I was looking at RPG Maker on steam. Was wondering if anyone had any experience playing it or working with it. Is it worth the effort? I enjoy tooling around with things like this, but don't wanna waste my money.
If you're looking to make a game in that style it's probably your best option. However, if you're looking to learn something transferable then there might be more upside learning Unity or Unreal. Also, both have market places which may or may not have a 2D RPG engine available (don't know for sure). I doubt it would be as feature rich as RPG Maker, though.
I personally only used RPG Maker XP for years because that is the most graphically advanced of the versions (Doesn't mean much really).
If what you want to do is just fool around and maybe make/finish some games, there's plenty of support from people if you search around. Learning to code yourself might also be a more viable solution instead of relying on others if you intend to make a paid game. The same goes for graphics and sounds.
If you're looking to make a game in that style it's probably your best option. However, if you're looking to learn something transferable then there might be more upside learning Unity or Unreal. Also, both have market places which may or may not have a 2D RPG engine available (don't know for sure). I doubt it would be as feature rich as RPG Maker, though.
Couldn't agree more! If you're looking for 'easy step-in' scripting, then I'd advice Unity because it supports both C# and JavaScript, while Unreal only supports C++. In my experience, C++ is harder to learn than both C# and JS, while they're all 3 equally powerful...
If OP really wants to give RPGMaker a try, I advice to wait till the next Steam sale (or just a regular discound, which happens a lot as well) - it's always very cheap during that period. Also keep an eye on Humble Bundle (.com) because it's been there as a bargain more than once as well and for~$5 for a whole package you can't really go wrong
I've used both Unity and RPG Maker. I'm just a hobbyist fooling around. 1st note is what Reizla said. It goes on sale all the time, wait for a sale.
Unity is fine for a noob. I don't know anything about C# or Java or any other current programing language. With no skills, just a desire to learn, I used the Unity community forums and YouTube to make a world and a character who could run around and sling fireballs. I can't call it a game but it was fun to do that much and see what is involved. It took about two weeks, I probably invested 10-15 hours. There are step-by-step videos on youtube.
If noob like me can do it, then anyone can. Unity is not bad if you are willing to spend some time learning.
RPG Maker is straight forward. If you are good at story telling you can do some cool things with it. I suck at story telling Since the graphics are behind the times the story becomes the important part of the project.
What ever you do, have some fun with it!!!
Edit: To clarify. In Unity I made a 3D world and character model, not a 2D.
thanks all. Unity seems kinda advanced. Is is possible for a noob to get into it?
Yes? It's a bit of a loaded question because there is almost always some sort of programming in the background. RPG Maker probably allows you the ability to make something with as little knowledge of coding as possible. Unity would probably be the next easiest to get into.
Also, there are lots of good Unity tutorials on YouTube, for the visual learners out there. If you want somthing a little more structured, though, check out uDemy.com . Last year I bought about 20 courses in everything from animation to Unity to Unreal for my sons to learn from. They actually have courses which teach you to program for Unity by building ACTUAL games in Unity. So by the end of it, you should have a pretty good idea of not only how to make games with Unity, but how games in general are constructed. The only problem is that it may be cost prohibitive. I managed to get the courses last New Year during a crazy New Year sale where all courses were $10, so I just snatched up a ton. I probably got $2000 worth of courses for $200. I figured even if my kids got through 1 each it would be worth it. Plus I picked up a Blender (modelling) and Unreal tutorial for myself (which I haven't done yet), so I really couldn't lose.
thanks all. Unity seems kinda advanced. Is is possible for a noob to get into it?
If you just want to have fun and make some cool 2d rpgs then I recommend getting rpg maker when its on sale. If you want to learn all about game development, learn how to code, and spend countless hours studying/practising all that, then Unity is a good choice.
It will be pretty frustrating if you come in with expectations that after 15 hours of lessons in Unity you can be up and running: there is a hell of a lot to learn and most of it requires constant practice to be proficient at. You will soon realize with Unity that you need to learn how to program in C#. Learning that in itself is quite an undertaking, and Unity is actually not a good place to learn how to program (imo) because of the way it is set up.
However, if you spent that 15 hours on rpg maker tutorials and practice you will be able to make decent 2d rpgs, with nice maps, graphics, and ai. And its actually quite fun to use if you are into that kind of thing.
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Crazkanuk
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Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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If what you want to do is just fool around and maybe make/finish some games, there's plenty of support from people if you search around. Learning to code yourself might also be a more viable solution instead of relying on others if you intend to make a paid game. The same goes for graphics and sounds.
For example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz8XYJs3OTo&list=PLbvEp3Di6T0hxOZAR8PLWujNr_JChGL6u&index=3
This was one of the numerous games I attempted to do but eventually stopped. I'm way too ambitious :P People liked the demo tough.
If OP really wants to give RPGMaker a try, I advice to wait till the next Steam sale (or just a regular discound, which happens a lot as well) - it's always very cheap during that period. Also keep an eye on Humble Bundle (.com) because it's been there as a bargain more than once as well and for~$5 for a whole package you can't really go wrong
I self identify as a monkey.
I'm sure there are some tutorials, but I doubt it's as easy as RPG Maker to start off.
Unity is fine for a noob. I don't know anything about C# or Java or any other current programing language. With no skills, just a desire to learn, I used the Unity community forums and YouTube to make a world and a character who could run around and sling fireballs. I can't call it a game but it was fun to do that much and see what is involved. It took about two weeks, I probably invested 10-15 hours. There are step-by-step videos on youtube.
If noob like me can do it, then anyone can. Unity is not bad if you are willing to spend some time learning.
RPG Maker is straight forward. If you are good at story telling you can do some cool things with it. I suck at story telling
What ever you do, have some fun with it!!!
Edit: To clarify. In Unity I made a 3D world and character model, not a 2D.
I self identify as a monkey.
Yes? It's a bit of a loaded question because there is almost always some sort of programming in the background. RPG Maker probably allows you the ability to make something with as little knowledge of coding as possible. Unity would probably be the next easiest to get into.
Also, there are lots of good Unity tutorials on YouTube, for the visual learners out there. If you want somthing a little more structured, though, check out uDemy.com . Last year I bought about 20 courses in everything from animation to Unity to Unreal for my sons to learn from. They actually have courses which teach you to program for Unity by building ACTUAL games in Unity. So by the end of it, you should have a pretty good idea of not only how to make games with Unity, but how games in general are constructed. The only problem is that it may be cost prohibitive. I managed to get the courses last New Year during a crazy New Year sale where all courses were $10, so I just snatched up a ton. I probably got $2000 worth of courses for $200. I figured even if my kids got through 1 each it would be worth it. Plus I picked up a Blender (modelling) and Unreal tutorial for myself (which I haven't done yet), so I really couldn't lose.
Crazkanuk
----------------
Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
----------------
It will be pretty frustrating if you come in with expectations that after 15 hours of lessons in Unity you can be up and running: there is a hell of a lot to learn and most of it requires constant practice to be proficient at. You will soon realize with Unity that you need to learn how to program in C#. Learning that in itself is quite an undertaking, and Unity is actually not a good place to learn how to program (imo) because of the way it is set up.
However, if you spent that 15 hours on rpg maker tutorials and practice you will be able to make decent 2d rpgs, with nice maps, graphics, and ai. And its actually quite fun to use if you are into that kind of thing.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson