The potential of RMXP

[ryanwh]

And the recently finished Triple Triad showed that a incredibly polished collectable card game is possible too. It really should be in the demo section, frankly. :P

 

[Daniel]

And the recently finished Triple Triad showed that a incredibly polished collectable card game is possible too.

Why wouldn't it be possible?

 

[Roman Candle]

I was going to make a sidescroller a while ago... And now I want to again :lol: Must... Stay... Focused... On strategy engine...

Well, since I happened to have wandered onto the topic, I'm about to realease a little demo for it in the projects forum. Check it out :lol: And no, I have no shame.

There are two big problems with RMXP the way I see it. Firstly, There is no way to (legally) edit the interface itself, to for instance add event commands. This would be very easy to script in, but you'd have to hack the exe, (and with some skill), to do it presently.

Secondly, the blit command is sooo slow when run from Ruby. It doesn't take much more than 40 blits per update to kill the frame rate. Infuriatingly, the engine can handle hundreds at a time in source code. As you cannot edit the source for Bitmaps, there is little that can be done to really advance the graphics.

 

[Marcus]

You're not very observant. There is a pixel movement script and a motion sensor script. It must be from hanging out with those 2k3 cavemen so often.

Is it real pixel movement and not that crappy 1/4 movement? Also, even with per pixel there's no EXACT pixel detection. If I were to make a point 'n click adventure game, the lack of pixel boundaries would kill it.

But I also can't forget

-blitting is slow as hell
-No opengl bitmap font support (although it appears as if advocate found a way around that but I haven't seen any more of it than from a screenshot he posted)
-No .mod or .xm sound support
-fixed resolution
-parallel process slow the system down incredibly
-No advanced sprite features like object parents and masks
-No uploading strings from a text document

There are dozens of other little things I tried incorperating into a platformer but couldn't because of things I can't naturally do correctly.

If there are scripts out there that do those things, then I haven't seen them and I've been a member at RMXP.net for 2 years.

I'm not saying RMXP is a BAD PROGRAM (far from it; it's one of the best pre-built engines) but it doesn't have UNLIMITED POTENTIAL and it was created for RPG's mainly in mind (dur hence the name lololol)

That's not to say it can't make other games (because saying that would be ignorant) but don't let people tell you it's GOD'S ULTIMATE GIFT TO GAME DEVELOPMENT because it's not. I tried making other styles of games like platformers and turn-based-strategies and the way you have to use Ruby (which I hate) or work around a script system pissed me off too much to worry about any style of games other than top-down puzzle/rpg games.

 

[Roman Candle]

Actually, loading strings from a file is incredibly easy. And there are pixel movement scripts around, of course, that deal in more than 8-pixel tiles. Now, a point and click system wouldn't be that hard to do - just labour intensive. Don't most point-and-clickers use masks anyway? But, regardless, you could even do away with the Tilemap class completely and load large bitmaps, using them as obstacles. I'm not saying it would be terrifically easy, and it would certainly be labour intensive. But it could be done.

As for the effects of parallel events, I've never noticed.

Lots of what you said is valid. But really, you couldn't expect a great deal more from a program like this.

 

[sandgolem]

Quick comments:

-No .mod or .xm sound support
-blitting is slow as hell
-parallel process slow the system down incredibly
-fixed resolution

#1 There were only 3 or 5 scripts posted for that at .net

#2 Code more efficiently to not need to do it as often

#3 Again, code more efficiently. Or in this case, event script. You don't need 20 parallel processes for what can be done in 1 or 2. Make sure you also include a wait delay in them if you aren't

#4 You can change that but I don't recommend it

 

[ryanwh]

Why wouldn't it be possible?

If you've played his demo I think you'd understand why initially rmxp certainly doesnt seem capable of so many algorithyms(there are literally over a thousand cards total, each with 4 numerical algorithyms) without having a huge amount of bugs. Naturally a simple game like poker is obviously possible, but what Seph did certainly raised the bar. If it was easy, it would of been done way sooner.
Also yeah, people complain about the resolution a lot(too much resolution, what a complaint lol). Someone should just go ahead and making a smaller resolution screen to shut them up. Like, something in between what rmxp is and what rm2k was.

