RPG Maker VX Ace

RPG Maker VX Ace

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Resource Pack DLC Import Guide
By RPGMakerWeb and 1 collaborators
This is a guide to teach people how to import their Resource Pack DLCs to their game projects.
   
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Introduction
This guide is to help you import the DLC packs you downloaded from the official store and Steam. This guide covers how to import them in RMVXAce. If you have any further questions, you can post at our forums for help.[forums.rpgmakerweb.com]
Why is this not Auto-Imported in RM?
The resource packs are only DLC by name. They were made by other artists who are not directly related to Enterbrain. They are in no way, shape or form, to do what you are expected to do, which is to import the assets that you only need directly to your game folder. Please be reminded that not everyone has these resource packs, therefore, in consideration of redistributing the packs, please take into account what resources should be included to avoid unnecessary file size issues.

The resource packs are also made for you and it is your task as a game developer to customize them according to your needs.
Where to find?
If you downloaded through Steam, by default it should be in:

64 bit OS: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\RPGVXAce\dlc
32 bit OS: C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\RPGVXAce\dlc

If you downloaded through the official/ forum store.
Make sure to download Winrar and extract the contents in a folder.
How to Install?
The resource packs aren't installed directly to the RTP. You have to manually import them to your game project folder. By default, your project should be in the following paths:

RPG Maker VX Ace: C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVXACE\YOURGAME
RPG Maker VX: C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVX\YOURGAME
RPG Maker XP: C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGXP\YOURGAME

Each pack is set up differently depending on the artist. I'll try to cover the bare basics.
You can use the Resource Manager:



Or refer to the indepth guide below to import them manually.
Characters
Also known as Character Sheets or sprites. Depending on the resource pack, they can have different presentations, but in a nutshell:

Samurai Pack: Characters
Futuristic Tiles: Characters
High Fantasy Pack: Character Sheets
RPG Maker DS Resource Pack: Characters and Event Objects

It is also a good thing to remember that files with ! and/or $ on their filenames are Character Sheets.

Character sheets can be either characters, monsters or even tile objects. Their purpose is to support as a new layer for any other decorations you might have for your levels. They are also in PNG format to support Alpha Transparency.

These files should go in:
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVXACE\YOURGAME\Graphics\Characters
Faces
They're also known as Facesets. They are materials that you set in the actor tab in the database. They usually appear on menus and message windows if you want to do so. RPG Maker XP doesn't have this.



These files should go in:
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVXACE\YOURGAME\Graphics\Faces
Battlers
Battlers are simply static enemy graphics. Animated isn't supported by default and you will need a custom script to do that. It doesn't matter if they're sideview or frontview because you can set their position manually in the troops tab. In RPG Maker XP, they use the battlers in menus.



These files should go in:
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVXACE\YOURGAME\Graphics\Battlers
Tilesets
They are also known as Tiles. They are objects that is used to create your maps/levels.
In RPG Maker VX format, the tiles are in the system folder. (Futuristic Pack Reference)


  • Tiles A1 - A4 use the engine function called Autotiles. Consult the help file for more information. Walls, grounds, animations go in here.
  • Tiles A5 is the only "A" layer that doesn't use the autotiles and present the tiles as is.
  • Tiles B/C/D/E are upper tiles that don't have any special formatting. It is however important to remember to keep the uppermost left of Tile B a star passability or it will affect your tileset's passability settings.



Resource Packs like the Futuristic Tiles and the High Fantasy Pack should be set as VX Compatible. You can load a Tile E sheet to Tile B. You can also load the same sheets in two different layers, like a Tile B sheet on Tile C and D tabs. It doesn't really matter. You can access them in by Right Click-> Map Properties.



Here is another guide to import tilesets.[rpgmaker.assets.s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com]

These files should go in:
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVXACE\YOURGAME\Graphics\Tiles
Battlebacks
Some resource packs, like the High Fantasy Pack, call them Backgrounds. They are simply images that appear in your battle screen. In VXAce, it's named as Battlebacks1 and Battlebacks2. The difference between the two is that Battleback1 serves as the floor while Battlebacks2 serves as a wall or something that will appear above Battleback1.


