Making Dialogue like a Visual Novel in RPG Maker

In today's video, I show you how you can use the character busts to make your dialogue look like it's from a visual novel, using RPG Maker MZ. This will however work with MV as well and possibly earlier maker titles.
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If this is your first time on the channel seeing one of my videos then a huge 'Welcome to Level Up Design.' On this channel, I share tips and tricks, tutorials, and overall RPG related content. If you want even more knowlege on the general topic of game design then here are some of the books I read when studying games design in university.
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Third Edition - amzn.to/3zkOh5H
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Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals - amzn.to/3OFeRw8
A unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a catalyst for innovation, filled with new concepts, strategies, and methodologies for creating and understanding games.
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[@robkazer5841]

If I ever become an accomplished dev, I'm going to credit you for helping to teach me and being f***ing hilarious

[@rainyteiproductions9734]

I miss the sass, I MISS the sass!!! I understand your explicit cutscene tutorial isn't everyone's taste, but I hope every now and then you'll make more videos like that one because I rewatch the cutscene video all the time just when I need a laugh. Anyway, if I get over the lack of total burns in this video, it's great. So glad to see you uploading again! Keep up the great work! We missed you during your big youtube hiatus.

[@LvLUpDesign]

Hey Tei. Thanks for the support! It was a new format I was experimenting with. Still need to take it back to the drawing board but definitely a style I want to bring back. I've got to format it in a way that KZbin is happy with too. And Sass? that's just called being Australian 😂. I wasn't gone that long. Only for an entire year!

[@econhelp583]

@@LvLUpDesign It is great that you are back! The RPG community needs more people like you. Thanks for the awesome content, it is very much appreciated! 😊

[@shybie2798]

Ah! Thank you for this, I've been wanting to make a mini game that's mostly visually novel like.

[@AutMouseLabs]

I love your voices! When I first started watching your videos that was part of what drew me in. Thanks for the content and have fun at the gym!

[@LvLUpDesign]

Yeah. used to play a lot of DnD so I'm voices Galor. Also no one has fun at the gym, just have to do it :P

[@huntingswan1174]

Love this! The cinema map is cuuuute!

[@LvLUpDesign]

Just a few custom things I'm working on :p

[@DoubleXP76]

Great to see more How to vids! I missed them! So if I may suggest; paralaxing/texturing; making pretty overworld maps! Just saying; I personally need tips lol!

[@LvLUpDesign]

Offt, that's a big job. I might just be able to cover the basics because you could do some crazy stuff with a world map.

[@skepsys_d]

Great work on the new video series bud, keep it up! Stay safe out there.

[@LvLUpDesign]

Thanks Skepsys, will do :)

[@stillfangirlingtoday1468]

Hey, I'm not sure you will see this, but I want to *thank you from the bottom of my heart* for everything you do and I also have a silly question: is it possible to make the character *blink* and move its mouth while speaking? How should I go about it in MV? Could I possibly add *live2d* sprites for that "breathing" effect? I really want my sprites to look alive.

[@luizrocha1500]

Moghunter have a plugin called "Picture Effects" for exactly this (a "fake" breathing effect + blink + mouth move)

[@mike9139]

YOU ARE AWESOME! ❤❤❤

[@Nirwanda001]

Wow i never thoguht about tinting the busts, that's clever. :)

[@LvLUpDesign]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@KevinCoisy]

To make the bust turn around you don't need to create another image. You just change the X scale to -100%

[@Archon3960]

Ah, so many memes waiting to come out. xD I kid, that's a great tutorial. Well done. B)

[@ScreamOfSilence22]

Great video! I like how the dude sounds like Chills, Burger King foot lettuce.

[@ryokiritani28]

Numbeeer nineeee

[@AstraSpaceKid]

YES, THIS IS Exactly WHAT I NEEDED!!!!!🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@rifysoloforakotoarijaona3502]

What if a character doesn't look symetrical, (let's say he wears an eye patch on his left eye) the horizontal flip won't work, because his eye patch would move to his right eye.

