About the Toolkit — Version History
Contents
This page chronicles the releases of the RPGToolkit, Version 3. The history text file is a comprehensive list of all the features added, and all the bugs fixed in each release; the main version of this is found in the \Toolkit3 folder in each release.
Versions- 3.0.6 — April, 2005
- 3.0.5 — December, 2004
- 3.0.4 — September, 2004
- 3.0.3 — May, 2004
- 3.0.2 — April, 2004
- 3.0.1 — August, 2003
- 3.0.0 — May, 2003
==================================================================================================
RPGToolkit Development System 3.0.6
Grand Bug Fix List
April 5, 2005
Copyright 2005, Jonathan Hughes (Delano), Colin James Fitzpatrick, Christopher B. Matthews, et al.
==================================================================================================
Toolkit Game Engine, trans3
===========================
Corrected
* Various bugs with produced EXEs
* Stretching of images is poor
* Diagonal solidity in tile movement
* Minor default battle system bugs
* callshop() is broken
* Internal copy should physically copy objects, not handles
* board backgrounds smaller than screen are not centred
* Other party characters cause jumpy player movement sometimes
* Parsing problems between array brackets
* Mwin() should have a variable translucency setting -- setMwinTranslucency(percent!) added
* North-South and East-West tiletypes ineffective
* Calling an outside method from within a class that accesses variables named as class members indirectly causes crashing
* Linking to boards with solid edges sometimes render the player immobile when moving to new board
* Player and item animation sounds don't work
* DrawCanvasTransparent() partially broken
* Kill() with multiple variables doesn't kill first one
* Negative numbers don't work properly in all situations
* Assignment operators other than "=" don't work in the middle of equations
* Members "double" in inheritance sometimes (?)
* Slow rpgcode graphic commands
* Threads almost completely broken
* Get() buggy
* RestoreScreenArray(), SaveScreen() broken
* TileType() broken
* PushItem(), ItemStep() always moves the zeroth item
* elseif and else broken
* Day/Night system partially dysfunctional -- removed
* Disable Progress Saving board option ineffective -- Default menu updated
* Players & items freeze when colliding diagonally with other items (tile movement only)
* Board player position should default > 1,1,1
* mp3s aren't handled correctly
* Music playback jumpy (?)
* fps-in-title-bar problems
* idle animation delays
* Critical hits
* Ambience problem with character sprites
* PlayerSpeed, PlayerStance cannot receive the player handle, or "target"/"source". ItemSpeed, ItemStance can now receive "target"/"source"
* Subscript operator used on objects
* "garbage collection" problem
* PlayAvi, PlayAviSmall sizing and ending issues
* Transparency problems with animations
Live
* callPlayerSwap() needs to be written (suggestions?)
* Plugins sometimes don't work
* *The* windows 9x bug
Toolkit Editor, toolkit3
========================
Corrected
* Editors should be able to window
* Isometric boards size incorrectly in editor at certain resolutions
* Editing tools for isometric tiles enabled: rotate / flip, scroll (diagonally), layer tile.
* Flood fill in board/tile editor broken for some Win9x users
* Board Editor "Delete layer" option ineffective
* Tile bitmap editor
* the two small buttons in the board editor under the currently selected tile don't work
* switching between board editors while an animated tile is open gives problems
* When choosing tiles using "L", the tile is sometimes placed under the point clicked in the tileset window
* Animated tile editor does not save correctly
* Comments "flow" onto the next line in the RPGCode editor
* RPGCode editor colouring defects after switching to and from another document
* Environment doesn't change completely after creating a new project
* Editors should show an error when trying to save Read-Only files
* Tileset browser on right sometimes displays sets starting at the wrong row
* Placing a partly transparent tile on a board doesn't erase the replaced tile from the screen
* "select colour" dialog in tile editor doesn't work with multiple tiles open
* Editors sometimes window themselves
* Creating an animation with tiles, deleting, altering the tiles, remaking, the tiles aren't updated
* Animation editor adds extra frames
* Board editor cannot flood large boards (> 100 x 100)
* Problems pasting into/copying out of rpgcode editor
* Cannot open isometric tiles using "L"
* Layering tiles sometimes converts tile to isometric
* Switching between tile editors, tile data sometimes converts to isometric
* Tile grabber sometimes misses isometric tiles
* Editor will not load after "Tip of the Day" (several reports)
* Isometric scrolling of tiles
* White trails on isometric tile blurs
* Background image unavailable
* No way to view rgb colours in tile and animation editors
* Lacking a "real" blur in the tile editor
Miscellaneous Items
===================
Corrected
* Update quick reference -- OC
* Crashes for some people during install
* Help files rewritten
[ top ]
RPG Toolkit Development System 3.0.5
Instructions and What's New
December 24, 2004
Copyright 2004 by
Christopher Matthews and Contributors (Vampz, KSNiloc, John@aljo, Delano, Euix, Geoff, Woozy, Occasionally_Correct, faero, Shao (With their respective copyrights, released as open source))
An online copy of the 3.0.5 features can be found at: http://www.toolkitzone.com/library.php?mode=read&doc=100
Toolkit Game Engine - trans3.exe
--------------------------------
Bug Fixes
---------
+ #Push/#PushItem moved objects too fast with no control of speed.
+ #ItemLocation sometimes returned wrong co-ordinates.
+ Boards smaller than the screen began centred, but jumped to the top/left of the screen when scrolling started.
