So many Plugins, where to start?

[ItsArchieTime]

Hello all, not quite sure if this fits here, but I wanted to get some input from seasoned people here. Just Yanfly alone has like 140+ plugins.

1. Where do I begin? I've watched about 40 Youtube videos on How to Learn RPG Maker but none of them covered plugins.
2. If I turn a plugin on mid-project, will it cause issues?
3. Are there plugins that affect Overworld/Overmap creation?

I basically want to start a project that will help me get familiar with things, but I want to make sure I have the "Must Have" plugins included so that I'm optimizing my time. Any thoughts on this?

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to being a part of the RPG Maker community!

 

[Kes]

I think this is best in the Support forum for the engine you are using. Therefore...

[move]RPGMaker MV[/move]

 

[sabao]

1. Plugins behave differently. Usually they come with instructions on how to use though so just make sure you go through those before using them.
2. Depends on the plugin in question! Most of the time though, it's usually other plugins that cause issues when you have several plugins running at once.
3. With the way you put maps together? Nothing that should interfere with the tiles, I reckon.

 

[Sarlecc]

1) Every plugin has its own instructions on how to setup; but generally you put the JS file into the plugin folder and then turn it on in the plugin manager in RPGmaker.
2) This one depends on what you mean. If you are talking about half way through the development process you may run into plugin conflicts or may have to reset up various parts of your game. Generally you do not turn plugins on/off well a game is being played.
3) There probably is though I am not familiar with them.

I think you need to first think what your game needs then start searching for plugins based on those needs. With every game being different there can not really be a set list of must need plugins/features.

 

[ItsArchieTime]

1. Plugins behave differently. Usually they come with instructions on how to use though so just make sure you go through those before using them.
2. Depends on the plugin in question! Most of the time though, it's usually other plugins that cause issues when you have several plugins running at once.
3. With the way you put maps together? Nothing that should interfere with the tiles, I reckon.

1. Yes, but there are so many of them to go through! Also, being somewhat new with RPG Maker, most of what they are explaining in how to use them is still foreign to me.
2. Makes sense.
3. Excellent, thank you.

 

[ItsArchieTime]

Looks like my 1-3 got some good answers so far, but no one has mentioned what they consider "must have" plugins!

 

[Henryetha]

1. I'd say, a good way to start with plugins is yanfly engine. As you yourself mentioned above already, is the high plugin count yanfly has already. And using them together, most probably won't cause incompatibility issues. Also there are videos provided for each plugin to provide tutorials and they are generally easy to use.

This video will help you in the installing progress:
http://yanfly.moe/2015/10/09/rpg-maker-mv-installing-plugins/

And here is a complete list of their plugins, each one with video.
A good way to start is the Core Engine, as it's needed for pretty much everything else.
http://yanfly.moe/yep/


2. Depend on the plugin. Some can require some work (adding notetags afterwards etc)

3. If you mean, for map creation.. then I'd say, yanfly's gridfree doodads is the one to go for. Not sure tho, if it'll be easy to use for people new to rpgm.

Other plugins to look for could be layer overlays, which let you add fogs, clouds, sunlight, etc


Further I recommend you the tutorial series of Driftwood Gaming, it's very very informative.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGxLMLE3NfnJ2wm59fAYdxfRptRuKfvRA

 

[UgyBoogie]

If you are starting out I'd advice you to make a project without plugins and get familiar with the maker on it's own. Not all plugins simply add new stuff, many plugins change or build on core mechanics. So I'd just start using plugins when you feel you got the hang of the basics. You can do an insane amount with the maker alone.
If you feel ready and want to start using plugins, your first address should be Yanfly. Go to their YouTube channel and to their Plugin Playlist. The first videos pretty much tell you how to install and use plugins. When I started out with MV I spend the first 5(!) days doing nothing else than watching through Yanflys WHOLE plugin playlist. That sure was tedious at some point, and it's probably not the best advice for everyone, but I got a real fundamental knowledge on plugins.

