Events are placed on the map and are usually either invisible or they have a sprite which represents a characer or object. You won't even see this unless you are adding a new command to an Event or Common Event. It's pretty straightforward, you just need to figure out what each tile is supposed to represent. The different layers of tiles are designed to give a sense of space and define where the player can go. The map editor lets you paint tiles on the map in a number of layers, as well as placing events.
#3: There are three main things you need to learn, all of which are designed to be easy to learn but have many features, and a few smaller super easy things.
YOU WILL DROWN IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO SWIM, SO LEARN TO SWIM IN THE POOL FIRST. The database is the middle of the pool, with common events being the deep end of the pool. The RPG Maker map editor is the shallow end of the pool. If they are correct and what you're trying to do does require a script, you need to stop and learn how RPG Maker does things before even thinking about trying what you want. Usually they're not, but I've noticed a few people here and there recommend scripts when common events can more easily be used, which means they're unfamiliar with how to do things right. If you ask a question on a forum and someone answers by saying you need a script to do it, they may be wrong. (until you know how EVERYTHING ELSE works FIRST) #2: You don't need custom scripts for anything.
This means the most painless way to make your awesome magnum opus in your mind is to start by learning how RPG Maker does everything by default and not trying to force it to do things that require scripting. While RPG Maker is very versatile, it's main focus has always been 80s/90s RPGs such as Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Ultima, Chrono Trigger, and so on. #1: RPG Maker is designed primarily for old-school style RPGs. Most of the artists who are still involved with RPG Maker will be on those sites, and so they are likely to provide the most recent resources and ToS on those sites, and are easier to contact with questions on those sites.Hello my fellow RMVX customers! I see there are quite a few others here who have never used any previous RPG Maker at all, so I think I should give you some advice to get you started as quickly and painlessly as possible. I'd say, stick to RMN (), VXAN (), and RMW (). Not to mention, some aren't around anymore, and some don't visit any of the old sites to bother updating anything anymore. However, old habits die hard, and a lot of people still don't. In recent months, there have been pushes to get artists to provide detailed ToS for their work, and I think many of them have started doing that. Since then, the shift has gone more towards commercial (especially with the recent commercial editions to RMN and the focus of commercial at RMW). Most communities were forums built for non-commercial projects, and it was a common practice to assume that unless otherwise stated, the resources were for non commercial use only, and you'd need to contact the artist (scripter, composer, etc) to negotiate commercial use. Keep in mind that up until the last two years, RPG Maker was primarily a hobbyist tool, commercial games were few and far in between, and about the only two places you could easily house a commercial game on was Aldorlea or Amaranth.