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The official English 2k3 version is out!
Well, in that case, sorry. Either I didn't pay enough attention or it was anwsered before I started following the thread.
I do think multiple battle animations on the map or during fights would be really, REALLY useful due to Battle Animations' greater FPS compared to Pictures and the fact that they don't stop when a dialogue box is on-screen.
However, I'm not sure if it would actually be harder than raising the stats limits or if it would mess with the way animations show up during battles.
I do think multiple battle animations on the map or during fights would be really, REALLY useful due to Battle Animations' greater FPS compared to Pictures and the fact that they don't stop when a dialogue box is on-screen.
However, I'm not sure if it would actually be harder than raising the stats limits or if it would mess with the way animations show up during battles.
The official English 2k3 version is out!
The official English 2k3 version is out!
The reason why I need so many frames is because I use battle frames for a lot more than just skill animations.
For example, all of the player characters are sprited from battle animations to take advantage of the 25 frames instead of 3 limit.
Likewise, I use Battle Animations for cutscenes in many places when possible due to the higher FPS compared to pictures, making for smoother animations (I do not have Flash and Flash cutscenes are infamously buggy in RPG Maker).
Likewise, the higher stats is for things like monster HP (99 9999 is not enough when skills can do 9999 mixed with Enable Combo 8. Killing what is meant to be a multi-phase boss in one turn due to insufficient HP limit can be game-crippling, design-wise) is also useful.
The high stats limits are also used to create truly dramatic power differences between characters (I portray a character using sci-fi equipment as having an attack and defense rating in the thousands to create a contrast with medieval fantasy characters. It also insure that hopeless bosses are truly hopeless without having to rely on infinite HP or event-based instant kills).
In short, it's useful for a lot of stuff.
EDIT: Seems the limits on variables and what not has indeed been swapped! Nice!
However, still didn't see a few points that are already implemented in other versions of RPG Maker 2003. Namely...
-Stats limit at 9999 instead of 999...
-... except for speed, which is limited to 255 (any higher cause turns to last forever)
-Enemy max HP is increased to 999 999.
-character limit on stats names, character names, and other such increased (for example, I refer to HP in the status screen as 'Life Force'. Too many characters for default, vanilla RPG Maker 2003).
I can understand not having a raise player character HP limit ; some of the limits, if broken, cause graphical glitches. But some, like having a higher character count on stats and a greater max HP for foes, don't cause any problems.
Would implementing this be difficult?
For example, all of the player characters are sprited from battle animations to take advantage of the 25 frames instead of 3 limit.
Likewise, I use Battle Animations for cutscenes in many places when possible due to the higher FPS compared to pictures, making for smoother animations (I do not have Flash and Flash cutscenes are infamously buggy in RPG Maker).
Likewise, the higher stats is for things like monster HP (99 9999 is not enough when skills can do 9999 mixed with Enable Combo 8. Killing what is meant to be a multi-phase boss in one turn due to insufficient HP limit can be game-crippling, design-wise) is also useful.
The high stats limits are also used to create truly dramatic power differences between characters (I portray a character using sci-fi equipment as having an attack and defense rating in the thousands to create a contrast with medieval fantasy characters. It also insure that hopeless bosses are truly hopeless without having to rely on infinite HP or event-based instant kills).
In short, it's useful for a lot of stuff.
EDIT: Seems the limits on variables and what not has indeed been swapped! Nice!
However, still didn't see a few points that are already implemented in other versions of RPG Maker 2003. Namely...
-Stats limit at 9999 instead of 999...
-... except for speed, which is limited to 255 (any higher cause turns to last forever)
-Enemy max HP is increased to 999 999.
-character limit on stats names, character names, and other such increased (for example, I refer to HP in the status screen as 'Life Force'. Too many characters for default, vanilla RPG Maker 2003).
I can understand not having a raise player character HP limit ; some of the limits, if broken, cause graphical glitches. But some, like having a higher character count on stats and a greater max HP for foes, don't cause any problems.
Would implementing this be difficult?
What's the difference between accepting defeat and accepting your limits?
