KARSA'S PROFILE

author=Tw0Face
Allright, I played this and it was a lot of fun.

My only complaint is that it's too short. :D I'd be happy if a complete storymode was playable with even more cards. I think it's great that you left out all the unnecessary rules from Triple Triad and just went for the number values. Tho, it would be nice, when I select prices, to have a display element that shows me for each card whether I already own them or not. Could you, by any change, make it possible to build decks via the main menu as well?

I liked it very much, please more of it.

Glad you enjoyed. This was made as a small thing on the side. I'm not sure if i'll have more time to invest in ths; I'm working on a more serious, narrative focused game currently.

The game being multiplatform is not an absolute must, and I do share the worries of 2003 becoming too old. I'm skeptical at the same time, since I kept hearing 2003 games won't even run on Windows 10 and they still do. I heard of easyRPG player. Last time I checked (years ago) it had trouble emulating more complex events (such as custom systems) and the maniacs patch.

The thing is, I can pull off a lot with 2003 already - Chrono Trigger like battlesystem (no map transition, chareset animations), multilevel maps (making you able to walk under and on a bridge without having to make a separate map for that), custom menu and stats systems (with using variables as improvised "arrays"). A lot of this involves tricks and workarounds. VX Ace and up would require to reprogram a lot of systems since some features are missing which were in 2000/3, and I'd rather not rely on other people's works (plugins) and using a bunch of 3rd party software (detailed mapping is very important to me - not parallax mapping). In that case, I'd either write a game from the ground up (already considered using pygames for that) or look for another engine.

As for the game I want to make: its story is more of a niche genre. I don't expect it to connect with many people, nor is it my goal to make a game just for it to become popular. So I don't have concerns about not everyone being able to play it.

So what would you recommend? I'm fine with sticking to 2003 if the learning curve of other engines would be too steep. VX Ace and above don't resonate well with me, I'd rather stay away from those.

I've decided to program FF8's Triple Triad. This will be a Christmas present for my friends and I also plan to post it here.

I was originally introduced to the card game via a fan recreation in an RPG Maker game. That version only featured the base game (no field bonuses, no special rules) and hid the AI's hand. I enjoyed that version. Should I make the AI's hand visible though; is that what makes Triple Triad Triple Triad?

The core mechanics are already done. All that's left is adding the cards and creating a deck construction screen.

author=Sooz
A lot of people are afraid of idea theft, but it's a silly fear for two reasons:

author=Sooz
RPG Maker games have always had a pretty bad reputation. It's always going to be a problem in engines that are pretty user friendly: lots more people will finish a game, so there's lots more games from that engine, and 90% of everything is crap. Combine that with RPG Maker's distinctive aesthetics and it's suuuuuper easy as a player to notice all the crap and get discouraged.

From my own experience, RM2000/3 games always needed a little extra to stick out. My first ever game, Amnézia, only used assets from the RM2000 RTP, but it was a short story-based game with multiple endings dependent on elements more akin to adventure games (inspecting the environment for clues and staying on the good side of the heroine, the final area felt like traditional detective fiction), with minimal battles (a set of mandatory fights + 2 areas for grinding where you could easily gain 10 levels). It became quite a success in Hungary. The other succesful Hungarian game is Dragon Blade and its sequels. These games (made in RM2000 as well) always introduced new systems, most of which felt like experiments that turned out either good or annoying and dysfunctional (various ABS, then a fake real time BS, menu systems, buggy stealth sections, simple card games, minigames with terrible latency in the controls, footprint effects in sand, wave effects for walking in shallow water, the list goes on). These games owe their success to these systems, because nobody else could make something like them. (Well no surprise, not everybody studies to become a programmer....) As a result, there were attempts to steal these systems from the Dragon Blades. Another case of theft I saw was in a game obviously inspired by Unterwegs in Düsterburg. The story was the same, the graphics were the same, the custom animations taken without ever crediting the source material...

