OBLIC'S PROFILE

Huh... I didn't realize this still had a page on here. I might re-write my Steam review and plop it over here.

So much nostalgia...

author=JosephSeraph
If you grab a list of 50 random games at rmn, and 50 random steam rm games, I can say fairly assuredly that the 50 random steam games will, on average, be better. Because a bad, free game, will be instantly ignored and nobody will know it exists. People know a bad paid game exists, and will be outraged for it.
And there's a reasonable amount of good commercial RM games out there.

I'm not sure I totally agree with this thought... at least in terms of the sampling (sorry, I'm nit-picking...). It's hard to compare the scale between the number of free games and RM games on Steam, but if you include ANYTHING that was started as a project, yea, you're right. The shear volume of games that have been made using any of the engines on a whim has to be staggering. Even though I feel like the market is become/has become somewhat saturated with sub-par commercial games, there aren't too many compared to the free pile.

BUT I think if you narrow down the free game selection to those that are considered complete by there creators, which still includes a TON of games, you would likely have a much fairer and closer comparison. I would even contend that the free games might edge out the paid ones.

Again, I fully admit that nostalgia may be blinding me, and I probably have pretty bad confirmation bias. I think part of my original point is I would LOVE to see more of some of the better content here make it to the commercial level (not that it necessarily makes it better; it would just be nice to have a reasonable way to give back).

Hey All!

It's been a while since I've been active on here (a full time job, wife, house, and baby can be a bit distracting...), but I try to stop by a few times a year. I always get this weird sense of nostalgia mixed with a tinge of anxiety when I come by. I spent a lot of time here during one of the most stressful times in my life, so it was a comfort to have this place, and it tends to bring back the bad memories of those times (things are fine now, so no worries!). But the nostalgia bit always gets me. I remember all of the great (and some not-so-great) games that I have played that have made their way into this community. I remember thinking how lucky I was to be alive during a time that these games were all FREE and provided a wonderful distraction from life. I sometimes wonder if the nostalgia is blinding me to some of the errors and shortcomings these games had, or if they would still hold up to my standards. The point is, it floors me at what passes for PAID content these days.

I picked on Steam here because it is one of the biggest and most well-known gaming distribution services out there. That, and it's the one I am most familiar with (I have an EMBARRASSINGLY large game library...). Recently, I have been trying to put a tiny dent in the games I own, and since I don't have a lot of time to sink into a massive epic that might take hundreds of hours to finish, I have been sifting through some of the smaller RPGs. I would estimate that a good 10%-20% of my library is made up of these games (I have a bad habit of buying large bundles of cheap games), so there is a pretty wide selection. As I have been going through them and "completing" them to the best of my ability with my time available, I have been noticing something...

Most of these games, although fairly inexpensive, couldn't hold a candle to some of the gems made here! I won't really pick on anyone (good or bad) since this is mostly my opinion. But it pains me to see so many games being paid for that were clearly stamped out in a few weeks with minimal effort, while there is a treasure trove of games here. I totally understand why people do this; it's an easy money grab, and the risk is relatively low. The issue for me in a lot of ways is that it dilutes the pool of games out there, especially made with the RM engines. It gives great games that have that "RPGMaker" tag a bad name and reputation.

The big question that I would like to float out there is why this disparity between paid content and free content exists? Yes, I know that there are good paid games and bad free games. But I really feel like there is an imbalance between the two. To be more clear, I feel like a higher percentage of free games are better than the paid ones. I feel like part of it is the quick cash grab, but I would like to hear from some of the developers and creators out there.

Just finished part 1... SOOOO disappointed when it told me it was the end of the game... and then there was one more battle, then I started to get excited again!... and then it ended...

Looking forward to the next part, and I'll try to get a review out this summer! (I still have a ton in the pipe that I need to finish...)

Howdy RMN! It's been many months since I had time to venture to this wonderful corner of the internet. I really miss coming here and interacting with all of the other members and looking through all the new activity (right now I have over 1500 new notices! Doubt I'll go through them all...). I have so many things that I want to finish for people that I promised many, many months (if not years) ago, but for right now, I just needed to come to a safe place to let off some steam...

I have read some studies in the past that state that checking social media websites on a regular basis can cause you to become irritated, angry, depressed, etc. I RARELY check my Facebook account, mostly because I'd rather talk to people in a more private and personal setting. But, I just went through a couple of recent posts, and clicked on a few names... and then a few more. Long story short, after about a half an hour of clicking and reading, I wanted to dunk my head in a bucket of ice water. All it made me realize is how little I have done with my life in the past few years. I see all of these old friends from high school and undergrad doing all these really interesting things in interesting places, and I'm still stuck in grad school, jerking around trying to finish my MASTERS! I've been here for almost 4 years... most people getting their PhD. are done before that amount of time. I WILL be done by May, but it still took me YEARS longer than it should have.

Old friends and school aside, I happened to come across some of my old ex's... oh, how joyous that always is. I feel odd complaining about old romantic interests, but it really did get to me. Maybe it brought back older, happier memories, of times where I had something to look forward to on a bad day. Maybe I'm jealous that their lives are going much more smoothly than mine. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they're happy; I just wish I could be smiling like them.

I feel so petty. I hate feeling so crappy when I compare myself to other people, because I know I don't have it that bad. I know it's all relative, but someone is always there to remind you that "there are people starving around the world that would take your problems in a heart beat." I'm aware of that fact. It doesn't change the way I feel though. All it really does is make me feel worse.

Another weird thing is, like I said earlier, I am very close to being finished with my masters, and I can't wait to get the hell out of here and move on with my life... but at the same time, I am terrified. I have no idea where I'll be in the next couple months. I don't even know if I'll have a job when I finish. I guess this is what it's like to "grow up"? Christ... that sounds so sad coming from someone that is 26.

Anyway, sorry to rant about a bunch of garbage and bumming anyone out that reads this. I feel slightly better, so I guess something good came out of it... Hope everyone out there is having a better time than me! Be back in another month or so to touch base!