I want to play this game because...

[Frogboy]

When you are browsing through this forum and see that someone posted their game, what is most likely reason you decide to try it out as opposed to taking a pass and moving on?

Because I'm sure that all of these apply to some degree, I've limited the number of selections to two. Choose the most important one or two.

Thanks!

 

[Windows i7]

I'd much rather the gameplay mechanics be fun than have original assets. A game can look amazing but if it isn't fun to play then the visuals are wasted.

 

[peq42_]

Story and environment well made(for a good "immension")
RPG Maker games that are popular have those 2 things really well worked.

 

[trouble time]

I wanted to put other as well, then I noticed its only two choice, so I'll explain. I will play a game (though I may end up hating it.) if I really like the character design. For example, I tried World of Warcraft for a while because I really like the oversized pauldrons on a lot of the armor. I also won't try games where the character design looks too boring.

 

[MMMm]

I care about the mechanics and the author's track record. If the author has done good work recently, then I'll play all of his or her games. If the mechanics are unique or totally different, then I'll also go for it. I'm looking for things that are new or interesting. The story doesn't especially interest me. I don't care about the art or music but I appreciate it when it's good.

Playtime is something I don't care about either. If a game is entertaining, I'll play it until it's over. If it's boring and long, I'll quit after an hour.

As an example of mechanics that would interest me, a game where you play as a monster and destroy human adventurers. A game where you sell drugs and buy weapons and fight law enforcement. A game where you're a king who manages his country and commands an army to fight invaders and revolts. Those are the kinds of games that are guaranteed to have a different playstyle than the usual dungeon crawler or JRPG.

 

[Nightblade50]

I chose original artwork/music and interesting mechanics. Who wants to play a boring looking game with no scripts and only the rtp?

 

[CleanWater]

I'm looking for something original, or really well-made.

It's been a long time since a RPG don't awake me the same feelings I had when playing Breath of Fire III, Chrono Trigger (my childhood games) or Phantasy Star IV (played these first time about 2 years ago, so no, old simple graphics aren't an issue for me at all).

When I played these games, what mostly motivated me to continue was to see the rest of the story. But I also loved to explore everything these games had to offer, like the mini games and the different skill combos, etc. Nowadays, almost all RPGs I play (RPG Maker or not) feel dull, straightforward, with a weak plot and character development, and after you finish it (if you had the nerves for it) you have nothing else to see there and don't want to come back to play again.

The first thing I expect from a RPG is a good and engaging plot. Second is soundtrack, then mechanics and lastly the graphics (in terms of 8bits, 16-bits, 32-bits, 3D, etc, because really awful graphics is something I can't cope with).

 

[TheoAllen]

First, it's the genre. If it's story heavy (like detective case, visual novel type, and especially horror games) or puzzle, I'd avoid it. There is little to no chance I'd play a game like that. It at least should have a battle. And no, not the default frontline battle system, neither passive sideview battler where the battle sprites just sit there for a sake of sideview and do nothing but as an animation punching bag.

Visual comes in second, it's not required, but it also not a cover that I would judge. Cool, a game using custom asset on everything, basically top tier graphics, parallax mapping, custom menu. But if it has no interesting game (and battle) system, I don't think I'd give a chance (or even I give it, it likely won't last long). I don't mind a game using RTP, because it's to be expected when you play a game made by RM anyway. I'm used to it. As long as the dev isn't ******ed like putting a wrong tile

Story comes last, If the screenshot and game feature itself successfully bait me, then I'm gonna learn the story by playing the game. Most of time, I didn't read the game story through the game topic. It's better for me to learn it in game. How well they present their game to a complete stranger.

Edit : Also because of my internet, I'd have to limit the game size. A game might looks cool, but if it's big, I might think twice. An oversized game (200mb+) that mostly just RTP, I don't think I'd give a try, why not make an RTP free instead because I already have installed RTP in my own system.

 

[hiddenone]

I'm here to skew results~ I picked 'estimated play time' and 'other' because when I'm looking for games to play on the forum I'm looking for ones I where I think I'll be able to leave helpful feedback. I rarely play finished games here, I want to try demos that either aren't getting much attention or I think would benefit from getting some more comments in general about how to possibly improve. Shorter play times means that I don't have to set aside hours upon hours to try the game, and maybe I can fit in another demo that night.

I may not always get to play incredibly unique games, but it's really great to play multiple demos of the same game and see a dev improving each time.

 

[BreadInc]

I'm originally a writer, so my focus is always, always on the story and/or dialogue. I do also like pretty graphics, but it's not a make-or-break kind of thing for me. I don't care how long a game is, what genre is it, I can usually enjoy something as long as it has an interesting plot.

 

[Nightblade50]

I'm originally a writer, so my focus is always, always on the story and/or dialogue. I do also like pretty graphics, but it's not a make-or-break kind of thing for me. I don't care how long a game is, what genre is it, I can usually enjoy something as long as it has an interesting plot.

You've got a point there. HOW COME ALL OF THE ABOVE IS NOT AN OPTION!?!?

EDIT: Oh never mind - I'll just choose "other" and then put in a comment "all of the above!".

 

[Lornsteyn]

I voted for Interesting Story, also I prefer Retro styled games, Im not a fan of too much fancy stuff.

 

[Kuwabara Germinal]

Original artwork will make me try the game or at least look for more information about it online, but only a good game mechanic will make me stay playing it for a long time, the art can be bad or simple, the story can be boring if there is a option to skip. But if the mechanics are solid I like.

