RPG Makin' with RPG Maker!

[Sipex]

Hey, I've recently gotten back into the RPG Maker scene and picked up RPG Maker XP (not quite the most recent iteration but it's my favoured version).

I've used RPG Maker 2000 and 2003 but haven't been able to go back to them since I used XP (the resolution and music are so much better, using the default tile sets does not automatically make the game seem bad). It's also got an (almost) working Enter Character Name control which can be fixed using the games ruby engine (also, the game lets you mess with stuff by coding in ruby, meaning no hacking the system to make original stuff!)

I got pretty far with my first RPG maker project (RPG Maker 2000) but the story was pretty bad (I was 15). Since then I haven't been able to get a game past the first boss without getting swamped with other work but now that I'm done college I figure I'd give this another try.

Post your experiences with RPG Maker here and any chat if you're developing a game. I'll use this to update where my game is currently sitting and possibly post screen shots once I get enough content.

[Sipex]

Nothing yet? I would've thought in a forum full of creative types who adore RPGs that we'd at least get some stories about failed projects or preferred versions.

To start things off I'll talk about my big game which completely flopped.

It was using RPG Maker 2000 and I had decided to go with a pretty bad version of 'Destined Heroes' type story. I also had no experience with the map tool so my first few areas were sub-standard with houses looking...well...like anything but actual houses.

I did get better at it though and I think that's what killed my RPG. I started raising my standards and suddenly it seemed like the first half of what I had already made needed to be completely re-done. In addition I had grown to dislike the default tile sets and sprites but I can't sprite to save my life.

I did have some interesting points though, I made a mega city where I now parallel the style in my new game and I had a desert which was timed (to represent thirst).

I did find out that people won't critque your game honestly if it sucks though which is unfortunate, I'd really like to improve things instead of getting "Oh yeah...it's great. GREAT!"

((I learned this when I created a demo for some play testers to try and accidentally left the starting point at halfway through the game so nothing made sense))

[Geno9999]

Where do you get this? Because this is something that interests me, wanting to create my own games.

[Sipex]

Oh, you can get it here: www.rpgmakerweb.com/

There should be a trial available for each version, so try them all out. I've not tried VX before though but I can vouch for 2000, 2003 and XP.

[Comet]

I'm a huge fan of RPG Maker 2000, though I'm nowhere near good enough to make anything brilliant with it. That said, I do know brilliance when I see it and these games and series definitely count:

Legion Saga:
A trilogy of games, made in the style of the popular Suikoden games. Become a fighting man, raise an army, fill your castle with characters of varying personalities and rise against tyranny and injustice in a clash of swords, armies and wills. Includes minigames for, at least, sword duels and massive field battles between entire armies.

The first game uses the standard resources that come with RPG Maker 2000, so it looks pretty bland. The writing was good enough from the very beginning, though, and by the second game everything gets a boost in production values and I was invested into this world of fantasy and war with all my heart, raising my legion to become the mightiest of them all. The third game ends on a bad note, I thought, but overall the series is great both as a story and as a demonstration of what RPG Maker can do with a bit of effort.

Sunset Over Imdahl:
This is a time-travel story set in a fantastic yet down-to-earth world. The entire game takes place in a single city under siege, presented in stunning graphics that go above and beyond what tilesets, the standard RPG Maker graphic style, can do.
It's more of an adventure game and a tech demo than a full-blown RPG, but still well worth checking out for the great story, amazing graphics and some technical cleverness in the form of minigames and quest lines.


NigSek: A Monster's Tail:
Based on one of the few fanfics I have actually read, the game takes place in the world of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
You take on the role of NigSek, a legendary beast that defeated a cosmic horror and saved the world with the help of his friends, one of whom was Link, the legendary Hero of Time.

Now you find out that something is going back in time to the Hero's place of birth in the land of Hyrule, intent on warping the timestream by robbing the world of one of its bravest heroes.

You dive into this historical period, but the journey splits NigSek in half. The two halves find that they have become individual beings, like brothers that are each only a shadow of the original Nigsek's might. Together they must learn to live in this strange land and accept their newfound identities as something both lesser and greater than what they were before while finding and protecting the family and community that will one day bring forth the Hero of Time.

It's a sandbox game where you live out your life in Hyrule, solving sidequests and exploring the environment. Every now and then there are major story events, with gorgeous animated cutscenes and dramatic plot twists that are full of great winks and nods towards Zelda fans.

