I'm not going to lie, I love to try out assorted plugins. But I wouldn't really bother with unofficial base file changes. It mostly comes down to making my own plugins and not wanting to be concerned that the functions they use have been ripped out from under them, there's just no upside. Where as with a plugin I can see the code it brings to the table and make compatibility alterations.
I suspect this is going to be a very hard sell for people. Especially with the "promise" of them having to pay you money to change stuff. But who knows, maybe if you produce a good enough product people will be convinced.
I appreciate your take on it. As I'm working now, I'm finding that it's easier to keep my code organized in a plugin with the configuration. I haven't had to make any code changes yet and I'm suspecting I might not have to. But having the option is a plus. I guess it comes down to the feature request.
And yeah, there is an implicit promise that it'd have to be paid for. But it's a sliding scale. Someone like you would be able to take something I built and modify it.
Someone who doesn't have the programming chops would find it difficult if not impossible. At that point I would be able to "blunt the edges" at a premium. Or they could bring someone like you in to create a plug-in for them at your own pace. This is contingent on the fact that something doesn't already exist.
There isn't a clearly defined value-added component unless I can sell the inaccessibility of the feature as a trade-off for a more bespoke solution. But tech isn't sexy. I can't trade on frame-rate or load speeds. What i build is supposed to "just work" and with that ideology not a lot of people will want to open their wallets.
That depends on what the "user" is. Is this your "user" your client from a commission? if yes, then you should ask them directly and ask a straightforward answer. If they want your plugin to be as portable as it should be, then you do it. If they ask that it needs to be specific to their game, then you do it. If they prefer note tag, then you do it.
If the user is the wide community, like, every people around here, then you probably want to make your plugin as compatible as possible, taking a measure if the user put Yanfly's library or not. Even with that, most of the plugin dev got tired and just put a disclaimer that they don't want to bother with compatibility despite all the effort to make it compatible. Afterall, when your plugin infamously become incompatible with everything else, the user tend to stay away from yours.
If the user is yourself (or a small community). Everything else is irrelevant. You do want you to want to do. Do you want to change how eventing works? You can do it. In fact, I have changed how the game read the default database by making Weapon database as a secondary state database (which is perk system) because I don't want to dump it together into a single state database and I'm not using weapon database for a weapon (my game does not have weapon change).
My target audience is serious hobbyists. For a few reasons: they get projects done, their projects tend to be more interesting to me, and they tend to offer interesting challenges.
I appreciate coding. At this point I'm working for free. I'm less concerned about widely available plugins, and more concerned about solving interesting challenges with implications outside of RPGM.
I was reading through the whole thread with the plan of just voting for a plugin implementation (for all the reasons stated above) but ImaginaryVillain's point is maybe the best of all. Beyond any potential IP issues, I would never overwrite my core files. Partly because I've made small changes in mine that I wouldn't want to lose, but more broadly because it just doesn't feel like a good idea.
I appreciate your response. Your mentality is where I thrive.
First, modifying the JS engine isn't modifying the editor software so no IP conflict there.
The plug-in system is provided as a means of extending the core engine but does not indicate that modifying the engine is prohibited.
It might feel like a bad idea to you, but try to imagine it for a moment. Imagine having a different baked-in battle system. Imagine being able to do something in your game that no one else will have, that'll nudge you out of that cookie-cutter mold so many people complain about.
The system I'm working on now is kinda like materia but with purchasable permanence. Yan has the skill learn and job points systems, but you have to play by their rules. I was brought onto this project to simplify the process. They know what they want. And I'm willing to do it because so far it's been easy and fun.
That being said, isn't there any system or functionality you wish your games had that you can't easily obtain by Frankenstein'ing plugins?
End of the day, my mentality may be wrong. I'm of the mind that game makers want to distinguish themselves, not be handcuffed by the same set of rules as their peers. But I understand there's an appeal to doing things the way they've always been done. A sense of camaraderie?
Anyway, I appreciate the feedback. Thanks!
Edit: restriction breeds creativity. I've spent a lot of time defending myself. I may very well be wrong. So far I've not reached past the plugin file i created. Maybe that's all there is it.
