Description

So last month RPG Maker MZ, the latest in the RPG Maker series, was released! With a bunch of quality of life upgrades, better ability to run on potatoes and a whole new way of dealing with animations (and plugins, too) - well it's a pretty decent upgrade!


So, we're gonna celebrate the next footstep in the beloved series by having a small event to check it out. The idea behind this event is to play with the engine and see what it can do in comparison to other RM engines, at the base level. Basically, you can do testing, figure out eventing and just mess around with what's there. Get a feel for the engine and how it is to make stuff in, how it stacks up against other RM engines or how RM engines feel to gammak in.

Thankfully, this time they released it with a trial version! Extra fun for those who don't have the cashola to buy. ;p


Rules
- Make a small game (at least 5 minutes gameplay) over the course of a week.
- Can only use RPG Maker MZ (bought or trial is fine)
- NO PLUGINS! We're going old-school! (holy shit)
- RTP only! (I know. I'm sorry ;.; )
- Gammak start Midnight of Friday 18th/Saturday 19th.
- Gammak end Midnight of Sunday 27th/Monday 28th.


Make sure to check your hourly offset in Settings so that the timer on the side of this page shows the start and end times in your timezone!



Submit
To sign up, add your name to the list below.
When you're done hit Submit in the top-right corner of this page (just above the logo).



This is a challenge and get-to-know-you event! Oh... AND A COMPETITION!
What does that mean? It means you are challenged to make something short and sweet using ONLY the base components of the engine. Eventing and RTP. No plugins, no custom art (bar UIs for evented menus, for example), no parallaxing. Use the engine as it stands, without additions, to create a game.

Thus the reason why it's a shorter event. So people can just dive in, mess about a bit and get to know/understand the engine whilst making something simple (if they're new to RPG Maker) or challenge themselves with the restrictions of events/RTP only (for those who are used to the engine).

COMPETITION
Thanks to Ocean and his generosity this is now a Competition. The prize? A full version of RPG MAKER MZ! I (liberty) will be the judge, you will be the jury and there's no need for an executioner!

After the event ends, there will be a week to play the games and you can vote on which game you thought was the best of the bunch. I will then judge from the top 3 games that you, the jury, have picked and choose the overall winner!


STREAMS


- Tomorrow's Child by pianotm
- An Essay in Insipidity II by CarlosDavilla
- Attack of the MZ RTP by seacliff217
- Awakening The Past by TsunamiJurai
- The Legend of Solstice by SoulRain



- Caudecus Anomaly by coelocanth
- Deadly Mist, Dense Minds by Make_it_MagiK
- Fragment by Puddor
- From the Light by Gurkengelee
- MZN BCN by Avee



- Heaven's Game MZ by Marrend
- Luke Daimont: Absolute Mayhem by Beregon
- Math Reider by Delsin7
- Traditional Rear Plug by Mirak
- Project 4 by Deckiller
- The Game with No Name by JustAShyDoge


FAQs

Can we use custom art such as pictures?
Only if they're RTP edits (for example, editing the window skin for UI purposes or facesets for portraits, etc)

What about DLCs that were released with the engine? The 60+ plugins and extra DLC files?
Nope! Only what is in the engine when you crack it open on a new project (bar, again, UI pictures).

Generator faces/sprites okay?
Yes.

RTP edits?
Self-edits are allowed but they must be based on the RTP and not be custom stuff.


What about scriptlets?
You can use scriptlets to call stuff - like a shortcut to commands, but not to add/remove stuff.



Where can I get the engine and how much does it cost?
You can buy the engine either on Steam or on RPGMakerWeb, however, there is also a free trial that lets you use the engine unrestricted for 20 days. If you don't know whether you want to buy it yet, get the trial instead.


