KARSUMAN'S PROFILE

Some Barney game for the Genesis. If you tried to jump off a cliff, Barney would say, "Stop! Wait until its safe!" In a horrible vaguely pedo voice. And no, you couldn't die.

I didn't actually buy it of course. I played it on Sega Channel and me and my friends cracked up over it. =)

As for whether RPGs take skill - it's debatable. I typically find EXP to be relatively detrimental for things like challenge unless it functions differently - like slowing down against weak enemies, or using a different and limited method of experience like finding such and such magical items or whathaveyou.

Unfortunately the actual election process here is obscenely complex and contains many facets of questionable usefulness - like the electoral college, for example. Generally speaking, many Americans barely understand the basics, if that.

As for Obama's so-called 'lack of experience', there are presidential candidates who have had less experience, now and in the past. Barack is the same age as Kennedy when he died, and it's not like Huckabee had a whole lot of experience in law or politics before becoming a governor.

I'll have to disagree with Holb on Huckabee though - I really don't think he is someone we need right now. He has some rather extreme policies, and the evangelical experiment hasn't been so hot in the past. And while I hardly base all of my opinions on the link provided in this thread, I don't really trust a guy who behaves like that to have the sensitivity to solve the cultural problems we face in our country, much less the Middle East and other turbulent regions.

I would suggest waiting for RMVX, which is coming out in the earlier half of February, if I recall correctly. The performance boost alone makes it superior to RMXP, and it is much more user friendly.

As Eddie said, art and stuff might be a problem for awhile, as the maker IS going to be brand new and minimal alternative resources will be available for some time. RM2k, RM2k3 and to a lesser extent, RMXP, will have the advantage in this regard. But it is apparently possible to convert certain graphics from rm2k/3 for use (you'll have to ask someone more knowledgeable about that).

If you don't mind using the supplied graphics (the RTP, which is rather nice), don't mind waiting awhile for custom ones or are willing to make your own art for the game, there is very little reason not to go with RMVX. It is superior to the other three.

Don't really know of a program that'll make this easier. So yeah, sorry, can't help you there. The best advice I can give is to split up the tasks into things that can be easily managed separately, like someone doing the database and another doing maps. Also, make sure you separate and organize any switches, variables, common events, etc. that you guys might make, and ALWAYS label them, so someone doesn't do something silly and use a switch that says a boss is dead for their cheesecake hot springs scene. It just makes life easier later on.

Anyhow, yeah, I've been on a few team projects, though none of them have ever been finished. People often say that team projects don't work because of creativity-related "I want this, you want that" clashes, but it's probably just because people are unwilling to compromise on their creativity, or the famous "some guy said team projects don't work" line. That's a tough call to make since MOST projects don't get finished.

Personally, I think it's simply a matter of finding someone you can get along with, with working methods that synergize well. I think it works best in situations where you hate, say, doing maps, but your buddy loves doing it. Even better if they become devoted to the project.

As a side note, the worst thing you can probably do is to get loads of story/'game design' people together. There'll be lots of talk while nothing happens. This is made even worse by the fact that lots of people who think they can write a good story are actually bad at it. This isn't to say story contributions should be ignored, but it's probably a good idea to have a designated story guy.

So yeah. Good luck!

Nice to have you Sirion.