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

[SomaelCK]

It would be these :
-Overly ambitious, (Sure the game look amazing but if you cannot finish it, then it's pointless, I am mainly talking to myself with my project VSI)
- Grammar mistakes (as a second language English user, I made a lot awkward usage myself)
-Thinking that custom tilesets + parallax mapping could save your bad mapping.
-Trying to use too many scripts without actually adding anything to game design, ( I will parrot Dalph, Ksi and Hollow here, since I rely on Eventing then scripting myself.)
 
Edit - Oh and making the game extremely easy, or extremely hard, without actually putting a smooth learning curve. Take SMT IV for example (about well balanced game). Pretty much traditional JRPG with front view BS, but exciting has hell because the battle is extremely balanced and well-paced.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

adding things via scripting and eventing, there's not much difference really...


the problem is that since scripts can be added by just copy-paste, people tend to just paste and paste scripts they think are nice, even if after sometime they're not really gonna use it anyways... or sometimes they end up putting too much features that doesn't match anyways... evented methods are less susceptible since no one really shares a full event to copy-paste anyways, so you will mostly rely on yourself to build it...


I think one of the mostly overused script is: crafting


Oh there it is! one of the mistakes that normally happen: Super good idea + Bad implementation

 

[Sindaine]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this yet, but most games being made by RPG Maker users never actually get finished! I'm guilty of this as well of this. I think out of the countless games I've started, I've only finished maybe two!

Sindaine

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Somael's post already touched that partly...

 

[Zoltor]

I have been noticing some pretty big issues with people who make RPG Maker games.

1: Parallax mapping or in other words, "bad" mapping. People seem to think, just because you could do Parallax mapping you should, but all Parallax mapping does, is ignore what the function maps serve in RPGs. Maps aren't just to be used as roads from point A to point B, maps help give a sence of the scope of the world you created, maps greatly attribute to the exploration aspect(parallax mapping more or less dooms the game to be linear for the most part).

The art of a map is in its functionality, and its layout, but sadly some people treat maps around here like a painting, nothing more then just something to hang up on the wall to look at.

2: Giving every damn object in a game, a message. That is bad, and annoying game design. If you're gonna give a type of object a message, make sure It's a type of object that 1: usually has a item hidden in it or 2: tends to be usable/offers actually useful information.

3:Lack of effort in eventing, and designing(I'm using the term designing loosely here, because what people usually do, couldn't be any farther from designing) the battle system/systems in general.  It's bad, events are usually as simple/basic as possible, and people just toss a bunch of scripts at the battle system(among other random scripts), thinking the scripts will do all the work for them.

People need to stop focusing on getting a game done, and start focusing on developing a awesome game.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Parallax mapping in itself doesn't do any of that... I'm not a fan or user of PM but I can't see why ur so against PM...

maps greatly attribute to the exploration aspect(parallax mapping more or less dooms the game to be linear for the most part).

if it turned out like that, it's a fault of the creator, it's not a trait of parallax mapping...

 

[Zoltor]

Parallax mapping in itself doesn't do any of that... I'm not a fan or user of PM but I can't see why ur so against PM...

if it turned out like that, it's a fault of the creator, it's not a trait of parallax mapping...

When's the last time you saw a Parallax map, that has minute changes in the direction of the map, and smaller scaled pathways in general? People who support Parallax mapping seem to always claim that it allows you to scale things down to smaller then the 32x32 tiles, for more detail, but when's the last time you saw anything but these oversized pathways that take up most of the joke, that they call a map. If anything, Parallax mapping, extremely limits map design. 

If a tile doesn't exist that fits your needs, it will always be better to make custom tiles, over doing Parallax mapping(mapping Isn't like creating a char portait, mapping is not art in the "traditional" sense of the word).

Parallax mapping is a huge step backwards in map designing, and nomatter how good the person is at doing such, it has way more limitations then reg mapping.

 

[Cozzer]

Sorry, but this thing about parallax mapping is just plain untrue.

When I switched from normal mapping to parallax mapping, my maps became better looking without losing any functionality.

You just have to keep in mind what your map is for while you're doing it.

Of course it's possible to do it wrong and to treat maps like portraits, resulting in pretty but unusable maps (I fell into this trap myself, when I tried it for the first time).
Just like it's possible to do anything else wrong.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Parallax mapping if done correctly can help a lot you know... It's just another technique, and it's not really much different than editing tilesets so that you can put a tile in top of the other for example... the problem is not the technique but how people use it...

it has way more limitations then reg mapping.

Also, have you even tried it yourself to a great extent? If not, then you're not supposed to even be saying it limits you, since you'll never really know that unless you actually used it.


Me I prefer just editing tilesets or using my custom picture placement to overlap tiles... but as I said, Parallax mapping is not a mistake in itself.


IMHO, Parallax mapping is just an alternative to copy pasting tiles into another tilesheet... there's not really much difference in that.

