[RMMV] [RMVX ACE] OKAY, LET'S HAVE THIS DISCUSSION: SAMPLE MAPS

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If you'd read my comment then you'd know that it's fine to use sample maps all you want in your game. Sure, you'll be called lazy if it's a serious project because it's tantamount to using the default database stuff, but use away.

It's NOT FINE to show them as the images needed to get a game page accepted. That means that you need to have at least one or two maps that you make yourself that are decently mapped. Hell, it can even mean you heavily edit a sample map instead and that will be fine.

It's basically like showing a sprite on a black screen with text - any Tom, Dick or Harry can just slap one down in 2 minutes and go "I hav gam". No. Put some goddamn effort into it else why even bother.

picture_eric_forest_town_sample.jpg
author=Liberty
It's NOT FINE to show them as the images needed to get a game page accepted.


thoroughly agreed lol, though if for some extreme, unlikely reason all your game uses is sample maps with no edits and the default battle setup and menus, but is still a full fledged game made with this deliberately... i'd just recommend PM'ing Liberty!
I just want to give my 2 cents, as this is also something I'm kinda conflicted with, though mostly about the RTP

Sample maps? I agree with most people here, there are no two ways around it, it's just lazy to use them in your game, especially if you want this to be your "frontrunner", they are there to teach newbies how to make decent maps or to be placeholders, saying "I use sample maps because I don't want to learn how to map" shows that you don't have a lot of heart put into your project, even bad maps are better than the samples because it shows that you care about your game, independently of your skills, the only way it is acceptable to use them, is if it's a parody of bad RPG Makers games, it is integral to the story (Like the example you posted) or it is edited enough that it feels different

RTP? Now here comes the tricky part, because I have some kind of love and hate relationship with it because, like many people, graphics aren't my forte, (The criticisms of the RTP also applies to the music, database, etc., but the graphics are the ones that are the most notable of them) I tend to use the RTP a lot, and I know that just because a game uses it, doesn't mean that the game is automatically bad, there are some amazing stuff out there made only with the RTP, the problem is that is impossible to escape the "stigma", and if your game relies heavily on the RTP, most people will probably ignore it, call your game lazy, and move on, I feel that using graphics extracted from another game also kinda falls in the same category of laziness, nothing worse than seeing Chrono but with another name (but seems like people tolerate it better than just RTP)

So what can you do? Well, I feel that there are three ways to tackle this problem, the first is to commission your stuff to someone else or grabbing a few free resources online (though I'm usually against the latter as I consider it on the same level as taking the graphics from another game, but is a very valid option), the second one is using the RTP so well, that you'll leave people amazed and make them ask "how did you do that?", and the last one is to, no matter your art skills, try to add a touch of personality to your game, you can go from editing a few sprites (even small changes like just changing the colors can make a lot of difference) or just say fuck it, and try to change all the graphics or add new stuff, it'll probably look a little wonky at first, but as you develop your skills you'll start to create better-looking stuff, hell, blocky sprites are popular now, and anyone can do them! they are a good way to start.

TL;DR: Don't feel ashamed of using the RTP, but also don't be afraid of taking some risks and adding your personal touch to your game, sample maps can burn in hell tho, unless used in the right circumstances.
Cap_H
DIGITAL IDENTITY CRISIS
6625
I think editing sample maps might take more time than making your own.
If you want to tell a story in a visual form, focus on it. It's not about words only. It's about visual narrative too. Original maps and resources can help with that. If you're not interested in visual narrative a text-based medium might be a better choice for you.
Mapping can be hard. If you work on a grandiose scope, it's really time consuming to make everything nifty. Go small, then. Instead of whole villages, you can use vignettes. Dungeons can be built out of blocks. You can make various small rooms and connect them in different configurations for more content.

I guess there's a creative way in which you could use them. For example in a parody game. Or heavy edited better sample maps to show off your skills. But even then, your players appreciate original maps and effort put into them more.
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
Super late to this, but my 2 cents:

Use whatever you want to use. If you wanna use sample maps, use them to your heart's content. It's totally possible for a great game to have sample maps in it, no question.

But at the same time, it's important to think of context. In an RPG Maker community, people will have seen these maps a lot in games. That's going to influence how people look at your game, and while, yes, it'd be nice if your game could be judged 100% on the good points of it, there are going to be people who see the sample maps and judge the game based on that. This may be upsetting but it's going to happen, especially in a community where a lot of people pride themselves on their mapping.