Regarding limitations?
I feel that there is a fine balance. On one hand, you should push past them as much you can. On one hand, there is a point at which tedium must be accepted and cut off.
I ran into this with some of my games.
My first serious RPG was far too ambitious, sporting an immortal character whose every action was going to influence every event over three generations. However, after only completing two towns, I found myself with so many variables and events I could barely keep track of everything.
However, feedback from my contacts (the game was never publically released and is now long lost) about my fantastic enemy AI and general level design motivated me to keep working with RPG Maker.
I ran into limits again with Captain Novolin RPG, my first 'real' game, a humorous crossover RPG involving original content crossed with the infamous SNES game setting. My goals were more realistic but I ran into a quirk of the engine that made my design problematic: namely, I wished for an interface to be displayed while on the map screen, showing the HP of all characters and the player's collection of food items. I discovered that RPG Maker did not allow me to set picture names as being 'load picture + variable number', meaning every single state had to be done manually.
This resulted in 100+ branches conditional branches for a single life bar. Something very possible to code, just insanely tedious.
After months of struggling, I took a break from the game and instead worked on another game. This one instead had an auto-resurrection mechanic, where the main protagonist is immortal but dying substract 'karma points', with game over occuring only if the player character dies while at 0 karma. It also had a helper system with NPCs being swapped in and out of battle as they are killed.
The development went smoothly and inspired me to go back to Captain Novolin RPG and finish it.
So what do all of those stories relate to the topic?
It is a mix of persisting and yet, knowing when to quit, if only temporarily. Ultimately, limits are there to be broken. They are there to be challenged. If something does not work on way, try it another.
For example, for towns, you could try splitting it up into multiple screens, Zelda-style. Or you could have the town be a drawn image in the background over a transparent map layout. Or you could build it out of pictures.
And do not be afraid to tone down mechanics and create something that work. This isn't admitting defeat ; on the long-term, it can create inspiration for more complex mechanics and allow one to finally reach one's goals (for example, I couldn't get my first game's mechanics completed without first getting inspiration from my second game. And this, in turn, gave me insight on how to improve the karma mechanic to a level closer to how I envisioned it at first).
Game development, even as a hobby, can be hard. Tedious at times. But ultimately, there is nothing like the satisfaction of creating something you can be proud of and then seeing players enjoy it (or not).
I feel that there is a fine balance. On one hand, you should push past them as much you can. On one hand, there is a point at which tedium must be accepted and cut off.
I ran into this with some of my games.
My first serious RPG was far too ambitious, sporting an immortal character whose every action was going to influence every event over three generations. However, after only completing two towns, I found myself with so many variables and events I could barely keep track of everything.
However, feedback from my contacts (the game was never publically released and is now long lost) about my fantastic enemy AI and general level design motivated me to keep working with RPG Maker.
I ran into limits again with Captain Novolin RPG, my first 'real' game, a humorous crossover RPG involving original content crossed with the infamous SNES game setting. My goals were more realistic but I ran into a quirk of the engine that made my design problematic: namely, I wished for an interface to be displayed while on the map screen, showing the HP of all characters and the player's collection of food items. I discovered that RPG Maker did not allow me to set picture names as being 'load picture + variable number', meaning every single state had to be done manually.
This resulted in 100+ branches conditional branches for a single life bar. Something very possible to code, just insanely tedious.
After months of struggling, I took a break from the game and instead worked on another game. This one instead had an auto-resurrection mechanic, where the main protagonist is immortal but dying substract 'karma points', with game over occuring only if the player character dies while at 0 karma. It also had a helper system with NPCs being swapped in and out of battle as they are killed.
The development went smoothly and inspired me to go back to Captain Novolin RPG and finish it.
So what do all of those stories relate to the topic?
It is a mix of persisting and yet, knowing when to quit, if only temporarily. Ultimately, limits are there to be broken. They are there to be challenged. If something does not work on way, try it another.
For example, for towns, you could try splitting it up into multiple screens, Zelda-style. Or you could have the town be a drawn image in the background over a transparent map layout. Or you could build it out of pictures.