Mechanically it's excellent, with great graphics and a day/night mechanic that makes living out your days in Hyrule very immersive. A great experience for fans of the Zelda series and worth checking out for anyone else just for the technical execution of the sandbox.

The Way:

A series of six games, widely celebrated as the best thing to come out of RPG Maker. Live the life of a swordsman as he wanders the Way, a world that is both physically and culturally a neverending pilgrimage without an end in sight.

The story and world are brilliant. You run into a multitude of interesting personalities and communities, all of which have resolved to tackle the Way in different ways. Some walk along willingly, intent in their belief that the end is just around the corner. Some settle down and build cities, which labels them as heretics in the eyes of those who see the Way as a test of faith. Some see the Way as less of a journey and more of an arena for survival, honing their swordsmanship and resolve every step of the way.

The story spans a multitude of themes from love to bitterness, from burning fighting spirit and passion to apathy and a fear of losing all you have. At first it's a standard fantasy story of travel and dramatic destinies, but by the end you will be facing more immaterial and philosophical threats while questioning every truth of this world that is seemingly built for a single purpose. What's at the end of the Way, redemption or a loss of self and purpose?

Mechanically the game is sound. There's a minigame for dueling with other wanderers on the Way in a rock/paper/scissors kind of way, mixed up by exotic techniques and mystic arts.
The standard battles and character development are interesting, too. You learn different auras, both offensive and defensive. When you level these auras up, you learn different ways to channel either destructive intent or self-improvement in the form of elemental attacks, hardened skin, noble blood, calm thinking and so forth. By the last two chapters your main arsenal of auras is delightfully fantastic and epic in themes and naming, underlining the mystic aspect of the entire world.


A Blurred Line:
My personal favourite, as well as the favourite of many others.

The game begins with an act of terror, when a single man does the unthinkable and brings down the sky in a blaze of glory and desperation.
Then we spend the rest of the game finding out why this man did what he did. Multiple interesting characters tumble together in a web of intrigue and violence in an epic scale, spanning many reaches of the world beyond the initial futuristic cityscape. Eventually the whole world is threatened, naturally, and the central conflict between our hero and his foil accelerates into a state of desperation and mutual rage that had me on the edge of my seat in an embarrassingly literal way.

The gameplay is pretty straightforward, with you traveling the world and talking to people and taking on random encounters of monsters and those who would stand before you. The twist is the characters you can get in your party and their special ability. Our hero can, for example, learn the tricks of his enemies through psychic auras. You have a lot of people you can get in your party and some of them you can only get if you follow a certain path. There's quite a lot of replay value here, as every single party member is interesting both mechanically and from a story point of view.

A word of warning, though. A Blurred Line ends on a outrageously dramatic cliffhanger, followed by a fistpumpingly awesome promise of what is to come. Sadly, after all these years, the final chapter (Line's End) never saw the light of day. Who knows, it might appear one day, but I'm not holding my breath.
The story is great as-is, but it is far from resolved. I still recommend playing the game.

That should cover all my favourites, though there are games beyond these that are worth checking out, I'm sure.
For me, the greatest offerings of RPG Maker have always been about the writing. You can do amazing things with the graphics and mechanics with a bit of code and patience, but the story has always been the thing that drags me back to these gems.

[Sipex]

Oh yeah, I played a Blurred Line and possibly Sunset over Imdahl (although not too sure about that). Was very dissapointed that Line's End never came about but it was still a great game.

Do the games work without having the proper version of RPG maker installed? I remember that you, supposively, could make RPGs which worked without having to own RPG maker but I could never get them to export right and I always had RPG maker 2000 when I was downloading these games.

[JadedDM]

Sunset Over Imdahl was depressing as hell, as I recall. Good game, though, although I'm not really sure if it qualifies as an RPG. No levels, no stats, no experience, no combat. Still interesting, though.

[Comet]

Do the games work without having the proper version of RPG maker installed? I remember that you, supposively, could make RPGs which worked without having to own RPG maker but I could never get them to export right and I always had RPG maker 2000 when I was downloading these games.

If I remember correctly, you don't need the program itself to run any of the games.
What you do need is the RTP (Runtime Package), which contains the default tilesets, sprites, music and all that.
Been a while since I played around with these, but I think some of the games themselves came with the RTP included if you downloaded them off the right sources. In any case, the RTP shouldn't be hard to find.

[Cespenar]

Sunset over Imdahl, The Way and A Blurred Line, absolute masterpieces. Heck, they were more enjoying to me than any of the 8 bit Final Fantasy games, and easily.