 

[Shaz]

My suggestion is to start with none. Develop what you can, and when you need to do something that you can't figure out,

1. ask on the forum if there's a way to do it without plugins
2. if there isn't, find a plugin that does just what you need it to, without dozens of bells and whistles that you don't need

Don't add plugins to your game for the sake of adding plugins. If it doesn't add to the experience, you don't need it.

And yes, adding plugins mid-game can, and usually does, cause problems. I won't say you SHOULD start a new game after adding a plugin, but be aware of the issue, and if something goes wrong, look at that as a first possibility - start over then and see if the same thing happens when you get to that point.

 

[Andar]

Looks like my 1-3 got some good answers so far, but no one has mentioned what they consider "must have" plugins!

That is because there are no "must have" plugins - you should consider all plugins to be add-ons, and which to use depends on what you need.
So follow Shaz advice and start completely without plugins - if there is something that needs plugins you'll learn it along the way.

 

[somenick]

@ItsArchieTime Normally you would get plugins on a "as needed" basis. You start making your project without plugins, and only when you want some special feature is when you search around for a plugin. For example, RPGMaker does not allow you to change equipped weapons during a battle by default. I wanted this feature, so I ended up searching for a plugin and installed it. Ended up using Yanfly's. Only get plugins that offer functions that you want in your game that is not already covered by RPGMaker by default.

 

[sabao]

Looks like my 1-3 got some good answers so far, but no one has mentioned what they consider "must have" plugins!

This depends entirely on what you want your game to be. Do you plan to put on a crafting system? Do you want greater detail in the character portraits during conversations? What I usually do is plan out mechanics for my game first then look up plugins to see if one exists for the mechanic I have in mind.

 

[Kyo Panda]

1. There is some hidden knowledge right there: most Learn RPG Maker don't cover plugins because there aren't much to be said about them. Grab de JS, put them in the js/plugins folder and follow the author's instructions. Plugins aren't essential and you shouldn't plan your game thinking about which plugins you'll add to it. You should be thinking in what kind of experience the player should have and how best you can tailor your game to shape this experience. This thought will determine the must have plugins.
   
   
2. Probably not. It's rare (almost non-existent) a plugin that needs to be installed at the beginning of the development. If some error occurs while installing a script, uninstall it. The plugin is just a JS file.
   
   
3. This is the kind of question that will lead you to your must have plugins or event systems. This question shows that you probably have some design about how the game experience in the overworld should be. This question shows even that you want an overworld map in your game. One that it'll fit your design.
   
   And yes, there are. The overworld map is just a map and map modifying plugins should work just fine in it. But if you want a specific experience (like the Mario's/Breath of Fire's map selection, or FF Mode 7 type), we would have to know it in further details.

 

[bgillisp]

My suggestion is to start and see what you can make without plug-ins first. Then, when you think you're ready to add plug-ins, only add in plug-ins from the same author to start out (so either do all Yanfly, or all Victor Saint, or all Moghunter). This is so you avoid compatibility issues with other plug-ins by other authors.

Once you get that set up, then add other plug-ins if needed. I actually did this very thing with my game, and, if I can't do it in my game without the plug-ins from the author I'm using, I just do without or write the code for it myself. Has prevented many issues that way.

As for save games, many plug-ins break existing save games (in fact, loading a save game after adding a plug-in often leads to the famous Nil:Noclass error). Best to start playing your game from the beginning once you add plug-ins.

 

[Frogboy]

Everyone else has the correct answer but if you want to go the other route, choose a core library (Yanfly, Victor etc) and add the Core Engine and Battle Core. Expand from there when you come across additional features that you want that are in other plug-ins from the same developer. You can also try out additional plug-ins from other stand alone sources with the expectation that they could cause conflicts and need to be removed.

 

[ItsArchieTime]

1. I'd say, a good way to start with plugins is yanfly engine. As you yourself mentioned above already, is the high plugin count yanfly has already. And using them together, most probably won't cause incompatibility issues. Also there are videos provided for each plugin to provide tutorials and they are generally easy to use.