 

[Nightblade50]

I voted for Interesting Story, also I prefer Retro styled games, Im not a fan of too much fancy stuff.

We think alike on retro games

 

[Tai_MT]

To be quite honest... I don't really play all that many games from the forums. I try out a demo or two every so often, but I don't really play "full games". I do have some RPG Maker games on a "watch" list in the forums though... and on Steam.

What I generally look for is a game where the person looks like they put some heart and soul into it. I don't mean "they have the latest and greatest art assets" or anything. What I mean is... A game that it looks like someone cared about. Even if someone is using strictly the RTP, you can tell when they really cared about their game and wanted to make it good. There's just a level of detail there that you won't see in RPG Maker games that were made "in a rush" or "to make a quick buck" or "just to get a game out".

I don't really know how to define that. But, you can honestly tell.

Does that automatically mean their game is good? Nope. But, it means they tried to make a good game for the most part.

So, I just look for the signs of "someone really wanted people to play this and enjoy playing it". You get a good description of the game, you get a glimpse at the title screen and some art assets, sometimes you get a look at a video of gameplay, you get a list of features... other things. And, by list of features, I don't mean, "you make choices and they alter the world!". I mean things like, "Crafting system with over 900 items" or something akin to that. Something where they're advertising the actual features of the game and not a marketing blurb to trick you into buying it. I look for games that just have the tell-tale signs of it being a beloved project.

Some of that, is also looking at reviews of said product. I prefer seeing author interaction with criticism. If a game receives no criticism, I'll generally give it a pass. Mostly because "The game is great!" tells me nothing important about a game. I need to know it's flaws. So, I like to see people pointing out flaws with the game, and then I need to see the creator of said game addressing the issues, asking advice, or other things. These are signs, to me, that the developer of the game actually cares about their finished product. Especially if they go back and make fixes.

That's what I look for.

 

[slimmmeiske2]

Choosing only two options was impossible, so I picked the ones I find more important:
1. Original/pretty artwork: I’m not really a sound person. I prefer to listen to my own music when gaming. But I do enjoy staring at pretty art and seeing how they did things.
2. Reputation of the author: My gaming time is limited and my games to play list is endless. ^^; So when I play games I prefer to play games from developers I like.
3. Interesting story/setting or a setting I find interesting: If a game is based on fairytale(s) I will most definitely play it. If a game is touting itself as a fairytale, I will also play it (and then tell them why another term would fit much better).
4. Estimated playtime: Overly long games I ignore. Again, my gaming time is limited. I do not have time to play your 30+ hours.

 

[OnslaughtSupply]

I voted for artwork and mechanics. To me though the artwork itself doesn't have to be all original or the best, but beautiful in its use. Like highly pixelated gameboy style can be used extremely well or really crappy. Personally I don't like the squiggly line MSPaint drawings some are so fond of. While I know its original and someone put a lot of effort and love into it, it looks like the stuff on my fridge from my 4 year-old and I get enough of that. Its just not aesthetically pleasing. For that matter RTP can be done really well but if its straight default mapping through the editor without any lighting or shadows, I will probably pass. The same when I see Harold, Marsha, and company, I will probably pass.

Interesting mechanics might have me over look those things. I mean who doesn't want to play something highly original. This does have a flip side, this is sometimes done poorly, like a great idea run amok. Say for example its a great mechanic but it is over used or cumbersome and becomes annoying.

A good story is nice but not always required for me to pick up a game, but it is what keeps me playing it. Most games in progress on the forums go on and on about the story and lore, but it usually boils down to unlikely hero must save X because of Dr Evil/Satan/Villain guy has the McGuffin or lost the McGuffin or hero must find X amount of McGuffins and then insert world lore here. But if it looks good and plays interesting, I will nab them McGuffins and if the dev has some interesting dialogue and twists and turns, I will keep playing.

We're told not to judge a book by its cover but that is what makes us want to pick the book up to begin with. I think it's the same for games. The graphics and gameplay make us want to know more and the story keeps you there.

My 2 cents, your mileage may vary, etc.

 

[kaiijuu]

Definitely the story! I would love to see more original artwork too over the sprites that are given (but I know this is difficult if you cant' draw/ can't edit sprites well.) A good, well rounded story would make it worth playing no matter how the graphics look.

 

[Matseb2611]

I've picked the interesting story and the original art/music, though it was a tough choice as the others can play into effect too.

Reasons:
- Story is the single most important thing that keeps me playing. If I don't find it at least remotely interesting, I'll get bored even of a pretty game. Mechanics might carry it forward, but at this point, majority of mechanics in an RM game are going to be either turn-based battles, puzzle solving, or on-map combat, and none of those are enough to keep me going through a shallow story (unless the game is meant to be purely a dungeon crawler or arena fighting game, which majority of RM games aren't).
- Original art/music. I'd say that it doesn't have to be completely original, as in custom-made, but I like to see anything other than RTP, or at least RTP that's been heavily edited. That tells me that some effort has gone into the presentation of the game, which in turn could also mean other aspects of the game have also received a considerable effort.

 

[Requiem]

There's only one game which I bought off Steam that was RPG Maker and it was mad father.

So... story and artwork first and foremost.

It's rare that I remember RPGs in general for their mechanics. Usually, if I want to play something for combat, I play FPS or strategy.

Or Beth RPGs if I want to go Grand Theft Auto in a fantasy setting.

I will play a game because I'm curious to see what can be done with the RMMV engine.