do you have any problems with games that use rtp?

[KazukiT]

@BK-tdm Those types of games with the amateur art (stick figures and poorly made tiles) are a really turn off when in comes to RPG Maker games. The RTP is a better alternative until you have mastered how to make tiles that match or surpass it in quality.
@Kingmiami The default RTP has undeserved hate, I actually like the style of it after looking seeing so many games using it. It has its own unique charm just like an art style should. With my more recent games I tried to make my own tiles, but I am using the default RTP as a base since they know what they are doing. In a sense I think that is the intended purpose of the RTP to act as base for people who want to experiment and make their own tiles.

 

[HumanNinjaToo]

One thing I like about the rtp is that it is very easy to open GIMP or photoshop and use the rtp to make a lot of edits and things that will make the default visuals stand out. Of course, you can do that with any tilesets you get... I like to believe that the creators gave us very basic rtp because they expected people to change it up and use it as a base to create or edit more amazing things.

I don't mind people using rtp at all. I actually change the color of a lot of rtp and mix them with the tilesets that I use to create more variety. What I do not like is when I see a lot of non-edited default maps. Like others have said, bad maps are bad maps, doesn't really matter what kind of graphics are used. There are plenty of tripel A games that have terrible maps. I think sometimes games with fancy graphics get away with bad map design more so than indie games though.

 

[HexMozart88]

I dislike the RTP, but I don't dislike games made with the RTP. I think edited RTP can look really good, but I generally do prefer a game made with something original. I do, however, see the odd game that's really good and made with default assets, so I don't just click off of it because of the look. I just generally think that the RTP doesn't really match any game and just sort of trivializes anything it's in when used as-is.

 

[Redeye]

As said above, I have no qualms when it comes to games made with RTP (not that I really play that many RM games nowadays). I do, however, have some gripes with the RTP itself (specifically when using it, myself).

The RTP looks really nice, but its biggest flaw is that the graphics designers stopped making new stuff after release. Out of all the updates MV got, not one included new RTP resources. Just QoL updates that I couldn't care less about. If the devs actually cared about keeping MV alive so much as to not make a sequel for over 5 years, they would continue to make new graphics. With more default stuff to work with, the RTP wouldn't have nearly as much stigma as it has today because the sheer quantity would allow some of the "RTP Games" to at least have a sliver of difference between them. It would also alleviate some of the conflicting art styles that tend to come with custom and DLC graphics (If I had a dollar for every time someone haphazardly used a mix of Thalzon's & Aekashic's battlers in a single project with RTP sideview actors...)

 

[Starbird_Resources]

I think it's a question of map quality more than whether the RTP is used. The RTP and free RTP edits available here are PLENTY to create a very good-looking game, provided you are a good mapper. For me it's not the RTP that's an instant turn-off. It's seeing a house interior that is the size of a football field. It doesn't matter what tiles you have if you can't map them well.

 

[KazukiT]

I think it's a question of map quality more than whether the RTP is used. The RTP and free RTP edits available here are PLENTY to create a very good-looking game, provided you are a good mapper. For me it's not the RTP that's an instant turn-off. It's seeing a house interior that is the size of a football field. It doesn't matter what tiles you have if you can't map them well.

I agree wholeheartedly with this post. It's not the tool that makes the masterpiece its the user.

 

[CraneSoft]

When it comes to RTP, I have different tolerance levels depend on the type used:

For Maps/Event or Character Sprites :

It's generally OK to use SOME RTP considering a game needs to use alot of resources and one can't simply custom made everything and make them look incredible. I like it when a game makes clever use of parallaxes and tints even if a map is pure RTP or modified RTP, so a sewer level using basic rock tiles actually LOOKED like a sewer. I do have problems for games that looked like they are made out of a map generator or just random slapping the inconsistent tiles around with absolutely NO flavor. This is extremely common in 90% of the bad quality RPGMaker games. Heck, some even mixed retro pixels and MV tiles, on MV, it looks awful beyond imagination.

