Suggestions for the next RPG Maker

[Tigersong]

Can't stress this enough- I want more animal resources. Next time, I'd like to see a sprite/face generator capable of creating four-legged characters.

Sorry. Let me just add something else to my requests. I'd love it if there were a way of locking certain database tabs. For instance, if I want to make a nonviolent game (I do), then it would be easy enough to lock the weapon, armor, enemies and troops tabs.

 

[amerk]

I want to re-emphasize the need for having single enemy battler event commands similar to how we have troop commands. This way we can have specific battlers do special things (like transforming into another enemy, creating random variables, triggering switches, etc) without having to program them into each troop they are with. Troop events would still be optional, and troop events could override enemy events to avoid problems.

 

[starcrescendo]

Aww man, I just HAD to find this suggestion thread randomly in search, didn't I? Now I'm all excited and I have to go mock something up...

I will leave the feature enhancements to everyone else but I have a suggestion itself that could improve the UI/Workflow of the program. Sorry, my brain works a little different. The Interface looks nice but could be redone in Window Panels/Tabs Layout. Sorry if thats not the proper term, that's all I remember from my old Windows application programming days... *Runs to Photoshop* I'll update this post when I'm done.

EDIT: Well, very crappy quick job, but take a look! I want RPGM Next to work like this! Layout panels like how Photoshop works: If anyone really cares I could do a better mockup if this doesn't get across my point, lol!

 

[Tai_MT]

To be honest, I'm not a fan of that kind of layout.  Too much unnecessary scrolling and clutter on the screen.  It works fine as it is right now.  Especially since while the "event" option window thing is open you can't select anything else anyway.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

and confusing too since the event making buttons are scattered all over the place... you have the commands on the right then the page buttons are on the upper left of the screen, above the map...


plus I think that means that when we select an event, it automatically shows those command set-up thingies? I'm not a fan of it really... I want the current set-up where you only see what you need as it keeps your focus on what you're working on... +that will also require additional processing power since it will update everytime I click something, which is quite unnecessary IMO... also, I think that having those windows/tabs open always will increase the probability of unwanted changes...

 

[Andar]

EDIT: Well, very crappy quick job, but take a look! I want RPGM Next to work like this! Layout panels like how Photoshop works: If anyone really cares I could do a better mockup if this doesn't get across my point, lol!

The main problem with this starts with the bughunting...
If you have every option of the event in a single window, you can make a screenshot and post it for help.


Distributing those options into several windows will make it a lot easier to miss a wrong setting or to create a screenshot showing everything.


And that is especially true in the condition area, where you need to see which conditions are set on the current page to know when that page will be executed - you probably made that mockup without experience in eventing, because the conditions are page-based and change when selecting a different page. In your mockup this doesn't look like it's the same, because you placed the conditions into a different window that has not page-tab like your content window...

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

he added page addition/remove controls, but I don't see any button for switching pages...

 

[Andar]

he added page addition/remove controls, but I don't see any button for switching pages...

The small black line between conditions and contents...

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

oh, I missed that... but still the set-up looks harder to use...

 

[Tsukihime]

And that is especially true in the condition area, where you need to see which conditions are set on the current page to know when that page will be executed - you probably made that mockup without experience in eventing, because the conditions are page-based and change when selecting a different page. In your mockup this doesn't look like it's the same, because you placed the conditions into a different window that has not page-tab like your content window...

The proposed design does not seem to consider event command branching/indentation. The current event editor gets pretty hard to read when you're in 6-7 indentation levels, but the proposed design would be hard to read without even indenting since it just squishes everything into a small vertical rectangle.

 

[starcrescendo]

Ha! I'm glad my crappy mockup sparked some discussion at least! Yeah I didn't think it out too much I would give it more thought but I think usability could be improved.

There's a huge useability issue when I need to use Set Move Route controls and I can't see the map below because of the various windows over it and since each window is modal, I can't move the windows out of the way. I have to usually close the Move Route control, move the window under to half off the screen, and then open the move route control again.

It's very frustrating. Maybe this could just be fixed by not making the windows "modal" so that you could still select windows under the current one and drag them around.

I really wish sometimes that I could push the "tileset" window over too to gather more screenspace. Maybe so there was only 3 tiles on a row just so I had more editing room.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

If they really made it in .NET, I do know that making resizable windows is far harder than making them scrollable... though making them draggable isn't... XD


Though I think the reason why they made the command events as a dialog of the main event window is so to avoid the possibility of a user manipulating the same event more than once at the same time... there are other workarounds but I think that is the easiest to implement...


you could always make the tiles smaller using the zoom out options if you need screenspace... XD...

 

[Tai_MT]

A feature I'd love to have:

"Export Map".  Seriously, it would make taking screenshots a million times easier and you wouldn't have to load the game up to get them.  Click the "Export Map" button, choose the dimensions, click the button to show events (like NPC sprites), choose the filename, done.

Seriously, I think it'd be awesome.

 

[Seacliff]

When you 'right click copy' a certain point of a map, you should be able to paste it in another project, is that too much to ask for?

 

[Andar]

When you 'right click copy' a certain point of a map, you should be able to paste it in another project, is that too much to ask for?

In a way, yes - because any part of the map tiles depends on the tileset, and it would only result in identical data if the tileset of the map in the other project is the same.
And changing the tileset structure in a way that would allow this would have other disadvantages.

 

[Little Paw]

You know what I'd like? To be able to use as many tilesets per map as we want. It's annoying how sometimes there's something I want to add into a map, but I have all the tilesets filled up and it's not on that map. Sure, I could use an event to make it appear, but it would be better if we could just add as many pages as we want. Failing that, simply add more pages. Maybe 3 more?

 

[Tai_MT]

I've actually solved some of that problem for myself by mixing themes together.  I needed to use the purple crystal looking stone in the dungeon sets in an outside setting, so blammo, combined 'em.  In another, I needed to use some outdoor things inside of a house (indoor garden), so I combined those sets together.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

I never needed to use the full 5 tilesheets really... Normally there are sheets where I only need half of the tiles... sometimes, only 1 tile... which is where Frankentiling (is that correct?) comes in... XD... and I'm still normally left with a blank E slot after that...


though that of course leads to some additional file size... so I simply just made a custom placement script so that I can put anything from any picture into my map at any place that I want to... though I guess it will lag on slower computers due to the amount of images updated when needed...


then of course, additional slots are welcome... XD... or maybe have another field labelled as "common tilesets" where you can put tilesets that will be available for all maps... the only downside is that the tile settings will be common to all maps using that too, which I don't think is a huge problem really...

 

[Tai_MT]

Maybe instead of extra sets to add to the tileset, we could have a tab in there for "message boxes/text"?  Might let you turn a map into it's own separate menu system if you want.  Or, lots of separate menus?  Maybe even be able to create an interesting "tutorial" area if you have the message boxes as part of the scenery?

I dunno, I just like the idea of being able to do that with minimal fuss, ha ha.

 

[ShinGamix]

Spellcheck would be great for the message system...one day.