[@ExiaGAMES93]

Hi LvL Up Design, is there any tutorial about adding Video that will play once of every sequence, or looping video where there is a choice to break it up? for example, i'm trying to make a battle scene where a character has a special attack that will play an awesome sequence for 3-5 second animation (which i made using blender), or adding a 5-7seconds of a man running where the video is looping until i break it with choices {"continue" or "stop running"} thanks in advance :)

[@str8busta]

Awesome tutorial, just what I needed.

[@LvLUpDesign]

Thanks for the support Mr Balls :)

[@andromedan5262]

Do you know how to make invetory with plugin or without plugin,...?

[@LlyonaFang]

will this work in MV or just MZ?

[@8cupcoffee947]

Very good information, thank you

[@ttesselate]

not sure if this’ll be seen or anything but i’m trying to do this but i’m also using the bindpicstomap plugin for a custom parallax and whenever i do this it messes up my top layer? help 😭

[@3uhhu3]

hi ik this video is kind of old so you may not reply or something but what pi size did u use for the character busts??????????

[@TallTapper]

this is the part with the car

[@memegamingxd]

great tutorial :D , i wonder can you put image as a background during the conversation ? and how to do it ?

[@whateverguy9204]

Probably using the Add Picture as well, loading that one first so it stays in the back. Cropping the image to appropiately fit the aspect ratio of the screen you're game would be recommended

[@zebruh2794]

Good video, it is very helpful ^^

[@LvLUpDesign]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mhalo777]

what about custom characters is there a tutorial for this or a plugin to add

[@HiHello-qw6li]

Can you also use this in RPGMaker MV??

[@cripstation]

burger king foot lettuce

[@spuriusscapula4829]

exactly what I thought XD

[@RunningFlan]

Is this the only way to add dialogue, or can I have it more like Pokemon where the dialogue appears above the pixel characters?

[@MAF_DEV]

how do i make the sf_actor images

[@snowflakeprince]

So cool!! Thank you so much!! (Btw, what word processer did you use to write the diologue, I ask because it looks famliar to me but I just can't put my finger on it. It's driving me crazy lol)

[@ikmalsaid]

Looks like Word? Maybe...^^

[@LvLUpDesign]

Yeah, Microsoft Word.

[@snowflakeprince]

@@LvLUpDesign thank you! I can't believe I didn't recognize Word, lol, I have been looking for other programs to use instead of Word, and your processer looks a little differnet from mine, so I thought maybe you were using a program I haven't tried yet :D. Anyway, back to the real prize that is this video, thanks again! Videos like these are jewels for novices like me (^.^)

[@Morta1337y]

Moar RPG Maker MZ videos!!!!!!

[@fierceditiesnaruto]

I'm working on a PS4, but I'll see about how I can adapt this. I'm actually considering switching to a PC for this stuff. Can I get some personal recommendations to better prepare myself please?

[@LvLUpDesign]

If you're swapping to PC, it might be worth it to wait until RPG Maker Unite comes out some time this year, that uses RPG Maker on top of the Unity Engine. This is going to mean a lot more freedom in how you can create the game.

[@jobe_gryant152]

Can you add a bust during gameplay that changes when they get damaged or interact with an object? Also. This was a great video and I appreciate your knowledge in all of your videos.

[@LvLUpDesign]

There would probably be a way to do that by creating a common event for everytime you show a characters bust, and that common event checks that characters HP and shows an image accordingly.

[@jobe_gryant152]

@@LvLUpDesign I know this will sound "fan cliche" but can you do a video. I found that doing an HP check or a MP check has errors in when the system automatically checks what HP the character has. I even contacted the devs and it seems you need an event that autoruns in order to do the check, but the system didn't run it that way and it would only update with a page event.

[@joswarbellidorosas3956]

you are awesome

[@LvLUpDesign]

Now record that as a voice clip and send it too me so I can wake up to that every morning.

[@xiliangyao]

第一！

[@ClassPunkOnRumbleAndSubstack]

My dialogue: Woke grunt: What should we do to work on the website Susan? Susan: We have to censor everyone for our lizard overlords. We have to enslave them all. Woke grunt: Should we continue demonetizing people as well? Susan: Yes if they aren't making people dumber don't allow them to make money. Undercover Qsoldier: You're under arrest. Susan: I am stepping down as CEO to go on vacation. Woke grunt: Why? The website is the best it's ever been? Communities are dying everywhere and we have total control.