Look at what I caused...

No, wait, I didn't cause this. I was trying to defend the battle system. I think. Anyway, at its core (emphisas on "at its core"), RPGM3's battle system isn't really that interesting. I don't find it slow because of the turn guages. It's because after you select the attack, your character steps forward, pause, swings weapon, pause, enemy is hit, says "hit", says the damage, then your character steps back. Using items is just as slow, as your character holds up the item and the item is shown using a long-but-boring sparkly effect before the actual effect animation takes place.

In order to really make the battles interesting, you have to take advantage of as many of its features as you can. There's only a scant few status effects available for use, but might as well use them. And of course, elemental attacks help make things more interesting, as you have to think about what attack you're using. Even moreso if the enemy you're fighting has a super-high physical defense. And nice to see there's extra effects that can take place, such as one-time-auto-revive. But you gotta take advantage of these features, or else your RPGM3 just turns into a sluggish hack-and-slash.

As I've said, the story is my main focus. My overall gameplay may suffer because of that, but I'm not looking to make the end all be all game of rpg maker. Sure I can add status effects, and an elemental system, but is it really going to make that much of a difference? In my opinion, it just doesn't matter. I mean out of all the rpgm 3 games, I'm sure theres plenty of well thought out battle systems and such, but that's not what I'm making my game for. If I want good battle systems, and the like, I'll go to mainstream rpg games for that. What rpg maker is about, is creating your own story, at least that's what it's about for me anyway.

Yeah I want everyone to love my game, but the fact is, that's not gonna happen. If someone likes my game, it's gonna be because of the story. That's the only thing that can set my game apart from others, is the story, with rpgm 3's battle system, there isn't going to be much difference from one game to another. That's why I think story is even more important in making an rpgm 3 game, where battle system doesn't allow too much variety. I'm not trying to bash anyone who pushes the battle system to it's limits and makes it as fun as possible, but that's just not what I'm in to.

As far as getting off topic, it's no problem. I understand things like to be kept more on-topic, but as long as my topic doesn't get destroyed by it, I don't really mind. So it's probably best to just make a new topic if you want to talk about the battle system more, or feel free to respond to my post, as it is on topic.

Yeah, I think you had the right idea, Yusuke. RPGM3 battles don't look
any different regardless of how much you try to spice it up. The battle
screen is still gonna look like the battles in anyone else's game.

It's the story, character dialogue, town design, field map design, and
dungeon layouts that will separate your creation from everyone else's.
And items if you get creative with them.

I think the battles are the least customizable part of the equation here.
The story, characterization, and dialogue being the most customizable. In
terms of world design, field maps are the most customizable, followed by
dungeon floorplans, followed by towns.

Anyway, you are wise, my friend. Wiser than I. I didn't realize how much
the battles in my own creation weren't all that unique until I started
playing other RPGM3 games. There are differences in play styles, but it
doesn't look any different.

I'm also glad I didn't go with random battles, with rpgm 3's system...I wouldn't want to play a game like that. No offense to anyone that does, but if I want old school style games with battles all the time, I'll just go with the real old school games.

I know overall, once I finish my game, and submit for a review, my score most likely won't be too good. Because based on the reviews I've read, certain areas won't get too good of a score, but that's ok with me. As long as I finish the game, and at least someone else enjoys it, that's good enough for me.

I'm anxious to get feedback once I finish, because I'm really hard on myself. I'm constantly looking at my dialouge and thinking it's not good enough. I'm not a writer or anything, I don't really enjoy it, but I'm trying to do the best I can with the time I have. Which also makes me want to finish faster so I can get to that feedback faster. *Goes to work on game.

And here's another update for anyone that cares. If I really went all out, I could probably finish by the end of the month, but I don't see myself doing that. I just finished a 150 key storyteller, and have another one written on paper, but not in the game yet. It's probably gonna be about 80-100 or so. And that's really all I've done today, overall spent about 3-4 hours writing on paper and then doing the actual storyteller(s).

I suppose that's why it doesn't feel like I get a lot done, I do 2-3 storytellers and it takes me that much time. I guess writing on paper first is making it take longer, considering it takes me about an hour to think up the dialouge for storytellers that big, then it takes about another hour to put it in the game. I find it speeds up my actual time when doing the storytellers, but at the same time it slows it down because I could just be thinking it up while I'm in the storyteller. Bah, oh well I'm getting closer and closer with each one I finish anyway. Guess you just gotta stay positive about it.

