is a series of
tactical role-playing game
Tactical role-playing games (abbreviated TRPGs), also known as strategy role-playing games and in Japan as (both abbreviated SRPGs), are a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical ( turn-b ...
software and spinoff of the long-running ''
RPG Maker'' series, although the name is not a direct translation of the original name which would be "Simulation RPG Maker".
Releases
There have been two versions of ''Sim RPG Maker''. A
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...
version was released on May 29, 1998, in Japan only.
Shortly after the first release, there was a console version released on September 17, 1998 for the
Sega Saturn
The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
and
Sony PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divi ...
in Japan only by
ASCII
ASCII ( ), abbreviated from American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Because ...
.
Gameplay
Simulation RPG Maker 95 was released a year after RPG Maker 95 and allowed the user to create tactical games similar to the Fire Emblem series. While Sim RPG Maker 95 retained the user friendly layout and design of RPG Maker 95 it required a basic understanding of the program to properly use.
This style of game is classified as a
tactical RPG similar to ''
Final Fantasy Tactics'', ''
Fire Emblem
is a fantasy tactical role-playing game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. First produced and published for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom in 1990, the series currently consists of sixteen core e ...
'', and ''
Ogre Battle
, sometimes referred to as , is a series of five tactical role-playing and real-time strategy video games developed by Quest Corporation and is currently owned by Square Enix through Square's acquisition of Quest. There are five original games i ...
''.
The program is somewhat limited and inflexible in comparison to other
RPG Makers. It comes with a run-time package (RTP) with built-in graphics for animations. Custom graphics can be added, but this is more difficult than in other programs from the ''RPG Maker'' series. Graphics are limited to 256 colors, which can cause distortion if two graphics with differing pallets are used on the same map. Files must follow a strict naming convention using letters to designate the type of file, followed by numbers to differentiate the file. For example, a walking graphic for a character class using picture ID 007, could be named CA03_007. The first two letters, "CA", correspond to "character animation". The first set of numerical digits correspond to the animation slot used in the animation editor, slot 03. The final set of numerical digits correspond to the picture ID being used, 007.
One advantage ''Sim RPG Maker'' has over others in the series is that it does not require the installation of the RTP to run a game created by the program. Only the installation of the game is necessary. However, the graphics can only come in
BMP file format
The BMP file format, also known as bitmap image file, device independent bitmap (DIB) file format and bitmap, is a raster graphics image file format used to store bitmap digital images, independently of the display device (such as a graphics ad ...
, creating larger file sizes than the other ''RPG Maker'' programs.
A game typically involves several maps, each with a starting event or cutscene, the main battle, and an ending cutscene. In between maps, players can be sent to the camp, where they may purchase items, switch out party members, change equipment, or check stats of characters. Maps can be designed with different objectives in mind. The most common objective is defeating all enemies or a specific boss character. In addition, players may have to survive a set number of rounds, move past a specified location, or prevent specified characters from dying. Some maps may even be used strictly for cutscenes, with no battles taking place. Maps are progressed through linearly, but it is possible to send the player to maps out of order, enabling multiple/alternate storyline forks. It is also possible to send the player to a previous map.
References
External links
Sim RPG Maker 95- Official Japanese page for Sim RPG Maker 95
{{Video game engines
Kadokawa Dwango franchises
RPG Maker
Video game IDE