Is the Degica Shop the only place to get the Stand Alone version of MZ?

[GusF]

I've never used Steam, but it seems you need their client to run the program. I'ld prefer a stand alone version! The other shops on "is there any Sale?" seem to only deal with Steam, so they are out also. If it comes down to it, I would probably buy it at full price just to get the stand alone version. Does Degica run any sales?
Gus

 

[devisous]

You can buy it off of steam and run it through file explorer, though that's not very ease-of-accessy and all. You can also make a desktop shortcut to it if you get it off of steam though.

 

[TeiRaven]

To the best of my knowledge, Deciga is the only place to get a standalone version. However, they do run sales, and generally (as far as I've noticed) those sales run concurrent with the Steam sales. So if you notice it on sale on Steam, check the Deciga store too!

 

[Solar_Flare]

You can buy it off of steam and run it through file explorer, though that's not very ease-of-accessy and all. You can also make a desktop shortcut to it if you get it off of steam though.

This is not correct. If you log out of Steam, the Steam version will refuse to launch. It has been some time since I tried it, but I believe it requires Steam to be running in the background to verify that you own it.

 

[ATT_Turan]

You can buy it off of steam and run it through file explorer, though that's not very ease-of-accessy and all. You can also make a desktop shortcut to it if you get it off of steam though.

That's not quite correct - the Steam versions have the Steam DRM and so require Steam to be running, or they shut themselves down after the splash screen.

However, I believe that TeiRaven is correct and Degica has the exact same sales on their Web site as on Steam.

 

[GusF]

I appreciate that information. I'll keep watching Degica for a while then.
Gus

 

[ATT_Turan]

The Steam summer sale starts this afternoon, so you shouldn't have to wait long.

 

[Arthran]

However, I believe that TeiRaven is correct and Degica has the exact same sales on their Web site as on Steam.

Unfortunately, the sales aren't exactly the same, but they do often overlap. LIke, generally speaking, if it's on sale at the Degica shop, then it's probably on sale on Steam too. But the opposite is not true. If it's on sale on Steam, then it's not necessarily on sale at the Degica shop. You can find the Steam version on sale at least once per month, on average. But it seems to only go on sale at Degica a few times per year.

 

[ATT_Turan]

You can find the Steam version on sale at least once per month, on average. But it seems to only go on sale at Degica a few times per year.

Good to know. I don't have reason to look at the programs on Steam just during every month, so I didn't know about that. I just noticed that the big Steam sales (summer sale, Black Friday) do typically correspond to sales here.

 

[Aesica]

This is not correct. If you log out of Steam, the Steam version will refuse to launch. It has been some time since I tried it, but I believe it requires Steam to be running in the background to verify that you own it.

Yeah your memory's accurate. The steam version is ball-and-chained to the steam client, and you'll need steam running any time you want to use it which is kinda trash. Buying it on steam to save an extra 10-20% or whatever it was at the time is one of my bigger MZ regrets. Never again.

 

[Arthran]

I don't really get why people perceive having to have Steam running as such a major detriment. Like, what tangible inconvenience does it really cause you guys? I mean that as a legit question, because maybe I'm missing something. But from where I see it, if the worst part about it is that you have to wait 3 extra seconds for Steam to boot up before RPG Maker launches, is it really all that big of a deal?

I actually think that the Steam version has some pretty nice benefits over the standalone version. Firstly, having the Steam version allows you to buy DLCs on Steam. This can be a big deal for some people, as they go on sale on Steam way more often than they do on the Degica shop, and the sales are usually much better there as well.

Secondly, the Degica shop is mad ghetto, so they don't have a login system or anything that keeps track of your purchases. They just email you a personalized download link for your purchase, and you're expected to keep track of that link for the rest of your life, if you ever want to be able to download it again in the event that you get a new computer or something. And I've heard reports of those links going bad after a period of time, which I guess just means that you're screwed if that happens and you need to reinstall your stuff later on down the line. The download link thing also sucks for people who like to buy a lot of DLCs, because then you've gotta keep track of a separate download link for each DLC. Actually even more than that, since I usually get multiple download links per DLC--for some reason they don't zip the EULA and notes and stuff up with the rest of the DLC, and instead present them all as separate downloads.