These files should go in either of the two:
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVXACE\YOURGAME\Graphics\Battlebacks1
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVXACE\YOURGAME\Graphics\Battlebacks2
Parallaxes
Also known as Panoramas. Parallaxes are images that appear beneath your map's tiles if there are transparent or half-transparent tiles present. You can access them in by Right Click-> Map Properties (or press space while a map tree is highlighted).



These files should go in:
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVXACE\YOURGAME\Graphics\Parallaxes
Pictures
Pictures are assets that can be literally anything. They also appear above everything except the menus. This includes but not limited to portraits and overlays. You can access them through the Event Command, Show Picture, Move Picture and Erase Picture.



These files should go in:
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVXACE\YOURGAME\Graphics\Pictures
System
System is where the Window (also known as Windowskin) and Iconset are located. This is also the alternate folder (aside from pictures) where scripts load graphic files. That's highly dependent on the script.

If you have new icons (like from RPG Maker DS Pack), you have to manually edit the existing RTP Iconset and merge them together. Iconsets are 24 × 24 each, and this will be your grid. There are 16 icons in a row. You can add rows as much as you want.

Note that the icons used for indicating parameter buff and debuff states are limited to icons numbers 64 to 95 by default.

These files should go in:
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\RPGVXACE\YOURGAME\Graphics\System
Scripts
Scripts are materials that directly modify how your game works and can add features. Each script has different configuration depending on their creators. To paste scripts, press F11 or the Script Icon.



It is important to remember that sometimes, Scripts have an "order" going on to be compatible with each other. A General Guideline would be, Visual Battler Scripts usually have to be below all other Mechanical Battle Scripts. This is highly dependent on the script, so don't be afraid to ask in the forums about that.
The End!
If you have any other questions, you can talk to the makers of the Resource Packs in Product Discussion and Support in the official forums.[forums.rpgmakerweb.com]

96 Comments
TheWorkingMan43 Jun 12, 2020 @ 6:45pm 
I need a guide so show me how to draw my own characters Portraits.
weaniehutjr Feb 7, 2019 @ 4:59pm 
I bought this thinking there was an MV style face generator which there Isn't, I didn't expect presets I wanted to create my own, also when I looked in the files I had no DLC content, what am I missing??
j.d.cutlerefsky Nov 26, 2018 @ 2:04pm 
I subscribed and downloaded a few different tilesets and none of them were in my DLC folder. Can anyone help me figure out why this is?
MstrYoShi Feb 28, 2018 @ 4:30am 
\(^_^)/ ... Nice Guide, Thank you ... :steamhappy:
DJstar25 Oct 13, 2017 @ 8:25pm 
i just downloaded the dungeons and volcano pack, and nothing is like, labled properly from what i can tell ive tried my best and i just cant figure out what too put where, can someone please help me.
Vic White Oct 21, 2016 @ 4:35am 
Thanks for the tip Snatchet!
jyb1 Oct 18, 2016 @ 10:01am 
I just had to resubscribe and load the program again. If anyone has this problem in the future, this also helps.
destroy13103 Oct 17, 2016 @ 8:13am 
it sometimes does that to me as well, but lets me do it after a couple of times. keep trying
jyb1 Oct 16, 2016 @ 5:21pm 
I tried Manage Project and Ace kept crashing on me every time I tried it, whether clicking on it from the File dropdown or using ctrl-m. A lot of people online recommend turning off the workshop, disconnecting from the steam cloud, but none of these worked for me. I haven't moved the main project folder at all.
destroy13103 Oct 16, 2016 @ 5:52am 
@jyb1 usually found in the C:\Users\<yourusername>\Documents\RPGVXAce\Steam Workshop. if you can't find, open the editor and press Ctrl+M. The "Manage Project" menu will pop up. On
the "Projects" section, click any of those you downloaded, then look in the "Save Path" location.
hope this helps.