[KillianHawkeye]

I did get better at it though and I think that's what killed my RPG. I started raising my standards and suddenly it seemed like the first half of what I had already made needed to be completely re-done.

This is why you should play around and practice making little things before starting a big project. This is true for everything, not just RPG Maker.


If I remember correctly, you don't need the program itself to run any of the games.
What you do need is the RTP (Runtime Package), which contains the default tilesets, sprites, music and all that.

Yeah, you need to have the correct RTP installed to run most RPG Maker games. RTP is free download, easy to find on Google by searching for "RPG Maker <version> RTP download."



As for me, I tinkered around with RPG Maker before, but never had time to actually finish any projects. I think I was too ambitious, trying to design a branching storyline with multiple sidequests for gaining affiliations with various factions of NPCs.

I've used RM2000 and RMXP. I like RMXP the best. I haven't tried RMVX, mainly because I saw some screenshots and I disliked the style of the default graphics.

[Gralamin]

I've played around with it. I just never had an idea that stuck enough to go through with it.

[Sipex]

Yeah, that was the problem I was having. Getting my game to build with the RTP...

Well, if I want to play the games and they don't have the RTP I'll just hunt it down.

I've learned my lesson and this new game is going to be a lot less ambitious (I was also too ambitious) and I've already had experience with RPGMaker XP so I know what I'm actually doing.

I'm going to be making good use out of the monster sprites since there's now a sprite for every monster. I just need to figure out how to make it so they have two routes default (random or moving in a pattern) and chase the player down. Chasing down would only happen if the player got within a certain proximity of the monster of course.

[Sipex]

A question for the RPG lovers and designers out there.

I've decided to ditch the classic level up system RPGs are fitted with and I've come up with 2 alternatives. I tried to keep them fairly low key so the player doesn't have to jump through hoops to learn things and I don't have do jump through hoops to code things.

1) Level cap.
The level cap will start at 5. You can't level up anymore than that. Once you defeat a chapter boss the level cap will rise by 5. This will occur with every boss, discouraging the need to 'grind for xp'.

2) Level up at boss.
There is no experience, instead, you simply level up after defeating an end of chapter boss. This means there will only be, at most, 10 levels, but the levels will each offer large jumps in power.

On top of that, I want to stagger character improvement throughout the game as it gives you ways to improve without clearing a chapter. So all abilities and spells will be earned seperately through one of two ways.

1) Essence
You'll gain essence at certain points (beating large bosses, doing side quests, finding it while exploring, etc). This will be used to buy abilities for your party.

2) Ability books.
You'll find ability books which will teach you new powers not available for purchase with essence. Rarer than essence and earned for doing special challenges or via story to provide the player with key abilities they need.

My question to you is this: Seeing how abilities will work, which level up system would you prefer?

[Mewtarthio]

My question to you is this: Seeing how abilities will work, which level up system would you prefer?

Go with the second. Otherwise, experience ends up getting a little redundant with essence ("Why do I need XP instead of essence to buy the level-up bonuses?"). Or just cut leveling entirely.

[Sipex]

Yeah, I was leaning more towards #2 as well but I want to make sure that it's what people would be okay playing with.

Also updated my post a bit, it sounded like Essence would also be used to upgrade your characters stats but that's not true at all...although that might actually be a plausible idea.

[Gralamin]

The second idea is pretty much exactly what Chrono Cross did. And despite the game's many failings, it's core combat mechanics were neat and streamlined.

[FantasyFoxMan]

I was working on something in RPG Maker 2003 involving Sonic and multi-dimensional traveling but that sort of died a few months after I started it. :smalltongue:

[Kzickas]

The concept seems interesting, but it doesn't seem like it's meant to create the kinds of rpgs I'd want to make. Is it possible to have a battle system that isn't based on the two-teams-stand-in-lines-and-hit-each-other system?

[Sipex]

RPG Maker XP can do that, yes, you can look up some alternative battle systems coded by others you could use.

[lesser_minion]

RPG Maker XP and RPG Maker VX (i.e. both of the versions that are actually available to use legally) do allow you to design a battle system of your own if you want to -- IIUC, the previous versions were much, much, more limited.

Personally, I haven't looked at RPG Maker specifically -- while it does have one or two useful features, I'm not sure I really want to blow a whole pile of cash on them, nor do I want to get into the habit of pirating software.

Sphere is sometimes brought up as an alternative, but nothing of note has actually been achieved with it, as far as I'm aware. If I do do anything, it's most likely going to be DIY, most likely using Ruby.

