RPGM1 or RPGM2?

[Draygone]

I am creating a game on RPGM1. Well, finishing up the planning stages of, anyway. And I was thinking, maybe it would be better on RPGM2. (For one, it won't be as easy to tell how far into the game you are if it's only on one card.) My decision would be mostly based on which would be quicker to create a game on. Here's what I've got so far.

Typing goes a lot quicker in RPGM2.
But map creation goes a lot slower.

I was going to create a bunch of custom graphics for RPGM1.
But while that won't need to be done in RPGM2, I would probably need to create my own spell effects.
Neither I'm very good at.

RPGM1 would require the creation of a CBS, while RPGM2 would require a modified DBS.

There would be puzzles, but no sidequests (there wouldn't have been enough room for them on an RPGM1 game with a CBS).

Creating something on RPGM2 would probably require the use of dramatic camera angles.

I've got until April 28th, unless the contest deadline is extended.

I'm sure there are more pros and cons, but I can't think of any more at the moment. Any help please?

[KingSpoom]

Difficult decision indeed. On one hand it is really easy to finish an rpgm1 game in comparison to an rpgm2 game. On the other hand, rpgm2 has unparallel quality, when compared to rpgm2. Personally, for you... the guy who doesn't finish stuff often, I would think rpgm1 would be the better choice... but then I come to my senses. That doesn't matter in the end. The end result of an rpgm2 project is much more rewarding. Also, rpgm2 is in need of your help. It desperately needs content. So, yeah, I'm suggesting that you use rpgm2. Not only for the betterment of your reputation, but for the betterment of the community. Now get to work *whip*

*does the "I have 4 stars" dance*

[Draygone]

Personally, for you... the guy who doesn't finish stuff often

Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.

It'd kinda be a shame if it were moved to RPGM2. I had a couple of awesome battles planned, and I've always wanted to show how epic (hopefully) of a game I can create on RPGM1. You know, since the only other epic game I wanted to create on it was canned and restarted more times than I'd like. I know there are some games already on it that show off what RPGM1 can really do in terms of cinematics (Spiteful Dead for example), so that kinda helps.

Anyway, I just took a look at how many monsters have models for use outside the DBS (21, not counting the human "monsters" and the two boss models), and that looks decent enough. Maybe have two or three monsters viewed outside of battle with others that only appear in battle like some older games like Mario RPG. Having random battles simply isn't an option in a game with a decent-sized focus on puzzle-solving (nothing as puzzle-focused as Zelda, but certainly more than your average Final Fantasy). But that was my biggest concern about battles. I wouldn't want the first color-swapped monster appearing too early in the game (minus the first boss, but it's a necessary exception).

No decision yet, though. I'll have to look into it a bit more before I decide.

[Deleted]

I'd say do what you think 'd be best for you. It is a tough choice indeed, but I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

[Dungeon Warden]

I vote for RPG Maker 2, if only because I can't play RPG Maker 1 games (I've never owned the game). If you would rather do a RPG Maker 1 game, don't let anyone stop you. There are plenty of people who would play it. Really the choice is up to you.

[Draygone]

One thing I don't like about RPG Maker 2 is, you have a ton of setting up to do before you're finally able to actually put something in your game. Besides the usual item creation, spell creation, etc, you have to sort through all the stuff the game gives you and figure out what things to keep and what to get rid of, and what does what when you're not used to it. It's more work than I'm willing to deal with right now. Starting to get used to RPGM2 again is something that I probably shouldn't do in the middle of a contest (I don't think I got enough practice with RPGM2 to begin with), so I'll create something on it some other time. Despite there already being a whole lot of games for RPGM1 that I'd technically be going up against (with about the only thing that'll have it stand out against the crowd being a CBS that I'm not even sure will work), I think I'm better off finishing this thing for RPGM1.