 

[Marcus]

Quick comments:


#1 There were only 3 or 5 scripts posted for that at .net

#2 Code more efficiently to not need to do it as often

#3 Again, code more efficiently. Or in this case, event script. You don't need 20 parallel processes for what can be done in 1 or 2. Make sure you also include a wait delay in them if you aren't

#4 You can change that but I don't recommend it

Hey, if all of these awesome things are capable of happening... how come no one's using it or even TALKS about using it? so far, the only scripts that are drooled over are stupid things like ZOMG FISHING SYSTEM or ANIME SKILL SET LEARNING AP RIPPED FROM JAPANESE RPG COMPLETELY UNORIGINAL system. few people use the gameplay enhancing scripts like Near's dynamic trigger script and simply turn to mass produced fluff to "enhance" their projects (hmmm, says something about consumerist modern day society!).

although i have no room to talk at all. i have about 30 RMXP projects and none of them are even passed a "beta" phase. I never finish anything because I'm a one-man team who makes games that get a bit too ambitious for their own good.

but hey, if anyone wants to join my made-up-as-of-this-minute team, "Angry Minority," then i'll be glad to welcome you aboard :D

Also yeah, people complain about the resolution a lot(too much resolution, what a complaint lol). Someone should just go ahead and making a smaller resolution screen to shut them up. Like, something in between what rmxp is and what rm2k was.

Actually, I complain about the 32x32 tile restrictions. Every object I create has to be atleast 32x32 so I can't combine different sized objects without a work around (since there's no per pixel tile placement). I love how tilesets are LIMITLESS in size, but the whole 32x32 thing frustrates me a bit.

 

[sandgolem]

how come no one's using it or even TALKS about using it?

I'd assume most of this community doesn't even know what tracker music is. If I remember right, those scripts each had several pages of replies - more than what many get.

Most of the people here's first RPGs were a Final Fantasy or Pokémon, so of course those scripts are going to be popular. That doesn't mean they're used often.

edit: Last comment removed so I don't go too off-topic

 

[Marcus]

I'd assume most of this community doesn't even know what tracker music is. If I remember right, those scripts each had several pages of replies - more than what many get.

Most of the people here's first RPGs were a Final Fantasy or Pokémon, so of course those scripts are going to be popular. That doesn't mean they're used often.

edit: Last comment removed so I don't go too off-topic

Well, I usually don't hang around the script forum but I don't know how anyone can't like tracked music. It's mp3 quality internal-synthesizer style gold with almost a 10th of the filesize!

 

[gorechild]

YAY FOR 2D GAMES! This is probably the best rpg maker out there, and no other can beat its posibilities for games. You can have an adventure rpg, a shooter rpg (if you know the scripts), A ZELDA RPG! YES! and alot of other insane possibilites if you put your mind to it. No need for the 3D, 2D is way better. Why do you think people still play pac-man? Other than the fact that it IS the greatest game ever, but because of the simple graphics make it enjoyable to play and easy to tell whats going on. I feel that all 2D games now days are to limited because they try to make the game so great that it ends out like a piece of junk, but with this, anyone (even those who can't script like me) can make the fantasy game of their dreams.

 

[Marcus]

YAY FOR 2D GAMES! This is probably the best rpg maker out there, and no other can beat its posibilities for games. You can have an adventure rpg, a shooter rpg (if you know the scripts), A ZELDA RPG! YES! and alot of other insane possibilites if you put your mind to it. No need for the 3D, 2D is way better. Why do you think people still play pac-man? Other than the fact that it IS the greatest game ever, but because of the simple graphics make it enjoyable to play and easy to tell whats going on. I feel that all 2D games now days are to limited because they try to make the game so great that it ends out like a piece of junk, but with this, anyone (even those who can't script like me) can make the fantasy game of their dreams.

god i hope you're joking. i hinted at some "smarm" but i really can't tell if you're being serious or not.