[Sipex]

Oh yeah, I never plan to achieve great things.

At most, a complete game which my friends willingly play from start to finish because they actually enjoy it.

[Ceaon]

Another great game series for RPG Maker 2k3: Phantasia, by jaymonius. Gotta love it.

I've begun and cancelled some of my own games. It's just so much work - I always become way too ambitious. I have completed one game which was kinda cool, 20+ hours gameplay, 8 characters with team swapping and three possible 'jobs' each, character development and visible enemies... Too bad it crashes now every time I try to start it up :smallfrown: It seems to be missing several graphic and music files.

[Ogremindes]

I remember messing with RM2k. I made a line of sight algorithm (which I used for enemies you saw in the field before fighting) and working save points ala Chrono Trigger. I don't remember much else.

[Sipex]

I'm trying to work on a line of sight algorithm right now actually, for RMXP. I want monsters to appear on the field walking about or doing something and only chase down the player if they get close enough.

edit: And lose interest if the player gets away.

[lesser_minion]

Roguebasin (http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org/index.php?title=Main_Page) has some articles on line-of-sight, and even some Ruby snippets you might be able to adapt.

[Sipex]

Oh awesome, thanks!

[Ogremindes]

I'm trying to work on a line of sight algorithm right now actually, for RMXP. I want monsters to appear on the field walking about or doing something and only chase down the player if they get close enough.

edit: And lose interest if the player gets away.

I never used RMXP, but what I did in RM2k was have the co-ordinates of the player and the monster being constantly checked, along with the monster's facing, and when the player and monster lined up and the monster faced the right way, the monster flipped to a state where it perused the player. I was using small maps, so having the monster lose interest wasn't an issue, as it reset when leaving the screen.

[Jimp]

I loved RM2k and RM2K3. It's been a long time since I've used either though. Thanks for the nostalgia blast though :smallbiggrin::smallcool:

[Cynan Machae]

I used to work on a RPG a while ago (and I really need to continue it, it was doing well). I was using RM2K, was fitting for what I wanted to do and I prefer the graphical look to the XP. Almsot had 5 hours worth of gameplay into it, but 20-25 times the work put into it o.o

I made a trailer of it back then: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQlaN1Hgkv0

Anyway good look with your project, it's really a lot of work

[Sipex]

Oh yeah, these things always take a lot of time.

But as long as you're doing it for yourself it's always worth it.

[Jamin]

I'm a huge fan of RPG Maker 2000, though I'm nowhere near good enough to make anything brilliant with it. That said, I do know brilliance when I see it and these games and series definitely count:

Legion Saga:
A trilogy of games, made in the style of the popular Suikoden games. Become a fighting man, raise an army, fill your castle with characters of varying personalities and rise against tyranny and injustice in a clash of swords, armies and wills. Includes minigames for, at least, sword duels and massive field battles between entire armies.

The first game uses the standard resources that come with RPG Maker 2000, so it looks pretty bland. The writing was good enough from the very beginning, though, and by the second game everything gets a boost in production values and I was invested into this world of fantasy and war with all my heart, raising my legion to become the mightiest of them all. The third game ends on a bad note, I thought, but overall the series is great both as a story and as a demonstration of what RPG Maker can do with a bit of effort.

Sunset Over Imdahl:
This is a time-travel story set in a fantastic yet down-to-earth world. The entire game takes place in a single city under siege, presented in stunning graphics that go above and beyond what tilesets, the standard RPG Maker graphic style, can do.
It's more of an adventure game and a tech demo than a full-blown RPG, but still well worth checking out for the great story, amazing graphics and some technical cleverness in the form of minigames and quest lines.


NigSek: A Monster's Tail:
Based on one of the few fanfics I have actually read, the game takes place in the world of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
You take on the role of NigSek, a legendary beast that defeated a cosmic horror and saved the world with the help of his friends, one of whom was Link, the legendary Hero of Time.

Now you find out that something is going back in time to the Hero's place of birth in the land of Hyrule, intent on warping the timestream by robbing the world of one of its bravest heroes.

You dive into this historical period, but the journey splits NigSek in half. The two halves find that they have become individual beings, like brothers that are each only a shadow of the original Nigsek's might. Together they must learn to live in this strange land and accept their newfound identities as something both lesser and greater than what they were before while finding and protecting the family and community that will one day bring forth the Hero of Time.

