RPG MAKER MZ!

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Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
author=EgyLynx, translated?
How much is it going to cost? How can one get it?

I feel the cost of MZ would be on par with MV. So, like, ~$80 (USD) for the engine, and the rights to use it's run-time package within the context of not just MZ, but any other RPG Maker family engine you own. Pretty sure that's how that works? Correct me if I'm wrong.

As far as distribution, it has a Steam page, and there will probably be a product page on RPG Maker Web when it releases.

*Edit: I wonder how soon the price for MV will drop? Probably not terribly soon, and even then, maybe by only $10 or so. I was looking at Steam for the price of Ace, and it's base-price is standing on ~$70 USD right now, which is only $10 less than where MV's sitting at.
@Marrend : yes, that's how it works. I saw a confirmation on RPG maker Web this week :
author=Touchfuzzy
author=hp4000
@Touchfuzzy will rpg maker mz have the continued tradition of being able to use 2000/2003/xp/vx/vxace/mv resources in rpg maker MZ and being able to use rpg maker mz resources in 2000/2003/xp/vx/vxace/mv? Thanks!

I'm assuming you mean license wise, the answer to that is definitely yes. You have the license to use any rpg maker resource in any rpg maker engine as long as you own both the engine you are using and the engine that contains the resources you are using. That will continue with MZ.
What an exciting trailer, I'm glad they focused on the 3 main features found in every previous version.

That said I've seen the leaked screenshots of the new features and there's nothing to bring me back to the engine once Shooty and the Catfish is finished. Its time for me to move onto other tools that are a bit more modern and versatile.
Sounds like there are some interesting new features coming. Additional layers for mapping is really great. I also heard the animation tab will see bigger changes, which is something I've been hoping for. The animation tools in MV are a bit difficult to work with to say the least... RTP looks nice, but that'll only impact the games I may get to play as I don't see myself going back to pre-made graphics. All in all I'm sure I'll get this somewhere down the line, but currently I'll stick with MV and its huge library of plugins.

Personally I'd love to see pixel movement finally added native to the engine. It's not too difficult to get plugins do that for you, but I've always ran into some obscure collision problems when using them.
https://blog.rpgmakerweb.com/announcements/rpg-maker-mz-preview-1-music-battles-animations/

Well, I am wowed, that's for sure.

It's more of a "what the fuck" wow than a "hell yeah" wow, but a wow nonetheless.

I'm... not sure how I feel about the effekseer thing. Like... spritesheets weren't the thing about the animation editor that needed fixing!
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
Yeah, this is a much more impressive showing!

author=Erilex
I'm... not sure how I feel about the effekseer thing. Like... spritesheets weren't the thing about the animation editor that needed fixing!


Yeah, while particle effects are something that a lot of users are probably excited about, I don't think they needed to remove the traditional method (is it removed? Looks like it). RPG Maker's whole aesthetic has been oldschool 16 bit-looking RPGs, and for people who want to stick strictly to pixel art or a simple artstyle, this could be an issue.

Then again, it may be possible (and hopefully easy?) to implement lofi resources into the particle program, but that's a new thing for devs to have to learn.

It's still a wait-and-see approach for me, but this is a lot more exciting, I must confess.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
author=unity
Then again, it may be possible (and hopefully easy?) to implement lofi resources into the particle program, but that's a new thing for devs to have to learn.


I was also curious, so I downloaded Effekseer to see what I could do. After about an hour or so of fumbling around, I managed to create this terrible animation:




All in all, this wasn't too difficult to create once I learned what the right steps were. I imagine it will take less than a few minutes to import a spritesheet and have a simple animation exported into RM MZ. To answer your question: Yes, it's quite easy to have sprite based animations for both characters and effects if that's the approach you want to take.

Some thoughts (I only have VX Ace knowledge to compare to):

- Highly versatile. You can create whatever sized sprite sheets you want with as many frames as you want. To create the above animation, I designated the start point, the frame size, and how long each frame would last. In Ace, you had one single framerate for all animations. Now that animation work takes place outside the engine, no such blanket limitation exists, so you'll have more control over the specifics of each animation.

- File size: The sprite sheet used in the above animation is 3.29 KB. The exported .efkefc file that would go into RPG Maker MZ is 2.73 KB. I don't know if that size difference will be consistent or not for larger animations, but it's worth noting that a possible decrease in overall filesize is possible with this new method.