+ Black boxes sometimes appeared for players/items when entering a new board.
+ 'Under' tile transluscency problems in pixel movement fixed.
+ Walking against a solid tile, the player didn't change direction (if he was facing a different direction to the wall).
+ #Bold/#Italics/#Underline fixed.
+ The message window could not always be successfully hidden with mwincls().
+ The RPGCode debugger was buggy.
+ MIDIs didn't work in Windows9x.
+ Literal variables could not contain the NULL character.
+ Modular music (*.it and company) would not play anywhere.
+ Plugins could not be sent variables (enables the multiplayer plugin to work).
+ Maths that mixed variables with constants did not work.
+ Players/items without graphics displayed as black boxes / random bitmaps.
+ Memory leak in board background image drawing.
+ Loose code in #included programs ran sometimes.
+ end() within ifs and the like ran regardless of the construct's outcome.
+ Nestled if/else statements messed up.
+ true/false could be killed.
+ '<' and '>' didn't work in equations.
+ mwin "word wrapped", though very poorly.
+ Default menu jumped to the top-left corner of the screen at resolutions above 640x480.
New Features
-------------
++ Rewritten movement system [by Delano]
+ #MultiRun can now be used to make multiple items and players move at the same time.
Movement begins after the closing bracket of #MultiRun.
e.g.
rpgcode:
MultiRun()
{
Push("n,n,ne,e,e,se,sw,w")
PushItem(0, "w,w,w,sw,nw,n")
PushItem(1, "s")
}
All movement begins at the same time, and the program waits until the last item/player finishes moving to run the next line of the program after #MultiRun.
+ #Push/#PushItem in a thread no longer prevents other items/programs/players moving.
For instance, you can program an npc to continuously walk a set path without interrupting player movement:
rpgcode:
Until(forever!)
{
PushItem(0, "n,ne,e,se,s,sw,w,nw")
}
Such a program ran as a thread or as the "program to run whilst item is on board" will push item 0 round in circles, as if it were a wandering item.
-Link: http://www.toolkitzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11345
+ Individual character speeds
Each player and item can be assigned a separate speed in the editor and through rpgcode. The speed setting is given in fractions of seconds to normalise the speed on all machines; slow machines will attempt to get as close to these times as possible, although this may result in no apparent difference in speed (between objects of different speeds) in some cases.
PlayerSpeed(player!, speed!) / ItemSpeed(item!, speed!)
#GameSpeed has not been removed. It still allows you to control the overall speed of the game, for instance: if you want characters to move faster than they have been programmed to (since all characters are now synced).
#GameSpeed(1 to 4) increase the overall speed, whilst #Gamespeed(-1 to -4) decrease the speed (may change).
-Link: http://www.toolkitzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9015
+ Isometric pixel movement now works.
+ #Push/#PushItem can move in pixel or tile increments through #PixelMovement (also main file option):
PixelMovement(usePixelMovement$ [, usePixelPush$])
- usePixelMovement$ must be either "on" or "off" (as before).
- usePixelPush$ must be either "on" or "off" (defaults to "off" and is ineffective in tile movement).
+ Custom resolutions
In the main file, you can specify the dimensions you want the game to run at.
Note that some graphics cards may not be able to handle all resolutions!
+ Custom cursors [by Colin]
Every game can have a custom cursor, changeable at runtime.
The cursor can be any image type, including tiles.
The cursor can be altered through RPGCode using the new command:
MouseCursor(file$, x!, y!, r!, g!, b!)
-Changes the mouse cursor to an image or tile.
-file$: image to draw, "" will remove the cursor, "TK DEFAULT" will restore the default.
- x!, y!: location of the hotspot on the tile.
- r!, g!, b!: define the transparent colour on the image.
+ Object orientated programming (OOP) in RPGCode. [by Colin]
The entire OOP system has been rewritten with full object-orientated functionality.
For a full overview, see "RPGCode OOP Overview" in the tkz library: http://www.toolkitzone.com/library.php?mode=read&doc=64
+ New RPGCode commands / operators
GetTextWidth(text$) / GetTextHeight(text$)
- Return the pixel width or height, respectively, of the indicated string as rendered with the current font style. [by Shao]
DrawCanvasTransparent(cnv!, x!, y!, r!, g!, b!, [, width!, height! [, destCnv!]])
- Draws a canvas using transparency.
- cnv!: canvas to draw.
- x!, y!: location to draw to.
- r!, g!, b!: define the transparent colour on the canvas.
- width!, height!: stretch the canvas to a certain size when drawing.
- destCnv!: canvas to draw to, if omitted, canvas is drawn to the screen.
PlayerSpeed(num!, speed!) / ItemSpeed(num!, speed!)
- Changes the speed of an item or player num!.
- speed!: Walk speed, set in seconds (recommended 0.05 to 0.20).
PlayerStance(num!, stance$) / #ItemStance(num!, stance$)
- Changes the stance of an item or player (note: does not render, you must call forceRedraw()).
iif(condition, true, false) [by faero]
- Evaluates a condition and returns either the true or the false part (which must be the same type).
setVolume(percent!)
- Can now set the volume of music!
+Operators
Some new operators have been added, check this post for a list of all current RPGCode operators:
http://www.toolkitzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=137167#137167
Toolkit Editor - toolkit3.exe
-----------------------------
Bug Fixes
---------
+ Open editors close when opening a new project.
+ File tree really lists alphabetically, new files appear in the tree.