Edit: On second thought, I REALLY want to create a game for RPGM2 for some reason. Although it would take a little extra time (maybe two weeks if I'm lucky, or unlucky), I'm willing to learn the ins and outs of RPGM2 to make this game. I'll have to scrap the cool thoughts of a battle with a monster that's taking up a whole sprite sheet and the battle with the cool background effect I was going to create, but I think I can live with what I'll be getting to do instead.

[Dungeon Warden]

If there is anything about RPG Maker 2 that you don't understand or wonder about, don't be afraid to ask. Anything I can do to speed up the process and help get your game made, just ask.

You know, you don't have to get rid of the preset stuff to start your game. You really only need to worry about it when you're starting to run out of space. You can use the presets as place holders while you test some stuff as well instead of doing everything from scratch and needing to deal with multiple errors. I used a lot of preset stuff in my demo and it looks and plays great. In my final game, I will have removed most of the preset stuff but there was no need to remove it early in development. You can save yourself a lot of time if you just start scripting right away and just throw away preset stuff as you replace it with your own stuff. That's my opinion anyway.

[Draygone]

Yeah I know not to get rid of all the preset stuff right away, as I do see myself looking at some things as an example. But others are obviously stuff I will never need (like the fairy that welcomes you to RPGM2), and it's kinda a pain trying to figure out where in the list the event is. Plus it kinda makes things a bit cluttered, having to scroll through a whole bunch of stuff you don't use to get to the stuff that you do. And what if I have events that use the "load game info" or "load event info" commands? As I understand it, those commands load up the number of the item in the database, and if I get rid of stuff earlier in the list later on, that'll change the number which would in turn mess up whatever commands I'm using based on that number. (Very strange how I understand what those commands are for.)

Anyway, understanding what does what won't be the hard part so much as remembering what all the stuff is. With RPGM1, if I have a character to create, I could usually think up what sprites I want to use right off the bat, as I know what all the sprites are. With RPGM2, I don't know what all it has in the game. And while the strategy guide does help tremendously in that aspect, it unfortunately doesn't go into the Visual Effects editor enough. That editor has a lot of stuff that I could use a visual list of, and it seems like every effect piece can be manipulated to create more than one effect (like the sparkly effect that can either be a ray springing from the ground, or a sparkly sphere, or a sparkly staircase). I guess though that it won't be too much trouble since I already know most of the effects I'd like to have (sort of), but being the most advanced editor in RPGM2 certainly has its drawbacks. There's simply so much it can do, you'd be hard-pressed to figure out everything it could do.

Oh yeah, and then there's the simple fact that I really don't like the world map editor. It can create some awesome maps, I'll admit, but creating those awesome maps is a pain for me so far.

[Kumo Shinagi]

I voted for RPGM2.

Frankly, I agree with KingSpoom with the fact that, there is not a lot of Full/Demo RPGM2 games.

That and you can pull off a lot more things with 2.

You have a problem with the organization?

I just create things for "this certain part" when I work.
I work on the other stuff later.
But deciding on where your defualt camera is going to be and your battle system is most important.
Remember, start in Normal mode and switch to Hard.

[Neo Samurai]

If it was up to me, I'd choose RPGM2.

For me, creating a CBS on RPGM1 would be hard. I know that it's possible, but with the combined help of variables and flags on RPGM2, creating one would be a snap (On the other hand... :.

But that's just me. I've never played your Jester's Hunt game (I probably would have, but I lost my Dexplorer ), so I'm not sure what type of battle system you might have on it. If I ever find my Dexplorer, I'll probably check it out !

Just do what feels best for you. It seems RPGM1 might be more suitable for you, considering how you feel about the complexity of RPGM2 (The maps used to be a problem for me, but I'm getting the hang of it . However, like everyone else has been saying, RPGM2 doesn't have a grand library of games. Whatever game you choose, RPGM 1 or 2, I wish you the best of luck!

[Draygone]

Yeah, Jester's Hunt has a CBS. It was a requirement for the No DBS contest the Pavilion had a couple years ago.