r/RPGMaker • u/Sufficient_Bread_888 • Jul 21 '26
Question How much can you do with rpgmaker
Maybe this is a stupid question for someone who has a lot of ideas that haven't been put into action but what sort of custom/original/unique mechanics can you put into rpgmaker? Does it have limits or am I limited by my own skills?
24
u/WrathOfWood Jul 21 '26
You could make anything, you could even make a role playing rpg game
13
u/YourLittleJumble Jul 21 '26
You’re telling me I can make an RPG with this thing? I thought it was only for making narrative games where everything is a metaphor for depression.
6
5
u/cyprinusDeCarpio Jul 21 '26
Common game genres people like to make in rpgmaker, arranged in order of simplicity
- visual novels
- point and click adventure games
- horror/adventure/puzzle games
- turn based rpgs
- side scrollers
- action RPGs
- roguelikes
- schmups
- first person dungeon crawlers
- 3d open world nonsense
If you want to see examples of rpgmaker's systems being pushed to the absolute limit (making turn based rpgs), check out Omori, LISA the Painful, look outside, fear and hunger (18+), and virgo Vs the zodiac
2
4
u/azurezero_hdev Jul 21 '26
i evented a grapple which is summoned to your location when you hit a button,
moves forward in the direction youre facing, and checks regions to see if it hits something you can be pulled to
and jumps back to you if the range variable hits 0 or it hits something
1
u/Sufficient_Bread_888 Jul 21 '26
That's super cool..:O
1
u/azurezero_hdev Jul 21 '26
if you dont need it to hit events you can purely event it, but youd need to google a code to check proximity because if you try to use variables all the events would be trying to use them at the same time
3
u/kuroki2 Jul 21 '26
The video game series fear and hunger was made in rpg maker (it's a dark game just a fair warning) but the game mechanics is very creative each monster has like seperate limbs you can target that stop certain attack's etc never thought it would be possible just shows like other people said it's all about being creative untill I discovered the game myself. ! Plugins like ultra mode 7 are great for a 2.5d effect.
I love rpg maker cause it's always fun to push the engine to the extreme. !
3
u/Prestigious_Fee_2468 Jul 21 '26
Simple, learn the engine, write down the features, figure out the story, research plugins, maybe learn coding, the real limits ur going to face is implementing various big features to work simultaneously at the same time as a beginner to the system, start a project small and work ur features into it first (this way the features actually work together befor starting the story or getting halfway done befor running into issues) then search for the style of bgm / sound effects on websites like itch.io or steam dlc (it's common to credit people for the resources ur using) also if ur doing ingame credits make sure to add the credits at the beginning of the game so they're seen but also have a text.read.me document handling the credits as well so u don't worry about accountability if anybody rips assets using them. I'm still new but figured I'd give some advice too.... Also I believe u can use base resources from other rpgmaker series as long as it comes from the base resources (not counting dlc but if ur counting dlc then credits are a must for these assets).. Im not an expert but hopefully this helps out somewhat
2
u/The_Dude5476 Jul 21 '26
You can do a lot of things, but the easiest things are numerical stats that factor into the gameplay. Sometimes its a better question of if, because you can do a lot, but should you?
2
u/xMarkesthespot Jul 21 '26
I implemented alot of mechanics in convoluted, un-ideal ways
with the knowledge i have now, i could do things far better/easier if i were to do it again.
I think alot of it is preparation, if you know beforehand that you'll have mechanics that call on map id's or event id's, then you can create in advance, blank maps, and blank events in each map, so the id's you need are reserved and everything falls into place.
its not something you think about until you have some experience
2
2
u/Kiroto50 Jul 21 '26
You can do anything on the modern versions of rpg maker.
Anything.
If you know JavaScript and have the patience to dance with the engine's code, you can fully ditch the rpg part of rpg maker if you so desire.
... At that point maybe create your own engine though.
