Map Versions

Map Versions let one map hold several different states of itself — for example a normal town, a cinematic variant, and a destroyed version after a story event — without creating separate maps. In‑game you switch between versions with a single switch or variable, and the whole map (tiles, events, fog, panoramas, shadows) changes in place: the player stays exactly where they are, and the world transforms around them. No Transfer Player, no loading a parallel map.

Everything is stored inside the same map file (MapXXX.rxdata), as pure additions, so the map still opens in stock RPG Maker XP and the base version is never modified.

When to use it

A location that changes after a story beat (intact → ruined, day → festival, sealed → opened).
A cinematic / cutscene dressing of a normal map.
Seasonal or time‑of‑day re‑dressings of the same place.

Versions share the map’s width and height (they’re the same map), and they share the same map_id, so Transfer Player commands, quests, and connections that point at this map keep working across every version.

Where to manage versions

You can reach map versions from several places — they all drive the same actions:

Versions button in the toolbar — shows the current version as a badge (e.g. V2/3) and opens the Version Manager.
Map → Map Versions… in the menu bar.
The Version control at the right end of the status bar (quick switch + menu).
Right-click a map in the Maps tree → Versions (quick switch) or Manage Versions….

The Version Manager

The Version Manager lists every version — Version 1 (Base) plus your extra versions — with the switch/variable that activates each one. Click anywhere on a version’s row to switch the canvas to it. Each non-base version’s row also has buttons to Set Selector, Rename, and Delete it, and the New Version button adds one. The version you’re currently editing is marked editing, and any selector overlaps are flagged with a warning icon.

Creating a version

Open the map you want to version.
Click New Version. A dialog asks two things:
- Name for the version.
- Start from — either Duplicate an existing version (pick Version 1 (Base) or any other version to copy its tiles, events and layers) or Blank (empty map) to start from scratch at the base map’s size.
The canvas switches to the new version — paint tiles, place events, add fog/panorama layers/shadows, then Ctrl+S to save. Edits to a version only affect that version; the base map is untouched.
Switch between Version 1 (Base) and your versions at any time from any of the controls above. Unsaved edits are saved automatically before switching.

Numbering stays tidy: versions are numbered Version 1 (Base), Version 2, Version 3 …. If you delete a version in the middle, the ones after it are renumbered down so there’s never a gap.

Choosing what activates a version

Click ⚙ (Selector) to bind the active version to game state:

Variable equals value — the version is active while the chosen variable equals the value you set (e.g. Variable 0027 = 4).
Switch is ON — the version is active while the chosen switch is ON (e.g. Switch 0088).

In‑game, set that switch/variable however you like (a Control Switches / Control Variables event command, a script, etc.). The moment its value matches, the map swaps to that version on the spot.

Resolution order: versions are checked by number (v1, v2, v3 …) and the first one whose selector matches wins. If none match, the base map (v0) is shown. If two versions can be active at once, the switcher shows a ⚠ selector overlap warning so you can fix the ambiguity.

State lives in the variable/switch, so it’s saved with the player’s save file automatically — load a save that was in the “destroyed” version and the map comes back destroyed.

Things to know

Same size: all versions share the base map’s dimensions. Resize the base map before adding many versions.
Self‑switches are shared: because every version is the same map_id, an event’s self‑switch (A/B/C/D) is shared across versions. Handy for persistent door/chest state, but keep it in mind.
Running events stop on swap: when the map changes version, any autorun/parallel event from the old version is stopped so it can’t keep running on an event that no longer exists.
Getting stuck: if a new version adds a wall where the player is standing, they could be trapped — design transitions so the player’s tile stays walkable, or move them with the event that triggers the change.
File size: each version stores a full copy of the map inside the file, so a map with many large versions makes a bigger .rxdata. This is normal.

Requirements

Map Versions need the Maker Studio game plugin installed (it ships with the integration). The runtime swap is supported on the v21.1‑family builds (LBDS 1.1/1.2 and vanilla Pokémon Essentials v21.1). Editing versions in the editor works regardless of which build you ship.