If I can make myself do at least 1 storyteller on average a day, I can be done sometime next month, but I'm not sure if I can even do that. Odin Sphere is coming out on the 22nd, and I had never even heard of the game until today, but looking at it has me interested. So I'm not sure if I'll get that or not, if I do it's going to push back the release even further. Alright, that's all for now I guess.

Well I'm back again, appears I'm all talk though. I haven't done much at all, if anything since the last time I posted. For some reason when I take a break, it tends to last for a month or longer, but I'm gonna try to work on my game some more now. Hopefully I can stick with it long enough to get a decent amount done before I need another break, but who knows. I'll finish it eventually, I can say that...lol.

Is Shadow Souls inspried by Shadow Hearts?

Do you plan on having the same type of conventions:

shapeshifter, person who finds a weapon, quirky humor, dark environments?

Well, I'd say Shadow Hearts helped inspire it. A lot of the rpgs I've played I could say the same about though, mostly just thought up a story that I thought was good, wrote it down and then a month or so later I found out about rpgm 3 and knew that I could do it.

I do not have a shapeshifter, the most in common with Shadow Hearts would have to be the dark aspect of the game. I did however come up with the name Shadow Souls based off Shadow Hearts...if it wasn't easy enough to tell arleady.

Y'know, i'm not new to this forum, i've been here since RPG MAker 3 dropped and i've been using RPG Makers since RPG Maker 2003, and of all the makers i've come across, you remind me of myself the most, mainly at this point

becuase as your making your game with that dedication of story of most, and hoping to make an enjoyable game that others will enoy, i'm over here doing the same thing and i don't have to long to go but i'd be lieing if i said i was 1/2 way,

i'm no newb to RPG Maker, i've done tutorials and reviews for 2003, the whole nine and i want you to try my game, when i release it in a few weeks, as i will be playing yours

P.S - Those long Story Tellers are really time consuming
i spent an ahour on what was 100-something keys

I hope you know that RPG Maker 2003 (and 2000) was illegally translated and put up on the internet for free leading to the developer losing out on major profit and thus is not supported here. RPG Maker XP is okay though, so long as you bought it.

I'd be more then happy to try your game, and a number of other games as well, if I ever get around to finishing mine. I'm still debating whether or not to make another game after I finish this one, as I already know everything to do, it's just a matter of whether or not I feel like putting myself through making another game.

I don't like too much, just need to do more storytellers, and then some more after that...yeah. Guess I'll get on that.

True, I was starting to comtemplate if i wanted to do another story aswell, but as it was in its baby stages in my mind i decided to hold off on it and take one element out the new idea and implement it in the game i'm Creating.

Also, although making a story is easy for me and dialouge is nothing too difficult, do you have tips on how you place your dialouge, becuase i believe mind may be to revealing towards what i try to keep secret in the game, or that the text may be plain out cheesy/boring at times, too frequent in my mind.


and to the poster above:
Yes, I am completely aware of 2000/2003's illegal status, although unaware of its prevention of discussion on this forum, still i am one of the many who believe that XP wouldn't have been presented in the way it was if it weren't for us "pirate" downloaders who simply wanted to make a game. But i will respect the rules and never speak of said programs again.

I tend to have the same problem with dialouge myself. So I try to keep things vague somewhat, I mean twists can come out of no where if their explained good enough, you don't always have to leave hints as to what's coming. More often then not, at least when I play games, the hints give it away to me, I'm rarely surprised at twists in games now days.

I'm not really sure, I guess I just think if I were playing it and I read something, would that give it away to me. Or just when I'm writing a story teller, and I write something down, I'll change it if I think it's too revealing. Even little things like changing "her" or "he" to "they", "it" things like that. I also think my text might be cheesy and boring, but there isn't really much I can do about it. No one else is gonna write it for me, so if that's how it turns out, then that's how it is. Hell Draygone even acknowledged he could tell I put some effort into my dialouge, and that was just from a short preview, so I'm sure people will see the effort, even if it's not the best writing.