Details

  • 09/19/2020 12:00 AM
  • 09/28/2020 02:00 AM
  • 10/10/2020 12:00 AM

Achievements

Registration

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Posts

author=Beregon
Ok, if you want to know which games made it to the top three, it's here:
Top 3:
The Game with No Name
Luke Daimont: Absolute Mayhem
Mirak's MZ Trial project


Thanks Beregon!!! And congrats to the top three!!!
Just noticed that the Stream 2 link actually links to Stream 1.

author=Make_it_MagiK
author=Beregon
Ok, if you want to know which games made it to the top three, it's here:
Top 3:
The Game with No Name
Luke Daimont: Absolute Mayhem
Mirak's MZ Trial project
Thanks Beregon!!! And congrats to the top three!!!


Np and thanks!
Looks like JustAShyDoge won?
Congrats!
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I swear, that icon was not there before. I think I was looking more for an actual vote-count on the other side of the screen, though.

I remember going to Discord, and seeing Liberty posting a screencap of the vote-tally there. However, I don't recall where the numbers fell. However, I suspect JustAShyDoge garnered the most votes?

*Edit:

So, here we have Luke Daimont and The Game With No Name both having 4 votes. It's possible the site "gave" the win to JustAShyDoge because they have a lower user ID?

JustAShyDoge
Still a dumb and shy doggo
9731
author=Avee
Looks like JustAShyDoge won?
Congrats!


I didn't win. (yet, I duno. unconfirmed) But I will gladly take the congratz as reaching top 3. Thank you :3

According to the post Liberty posted in discord, Beregon and my game has the same amount of vote, So it is likely as Marrend said, just a site error(Liberty stated site error) that "gave" me the win due to lower ID.

But hey, in the meantime I will enjoy my own fake victory and fake happiness. Weeee a medal of honour.
The icon is a bug in the system that, when votes are tallied, somehow just chose a random game to shove it next to when in a tie situation. IDEK. XDD

The judgement will be up sometime tonight/tomorrow (depends on if the kids stay the night).

But as stated earlier, the top three by your votes were:
- Luke Daimont
- The Game with No Name
- Traditional Rear Plug
I am very interested in which game Liberty will pick. Since my pick is in the top 3 I have a favourite :)

Also Beregon, thanks for the nice words again! I am currently playtesting version 1.1 which sees an overhaul of every enemy and every boss, brings in some new skills and equipment and revises some of the old ones. I hope you play the game again when it is out :)

You also should have people posting their final scores on your gamepage, so we can compete!
author=Gurkengelee
I am very interested in which game Liberty will pick. Since my pick is in the top 3 I have a favourite :)

Also Beregon, thanks for the nice words again! I am currently playtesting version 1.1 which sees an overhaul of every enemy and every boss, brings in some new skills and equipment and revises some of the old ones. I hope you play the game again when it is out :)

You also should have people posting their final scores on your gamepage, so we can compete!


Looking forward to it!

My best score was 14258. :)
I have finished the write ups for each of the top three.
...yes, I did a write up/review for each. The criteria were Gameplay, Writing, Presentation and Engagement. Let's see what happened!


Luke Daimont: Absolute Mayhem by Beregon

GAMEPLAY
Gameplay is interesting though a bit janky at times. The balance is pretty good and the idea of a score system is neat but doesn't really bring much to the table for competition or award. It's nice that it uses score as money at least, but beyond that it isn't really necessary. The main feature of the gameplay is that it's different to other games made in the event. It really pushed the engine to force it to work (that's where the jank comes from - RM is not an engine that does well with on-map action, but the sidescrolling really helped it in that respect).

7/10

WRITING
The story is over-the-top action and plays out like a B-rate Action movie. It's fun, frantic and silly. Writing was pretty decent, though there was a bit of awkwardness here and there. Still, very fun! I especially liked how zany it was, though there were some parts that confused me, like the little girl who just appeared out of nowhere and disappeared into nothing. That said, for the most part it was crazily enjoyable and it wasn't meant to be a serious story, so... fun!

7/10

PRESENTATION
The graphics were… okay but not great in some areas. A lot of that is due to the tiles in use and how they're supposed to be used vs how they were. You could tell what things were supposed to be for the most part but there were some pieces like the 'stairs' that were confusing. That said, trying to make side-view with default graphics is pretty hard.

