XP or VX Ace for an adventure game set in modern times? Options

[CTCCoco]

Hi, I'm a programmer for some years now and now I decided to make a serious game with an old style look on a simple engine like RPG Maker.

The thing is that I'm not an artist, so if you can please tell me your opinions about this I'll be glad.

What is, in your opinion, the best choice for an adventure game set in modern times, post-apocaliptic in terms of resources already available?

I like the graphics / mapping of RMXP but I don't like the fact that uses the outdated and slow RGSS, while VX Ace uses RGSS3, but I don't know if that's really a problem in the end (see Misao, Mad Father or Ib as an example of the kind of game I want).

I don't have any experience with those tools so I though you guys can help me better.

Also, if some artist read this and wanna contribute in my project please PM me. BTW, I'm writting the characters and the main story of the game at the moment, so it will take a while until I make a new post requesting artist officially.

Maybe you are thinking how the hell I will be able to write a good story with my silly english, but I will write the game in my native language, spanish, without any grammar failures and then I'll translate the entire game to english with some english native revising my full translation properly.

Thanks for read this.

This post has been edited by CTCCoco: Mar 2 2013, 09:25 AM

[Redd]

Hello there!
I may be able to translate your game, if you need (only if it's in RPG Maker XP, unless you give me the text and I translate it and give it back to you).

Also, there's a great tool for making characters in RMXP. It's in Japanese but it's very easy to figure out. Don't translate it or it won't work. Also you need to use the Print Screen method to extract the graphic from it. I have absolutely no experience in RMVX, but I know that there are converters out there that will change XP graphics to VX format. Just google search "looseleaf rmxp" on google and it should come up (the RMXP character generator). If you want I could also make your characters for you (I mainly do human characters).
Also, a good website to check out is www.ninesages.org/XP_Album you can translate that, since it's in French. It has TONS of graphic resources. Pretty much everything I use comes from that website if it isn't mine.

I prefer to use RMXP because it has 4 layers (including event layer), and VX only has 2 (including event layer). That provides for a lot more customization. I'm also more familiar with it.

If you want to make a game with a really old looking style, I would actually suggest using Rm2k3. Or at least porting the graphics from that to the engine of your choice. It has a very retro feel to it, looking much like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger.

Hopefully I could be of some help x) I know pretty much everything there is to know about XP, so if you decide to use that I'll help you as much as you need
Also, check out my Awesome Guide To RMXP Event Commands for beginner's help

[CTCCoco]

Hello there!
I may be able to translate your game, if you need (only if it's in RPG Maker XP, unless you give me the text and I translate it and give it back to you).

Also, there's a great tool for making characters in RMXP. It's in Japanese but it's very easy to figure out. Don't translate it or it won't work. Also you need to use the Print Screen method to extract the graphic from it. I have absolutely no experience in RMVX, but I know that there are converters out there that will change XP graphics to VX format. Just google search "looseleaf rmxp" on google and it should come up (the RMXP character generator). If you want I could also make your characters for you (I mainly do human characters).
Also, a good website to check out is www.ninesages.org/XP_Album you can translate that, since it's in French. It has TONS of graphic resources. Pretty much everything I use comes from that website if it isn't mine.

I prefer to use RMXP because it has 4 layers (including event layer), and VX only has 2 (including event layer). That provides for a lot more customization. I'm also more familiar with it.

If you want to make a game with a really old looking style, I would actually suggest using Rm2k3. Or at least porting the graphics from that to the engine of your choice. It has a very retro feel to it, looking much like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger.

Hopefully I could be of some help x) I know pretty much everything there is to know about XP, so if you decide to use that I'll help you as much as you need
Also, check out my Awesome Guide To RMXP Event Commands for beginner's help

Thank you for the post, it seems that the RPG Maker forums are kinda dead nowadays.

[Rukiri]

If you want to learn how to script, VX ace.
If you want to just map without going through panorama's, pictures, and charsets than use xp.
If you want a retro look with a great battle system take a look at game maker (I prefer GM to any of the rpg makers)

[CTCCoco]

If you want to learn how to script, VX ace.

What? I can't learn RGSS instead of RGSS3 ? I'm already a programmer.

If you want to just map without going through panorama's, pictures, and charsets than use xp.

Sorry... what do you mean?

If you want a retro look with a great battle system take a look at game maker (I prefer GM to any of the rpg makers)

Ok, I'm going to take a look at GM, but I didn't see a good 2d rpg game made on it.


Thanks for help.

This post has been edited by CTCCoco: Mar 5 2013, 01:33 AM

[Redd]

Game maker... ewwwwwwwww.
VX Ace has RGSS3 but that's really the only upside I see to it. RMXP is the bomb.

[Rukiri]

I mean from the sounds of it you want control, sadly.. you're not going to get this to an extent with a novice program (please don't lie to yourself that it is not)

If you seriously want control you need to be programming your games, not using tools like rpg maker.
Also, game maker can do pretty much what you ask without question or wait for sphere 2.0 or 1.7. Don't go by, oh.. no rpgs. The ones you find are bad because the developers were lazy and did not take there time, RPGs are very difficult to do correctly and never use rpg maker as an example.