And do not be afraid to tone down mechanics and create something that work. This isn't admitting defeat ; on the long-term, it can create inspiration for more complex mechanics and allow one to finally reach one's goals (for example, I couldn't get my first game's mechanics completed without first getting inspiration from my second game. And this, in turn, gave me insight on how to improve the karma mechanic to a level closer to how I envisioned it at first).
Game development, even as a hobby, can be hard. Tedious at times. But ultimately, there is nothing like the satisfaction of creating something you can be proud of and then seeing players enjoy it (or not).
[RM2K3] What do you like best about 2k3?
I can anwser pretty simply.
Ironically, it's because I can actually code.
Later RPG Maker engines I feel are too limited in functionality without in-depth coding but limit me too much when I want to properly code. So when I really want to create a game via coding, I use a more free flow/from scratch engine/maker (Game Maker and others).
I use RPG Maker specifically to make RPGs and to cut down on the need for coding up an engine from scratch, focusing on basic battle mechanics, level design, and story instead.
RPG Maker 2000/2003 feels perfect because it is the most powerful in terms of events and non-pure coding. Though later RPG Makers give me direct coding access, their hard limits make me dislike them compared to a more free flow engine and their limited events and features compared to past RPG Makers make them inferior without the use of said scripts.
This is not to say the new RPG Makers don't have their uses ; people have made some impressive scripts for them.
But generally, this is my reasons for going with older engines as a whole.
Ironically, it's because I can actually code.
Later RPG Maker engines I feel are too limited in functionality without in-depth coding but limit me too much when I want to properly code. So when I really want to create a game via coding, I use a more free flow/from scratch engine/maker (Game Maker and others).
I use RPG Maker specifically to make RPGs and to cut down on the need for coding up an engine from scratch, focusing on basic battle mechanics, level design, and story instead.
RPG Maker 2000/2003 feels perfect because it is the most powerful in terms of events and non-pure coding. Though later RPG Makers give me direct coding access, their hard limits make me dislike them compared to a more free flow engine and their limited events and features compared to past RPG Makers make them inferior without the use of said scripts.
This is not to say the new RPG Makers don't have their uses ; people have made some impressive scripts for them.
But generally, this is my reasons for going with older engines as a whole.
The official English 2k3 version is out!
Well, an official release is great news!
... though I am waiting for a non-Steam release before buying (I despise Steam with the fury of a thousand suns).
I'm not too worried about the damage formula. It would be good if it was fixed or made modifiable but what really makes me wonder are the value limits as a whole.
Basically, can you have stats go above 999, HP above 9999, enemy HP above 99 999, have really long animations (over 500 frames), and tons of switches & variables?
Same with attributes. Can the values go into the negatives and go up to 2000%?
Though stuff like ogg support, battle formula changes, new commands, and what not would be nice, my big questions are:
-can you get the game WITHOUT Steam? (I hate Steam's 'phone home every time you boot the program like a homesick 13 years-old teenager' DRM from hell)
-Are RPG Maker 2003's original arbitrary limits raised/removed? (the fact that removing those limits don't cause any graphical bugs, instability, or even any hint of lag show them as truly arbitrary)
... though I am waiting for a non-Steam release before buying (I despise Steam with the fury of a thousand suns).
I'm not too worried about the damage formula. It would be good if it was fixed or made modifiable but what really makes me wonder are the value limits as a whole.
Basically, can you have stats go above 999, HP above 9999, enemy HP above 99 999, have really long animations (over 500 frames), and tons of switches & variables?
Same with attributes. Can the values go into the negatives and go up to 2000%?
Though stuff like ogg support, battle formula changes, new commands, and what not would be nice, my big questions are:
-can you get the game WITHOUT Steam? (I hate Steam's 'phone home every time you boot the program like a homesick 13 years-old teenager' DRM from hell)
-Are RPG Maker 2003's original arbitrary limits raised/removed? (the fact that removing those limits don't cause any graphical bugs, instability, or even any hint of lag show them as truly arbitrary)
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