Sound design was good. The music used fit the scenes and areas it was used in and sound effects weren't annoying. Nothing stood out as used incredibly well, but nothing really stood out as terrible either.

6/10

ENGAGEMENT
It's fun! It's funny. It's an enjoyable experience and it is forgiving when you screw something up. The battles aren't too hard and the overall experience is a positive one despite the issues that the gameplay jankiness causes.

8/10

SUMMARY
Unlike the other two games in the top three, this one tried a different approach to gameplay and while janky at points, it was careful to allow failure through jank to be forgiving. The presentation of the game could have done with a little work when it came to visual aspects, and there were some questioning moments in the storyline but overall it's a very interesting game that showed an inventive side of using the program basics to create. Making a relatively good and fun side-scrolling shooter over the course of a week in a new engine? Great job!

Overall: 28/40


The Game with No Name by Just_a_Shy_Doge

GAMEPLAY
Gameplay was focussed around general JRPG type exploration and battles. The balance was pretty good, if a bit on the easier side when it came to some monsters, especially later in the game when you got certain skills, but at no point did it feel like you were better off just spamming attack, which is a merit in and of itself.
The exploration for each area had its own gimmick which helped make them feel different to each other instead of feeling like you were treading the same, different coloured ground. The lava jumping felt broken with how you could literally jump everywhere, but there was the offset of getting damaged by jumping into lava that helped make it a risk at least. The minecarts were fun to mess with though there were a few bugs. The invisible walls were annoying until you figured out to use the mouse, but including height differences really helped the area not just be a 'click and go' experience, so kudos for thinking about that issue and finding a way around it.

8/10

WRITING
The story and writing in this game were pretty strong. If there were errors I don't remember them that well or they didn't stand out in my memory. The actual story itself was not only interesting but also had some good twists that had you going "Oh shit son!!!" especially when you realise the fullness of what happened. If you're smart you notice some of it pretty early on but if you miss it, it is explained a bit further down the line which was nice for those who didn't realise that particular twist.
That said, there were some issues with the overall setting where certain characters were out-of-the-blue plot important that we had no idea to look for. Coincidence of that calibre felt a bit too much, especially when you had no idea what the crystal ladies were all about. If there'd been an NPC or two who talked about the fact that there were elemental ladies to give the setting a little more of a boost, that would have been a bit more whole.

8/10

PRESENTATION
Graphics were pretty good. Mapping was decent and everything looked like it should. The dungeon designs were, for the most part, pretty good and while the invisible puzzle was a bit weird it's understandable as to why it is such. The dungeons especially were each interesting and distinct from each other.

Music was used well, as was sound where it was used.

7/10

ENGAGEMENT
The game was engaging. It started off with an interesting mystery, and pulled you along until the very end scene. The choice to spoil one of the aspects of the main mysteries was a good one, as it kept up the engagement factor well into the story.

7/10

SUMMARY
Overall, I enjoyed the game. It was a great little experience as a whole. There could have been a little more information about the setting, perhaps. I had no idea that the girl on the other team was supposed to be a light version of the elemental ladies until the end due to lack of early explanation of their existence, but as a whole the game is solid and fun.

Overall: 30/40


Traditional Rear Plug by Mirak

GAMEPLAY
Gameplay is very simple. You're watching a cutscene unfold and have little interaction bar walking around at one point. Bar hitting enter, it's bare as bones.

2/10

WRITING
Writing is funny. Full of memes and silliness, a few in-jokes and just plain old off the wall crazy, it doesn't make a lot of sense and doesn't work as an actual story, per se, but it was enjoyable and got a laugh or three. The writing, being meme-ish, wasn't great but hell, it wasn't supposed to be so I can't really dock points for that. It was a very short experience but you don't always need a fully nuanced backstory with emotional plot points. Sometimes you just have a couple looking for a clam shack and that's okay.

7/10

PRESENTATION
Graphics are actually a strong point - there were edits to sprites made that were really well done - the whole dance scene was great for the 'camgirls' and I enjoyed watching them shake their thing. Otherwise the maps were decent.

