IKA AND SPHERE

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Can anyone tell me how hard either of these two engines are to use, and if they're more/less suitable for certain things?
They aren't hard to use. I use sphere myself, and WIP as we all know prefers Ika. I believe they are about the same to use, since they offer about equal abilities and features. This is also true for Verge. These three are the "verge-like" editors.

What's so hard about them is that there is no predefined lists, no RTP's, no battle engine. You have to make everything from scratch. But! It's also more rewarding since there are no limitations. You can code anything you want, supplied you know how to code.

Both editors do have a map engine and a map editor, WIP is the creator of the new Ika editor while I am the creator of the new Sphere editor. And each editor has just about the same features, when it comes to the map engine. (I believe though that WIP's editor allows for scriptable tools).

But for most people, learning how to code can be a long rocky road and with easier makers like the RM* series, and a passion for game design, they will most assuredly switch over.

One thing is for certain, if you use Ika or Sphere, you are prepared for game design in the real world. Because in the real world you aren't working with pre-made systems all of the time, and you are working with code or very technical editors.

Think RMXP without everything and just the Ruby programing language.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
How is the scripting language of Sphere and Ika compared to C++? I've been wanting to break out of RPG Maker and make different genres of games for a while, but the part of coding discourages me. I tried to learn stuff like C++ and Java back in highschool days, but I could never get into them. It felt tedious, overly complicated, and the problem solving would rot out my brain. While essentially I am doing the same thing with programming an RPG Maker game, at least I have something more visual at my disposal in comparison to working with individual lines of code.
Sphere uses JavaScript. This compared to C++ is quite similar when it comes to control structures and basic syntax. Python looks a lot different.

Function creation in each language:

JS (sphere)

function do_something(a, b)
{
return a + b;
}

C++ (or c#, or c)

int do_something(int a, int b)
{
return a + b;
}

Python (Ika)

def do_something(a, b):
return a + b

Ruby (RMXP+)

def do_something(a, b)
return a + b
end

Python may seem more cryptic to new users because of a lack of the semicolon and '{}' brackets. That and scope is defined with a "tab" forcing you to have a clean style or else your code may get screwed up. And in Ruby, the 'def' and the 'end' act as the '{}' in C-like languages.
KingArthur
( ̄▽ ̄)ノ De-facto operator of the unofficial RMN IRC channel.
1217
While there's probably more to be seen, I didn't notice how similar in syntax Ruby and Python are.
This suddenly made me want to learn python
post=125008
While there's probably more to be seen, I didn't notice how similar in syntax Ruby and Python are.

Yeah, well, I didn't show enough code for you to see all of the major differences. But, still it has a lot of similarities:

Object creation in Python:

class my_object:
def my_method(a, b):
return a + b

Object creation in Ruby:

class my_object:
def my_method(a, b):
return a + b
end
end

Basically, Ruby likes adding the extra 'end', I think "tabs" are more acceptable within the language.
KingArthur
( ̄▽ ̄)ノ De-facto operator of the unofficial RMN IRC channel.
1217
Going on those examples, the difference is negligible if you ignore the "end"s and use tabs like any self-respecting coder would do. Tabs governing the scope of the code in Python seems weird, but I guess it encourages readable code against those coders who never/misuse indentation.
WIP
I'm not comfortable with any idea that can't be expressed in the form of men's jewelry
11363
ika and Sphere have the problem that there is a lot to construct PRIOR to the actual game. Whereas the RM series comes with prebuilt game engines, ika/sphere/verge do not. I will buff my knob here and say that sphere nor verge are attempting to fix this large issue, while I am for ika.

Ruby and python have a lot of similar syntax, but have a few fundamental differences. You can do some crazier shit in Ruby syntactically, whereas Python has ONE way to do something.
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