What is considered too many plugins?

[Snarkyfork]

I know it's probably relative to which plugins you use, how much scripting or load they put on the game engine, and how well they work together... but I just want to get a general idea of how many plugins might be TOO MANY.

 

[Andar]

that question can't be answered that way, because not all plugins are compatible to each other.

two incompatible plugins are already too many, but on the other hand yanfly has made 200+ plugins that can work together.

I would suggest basing the decision to add a plugin or not on if it adds to your game's core mechanic or not. If the feature distracts from your core mechanic it should not be added, no matter how "cool" it might sound at first glance.

 

[Neo Soul Gamer]

You kinda answered your own question. It was once believed that there was a "safe" number of plugins to use. But as you said, it depends on what they do.

 

[Soulrender]

Too many = when game starts behave weird.

 

[Beregon]

Another sign that you are using too many plugins is when you are starting to lose track of them all.

 

[Snarkyfork]

Thanks for all the replies, that's kinda what I thought but I wasn't sure if there were any hard limitations with the MV engine that might cause strain if too many are added.

Edit:

I was imagining my game turning into this cosmic game of Jenga where just one more plugin and the universe collapses in on itself. =P

Guess I spent too much time modding Skyrim and Fallout.

 

[TheoAllen]

Do not think that developing a game in RM is modding a game.
You're developing a game. You're making one. Not modifying one.

Unlike modding a game that you could count how many mods you're using.
For RM, use as many as necessary to make your dream game work.

 

[Aesica]

It's less about "how many you use" vs "what you use." Once your plugins start to do things like slow down your game, or cause it to behave erratically because multiple plugins are trying to override the same function and stumbling over each other in the process, then perhaps it's time to break out the pruning shears.

 

[Citali]

I hoarded way to many into the drafting stages and essentially caused a blue screen.

 

[caethyril]

Do not think that developing a game in RM is modding a game.
You're developing a game. You're making one. Not modifying one.

I disagree with this: plugins are literally mods for the default engine.

The key thing here is that "1 mod" or "1 plugin" is not a meaningful unit of measure. A single plugin can do anything from change one value to completely overhaul the engine, and code can be refactored to produce a higher or lower number of files relatively easily. Therefore, like other people have said, you have to consider what the plugin(s) do to judge any possible impact on framerate/gameplay.

It seems there's no upper bound on the number of script elements (e.g. plugins) per HTML page according to the HTML spec, but browsers may implement their own limits:

What Is the Max Number of <script> Tags Allowed in Head of Document?

I'm writing a client side application using require.js to asynchronously load javascript assets. The application is very large, and instead of minifying the entire js app into one file, I'm loading

stackoverflow.com

 

[TheoAllen]

I disagree with this: plugins are literally mods for the default engine.

I consider it a "modding" if you change how the editor behaves, Not the end product which is your game. So, making a plugin command or parameter is sort of modding, but you're modding the editor, not your game.

A single plugin can do anything from change one value to completely overhaul the engine, and code can be refactored to produce a higher or lower number of files relatively easily.

So does change the code directly in rpg_core.js and that works the same thing.

The key thing here is that "1 mod" or "1 plugin" is not a meaningful unit of measure.

The key thing here is that you're producing an end product. Not modifying a product. You're making a game, not modifying one.

So, my point is. I prefer people to stop thinking about modding mentality.
If you want to use a plugin, use it. There is nothing wrong with trying to use more or less. There is no point in asking if you use too few or too many of them. There is nothing special about bragging that you use 1000+ plugins either. What matters is that your game works as intended.

 

[Storyteller-Hero]

A shout out for order of plugins.

Having one in the wrong place on the list can potentially cause a game-breaking bug, depending on what it does.

 

[Ami]

i just have a few of Plugins which is useful to me. If not (not work,not useful enough or too hard to learn), i have to Delete it from my Work

 

[mlogan]

I've moved this thread to General Discussion. Please be sure to post your threads in the correct forum next time. Thank you.

 

[caethyril]

@TheoAllen it seems like we only disagree on terminology: I see the editor as no more than a tool to interface with the game engine. I see a plugin, a.k.a. script file, as no more of an editor mod than a custom image or audio file. Since editing a resource produces a new resource, then yes, this also applies to edits.

No worries though, I think I'm clear on your meaning now!

 

[SigmaSuccour]

How many are too many? Well... I should be around 160 plugins in my project. (And none of those are battle related. As my game is a story-focused game.)

Here's me showcasing around 56 plugins in the first 5 minutes of the game.

Will be releasing the tech demo of the game this month. To make sure the game even runs on people's PC. (Before continuing with the project as is.)


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There doesn't seem to be any hard limit on using plugins. You can use as many as you'd like.
Don't expect all plugins to just work together though.
The thing is with MV, a lot of the plugin have matured, repeatedly updated, and have been patched to work with one another.
And there's an alternative to most plugins out there. So if one doesn't work, you can use an alternative that does work.
If two plugins aren't compatible, then perhaps you can turn off (or clear out) a feature in one of them, that's causing incompatibility. (As a plugin can have several features.)

That's what I've been doing. With every game, I'm adding in more features though plugins. And so increasing the plugin count.
The plugins in my collection are around 6000. I've only managed to plug 160 of those in my project.
And now I have to go through the whole list of 160 plugins, in every scene, to figure out "Okay, what else can I use here?" XD

 

[Aesica]

It seems there's no upper bound on the number of script elements (e.g. plugins) per HTML page according to the HTML spec, but browsers may implement their own limits:

Challenge accepted!

 

[Snarkyfork]

How many are too many? Well... I should be around 160 plugins in my project. (And none of those are battle related. As my game is a story-focused game.)

That's what I am at right now. Mainly Yanfly plugins with about 25 Mog Hunter, a few GALV, and a few Olivia (Octopack Battler stuff).