Examples such as talking to someone multiple times and getting varied results or getting different options based on how far into the game you are, are hard to accomplish without the help of Professor Google. Even through a lot of the simple events like chat and shops are easy to get going, more complicated events are obscured. Events are central to making RPG Maker MV do what you want it to do, and unfortunately it stumbles over the same documentation hurdle as the rest of the engine. The event system in RPG Maker MV is used for everything, including door transitions, planned encounters, shops, and all the way up to giving the player new abilities and teammates. Like previous titles, that functionality is there in the event system. But this is RPG Maker, and RPG's require a good narrative, and the ability to make that is something that RPG Maker MV requires to even be considered for use.
I was able to change the way the characters stats increase using the inbuilt stat curve generator in no time flat, I was even able to make a two stage boss in mere seconds using the mechanics that already existed. I could then take all that and add them to a shop or include them as quest items with relative ease. I was able to create a few different types of armor which different characters could equip, each with different accessories that increase different stats. But that isn't where RPG Maker MV excels, it excels in letting you create complex skill trees, armor sets, weapon sets, and character progression. Create a character, load in a map, create a dungeon, add some enemies, this can all be done in about 15 minutes. These two features, coupled with the large library of pre made assets, makes making a basic game very simple. This can be a great way to cut the amount of time it takes to add new dungeons in, especially working in tandem with the random encounter mechanics included with RPG Maker MV. I was able to create ten distinct characters in about 5 minutes thanks to the handy randomize button, and they all looked fantastic, and you can actually save the parameters in case you want to tweak it later. Another great feature is the Dungeon Generator, which grants the ability to create randomly generated dungeons based on either a maze or room based layout and using a tileset of your choosing. That said, the speed at which this all works was the most impressive thing about it. The Character Generator will take all these options and allow you to export all the required sprite sheets that RPG Maker MV requires.
My favorite feature was the Character Generator, which allows you to generate a 2D representation of a character based on nineteen parameters, which include face shape, skin color, clothing, and most importantly, beard. This is something that you need to consider before even continuing on in this review and thinking about making a purchase, can you handle the severe lack of documentation at your disposal? If you can get past all that, I have good news, the rest of RPG Maker MV is really good!Īfter stumbling over the initial hurdle, I managed to get the hang of the features included, which are extensive to say the least. For more advanced topics I had to go to forums and various sites of dubious credibility.
Reading the documentation included with RPG Maker MV did give me a small insight into how to do certain basic things, and navigate the UI. This will most likely cause a lot of people to just say no and move on to Unity or Unreal Engine, where the amount of documentation is insanely detailed. Fumbling around in the dark is frustrating instead of fun. It may feel a bit cheap to harp on documentation first and foremost, but you have to consider this from the standpoint of someone who is using RPG Maker to make an actual game.
As a software engineer myself, who is currently working on a project with a code base of some 10,000 files, documentation is my works' lifeblood, and it's pretty much nonexistent here. The documentation is abhorrent, and that isn't a word I would use lightly.
Off to the documentation we go, and this is precisely where the problems begin.
You are greeted by a character in the middle of a field, with options and buttons and other seemingly random symbols on the screen. Firing up RPG Maker MV was a little bit overwhelming.