editor should be taken in the Dark UI theme as it’s clearer to read. Pictures for the Orientation should be prefixed “ORN”
• Self Switches should be used sparingly, due to how difficult they can be to reset. Exceptions are switches that turn themselves back off, such as the T.U.T.O.R. events.

The orientation is acting as one giant lesson, using switch #22OnLesson, #24 OnOrientation and ending in #25 FinishedOrientation. We’ll be dividing switches and variables 1-20 between each department.

Story
There’s no overall story (asides from being a new student touring the school), so we’ll be looking to eventers to inject a bit of personality into their departments! You can include things such as unlocking the classroom and meeting new characters. There also needs to be some time where the student can freely roam your classroom, to allow them to meet new teachers who might be introduced in later builds.

I’ve written up a list of suggested topics to go through, but you can add or take away from this as you please. Anything included should stick to 'total beginner' level and be brief (i.e. it shouldn't feel like it's a proper lesson.) The student does not yet have the T.U.T.O.R so cannot do event scans, though you can show them images on yours.

We’d like to invite the creator of our favourite introduction to become the 'head' of a department and take charge to come up with ideas for future lessons/storylines of that area!

Department List & Suggested Topics
Mapping (switch/variables 1-4)

• Map/Event Mode
• What tiles/tilesets are- Very brief in database and then the tile tabs and 'R' being regionID
• Drawing tools/ zoom and how to lay tiles on the map
• The map tree, creating/loading/organising maps and map properties window

Eventing (Puzzles) (switch/variables 5-8)

• How to create a map event and they're used for
• Acknowledgement of common events- to cover later in more detail
• Event editor- adding image, priority, trigger. (Maybe the options, but can be saved for later+tied into movement)

Eventing (Scenes/Storytelling) (switch/variables 9-12)

• Using ‘Show text’ and message codes
• Database: Items/key items, animations (?)
• Creating a basic event and/or quick events (tied into orientation story)

Battle (switch/variables 13-16)

• Database: Skills/Weapons/Armours/Enemy/Troop/States/Types/Terms
• Front view vs Side view mode
• Brief look at random vs on map encounters

Coding (switch/variables 17-20)

• The fact MV uses javascript
• What are plugins/the plugin manager
• The fact we're using Yanfly's Message core to show name boxes etc
• Quick look at the two plugins installed by default (Community_Basic and MadeWithMV)
• Brief look at the script event command (Reminder to keep it beginner level/basic- it’s not a lesson on how to write javascript)

Getting Involved
Although we’d ideally like one person to come forward and volunteer to a task(s), we’ll be encouraging you to get engaged with all contributors! Talk to your fellow mapper/eventor, include fellow teachers or other npcs, and help showcase not just how cool RPG Maker is, but what makes our community so incredibly awesome!

Please build your maps and events into the updated base project (at the bottom of this thread.) Include either a save file, or start the player directly outside of wherever you’ve added the new department so it’s easy for us to find.

Maps can be submitted directly to this thread, but you might prefer to create a new thread in this topic to share your introductions and get more detailed feedback. Of course, if you’d like to add a map and introduction, you’re most welcome to!

Currently Being Worked on:
Mapping Department
Map:

Eventor:

Eventing (Puzzles) Department
Map: mauvebutterfly

Eventor: mauvebutterfly

Eventing (Scenes) Department
Map:

Eventors:
Topic: The ‘Show text’ and control characters- Dreadshadow

Coding Department
Map: Poryg + SuperMasterSword

Eventor: Poryg + SuperMasterSword

Battle Department
Map: Llareian

Eventor: Llareian

Orientation Round EXTENDED Submission Deadline: April 17st!

Current Project (0.21) Download!​

 

[Touchfuzzy]

Also, please give a bunch of recognition to @Rhino for all the work! Most of getting this back off the ground was not me, We planned together, but most of the work was not me. So I wanted to make sure Rhino got as much credit as possible for being a superhero on getting this back going.

 

[Poryg]

Understood Time to take on the challenge to create the PIOCC! (Poryg's Introductory Obstacle Course of Coding). Not sure if I make it to be your favorite from the Coding department, but I'll try my best with the limited resources (I have decided that every lesson I'll make will keep the same map and obstacles except for refinement for current course).

 

[Rhino]

@Poryg Sounds like you're setting yourself a bit of an extra challenge there, but I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll tie it in

 

[pka4916]

Thanks,,, so this is the replacement (227 Mb) while the original was 383 Mb, since it's a lot smaller?.
Did anything get added then to this version?