Also the thing with my other idea for a game is, I already know the whole story, characters, and how I want to do everything basically. But I know it will take awhile to complete it, so I don't really know if I'm up to it. Anyway, I guess finishing my first game is more important then that. I'm getting pretty close, only about 3-4 boss battles to go, and give or take 10 storytellers or so. Then I need to do some touch ups with other things, but I'm not gonna put a timetable on anything, as I could very easily lose interest and need a break. So I'm just taking it one day at a time here.

Alright I've finally gotten around to putting in the party change event. Having some difficulties with it right now. First off, in the Edit Mem event, I was fairly certain I had it all set up correctly. When I test it out, it goes like this:

What do you want to do?

Yes No

Clicking on yes just brings up "Add a member" and saying no brings up "Remove a member", but after that nothing else happens, it doesn't bring up a list of members to add or remove.

Second, I'm not positive, but I think the actual "join party" event goes in the Add/Remove Event code, but the problem is I have 49 events in it, without even adding any "join party" codes in there....so how do I fix this? Do I simply just have too many party members to choose from(7, plus 2 more tabs to get to each set of characters)? I'll go look over that topic at the pav some more, but I doubt I'll see anything right away.

Well I'm stumped, I can't seem to figure it out. I'll just copy and paste from the pav:

QA Branch
[What do you want to do?]

>[Add a member]
>Value Cond. Branch [2 choices]
->[Variable 1 <3>Event Transition [Add/Rem- Mode 1]

->[Variable 1 = 3]
->Display message: But your party is full!
End event

>[Remove a member]
>Value Cond. Branch (2 options again)
->[Variable 1 <1>Event Transition [Add/Rem- Mode 2]

->[Variabl 1 = 1]
-> Display Message: You don't have any other party members.
End event

>[Nothing]
End event

I assumed the bold parts were supposed to be message displays? But he spefically points out "display message" at other parts, so I'm thinking I need something else besides display messages on those parts. Other then that it looks like an exact copy of what he has layed out there, that goes for the add/remove part as well. Again though, on his lay out it doesn't say to actually put the "join party" code in there...but you would have to I would think. And as I said I don't have room to put those in as the limit is 50 codes and I'm at 49. So I need a solution to that as well.

The problem seems to be that even though I have the event transition code in there, it doesn't seem to be transitioning to the add/remove event...so...HELP!

You need to have the thing transition to another event. It won't transition
to another mode in the same event. So place another event, like a potted
plant or some decorative object, have your "real" event transition to a
mode in the potted plant (which transitions back to another mode in
the "real" event). Put the potted plant in a corner and hem it in with jars
or some sort of deco so the player can't accidentally trigger it.

I do have it transition to another event, I have it transition to the add/remove event, which is out in the water somewhere so the player can't touch it. I made the 3 events like it said, but I'm obviously missing something. Unless I missunderstood what you were trying say there, but from what I can tell I have it like that already.

Anybody? I haven't worked on it since then, was kind of hoping for a way to fix it, and I don't feel like messing with it anymore then I already did.

Are you sure the problem isn't in the add/remove event that it transisitons to?

Have you tried creating a test event with an easy confirmation like a message display "OK" or a screen flashing, or the music changin, to have it transition to instead so that you can make sure that it is not in fact transitioning but to a faulty event?

Yeah I tried making it transition to just another event with a display message, but nothing happened. I'll just list out the entire code for the event itself, and see if you guys see something.

1. QA Branch - What do you want to do?
2. Yes/Start
3. Message Display - Add a member
4. Val-Cond. Branch - Shared Variables(60<3, 60=3)
5. Option 1/Start
6. Event Transitions - Add/Remove mode 1
7. Option 1/End
8. Option 2/Start
9. Message Display - Party is full
10. Option 2/End
11. End Branch
12. Yes/End
13. No/Start
14. Message Display - Remove a member
15. Val-Cond. Branch - Shared Variables (60<1, 60=1)
16. Option 1/Start
17. Event Transitions - Add/Remove mode 2
18. Option 1/End
19. Option 2/Start
20. Message Display - There are no other party members
21. Option 2/End
22. End Branch
23. Message Display - Nothing
24. Event Ending
25. No/End
26. End Branch

At first I thought maybe it was the Event Ending code on 24, but I deleted it and it still doesn't transition. Then I thought maybe it's my variables, but that's why I chose 60 cause I knew I hadn't used it for anything, but maybe I did and forgot. Not sure if that would mess up the transition though, I could go put it on 30 or something, I know for sure I haven't used it. Any ideas?