[General] Questions from a beginner

[Moodflows]

Hello all,

I am a new user of RPG Maker and I have used the last two weeks browsing through YouTube tutorials and experimenting with the software, creating the first scenes of my game. I have gotten to a point where I feel I need to take a step back and decide on the way ahead, in order not to spend too much time on something that may prove unfruitful.

I current plan is to create a shell of the game including the basic coding and story, putting little emphasis on the art and battle/levelling system. The thought is that these items can be completed at a later stage by a professional, if I am happy with the shell and want to spend money on the project. I also believe it would be easier to persuade someone to contribute to the project if the shell is ready. The main reason for outsourcing these items is simply that I am not a good artist nor programmer. What do you think about this approach? Is it feasible and a sound solution? How would you go about it?

As mentioned above, I am not a good programmer, so for many aspects, I am currently relying on the many plugins that exits for RM. I see there are many different engine/plugin authors, so I am wondering whether you would recommend sticking to a single author/studio or can you mix and match without many errors? Do you have any general thoughts and recommendations on which plugins/engine to use? I am using many of Yanfly's plugins, but I have seen a few from Mog (think that is the correct name) that I find interesting.

Since I am going though the art rather quickly, I use resources that are readily available including the resources on this site. What other sites do you use and recommend for free-to-use resources (tiles, FX, characters, plugins...)?

I am using the built-in character creation tool, but I find the choices limited. I have found tutorials online on how to add items to the creation tool and I have found some paid software for character creation. Is there a simple, more complete and free character creation tool out there or is the preferred method still importing the new images to the appropriate folder?

Lastly, I stumbled over Doodads yesterday. These are grid-free items you can add to your map to make them more organic (Yanfly plugin). It seems a good alternative for someone that can't do parallax mapping like myself. What are your thoughts on Doodads? Do you use it and would there be a reason why you would not recommend using them?

I realize some answers may be find online, but I am really struggling in the maze of all the information available, the different versions and identifying what tools are outdated or new. Thanks a lot for taking the time to share your thoughts and expertise :)

Moodflow

Edit 1: Strikethrough

 

[MinisterJay]

We have about 1100 resources, including 300 plugins. You CAN make parallax maps. It just takes practice, practice, and practice. I never heard of Doodads. I don't mess with Yanfly plugins; they get too many MV Support questions. I do not advertise other RPG Maker forum sites, because that may violate Rule #3, but there is a lot of artwork available on Freevector and DeviantArt.

 

[Moodflows]

Thank you for the reply.

What did you think of the first paragraphs? Have you ever started a project this way and do you think it is feasible? Instead of writing down all the dialogue and scene direction in a text file, I chose to directly make it in RPG Maker. However, I "speed through" the art, hoping it can be done once the story is complete by someone more competent than me to achieve spectacular results:) Would this work in theory?

I might look at Parallax mapping again, but at the end of the day; I would really like to collaborate with an artist. I imagine it would take me a very long time to be able to create art that is anywhere near what an experienced user can make.
From your response, I gather you can mix and match plugins across authors. I got this confirmed on Discord as well, there is a low chance of plugins interfering with each other.

I see how the question may violate rule #3. How do I strikethrough to remove it in an edit in the first post?

 

[Akod]

What did you think of the first paragraphs? Have you ever started a project this way and do you think it is feasible? Instead of writing down all the dialogue and scene direction in a text file, I chose to directly make it in RPG Maker. However, I "speed through" the art, hoping it can be done once the story is complete by someone more competent than me to achieve spectacular results:) Would this work in theory?

I have seen this done before and it is very feasible. Since art is an aspect of game making that is purely cosmetic, it can easily be changed at any time, unlike other aspects, like plugins which may cause you to have to make larger changes to the game if added later on. Just be aware that the longer you wait the more work it could take to convert all the graphics from old to new. Unless you set it up a certain way, the face graphics attached to text boxes will probably be the worst part, as you have to change them manually one by one.

As for strikeout, you can just use this bbcode.

[s][/s]