RPG Maker is the first PlayStation version of the RPG Maker series. It allows players with generally low game making experience to create their own 2D RPG's, which they can share with other RPG Maker owners via a Memory Card

Memory card

A memory card or flash card is an electronic flash memory data storage device used for storing digital information. They are commonly used in many electronic devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, and video game consoles...

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Graphics

The graphics of RPG Maker I are 2D, sprite-based graphics. Each character gets only four movement patterns: left, right, up, and down.

Sample Game

In order to help players along, this game features Gobli, a sample game already created by the game developers. Gobli was created in order to help players create an RPG and get a feel of how a created game is played.

Designable Aspects

RPG Maker includes many different game aspects that creators can edit.

• Title Screen - The creator can make a title screen that displays their game's title in either gold, silver, or blue, along with a background.
• Parameter Name - The creator can change the abbreviations for various stats (e.g. ATK = Attack).
• Main Characters - The creator can create playable characters with different stats, equipment, and abilities, and can also set at what levels characters learn new magic spells.
• Magic - Different spells with different effects and animations can be created here, for use by both playable characters and monsters. Creators can also choose to make Special Attacks, which are like magic except require HP to execute, rather than MP.
• Items - Here, many different items can be created, including curative items, key items, weapons, shields, helmets, armor, accessories.
• Skill - The creator can choose to include Skills, which add special abilities and attributes to characters and monsters (First Attack, half MP consumption, etc.).
• Monster - Enemies that the player fights are edited here, including stats, attacks, and skills.
• Dungeon - Here is where the creator makes maps that the player interacts with, including towns, dungeons, castles, etc.
• Field - It is here the creator can choose to make a "World Map", which the player can use to travel from dungeon to dungeon.
• Monster Appearance - Here, monsters are chosen to appear in entire dungeons or certain areas, leading into the random encounter
  Random encounter
  A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby encounters with non-player character enemies or other dangers occur sporadically and at random...
  
  aspect of RPG's

Battle System

Battles in RPG Maker are random. These battles are activated as the player walks through area that are designated as battle areas. Battles are all turn-based, and depending on the agility of the monster, the monster attacks first or the player attacks first. Note that the player can only have up to four members in the party. Each battle ends when either the monsters are defeated or the player's party is defeated. The latter results in a Game Over.

Alternatively, as an event (see below), the player can set a pre-determined battle to occur when that event is reached. The battle can be set to end when either the player or monsters are defeated or when a certain turn has passed in the battle. This type of battle is usually a boss battle.

When a certain experience marker is reached, a player's character levels up. The required experience needed to level up increases as the players' level increases. When a character reaches Level 22, the same amount of experience points is required for each level, unlike other RPGs, where the number of experience points required increases with each level.

Anime Maker

In order to allow players to create their own graphics and animations for RPG Maker, a second program (On the same disc as the RPG Maker) called Anime Maker was included, which creators could use to design graphics and import them into their RPG's.

Events

Events are triggers that the game uses in order to create scenes. Some examples of event contents are "Display Message, Play Sound Effect, or Display Title/Ending". There are four different events. They are:

• Normal Event. You can choose up to 30 different events contents(see above).
• Treasure Event. This can only be used once in the game. Its primary function is to collect treasure from a treasure box. The player can set a "before graphic" (what the treasure box looks before the event is activated) and the "after graphic" (what the treasure looks like after it's activated.)
• Duplicate Event. A duplicate on the selected event. An event must be selected in order to create a duplicate event. If the original event is modified, any duplicate events of that event are modified as well.
• Intro event. Activates the event when the player enters the area.

Events can be activated in five different ways. It can be activated by:

• Do Not Start. This event must be activated by a separate event, using the Take Over event.
• Touch. This event activated when the player touches the event(can be used with the event content Move Location so the player moves to a different area on the map.)
• Check. The player must activate the event by selecting it (standing in front of the trigger and pressing the "X" button.
• Use Key. The player must use a specific "key" item to activate the event.
• Use Item. The player must use a specific item to activate the event.

Event commands available include:

• Display Message. Display a message to player in the form of a dialog box, speech bubble, scrolling text, etc.
• Move Location. Move the player to a dungeon or field.
• Take Over. Execute another event.
• 2 Way Choice. Offer the player a 2 way choice.
  • Yes/No. Player answers a Yes/No question.
  • 2 Messages. Player chooses from a list of 2 responses.
  • Probability. Randomly determined between 2 options.
  • Win/Loss. When placed after a battle event, choice determined by win or loss of battle.
• 3 Way Choice. Offer the player a 3 way choice.
  • 3 Messages. Player chooses from a list of 3 responses.
  • Probability. Randomly determined between 3 options.
• Switching. Modify switches.
• Change Screen. Move screen or change colors.
• Inventory. Add or remove items or gold from Inventory.
• Wait. Pause for a few seconds.
• Event Status. Move event or change event graphic.
• Party Display. Modify visibility of party members onscreen.
• Party Members. Add, remove, sort, or entirely change party members.
• Move Party. Move party members, gather them into one spot, or change the direction they are facing.
• Party Status. Change status of party members (Poison, Paralyze, Petrify, Restore Status, HP, MP, EXP).
• Character Status. Change attributes and skills of a character or add spells to spellbook.
• BGM. Change the Background Music.
• Sound Effect. Play a sound effect.
• Shop. Make a shop dialog screen (Inn, Item, Skill, Trade).
• Battle. Enter a battle (Boss).
• Game System. Enable or disable aspects of gameplay (Use of Magic, Leveling system, Equipment slots, Skills, Gold, Monster).
• Effect. Play an effect (Explosions, Clouds, Lightning, etc.) at a specified location.
• Display Title. Display title screen
• Ending. End the game or take a snaphot to save for display on ending.
• Prohibit Escape. Prevent player from using magic to escape dungeon.
• Save Point. Open a save dialog screen, allowing player to save game progress.
• Next Scenario. Load another scenario file (useful for games that require multiple memory cards).
• Exit Event. Stop executing event.

Events can be invisible, images of people, or even objects. Events are the only way to get NPCs (non-playable characters) to move around.