RMN SNEWS - ISSUE #21

None of Us is As Good As All of Us

...and none of you are as good as me.

Kidding!

(Or am I?)

Anywho, I want to briefly touch on a trend that has me a little dismayed, touch upon a few site issues, and then give a couple of highlights to some good collaborative efforts I see going on.

First off, I was quite disappointed with the reaction to a recent thread by a guy looking for pixel artists. A few people came down hard on his earnest request for help, unreasonably so. You don't get internet-cool-points here for being an ass. This isn't high school. The mentality I would like to foster is that we give everyone a shot and everyone that has a shot feels invested and a connection to care about the site (thank you Simon Cowell).

uh
If the aim in this thread was to keep anybody from wanting to post about potentially serious projects on RMN ever again then I think you guys did a great job

I recently posted guidelines for the Welp & Request forum, and in there I reiterate that requesters must be polite and courteous if they expect to get anywhere. I expect any responders to afford the same courtesy and respect. Save your crap for somewhere else. *posts witty 4chan image*

Now, with the issue of inactive staff. I am going to redouble my efforts to engage the site and its members, with the end goal of improving RMN's services for all. (Every now and again we need a swift kick in the butt to get going).

On the subject of helping each other out, there is an expressed interest in collaboration and group work, and I am happy to see two official attempts to address that need: A Game Drive Of Sorts and DOING IT! Week 17: A Helping Hand. Congratulations to both Sam and Liberty to take these duties upon themselves.

Oh, and welcome back SNEWS, I guess.






WIP IS GONE

rcholbert
October 11th, 2010: The Forsaking of RMN. NEVER FORGET.

On October 11th, 2010, WIP publicly stated his intentions of stepping down as the leader of RMN. He felt his time had come and that his investment in the site is over. The reins have been passed to Karsuman (you may have noticed his red username). Karsuman has not made a throne speech, but it'd probably be like:


<Karsuman> Holbert's passing was a terrible tragedy; but to lose WIP, who had barely begun to live... For me it is a deep personal loss. So it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne. Yet, out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era... in which lion and hyena come together, in a great and glorious future!


...or something like that.

Let us welcome Karsuman as our new overlord and master! HUZZAH!

Staffing-wise, nothing much has changed (yet) and RMN has stayed the course. Ankylo has assumed a much greater role in site maintenance, with me helping out a little. We'll see how this all shakes out!






A second review event wherein the aim is to get reviews written for games that have not had one yet has been started.

I think everyone was too busy playing Space Funeral and Alter A.I.L.A. Genesis, so reviews kind of dried up.






The Optimal RM2k/3 Number Guide

Out of the goodness of his heart, Craze has shared with us his deep knowledge and experience with the numbers and formulae that make up RM2k3. You're still better off using VX/XP, but the content of this guide is informative and useful for balancing RM2k3 games.

Only 7 years too late!



Benko's Beginner Guide to RPG Maker VX

This is a beginner's walkthrough in the use of RMVX and an introduction to the methodology of creating an RPG, with examples and a sample project for you to build.







Who made it?
Neok

What is it?
Alter A.I.L.A Genesis besides being a pain in the ass to type, is a side-scrolling post-apocalyptic RPG.

Why should you care?
Several good reviews and over 1K downloads in a short space of time make it a deserved Wave-Maker. You don't have to have played the game to be aware of these things...

(Which is good, because I don't play games)

Fun fact:
AAG was featured back in SNEWS #7.





Who made it?
catmitts

What is it?
A shortish RPG Maker 2003 game with original graphics, a soundtrack of creaky vintage electronica and obscure Japanese noiserock, and lots of blood.

Why should you care?
Welcome to MALICE. We have MANY GOODS and CRIMINALS.

Fun fact:
Space Funeral made waves at 1up.com.






Who made it?
calunio

What is it?
A serious game (it's not a joke game! Honest!) about pimpin' out Marvel superheroes. (Really, it's a business management sim).

Why should you care?
Okay, so this game didn't really fly under the radar, but I need to mention it because it is trending up! You might have noticed that the game is getting like 200 downloads an hour today.

Fun fact:
Blog post on Electron Dance.
Blog post on Rock Paper Shotgun.



O Brothel, Where Art Thou?

A lawyer from Marvel had sent me an email containing a Copyright Infringement Notice & Takedown for Marvel Brothel. Naturally, RMN complied right away and removed the game from RMN's games list.

Calunio now has the distinction of being RMN's first member to receive a takedown notice from a Fortune 500 company. Though unfortunate, it is kind of cool that it garnered that much attention!






Looming over RMN like some silent shadow, narcodis is a longtime member of RMN and its earlier incarnations.

In his own words...

RMN HISTORY:
I began using RPGMaker with Rpgmaker95 under the alias DragonShadow. I made a few (terrible) games, met several fine individuals like WIP, Holbert, Brickroad, and many other people, and was active on such websites as the Nexus, RMD, and Don Miguel's site, and was constantly in IRC on #rm2k, among other RM related channels. I disappeared around 02-03. Several years later, I found myself in IRC again, where I discovered RMN's existence. I've been here off and on ever since.

PERSONAL BLURB:
I'm 24, live in Utah, working as a healthcare professional and going to school for a bachelor's degree in computer science. I like to play music. I've been writing and playing music as a hobby for the past seven or eight years and I'd like to think I'm pretty okay at it.

SPARE TIME:
Playing with my band Fox Van Cleef (http://www.foxvancleef.com (shameless plug)), listening to music, watching south park, makin' gaems, spending time with my lovely fiancee, walkin' the dog, partyin', other things

FAVORITE FOOD:
The food that is free. That is the best food.

FAVORITE SAYING:
"Anything that comes easy, comes wrong."

PET PEEVE:
Bad drivers. Utah is somewhat infamous for the drivers here.. if you're not going at least 15 over the limit on the freeway, you're going too slow.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:
I was born and raised a MORMON (gasp)