For Sound/BGM :

I'm good with basic BGE/SE or even some basic RTP BGM(largely personal preference though), but generally, with so many royalty-free music out there excluding paid ones, I expect some effort from the dev to use some music that suits their game. Music is extremely important for a game that doesn't sell with graphics and voice acting, and the RTP music is very limited.

For Monsters/Enemies :

I don't want to see any pure RTP enemies, full stop. I'm referring to basic blue slimes, orcs, Geyser, Bats, Demon Lord and the like, including lazy palette swaps of them. Edited ones are fine as long as they are not out of place. I don't want to fight an enemy that I probably seen at least 20 times in another game unless it's something extremely common like humanoid knights or bandits that can work in any fantasy setting, and even then don't make me fight the same damn enemies. There are more than enough royalty-free battlers available that you can use to make the next 10 games, doesn't limit you to ANY engine, and it doesn't even take a lot of skill to do some simple edits so they at least LOOK unique. And all that is assuming you don't draw or commission your own unique enemies.

Overall, RTP do get a lot of undeserved hate because the majority (literally) of devs do not put in the effort to make them look appealing. This hurts the few that actually could make good things out of RTP.

 

[KazukiT]

When it comes to RTP, I have different tolerance levels depend on the type used:

For Maps/Event or Character Sprites :

It's generally OK to use SOME RTP considering a game needs to use alot of resources and one can't simply custom made everything and make them look incredible. I like it when a game makes clever use of parallaxes and tints even if a map is pure RTP or modified RTP, so a sewer level using basic rock tiles actually LOOKED like a sewer. I do have problems for games that looked like they are made out of a map generator or just random slapping the inconsistent tiles around with absolutely NO flavor. This is extremely common in 90% of the bad quality RPGMaker games. Heck, some even mixed retro pixels and MV tiles, on MV, it looks awful beyond imagination.

For Sound/BGM :

I'm good with basic BGE/SE or even some basic RTP BGM(largely personal preference though), but generally, with so many royalty-free music out there excluding paid ones, I expect some effort from the dev to use some music that suits their game. Music is extremely important for a game that doesn't sell with graphics and voice acting, and the RTP music is very limited.

For Monsters/Enemies :

I don't want to see any pure RTP enemies, full stop. I'm referring to basic blue slimes, orcs, Geyser, Bats, Demon Lord and the like, including lazy palette swaps of them. Edited ones are fine as long as they are not out of place. I don't want to fight an enemy that I probably seen at least 20 times in another game unless it's something extremely common like humanoid knights or bandits that can work in any fantasy setting, and even then don't make me fight the same damn enemies. There are more than enough royalty-free battlers available that you can use to make the next 10 games, doesn't limit you to ANY engine, and it doesn't even take a lot of skill to do some simple edits so they at least LOOK unique. And all that is assuming you don't draw or commission your own unique enemies.

Overall, RTP do get a lot of undeserved hate because the majority (literally) of devs do not put in the effort to make them look appealing. This hurts the few that actually could make good things out of RTP.

I made all of my enemy battlers so they can’t be found anywhere else. Although I will always leap at the opportunity to add custom art. I use RTP for my first game and also blended in tiles that are unique to my game as well. As for later games I am using the RTP as Base to make some more custom tiles.

 

[Chocopyro]

Probably saying nothing that hasn't been said before, but oh well, here's another 2 cents from your real life adventurer. Now the truth is, RTP is actually pretty high quality material to work with, and it's pretty great to have been given so many resources from the start. It's flexible, and since it's somewhat of a standard in the resource community, easy to supplement with varient assets, thus making it extremely versatile to use.

Buuut, you know. We've seen them a million times already, so you're kinda putting yourself at a disadvantage, considering the amount of good games worth playing that use only RTP are buried under a mountain of half-arsed rushed out games, or mediocre games. This means RTP generally comes with a stigma attached to it, and can turn people off immediately if they've played more than enough RPGM games. So if you're hoping to make money off of a project, I would advice not putting it on the shelf until every RTP asset has been replaced with something else. But if you are working on a passion project with no real aims of making money off of it, then they should serve you well enough, if you're skilled in using them.

