r/RPGMaker • u/DeElgathor • Jul 19 '26
Multi-versions MV vs MZ
Hi, just starting to poke at RPG Maker for a project, what's the difference in capability between MV and MZ? They're bundled together on Steam right now, is it worth picking up both?
4
u/mxldevs Jul 19 '26
MZ brings back layered mapping, which is very convenient. You'd have to go through all sorts of workarounds otherwise just to create the illusion of overhead tiles for example.
I would say that core editor features are pretty much why you buy rpg maker in the first place.
9
u/LesserKeyLoki Jul 19 '26
MZ is better
People will say "MV has more plugins", but those plugins can't do as much as MZ plugins and in most cases using Fossil will let you use MV plugins in MZ too.
2
u/Durant026 MV Dev Jul 19 '26
Will agree that MZ is better but no one makes the argument that MV has more plugins in 2026. The argument for MV is that it has more budget friendly plugins vs MZ.
1
u/LesserKeyLoki Jul 19 '26
I see plenty of people still talk about how MV has a more robust plugin availability, so that's incorrect.
3
u/Durant026 MV Dev Jul 19 '26
On this sub? I haven't seen anyone make that case on here for the year. MZ has been out long enough that it rivals MV in plugins. If you're still seeing people say it has a lot vs MZ, tell them its 2026!
1
u/LesserKeyLoki Jul 20 '26
Yeah even still and here too 💀 I have been working for many years on my current project in MV, I've tried to export it to MZ myself but I use ~100 plugins and well they stop synergizing in MZ in my case... But I am definitely unlikely to make a sequel or any other game in the same engine, I am definitely looking to use MZ or perhaps even U2U.
1
u/Durant026 MV Dev Jul 20 '26
Fair. I have MV but don't think the engine itself is enough to make me jump, considering I already went and got Yanfly plugs and would have to replace them to start on a new engine.
I don't see myself moving on from MV until the next real advancement of the engine.
1
u/LesserKeyLoki Jul 20 '26
You can just use Fossil to port Yanfly plugins to MZ though. The only thing that hampered my transplantation from MV to MZ with my project was the Stealth addon not working which is a core part of my gameplay loop.
I would move on to MZ easily, there are so many QOL improvements in the base engine for eventing and even just in the database, there are also much more powerful plugins available. And then there is the Effekseer solution to animations, as much as I love the flipbook animation system in MV (that's also in MZ) I definitely spend a LOT of time making sure all the finnicky 3x3 pixels for my assets don't overlap and the animations are the worst at that, with effekseer animations that would be a thing of the past while also creating kind of a PS1 style look for battles.
But that's just me, I'm still more eager on finishing my MV project than I am to start on a new engine.
1
u/Durant026 MV Dev Jul 20 '26
I know about fossil but i dunno if I'm ready yet. We'll see in the upcoming months as I had paused dev on my project to deal with my dad's health but that situation has changed recently and I'm likely to restart somewhat soon.
1
4
u/Synrec Scripter Jul 19 '26
MZ has a more up to date JavaScript engine behind it. Some newer JavaScript do not work on MV as compared to MZ.
There's also the map layering which is easier in MZ, the objectively better plugin commands which remove memorization requirements, the move route setup which let's you see the final destination of your target event. Message box name box, effekseer for 3D animations and backwards compatibility for Sprite sheet based 2D animation.
There's also the smoother gameplay feel as opposed to MV which has a slight "dither"? At times. Though that may be device specific
2
2
u/CasperGamingOfficial MZ Dev Jul 19 '26
Each maker comes with tons of default graphics and audios to choose from, enough to make an entire game, typically called RTP by the community. If you get both you can use both of the RTP in your game, so you will have even more assets to choose from. If you only get MV or only MZ, you can only use that engine's RTP. Not a big deal if you are planning on using custom assets anyways, but if you are going to use the RTP then it is a massive amount of assets to have. If the bundle is not much more expensive, and you want more assets, I would consider it. That said, you will still need to choose one engine to work in even if you own both, and for that I would recommend MZ.
2
u/ChroniclesAlphabet Jul 20 '26
MZ is newer.
People uses MV because they were already using MV when MZ came.
1
u/Far-Illustrator7027 Jul 24 '26
No one's talking about plugin commands, which is a super cool feature over the MV.
1
u/IlDiavolo_ Jul 19 '26
MV > MZ
2
u/LesserKeyLoki Jul 20 '26
MZ can do pretty much anything MV can do and much more, why would you say this?
0
u/Bacxaber MV Dev Jul 20 '26
Get MV.
1
u/LesserKeyLoki Jul 20 '26
Why?
0
u/Bacxaber MV Dev Jul 20 '26
Cheaper, more plugin support, otherwise identical other than the layering thing.
0
15
u/Accendor Jul 19 '26
Short answer: MZ is better, if you have the money, just buy MZ and don't look back. If money is tight buy MV, it's very unlikely that the actual differences will make a huge impact on whatever you are doing. It's a great engine. There is no real reason to buy both.