PASTY'S PROFILE

Hey, y'all.

I was given clearance to post this topic a while ago, but I wasn't able to get around to it until now (lazy).

I'm designing an open-source RPG design IDE for use with Game Maker Studio named gmRPG for my university's computer science Senior Design Capstone program, and I need a little bit of help determining where to focus the IDE, so I'm doing research into the RPG Maker suite in order to (hopefully) come out of it more able to apply that knowledge to what I'll be building during the semester.

What is gmRPG?

gmRPG is a planned toolkit for Game Maker Studio geared toward building role-playing games of all types in Game Maker. It will consist of an integrated development environment (IDE), constructed in C#/Windows Forms, that will augment Game Maker Studio's abilities in order to better focus them toward role-playing game development. gmRPG's engine features will be based on the Alcarys Complex codebase, and it will be licensed under GNU General Public License 3.0 upon its completion.

gmRPG's goal is not only to allow its user to build an RPG quickly and easily, but also to allow the user to utilize all of Game Maker Studio's features, which include:

- deploying a game to the following platforms: Android/Ouya, Apple OS X and iOS, Ubuntu Linux, Windows, Windows 8 Native, and Windows 8 Phone
- advanced features such as shaders, native compilation, networking, and cross-platform gamepad support
- an evolving codebase (for better or for worse) with robust QA support and a large community able to assist with the vast majority of programming and software problems

How does it work?

gmRPG works by letting the IDE hook into Game Maker Studio project .gmx files, which are built in the Extensible Markup Language (XML). It will load the game into memory based on the information in the project files, and then the user can use the IDE to edit their game. Saving the game will update the project files. At that point, the user can load the game into Game Maker Studio and compile their game.

Research Info

gmRPG is the capstone project for my BS Computer Science degree, and one step in the project is for me to research how to best design the IDE. You can find the proposal PDF for the project here.

Since I've been out of the loop for a while with regard to RPG Maker, one part of my research plan is to (obviously) use RPG Maker VX Ace and see how it works. The other part involves both a survey for general RPG Maker users and short research interviews of a few RPG Maker power users.

You can find a link to the survey here. Participation in the survey is completely anonymous - it doesn't collect any personal information besides an IP address. Be sure to read the header information of the survey before submitting anything! All it says is that your participation in this survey hinges on you not suing me back to the Stone Age if I incorporate your feedback into this project. If you're uncomfortable with my use of your feedback, please do not fill out the survey.

As far as the interviews go, I'm looking for up to five people who are technically competent with the use of RPG Maker. Naturally, showing me your technically complex projects increases your chances of being selected. I prefer VX/Ace power users, but don't think you're excluded from applying if you're proficient with XP or 2003. By participating, you give your permission for your feedback to be used in the project materials. This can include anything from initial design to final reports and presentations. Hit me up in this topic if you're interested.

Thanks for your help, and if you have any questions, feel free to let me know!