RPG Maker

[grahamguitarman]

Every now and then I like to play around with RPG Maker, a fun little program for creating old fashioned turn based RPG's - like the early final fantasy games. Its fun because you can concentrate on writing in game stories and puzzles without having to worry too much about game programming.

I've not played around with it for a long time, but I got sent a link today for the newest version, RPG Maker VX Ace Create Your Own Game - Make Your Own Game - Design Your Own Game | RPG Maker which I just downloaded to play around with.

Anyway, I was just curious to know if anyone else here designs games with RPG Maker or something similar.

 

[The Blue Lotus]

In HS my friends and I used a deck of cards with random words on them from there we would build scenes using the words we all drew (spoken not written). If I remember right there were dice involved as well just regular ones and folded slips of paper with numbers on them throw the dice pick one of the papers with your number. We were such dorks!
We watched many a summer day give way to night this way.

We all drew avatars for our characters and I still have mine. Her name was Ingra... Now I don't know why. Ah memories

 

[San Cidolfus]

When I was fifteen or so I got my hot little hands on a TSR creation kit for the PC. Anyone remember those early 3D grid-based PC games? They did a few in Dragonlance, some Forgotten Realms adventures, so forth. Anyway, point it, the game designer let you build those yourself. I went to town on those modules, creating my own little worlds with the intent of letting my best friend play them.

Of course, I have to reiterate, I was fifteen or so, which meant that these adventures swiftly and inevitably devolved into marathons of crude humor and (speculatory) sex jokes. Somehow the same species of juvenile comedy that had us chortling in real life put us in absolute stitches when transported on to a computer monitor. The whole exchange had ascended! Toilet humor from a great wyrm!? Divine!

Some vague slice of plot served to carry the story in a direction, but it was largely irrelevant. The games existed only for the yuks. I doubt either of us have ever laughed so hard sitting in front of a computer since those days. Brings a tear to the eye, it does.

And also a frown to the face. I'm sort of glad such evidence of my foolishness is lost to time.

*checks dusty directories on his second hard drive* Apparently not totally lost...

 

[grahamguitarman]

Yeah that's the great thing with these programs - they allow you to be as daft or as serious as you like. And its interesting to try a different style of writing. Writing for games is a lot different to writing a book, or even a film script.

 

[Devor]

I used to try and tinker with the D&D rule sets back in High School. I loved the game, but there where things about the system that bugged me to no end. But I still have a lingering sense of what I'd want to see in a D&D-type RPG, and that would translate well into a turn-based video game RPG.

Still, I'd never have the time.

 

[Codey Amprim]

When I was fifteen or so I got my hot little hands on a TSR creation kit for the PC. Anyone remember those early 3D grid-based PC games? They did a few in Dragonlance, some Forgotten Realms adventures, so forth. Anyway, point it, the game designer let you build those yourself. I went to town on those modules, creating my own little worlds with the intent of letting my best friend play them.

Of course, I have to reiterate, I was fifteen or so, which meant that these adventures swiftly and inevitably devolved into marathons of crude humor and (speculatory) sex jokes. Somehow the same species of juvenile comedy that had us chortling in real life put us in absolute stitches when transported on to a computer monitor. The whole exchange had ascended! Toilet humor from a great wyrm!? Divine!

Some vague slice of plot served to carry the story in a direction, but it was largely irrelevant. The games existed only for the yuks. I doubt either of us have ever laughed so hard sitting in front of a computer since those days. Brings a tear to the eye, it does.

And also a frown to the face. I'm sort of glad such evidence of my foolishness is lost to time.

*checks dusty directories on his second hard drive* Apparently not totally lost...

I had something similar. Have you ever heard of Neverwinter Nights? I fell in love with that game especially because there was a creation kit where you could make your own modules, and in turn, your own 3D realms and stories.


Good times...

 

[grahamguitarman]

I had something similar. Have you ever heard of Neverwinter Nights? I fell in love with that game especially because there was a creation kit where you could make your own modules, and in turn, your own 3D realms and stories.


Good times...

I used to love playing around with the neverwinter nights creation kit too

 

[Saigonnus]

I used to game with friends, D&D mostly and I really hated people i'd call "rules lawyers" and never played with them more than a couple times if they were like that. People like that complain constantly about a certain aspect of the game or adventure as "not in the rule book" or "that's not what the rules state." They weren't designed to be a "rule book" but more like a guide on most aspects of the game you can use or not use, or change to fit your world.

Many things annoyed me about the game, the main thing being the "material componants" for spells. How in the hell is a mid-level wizard supposed to spend all this time gathering crap for his spell-casting during an adventure? Instead, my game wizards had a certain of amount of magical "energy" (reflected in spell points) that he could tap into for his spells and once that was gone, they had to regenerate before he could use them again. Usually they regenerated at 2/hour for light exertion (riding a horse or walking etc), 1/hour for greater exertion (like combat) and 4/hour for sleep.

Most spells "cost" were equal with the level of spell; with a few exceptions (level 3 spell, 3 spell points to cast), so you could cast quite a bit as you got further along, but still had to be careful not let yourself go completely down, since there were always random encounters or surprises. Often times magical items like wands and rings imbued with spells would take the place of the more simplistic spells (like magic missiles or sleep) so the wizard could save his energy for the more complex spells.

 

[Steerpike]

My D&D house rules opened up spell-casting to all classes. But, magic was rare and dangerous, and people not trained in it could kill themselves and/or their companions. Still, we had an epic ending to a session where the whole party was unconscious and dying except the fighter, who crawled over to the mage's body, got out his spellbook, and started casting. He needed the perfect roll to get the spell off and failure would have killed him and the party (and probably the monsters too). We all gathered around as he rolled the die in the middle of the table for all to see, and wouldn't you know it - he got the roll. 5% chance. The table erupted in cheers. Good times.

 

[Piddlepup]

A good friend of mine has made a good living making games with RPG Maker and selling them on Indie Game market. You can see her creations and ones from other authors at Amaranthia.
I've used the tool myself and written my own (I'm a game programmer on the side). They are good creative devices and pretty fun to play with.

 

[grahamguitarman]

just had a look on that Amaranthia site, as soon as I looked at the screen shots I recognised the RPGMakerXP graphics

Its good to know that your friend is making a living out of it too.