RPG Making programs

[Rase]

Hooray for long posts!

So, Rase's EoFF RPG has definitely struck a nerve, and now I really want to make my own RPG. So, I'm looking for an RPG Maker of some sort that, if possible, will allow for certain dialogue scripts. I want more complete choices than "yes" or "no" (a la Baldur's Gate, where you can have whole sentences. Not necessarily that large amount of text, but enough to convey a certain thought), and the ability to have diverging paths in the storyline. Other additional features are nice, but not requisite. Can the RPG Maker do this? Or do I need to use a different program.

RPG Maker can handle it quite easily. Here is a quick step-by step:
Click Show Choices.
Here you can change the up to four choices.
Using the Message command, you can create the four trees however you like. Here I have it so after you make a choice, the player repeats it, as if they are talking.

Oh, and I'm also considering using a classical-heavy score. Would I need to use primarily Midi files? And if so, can you do anything to Mp3's to compress them to make them usable?

Midi files are your best bet, due to the size. Charas has a good number of midis, ranging from game-rips to original tracks. There are bound to be plenty more out on the internet.

Also, is it possible to do job progression? Like change from Fighter to Paladin or whatever?

Yes. More on that later.

Anything is possible in XP, pretty much. As long as you can do scripts. I remember a site (I forgot it though), and they had tons of scripts for this kind of stuff. You can do a lot with scripting, but it can be hard. I used some scripts without any knowledge of scripting, because the maker gave good directions on how to use it. I say go for XP.

There are also a good number of pre-made scripts for RPG Maker XP. Here is a good range of examples, from Custom Menu Systems to a Random Loot Script to a Personality Engine. Most require simple Copy/Paste jobs, and those that don't are usually fairly detailed in their descriptions.

Edit: In fact, you can do a lot of stuff without RUBY. My friend Bakerman could make it so you could walk around, and if you had the necessary items, you could start a fire and cook food over it. Its a pretty flexible program, but you need to get used to using it, and a lot of the features.

Just as an example of how you would do this:
Choose Conditional Branch.
Here you can make a variety of preconditions for things to happen, from needing an item to having a party member to having a certain weapon or piece of armor equiped.
You can also "stack" conditions. Here, you need both Firewood and Flint to make a fire. Choosing "Yes turns on a switch...
Which can change the event to another page, with entirely different possibilities.

The Dark Knight Cecil to Paladin Cecil is basically what I have in mind, although possibly without having to restart at 1st level.

It's easy enough. What I would do would be to have two separate characters: One Dark Knight version and one Paladin Version. When you make the change you could simply remove the Dark Knight from your party, add the Paladin and set the Paladin's level to that of the Dark Knight.

A much easier option would be to simply use the "Change Hero Class" event command. Especially since I'm not sure how you would make it so the game changed one characters level to reflect that of another.