I'm not trying to sound like an ass just speaking truth, don't go by what is shown go by what the engine can do, rpg maker is horrible for action based rpgs due to the map limitations(nothing to do with actual mapping, just how the map engine is programmed). Xas is a nice A.B.S. developed for XP but it's really not that great nor honestly advanced and something I could throw together in a few hours in game maker or a day or 2 in Unity. It's just the best known script for XP.

I always say use the best tool for the job, sadly for anything 2D is Unity. Now it may be limited with 3D(it supports DirectX 11 and I think OpenGL 4.3 as of now) but for 2D games it's actually pretty perfect, I love BOO mainly because I'm strictly working with Ruby for a rails project and the syntax is similar and is a simple language but perfect for the type of game I'm working on with is a Action based RPG. Unity isn't something I'd recommend to a novice otherwise this topic would not exist.

Everyone starts somewhere.

This post has been edited by Rukiri: Mar 6 2013, 10:48 PM

[Redd]

Blizz-ABS is a LOT better than XAS. Has tons more options. Less complicated on the user end too. And a lot less laggy.
And it is way good for RPG games, a lot of people just suck. Take a look at Kan Gao's (Reives, from Freebird Games) games. Quintessence is the only RPG he has, but his other games are better than a lot of games I've played on the PS3 (Mystery of Little Riddle... never again).
I started with RMXP and unfortunately that's what I've had to stay with because I've never really had a computer capable of anything more. I do know quite a bit of dark basic though... but it's not like I can use it or anything xD
I think the key is just picking something to use/do and getting good at it.

[Rukiri]

Blizz-ABS is a LOT better than XAS. Has tons more options. Less complicated on the user end too. And a lot less laggy.
And it is way good for RPG games, a lot of people just suck. Take a look at Kan Gao's (Reives, from Freebird Games) games. Quintessence is the only RPG he has, but his other games are better than a lot of games I've played on the PS3 (Mystery of Little Riddle... never again).
I started with RMXP and unfortunately that's what I've had to stay with because I've never really had a computer capable of anything more. I do know quite a bit of dark basic though... but it's not like I can use it or anything xD
I think the key is just picking something to use/do and getting good at it.

Blizz is better, but still.. rpg maker is not the best choice for an action-rpg...
again for topics like these, find a program that allows you to build from scratch, you write the code and design the game.

Blitz-Max is a good option, nice langauge, easy to learn/use.

For me I'm not using a game language made for game development(blitz-max's basic is geared towards this so is gml) I'm using straight up Python using SFML mainly because I want hardware acceleration and easy access to openGL (pygame uses openGL but is software accelerated not hardware)

[MEands]

In my opinion, XP has a better art style for a modern/post-apocolyptic theme. I feel that VX's cartoony style would take away from the hopelessness and dark feeling of an apocolyptic world.

However if you're set on using RGSS3 you could always transfer the graphics from XP to VX Ace. It'd require some work but it could be done.

[Jens of Zanicuud]

In my opinion, XP has a better art style for a modern/post-apocolyptic theme. I feel that VX's cartoony style would take away from the hopelessness and dark feeling of an apocolyptic world.

However if you're set on using RGSS3 you could always transfer the graphics from XP to VX Ace. It'd require some work but it could be done.

The one problem with RMVXAce is the map editor. RMXP's maps are in my opinion the best ever: three layers + event layer.
To create complex facilities, buildings or stuff like that you'd probably prefer that.
On the other hand, VXAce has better performances.
I'm for MEands idea, though.

Jens

[Rukiri]

For mapping I'd personally just use pictures, event's, and panorama's with ace as the map editor kinda sucks...
XP was great... I just don't like 32X32 tiles, wish the map editor was a lot more open and allowed you to at least choose your own tile size... I liked game maker's room editor, it was 1X1 unless you set it to 16X16 or 32X32, I prefer 1X1 as you can get a lot more detail in versus 32X32 tile usage...

I personally have been looked at OGMO or Tiled for my own projectm, OGMO looks great just have to recompile using mono unless he was using the windows sdk... or just run it through wine and call it a day.

This post has been edited by Rukiri: Mar 24 2013, 07:11 PM

[niicoohh]

i think vx ace has overall better graphic quality in my opinion, also its more complete than xp

[LockeZ]

The only thing "more complete" about VX Ace is the event commands, which is stupid because you can just import scripts to do all that. VX Ace is just VX with the top ten most popular user-made scripts added in as default scripts. VX is just XP with the same thing, but with the mapping capabilities inexplicably slaughtered.

In the end though, if you're not a scripter, choosing which engine to use comes down to finding out which engine people have already made all the scripts you need for. I chose XP for my game not because it was the best at mapping but because it had a working Chrono Trigger battle system and VX didn't.

[Narzew]

I think the RGSS1 (RmXp) is better. It's simpler for me, and there are huge set of scripts to RMXP (bigger than to RmVxAce). The games made with RmVxAce and RmVx are slower than games made with RmXp. But it's still your choice I prefer Xp version