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A little rough around the edges
- SunflowerGames
- 05/31/2017 10:16 AM
- 1144 views
I don't know if anyone has ever reviewed an engine with a game page on RMN before, but I don't think it's very common to find a game page for one of these. So I'm going to try my best to break this engine apart and compare it to RPG Maker.
RPG 20XX is a free to use engine that was inspired by RPG Maker 2003. I haven't used RPG Maker 2003 much, but in the little time I had with it I was easily able to map, set up events, and do a battle within a couple of minutes.
The interface is familiar enough
Starting a new project isn't too difficult. Just come up with a project name and you can even set your grid size to 16x16 or 32x32 (that's a pretty cool feature that could come in handy depending on the kind of game you want to make.) The engine comes with some default resources. I always thought the RTP in VX and VX Ace was not very charming, but these resources take that crown. Using the map editor is easy enough. You can use a pencil or fill in tool to make adjustments to the map. Though I sort of miss the easy to use rectangle tool. Also the undo button doesn't just undo one thing. It will revert you map back to your last save. This can get a bit annoying if your prone to change your mind about a certain thing on your map. You can use the right mouse to drag a section of map to copy it and then left click to paste it onto a different part of the map.
The game has a resource manager where you can import and export stuff. Importing sound files is very easy and it supports .ogg, so if you want to use something from Ace it won't be too difficult. You won't be able to just import your tile sets from Ace. You'll need to use Gimp to properly format them. A normal tile sheet is 128 x 384 and the engine also has animated sheets that are 64 x 48. (If you try to use the wrong format you'll crash the engine.)
The U.I for the database isn't so well laid out or easy to interpret.
When you enter the database it's going to take a while to get used to the layout. To edit a tile or a character you have to select type then select edit to open a new window. The database does include some already programmed items, but not as many as RPG Maker. On the other hand I found the event programming on the map to be laid out pretty similar to RPG Maker. There seems to be a variety of options programmed into the event options as well.
To get the engine to run in play testing mode you may need to update your sound drivers, as I couldn't initially get the engine to run because of the FMOD sound system. The engine uses a side battle system by default. The combat seems to move fast and fluidly and you can change your encounter rate frequency within the map settings (also the game setting also allow you to customize the step rate much more than RPG Maker.)
If you have used RPG Maker before it won't be too hard to jump into this engine. The interface isn't as flashy or easy to understand. It does have features that RPG Maker doesn't, but it's also missing some. And while inspired by RPG Maker 2003 it isn't as well designed (the engine is still incomplete too.) On the plus side the engine is free to use (Not that you shouldn't be able to afford RPG Maker 2003, especially on sale.) I hope this engine review has been informative enough to make you decide whether or not you want to try it out.
RPG 20XX is a free to use engine that was inspired by RPG Maker 2003. I haven't used RPG Maker 2003 much, but in the little time I had with it I was easily able to map, set up events, and do a battle within a couple of minutes.
The interface is familiar enough
Starting a new project isn't too difficult. Just come up with a project name and you can even set your grid size to 16x16 or 32x32 (that's a pretty cool feature that could come in handy depending on the kind of game you want to make.) The engine comes with some default resources. I always thought the RTP in VX and VX Ace was not very charming, but these resources take that crown. Using the map editor is easy enough. You can use a pencil or fill in tool to make adjustments to the map. Though I sort of miss the easy to use rectangle tool. Also the undo button doesn't just undo one thing. It will revert you map back to your last save. This can get a bit annoying if your prone to change your mind about a certain thing on your map. You can use the right mouse to drag a section of map to copy it and then left click to paste it onto a different part of the map.
The game has a resource manager where you can import and export stuff. Importing sound files is very easy and it supports .ogg, so if you want to use something from Ace it won't be too difficult. You won't be able to just import your tile sets from Ace. You'll need to use Gimp to properly format them. A normal tile sheet is 128 x 384 and the engine also has animated sheets that are 64 x 48. (If you try to use the wrong format you'll crash the engine.)
The U.I for the database isn't so well laid out or easy to interpret.
When you enter the database it's going to take a while to get used to the layout. To edit a tile or a character you have to select type then select edit to open a new window. The database does include some already programmed items, but not as many as RPG Maker. On the other hand I found the event programming on the map to be laid out pretty similar to RPG Maker. There seems to be a variety of options programmed into the event options as well.
To get the engine to run in play testing mode you may need to update your sound drivers, as I couldn't initially get the engine to run because of the FMOD sound system. The engine uses a side battle system by default. The combat seems to move fast and fluidly and you can change your encounter rate frequency within the map settings (also the game setting also allow you to customize the step rate much more than RPG Maker.)
If you have used RPG Maker before it won't be too hard to jump into this engine. The interface isn't as flashy or easy to understand. It does have features that RPG Maker doesn't, but it's also missing some. And while inspired by RPG Maker 2003 it isn't as well designed (the engine is still incomplete too.) On the plus side the engine is free to use (Not that you shouldn't be able to afford RPG Maker 2003, especially on sale.) I hope this engine review has been informative enough to make you decide whether or not you want to try it out.