-Limited flexibility: The approach I took to creating the above animation was to designate a start point and let the animator play the sprites from there. Unlike Ace which makes you frame each effect by hand, this approach will save you a lot of time. However, it does mean that individual frames can't be reused in other animations without copy/pasting sprites from one part of the sheet to another.

I'm not saying that there isn't a way to edit frames by hand, but I haven't found a way to do that yet. Not conveniently, at least. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this.



So... yeah. With a little creativity, you can get a loooot of mileage out of using both particle effects and sprite animations. While particle effects are what's being advertised, it doesn't look like the old method of sprite animation is going away.
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
Wow, this is all super cool! Thanks so much for looking into it, Red Nova! :DDDD
so is RPG Maker going to be reduced to a framework where you install 10 different programs to make it actually use-able? seems like the precedent...
I've been messing with Effekseer as well..

It's not much.. but it's a start..
benos
My mind is full of fuck.
624
RPG Maker Cyperpunk plz.
The latest MZ previews introduce quite a few quality-of-life improvements that really makes the whole program sound very promising imo.

Some of the new additions include:
- Improved layering/mapping
There's 4 layers to begin with, but you can also manually choose which layer you are drawing tiles on
Tile size is confirmed to be locked at 48x48
I think..
- Basic Tweening/Easing Options are now added to Move Picture Command
This is something that sounds awesome. I've been waiting for such options since rpg maker 2003 really. The way pictures have been moved around so far has been very archaic. Easing will finally give us those smooth jRPG menus.
- Conditional branches got bunch of Button pressed options
This makes some things way simpler to make.
Preview Move Route
You can visually see how an event will move in the editor.
RTP now includes character busts and full character art


I think MZ is starting to sound like a must-have. The only things bothering me so far are the outsourced animation tools and mobile-style ugly ass menus.
Craze
why would i heal when i could equip a morningstar
15150
Yes locked at 48.

To clarify, the RTP includes full art. The facemaker does not. However, Nessy/Visustella have their full art chargen maker already out and are working on lots more for it. </shilling for nessy>

https://visustella.itch.io/stella-character-generator
RPG Maker MZ does confirm in its RPG Maker website blog about new features. Graphics of course look gorgeous, but how about what keeps the engine together? Systems, changes to battles and more? Come here to find out. RPG Maker MZ Wiz is going to give you the lastest of news about RPG Maker MZ that is coming out this summer. How does RPG Maker MZ differ from RPG Maker MV?

Rpg maker 95,2k 2k3, xp etc... ouch... i have begin little think when Rpg maker Zyx thn cam?
Mz why not Rpg maker MMXX Or?
author=Shade_Hunter
Graphics of course look gorgeous


Are we looking at the same RTP?
I loved MV, but I feel it was missing a lot when if first released. Kinda like someone had a brilliant idea, but didn't quite nail the execution. Pretty much all the improvements over Ace that I've come to associate with MV were from plugins and not the base application.

MV also suffered with performance issues and had a less than awesome approach to touch devices (Multi-finger gesture to open menus or cancel? No thank you.)

From knowing what's under the hood, I'm eager to see if MZ runs smoother than MV.

Looks like the UI has been optimized for touch devices, too. There's a default menu button in the upper right, all the sub-menus have proper back buttons, and the text options have nice big tappable areas around them.

I like that the combat system has gotten more attention, and that tick-based combat might be better supported in this version, as opposed to MV.

MV is also ~5 years old now. I have no idea what's going on with the product naming (what the heck does the Z stand for!?), but I'm looking forward to the update. From what I've seen so far, this feels like a step in the right direction.
SunflowerGames
The most beautiful user on RMN!
13323

I just saw a slew of DLCs already being offered for the engine, so you can purchase the bundle when it comes out. It sort of concerns me because it almost seems like they cut content out of the engine and are selling it as extra. I'm not saying that for sure, but business practices with video games today seem to be pointing towards this trend. Beware before buying that you might be getting an incomplete product.

Enterbrain is the new EA?
author=kory_toombs
I just saw a slew of DLCs already being offered for the engine, so you can purchase the bundle when it comes out. It sort of concerns me because it almost seems like they cut content out of the engine and are selling it as extra. I'm not saying that for sure, but business practices with video games today seem to be pointing towards this trend. Beware before buying that you might be getting an incomplete product.

Enterbrain is the new EA?


I hope the the "trove of assets" aren't a part of the DLC. Otherwise, if were getting a large RTP as well as the DLC, it should be fine. Would much prefer MV to get DLC though. It does seem kinda EA-ish to be getting DLC from the get go.
I'll probably get this and never make a project for it. Just like the last 4 engines