8/10

ENGAGEMENT
There wasn't really anything to do in the game but watch the funny cutscenes unfold. The sheer crazy of the story was a bit confusing at points but engaging and enjoyable non-the-less, and the end parts were pretty funny. I do wish there'd been more player agency, though.

7/10

SUMMARY
Overall, while the game was lacking when it came to being able to be played at all, the edits were great and the zaniness of the characters/story were appealing if silly. Anyone who didn't understand the in-jokes would probably be a bit lost but hey, I got it. It was fun.

Overall: 22/40



And the winner is...


Congratulations, shydoge! You won yourself a copy of RPG Maker MZ!

To everyone that took part in this event, you did amazingly! I'm blown away by how many great, inventive, cool, fun and funny games came from just a week's worth of messing with MZ. You all did so well! Keep up the amazing work!
Great :)

Congrats, @JustAShyDoge!
JustAShyDoge
Still a dumb and shy doggo
9731
:O

I got too excited I forgot to thank the ppl here!
Thank you Beregon!! (And also everyone!)
JustAShyDoge
Still a dumb and shy doggo
9731
author=Make_it_MagiK
CONGRATS JUSTASHYDOGE!!!


THANK YOU FRIEND!!!!!
I look forward to your game's full release too (´,,•ω•,,)♡
Congraaaats JUSTASHYDOGE! ^_^
I knew that it was a hard fight between the two games I liked most (and reviewed) in this contest! Great job!
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
author=Liberty
To everyone that took part in this event, you did amazingly! I'm blown away by how many great, inventive, cool, fun and funny games came from just a week's worth of messing with MZ. You all did so well! Keep up the amazing work!

In other words: Ya did good, kits. Ya did good.

Congratulations to JustAShyDoge! I personally voted for Luke Diamont: Absolute Mayham, mostly because it's gameplay was a kind of pandering to me. However, it's not like A Game With No Name wasn't in my top five, and also deserved it's own recognition.

*Edit: Just sayin', there is a Misao for "Best Event Game". I dunno how these entries stack up against the other event-games that currently exist, or the ones that are to come, but, yeah. Juuuuuuuust sayin'.
JustAShyDoge
Still a dumb and shy doggo
9731
author=TheRpgmakerAddict
Congraaaats JUSTASHYDOGE! ^_^
I knew that it was a hard fight between the two games I liked most (and reviewed) in this contest! Great job!

Thank you friend!
Indeed it was hard fight, Luke Daimont was a tough, rough guy to beat!
Thankfully I had 4 party members with a wolfman with guaranteed critical against 1 super badass hero

author=Marrend
Congratulations to JustAShyDoge! I personally voted for Luke Diamont: Absolute Mayham, mostly because it's gameplay was a kind of pandering to me. However, it's not like A Game With No Name wasn't in my top five, and also deserved it's own recognition.

Thank you friend! :3
Secretly add Marrend to the to-be-executed list for not voting my game

author=Marrend
Just sayin', there is a Misao for "Best Event Game". I dunno how these entries stack up against the other event-games that currently exist, or the ones that are to come, but, yeah. Juuuuuuuust sayin'.

Ho ho, there's still 3 months of possible event games waiting for us! (Including Cutie). Please nominate Doggo High School(Spring 2020) for misao best event ga- no wait, nominate Ideal...ok maybe no name instead!

author=JustAShyDoge
THANK YOU FRIEND!!!!!
I look forward to your game's full release too (´,,•ω•,,)♡

You're very welcome, friend! (✿◠‿◠)
And THANKS! I hope my game won't disappoint you!!!
OzzyTheOne
Future Ruler of Gam Mak
4696
Congratulations on the win ShyDogge!!!
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
My bad for not getting to the rest of the games, but I've been super busy between work and the Cutie contest.
author=Deckiller
My bad for not getting to the rest of the games, but I've been super busy between work and the Cutie contest.


Very much understandable. :) Hope you review them eventually though, loved reading your reviews :)