I noticed a pattern in the release of PC RPG Maker engines

[Felix Trapper]

Starting with RPG Maker 95, each main PC installment has seen a period of almost exactly 3 years between releases.

In days between (Japanese) releases, we have

1102, 983, 1003, 1196, 1083.

Those are pretty consistent. With a standard deviation of only 2 months, you might say an RPG Maker is about as predictable as Call of Duty. So what do you think, community? Will Enterbrain ruin a nearly 2-decade long string of releases that create an almost perfectly linear trendline when plotted on a graph? Or do they have something cooking for the end of 2014 or Q1/Q2 of 2015?

 

[Nosleinad]

Insterestinf research, and i do think 03 years is a good strategy to release new engines. Anything less than that might not be so good because some projects takes years to finish, and it "may" annoy some developers.

 

[ipei]

I'm wondering what we need more. The basic functions have already been made. The newer versions just add your tasks to make RPG. The number of outputs from the makers is decreasing just like the latest game hardwares have less titles.

 

[Felix Trapper]

I'm wondering what we need more. The basic functions have already been made. The newer versions just add your tasks to make RPG. The number of outputs from the makers is decreasing just like the latest game hardwares have less titles.

It's not so much what we need more, but taking the best of each maker and leaving out the worst.

• Include tile resolution options. Build in 16x16 tiles or 32x32 tiles.
• Include native support for pixel movement and mapping in small 4x4 chunks, like LTTP.
• Return to the layering system of XP. Several layers and priorities to make mapping as simple or complex as you want it to be.
• Either return to the 2k/XP sprite/graphics style or at least include a character generator for taller characters. Some people like chibi, some despise it.
• Include a default side-view battle system that is easy to use, just like 2k3. Also include an option for front view like the most recent makers.
• Return all the commands that have existed in any maker. Some commands were taken out, like rotate picture for example.
• More customization options without relying on scripting. Including an option to script is amazing, but it is required for far too many things.
• On that note, include some of the most popular scripts from the previous years as default commands or features (after careful consideration, of course). For instance, the default messaging system should have been something more like Yanfly's. 
• Many more things that I don't have time to post at the moment.

 

[Dandydan]

As someone who has only been using this tool for a couple of weeks here are my initial impressions.

(a) Better graphics. It doesn't need to be HD but it needs to be better than now. I do understand the concern about leaving behind a market of people running on old machines. It is a fair point. But there is also the risk of turning off people with new machines, like myself. Parallax mapping helps to address this issue but it is not a genuine solution to the problem, it is a workaround.

( Less dependency on scripts. I have been surprised at how much needs to be done through scripting. Thankfully, the community is mature and there are many scripts out there already. However, I feel third-party scripts are a workaround too. Issues like mouse support or HUDs are basic parts of gaming in the second decade of the 21st century. At least in my view. There shouldn't need to be third-party scripts for such items.

My fundamental view is this: as a creative person the less the tool gets in the way of me expressing my creativity the more robust that tool is. I don't expect a magic wand. But the less coding/scripting I need to do the better.

 

[ipei]

>It's not so much what we need more, but taking the best of each maker and leaving out the worst.

That was exactly what I thought. But newer versions have always brought me down with unwanted changes. When on earth we see the perfect one! It seems to be easy, but never done before.

 

[Seacliff]

Pretty interesting, totally possible too, but with VX Ace being so popular after getting on steam and stuff, Enterbrain might be willing to hold back a year or two for the next maker. Similar to Nintendo DS, it was so popular that it went on for six and a half years before the 3ds came around.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Less dependency on scripts. I have been surprised at how much needs to be done through scripting. Thankfully, the community is mature and there are many scripts out there already. However, I feel third-party scripts are a workaround too. Issues like mouse support or HUDs are basic parts of gaming in the second decade of the 21st century. At least in my view. There shouldn't need to be third-party scripts for such items.

Actually, comparing with other engines, RM does a lot of things even without scripting... other engines require scripting in most of it's functions...


Mouse support though could have really been built in... but HUDs? the engines where made for turn based battles, hence no in-map HUDs that are used for action games...

 

[orochii]

RPG Maker Nein! The new installment!


This topic is kind of like a conspiracy theory, but without the conspiracy part. Or maybe there is...


I actually like that kind of stuff, when things are consistent or have some special meaning behind.


As for the kind of RPG Maker "we" want, I think there is already a post for that.


I want to see what will be the next one, just like any other person. But for me to actually get it, still a couple of years for that ;A; (+n, where n is the difference between me being able to buy it and the actual release, n being capped to a minimum of 0). I still have several unfinished projects in RMXP, and even if the new maker is 1000times t better, I can't restart my game AGAIN :V.

 

[Insidious Mental Pollution]

We still need an RPG Maker that can directly absorb the ideas out of your head and construct a full game from them.  

 

[Arin]

You must have a lot of time on your hands to count the number of DAYS in between the releases of all the PC RPG Maker engines.

 

[Archeia]

This is actually a pattern we noticed before too back in Late 2k3/XP/VX years. It's not hard to figure it out once you actually look at the release dates for each engine.

 

[Probotector 200X]

Interesting. Never checked the release dates myself, nor never really thought about how far apart they were...

 

[Felix Trapper]

You must have a lot of time on your hands to count the number of DAYS in between the releases of all the PC RPG Maker engines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPG_Maker#RPG_Maker_series_timeline

It took less than 5 minutes total to get the # of days and produce that graph.

 

[TheRiotInside]

I'm wondering what we need more. The basic functions have already been made. The newer versions just add your tasks to make RPG. The number of outputs from the makers is decreasing just like the latest game hardwares have less titles.

We need more RPG Makers until I get Ace's database with XP's mapping.

 

[ipei]

We need more RPG Makers until I get Ace's database with XP's mapping.

Every time the new version comes, We always get excited and disappointed.

 

[Archeia]

Every time the new version comes, We always get excited and disappointed.

*keels over the painful truth.*

VX's mapping limitations ... ;~;

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

VX's mapping limitations ... ;~;

yeah, especially when you add the fact that XP's mapping is cool...

 

[Archeia]

I was actually more of a fan of RM2k3's mapping than XP. So when I moved to RM2k3 -> XP -> VX, it's like @_@;;;

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

well, I started with XP so IDK what 2k/3's mapping was... XD