It's a sandbox game where you live out your life in Hyrule, solving sidequests and exploring the environment. Every now and then there are major story events, with gorgeous animated cutscenes and dramatic plot twists that are full of great winks and nods towards Zelda fans.

Mechanically it's excellent, with great graphics and a day/night mechanic that makes living out your days in Hyrule very immersive. A great experience for fans of the Zelda series and worth checking out for anyone else just for the technical execution of the sandbox.

The Way:

A series of six games, widely celebrated as the best thing to come out of RPG Maker. Live the life of a swordsman as he wanders the Way, a world that is both physically and culturally a neverending pilgrimage without an end in sight.

The story and world are brilliant. You run into a multitude of interesting personalities and communities, all of which have resolved to tackle the Way in different ways. Some walk along willingly, intent in their belief that the end is just around the corner. Some settle down and build cities, which labels them as heretics in the eyes of those who see the Way as a test of faith. Some see the Way as less of a journey and more of an arena for survival, honing their swordsmanship and resolve every step of the way.

The story spans a multitude of themes from love to bitterness, from burning fighting spirit and passion to apathy and a fear of losing all you have. At first it's a standard fantasy story of travel and dramatic destinies, but by the end you will be facing more immaterial and philosophical threats while questioning every truth of this world that is seemingly built for a single purpose. What's at the end of the Way, redemption or a loss of self and purpose?

Mechanically the game is sound. There's a minigame for dueling with other wanderers on the Way in a rock/paper/scissors kind of way, mixed up by exotic techniques and mystic arts.
The standard battles and character development are interesting, too. You learn different auras, both offensive and defensive. When you level these auras up, you learn different ways to channel either destructive intent or self-improvement in the form of elemental attacks, hardened skin, noble blood, calm thinking and so forth. By the last two chapters your main arsenal of auras is delightfully fantastic and epic in themes and naming, underlining the mystic aspect of the entire world.


A Blurred Line:
My personal favourite, as well as the favourite of many others.

The game begins with an act of terror, when a single man does the unthinkable and brings down the sky in a blaze of glory and desperation.
Then we spend the rest of the game finding out why this man did what he did. Multiple interesting characters tumble together in a web of intrigue and violence in an epic scale, spanning many reaches of the world beyond the initial futuristic cityscape. Eventually the whole world is threatened, naturally, and the central conflict between our hero and his foil accelerates into a state of desperation and mutual rage that had me on the edge of my seat in an embarrassingly literal way.

The gameplay is pretty straightforward, with you traveling the world and talking to people and taking on random encounters of monsters and those who would stand before you. The twist is the characters you can get in your party and their special ability. Our hero can, for example, learn the tricks of his enemies through psychic auras. You have a lot of people you can get in your party and some of them you can only get if you follow a certain path. There's quite a lot of replay value here, as every single party member is interesting both mechanically and from a story point of view.

A word of warning, though. A Blurred Line ends on a outrageously dramatic cliffhanger, followed by a fistpumpingly awesome promise of what is to come. Sadly, after all these years, the final chapter (Line's End) never saw the light of day. Who knows, it might appear one day, but I'm not holding my breath.
The story is great as-is, but it is far from resolved. I still recommend playing the game.

That should cover all my favourites, though there are games beyond these that are worth checking out, I'm sure.
For me, the greatest offerings of RPG Maker have always been about the writing. You can do amazing things with the graphics and mechanics with a bit of code and patience, but the story has always been the thing that drags me back to these gems.

How do you play these games do you have to download the software or what

[lesser_minion]

How do you play these games do you have to download the software or what

Most RPG maker games are packaged as a ZIP file that contains everything you need to play the game, although you'll sometimes have to download the standard RPG maker resources as well.

[Sipex]

As a bit of an update on my game progress.

I implemented a chase/LOS system very similar to the one suggested here. Basically all my monsters are parallel processes which check the co-oridnates of the player vs their current co-ordinates. If the difference is within a certain range (ie -5 to 5 for a giant bee) on both axis and the monster is facing the proper direction (ie: so the player would be in the 180 degree area which classifies as it's 'front half') it swaps to 'chase mode'. While in this mode a monster can be wandering around, standing still or even hiding.

Chase mode is very similar, the monster constantly checking it's coordinates against the hero's while it's set to follow. If it's co-ordinates extend beyond a certain range (ie: -8 and 8 for giant bees) then it gets disinterested and swaps back to it's default state or a third state (some hiding monsters stay out in the open after losing interest). If it's co-ordinate difference from the player is within -1 and 1 (inclusive) then the battle initiates.

