COMMUNITY DISCUSSION: SO LET'S TAKE MORE PRIDE IN OURSELVES.

You know, I want to talk about a sentiment that I've been feeling for a while. For the past few years now, there's always been comments and whispers here and there about the negatives of the community; how shitty a lot of games are, games go unfinished, and how stupid newcomers to the RM scene can be (and yes, this topic is primarily about the RM community). Entire communities have fallen into a schizm (like GW, yeah, I said it) between one side, and the other who is seen as a 'joke'.



I think it's very hard not to look at RM games as mostly shit, if we're talking about the ENTIRE community that includes sites like RMXP. Really, I think that many amateur RPGs are uninspiring. You look at any indie gaming blog, and you're assaulted by beautiful screens and/or interesting concepts. This is hardly the case with RM games, where the majority seem to be striving to make the same RPG. Respect needs to be earned. If all these traditional-style amateur RPGs seemed as promising as say, Hero's Realm, then it would be fine. But they're NOT, and barely meet Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest as a benchmark.

But I like this place, and I don't think it's unrealistic to strive for an 'improved' community here, because it's already happening. Release Something and Play Something aren't just neat ideas, they've been successful. The podcast is actually respectable and informative, unlike inaudible efforts from other hobby sites. RMN3 will be an interesting experiment. RMN Chain Game. Even the 3-Hour Contests were successful to an extent. Other sites do a similar thing, but feel more tacky, impersonal, and unofficial. Maybe I'm praising this site too much =P (I wish the place was a bit more active, though)

author=aprilschild link=topic=2884.msg56211#msg56211 date=1231976284
But why do people need to make good or even passable games to have the kind of community pride Feld is talking about? I think you guys are still mistaking pride in your games for pride in the community.

It doesn't matter if someone's game sucks as long as they attempt to make one. If someone who is crap at gamemaking is giving their all into trying to create something fun, but moreso into giving feedback and reviews of other games, and trying to help the community out, and being a kind and respectful human being, then they are a good member regardless of their talent. It wouldn't matter if everyone was making Final Fantasy clones if everyone contributed in intelligent discussion and tried to support one another's games (this doesn't mean praising or pandering... it means trying to give helpful responses that will allow people to grow in their hobby) and acted civilized. Even if people suck at something it doesn't mean they can't have decorum in their actions.

They're linked, in my mind. To be quite honest, I can't be bothered to give feedback on mediocre games if I don't have any interest in them or see any potential in the first place. Not riding a high horse here, but I really have better things to do with my time. There's only interest if the game is interesting. I don't know, I'd get weary covering the same ground all the time, especially since I don't know these 'poor' developers personally.

Considering how easy it is to use RPG Maker, I do understand that not everyone will be a genius, though.

author=ZPE link=topic=2884.msg56257#msg56257 date=1231989410

author=Scribble link=topic=2884.msg56195#msg56195 date=1231972117
If all these traditional-style amateur RPGs seemed as promising as say, Hero's Realm, then it would be fine. But they're NOT, and barely meet Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest as a benchmark.

I seriously don't think Hero's Realm surpasses FF: MQ (no offense to Kentona). I actually like FF: MQ a lot and see your post as making it seem it's some trashy game when it's not. Also, how can you expect people that usually work alone on a game to produce commercial-quality games? I know there a few that are worthy of being retail-packed but do people really aim for these standards? If they do, they often shy away from the huge challenge or pretend it never existed (eg. that Zelda OoT 2D game).

Don't worry about it. I liked FF:MQ, too.

The last time anyone expected a single person to produce a commercial-quality game was back in the early eighties, when commercial games were produced by a single person.

And, while it'd be neat to have a community dedicated to making Zuma and Diner Dash and Hidden Object Game #421, the RM community isn't it. To make a commercially viable RPG, you really need to dedicate a good portion of your life (or let it take 5 years to develop). We also have a relatively young userbase, with kids as young at 11 participating, and very few over the age of 30.

Yes well I agree with that point although that's been happening since like forever. xD

I think Scribbles meant people just basically set their bar too high (often to the level of commercial games) not that their comparing RM games to retail ones.