HOW PLANNED-OUT SHOULD YOUR RPG BE BEFORE YOU BEGIN?

I don't think that you need a giant notebook full of plot points and such, but I'm not saying that's a bad thing to do. It's great if you have the time for it.

In terms of story... I think that if you know the start, middle, and end to the story and what the motivations are for all of the heroes and villains then you should have a good foundation that will offer you a decent amount of leeway when mapping and such (assuming you don't have the giant notebook of plot points).

Obviously you need to plan ahead with items and monsters so that you can properly organize your database as well. For example, you don't want items 100-125, 176-181, and 225-231 to be swords because that just creates a mess for players who can't sort their inventories (I'm looking at 2000 and 2003 when I say this).

While I would never advocate its use for any other type of literature, getting at least a basic outline done should be the first step.

When I sit and write for days/weeks/months and square away every aspect of the game I want to make, not only do I lose interest in the project, but I start to forget the limitations of the maker.

It is easy to get caught up in your own world, writing the game the way you think it should go. When you get to the creation stage, you might have a few things that are very difficult to translate into your maker. Do you change them, or obsess over getting them to work exactly the way you wrote them?

I don't tend to think of my games in a linear progression, so I use note cards. I write characters, plot ideas, themes, combat ideas, set pieces, etc out on cards. I even write the gist of what conversations should say. I find it easier to have a basic idea of the information I want to convey, and then just write the actual conversation out in the maker. It helps keep me thinking in terms of dialog boxes, and how many times the player will tolerate pushing (z) and waiting for another paragraph.

Having it all on note cards allows me to move things around if I notice a pacing problem or something that doesn't make sense.

I've filled two notebooks with information for one of my games. I started working on this game's first iteration back in 2006. I've never been able to translate everything I want to get implemented into the game. I've stopped and started it twenty times, changing the artstyle, the gameplay style, the world, just about everything I could trying to find the best way to reconcile what I put on the page with what came up on the screen.

As a contrast to that: The project that I wrote a brief synopsis of, with almost no dialog, and just vague hints about mechanics, has already made it to the demo stage, gone up on the website and received a positive review. I know (roughly) how long the game will take to complete, and how long it will take to play once completed. I know point a and point z, but I connect the dots in the Maker.

Having everything planned is great, but when starting a game, I think it's just best to wing it. Make as much as possible. Find out what works and what doesn't. Sure you may have to redo everything, but you'll have a clearer vision and the progress won't be wasted.
Working off of a script in the later stages is highly recommended though. (Especially because you can do spell check on it all at once)

I also agree with this.

author=LockeZ
If visually seeing the stuff in action is a necessary or helpful part of your design process, maybe your plans won't all get followed (but this doesn't necessarily diminish the value of making them).

I'd say do both. Spontaneous planning. Whatever keeps you passionate and motivated.

I say at least make a rough outline of your game. Personally, I find that I have to actually start using the RPG Maker pretty soon if I want to get somewhere. It may be different for other people though.

Well, the only project that I’ve completely planned out from start to finish, is the only project I’ve ever released something playable for.

Even when I go in with a basic outline, it always falls apart before it goes anywhere, and I’ve attempted more projects than I’ll like to share. Seeing everything written out keeps you motivated and most importantly, on track.

EDIT: Also, it wasn't until I had my entire story written out, that I started seeing plot holes GALORE (even though I thought I knew everything about my story, I still didn't). If I had reliazed that after I was six months in, I would have gotten so stressed and felt like quitting. Even things like working how many towns and dungeons you’ll have in the game allows you to perfectly plan how much equipment there will be, rather than just leaving massive gaps everywhere in the database. Man, just plan it out, seriously.

Even if your plot is simple, you should be planning out your gameplay.

Commercial RPGs are completely planned.

RPG Maker for Playstation suggests this workflow:

1. Develop ideas and concept.
2. Create title screen.
3. Create the characters and skills they will use.
4. Create monsters.
5. Create items.
6. Create magic and abilities.
7. Create maps.
8. Combine all the elements you've created by now working on the event data.
9. Finally, beta test.

It can be helpful to use placeholder graphics at first. Then, when everything is finished, simply replace the graphics with the correct ones.

If you are aiming for completion, it is a long process. If you simply want to tell a story, it's much more efficient to write a novel.

For me personally, I like to have an idea of what the end-game is going to be. Make sure you know that all the little(and big) things that lead up to the end make sense and can actually connect.
If you have an idea for a ending, the finale then I think you have something to work up to.

Because sometimes the stuff in between isn't that important and can probably be made up on the spot, given it flows with the things obviously.
Like for my zombie game, I had general stuff planned out, but it's not like each scene and whatnot was planned out meticulously beforehand. I knew where I wanted to go from the beginning to end and I filled in what happens in the middle.

Might not be the best way, but I think it helps to plan carefully but at the same time let your creative process flow freely abit when it isn't dire.