Rpg maker noob

[Okatta]

Good evening. I just purchased Rpg maker mv in hopes to make a great rpg. I have a very basic knowledge of c# but I have never worked with JavaScript. What do I need to know to be able to get my project off the ground and running? Any and all advice is appreciated.

 

[Kes]

The first thing is to get to know the capabilities of the engine itself, before you go jumping into JavaScript or anything else.  You need to know how the database and event commands work.  An invaluable place to start is with this compilation of info for new users put together by Andar.  Although done for VX Ace, nearly all of it is applicable to MV.  Spend some time with this now, and you will save a huge amount of time and frustration in the future.  Andar also has a blog for tutorials and tips.  With these two threads you will have a very solid foundation for anything you might want to do.

 

[Shaz]

My suggestion is also to experiment with what the engine does on its own and forget about scripts for a while.  Too many people are so keen to jump into scripts and don't take the time to learn the engine's capabilities - scripts become their go-to and they don't even stop to think if things can be achieved an easier way without them.


When you do decide to look at adding extra functionality (because you probably will), the number of available plugins is growing daily, so there is still a lot for you to explore without having to get your hands dirty with code yourself.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

One of the selling points of RM is that you don't need knowledge of any scripting/programming language to make a game. So my suggestion would be explore the default capabilities that the system without scripting can do and familiarize yourself with them. You can do a lot with just the default systems in place as long as you have the motivation to fiddle with the engine.


But if like me you're more of a scripting person or you come to the point where you need to use javascript, then you could start by reading the default scripts/plug-ins of MV to learn how they made everything work so that you'll get the idea and also see what default functions are available to you. You can also try to read other people's plug-ins if you learn that way.

 

[Okatta]

Thank you for the replies. This is my first time with rpg maker and making a rpg. I'm pretty excited about it and come from the old school way of doing things with code so this will be refreshing.


i also see a lot about adding engines and using the admins with those core engines. Can you use more than one engine at a time?

 

[Kes]

I'm not sure what you mean by "using the admins with those core engines."  Could you explain that?


And no, you can only use one engine (MV, VX Ace, XP etc.) for each project.

 

[Okatta]

I apologize for that. I'm typing on mobile and my phone hates me. There are Add ons like yansf for example and he calls it an engine. Adding that engine to rpg maker I can add all kinds of plugins. I see multiple add on engines and I don't know if I can use them together.

 

[Kes]

Ah, I see what you mean.  All Yanfly's engines are compatible with each other.  Some others may clash. 


Just as an aside, you might like to think about editing your profile so that MV shows up under your avatar next to the Primarily Uses: bit.  That can be helpful as the answers to queries may well differ depending on whether you are using Ace or MV, and people will be able to tell at a glance which one it is.

 

[Andar]

In that specific context, an "engine" is a set of plugins or scripts that add to the specific general maker used. Some people call such a set of plugins that can work together an engine, but usually all developers just "mix and match", using only parts of the scripts from those sets.

 

[Okatta]

Thank you both for the help. I look forward to sitting down with the program and seeing what I can do with it.