+ Advanced tileset editor no longer crashes when trying to drag the last tile in a set around its' window.
+ "Select Color" dialog box in tile editor fixed.
+ Various windows (like the RPGCode quick reference) crashed when you attempted to move them.
+ RPGCode capitalizer removed.
+ Faster color coding in the RPGCode editor.
+ Tile editor sometimes opened multiple windows.
+ RPGCode program file association didn't work.
+ Open Editor right toolbar auto-collapses and button unsets.
+ Tile Editor Undo for paintbrush tool.
New Features
-------------
+ Autotiling [by Shao]
aka terraforming, implemented in the board editor. Supports both 2d and iso boards, draw and eraser tools (no fill support).
-Link: Click here to get a head start creating autotilesets.
+ Overhauled graphics forms in Character / Item Editors
Can set idle graphics for each direction and an idling delay (time before idle graphics start).
Individual speeds for all players/items (see trans3), given in fractions of a second (recommended 0.05 to 0.20, but no requirement).
+ XP Styles [by Colin]
All editors now carry the XP style, there is a new tab bar, and the old skins have been removed. Note that the toolbar buttons haven't been altered yet.
+ Main File Editor
- Option to display the fps (frames per second) in the game's title bar in windowed mode.
- Option to make #Push/#PushItem etc. move in pixel or tile increments.
- You can leave the "Start board" field empty if you do not want to specify one.
- Option to specify custom resolution dimensions.
+ In Board Information you can set a "program to run when entering board".
+ Tile shading added when using the Flood tool.
+ The Tile Grabber has an option to "ignore blank tiles".
+ Editors prompt to save unsaved work on closing.
+ Mouse cursor editor in the Main File editor (see trans3).
+ "Insert Blank Tile" tool in Advanced Tileset Editor / wider tileset windows.
+ Tileset browser on right toolbar has a grid toggle.
[ top ]
RPG Toolkit Development System 3.0.4
Instructions and What's New
Sept 7, 2004
Copyright 2004 by
Christopher Matthews and Contributors (Vampz, KSNiloc, John@aljo, Delano, Euix, Geoff, Woozy, occasionally_Correct (With their respective copyrights, released as open source))
Toolkit Editor - toolkit3.exe
-----------------------------
+ Toolkit main window (KSNiloc)
- Files in tree not associated with the tk will open in their default application.
- File tree updated (old files removed) when opening a new project.
- "Show Splashscreen" and "Show Tips" options in the Toolkit menu.
- Window skin implementations begun.
- Toolbars are dockable.
- Known issues: None.
+ Project Editor (KSNiloc)
- Pixel movement and speed settings can be made in the StartUp tab.
+ Board Editor (Delano, KSNiloc, Xavier)
- Isometric boards now draw and scroll correctly. Boards size correctly, minimum values appear when changing board size.
- Window to set persistent threads running on boards.
--Link: Detailed thread with images: http://www.toolkitzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5186
- Known issues: None.
+Tile Editor (Woozy, KSNiloc)
++ New Tile Editor toolbar (Woozy)
- A few new buttons to make working on the Tile Editor faster.
- Looks more organized.
- New isometric tile mode for .iso tiles (see below).
++ Effects/Tools are updated (Woozy)
- Import image tool has a "Go back to tile after opening" checkbox. When checked, you don't have to click the "Ok" button once more after loading the picture (Requested by Spyder).
- Layer Tile, Shade Tile, Light Source, Texturize, Translucentize, Cut Corner, Skew now all have a Preview checkbox.
- New rotation options, there now are: 180, 90 CW, 90 CCW, Flip Horizontal, Flip Vertical.
- Known issues: None.
+ Animation Editor (Woozy)
- Animation is now always centered.
- You can't make the form smaller than the animation.
- When animation is resized, so is the form.
- The current frame (In the bottom toolbar, right-bottom) doesn't display "-1" anymore.
- Size settings are no longer off the bottom of the screen.
- Known issues: None.
+ RPGCode Editor (KSNiloc)
- Real-time coloring implemented.
- New options screen (Tools -> Options).
- Right-click menu (Copy, Cut, Paste, Select All).
- Bookmark system: "jump to" lists for comments, labels and methods. Link: http://www.toolkitzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4737
- Indent wizard: properly indents code inside {} brackets.
- "Test Program" now works, "Debug" removed.
- Known issues: None.
+ New Tileset Editor (Delano)
- The tileset editor from tk2 is available through launch buttons on the top toolbar and the Editor fly-out bar on the right.
- In the new "Advanced" section you can now re-arrange and delete tiles, and move tiles between sets (.tst and .iso). Has a welcome note with more information.
- Known issues: None.
- Link: http://www.toolkitzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5777
+ Rewritten Tile Grabber (Delano)
- Accessed through the "Image" menu in the Tile Editor ("Grab Tiles").
- Saves directly into tilesets, grabs both normal and isometric tiles (.tst, .iso), has a moveable grid, can grab selections or whole image. Copies a selected tile into the active tile editor. Has a welcome note with more information.
- Known issues: None.
- Future plans: Increased grab speed.
+ New isometric tilesets, ".iso" (Delano, Woozy)
- True isometric (62x32 diamond) tiles - appear exactly as drawn/grabbed.
- Used in the same way as .tst's - can be edited in the Tile Editor, used on (isometric) boards.
