Simple engine question

[Gahbreeil]

Just go with rpgmaker then, it's ok for a first time game or something simple.

I still haven't understand where the borders of this "simplicity" are. Theoretically you can customize it with JS, and look what Dancing Dragons has done with Symphony of War... That one was made with VX or ACE IIRC.

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/wizards-crown-an-rpgmaker-horror-tragedy.151271/ S I M P L I C I T Y

 

[n0wh3r3]

Just go with rpgmaker then, it's ok for a first time game or something simple.

I still haven't understand where the borders of this "simplicity" are. Theoretically you can customize it with JS, and look what Dancing Dragons has done with Symphony of War... That one was made with VX or ACE IIRC.

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/wizards-crown-an-rpgmaker-horror-tragedy.151271/ S I M P L I C I T Y

This sounds sketchy. Everything about it feels so off. I don't know what to do.

 

[gooseman]

Just go with rpgmaker then, it's ok for a first time game or something simple.

I still haven't understand where the borders of this "simplicity" are. Theoretically you can customize it with JS, and look what Dancing Dragons has done with Symphony of War... That one was made with VX or ACE IIRC.

Simple is anything that is covered by any engine. You can make tic tac toe in any engine. Tetris. Text adventures. Visual novels. Arcade games. The bar for simplicity is higher than this, but these are the clearest examples I can come up with. The engine is also good for its primary purpose - JRPGs. The further you stray from what it gives you, the more work you'll have to put into it, compared to a generalist engine, which is more likely to have tools for making custom expansions. Can you use an RTS engine to make a shooter? Yes. But you'd be better off using a shooter engine instead. It depends entirely on your game. There are games of different genres (fps, platformer, action game, even 3d) made in rpgmaker. Theoretically, you can make anything. The question is how hard it will be and how long will it take. There are good games made in rpgmaker. There are also plugins made by others, implementing all kinds of features.
I highly doubt you'll run into real limitations. It would be easier to tell if I knew what you want to make. Wording in the OP is a bit confusing. Are you still wanting to make a text based crpg with ascii art? Or has that also changed? What does text based mean? Like a text adventure? Something like sanctuary rpg or candybox? Those are simple enough for any engine to handle. Twine or Renpy might be more suited for it than rpgmaker, though.

 

[n0wh3r3]

Just go with rpgmaker then, it's ok for a first time game or something simple.

I still haven't understand where the borders of this "simplicity" are. Theoretically you can customize it with JS, and look what Dancing Dragons has done with Symphony of War... That one was made with VX or ACE IIRC.

Simple is anything that is covered by any engine. You can make tic tac toe in any engine. Tetris. Text adventures. Visual novels. Arcade games. The bar for simplicity is higher than this, but these are the clearest examples I can come up with. The engine is also good for its primary purpose - JRPGs. The further you stray from what it gives you, the more work you'll have to put into it, compared to a generalist engine, which is more likely to have tools for making custom expansions. Can you use an RTS engine to make a shooter? Yes. But you'd be better off using a shooter engine instead. It depends entirely on your game. There are games of different genres (fps, platformer, action game, even 3d) made in rpgmaker. Theoretically, you can make anything. The question is how hard it will be and how long will it take. There are good games made in rpgmaker. There are also plugins made by others, implementing all kinds of features.
I highly doubt you'll run into real limitations. It would be easier to tell if I knew what you want to make. Wording in the OP is a bit confusing. Are you still wanting to make a text based crpg with ascii art? Or has that also changed? What does text based mean? Like a text adventure? Something like sanctuary rpg or candybox? Those are simple enough for any engine to handle. Twine or Renpy might be more suited for it than rpgmaker, though.

I am delighted about you remembering my words, exactly what I said. Thanks for being how you are.

However, here it is the current situation: the panorama shifted, drastically.

I now have unlimited free time and while wandering through multiple possibilities, I got fixed on my usual ways of spending my time. That means that most of my time is spent looking at screen. Recently (years) the disproportion of enjoying - but not appreciating - life through an avatar of some sort vs through my true self made me think I would end up defeating my foes and getting to the credits so I could figure out who to blame. It didn't happen.
It was the last thing I needed to take a - partial - break from cybersecurity and getting into a more personal project without any kind of stress, pressure or external limitation that can't be dealt with.

But I still haven't gained any implant to transfer skills or knowledge, so I still have to compromise. The engine choice is a compromise. It means less freedom. But it's not detrimental for my health. At all. I would even go as far as stating that it is in fact completely opposite: an healthy choice. And a relevant choice, somehow, that will empower myself in doing something related to a big passion of mine. To me it is luxury-level of opportunity.

I owe nothing to anyone (but I feel no entitlement to anything either). I have no obligations (I have been taught that criminal law do not prohibit crimes but puts fees on committing them, paid through the most valuable possessions we humans have), but the one to be grateful to myself for not having turned my life off. I feel among the luckiest people on earth.

To not be misunderstood: my existence still has many limitations, but every day I feel more and more desperate for the realization how almost every - "normal" - person on this planet is not living life. I cannot do anything about it, but I will do my best to feel alive in mine.