 

[Rhino]

@pka4916 Hiya! Since the school is going to grow much bigger, I took some preemptive steps to reduce download size- compress images, remove unused battlebacks and enemies to be added as they're needed e.t.c

We've made some changes to the focus of the project, so the lessons that were submitted for the first round haven't been included in this base project. Instead, we're working from the bottom to make sure there's a really solid foundation for beginners with the orientation submission round that's currently going on, then in the future we'll incorporating those winning lessons already posted and opening new rounds with a stronger focus on topic areas!

Feel free to download and play through any of the individual lessons, or hang on a little longer to see them all wrapped together! As for what has been updated in this download, most of it was 'background work' responding to feedback posted, adding credits and setting up gameplay modes and the T.I.P system to be built on in the future. There is also a new mini-lesson which teaches you how to use the generator to make your own avatar to play as.

So it's still quite a 'base project' for now, and it will be a while longer before things are looking a bit more set up, but I'm confident that it'll be worth the wait!

 

[pka4916]

Thanks.
Are those the 5 lessons at the top?

 

[Rhino]

@pka4916 Yup!

 

[Marquise*]

You guys makes really great work! ^^

 

[SuperMasterSword]

I am very surprised there aren't more people signed up to do things. I thought I would have to volunteer for coding since I figured it wouldn't have much support but ironically that's the only one anyone signed up for. I still kind of want to throw my hat into the coding ring since my head is swimming with ideas (also I think Poryg's character and mine might have some interesting chemistry) But I may also make one for the database if I have time afterwards. Or maybe even make it before, you never know.

It may be a few days, since I have a few things I need to take care of first that I don't know how long they'll take, but hopefully I'll at least have something by the deadline.

 

[Poryg]

I am very surprised there aren't more people signed up to do things.

I am honestly not surprised. It's a lot of work, so not many will enter.

I still kind of want to throw my hat into the coding ring since my head is swimming with ideas (also I think Poryg's character and mine might have some interesting chemistry)

I always welcome a good opposition in the battlefield. So if you decide to compete with me, don't disappoint me
And after we finish competing, we can always cooperate on our future lessons as evil people always do to achieve their goals

 

[SuperMasterSword]

Actually, I would like a bit more clarification before I start. So is this supposed a "mini-lesson" or just a few sentences covering the bullet points and some other things we might think are important?

 

[Rhino]

@SuperMasterSword A happy medium It's mostly an introduction to the department and what they're going to be teaching, but as one of the first things the student will be doing in the school it's well worth going over some of the basic things they're going to need to know to make a game that functions/prevent them from getting confused about things later. I wrote the bullet points mostly as a guide to help anyone who was struggling to come up with ideas so do feel free to amend them as you see fit! If you see anything you think could do with being a lesson in it's own right with a detailed look over, maybe just mention a sentence 'this exists, we'll cover it later' or skip completely for now.

The reason we're suggesting brief is so the player doesn't get an information overload. If your department ends up being longer because it's got a story or covers some really important points, that's cool! We just don't want each introduction to be an hour stop since we want the player to get the T.U.T.O.R and get going into lessons which have a bit more 'active learning' and challenge their understanding.

 

[Poryg]

In other words we can get inspired by Touch's lesson

 

[Poryg]

Self Switches should be used sparingly, due to how difficult they can be to reset. Exceptions are switches that turn themselves back off, such as the T.U.T.O.R. events.

Self switches are easy to reset btw. Check this out:
$gameSelfSwitches.clear();
$gameSelfSwitches._data = {};
Choose your favorite

 

[Llareian]

I would love to participate! I should be able to take a good, hard look at this next weekend and give a firm commitment to a particular department. That will give me a week to knock something out, which *should* be enough, if the new baby cooperates.

 

[Rhino]

Gentle reminder that the deadline for submissions is fast approaching... We can't wait to check out your work!

 

[Poryg]

Please, don't leave me alone in this. I don't want to be the only one to submit something

 

[Llareian]

Bad news; the baby's colic was improving but it's gotten worse again. Since I'm completely on my own at the moment (and I've got the under-2 year old as well), I don't even have more than 3-4 hours to sleep every day, so I really don't have time to contribute before the deadline. I hope that things improve soon and that once my spouse is back I might have the time to work on it. I'd like to work on the battle department, when I get the time, but obviously don't hold anything up for me if someone else wants to jump in.

 

[Marquise*]

@Llareian I'll pray for your family. all love to the baby. Hope she/he gets well.