- Known issues: Do not work for tile bitmaps, character graphics, items, animated tiles. Tile editor mode not always persistent with multiple tiles open.
- Link: http://www.toolkitzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5777
+ Tileset browser (Delano, KSNiloc)
- Smooth scrolling, row by row.
+ EXE maker (Build -> Make EXE) (KSNiloc)
- Compiles games into one executable file - no need for extracting zips.
- Link: http://www.toolkitzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5459
+ New Toolkit Installer (KSNiloc)
- New install options and appearance.
+ Help File rewrites (Occasionally_Correct)
++ Rewrite of the 'RPGCode Primer', with TK3's RPGCode, new descriptions, and new sections. The new sections include:
- Program Flow > The 'Else' statement. An in-depth look at using the Else() command accordingly with If statements.
- Program Flow > The 'Switch' statement. An in-depth look at using Switch Cases, and how they sometimes have an advantage over If statements.
- Program Flow > For Loops. Not included in the original help files, the For Loop section teaches how to use For Loops and the advantages they sometimes have over other loops.
- Multitasking > Threading. Teaches the basics of threading programs (quite basic at the moment. More to be added for the next release).
- Advanced Features > Scope. The Scope section teaches the difference between local and global scope.
- Advanced Features > In-Line Commands. Teaches the basics of using commands as parameters, equations in parameters, etc..
- Advanced Features > Error Handling. An in-depth look at what error handling is and how it works.
++ Rewrite of the 'Command Reference' using TK3's RPGCode for every code example. It includes 220+ documented commands, and I've taken out all of the out-dated commands.
++ New format using CSS for an easy to read, easy to update layout. The new formatting for both the RPGCode Primer and Command Reference saves at least 600KB of space, while still featuring much more than the originals.
End toolkit3.exe
Toolkit Game Engine - trans3.exe
--------------------------------
+ Interface changes (KSNiloc)
- You may notice a slight change to the windowed appearance of trans3 - this is due to a rewrite of the interface.
- Keyboard input is more responsive.
+ Pixel movement (KSNiloc, Delano)
- Pixel movement implemented on 2D boards: sprites now travel a minimum of a quarter tile per move ( = 8 pixels).
- Program, item and tile placement is unaffected, and collision detection and RPGCode have been revised to handle the movement.
- Both RPGCode commands (see below) and options in the Project Window control pixel movement, and the game speed may have to be adjusted to suit your computer (although attempts have been made to "normalize" the speed).
- Known issues: Although tested, there may be situations where characters interact incorrectly with other objects. If this happens, please report it, giving details of how it can be repeated. Note that some problems may occur with "wide" sprites - pixel movement has been configured for use with sprites that are around 32 pixels wide. Also, you may encounter speed issues - try altering the GameSpeed setting,.
+ Ambient effects for sprites (Delano, Woozy)
- Sprites (tiles only) are now affected by ambient effects as boards are (e.g., day/night, weather and the global variables AmbientRed! etc.)
- Known issues: Only works for sprites composed of tiles (.tst, .gph, .tbm), not enabled for image files yet.
+ Battle System (KSNiloc)
- The default battle system has been rewritten, with a new look and increased stability. The bugs that plagued the old system have been fixed too.
- Known issues: None.
+ Shop System (CallShop() command) (KSNiloc)
- The internal shop has had a total make-over, and now works!
- Known issues: None.
RPGCode (KSNiloc)
-----------------
+ Threading/Multitasking
- For, While and If loops (all constructs that use {}) no longer lock up the Tk: they now properly multitask.
- This allows objects such as persistent HP bars and rain programs to be created, and a dedicated canvas has been created for such things (see below, and board editor above).
- Animations now multitask as well.
+ RPGCode math now follows order of operations (operator precedence).
+ Equations (including funtions) are valid anywhere (even inside parameter brackets).
+ Multi-dimensional arrays added.
New/Altered commands:
Code:
+ With()
+ Manipulates a particular object or file
With(System)
{
.Pause()
}
+ Select case
+ Switch(var!$ or command)
{
Case("Boo!",x$,Wait())
{
*It's "Boo!", the value of x$ or what the user pressed for Wait()
}
Case(Else)
{
*It wasn't one of the other choices
}
}
+ Multiple commands on a line, separated by the hash "#":
MWin("Test") # Wait()
+ Split one command among multiple lines using the underscore "_" :
*Check if it is an arrow key...
if( _
key$~="LEFT" _
and key$~="RIGHT" _
and key$~="UP" _
and key$~="DOWN" _
) _
{done!=1}
+ Stop() command which stops a program in its tracks (end() doesn't quite work like that)
+ SpliceVariables(text$)
Show ( SpliceVariables("Bob! = <bob!>") )
Wait()
An utterly pointless example. SpliceVariables()
replaces what's in <var$!> with their values.
+ Split(text$,delimiter$,array$)
The best string manipulator... ever. It doesn't
get any better than this. Splits the string in
text$ at delimiter$ and places it into array$.
Split("Hi there, OC!"," ","Test[]$")
The result:
Test[0]$ = "Hi"
Test[1]$ = "there,"
Test[2]$ = "OC!"
Array$ does _need_ to be in quotes. You can have
it pumped into the second, third, or any
dimension of an array too (but don't mention
this as these cool things are standard amoung
all commands now). Example:
Split("I told you!"," ","Test[a!][]$")
This first finds the value of a! and then pumps
the results into the second dimension of that
array.
+ Asc(char$) / Chr(char!)
