Deployment to PS4 - Is it possible?

[FlatDragon]

First and foremost - I apologize if this wasn't the correct category for this specific question. Looking through the front page of the forums I couldn't seem to find a better location, so I chose this one. Sorry if I missed something in that regard.

Now for the main topic - I'm a PS4 gamer primarily, and a freelance video game developer on the side. Being a console gamer primarily (due to my PC being a potato) I have to wonder how those games I've seen on PS4 that look like they were made with RPG Maker were actually made with these engines - and if they were, how would one deploy to PS4?

If someone would be willing to take a moment and explain that process, I would appreciate it greatly!

PS I realize that direct deployment isn't easy or possible at present using the RMMV engine. But seeing the Japanese version of RPG Maker on the JP PSN Store gets me wondering if some of these English games I've seen were actually made by American teams as well, and how they might have pulled it off.

 

[VisitorsFromDreams]

Now for the main topic - I'm a PS4 gamer primarily, and a freelance video game developer on the side. Being a console gamer primarily (due to my PC being a potato) I have to wonder how those games I've seen on PS4 that look like they were made with RPG Maker were actually made with these engines - and if they were, how would one deploy to PS4?

It might be worth linking some trailers because I am not aware of any games that look like they were made in the engine but released on the PS4.

 

[FlatDragon]

This is the first one that came to mind.


Looks like the others I was thinking of look distinctively different from RPG Maker, so that was my mistake.

The other ones I saw were all Japanese, and sadly - I can't read Japanese. (I can sometimes understand and to a small extent even speak it.. but the writing system is beyond me at present) As a result I can't link those, due to not knowing their names.

Sorry I couldn't find any others for you. :/ Guess I was mistaken on a few of them.

 

[VisitorsFromDreams]

This is the first one that came to mind.


Looks like the others I was thinking of look distinctively different from RPG Maker, so that was my mistake.

The other ones I saw were all Japanese, and sadly - I can't read Japanese. (I can sometimes understand and to a small extent even speak it.. but the writing system is beyond me at present) As a result I can't link those, due to not knowing their names.

Sorry I couldn't find any others for you. :/ Guess I was mistaken on a few of them.

This games part of the mystery dungeon series by Chunsoft and as far as I know they use their own internally built engine for all their games, though a lot of the assets and general aesthetic is quite similar to the RTP so I can see why you might mix them up.

 

[Poryg]

It is possible to deploy for PS4. Just not the cheapest, because you need to register as a developer and pay a registration fee to obtain a license.
And it's also not the simplest thing to do, because you'd probably need to convert the engine from Javascript to binary code of some sorts. More on that later.

As for your poll, in all honesty, I don't understand why is there so much fuss about console gaming. It may be a slight expansion of the market, but for what price?
XBox is slowly getting integrated with Windows 10. As such I can imagine it being not a good idea to develop for XBox in few years.
Nintendo export is something we probablx won't see as it charges a heck ton of money for its development kits. Not to mention you need to register as a developer. Also, Nintendo won't accept every garbage game unlike Steam, which would kill a lot of potential game makers. So I reckon it's not worth it to make an RPG maker that exports to Nintendo, considering the fact that the cheapest dev kit itself costs $2000.
As for PS4, that would require to redo the engine from an interpreted language probably to a compiled one, because PS4's Javascript engine is garbage and currently I don't know of any other language interpreters.
Which would make development of additional functionalities more difficult, because compiled languages are nowhere near as forgiving as interpreted ones. And having just a barebones editor with buttons is nice, but would be a step backwards from MV.

Not to mention, the biggest problem with console development is little to no backwards compatibility. Something I entirely hate on consoles.

 

[FlatDragon]

Thank you for the information @Poryg that really does help me understand things better. I had forgotten about devkits for consoles.

As for what 'the fuss' is all about, it's accessibility. There are millions of people out there that don't have the mental fortitude and patience to configure everything on PC gaming, or go through the trouble of building a custom rig. They can put down just a couple hundred dollars and have access to some pretty impressive libraries of games without needing to sit down and learn how to do every little thing. This saves time and money and lets everyone access the games with no trouble on the player's end.

Sure, Windows makes it easy for us, what with all of it's extra protocols for convenience, but even with that, there are still plenty of things you need to configure and there's always that question of 'Will my PC play this?' and once you've hit that wall just once you understand full well how frustrating it can be when you drop $60 on a new game and can't even play it.

Consoles bypass all of this by making sure that everyone has the same hardware, which allows more players to access the content within.

To be completely clear - I'm not pro-console or anti-PC; I'm pro choice. There are some people that claim that console gaming is holding back PC gaming, but I implore you to consider Crytek (developers of Crysis) in that equation. That's all I'll say on that front, because I am not looking for a flame war or anything like that. Just trying to provide my own opinions, backed by common knowledge (among those who are primarily console players) for the purpose of trying to bridge our communities a little more.

Much respect. Please don't misunderstand my intentions here, as I truly do not want to spawn hate in this awesome community, especially considering how few posts I currently have. Talking often with other console players and with other PC players I've picked up plenty of opinions on similar matters, and I just wanted to share some of them here.