This video will help you in the installing progress:
http://yanfly.moe/2015/10/09/rpg-maker-mv-installing-plugins/

And here is a complete list of their plugins, each one with video.
A good way to start is the Core Engine, as it's needed for pretty much everything else.
http://yanfly.moe/yep/


2. Depend on the plugin. Some can require some work (adding notetags afterwards etc)

3. If you mean, for map creation.. then I'd say, yanfly's gridfree doodads is the one to go for. Not sure tho, if it'll be easy to use for people new to rpgm.

Other plugins to look for could be layer overlays, which let you add fogs, clouds, sunlight, etc


Further I recommend you the tutorial series of Driftwood Gaming, it's very very informative.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGxLMLE3NfnJ2wm59fAYdxfRptRuKfvRA

Thank you @Henryetha, that is why I've started. It just looked intimating seeing all those plugins. Thankfully, I had no issues installing any of them. I think they really go above and beyond with their materials, providing the videos and all.

I have limited experience with GameMaker and had issues with changing things mid-game and didn't want to make the same mistake with RPGMaker.

I have the Diftwood complete playlist of tutorials in my queue to watch. I finished a bunch of Echo and Some Random Dude's, which was about 8 or so hours of mostly watching , not doing. So I'm getting a bit anxious and want to get started .

Thank you for your answers!

 

[ItsArchieTime]

If you are starting out I'd advice you to make a project without plugins and get familiar with the maker on it's own. Not all plugins simply add new stuff, many plugins change or build on core mechanics. So I'd just start using plugins when you feel you got the hang of the basics. You can do an insane amount with the maker alone.
If you feel ready and want to start using plugins, your first address should be Yanfly. Go to their YouTube channel and to their Plugin Playlist. The first videos pretty much tell you how to install and use plugins. When I started out with MV I spend the first 5(!) days doing nothing else than watching through Yanflys WHOLE plugin playlist. That sure was tedious at some point, and it's probably not the best advice for everyone, but I got a real fundamental knowledge on plugins.

@UgyBoogie I completely understand and I did something similar with EchoTuts and SRDude tutorials, so many videos (which is a good complaint to have lol). It was tedious and I'm itching to get started, but had some questions on what is possible and not possible without plugins and didn't want to flood the forum with unnecessary questions or spend another 20 hours on videos before I could get going.

Thank you for your answers!

 

[ItsArchieTime]

My suggestion is to start with none. Develop what you can, and when you need to do something that you can't figure out,

1. ask on the forum if there's a way to do it without plugins
2. if there isn't, find a plugin that does just what you need it to, without dozens of bells and whistles that you don't need

Don't add plugins to your game for the sake of adding plugins. If it doesn't add to the experience, you don't need it.

And yes, adding plugins mid-game can, and usually does, cause problems. I won't say you SHOULD start a new game after adding a plugin, but be aware of the issue, and if something goes wrong, look at that as a first possibility - start over then and see if the same thing happens when you get to that point.

@Shaz you have a very good point, if I'm not asking, "it this possible" and looking it up, then i don't have the complete vision of my game in mind yet. Definitely need to do more thinking before I proceed. I will most likely be adding plugins only at the beginning and if later only if absolutely necessary!

Thank you for your answers!

 

[ItsArchieTime]

That is because there are no "must have" plugins - you should consider all plugins to be add-ons, and which to use depends on what you need.
So follow Shaz advice and start completely without plugins - if there is something that needs plugins you'll learn it along the way.

@Andar That does make sense, when just learning the software itself, I don't need all the bells and whistles...

Thank you for your answers!

 

[ItsArchieTime]

@ItsArchieTime Normally you would get plugins on a "as needed" basis. You start making your project without plugins, and only when you want some special feature is when you search around for a plugin. For example, RPGMaker does not allow you to change equipped weapons during a battle by default. I wanted this feature, so I ended up searching for a plugin and installed it. Ended up using Yanfly's. Only get plugins that offer functions that you want in your game that is not already covered by RPGMaker by default.

@somenick I did see that Yanfly offered some amazing plugins. I'm thinking I need to cement what I want my battle system to be before doing anything else.

Thank you for your answers!