If a tile doesn't exist that fits your needs, it will always be better to make custom tiles, over doing Parallax mapping

Yes, that's good... And I prefer that since tilesheets are reusable... but remember that Ace has a tilesheet limitation per map... If only that limitation doesn't exist, then making new tilesets will solve ALL problems...


those rants seem to be from someone that not even tried it out... just like the rants of those anti-RM games in greenlight...

 

[Aurorain]

Since we're talking about parallax mapping atm, I'd like to say(as someone who uses it a lot), that it's completely unnecessary, and maps can look incredibly good w/o it. Like, if you have a good enough mapping sense, then you can create beautiful maps without ever needing to parallax. Indrah, Ksi, and Luchino to name a few are all brilliant when it comes to mapping with tilesets, so..yeah, while I do use parallax mapping I'd say it's much better to just edit tilesets the way you want them, and work in the editor.

What I do, is create a good majority of the map first before putting in parallax details(only for what can't actually be done in the editor; brushed in paths, non-boxy shadows, animated water in places tiles can't reach..things like that. I don't go all out and primarily create a map through parallax mapping).

 

[SLEEP]

The #1 problem is that they don't have enough final fantasy characters in them pretty much. 

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

@Sleep - nah, we need more RTP heroes in them. oh wait, what am I saying???

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Wow, some people really hate on investigating backgrounds, don't they? I personally feel cheated if I run up to my hero's dresser, search it, and am not rewarded with a quirky message about the colour of their underwear. The first thing I check when I boot up an RM demo is attacking random background elements with spacebar. I don't see what's so bad about an optional chance to expand your knowledge about the characters and world. If you don't like it, you ignore it; if you do like it, you enjoy it. I'm not sure it really classifies as a 'number one mistake.' But, I digress.


I agree with those who said that the #1 mistake is people making games too big for their britches.


After that, for me, it's mix-matched graphic styles and scripts thrown in with no purpose.

 

[Ksi]

Um, may I introduce you to one of the (if not THE) first fully parallaxed games on an RPG Maker engine? Meet Sunset over Imdahl, a game that is still amazing today, created in 2005.

Parallaxing can do wonderful things for a game if used correctly, but it's not the be-all, end-all of mapping technique. It's just one of many techniques that can be used. It's not inherently bad, nor inherently good, but it does have potential to be great... as does default mapping.

 

[kerbonklin]

Um, may I introduce you to one of the (if not THE) first fully parallaxed games on an RPG Maker engine? 

I think he was referring to the more "common" form of parallax mapping, and not games with parallax maps that are complete hand-drawn in this fashion.

By common form i'm referring to combining RM tilesets with parallax edits.

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Um, may I introduce you to one of the (if not THE) first fully parallaxed games on an RPG Maker engine? Meet Sunset over Imdahl, a game that is still amazing today, created in 2005.

I have never played this!! D: Ah, I don't have time right now. I know what I'm doing on my next day off.


@kerbonklin: Even if you're doing the 'common form' or parallax mapping, it still depends on execution and it's not an inherent flaw with the technique itself to be 'bad.'


Though, I am also not a fan of this sort of parallax mapping, because it often looks 'unnatural' to me and ultimately seems like a lot of file bloat for very little reason, I still wouldn't umbrella any game with maps handled this way as a 'mistake' on the behalf of its creator.

 

[Zoltor]

"IMHO, Parallax mapping is just an alternative to copy pasting tiles into another tilesheet... there's not really much difference in that." Technically that's true, but I don't think I recall anyone, ever using it that way(even though that should have been the natural outcome of going with Parallax mapping, after years, if not decades of xp with tile mapping)

"Yes, that's good... And I prefer that since tilesheets are reusable... but remember that Ace has a tilesheet limitation per map... If only that limitation doesn't exist, then making new tilesets will solve ALL problems..."

Ace has really only two major limiations(neither of which it should've had in the first place), the event page conditions(why the hell are we told what conditions can bet set, we should beable to choose), and how many tilesets can be used. I mean why(this really limits mixing, and matching big time, you have to think way ahead, and bend over backwards recreating all the tilesets you want to use for the more diverse maps to get around that issue)? I really hope the next RPG Maker fixes both those things.

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Wait, can't you have like 999 different tilesets? How is that a limitation?

 

[kerbonklin]

Wait, can't you have like 999 different tilesets? How is that a limitation?

Maps can only have one tileset set to them.

 

[Makio-Kuta]

@Kerbonklin: Ohhh, you're talking like how many tiles you can have on the sheet. whoops Well, I like the smaller sizes and having multiple tilesets WAAAAY better than the old way of one giant, endless, neverending image of tiles. That was a hassle; I like compact things. And just mixmatching the A2, A5 B, C whatever as I need to.


err wow this is a derailment of this topic. Sorry 'bout that