RPG Maker MV

Game Development Software Review

Although its entry price of $79.99 USD may be pricey when compared against the long-standing RPG Maker XP ($24.99 USD), which has stood the test of time and seen strong community development, Degica’s recent English localised release of RPG Maker MV brings a number of features to the table which might be tempting to a range of groups, from solo developers looking to make their first game to indie studios. With support for multiple devices, improvements made to many previously introduced features and two battle systems built-in among many other things; this is in my opinion the most accessible and versatile instalment in the RPG Maker game development software franchise to date.

Developing for Multiple Devices and On Multiple Platforms

Prior to RPG Maker MV, purchasing an RPG Maker title generally meant you were able to only develop on a Windows PC and export that game as a .EXE file. But if you look at the smartphone market in particular, more and more RPG’s are being developed for alternate platforms. Unlocking your games for a range of other potential markets, the RPG you have have potentially spent dozens or hundreds of hours crafting can now be exported as one of five formats: Windows (EXE), Mac OS X (APP), Android (APK), iOS (IPA) or HTML5 for Web Browsers. To complement the addition of .APP support, it is also possible to now develop your game on a Mac.

Although I have yet to export my test game to an Android or iOS device (As I generally consider my Android Phone and iPad off-limits for any testing purposes), my experience with the other three file formats went really well, with no notable issues. Especially considering the addition of support for touchscreen capable devices, the new touch and mouse controls also worked reasonably well. However, I don’t see this being a replacement for a trusty keyboard whenever possible.

This being said however, there have apparently been some reports of lag when using the editor, playing a game or conducting a test play.

While none of the aforementioned features may apply to all developers, it is good to see that the development team have taken the varying needs of developers into consideration with this new release. Personally, I am interested in seeing how popular the HTML5 export option proves.

mv1

Mostly Familiar Territory

auto

Similar to the jump from XP to VX, the user interface and general means of constructing your game world remains unchanged for the most part. Using a pre-determined tileset for a particular map, creators simply use the drawing tools on offer to design fields, dungeons, towns or building (interiors) to their liking. While this system remains mostly unchanged, there are a few new features which help sweeten the deal when upgrading. One major addition for those building forests (for example) is the automated upper layer system, which allows you more easily layer things like trees without overlapping (Example to the right).

RPG Maker VX Ace came with only four tilesets out of the box, all of which were more suited to a fantasy-style world. In addition to some revamped/additional designs in the tileset assets which have been made 1.5 times larger (to suit the new 816×624 pixel default window size), RPG Maker MV also comes with bonus Sci-Fi Exterior and Interior tilesets. Therefore, while still somewhat limited outside of the Fantasy genre, creators are not locked to designs best suited to a fantasy world when they load up the base version of RPG Maker MV. Like before, there are also a range of Sample Maps available for those looking to make an RPG without having to manually craft towns/buildings/dungeons/environments.

The process of crafting events and NPC’s is also similar to before, with a few additional commands on offer such as the ability to execute plugin commands. Those looking for a quick means of creating an Inn or expediting the creation of treasure chests in a dungeon still have access to the “Quick Event Creation” menu, although the creation of major events involving dialogue and character movements still needs to be done manually. Although it may sound daunting at first, event and NPC creation is fairly easy albeit occasionally time consuming once you get the hang of it. For newcomers, I personally recommend setting aside 20-30 minutes or so and just clicking around and experimenting with things.

mv2

The Database

As anyone who has used an RPG Maker title before will know, the Database menu is the main interface you use to make your RPG an RPG. Mostly similar to previous versions, this is where you define your playable characters, add classes, create new skills/weapons/armor, invent the enemies players will be going up against and define the intricate components of the game – from element names to determining which song plays during battle. As before, it is an approachable set of menus which are both user friendly and offer a good degree of control over your world.