This isn't to say I'm afraid of theft. Thankfully, I've never had that happen to me. It's just people are likely to steal, even if only out of admiration.

author=Sooz
The biggest reason not to talk about your ideas isn't theft, it's the risk that you'll feel satisfied after just talking about it and never finish it!

Hehe. I like this thought. I have a story to go along with it, sorry if it's a little ranty. Although I did happen to abandon too many of my projects, the reason wasn't this, but because of others. I tried to be nice, even though my tastes and opinions heavily differ from that person's, I let a friend suggest some ideas for my own project because he was kind enough to write me into his game for helping out (with expert level stuff), but my efforts were never appreciated. Whenever I did something, I always got the remark that I could do better (and some harsher comments...), but when I was helping with that person's projects, he called my work amazing. One time I was asked for a short side story to create for this friend's birthday. I spent half a year, adding in, among other things, a custom battle system that didn't have any screen transitions like Chrono Trigger's and pixel drawing charset animations - it didn't feel too much because I was friends with that person and I liked designing dungeons, and what did I get? It was so terrible, he never finished playing it. The "problem" was with the base idea. I forgave this after half a year. Then I thought about creating a small game related to my main game for this Christmas, again, I allowed some easter eggs to be placed in reference to a friend's game, then right on Christmas Eve I was told I'm a jerk for not wanting to be friends with certain people. I'd really had enough at that point. I've always been helpful to everyone interested in RM, but I'm becoming disenchanted. I've always preferred doing everything by myself, not much of a team player, and these sorts of things made me question whether I should let people in on my ideas at all. ...oh well, it's not like I can't get over it.

author=unity
The things I end up not talking about are more often just stuff I want to surprise people with.

I feel similar. I like giving small sneak peeks of my projects, but always keep a few big things secret so as not to spoil the fun. I also don't like showcasing too much because I don't want to get peoples' hopes up. It's better to put out the finished game or maybe 1 demo (which doesn't make it feel episodic). Whenever I begin something, I've always worked out the logical connections and the endgame beforehand (usually in my thoughts, before falling asleep).

author=Sgt M
Even then, it's never a bad idea to have some sort unique spin on your game if you're going for the traditional approach. Players who are well-versed in JRPGs will know all of the tropes and, unless you know how to embrace the formula extremely well, including something they don't expect is a great way to keep people engaged with something new.

I've never found it necessary to learn tropes and study formulas. I like to go with what I come up with. The battles and mechanics aren't the most important elements of JRPGs for me, it's a great story I want.

author=Yellow Magic
For what it's worth I'm very much in the same mindset of preferring the less complicated old-school, SNES-y look when it comes to RPG Maker games - and I'm deffo not the only one around here.

Welcome to RMN!!

I simply can't get into the modern graphics. They feel over done, the games over designed. As I mentioned above, I prefer a great story to everything else. (However, one of the main things I love doing is mapping and level design. They're worth nothing without a story to carry the game.)

I like SNES style graphics, which is why I was drawn to RPG Maker. I map, do some romhacking, edit levels, and try my hands at pixel graphics as a hobby.

I discovered RPG Maker in around 2007. My first games include Moon Dragon Ent.'s Amnézia and Emlékcsavar (doubt any of you heard of these, they are the first ever Hungarian RPG Maker games), Unterwegs in Düsterburg, Legend of the Philosopher's Stone, and Romancing Walker.

I was never part of any RM community except the Hungarian one (which has pretty much died out by now thanks to constant flame wars and egotistical people in charge of websites). The only old name I know of is CherryDT.

I have a question: Are oldschool games still sought after?
I speak of the time when people would use assets from squaresoft's RPGs (FF, CT sounndtracks; Rudra, CT, Seiken 3 tileset rips), and just generally create games as a hobby with no aim for profit gain.
At first glance, the current RM community is filled with these modern-looking VX/Ace/MV/MZ games and people (trying to) make money off these, with resouce packs having grown into an individual business themselves.
It made me question whether I have a place here with my old-fashioned approach.