Setting up your project with room to grow!

[Shaz]

She means copying the events back to the current game from the second one you opened.


You just have to make sure both projects have the correct images in the correct place. Oh, and of course, your event will probably end up with a different event id after you copy it, because they're named sequentially according to how many other events are on the map and what their ids are. So when you create your "base" event, you can use "This Event" in a move route, or @event_id in a script call, but don't actually select an event, because it won't have the same id when you paste it.


You can also copy maps from one game to another via the editor, as well as anything in the database. Just have both projects open at the same time, copy the object as if you were just going to duplicate it within the same project, but go to the other project before pasting.


And the RTP thing - don't delete the line (because the editor will just keep putting it back). Just remove the bit after RTP= but leave the line there

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

because the editor will just keep putting it back

I never noticed that before (coz I never bothered to look at the ini file after doing that anyways)... XD

 

[Shaz]

I only know because someone else said it

 

[GrandmaDeb]

As a side effect of my original suggestion, when you cannot find the exact sprite you want, instead of panicking for a resource, set up another sprite set with some ordinary character and use it as a placeholder until you can get what you really want.


By the time your game is rolling, you may have found something perfect!

 

[AcosmicDevi]

Another good idea is to organize your resources (especially your graphics) according to type. For example, have a folder for windows, one for exterior tiles, one for carpets, etc. Within those files, I have folders labeled according to artist and I drop the associated file with the artists' usage/credit info.

I took me a long time to organize this set up (and I still have to refine things a little), but it's great because I don't have to go searching through ten folders looking for a door or sprite. I can go straight to the appropriate file for what I want.

 

[SLEEP]

When saving resources, also make a note of who made them! Try naming your files after the person who created them, or make a note in a notepad file.

If you forget their maker, you'll have to re-find those resources when you want to give credit to those who made them so you can use them. And i've had... mixed results with reverse image search with google. although its an alright tool, it's not something that can be 100% relied on, so take note of who to credit to save yourself some headache.

Organization goes a long way in projects. If you end up with your program growing in unexpected directions, poor initial organization can turn a messy project into a trash pile. Have naming conventions for files imported into your projects, keep your maps neat, keep things tidy. How you keep things tidy depends on you, there's lots of approaches that work, but make sure you use 'em!

 

[Galenmereth]

This is maker independent, but if you're going to spend hundreds of your life's precious hours making a game, you should learn a version control system. It is the only way to sanely experiment with big changes in your game, for one, but also the only manageable way to deal with accidental changes and undo them with minimal fuzz. It's very easy to make an unrecoverable database deletion in rpgm: accidentally hit Apply before you realize, and that's it.

You might feel that daily backups cover this, but it can be really time consuming figuring out what version to fetch back if a lot went wrong. Version control saves space--such systems keep tabs on byte changes between versions, so you don't keep duplicates for each version--and require you to name every change you commit to the system, making it much easier to hunt down the version you want, or where you introduced that game breaking feature.

I'd also recommend an external script system--using my own has made making my IGMC game in one month possible. Without it, I would've had a much harder time experimenting and keeping tabs on what scripts should be in the public release, and which should not. With it, I have lists that I toggle with one variable, easily switching between test mode and release mode. Not to mention ease of use

 

[GrandmaDeb]

Amen to downloading things when you find them. Singing my song.

Another good idea is to organize your resources (especially your graphics) according to type. For example, have a folder for windows, one for exterior tiles, one for carpets, etc. Within those files, I have folders labeled according to artist and I drop the associated file with the artists' usage/credit info.


I took me a long time to organize this set up (and I still have to refine things a little), but it's great because I don't have to go searching through ten folders looking for a door or sprite. I can go straight to the appropriate file for what I want.

I do this (and agree that it is important!!!) but I implement in a different way.


I rename all files.


I put resources by a single artist in folders.


I put commercial resources in folders marked commercial.


So when I am searching for something, I can see what folder it is in and know whether I can share it or not, etc.


And when I download something I try to give it a name that:


*includes a reasonable description (this is how I find many resources for people. I search my hard drive for e.g. "typewriter" and find the file)


*includes crediting info (so I can find the site or artist name)


*includes RTP reference if appropriate


*includes resource type


So for example, I might have a file called:


faceset emo actor 4-7 edit cr closet.png


It is a lot of typing but in the end I can find whatever I want.

 

[mlogan]

I put resources by a single artist in folders.

I put commercial resources in folders marked commercial.

This is what I do instead of by type. I need to start doing the renaming part so I can search for things easier. Reorganzing my tiles is on my to-do list after this contest.

 

[AcosmicDevi]

Amen to downloading things when you find them. Singing my song.

I do this (and agree that it is important!!!) but I implement in a different way.

I rename all files.

I put resources by a single artist in folders.

I put commercial resources in folders marked commercial.

So when I am searching for something, I can see what folder it is in and know whether I can share it or not, etc.

And when I download something I try to give it a name that:

*includes a reasonable description (this is how I find many resources for people. I search my hard drive for e.g. "typewriter" and find the file)

*includes crediting info (so I can find the site or artist name)

*includes RTP reference if appropriate

*includes resource type

So for example, I might have a file called:

faceset emo actor 4-7 edit cr closet.png

It is a lot of typing but in the end I can find whatever I want.

That's a great idea Grandma Deb I will definitely start implementing this naming convention.

 

[Julien Brightside]

Good ideas.

Wish I had known of these beforehand.