Converts characters to and from ASCII. Custom
system people simply couldn't live without.
Chr(8) would detect backspace, Chr(9) tab...
need I go on?
+ Trim(str$)
Removes spaces and tabs from the edges of a
string.
Show( Trim(" I put spaces here!111!!!") )
Would show "I put spaces here!111!!!"
+ Right(str$,amount!) and Left(str$,amount!)
Takes characters from the right and left of a
string respectfully.
Show( Left("I love you!",4) + "athe" + _
Right("I love you!",5) )
Would show "I loathe you!"
+ CursorMapHand(file$, [stretchYN!])
Changes the hand used on the menu, cursor maps,
etc to the specified file$ and optionally
stretches it to 32x32 pixels. You can use the
word "Default" instead of a file to return the
cursor to its original graphic.
+ MsgBox(text$,[title$],[type!],[textColor!],[bgColor!],[bgPic$])
Pops up a message box (but not a windows one...)
and returns the button that was pressed. I don't
feel like listing all the return value and types
so have fun, OC! =P
+ SetConstants()
Updates the RPGCode constants.
+ RestoreScreenArray(pos! [,other parameters!])
Restores a screen from the array.
---Log(number!)
+ number! (in) - number to find log of
+ return! (out) - evaluation
---OnBoard(pNum!)
+ pNum! (in) - player number (0-4)
+ return! (out) - 1/0
Is player shown on board?
---AutoLocal()
Place at top of program and implicitly created variables will be forced to the local heap.
---GetBoardName()
+ return$ (out) - result
Returns board player is on.
---LCase(text$)
+ return$ (out) - lower case of text passed in
---UCase(text$)
+ return$ (out) - upper case of text passed in
---AppPath()
+ return$ (out) - path to toolkit3 folder (utterly useless, IMO, yell at ComputerDude!)
---Mid(string$,start!,length!)
Return string$ starting at start! for length! characters.
---Replace(string$,find$,replace$)
Return string$ substituting find$ for replace$
---PixelMovement(ON/OFF)
Toggle pixel movement (now fully functioning!)
---GameSpeed(0 - 4)
Added higher speed (4).
---EndAnimation(AnimationID!)
End an animation created with Animation() or SizedAnimation()
+ MultiRun() {}
Has all commands run run-after-another in a thread (rather than possibly losing control)
+ PixelMovement(ON/OFF)
+Change pixel movement in-game
+ ShopColors (pos!, r!, g!, b!)
+ Internal shop colours.
+ RenderNow(ON/OFF)
+ See threading below.
---Error Handling
+ Debugger(text$)
Pops up the RPGCode debugger provided it is
enabled. Will trigger an error if error handling
is in place.
On Error...
Changes what happens on an error.
On Error Resume Next
+ Nothing happens, program continues from
the next line as if there was no error.
On Error Goto :label
+ The only (and only) time when I will
actually endorse labels. Branches to
a label when an error occurs. ONLY
BRANCH TO PLACES WITHIN THE SAME
METHOD!!! Can be used for all sorts
of fun things such as detecting
whether a file exists.
When you branch on an error, DO NOT
continue program flow. Use...
Resume Next
to continue from the next line after
setting a variable like error! to 1
so you can react appropriately.
---Changes to existing commands
Canvases
+ They work :)
+ All drawing/image commands now take an extra,
optional parameter (the ID of the canvas)
Get()
a$ = Get()
a$ = Get(milliSeconds!)
Get(a$)
Get(a$,milliSeconds!)
...are all valid. milliSeconds! is the length
to doEvents in order to get input for.
SaveScreen( [pos!] )
Now can save into an array. In other words,
unlimited savescreen buffers.
Animation(file$,x!,y![,loop!])
Changes ONLY apply to threads:
+ Loop means the animation will loop until the thread
is ended or EndAnimation() is used
+ It return RETURN an AnimationID (numerical) which
you can use in EndAnimation() and potentially more
things later on
SizedAnimation(file$,x!,y!,width!,height![,loop!])
+ Same changes as Animation()
+ One canvas is already created called cnvRenderNow! If you use RenderNow(on), it will constantly render to the screen (for HP bars and the like)
End RPGCode
++ Miscellaneous fixes
+ Isometric tiletype fix
- Was possible to move across corners of solid isometric tiles (aesthetic bug).
+ On isometric tiles in a game pure black pixels appeared transparent.
- (Didn't happen in the board editor and didn't affect 2D boards).
End trans3.exe
++ Notes
+ The RPGCode Class system has been removed for 3.0.4 for reworking, but will re-appear in a later release.
+ KSNiloc's VB Plugin SDK is not included with 3.0.4 - this will be released separately at a later date.
+ Partial transparency has not been coded for this release.
[ top ]
RPG Toolkit Development System 3.0.3
Instructions and What's New
May 23, 2004
Copyright 2003, 2004 by Christopher Matthews
With contributions by: Vampz, KSNiloc, John@aljo, Delano, Euix, Geoff, Woozy, occasionally_Correct (With their respective copyrights, released as open source)
GENERAL OVERVIEW
(see http://www.toolkitzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3627 for full list and credits to open source developers.)
Toolkit 3 Fixes
-----------------
(Board Editor)
- Tile type positions and setting now fully functional.
- Slow board drawing when setting tiletpyes fixed.
- Background pictures now scroll correctly.
- Board now refreshes when you set a program, item or warp so you can view it.
