What are the #1 mistakes that RPG Maker games make?

[Quigon]

Breaking the fourth wall can be seriously cool if, rather that being in your face and stuff, it's subtle and adds more the games meaning.

Case in point; (spoiler for anyone who somehow hasn't played it yet)

Spoiler

Bioshock. It never says 'LOLS YOU ARE PLAYING A GAME' but the revelation at the end makes you question everything you've been doing as A PLAYER even more. That is effective fourth wall breaking right there. I realise now this thread is related more to RPG games but it's still useful, nonetheless. Subtlety is a great tool in every aspect of writing and design regardless.

 

[SLEEP]

Breaking the fourth wall doesn't have to be humourous or subtle.

 

[Mr. Detective]

When it comes to breaking the fourth wall, Hyperdimension Victory does the best job out of all the games I've played.

Welp. I ran out of things to say. XD

 

[Ksi]

Stanley Parabel. That is all.

 

[Julien Brightside]

A lot of interesting points are made in this thread. (Some subjects I won't touch with a ten-foot pole however.)

Oh, here's a thing that may annoy: (calling it the number 1 mistake is a far stretch though)

Instakill objects in battle rpgs.

Let me explain that a bit further:

In one game there was a lot of turn-based battles, but in one instance, you come to a castle, a giant monster comes towards you. I run towards it and BAM! game over.

Through rest of the game you fought things head on, but that moment completely broke my immersion.

So to make a more vague statement:

The number one mistake a game can make is a move that breaks the immersion of the player.

 

[Samsonite]

Oh man, it took me a while to read all 13 pages but I did it. I can't even remember what I originally wanted to post to contribute to this topic. Oh well. It was a good read, though.

 

[Dalph]

Here's some other annoying things that must be avoided at any costs (in my opinion).

1) Don't mix different resource packs if they aren't meant to be together! It doesn't look good!

I saw a few games with RTP tiles mixed with the DS sprites and it can work in some way, however I don't think I'll survive after seeing a game made in the other way (DS tiles + RTP sprites). That's a big NONO.

2) Don't add facesets for every characters (NPCs included), that's confusing, seriously, what's the point of this?

Only the main characters need the facesets.

3) Don't mix  facesets of different styles together (DS facesets + RTP facesets + Custom Facesets + Real Life pics), I'm sorry but this will look like s***. Unless you have a reason to do that (if it's a comic game for example) use one style.

4) Random TPs at the start of every battle (don't know if it's a bug or intentional but VX ACE has this feature by default), it's annoying as hell to me, because it can mess with the balance of the battles.

It's easy to fix it by setting the starting TPs to 0 for every character, at the start of a battle.

 

[Zoltor]

Here's some other annoying things that must be avoided at any costs (in my opinion).

1) Don't mix different resource packs if they aren't meant to be together! It doesn't look good!

I saw a few games with RTP tiles mixed with the DS sprites and it can work in some way, however I don't think I'll survive after seeing a game made in the other way (DS tiles + RTP sprites). That's a big NONO.

2) Don't add facesets for every characters (NPCs included), that's confusing, seriously, what's the point of this?

Only the main characters need the facesets.

3) Don't mix  facesets of different styles together (DS facesets + RTP facesets + Custom Facesets + Real Life pics), I'm sorry but this will look like s***. Unless you have a reason to do that (if it's a comic game for example) use one style.

4) Random TPs at the start of every battle (don't know if it's a bug or intentional but VX ACE has this feature by default), it's annoying as hell to me, because it can mess with the balance of the battles.

It's easy to fix it by setting the starting TPs to 0 for every character, at the start of a battle.

That utterly defeats to primary purpose of TP, for TP to start at 0 at the start of every battle.

Also if it resets after every battle, it removes tons of potential strategy from the game.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

not really... it's purpose depends on the game...


what if TP in my game is like a battle rage bar? it will make more sense if it starts at 0 at the start of battle right?

 

[Zoltor]

not really... it's purpose depends on the game...

what if TP in my game is like a battle rage bar? it will make more sense if it starts at 0 at the start of battle right?

True it would make "sense" then, but unless you also edited the TP script to increase the regen/per hit rate(or added a script to make it regen a little each turn) it would be pretty useless against everything, but bosses.

 

[Dalph]

 

That utterly defeats to primary purpose of TP, for TP to start at 0 at the start of every battle.

Also if it resets after every battle, it removes tons of potential strategy from the game.

Nonsense.

The whole purpose of the TPs is to build them in every battle, I don't like to be able to use the powerful skill that requires 20 TPs at the start (too easy). Random TPs at start are just ugly and doesn't make sense, please don't call this poor balance because you're wrong.

And don't start arguing about this too now...you have already messed enough this awesome thread.

