GAME PET PEEVES

Posts

Post your pet peeves when it comes to making RPG Maker games or playing other peoples'. Try not to start any flame wars.

My personal pet peeves would be when there's only one tile that teleports you to the next map and you have to spend twenty seconds combing the bottom of the map for it, and when an RPG Maker game expects you to install the game, rather than just download it and click the "Play game" button. You're already lucky I'm wasting my time and disk space for your most likely shitty game, the least you could do is make it easy to delete when I inevitably decide it ain't worth my time.

Also, anything under the default walking speed in rm2k/3 is absolutely unacceptable unless it's only for small portions of gameplay. Nothing kills any hope for a game faster than starting it up and walking slower than an fat lady on a Segway
Slow text speed, slow walk speed, long unplayable intros that have no impact on the story but to add flash, and battles that lead you to believe that spaming 'attack' over and over is the best strategy (using the most powerful damaging skill over and over also works).

I'm getting déjà vu from posting this but I guess if your game doesn't have this, it's going to be good let alone bearable to play through.
post=138305
You're already lucky I'm wasting my time and disk space for your most likely shitty game, the least you could do is make it easy to delete when I inevitably decide it ain't worth my time.


That's the completely wrong attitude.
edchuy
You the practice of self-promotion
1624
In terms of battle issues, when the battles are random, I hate both extremes: you barely have taken a step and you have to fight again; you need to walk a good portion of the map before facing a battle.

Also, when the game uses ATB, I dislike it when there's no passive option (or it isn't it by default, at least) and when the turn bars are very slow.
post=138315
post=138305
You're already lucky I'm wasting my time and disk space for your most likely shitty game, the least you could do is make it easy to delete when I inevitably decide it ain't worth my time.
That's the completely wrong attitude.
Wild Rose Rebellion is an angry, angry man. Although I wouldn't call the games a waste of disk space, I've actually kept a collection of around 30 or so RPGs good and bad simply for references.

I guess my only peeve would be unnecessarily large mapping for interiors, to which I mean a default large sized map where the room spans the entire map. It comes off looking ugly and usually puts me off a game.
Most RPG Maker games are rubbish. Mine probably included. I'm not going to pretend that even half of them are worth playing. There are games that I really do enjoy, yes, but they're the exception, not the rule.

EDIT: Before this turns into a thing, I'd like to say that I do honestly go into every game I play hoping for a good one, and I try to be as forgiving as I can, but most games do disappoint me with the pacing of the battle or story, or some other glaring flaw. I'm speaking from experience, not just being a dick out of ego or whatever.
Yeah, but that also applies to professional games, movies, music...anything. Most of ANYTHING is 'bad'. I don't know why people assume that's unique to RM games. Something being good is usually always an exception, which lends as part of the reason why its good in the first place. But going into something with the assumption that it'll suck is the wrong attitude, I think.
I've actually kept a collection of around 30 or so RPGs good and bad simply for references.


This is now a post your rm collectionz dick waving topic.

post=138324
Yeah, but that also applies to professional games, movies, music...anything. Most of ANYTHING is 'bad'. I don't know why people assume that's unique to RM games. Something being good is usually always an exception, which lends as part of the reason why its good in the first place. But going into something with the assumption that it'll suck is the wrong attitude, I think.


I know, and I tend to have the same attitude when going for a professional piece of work. Hell, I tend to be easier on RPG Maker games because I'm not spending anything but time and space on them. I've played far more of them than "legit" games.
i don't know about wasting time necessarily but i do kind of dislike having to install games, especially when they were built in an engine that easily supports direct play. it just seems like one of those weird pseudo-professional affectations people put on to seem like they're "in the big leaguues" as they say, like when you get this big opening credits sequence with the same name repeated over and over. BLOGGS GAMES PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS. A SAM BLOGGS PRODUCTION. SAM BLOGGS: LEAD WRITER. SAM BLOGGS: DEVELOPER. SAM BLOGGS: MAPPER. MUSIC BY NOBUO UEMATSO. it's a small thing but i think people should appreciate the good parts of being small freeware developers instead of pining for some gross imaginary corporate status.
With very rare exceptions, I dislike savepoints. I like being able to save anywhere.
edchuy
You the practice of self-promotion
1624
post=138330
i don't know about wasting time necessarily but i do kind of dislike having to install games, especially when they were built in an engine that easily supports direct play. it just seems like one of those weird pseudo-professional affectations people put on to seem like they're "in the big leaguues" as they say, like when you get this big opening credits sequence with the same name repeated over and over. BLOGGS GAMES PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS. A SAM BLOGGS PRODUCTION. SAM BLOGGS: LEAD WRITER. SAM BLOGGS: DEVELOPER. SAM BLOGGS: MAPPER. MUSIC BY NOBUO UEMATSO. it's a small thing but i think people should appreciate the good parts of being small freeware developers instead of pining for some gross imaginary corporate status.