- When using fill tool, it now fills with selected tiletype too.
- Draw lock toggle control now set to selected when you open a new board.
(Special Move Editors)
- Improved editing to make life easier.
(Program Editor)
- Improved syntax clouring.
Toolkit 3 Improvements
-----------------
(General)
- No longer crashes when you run your game.
(Board Editor)
- Warps are now shown as a green X to differentiate from a normal program.
- Refined bottom bar, added feature that layers now show layer name if one is present.
- Added ability to right-click a tile and then set tile type and erase it.
- Added new optional Toolbar which has two main features;
1. Allows you to view and sort programs, items and warps. You can then click
one of them to edit the object itself, change the settings or remove.
2. You can set various display options such as always redraw all layers and
have certain objects such as programs and items always be displayed.
(Tile Editor)
- Added new tool allowing you to specify the transparent colour, and when selected all
pixels change to transparent.
- Tile editor bottom bar also refined and improved.
(Help Files)
- New commands added by open source developers documented and listed, also rpg code tutorial added.
Trans 3 Fixes/Imrpovements
-----------------
- No longer crashes when you close Trans3.
- "target" or "source" now work in #Push("n", "target")
- #Send failed, the board no longer re-aligns to the corner.
- #PutPlayer now centres screen on player.
- No pause when moving to a new board.
- Tile placement corrected on large isometric boards.
- Items can no move on "under" tiles.
- Attempt to improve character and cursor speeds.
- Moving to the same tile as an item no longer causes player to not be able to interact with board.
- #PathFind now updated in line with #Push and #PushItem commands, now returns a string of
directions separated by commas.
- Enemies no longer die with one hit.
- Small boards now centered on screen.
- #Get command no longer inverts LEFT and RIGHT keys.
- Added support for the number-pad for movement, and for cursor maps.
- #Get and #Wait now return "SPACE" for the spacebar instead of " "
New RPGCode commands:
-----------------
- New item commands; #GetItemName, #GetItemDesc, #GetItemCost, and #GetItemSell.
- New string manipulation commands; #StringLen and #InStr
- Added Class support! For full details view KSNiloc's class help file (in help folder)
- Made #Push and #PushItem backwards compatible (you do not have to comma seperate the directions, but you should).
[ top ]
RPG Toolkit Development System 3.0.2
Instructions and What's New
April 28, 2004
Copyright 2003, 2004 by Christopher Matthews
With contributions by: Vampz, KSNiloc, John@aljo, Delano (With their respective copyrights, released as open source)
GENERAL OVERVIEW
(see http://www.toolkitzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2598 for full list and credits to open source developers.)
Toolkit 3 Fixes
-----------------
(Board Editor)
- Wallpaper routine removed to prevent memory leak.
- Isometric support increased dramatically with fixes for the grid, tiletypes and eraser.
- Grid now refreshes when scrolling.
- After reverting back to 8 layers from 4, board is no longer reset to 0 width and 0 height.
- Tool settings remembered for each board when switiching between them.
- Layer drop down list now shows correct number of layers.
Trans 3 Fixes/Improvements
-----------------
- Couple of bugs fixed in #CallShop, no longer allows you to buy and sell "nothing" items.
- Sprites now move to correct position when using #TargetLocation(x!, y!) etc.
- Isometric diagonal walking corrected and general diagonal walking bug fixed.
- Vertical scrolling no longer moves character as well.
- Horizontal scrolling works correctly for isometric movement.
- Moving to isometric boards from any other place now centres the screen on the player.
- Bottom rows and end columns are now drawn in isometric mode.
- Background images no disappear when an isometric board begins to scroll.
- Moving from one board with an item to another with an item (of the same number)
no longer causes the new item to retain the pending movements of the previous item.
- Walking on "under" tiles at the top of the screen no longer causes trans3 to crash.
- Sprites no longer disappear prematurely off the right side of the screen.
- Normal boards now scroll to edges.
- After removing an item from the board with #EraseItem, #DestroyItem, the tile where
the item was no longer remains solid to players.
New RPGCode stuff
-----------------
- #Push and #PushItem commands modified to allow for diagonal pushing; #Push("N,W,E") or #Push("NW,E,SE")
- #Wander now facilitates diagonal movement
New RPGCode commands:
-----------------
- Array of new commands added for file handling;
#OpenFileInput, #OpenFileOutput , #OpenFileAppend, #OpenFileBinary, #CloseFile,
#FileInput, #FilePrint, #FileGet, #FilePut and #FileEOF.
[ top ]
RPG Toolkit Development System 3.0 beta Instructions and What's New August 23, 2003 Copyright 2003 by Christopher Matthews I've been in the process of moving to a new city and having fun in the summer for the past 3 months, but I've done a bit of work on the Toolkti as well. TK3 still needs a lot of work, but hopefully you'll find this beta version a bit more stable and a lot more usable. Interface improvements ---------------------- -In the editor, you will find that open files are now listed along the bottom of the screen. -To the left side of the screen, you can 'flyout' windows such as the project file list -I've added a couple of much demanded features: -First, you'll find a flyout to the right of the screen that will give you the editor buttons you are familiar with from version 2. -Second, you will also find a flyout for selectign tiles from the current tileset. This makes things a lot easier when creating boards. -You will find a configuration button in the main button bar. This lets you set a background picture in the editor. -In the main file editor, you can now disable the joystick. This is useful if your joystick is making your character run all over the place and you don't want that. Graphics system improvements ---------------------------- -In the main file editor, you will find that you can set the game to run in full screen, and you can also specify the color depth to run in (16 bit is fastest). -If the system cannot initialize a specific color depth, it will try alternatives. -#CallShop works, but only in windowed mode. Various bugfixes have been introduced, but the system is likely still crawlign with problems. So help me find them :)[ top ]
RPG Toolkit Development System 3.0 alpha
Instructions and What's New
May 22, 2003
Copyright 2003 by Christopher Matthews
Well, it's been 9 months in the making, and here's the first public release of TK3.