Now personally, I'm not entirely turned off by MV assets yet. Maybe VX Ace, but not MV. Then again, I only recently got back into the community, so they're still kinda shiny and pleasant to look at for me.

 

[Nightblade50]

Now personally, I'm not entirely turned off by MV assets yet. Maybe VX Ace, but not MV.

For me, I can't stand the MV Rtp. Too cartoony and vibrant

 

[HexMozart88]

It's mostly the sprites that bother me with MV. I can't even see the clothes, LOL. The faces, I can handle with editing. Better than Ace's, at least.

 

[bgillisp]

@Chocopyro : There's a huge issue with that. The cost to replace ALL of the RTP is easily 20K and most indie games never make that much in their lifetime. In fact I've read of indie games that sold 9 whole copies, ever. And some of those were with unique graphics too. So saying to only sell a game if you replace the RTP is inviting you to do a negative investment from the get-go.

Plus @Indinera has an entire customer base that would disagree with you.

 

[Chocopyro]

@bgillisp You raise a valid point, actually. Consider my mind changed.

 

[bgillisp]

@Chocopyro : The thing is, IF you can do it for less and get your cost back, it is probably a good idea to do it. So if you can draw and draw well you can save that cost, and it might be worth it then.

I just ask that we don't pan games automatically that use it, as we are devs so we should understand that sometimes it is more a choice of they can't afford to replace it, so instead they did the best with what they got.

If we honestly want more games to not use RTP, someone needs to make a FULL tileset that works well with the characters. Or provide characters. All we really got is Medevial as our other choice. Ancient Dugeons hasn't finished the Desert/Lava area, and has no sci-fi option. FSM still needs the same zones too from what I saw. And those are the most complete available DLC's out there that I know of. So honestly if you would like to see more games not use RTP, consider providing or helping devs find those resources that all match well in the same game. And I mean full areas, forest, dungeon, caves, towns, winter area, swamp, sewers, desert, desert town, etc.

 

[Nightblade50]

The cost to replace ALL of the RTP is easily 20K and most indie games never make that much in their lifetime.

My game Delta Origins uses actually almost no RTP except a few sound effects, and while it isn't near completion, there actually aren't many more assets I'd need at all. Really just some enemy sprites, I believe. And I've spent very little. Maybe $50-100?

 

[bgillisp]

@Nightblade50 : And WHO did your tiles for $50 - $100? The lowest quote I've seen is $3 a tile so you either got a 33.333333 tile game (100 / 3 = 33.33) total or the figures are off. Either that or you did a bunch of DLC and then that will work only if you can find one that has all the regions you need, which is a problem if you need desert or lava as those are in very rare supply in a form that matches the rest of the tileset.

 

[Nightblade50]

@Nightblade50 : And WHO did your tiles for $50 - $100? The lowest quote I've seen is $3 a tile so you either got a 33.333333 tile game (100 / 3 = 33.33) total or the figures are off. Either that or you did a bunch of DLC and then that will work only if you can find one that has all the regions you need, which is a problem if you need desert or lava as those are in very rare supply in a form that matches the rest of the tileset.

Right. I used a DLC. I agree, but my game does admittedly take place on a limited sort of field - all on a single alien planet and some on a spaceship, both included in the DLC.

 

[bgillisp]

That makes sense then. My point was if you wanted a forest zone, town, inside, caves, sewer, lava, desert, ice, etc, the RTP is the only tileset that has all of those except Medevial that I even know of (DS Style might though). Ancient Dungeons and FSM are short a couple of those still.

In fact I honestly wish tileset makers would realize there is more than forest and towns in games. Most initial tiles seem to be forest and towns, which is great...if your RPG takes place entirely in a forest.

 

[HexMozart88]

@bgillisp Right? It's shockingly difficult to find a good castle tileset.

 

[Nightblade50]

@bgillisp I have to agree
Granted, a lot of RPGs start out in a forest town