With Steam, you don't have to worry about all that. Everything you purchase is tied to your account, so you can easily install it again any time you need to, and you never have to worry about losing it. Plus Steam automatically keeps all your stuff up to date. I don't know for sure whether or not the standalone version supports automatic updates, but they always post a download link in the forums every time there is an update, so I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't.

To me, having to potentially wait 3 extra seconds to boot up RPG Maker really doesn't seem like a big price to pay for those advantages... and that's ignoring the fact that the Steam version is often cheaper. (It's $39.99 at Fanatical right now, btw--just in case anyone is interested).

 

[Aesica]

That sounds to me like it's on Degikomodokawabrainwtf to git gud with their storefront then, because maintaining a database of which items were purchased by which account is not complicated in 2022.

As for having to hop through the steam hoop every time I want to work on a project, it's a lot like how some games/systems/etc want you to use facebook to log in, or bind your account to them, etc. What if people don't want steam accounts? What if they don't want their steam account to be used for that purpose? "The Company" is just being lazy by outsourcing their customers' product management to a third party if their primary storefront is that bad.

Now I get that this probably seems silly to some of you, but just like it's not hard to wait a few extra seconds for steam to fire itself up so you can work on your project, it's also not hard to just make backups of things you don't want to lose. Backup media is super cheap in 2022. Since I suspect the people who complain about how they lost rpgmaker are also the people who complain about losing their entire project when their computer dies, this gives them something to back up their projects on, too.

Having rpgmaker separate from steam wasn't something I ever knew I wanted...until it happened apparently by accident back in MZ's early release period. it was glorious.

 

[Andar]

because maintaining a database of which items were purchased by which account is not complicated in 2022.

It's almost guaranteed to be a legal problem, not a technical one.
Because they had such a shop a few years ago, and if you purchased something while that was active you can login there even today to check your old purchases.

And they intentionally disabled that, which must have a reason. and my guess is that the reason is somewhere in either japanese or americal law as those two would apply to Degica's shop.

 

[ATT_Turan]

I don't really get why people perceive having to have Steam running as such a major detriment. Like, what tangible inconvenience does it really cause you guys?

Depending on your setup...potentially a varying amount. If you're on a low-end computer, you might not want to spare the extra resources it takes to have the Steam client running (which can be several hundred MB of your RAM).

If you're on your gaming computer, you might not want to worry about managing background downloads during a time when you're using RPG Maker.

If you concentrate on your RPG work time, you might not want to have to manage logging in and out of your Friends/Steam.

For me, the laptop I use for my RPG Maker work is not my gaming computer, so it's a waste of my time and the above-mentioned system resources to have to start Steam up just so I can be able to use RPG Maker.

And then:

What if people don't want steam accounts? What if they don't want their steam account to be used for that purpose?

+1.

Now I'm not flip-the-table angry about having MV on Steam, and I'm not willing to buy it again from the store, but if I'd known in the first place that it had Steam DRM in it (a lot of software-not-games on Steam doesn't require the client to be running), I would've paid whatever to get the standalone software.

having the Steam version allows you to buy DLCs on Steam. This can be a big deal for some people, as they go on sale on Steam way more often than they do on the Degica shop, and the sales are usually much better there as well.

Last I checked, buying RPG Maker from Degica also gave you a Steam key. So you can have it on your account and benefit from those sales regardless of how you purchase it.

 

[Aesica]

It's almost guaranteed to be a legal problem, not a technical one.
Because they had such a shop a few years ago, and if you purchased something while that was active you can login there even today to check your old purchases.

And they intentionally disabled that, which must have a reason. and my guess is that the reason is somewhere in either japanese or americal law as those two would apply to Degica's shop.

If that's the case, it'd be incredibly bizarre since steam and other such services, which do link purchase information to accounts, still both operate that way just fine in both the US and the EU--the latter being the one with stricter internet privacy laws. (I'm unsure about Japan, however)

 

[GusF]

My problem is more that my laptop isn't connected to the net so, I CAN'T use steam for that system. My main system IS connected and for the trial I downloaded it onto an external drive and used that.
Gus

 

[Andar]

isn't connected to the net

two corrections here:
1) for the activation of the standalone, you will need an internet connection once. That can't be avoided.
But since it is a laptop the best solution would be to take the laptop and go to a public WLAN spot or an internet cafe or something like that to have that connection for five minutes.

2) Steam does not need to be connected to the internet for the RPG-Maker to work.
But again, you need temporary connection to download and install through steam before you can put steam in offline mode.