 

[SLEEP]

2) Don't add facesets for every characters (NPCs included), that's confusing, seriously, what's the point of this?

Only the main characters need the facesets.

3) Don't mix  facesets of different styles together (DS facesets + RTP facesets + Custom Facesets + Real Life pics), I'm sorry but this will look like s***. Unless you have a reason to do that (if it's a comic game for example) use one style.

2) Using facesets for everyone adds consistency to how message windows are laid out. It also allows developers to use emotion sets on NPCs to spice up dialogue. Some people prefer an all or nothing approach. shrug

3) RTP and DS facesets especially match really well in my opinion, there's not enough difference for me to care. (Frankly, if it's a free game, there's not enough different between RTP and Kaduki for me to care though, so i'm probably too open-minded.)

That utterly defeats to primary purpose of TP, for TP to start at 0 at the start of every battle.

Also if it resets after every battle, it removes tons of potential strategy from the game.

It changes the way TP is used. Conventionally, TP is meant to be sort of a limit-break type thing, so we're on the same page? Having it restart at the beginning of battle makes it a limited currency for that battle, which also encourages it to get used right away. This is also probably best balanced by making the gain and loss of TP quick as well. The strategy it adds is the initiative to use TP skills in the now, rather than "saving that big skill for the boss", which changes the strategy and adds different tactical decisions. Basically, TP resetting at the start of every battle closes a door for one strategy, but opens a window for a different one.

ps: lol @ ur sig

 

[Dalph]

@SLEEP:

Using facesets for everyone is dumb pal, would you really use them even for unimportant NPCs?

Come on...you can't be serious. XD

RTP and DS facesets doesn't match at all, but you can still get away with it.

 

[Zoltor]

 


Nonsense.

The whole purpose of the TPs is to build them in every battle, I don't like to be able to use the powerful skill that requires 20 TPs at the start (too easy). Random TPs at start are just ugly and doesn't make sense, please don't call this poor balance because you're wrong.

And don't start arguing about this too now...you have already messed enough this awesome thread.

Nothing powerful should only require 20 TP

Poor balance, no, loss of potential strategy, definitely. If you can't see what I mean, omg please go and play Lufia 2 right now(best TP implimentation ever). Once you gain access to the Ancient Cave, stop doing the story, and farm/clime the Ancient Cave.

PS. You either have to you Face sets for just the important people or "literally" everyone, both work nicely(horever portrait pics should only be for important char), however having enough different faces for everyone in a game, is not very realistic, so you kind of will be mixing face styles if you want every NPC in the game to have a face, which can make it feel awekward to the player, if the styles differ by too much.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

TP does increase per hit, you can set that up on the skills you know?

Nothing powerful should only require 20 TP

Not unless his TP gain is slow... You can't absolutely say that it's true or false, because that depends on the game itself

 

[Dark_Metamorphosis]

- Ellipses. Use them grammatically, NOT dramatically. I have seen so many games... so many games that use... ellipses. They are used in ways that they shouldn't be used... and at times they even don't use them properly.. like, only two dots? Ellipses should only ever be used to show missing words OR when connecting a sentence that didn't fit in a text box. So, quotes that leave **** out like "I ... like mudkips!" or to show a fade off like "What did you want to... Elle? Elle are you okay?!"

Haha I feel so guilty when reading this xD

 

[SLEEP]

@SLEEP:

Using facesets for everyone is dumb pal, would you really use them even for unimportant NPCs?

Come on...you can't be serious. XD

RTP and DS facesets doesn't match at all, but you can still get away with it.

i like... just explained that dude, did u read what i wrote?

2) Using facesets for everyone adds consistency to how message windows are laid out. It also allows developers to use emotion sets on NPCs to spice up dialogue. Some people prefer an all or nothing approach. shrug

 

[Dalph]

i like... just explained that dude, did u read what i wrote?

I'm not blind, but it doesn't make sense to me, and I never saw a game with emotion facesets even for unimportant NPCs characters.

Too many facesets can confuse the player.

 

[Alexander Amnell]

I'm not blind, but it doesn't make sense to me, and I never saw a game with emotion facesets even for unimportant NPCs characters.

Too many facesets can confuse the player.

I don't know, I like everyone having facesets as long as 

1. They are of a consistent style (I agree with you on that, it's terrible when you mix them)

2. None are repeated/recolored and there are enough for everyone. (almost no game has this that I can think of, but if this were true of a game then I'd have no problem with everyone having a face)

Granted unless your game is really short your only option would be to make/commission custom resources for this to even be possible and it's probably not quite worth that considering most people would be indifferent/like you and not like it anyway, but if your going to go for it then why not?

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

me, I don't really care for faces of non-important NPCs