Suggestions for the next RPG Maker

[tpasmall]

The ability to organize resources better in directory form, or the ability to put folders in the graphics folders. So like with character sets you could have a folder called 'animals' where all your animal sprites go. Or 'doors' for all your door sprites. It would make eventing about 1000 times faster, especially in games that use a lot of graphics.

 

[Mouser]

Flesh out the character generator - more eyes and mouths specifically so we can create an 'emotion' set for sprites.

Also:

Allow an event to access the event that triggered it: Example - a bunch of 'events' walking around in the room. It would be nice to put a 'leash' on a square by the door so that whichever event touched it, I could force move back a square or two.

Allow a conditional branch to access an actor's level directly. I know this can be done via variables, but it would be a lot easier to have it as one of the 'default' choices.

 

[Tsukihime]

Allow an event to access the event that triggered it

In that case we should probably start with allowing an event to actually trigger an event.

 

[amerk]

Here's one. Have the text preview window recognize the font being used so we can identify when the text will be cut off if we are using a customized font. Of course, a simpler solution would just be to include a wrap text of sorts.

 

[Indinera]

Flesh out the character generator - more eyes and mouths specifically so we can create an 'emotion' set for sprites

Hmmm also add a kid and old person's generator.

 

[Lunarea]

Here's one I thought of, while messing around with tilesets last night ... I'd love to be able to copy/paste passabilities of just one tileset (say, Tile C) in Ace instead of either having to copy/paste an entire set of tiles or set up that same Tile C 20 times.

 

[Rafael_Sol_Maker]

Here's one I thought of, while messing around with tilesets last night ... I'd love to be able to copy/paste passabilities of just one tileset (say, Tile C) in Ace instead of either having to copy/paste an entire set of tiles or set up that same Tile C 20 times.

A better tileset editor would be welcome. Separated from the database, and with more features, if possible. It would be good to select more than a tile and apply settings in all selected with a single click.Well, my suggestions are simple:

- Hardware Acceleration and a decent graphics API (DX, OGL, whatever);

- Customizable graphics resolution up to HD/Full HD, or ilimited;

- Default graphics made for the resolution of 800x600 (640x480 would be a minimal, the 544x416 of VX/Ace stinks!);

- Additional exporter for XBOX (HD res. and above) or iOS/Android/WinRT (for lesser resolutions).

With this I believe RPG Maker will be more popular as a indie games engine, and not a children toy it's actually. RPG Maker is pretty well done, but it is (purposely) too limited! We are almost on 8th generation of gaming consoles and RPG Maker stuck on Win95 and 14' CRT display.

 

[Indinera]

To make RM look more professional and less of a "toy" (even if I don't agree with this term), here is a setlist of features that are a must-have, a sort of compilation based on 4 years of experience in the commercial field.

Mouse Control:

A natively fully functioning one would be awesome. It's a must-have since a lot of players request mouse control.

It should have a great (dare I say "perfect"?) path-finding system, too.

Exportability:

A RM fully exportable to other platforms, including but not limited to Mac, Xbox, Linux, Android, Iphone.

A huge lot of players are hungry for RPGs on these.

No Lag:

No more anti-lag system to add please. Keep in mind sometimes there ARE tons of events and/or large maps in a game.

Options Menu:

No more "F1" which is something that doesn't blend with the rest of the game and is not customer-friendly at all.

But instead a full, accessible options menu from the main menu and title screen, containing at least the following:

• full screen on/off (with choice saved for later uses, by default: on)
  
• mouse control on/off (idem)
  
• musics and sounds on/off
  
• view animations on/off
  

 

[Tsukihime]

Ace has built-in "anti-lag" (events aren't processed if they're not on the screen), but many people don't like it.

Unless you are referring to more than just unnecessary processing...

 

[Travatar]

A better tileset editor would be welcome. Separated from the database, and with more features, if possible. It would be good to select more than a tile and apply settings in all selected with a single click.

Well, my suggestions are simple:

- Hardware Acceleration and a decent graphics API (DX, OGL, whatever);

- Customizable graphics resolution up to HD/Full HD, or ilimited;

- Default graphics made for the resolution of 800x600 (640x480 would be a minimal, the 544x416 of VX/Ace stinks!);

- Additional exporter for XBOX (HD res. and above) or iOS/Android/WinRT (for lesser resolutions).

With this I believe RPG Maker will be more popular as a indie games engine, and not a children toy it's actually. RPG Maker is pretty well done, but it is (purposely) too limited! We are almost on 8th generation of gaming consoles and RPG Maker stuck on Win95 and 14' CRT display.

I would also like the choice of making truly LOW-res games. Yes, you can make a 640x480 game in 256 colors look like it's running at full-screen 320x240, but you end up having to use images that are twice as large as necessary to do it. I'm not talking about scaling tile sizes in the editor to fit it or anything crazy like that. I'm just talking about the option to run at RM2k/2k3 type resolutions.

The only problems I can forsee are the menus and battle screen. But, if font, window and faceset sizes can be set for the chosen resolution (rather than just being one size) It could totally work. This would also benefit higher-res games too.

 

[Dickjutsu]

Here's a handful of things I'd like to see...

I seem to remember in RM 2000 the ability to make a text event and mirror the picture, and even be able to put it on the right side of the text box, I think (been a while since I used 2k). I'd like to see that back. That way you could create a better look of dialogue between two or more characters by having their portraits on opposing sides of the text boxes.

The ability to place portraits on the top of the text box, instead of on the sides. That way you could still use a portrait, but have the same amount of text space available as if you weren't using a portrait. Like this...

Other than that a word wrap would be delightful.