 

[n0wh3r3]

Anyway... I am still very early (I'd almost say the earliest I could be) in the project. Currently still busy with documentations (lots of reading and researching) and just started building the general setting/shaping the game. I still have no complete pitch, not even close to one.

EDIT: also playing TONS of different games to get the broadest vision I can get.

 

[Jonathan "Zee Nekomimi]

Use RPG Maker MZ since it offers better cross plataform and features overall.

 

[Eldrin]

As far as I'm aware, SmokingWolf did update the Wolf Editor to Ver3 in 2022, both free and a new pro editon, so the project support didn't stop in 2019 (I'm unsure if it's available in English already tho). What makes me recommend it over RPG maker is that games from Wolf RPG Editor just felt smoother to play and had future like faster movement or a dialogue skip button (I don't usually skip dialogues - but when I die and the last save point was 10 minutes ago before a long wall of text dialogue convo, then such a future is a godsend). Additionally, that in a game engine originally created to make something like One Way Heroics you can create works with such animations as False Myth (yes, both are on Wolf RPG Engine), is pretty damn impressive.

From a gameplay perspective, Wolf Engine creations always felt superior, it's free, and there are translation projects like on This Site, even if they aren't maybe of the latest edition, so I just like to recommend it as an option. At the end of the day, you're developing the game, so you yourself chose which one you prefer to work with.

 

[n0wh3r3]

As far as I'm aware, SmokingWolf did update the Wolf Editor to Ver3 in 2022, both free and a new pro editon, so the project support didn't stop in 2019 (I'm unsure if it's available in English already tho). What makes me recommend it over RPG maker is that games from Wolf RPG Editor just felt smoother to play and had future like faster movement or a dialogue skip button (I don't usually skip dialogues - but when I die and the last save point was 10 minutes ago before a long wall of text dialogue convo, then such a future is a godsend). Additionally, that in a game engine originally created to make something like One Way Heroics you can create works with such animations as False Myth (yes, both are on Wolf RPG Engine), is pretty damn impressive.

From a gameplay perspective, Wolf Engine creations always felt superior, it's free, and there are translation projects like on This Site, even if they aren't maybe of the latest edition, so I just like to recommend it as an option. At the end of the day, you're developing the game, so you yourself chose which one you prefer to work with.

I obviously didn't do the appropriate research about it. I am gonna try it ASAP and evaluate. I should have looked less quickly at the webpage, since it is clearly stated that the last update is from 4 months ago... Damn.
However, note that good games have been built also with RPG Maker and there are reasons for it to be considered a better choice. What would be your counter-argument? Do you have any personal experience with this?

Please do not misinterpret my words! I appreciate your suggestion, but I did extensive research about engine options/choice (obviously not enough since I am not sure that Wolf ever came up) and I am growing kind of fond of RPG Maker MZ, the extensive community support, the documentation, the ease of usage and how well is blending with my operations. In my understanding, one of the point where Wolf has absolutely no chance of competing, is the community support, docs/tutorials and similar stuff... What is your answer?

 

[Eldrin]

In my understanding, one of the point where Wolf has absolutely no chance of competing, is the community support, docs/tutorials and similar stuff... What is your answer?

I would say it mostly depends on what game you are planning to make. Community support and tutorials will definitely be easier to access in something so much more popular and widespread like RPG maker. If it meshes well with your planned project, then just go for it. My only experience with game engines and RPG maker is from years ago, when I dabbled with it for fun, and I don't remember much of it.

The projects that I played in Wolf were just much more impressive from the gameplay perspective than RPG maker works (latest I played was Omori), and it is a lesser known engine, so I like to give it a shoutout.

 

[Krice]

I am delighted about you remembering my words, exactly what I said. Thanks for being how you are.

This sounds like AI generated text.

 

[n0wh3r3]

In my understanding, one of the point where Wolf has absolutely no chance of competing, is the community support, docs/tutorials and similar stuff... What is your answer?

I would say it mostly depends on what game you are planning to make. Community support and tutorials will definitely be easier to access in something so much more popular and widespread like RPG maker. If it meshes well with your planned project, then just go for it. My only experience with game engines and RPG maker is from years ago, when I dabbled with it for fun, and I don't remember much of it.

The projects that I played in Wolf were just much more impressive from the gameplay perspective than RPG maker works (latest I played was Omori), and it is a lesser known engine, so I like to give it a shoutout.

I'll try it ASAP and see if I can stand it. Thanks.

EDIT: 47.8 MB??? How???

 

[Nifft Batuff]

If you want to do something original, and also learn something useful too, then don't use third party engines, but build directly what you need using a programming language and dedicated libraries.

 

[gooseman]

You don't need to do that to make something original or learn something useful. There's more to making games than just programming and engines. Unless the game is very simple, you'll likely just be reinventing the wheel without benefit, end up with an inferior product and it will take forever to make a game. There's very little point in that, unless you really enjoy those things and have a specific goal in mind.