BLITZEN'S PROFILE

There was a tutorial somewhere on impeenting A* Pathfinding in RM2k3, but I really would encourage you to find a way around it.

The biggest reason why I stopped using RPGMaker was because so many aspects of it, the popular use of it, and the general community, hinge on stolen resources. It gives it the stigma and the impression to outsiders that it is some how "lesser" than "real" game making. I don't carry that attitude so much, but I concluded that if I wanted to do something regarded as original by a community larger than just the RPGMaker community, then I would have to 1) make my own graphics 2) script my own engine and 3) think more creatively about how to put together an RPG in terms of work invested vs gameplay yield.

I haven't released anything since I decided that, but I have become a better pixel artist and programmer because of it.

This is another issue that I think is related to a general neglect towards the actual practice of video game design. For some reason, people have gotten the idea in thier heads that RPGs or RPG Maker is somehow different from designing an actual video game, but in reality all the same things ring true for both sides. A focus on the inherent mechanics and playability of one's GAME (because remember that's what we are making, games) seems to be lacking in the popular mindset of our community, and I have no idea how to remedy it other than preaching for awareness.

I don't understand what this is supposed to be or why it is useful.