Their are two solutions to this in my opinion: Either keep using sample maps, accept that some people aren't going to like that aspect of your game, but keep going on because, let's be real, at the end of the day you should do what you enjoy doing. Or, an alternative if you don't enjoy mapping: team up with someone who likes mapping and make a game together. Then you can have a game that demonstrates both of your strengths :DDDDDDDD
I will say that I've done the 'making a game from sample maps' thing before, just because I could. It never got finished (ha ha, yes we know, when do my games ever get finished?) but it was a thing I started.

That said, I did the heavily edit thing because, well, why not? If I'm gonna put the game on the site eventually I gotta adhere to the rules here too, so I edited the shit outta those maps. XD

Thing is, unless you're making a visual novel or a game along those veins where maps aren't needed, you should put at least some effort into showing your setting off visually in some way, shape or form, and you might as well just throw down a sea of grass with a tree as use a sample map for all the effort you put into making something. Or at least that's my opinion on it.

If you want to make a game with all sample maps, go right ahead, but do be prepared to have that pointed out as a negative in your game by people who have seen them a million times and know how little effort was put into that part of your game design. It's on par with people using the default database stuff - 450 HP, 90 MP anyone?

That aside, it really doesn't take much to make a semi-decent map, especially with the plethora of written and video tutorials that exist on the subject. And if you worry that your map isn't that good, we have areas for feedback available. There's really no reason why you're epic RPG needs to use the base sample maps instead of edits or your own/a partners' maps instead.
Frogge
I wanna marry ALL the boys!! And Donna is a meanc
18536
I actually really like Cap’s idea of *remaking* the sample maps. It might legit be fun to explore a world of rtp remade.
Mirak
Stand back. Artist at work. I paint with enthusiasm if not with talent.
9300
Hey a bit off topic but does it bother anyone when a thread has since run it's course but people keep trying to get some sort of "message" across to an empty void, because there isn't anyone actually "listening", which is exemplified by people's "messages" becoming more and more redundant as previous points were already made but are being rehashed in different words so much that the actual "message" gets dilluted and lost to irrelevance?

It's one of those things that's "funny" to me, in the sense of funniness being something that troubles you and puts you in a shitty mood. Though this is partly amplified by the op's 'funny joke' of the previous page which did irritate me almost as much as it probably did to everyone else's who's "message" was so easily discarded.

Yeah, this post contributes as much to the actual topic as you'd expect, but I don't really think there's anything else in need of saying, am i wrong like, is there actually any kind of useful information that hasn't already been said? Is this one of those topics that will inevitably resurface again and again but still goes nowhere in particular?
author=Frogge
I actually really like Cap’s idea of *remaking* the sample maps. It might legit be fun to explore a world of rtp remade.

Seconded! I have "remade" the sample maps as practice in other engines/graphic styles before but never to release. It would be neat to explore a remade "RTP" world... then make it an RMN game so that it's RMNtansy RTP (I am using this name if this never get done by another...) with RMN members.

Genius!
author=Mirak
Hey a bit off topic but does it bother anyone when a thread has since run it's course but people keep trying to get some sort of "message" across to an empty void, because there isn't anyone actually "listening", which is exemplified by people's "messages" becoming more and more redundant as previous points were already made but are being rehashed in different words so much that the actual "message" gets dilluted and lost to irrelevance?

It's one of those things that's "funny" to me, in the sense of funniness being something that troubles you and puts you in a shitty mood. Though this is partly amplified by the op's 'funny joke' of the previous page which did irritate me almost as much as it probably did to everyone else's who's "message" was so easily discarded.

Yeah, this post contributes as much to the actual topic as you'd expect, but I don't really think there's anything else in need of saying, am i wrong like, is there actually any kind of useful information that hasn't already been said? Is this one of those topics that will inevitably resurface again and again but still goes nowhere in particular?


You know what? I kinda agree with you (Even though I'm part of the problem, I think I was the one that revived this thread) but at the same time, I have to disagree

Even if OP simply said that he will ignore the rest of the thread, that shouldn't stop us from having a discussion, and while yeah, it is becoming mostly redundant, there are a few interesting points raised by a few of these last posts, like that idea of playing around with the sample maps to create "new" maps, which now sounds like a good idea to practice mapping

But yeah, unless someone else wants to add their opinion, I think is time to let this thread rest
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