Every exporting options in MV. Nintendo Switch?

[MushroomCake28]

So what are all the platforms you can export to with RPG Maker MV? I know there's PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS(???). I'm interested in knowning:
1) How difficult is it to port between different platforms (talking more about Android and iOS?)
2) With the recent announcement of RPG Maker MV on switch (not so recent, but hey), will it be possible to export a PC RPG maker MV game to switch?

 

[Archeia]

You can't export to Switch int he current one.
It want to say it be difficult to port RPG Maker MV to Switch but requires a lot of work instead? Cuz you would need to use an external engine (ie. Unity) but you will need to rewrite the code in C# or something and reference the JSON files instead.

 

[MushroomCake28]

Now that sounds like a lot of trouble. So I guess there will not be any export to switch in the future.

 

[ChampX]

There really is no such thing as easy exporting for a console anywhere, even in Unity. You need a developer license from the console maker and even then they have specialized processes and all sorts of criteria you must follow. A developer license from Nintendo specifically is free, but I believe they don't hand out switch access to everyone who signs up unlike Wii U and 3DS and you would have to request permission for Switch (and they may deny you). After that, you would need to follow their documentation and purchase a dev kit from them.

In theory MV games can run on Switch, but because there is no official support, the documentation Nintendo provides won't help you nor would their developer forums as opposed to if you developed your game in Unity, which means, as Archeia already said, hand-coding your own way of linking your MV game on switch with very little to go on. Even if you do figure that out, if it doesn't follow Nintendo's criteria, they may reject your submission anyway.

You will likely find similar experiences for PlayStation and Xbox as well.

 

[MushroomCake28]

Alright, I got that exporting to console will not be a thing. How about mobile? Now that I know is doable, but is it as easy as exporting for pc?

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Mobile exporting afaik requires a bit more work than the straightforward exporting for PC deployments

 

[Kes]

I've moved this thread to RPGMaker MV Deployment. Please be sure to post your threads in the correct forum next time. Thank you.

 

[Andar]

No, because you'll need an additional step outside the maker for mobile export.

PC-based exports (Windows, MacOS, Linux) can be done directly.
Mobile export (Android, iOS) will give you a base package that needs to be converted to an APP by a third-party-program. In case of iOS that program is called x-code and is only available for MacOS, which means you'll have to own a Mac-computer (or at least rent it for a few hours at the end of development) to Export to iOS.
In case of Android there are several possible programs available for free for Windows, but those often have only minimal Dokumentation.

 

[MushroomCake28]

@Andar But it isn't that complicated to put it on Android then? Provided you know which program and which settings, which could be done by following a tutorial? I have to admit it's a bit tricker to put it on iOS.

 

[Andar]

To my knowledge (I haven't done either) it is easier to get to iOS if you got the required Mac computer than it is to get to Android from Windows. Exactly because Apple enforces standards while on Android everything can go and there are several ways to handle it.

 

[Chef]

Hi, didn't a team convert or reference their MV game to Unity via a homebrewed program? I don't know the name anymore though :/

 

[Poryg]

I would generally go against the idea of posting on android, because it's ridiculously difficult to support android devices thanks to the fact, among others, that these apps use mobile's native web browser to play the game. The most common problems in regards to that are:
1. Insufficient sound due to the fact that the browser doesn't deal well with loading large resources on demand, resulting in not playing the music.
2. Jiggedy jaggedy and otherwise glitchy rendering coming from an imperfect built-in WebGL renderer
3. The browser's javascript interpreter being unable to recognize certain methods or glitching the interpretation.
In other words quite little you can do.

Android mobiles tend to have to be supported per brand and type and sometimes even per individual mobile devices! (had a colleague who had the exact same app function differently on two exact same phones with the exact same android OS). Also, since google play store is simply overflooded with games... It's just too much effort for too little gain.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

@Poryg - and the landscape of mobile games that do succeed is kinda different, so if people wanna go android, its better to use a different engine and make a game that is actually meant for the mobile landscape..

 

[Shaz]

Hi, didn't a team convert or reference their MV game to Unity via a homebrewed program? I don't know the name anymore though :/

That would break all kinds of EULA and resource T&C if they did.

 

[Isaac The Red]

That would break all kinds of EULA and resource T&C if they did.

Not necessarily. If they used Unity to essentially create a webview wrapper for the games content, much like how the game.exe and android mv client work. Then all they really would be doing is using unity as a container for the MV game, the game would still be made in MV, use the MV engine and all of that, it would just be wrapped in a unity made container. This for all means and purposes should be perfectly legal, as the unity portion would be nothing more than a 'player' meant to let the game run, say on a development mode PS4 or XBONE. If someone is determined enough to get their rpgmaker game onto one of those platforms, thats one way to do it. Heck even unreal engine could probably be used to creat the container that would port to switch. Would be little more than utility. Otherwise we would have to call foul play on someone who wraps their game in a package like "webpage to exe" programs do.

 

[MushroomCake28]

This is actually very smart. I'd have to read EULA to have a clear answer, but it may be a loophole lol.

 

[Isaac The Red]

This is actually very smart. I'd have to read EULA to have a clear answer, but it may be a loophole lol.

It's not really a loophole, it's just a matter of usage case. Now if someone were to make a unity player that just read all the json files and materials and interpreted it to produce the output game... that would be the method that would break the T&C of our MV license. As that would be using the assets entirely in a different engine. However, as I said, if it's just a wrapper, its really no different than the methods we normally use. Though I'll be honest it's a heck of a lot of work either way. We're lucky smart people have already done most of the brain work for us on getting our projects exported for use on android devices at least.

 

[MushroomCake28]

That's what we call a loophole: it's a usage that the dev didn't plan. Because it's not forbidden in the EULA (I think), we can do it.

 

[Poryg]

Actually, it is not a loophole. A loophole is when something wasn't originally meant to be done, yet it is. And while MV EULA limits you in terms of game creation and states several legal conditions you and your game need to fulfill in order to be allowed to distribute the game, it does not limit/dictate the actual means of distribution in any way. I reckon you'd be alright even if you designed your own exe with your own javascript interpreter, because it has nothing to do with actual game making, as the game itself consists of index.html, audio, image and text files in the game directory.

 

[MushroomCake28]

I meant a loophole because if something isn't prohibited from a contract then it is legal (as long as it respects public order). If the dev didn't plan such a usage and is silent on the issue in the EULA, then we can do it. If the dev planned it, or didn't but is totally fine with it, then yeah, it isn't a loophole.