 

[Poryg]

I have been a PC gamer for as long as I can remember. Gone through MS-DOS, Win 98, Win 2000, Win XP and Win 10. In my life Never had any significant issue in regards to configuration. Installing drivers takes few clicks, game settings are something I tinker with only when I need to gain better performance and the only thing I need to solve nowadays are compatibility issues from time to time with older games (which generally either work under XP compatibility mode or 98 compatibility mode under 640x480 resolution or not at all). So despite having 18 years of gaming experience I have never been able to understand what tinkering console players talk about.

 

[FlatDragon]

You just listed a few of the major issues that often scare people away:

• Installing Drivers - While simple to anyone with a few months or years under their belt, this can cause a lot of frustration to someone who is generally strapped for time or is easily flustered. I often suggest third party programs to help with this, but it's still a cause for issue for some console gamers.
  
• Individual Game Settings - While I'd argue that they are just being lazy, I've heard many a console user complain that they have to go in and change settings to get certain games to work properly and they prefer the consoles because it's developed to work on their specific hardware, so no tinkering required. (This was something I once complained about, way back when)
• Compatibility mode - Again, individual games requiring special attention, just one more thing for console gamers to whine about.

Re-reading this it sounds like I'm anti-console, but that's mostly because I try to build bridges and I catch a lot of flak from console gamers about these specific topics and just listing these opinions managed to somewhat frustrate me lol. Another facet of this is that I used to have this same misconceptions and issues with PC gaming, and having grown out of it I have a strong aversion to my own former weakness.

A couple of other things I often hear console gamers using as excuses:

• Too many ways to buy games - Steam, Origin, publisher's website, Humble Bundle, etc. The list goes on. On console it's simple: You buy the game on PSN or at a store, and then you have it. With PC gaming you have a lot of options, and trying to figure out where the best deal is (for price and service) isn't always an obvious choice.
  
• Hackers - This one makes me laugh, because of how often consoles are bricked by trolls using exploits, but the title says it all. Console gamers are worried that hackers are going to be more common on PC. I just had a conversation about this yesterday while playing Onigiri with friends on PS4 yesterday.
• Organization - This one isn't nearly as common, and I feel like it's a hollow excuse, but many of my acquaintances on console say that it's too hard to organize things on PC, what with having so many options... 'It's easy to forget where things are saved on my computer so I can't find the programs and games I want.' which is laughable and pathetic. We all know here that you can right click and save a shortcut to the desktop, so this one is debunked really fast.

The biggest issue I find while talking to people about these things is generally just how overwhelmed they are with all the control and options they have from day one, whereas with consoles they have less control and are able to focus almost entirely on the games themselves. That, and the whole "2 years" cycle thing that's commonly believed among console players: Every 2 years computing power doubles and getting the best of the best for PC parts is pointless because it'll be obsolete in 2 years.

I don't know what to say on that front, except that I still use a potato, and even though I can't play modern games (can't even play RuneScape lol) I can get a ton of enjoyment out of this old PC. So I'm with you in a lot of ways, but I'm also pro choice instead of being pro-PC.

Again, much respect. Not trying to flame or anything like that. (even though this seems like a rant, while proofreading...) Just trying to spread knowledge and information and my own thoughts and opinions.

 

[VisitorsFromDreams]

Some of us spend all day working on computers so the last thing we want to do when we get home to relax is sit back down on another computer to play games. Its nice to just sit on a couch and pick up a controller.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Most RM games dont really need a good setup to work though, most normal PCs can run RM games nicely.. Those things about PC are more of for high-end AAA games on high-end rigs.

 

[FlatDragon]

Some of us spend all day working on computers so the last thing we want to do when we get home to relax is sit back down on another computer to play games. Its nice to just sit on a couch and pick up a controller.

That's a good point. Hadn't really given that side of things much thought.

Most RM games dont really need a good setup to work though, most normal PCs can run RM games nicely.. Those things about PC are more of for high-end AAA games on high-end rigs.

Very true, but console gamers are used to not having any restrictions and throwing down just a couple hundred dollars to have a system that plays everything on it, instead of having to stop and question whether or not their rig can handle it - while also spending significantly more.

It's a knowledge gap as well. Most console gamers assume that PC gaming is very complex, and while it is in some situations, the learning curve is not nearly as daunting as they think at first.

I'm glad this conversation got going, but I wonder if this was really the best spot for it. xD

 

[definite_lee]

Let me just say that the best solution would be to find a Publisher, with experience publishing and porting games to consoles.
Depending on the arrangement you make with them they can cover the costs of publishing (dev kits, registrations, etc.) and porting.

But this of course is only a reality for those developers with high quality games that a publisher would want to invest in.

 

[RespectWomen]

The one and most important advantage of console IMO, Is the fact that it's one of the only ways to legally fully own game software in this age of digital distribution and streaming we live in, PC doesn't have many options for that since only Itch.io and GOG really host non DRM'd games. The rest are merely selling you licenses.

I know most of people are numb to this, but a lot of gaming enthusiasts are still bothered by it, which is why you have people who still swear by physical libraries.

That being said, As a fresh indie dev I think the digital stores are the perfect place to start, Itch especially since you don't have to have your profits eaten into, but if were to find some huge success with your project, I'm sure the console porting would sort itself out anyway.