Personally, I would like all games have their credits at the end of the game or in some readme file. Although, in truth speaking, many games don't even bother to put credits anywhere.
post=138330
like when you get this big opening credits sequence with the same name repeated over and over. BLOGGS GAMES PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS. A SAM BLOGGS PRODUCTION. SAM BLOGGS: LEAD WRITER. SAM BLOGGS: DEVELOPER. SAM BLOGGS: MAPPER. MUSIC BY NOBUO UEMATSO.


This is actually pretty funny because it really does happen.
post=138332
With very rare exceptions, I dislike savepoints. I like being able to save anywhere.

The problem with that is that a lot of things can get messed up like that. Events moving back to where they started, chipsets getting switched around, etc.

Also, yeah, credits in a game where you only credit yourself are pointless. Especially when you use tons of resources that other people ripped/made and don't bother acknowledging that.
post=138330
MUSIC BY NOBUO UEMATSO


what a sellout
post=138335
like when you get this big opening credits sequence with the same name repeated over and over. BLOGGS GAMES PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS. A SAM BLOGGS PRODUCTION. SAM BLOGGS: LEAD WRITER. SAM BLOGGS: DEVELOPER. SAM BLOGGS: MAPPER. MUSIC BY NOBUO UEMATSO.


That was hilarious.

post=138309
Slow text speed, slow walk speed, long unplayable intros that have no impact on the story but to add flash.


Basically this for me. I hate slow walk speed more than anything though. When I play a game like that, I always hit every key on my keyboard to make sure they didn't implement some sort of sprinting system. If they didn't, then there's a fifty-fifty chance I will delete it.

Another thing that bothers me is when you face extremely difficult enemies right at the beginning of the game, when you are literally level 1 and have no skills, making regular battles last like ten minutes. Little Wing Guy told me something once that I think most developers should take to heart: "Make monsters hit hard and fall fast." Unless, it's a boss.
post=138350
Magi told me something once that I think most developers should take to heart: "Make monsters hit hard and fall fast." Unless, it's a boss.

Fixed. It was a pro tip if you use the 2k3 dbs.

Okay that was me being an asshole. I dislike games that throw a million names at you that they made up and expect you to know what they mean. Trying to give backstory on the world when you are using names that I can't affiliate with sucks. A good commercial example of this would be FFXIII.
Max McGee
with sorrow down past the fence
9159
post=138318
post=138315
post=138305
You're already lucky I'm wasting my time and disk space for your most likely shitty game, the least you could do is make it easy to delete when I inevitably decide it ain't worth my time.
That's the completely wrong attitude.

But for the record, I really, really, really, really, really fucking HATE bizarre crossover games. That's my biggest pet peeve.

The more of the following things that appear in your game:
*Popular video game characters
*Popular Anime characters
*Popular movie/television characters.
*Famous or not so famous ACTORS.!
*Other pop culture icons.!

The more likely I will utterly despise it. Multiply this by the number of separate universes that appear in your game. One of the above is alright, except the bottom two. There is actually a reason for this which is that NOTHING takes me out of your game more when a badly drawn sprite or a pixellated actor headshot appears to make a "cameo". It just makes it impossible to take your game seriously or even enjoy it on a comedic level.

They seem to come in three basic flavors,

A) Innocent naivete/wide eyed drooling fanboyism. This is actually the flavor I like "best".
B) Psychotic weirdness. like some bizarre piece of outsider art.
C) Inscrutable hipster irony where only the creator and a select few others are in on the joke.

As Dennis Miller says, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
I've come to realize slow text speed is probably the worst thing a game can implement. I used this in Darksteel, and now that I've gone back and played it, I hate how gratuitously I used \. and \|. I mean, during really clutch dramatic moments, it's fine, but I was using them EVERYWHERE.

It sucks when you accidentally talk to the wrong NPC twice because you're spamming the confirm key, or if you die and have to repeat a cutscene. The slow text speed becomes very apparent and much more annoying. And honestly, it doesn't make the dialogue any more interesting to have it there.