Hellos and Questions Options

[LeonomusPrime]

Hi there, I've never really been to great at these, so I'll keep it brief. My names Leon and I'm pretty new to RPG Maker and this site. I was hoping to make a game with XP specifically, so I bought it... and well... started working with it. Understandably... there aren't many people out there who are willing to help a newbie with their project, especially when they don't have much in the way of skills themselves. Because of that I'm forced to stick with the default graphics at the moment and well... basically whatever comes with the system.

I've actually already begun mapping the first area... and well... I guess my major questions are.... is it acceptable to post games using only the default things that come with the program... and I was hopping to get some opinions and maybe a few critiques on my first map found....

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ0EwPWlf1k

Anyhow, thank you very much for taking time out of your day to review my thread, and the video of my mapping. I hope, with your help, that I'll be able to learn and grow within the community, and hopefully grow to be a little respectable.

[Redd]

Hey man whenever you need any help with RMXP, I'm your guy. If I don't know how to do it (which is quite rare, if I do say so myself) then I know someone who does
Welcome to the forums!

It is perfectly acceptable to post games that only have the RTP in them, and even to sell them. The problem is making it actually look GOOD. Generally, the basics that come with game engines don't look as good as they could, they're more starters to get you learning the game engine.

About your video. I very much like the fact that the interior and exterior are connected. It's quite a unique way of making it, and it isn't something many people do. However, with houses, people generally tend to map more than needs to be there.
The second story effect was very unpredictable! The exterior seemed to move farther away. That is very unique indeed!
Then, the teleport through the door was very well done! You should experiment fading maps in and out by changing the screen colour tone, instead of just checking the "fade into map" option. It almost always looks nicer.
When you go through doors where doors can't be seen (the sides or downwards), make sure to mark them. For instance, use darker tiles. The semi-pro game designer Reives (he uses RMXP as well, makes the games To The Moon, The Mirror Lied, and Quintessence, if you've ever heard of those) actually uses arrows to show the player where to go the first time they enter. After that, they disappear, which you can easily do with switches.
Your mapping does need some help, but that's everyone's weak point when they start in RPG Maker. I used to be terrible. So you can check out this awesome tutorial for great tips on how to map, and how to do it well. Make sure you read it all, because I even learned some stuff after reading it just a short time ago.

Also, you can use my awesome guide to event commands for a little bit of additional help

Here are some additional links that could help you out a lot too:
Ninesages. If I don't make my graphics, this is where I get them the majority of the time. It's in French, but it is pretty easy to get around, especially if you translate it it doesn't let you right click because it wants to know how many downloads it has received, so left clicks only.
Looseleaf. This is a character maker for RMXP. It really helps A LOT. Note that the characters that come out of this are slightly larger than the RTP characters, so it's best not to intermix them. They still look fine with RTP maps and everything else though. The site is in Japanese. Don't translate it, or it won't work. It is also very easy to navigate. You can't right click and save the pictures, so you have to Print Screen, paste into Paint (or similar program), and crop out your character. Tedious, I know, but definitely worth it.

If you ever need anything for XP, I'm your guy! Just let me know

[LeonomusPrime]

Thank you very much for your input and the links to help, I very much appreciate it. I merely, if I may, wanted to ask if you had any pointers for me, since you did say my mapping needed work. I've always been better with learning, when my flaws are pointed out, if that's okay.

[supercow]

1.it looks very good , dunno if i can be that better using default rtp
2.is that a cottage/inn ? looks very big to be for common house, but it doesnt look like an inn too, im confused on the purpose of the house
3.the item thats all around seems to be put in confusion, mainly the barrel and the basement
4.you could use variety of different floor tile

its a nice start, when you look at my map when i started youd laugh

[LeonomusPrime]

1.it looks very good , dunno if i can be that better using default rtp
2.is that a cottage/inn ? looks very big to be for common house, but it doesnt look like an inn too, im confused on the purpose of the house
3.the item thats all around seems to be put in confusion, mainly the barrel and the basement
4.you could use variety of different floor tile

its a nice start, when you look at my map when i started youd laugh

The house is actually meant to be the main characters home, passed down to her by her grandfather. It's meant to be a mini manor of sorts. It's also where a lot of the hub story takes place, and a lot of the puzzles too. The confused placement of items was actually supposed to be more of a... hasty, lazy form of unpacking, I guess? I suppose I failed at that feeling, but that's what learning is for, and I can only get better from here... I hope.

[Redd]

Usually it helps to know the story, I guess. Especially if the person moved from a small house with little possessions, into a giant house, and couldn't fill it up. In that tutorial it says something like "if the person is poor, give them a small house" yknow? Make it fit with the story. Without the story, all we really see is a GIANT house with not enough things to put in it, or things just randomly thrown around.
I do like how every room seems to have a purpose though. That's good.

[LeonomusPrime]

Usually it helps to know the story, I guess. Especially if the person moved from a small house with little possessions, into a giant house, and couldn't fill it up. In that tutorial it says something like "if the person is poor, give them a small house" yknow? Make it fit with the story. Without the story, all we really see is a GIANT house with not enough things to put in it, or things just randomly thrown around.
I do like how every room seems to have a purpose though. That's good.

Mhm, as I said to the other person, it was meant to be a mini mansion of sorts passed down to the main character by her grandfather. She hastily moved in. But, after reading the tutorial you kindly provided, I did find a few flaws I could fix, so thank you very much.

[Redd]

You are very welcome