Using the RTP Maps to kick start your project off the ground?

[Nekohime1989]

The RTP contains numerous maps (some even with visual events such as waterfalls and flames) which I've always passed by. A few days ago I decided to give them a look through and found they were quite nice and thought I would ask what other people thought about using them to kickstart the first area or so of the project off the ground.

And to use them later on as examples for map improvement. (I'm bad at making mountains for example...)

 

[Animebryan]

While the default maps certainly look nice, beware of the stigma some people have against basic RTP & possibly default maps as well. Since RPG Maker is so user friendly, RPG Maker games tend to be a dime-a-dozen, especially with the fiasco with people lazily making small games with little effort & having the nerve to post them on steam & actually charging people for them, thinking they could make a quick buck.

So because of that, a lot of people have trouble taking RPG Maker & games made with it seriously, unless a lot of custom resources like graphics, music, menus & even battle & skill systems are made to set your game apart from the others. It's made RTP vanilla games underappreciated which can be discouraging to newcomers. I'm not saying you shouldn't pursue the idea just that some people get put off by anything 'generic'.

 

[Nekohime1989]

At the same time you shouldn't make games for other people. You should make games for fun. As long as your enjoying yourself while doing it and not breaking any rules or laws by doing it's okay. Because that's what really matters in my honest opinion.

 

[Kes]

What you could do is use the sample map as a placeholder, and then when you have time go back and edit them to make them more distinctively your own. You can learn a lot about mapping by doing that, as you have a decent base to begin with, and you can see the effect of changing something quickly and easily. Or simply change the tileset for that map e.g. the mining town, by changing the ground tiles and house wall & roof tiles you could create something with a very different feel.

Once you've done that a couple of times, I would recommend using that experience and making your own versions, as people don't especially want to walk around the same map they've walked around in other games.

 

[TheoAllen]

At the same time you shouldn't make games for other people. You should make games for fun. As long as your enjoying yourself while doing it and not breaking any rules or laws by doing it's okay. Because that's what really matters in my honest opinion.

Then you're basically answered your own question. If you're fine with only RTP and its sample maps, then it's fine. Things changed when you want to please some people in which some of them don't appreciate the default graphics regardless of whatever you do in your project.

Although my cent is if you can give your own touch, give it. If you can (and have a chance) to customize everything, give it.

 

[Onism]

I generally use default maps as a starting base, especially since I'm new to MV and mapping. If I want a forest town, i'll use a default map that matches the theme, and then decorate it myself, move buildings around, add my own buildings etc-

But there's a lot of stigma regarding RPG Maker and how easy it is- using default anything tends to rub people the wrong way. Usually it's a sign of that maybe more effort could have been put in to the game's creation. There's also the fact that because the resources are available to everyone, everyone can then use them. You want your game to stand out in comparison to others, making your own maps help this greatly.

If you're talking about using them at the start just to help start the game, sure! If you want to work on eventing and creating the plot of the game, default maps work well to help you picture how the final product, with your own maps, could look.

 

[BlueVikingr]

I used some of the default maps in my tutorial area, but I also add, move, and alter things to make them fit better with my story. Not exclusively, though; there weren't enough indoor maps to make the whole town, so I had to create some. Then when you get out of the tutorial area, there are no more default maps. *shrugs* I don't think it matters, as long as you modify them a bit to fit your story.

 

[JessieK]

Using them as a base for your project for prototyping doesn't seem like an issue to me. But it would be good to slowly remove them from any end project. Mainly because mapping is a big part of most RPG games so it'd be a good skill to learn.