TRANCE2'S PROFILE

author=Feldschlacht IV
I used to be a hardcore RM2K3 supporter and user. I still am, even though I don't use the project to make Chronology anymore. I totally support people using whatever they want to make their games, and I am pretty staunch in my belief that if your game is good enough, the players won't really give a shit what program was used to make it.

I will however say that the different in functionality between RM2K3 and Ace is ridiculously staggering, and a developer is objectively missing out on a lot of cool ass features for the player to enjoy by not using it. When I first transferred Chronology over from RM2K3 to Ace I spent a full week just wondering what the fuck to do now that my game could be 300% better and really only limited by my imagination.

Ace isn't the perfect program obviously, but technically its superior to RM2K3 in almost every conceivable factor. I love RM2K3 till I die but I can't objective deny it.

You've said my exact feelings on the subject much better than I did. Especially with porting my own project to Ace.

I think my favorite synthesis system is from Tales of Vesperia. Main reason being that not only did synthesis give you better equipment in general (as well as some stuff that you could only get through synthesis - mainly visual accessories that do nothing for stats), but it also gives you new equipment that you can't get otherwise that also teach you new abilities. Vesperia had a skill system that involved gaining another random macguffin stat besides experience that went towards learning abilities that you could then equip to raise your stats, the damage with various types of weapons, and other benefits. With the synthesis system, you could see what abilities that each new item gives you, along with what you already know from it, which allows you to pick and choose which equipment you wanted to get, as well as giving incentive for making those pieces of equipment - especially if you're a completionist about abilities.

The only other synth system I'm intimately familiar with is the one from Final Fantasy IX, but that's literally the most basic synth system ever - two items make a new item which has new abilities you can learn on them, and you get charged a fee for the synth. Though you CAN exploit it to make a super profit really early in the game, since the ingredients plus cost to make Cotton Robes is less than the selling price of a Cotton Robe.

Item Creation from the Star Ocean series is also a pretty neat system, though it doesn't involve any costs for creation. The only thing about IC is that the failure rate tends to be rather high depending on the item you're HOPING to make (since you can't decide what you're making), the character(s) you're using to conduct the IC, and also the ingredients involved if you're actually doing the Synthesis version of IC. It can be rather infuritating, simply because of the high failure rate and also because of the rarity of the items that give you the best synths and the fact that you can't choose what you're getting. Though it can be fun, I'd consider it a case of "this is not what you do" when it comes to synthesis systems.

You have to run a regular test play before anything will work in a test battle because the engine has to compile the scripts. It won't notice any changes until you do that. (Personally, I'd put the Hime stuff under Battle Symphony and Galv's system because they're more overall things, but that's just me.)

I tend to plan as much as my brain is willing to put out (meaning anything I can think of at the time), then work for a bit, then plan more, then work more... For my current project, though, since most of the work is already done... I'm planning BEFORE starting on the actual meat of the game. That way everything's already in place and I can just roll along with the game. Of course... the only thing that WOULDN'T be done is like... random mobs. Bosses could probably be done in planning, as could key items, but mobs? One COULD do that during a planning phase, but I kinda like the idea of spontaneously coming up with enemies while mapping out an area.

It's really something I'm just curious about... As some may know, the game I've been working on has been on the site for gosh knows how long, and as such has a single-digit game number. I have this weird kinda pride associated with that for some reason, but that's only slightly tangential.

Due to recently coming into possession of a legal copy of RMVXA, I've decided (mostly so I stop having headaches about workarounds) to port my game from 2k3 into VXA. Now the actual process of doing this is going decently well, besides trying to get a battle system I'm happy with that semi-replicates Gauge-type from 2k3 without reserve party members mucking everything up. But what I'm wondering is whether I should just update the old game page to reflect the porting effort.

My plan was to wrap up what I've done in 2k3 in a nice little package (with a bow on top) and putting it up for download; it's a good hour and a half of gameplay at the beginning of the game. Not great demo material per se, but it's definitely proof of concept for at least SOME of the game, as well as actually being MOSTLY bug-free and also COMPETENTLY WRITTEN for once. There's plenty of unfinished maps, but the item database is fully completely (sans key items) amongst other things.

The only thing I'm wondering is that, after doing that, should I go ahead and designate that page as "Cancelled" - since the 2k3 version IS cancelled for all intents and purposes - or should I just update the page to say it's a VXA game now and upload material accordingly? Really... I don't have NEARLY the material yet to pass muster with a brand new game page in the VXA version since I've just been laying out major systems and porting over the database - so no plot, no maps, no anything that would be considered a "proper" screenshot portfolio in terms of a new game page.

I guess I'm asking for clarification, suggestions, or really just general guidance as to what would be the most proper.