Too bovious that I create very dialogue-driven projects? :lol:

 

[amerk]

Sometimes you want an event to change or an audio to change once it gets to the end of a current music track. Right now, you have to judge how long the audio track is and try to enter a wait command that will correspond. If this could be more automated, it'd be great. There are a few situations where I see this can help somebody:

1. If you want the audio in battle to change once one track ends.

2. Ending credits

3. A cutscene that plays a song

4. For scripts that include title screen events, you could have it so that once the title screen music ends a secret prologue will play before going back to the title screen.

Speaking of title screens, the ability to create events with the title page without resorting to a script would be nice. Also, a set of stock title resources (cursors, word art for New Game, Load, and Quit), would be a nice touch.

Edit:

This may be possible with Ace, but I haven't used it much yet. Anyways, working with VX, it dawned on me how limited status effects alterations were when dealing with equipment, items, and skills.

Weapons allow you to add a state when you attack, but it doesn't allow you to resist or change states.

Armor allows you to resist, but not add or change.

Items and Skills lets you change states, but not add or resist.

It'd be nice if you had more flexibility in adding, resisting, and changing regardless if it's a Weapon, Armor, Item, or Skill.

Again, with formulas this may be more practical with Ace, but since I've been using VX for awhile, I figured it's worth a mention just in case.

 

[ShinGamix]

• A tileset Importer/Converter which would allow you to use XP, VX, or Ace tiles on the new Maker.
  
• The Next RPG Maker needs to be RPG Maker Online or RPG Maker MMO.
  
• Also make the dam pitch and tempo slider separate in the sound!! This is one of my most missed features!
  

Who is keeping track of all these suggestions btw?

 

[Fomar0153]

• A tileset Importer/Converter which would allow you to use XP, VX, or Ace tiles on the new Maker.
  
• The Next RPG Maker needs to be RPG Maker Online or RPG Maker MMO.
  
• Also make the dam pitch and tempo slider separate in the sound!! This is one of my most missed features!
  

Who is keeping track of all these suggestions btw?

You can always manually convert the tilesets, it's not hard.

Please no RPG Maker MMOs. RPG Maker isn't designed to make MMOs if you want to make MMOs there are other engines.

Also no one is keeping track of the suggestions, this is in no way an official list. It's just a bit of fun.

 

[Reynard Frost]

• The Next RPG Maker needs to be RPG Maker Online or RPG Maker MMO.
  

No. It doesn't. MMOs are terrible and require far more resources than RPG Maker can realistically provide without having an insane price. If you want to make MMOs "easily" then pick up the Hero Engine. Too hard? That's MMOs.

 

[amerk]

Less than a month, so just under a necro, but possibly one that we can all hope for, since it comes up quite often:

I'd like a way to loop music right within the program. It wouldn't change the actual file itself, just set up some jumping points for how the music would play. It could be designed so that we could tell the system where to begin a song and where to end it (if there is long pauses at the end we could have it stop right before), and where to loop.

I don't know if that's a possibility, though. Maybe it's something that could be done with ogg files but not others? I just think it would save a lot of time trying to do this outside of the program.

After all, the more you could do with RM without resorting to a 3rd party program, the more versatile RM begins.

 

[Lars Ulrika]

What I was going to request about character generator has already been said, though , there is something that would be really enjoyable : fitting faceset for EVERY character set.

And battlers for every actor. That would help a lot users who are not confirmed graphists.

 

[xzi]

An option to launch in full screen or higher resolutions without it looking like ass would be great.

 

[shinobi234]

No 3D. Keep RPG Maker 2D. If you want to make 3D games, just use Unity and learn some C# or Javascript. (3D opens a whole can of worms and there are currently very competent makers that allow this). For the next RPG Maker, keep with the 2D theme. Currently the RPG Maker series with basic settings can re-create Final Fantasy NES-SNES era style games and Dragon Quest.

As for future features, I'd suggest:

1) An easier method of creating menus, or some tutorials available that help us create custom menu options (How to display information, how to create a new window, how to link it to the list of menus in the main menu, etc).

2) XP style sprites/titles (I miss me some tall detailed characters, the chibi is nice, but I miss the tall ones).

3) Built in animated battlers (for the front view system).

4) Built in customization of the title menu. (Options, Credits, Bonus Menus, etc.)

Essentially, look to the most popular scripts and include them in the next maker so they're built in.

No 3D. Keep RPG Maker 2D. If you want to make 3D games, just use Unity and learn some C# or Javascript. (3D opens a whole can of worms and there are currently very competent makers that allow this). For the next RPG Maker, keep with the 2D theme. Currently the RPG Maker series with basic settings can re-create Final Fantasy NES-SNES era style games and Dragon Quest.

As for future features, I'd suggest:

1) An easier method of creating menus, or some tutorials available that help us create custom menu options (How to display information, how to create a new window, how to link it to the list of menus in the main menu, etc).

2) XP style sprites/titles (I miss me some tall detailed characters, the chibi is nice, but I miss the tall ones).

3) Built in animated battlers (for the front view system).

4) Built in customization of the title menu. (Options, Credits, Bonus Menus, etc.)

Essentially, look to the most popular scripts and include them in the next maker so they're built in.

I agree with this guy not every one has super computer for 3D games keep it simple you get more sales that way.....If they want 3D they can learn mod the software make there ownXD.. I love the side scrolling final fantasy style Spirites

 

[gRaViJa]

With one simple twist, you can make the next rpg maker a huge succes: porting support for smartphones and tablets. Everyone is gaming on their mobile devices and rpg's are perfect for just that imo. Build new features like touchscreen support and an inbuilt porting system for Android, Windows mobile and if possible iOS and I would be all over that new program!

And some earlier mentioned features like plugins, fullscreen support, mouse control, multiple battle systems, multiple menu systems, porting to Xbox360 etc. Are good suggestions too.