I've been programming for a few years now, comfortable with both C++ and C#, and I want to really get into game programming. I'm interested in it as a hobby; I have no intention of selling or even having anyone but me play it, so time/costs/creating it to suit other people aren't really a concern. I just want to indulge myself. I have some experience with game programming. I made an online MUSH RPG several years back (but it's text-based, as all MUD-like games) and I've fiddled around with XNA, doing some of the game examples in the XNA game programming book from Jaegar and getting a sprite to walk around on the screen on my own.

I really want to make a 2D RPG, something similar to Final Fantasy (not very original, but like I said, it's just for my own amusement). I have a general understanding of game states and game loops and what-not. But what I want to understand is things like tiling. I don't think hard-coding a file with all the tiles seems like the right way to go. I've played around with RPG Maker Ace VX and I was wondering how something like that works. Is that the right way to go about it? Create a program specially designed to create a game map, painting the tiles on? But then how does the actual game load that file and use it? This is the one area where I'm lost. Basically, I need to understand how a tile system works in a 2D RPG game.

As a note, I really don't want to use RPG Maker to make my game. I want to do things the "hard" way - I'm either going to use XNA or something like SFML to get started.

Thanks!

Here's a thread before were we discussed this - it might help you get the basic idea.

I'd suggest using a pre-built external editor tool (like Tiled or Mappy), and loading maps you create in them.

xna really is a great place to start. I've been using it for the past year, and new to programming, it really helped get me in a lot of areas. Personally, It'd stick with that if you wish to create your own engine and custom mechanics. Although, it may be time consuming at first to learn all of the different classes and such dealing with xna, but it's worth it in the end. You really learn a lot.

hello, can you provide a link to the mush rpg you have made as at the moment i am interested in developing old school text-based games. furthermore, i have some experience with 2d gamedev using XNA, so maybe i could provide some help if you ask anything specific.

Have a nice day!

you don't need to develop your own map editor, i suggest tiled and mappy, too
but it is a good exercise, if interested in.

To the question how it works: you have your map data file where write which tile is on which position, think that's clear. It also save which tileset you use for your map! of course you can store much more information your it's decision.

with those information you load first your tileset only once in your memory. instead to load each tile again and again if the mapnit says it need it. (save memory)

as example you store your tileset in a array now you need only to access every time it is requested this array to visualize your map data file. on the specific position on the screen.