It's an alpha release, so it's not perfect (yet). The speed and stability
will changes as we move towards a 3.0 release. See the following for more info...
Upgrading your version 2 game
-----------------------------
-I *highly* suggest that you keep a backup copy of the version 2 game, since TK3 will
change a lot of files on you.
-Let's say your game is called MyGame:
-Copy the contents of the Toolkit2\Game\MyGame folder to Toolkit3\Game\MyGame
-Copy Toolkit2\Main\MyGame.gam to Toolkit3\Main
-Copy the files in Toolkit2\Plugin to Toolkit3\Game\MyGame\Plugin
-*DO NOT* copy multiplug. Yo shouldn't use multiplug with version 3.
-Copy the files in Toolkit3\Game\Basic\Plugin to Toolkit3\Game\MyGame\Plugin
-You may have to manually set the plugins you wish to use by editing your main file.
-That should do it.
-When files are openend, they will be converted for you. Some changes from v2 to v3:
-When a character, item or enemy is loaded, their graphics are converted to Tile Bitmap
files (*.tbm) saved in the Bitmap folder, ansd the animations are converted to
Animation (*.anm) files, saved in the Misc folder.
-It wouldn't hurt to open your players/items/enemies and save them in the editor to
force this process to occur. Otherwise it is done automatically when you run trans3
What's done
-----------
-Completely re-done graphics system using DirectX.
-Largely re-done interface for the editor, including MDI.
-New RPGCode commands.
-New [true] multitasking system.
-Updated plugin system.
-Menu and Fight plugins.
-Basic setup utility
What needs to be done
---------------------
-Lots of testing.
-Help files need to be written.
-Finalized plugin SDK should be released.
-System needs to be made localizable (currently only works in English).
-Isometric boards need to be improved *a lot*. It's very primitive at the
moment.
-#Prompt, #CallShop, #CallPlayerSwap commands need to be updated.
-Update the audio system. Currently I'm considering Audiere and FMOD.
-Increase number of items per board.
-Update UI for the editor.
-New demo game.
-Need lots of new default media -- can anyone help?
-Update the RPGCode editor with components from VorteX (currently
it uses no VorteX code).
-Pixel-based movement.
New RPGCode stuff
-----------------
-We now have true multitasking! You'll see that your RPGCode programs truly
do run concurrently (players/npcs walk at the same time, etc).
-RPGCode3 has some new tricks. The biggest is the ability to return values from
methods. For example, you can now do:
#a$ = Wait()
instead of:
#Wait(a$)
-Commands that return values can still take a variable in their arguments, but it is now
optional. The preferred way is to return the value into the variable on the left hand side of
an '=' sign.
-New RPGCode commands:
MISC COMMANDS:
-------------
#AutoCommand
-Removes the requirement to use the '#' symbol in front of every command.
-Put this at the top of every program :)
-Example:
#AutoCommand
Mwin("Hello!")
a$ = wait()
#GameSpeed(speed!)
-Replaces #CharacterSpeed
-Defines the overall game speed.
-if speed! == 3, then the game will run its fastest
-if speed! == 0, the game will run its slowest.
SCOPE COMMANDS:
---------------
-RPGCode3 defines *scope* for variables. Scope is just a way of managing where variables can
be read from.
-In Toolkit2, all variables were *Global*. This means that if you set a variable in one
program, it could be read in a different program anytime in the game.
-TK3 still defauls all variables to global scope, but it now has the ability to set
varaibles to *Local* scope.
-Local variables are variables that exist only while the program that created them
is running. When that program ends, those variables are destroyed and cannot
be read by a different program.
-What's more, methods can have their own local variables that cannot be ready by
parts of the same program that lie outside the method.
#value$ = Local( varName$ [, value$] )
#value! = Local( varName! [, value!] )
-Create a local variable, or explicitly get it's value.
-Example:
#AutoCommand
*Create a local variable
local( myLocalVar! )
*show the value of that variable (will be 0)
mwin( "<myLocalVar!>")
*explicitly show the avlue of that variable:
mwin( "<local(myLocalVar!)>")
wait()
end
#value$ = Global( varName$ [, value$] )
#value! = Global( varName! [, value!] )
-Create a global variable, or explicitly get it's value.
-Example:
#AutoCommand
*Create a gloabl variable
global( myGlobalVar! )
*show the value of that variable (will be 0)
mwin( "<myGlobalVar!>")
*explicitly show the avlue of that variable:
mwin( "<global(myGlobalVar!)>")
wait()
end
-It is good practice to explicitly declare all of your variables as local or global
before using them. For example:
#AutoCommand
local(name$)
name$ = prompt("What is your name?")
mwin("Hello, <name$>")
wait()
end
-Creates a local variable called name$. When this program ends, name$ is destroyed.