One issue that may find with the default database content in RPG Maker MV is that there is very little of it. In RPG Maker VX Ace, all new games began with 10 characters, 10 character classes, more than 100 skills, around 60 weapons and much more to initially work from. With some minor tweaking, it was possible to have the foundations of an RPG with minimal effort. In comparison, RPG Maker MV only comes with four characters, four classes, 10 skills and four weapons (With similar reductions in other areas as well). Therefore, starting a game from scratch may require a fair amount of work. On a more fortunate note, the number of built-in animations has been slightly increased (120 vs 110), which given how time consuming they can be to set up, is a small plus.

That being said, those looking to dive into the Database may be glad to know that it now supports a grand total of 2,000 items for several (but not all) categories – around twice as many as VX Ace. Why someone would need 2,000 pieces of armour or skills in an RPG is beyond me, but always nice to have the option.

Battle

The Battle System

Although game developers have been able to turn to the RPG Maker community for a number of different battle systems over the years, VX and VX Ace both came with a simple Front View battle system out of the box. While this is still set as the default, RPG Maker MV also comes with an aesthetically pleasing Side View Battle System, making use of specialised battle sprites which give a similar (although more modern) appearance to those present in RPG Maker 2003. I can envision creating these sprites would be a bit more challenging than your regular character sprites, but they look very impressive overall. Those not wanting to create their own designs do have an option to use the ones created for each “Actor” character sprite for a total of twenty. There is another option for sprite creation however, which will be discussed a little later in this review.

menu
menu2

Custom Content via Plugins

Although I won’t go into too much detail on this topic as it is outside of my expertise, RPG Maker MV has replaced the Ruby Scripts system present in RPG Maker XP, VX and VX Ace with new Javascript Plugins. These are no longer copied into a “Script Editor”, but rather added into the plugin directory of your game’s individual folder. These can then be easily edited (if need be) by users through the new, easy to use Plugin Manager. I will reserve my judgement until the community has had at least a few months to dive into this new system, but my first impressions are that it will be a lot more user friendly. For example, simply activating a plugin (AltMenuScreen – Authored by Yoji Ojima and built into RPG Maker MV) without any manual code changes allowed me to switch my menu layout, as pictured above.

mv3

The Improved Character Generator

One of the features I liked most in RPG Maker VX Ace was its newly introduced Character Generator, which allowed anyone to create character portraits/sprites by changing options on one screen. It was a rudimentary system in its first iteration, and has been surpassed considerably by whats on offer in RPG Maker MV. The new Character Generator grants  access to a sizable collection of options, allowing creators to more finely tune their custom characters. This system also allows the creation of Battle Sprites, meaning you could realistically use the Character Generator to create your entire party while still using the side view battle system. I hope that this feature is the target of new free or paid DLC in the future.

school

Other Resources

Even if you don’t choose to use the Character Generator, RPG Maker MV still provides access to a good range of face portraits and character sprites for you to use in your game. There is also a good range of music on offer, or alternatively it is possible to add your own music to a game, with support for OGG files. Do note that a decent chunk of the imagery and music needs to be manually transferred over to your project folder from /dlc/BaseResources in the main RPG Maker MV directory. Bit of a pain in my opinion, but it does help cut down on file sizes by having you use only what’s needed for the project.

casino2

Final Words on RPG Maker MV

Although its initial price point of $79.99 may be a little bit pricey for a hobbyist looking to simply try their hand out at RPG creation, RPG Maker MV is in my opinion a strong game development software option. From my perspective it is approachable to those new to game development, but still offers enough options to suit those looking to create something complex. While the new side view battle system is a nice feature and I am still ecstatic about improvements made to the Character Generator, I am curious about how the community will respond to the new Javascript Plugin system. I look forward to seeing what the community manages to produce using RPG Maker MV over the coming months and years.

A pre-release copy of RPG Maker MV was provided for this review. Review was conducted with both “Cover Art Characters Pack” and “Essentials Set” loaded.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

Articles

- Advertisment -