Suggestions for the next RPG Maker

[djDarkX]

The biggest problem with using other formats for video is licensing.  I believe that was answered somewhere, but I can't remember.

Also, Archeia, somewhere, mentioned OpenGL.  I support this.  3D effects on 2D tiles/pictures and without all the lag associated with it (think real-time shader effects or even particle effects on maps/battle screens used as battle animations [ex. Golden Sun]), faster image processing and various other improvements that would come from it.  Now, before someone else chimes with "Well, what about DirectX?"

Licensing.  It all comes back to licensing.  OpenGL is a lot more cost-effective and can allow for better portability of graphics, meaning a chance at cross-platform runtimes (and I don't mean the Maker itself, although that wouldn't hurt).

 

[Zalerinian]

I believe RPG Maker is already based on DirectX, as it requires it for Audio in games, though I'm not entirely sure what their deals with Microsoft and whomever else are.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

The biggest problem with using other formats for video is licensing.  I believe that was answered somewhere, but I can't remember.

And surprisingly, you can convert to .ogv using VLC which is free so it's quite just a matter of a not so troublesome 1 more step... (and after all, after rendering you might still compress your vid, so it becomes no additional step actually...)

 

[SoulPour777]

If this soon to be RPG Maker 3D would really be made by Enterbrain, as a 3D Modeler myself, if they support models I made from Blender, 3DS Max or Maya, that would be great.

 

[djDarkX]

I believe RPG Maker is already based on DirectX, as it requires it for Audio in games, though I'm not entirely sure what their deals with Microsoft and whomever else are.

Well, audio can be done through SDL easily enough, if they so wanted.  OpenGL would be for the video functions (bitmap/sprites/video playback) and the licensing for it would be FAR cheaper.

 

[Zeriab]

Where did you hear about DirectX having licensing fees attached to it ?_?

Have they changed it from being free to distribute and the SDK free to download? (Isn't that also the case with OpenGL?)

RPG Maker is heavily entrenched in Win32API. They use DirectAudio and DirectInput (Adding XInput support would imo be a good idea). Maybe Direct2D/Direct3D would be easier to implement, maybe far easier than OpenGL, maybe it will be hard. I don't the code and I don't know either framework well enough.

Talking about cost-efficiency based on such a thin foundation is something I would advise against.

I do agree that getting bunch of the image processing down on the gpu will be huge :3 (Be it OpenGL, DirectX or both)

*hugs*

 

[AkiraKotatsuhime]

[...] .xyz image format used a 256-color palette I believe [...]

Yes it did.

Speaking of image formats, some GIF support for the animation editor would be nice.


By GIF support, I don't mean playing GIF files. Instead, I mean when you import a GIF, it automatically creates the appropriate sprite-sheet.

Good idea, but there comes the conflict that GIF is using palettes, I would use that only
for monochrome graphics, so what we could really need is a comeback of manipulating the


RGB and color strength of every pattern you put into an animation in the database.

[...]


Besides movies, of course. We need MP4.

The container format of a video file is not really important, it depends always on what you put into it.
Besides that: OGV Theora, just like OGG, is still a very underrated format.

I believe RPG Maker is already based on DirectX, as it requires it for Audio in games [...]

RPG2000 was (partially) based on DirectDraw, RPGXP and newer just use GDI (as far as i know)
for graphical stuff, which was not very clever as of 2004 when most people didn't have a


computer with enough processing speed to handle an engine (with enough frames per second)


that is programmed in a slow language like Ruby 1.8.

 

[- Aërendyll -]

One thing I'd like to add after reading up some newer replies: don't ask for loads of RTP resources.

RPG Maker Web has already released several resourcespacks and there are a lot of RPG Maker users that create resources, so it's useless to ask for more resources on release. Not to mention that having resources made costs money too...

HOWEVER, there are a few things concerning resources that I would love to have:

- The option to choose between 16x16 and 32x32 tiles (I have stated this in an earlier post) and game resolutions (320x240, 544x418, 640x480, for example)

- Choice between horizontally stretching in fullscreen (like RPG Maker does now) or having letterbox strips (I suggest making this an option in the F1 menu of the actual game)

- Having the option to start with a completely blank project rather than having to remove all the RTP files and text entries manually every time

EDIT: I almost forgot: I'd appreciate an RTP with pixelart tiles rather than the drawn stuff we have now! It's a lot harder to make custom tiles for the current RTP in my experience, hence why I ask.

 

[orochii]

-A tilemap with multiple sepparate layers.

-Built-in access to all keyboard, or a way to change controls by game, not by RGSS (F1). It's kind of weird changing controls for one game, then playing another and having controls that could not feel fine there.

-Built-in support for modern gamepads. There's no control over axis values aside from pressed/unpressed.