CURSOR MAP COMANDS:
-------------------
-Cursor maps are a fancy way to create a menu. They allow you to specifiy 'hotspots'
on the screen that the user can move a pointer between with the keyboard or mouse.
#id! = CreateCursorMap( [id!] )
-Create a cursor map.
-Return: id of cursor map created.
#KillCursorMap( id! )
-Destroy a previously created cursor map.
#CursorMapAdd( x!, y!, id! )
-Add a hotspot to the cursor map.
-x! and y! are the screen coordinates where the hotspot exists.
-id! is the id of the cursor map to add it to.
#selected! = CursorMapRun( id! [, selected!] )
-Run a cursor map. Allows the user to choose between the hotspots
on the screen.
-Returns the index of the selected hotspot (in the order they were created)
starting at 0. Returns -1 if the user pressed ESC.
Cursor Map Example:
done! = 0
while ( done! == 0 )
{
text( 17, 10.5, "New Game" )
text( 17, 12, "Load Game" )
text( 17, 13.5, "Quit" )
cMap! = CreateCursorMap()
CursorMapAdd( 295, 180, cMap! )
CursorMapAdd( 295, 210, cMap! )
CursorMapAdd( 295, 230, cMap! )
res! = CursorMapRun( cMap! )
KillCursorMap( cMap! )
if ( res! == 0 )
{
* new game
history()
done! = 1
end
}
if ( res! == 1 )
{
* load game
dirsav(dest$)
if(dest$~="CANCEL")
{
load(dest$)
done!=1
end
}
}
if ( res! == 2 )
{
* new game
dos
done! = 1
end
}
}
end
CANVAS COMMANDS:
----------------
-Canvases are offscreen drawing areas. You can later draw these onto the screen.
#id! = CreateCanvas( sizex!, sizey! [, id!] )
-Create a new canvas of size sizex! X sizey! ( in pixels)
-Returns the id of the canvas you can later refer to.
#KillCanvas( id! )
-Destroy an offscreen canvas.
-Remember to kill all canvases you create when you are done with them.
Offscreen canvases take up enough memory that you can really start slowing
things down if you're not dilligent.
#DrawCanvas( id!, x!, y! [, sizex!, sizey! [, destId!] ] )
-Draw a canvas, either to the screen or another canvas
-id! is the canvas to draw
-x! and y! are the location to draw to.
-if specified, sizex! and sizey! are the size in pixels to scale it to.
-if specified, destId! is the id of the destination canvas to draw to.
If not specified, this is the screen.
-Many drawing commands allow you to use canvases.
-For instance:
*draw title.jpg to the screen...
#Bitmap( "title.jpg" )
#id! = CreateCanvas( 50, 50 )
*Draw title.jpg to canvas id!
#Bitmap( "title.jpg", id! )
#DrawCanvas( id!, 10, 10 )
#KillCanvas( id! )
THREAD COMMANDS:
----------------
-These commands manage threads. Threads are just multitasking RPGCode programs...
id! = #Thread( program$, persist![, id!] )
-Create a multitasking thread.
-program$ is the name of the program to run.
-if persist! == 1, then the thread continues to run after the player has
left this board.
-if persist! == 0, then the thread will stop when the player leaves this board.
-id! is an optional variable that will hold the return value. The preferred way is to
leave this out and assign the return value to the variable onthe left hand side of the
'=' sign.
-Returns: An id you can use to refer to this thread in the future.
-Example:
#id! = CreateThread( "mythread.prg", 0 )
-Creates a thread from the program mythread.prg, which will run only as long as
the user is on this board. We will later refer to this thread with the
value stored in id!
#KillThread( id! )
-Stop execution of a thread
-id! is the id of the thread to stop.
-Example:
KillThread( id! )
-Stops the thread created in the last example.
id! = #GetThreadId( [id!] )
-Get the thread id of the currently running program.
-id! is an optional value. The preferred way is to get the return value on the left
hand side of the '=' sign.
-Returns: The thread id, or -1 if the program running is not a multitasking thread.
-Example:
in mythread.prg:
#id! = GetThreadId()
#KillThread( id! ) *equivalent to #end
-When the mythread.prg starts to run, it can call this to get its own thread id.
#ThreadSleep( id!, duration! )
-Put a thread to sleep for a certain amount of time.
-id! is the id of the thread to put to sleep
-duration! is the time in seconds for the thread to sleep
-When a thread is asleep, it does not execute and requires no CPU time.
-Example:
#ThreadSleep( GetThreadId(), 10 )
#MWin( "10 seconds later!" )
-Puts the current thread to sleep for 10 seconds.
-When 10 seconds is up, execution continues as normal.
#ThreadWake( id! )
-Force a sleeping thread to wake up
-id! is the id of the thread to wake up.
-If a thread has been put to sleep, this command will start it executing again
#remain! = ThreadSleepRemaining( id! [, remain!] )
-Find how much time is left in a sleeping thread.
#ret$ = TellThread( id!, command$ [, ret$] )
#ret! = TellThread( id!, command$ [, ret!] )
-Call a command inside a thread from outside the thread.
-Allows one thread to communicate with another.
-id! is the id of the thread to communicate with
-command$ is an RPGCode command to run inside that thread
-The return value from that command is returned to us.
-Example:
Say we have a running thread, and it's id is stored in the
variable id!
That thread has a method called #talk that retirns a number.
We can call that #talk method from a different program:
#ret! = TellThread( id!, "#Talk()" )
[ top ]