This also gives the player the opportunity to sneak up on monsters for a surprise round.

[Driderman]

I was working on a parody RPG with RPGmaker VX a while back.
Unfortunately, I got stuck on some animation issue and lost interest.
I even had a cow-rescuing quest and a generic farm-boy-turns-hero first chapter pretty much done.
I told myself I intended to take up working on it again at a later date, but then I forgot to back it up when I formatted my computer.

I guess my main problem with RPGmaker is I don't know anything about scripting/programming or graphical design, so I'm stuck with whatever sprites I can rip off the internet and everything is trial and error, until it works or I give up.
That, and a I have a short attention span :)

[Sipex]

I can't design graphics to save my life so I'm making it a key point to avoid that this time around. I'll create a game, even if I use the default RTP all the way through.

[Driderman]

I can't design graphics to save my life so I'm making it a key point to avoid that this time around. I'll create a game, even if I use the default RTP all the way through.

That was my intention as well, but then I suddenly needed a "lying down, bleeding" sprite of a character and was thoroughly annoyed at my inability to provide one.

[Sipex]

Ahh, ouch, I can see why that would be annoying. I had the same problem with my last game which was done in RM2000 (I have had failed projects in RM2003 and XP as well but they never got far enough for me to consider games). It started out small, I needed a prone sprite of the hero. Then got bigger. I need better forest tilesets and more original monsters, and an original menu and...you get the point.

I find basic RPGmaker isn't good for deep story games because that brings up the need for custom graphics. Suddenly you need your hero to have a range of emotions and that either requires battle animations (easy) or a range of custom sprites (hard).

[Acheron]

Wow, that brings back memories. Years ago I was working on a few game ideas I had: The fun I had making those animations of spells, techniques, etc. look great, the joy I felt creating huge lists of items, the frustration that consumed me when trying to program a different battle system which sometimes seemed to work and sometimes not (even though I followed guidelines, gorramit!)...the horror that crushed me when my computer crashed and sinking all my work into oblivion...I tried starting again but it simply wasn't the same anymore...then my computer crashed again and I gave up, never starting over again...


I find basic RPGmaker isn't good for deep story games because that brings up the need for custom graphics. Suddenly you need your hero to have a range of emotions and that either requires battle animations (easy) or a range of custom sprites (hard).

Since I was mostly doing anime-esque games, I was quite comfortable using emoticon bubbles...though I did add smiles and such to avatars portraits, if I used them.

[Sipex]

Oh hey, this thread still exists.

Yeah, the classic story seems to be 'My PC died and ate my data.' because these games take so long to make. I might consider making a backup of mine. I'm also preparing a demo but having trouble writing for the game. Everything I come up with sounds bad or corny.

[Driderman]

I've been working on an RPG Maker creation for the last 2 weeks or so and now that I'm finally done with the first chapter of it, I thought I'd put it up for the merciless critique of the GITP forums.

This is my first real work in RPGMaker VX. I fiddled a bit with it a year ago or so, but ended up losing all my work to a computer malfunction.
Seeing as I'm only learning the ropes of the program, its pretty stock fantasy fare, clichéd some might even say :)
Although I haven't aimed for distinctive humorous approach, hopefully one or two situations may raise a smile.

As for critique, please go ahead and let loose. Spelling errors, grammatical errors, plot inconsistencies, mapmaking errors etc.
English isn't my first language so there might be some odd syntaxes (??) at times, but better to get them now than when this abomination is complete.
I'm especially interested in opinions on how the dialogue comes off. I have a tendency to grow a bit verbose at times I feel, so if you think some of the plot expositions (the few that there are for now) drag on for too long, or are too short please let me know.

If you have any sort of suggestions or experiences with RPG Maker VX you want to share, that would be great too. Like I said, I pretty much a newbie a this so any advice would probably be useful.

People who have worked with RPG Maker themselves will also note that I've left the file unencrypted so if you feel like opening it up and taking a look inside go ahead. Any insights gleaned from this would be very useful to me.

In any case and without further ado, I present to you Unlikely Cliché: Farmgrown Hero, Chapter 1!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HO1W0ZK9

https://rapidshare.com/files/2608426832/Unlikely_Clich___Farmgrown_Hero_WIP.rar

Note that the RTP is included so just unzip and install to directory of choice.

Edit: You can play as either male or female, which at the moment has little other effect than making more work for me, other than a few lines here and there. Also, I just realised the main character is still named "Testo" by default :smallredface: