Does Grid Movement make gameplay worse?

[Aphotic]

I've been using mv3d to make some very elaborate maps in RPG Maker MV, and although the maps and progression feel pretty ood, I can't help but consider 2d RPGs where movement isn't confined to a grid, like 2D Legend of Zelda titles.

I'm curious, does a game feel unnecessarily clunky when your movement is confined to a grid? What sorts of features or attributes can make grid movement feel less rigid? What have your experiences been like with RM projects and plugins that don't confine movement to a grid?

 

[Andar]

it completely depends on the game mechanics.

there are games where grid movement is the better solution and any form of pixel movement becomes tedious and finicky, and there are other games where pixel movement is the better solution.

so an absolute judgement is never possible.

that said, if the game mechanic supports it and for most classic jrpg-type or classic western RPGs I prever grid movement.

 

[Arthran]

Does Grid Movement make gameplay worse?​

If you're making a racing game, or a bullet hell game, probably. If you're making an ARPG, then maybe. If you're making a regular 2D, top-down, turn-based RPG, then no; I don't think there is anything wrong with grid movement. On a regular RPG, I don't think that the people playing your game are really likely to notice or care what type of movement system you're using--I think it's something that devs worry about more than players do.

 

[AkiraKotatsuhime]

People using RPG Maker are trying to make games it was not intended for while keeping its default grid-based movement that are absolutely unsuitable to have such for over 20 years now and almost always it ends up in disastrous gameplay because of that. Players have seen a huge lot of horrible grid-based platformers and similar stuff made in RPG2000/2003 in that time, thanks to this it's hard to tell some of them it can be done way better with the same engine when tossing the grid aboard.

This doesn't mean the grid is a bad thing itself, it's a great element to have in a program that targets novice developers who want to create a rather oldfashioned 2D-RPG or simple adventure, but of course there's much in the program you'd have to give up when doing something more complex.

2D-Zelda-games are not RPGs, tile-move would completely destroy their action-based gameplay.

～炬燵あ

 

[Milennin]

Pixel movement is only better if your gameplay benefits from having it. If you're just adding it for the sake of having it, then I really do not see the point. You're risking making movement of a hassle if it requires a degree of precision to get around objects or pass through tight corridors. If there are no such movement issues in your game, then cool. But are there any gameplay elements that make actual use of the feature, or are you just adding it because you think it's cool?
Grid movement in RPG Maker works because it's a simple way for the player to traverse the map in a genre that isn't exactly known for advanced movement options (assuming you are making a traditional 2D JRPG in RPG Maker...)