-A way to disable Alt-Enter (fullscreen), or to manage it apart. Or to detect if game is in fullscreen or not (Graphics.fullscreen?).

-Is there a possibility for games resolution to be more than 640x480 in the future?

An extra suggestion. I don't know if anyone would really like this, but here it goes! Change Ruby for Python *the next day, Muramasa was found dead under his bed*.

And no 3D. Thanks,

Orochii Zouveleki

EDIT: Also, support for restoring a song from a specific position. Saving song current position, and playing from that position.

 

[Tsukihime]

EDIT: Also, support for restoring a song from a specific position. Saving song current position, and playing from that position.

Already built-in for formats that support that kind of features.


Help file says OGG and WAV, not MP#.

 

[Andar]

EDIT: Also, support for restoring a song from a specific position. Saving song current position, and playing from that position.

Already built-in for formats that support that kind of features.


Help file says OGG and WAV, not MP#.

To be more precise, the neccessary event commands are second page right bottom group,
"Save BGM" for storing current point and "Replay BGM" for continuing it later.

 

[- Aërendyll -]

Some tileset things I'd like to have:

- The passability setting ★1 from RPG Maker XP. I know that RPG Maker VX Ace isn't built with larger sprites in mind, but even with the chibis we have now, a lot of the characters still go a few pixels over single 32x32 tiles. I don't like seeing e.g. Ralph's hair getting cut off because I set the upper half of a two tiles high shelf to ★ and the bottom part to O. (I like to do this so I can use shelves in the middle of a room too and not just against walls.)

- No more VX-style auto-layering. I hate having to redo entire maps just because I decided that the floor/wall I used wasn't entirely what I wanted after all.

- 1 floors+walls layer with 2-3 detailing layers. I do like that VX and Ace are more clear on what goes on which layer than XP was, but having to use events just to get a third mapping layer is a bit annoying.

- No fixed tileset dimensions and/or no limit on images per tileset configuration.

- 16x16 tiles support (It'd be great to be able to choose both 32x32 and 16x16 - maybe even lesser used ones like 20x20?)

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

^

1) That's because the maker offsets normal chars by 4 pixels... there's a script for that I believe...

no fixed dimension for tilesheets might be nice...

 

[Zalerinian]

there's a script for that I believe...

You can just put '!' in the filename and it will not offset your characters. That is for Ace, at least, in case someone is using something else.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

yeah... though it looks bad if you did that on characters... I already tried that...

 

[SoulPour777]

I forgot...

How about RPG Maker compiling projects without the RTP? Non RTP supported RPG Maker game. ya know, its tiring that all my or your games has that RTP to install before you can play the encrypted version.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

You can do that bro... at least I'm sure it works on Ace, haven't tried on XP...

Remove the RTP line from the text file will remove the RTP dependence of your game (it will also auto remove the RTP files from your project's resource browser too)

So once you do it and you're gonna use RTP files, you simply need to import the files by yourself... meaning you will only need to include the files that you are actually using...

And of course, during compilation make sure that you didn't check the Include RTP checkbox

PS: I only learned of this because of YANTH (by Seita)... and by looking at Lite, this is the same method used by Lite (the RTP files are already imported to the project and it is not tied to the RTP itself)

 

[SoulPour777]

You can do that bro... at least I'm sure it works on Ace, haven't tried on XP...

Remove the RTP line from the text file will remove the RTP dependence of your game (it will also auto remove the RTP files from your project's resource browser too)

So once you do it and you're gonna use RTP files, you simply need to import the files by yourself... meaning you will only need to include the files that you are actually using...

And of course, during compilation make sure that you didn't check the Include RTP checkbox

PS: I only learned of this because of YANTH (by Seita)... and by looking at Lite, this is the same method used by Lite (the RTP files are already imported to the project and it is not tied to the RTP itself)

Let me try that. Since I'm not using any RTP file after all.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Yeah, just find another comp without the RTP installed to try it... XD

btw, make sure that the maker is not open when you remove the RTP line...

 

[orochii]

For RPG Maker XP:

- Make sure you have all used files inside your game folders.

- Go to the Game menu, RTP selector. Set any one that says Standard to None (three RTP spaces FTW).

More suggestions:

- Game executable icon selection. Yeh. Never going to happen, unless the editor overwrites the player exec.

- Bone/skeletal animation. Several parts joined by a pivot point. Maybe this is more of a script idea than a feature, but still I'll leave it here...

- RMXP's transitions striking back! RMXP's transitions were nice. I KNOW RMVXA already supports using a filename as a transition parameter, but there's always this annoyance factor when some commands were implemented and had GUI setup interface before (which is always better than script configurations/code for newbs). Built-in is not bad for some things that are pretty much already implemented.

So, there it goes,

Orochii Zouveleki