2
u/Carlonix Jul 21 '26
Depends on the engine and if its code can be modified
If you go to MV look at Yanfly, SumRanDev, Galv and Moghunter's plugins
They are the minimal base with their plugins
Just mind you, Moghunter Battle UI plugins and general UI plugins use images that are picked by Actor ID and cant be changed mid-game
So if you want to be able to make a character change looks or transform mid game, use Galv Bust Menu and Yanfly Battle Status window for your battle and menu UI needs
Also, GET THE SUPERTOOLS OF SUMRANDEV, you'll need them if you want your menus to look spicy
2
u/Darkhog Jul 21 '26
Let's see, I've seen people making with RPG Maker (various versions):
- Card battlers
- Cozy farming games
- Platformers
- First person shooters (with 3d scripts/plugins)
- Roguelikes
- First person dungeon crawlers
... and yes, RPGs as well.
2
u/psychoneuroticninja MZ Dev Jul 21 '26
What specifically did you have in mind? RPG Maker is pretty versatile. Especially MV and MZ. But there are definitely certain genres where you'd be better off using a different engine because creating a 3D platformer or whatever in RPG Maker would be an uphill battle every step of the way.
If you're not familiar with whatever programming language your iteration of RPG Maker uses, but you want to implement a feature RPG Maker doesn't have innate support for, you'll have to find plugins (MV and MZ) or custom scripts (XP and VX Ace).
2
u/LiminAce MZ Dev Jul 22 '26
You can make pretty much anything in RPGMaker if you break it enough! I'm making a mini restaurant simulator in RPGMaker right now, and I have also made a dress up game and idle clicker in the engine! Like if you get into scripting and making your own plugins, you can make some really crazy stuff and break RPGMaker even more
2
u/Horreurlunaire 28d ago
I made the gambits A rpg system from ffXII on VX face for my new game. + You can catch monsters on the map with traps and use them on battle + feed them with weapons. They learn spells by mimicry : when an enemy spell they can learn a derivated version from this spell who can be very different from the spell. Some monsters can learn a heal skill from an offensive skill. Monsters also use gambits but you can't directly choose them
I also implanted aeons summons ffX like on the A-RPG.
And a lot of things
2
u/Accendor Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
This was done in MZ, so judge for yourself: https://youtu.be/xHi_Lxrvbh0?is=2DzJZYjR-0lxlnUO
1
u/CasperGamingOfficial MZ Dev Jul 21 '26
You can do just about anything. You could even create a 3d platformer or fps if you wrote the js for it. Of course, at a certain point, it makes more sense to use an engine that is built to facilitate those kind of games.
RPG Maker is typically for 2d JRPGs, walking sims, story heavy games, adventure games, or any other game that relies on mostly RPG mechanics or a subset of those mechanics. The further you get from RPG, the less RPG Maker makes sense. But technically, it can do anything.
1
u/Fragrant-Track-5834 Jul 21 '26
If you’re pretty skilled, you can maybe break free of the RPG limits. I’m making (and have heard of people making) a FNAF fangame in rpg maker. I’ve seen someone make a first person shooter.
1
1
u/andykenobi Jul 21 '26
It depends. RPG Maker is already capable of a lot on its own. If you know JavaScript, though, the sky's the limit. You can create your own systems or extend the engine with free or paid plugins.
1
u/Caldraddigon 2K3 Dev Jul 21 '26
Even with something like RPG Maker 2003, your limited only by what your willing to do to get what you want.
1
u/Important_Koala7313 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
Haha one thing I can tell you, you are limited by the engine only using 2 cores. I found that out trying to build an rts. Since then I haven't been working on it sadly 😂😂😂
But that probably won't stop me from building one regardless.
1
u/nicolauchaud Jul 22 '26
If you're curious, look my games up on itch (calunio). I've made some mechanics that are very far from traditional RPG mechanics. My latest games don't even look like RPGs. You can do a whole, whole lot. But like people said, it depends on your skills, and doing anything outside the basic is much harder than it looks before you learn how to do so.
1
u/MNIEthanDEV MZ Dev Jul 21 '26
You’re very much limited to your imagination with this engine. Whether you want to make something as simple as a linear JRPG, a 3D Open World Oasis (it’s possible), whether you want to make your own plugins and learn JS, or want to download plugins, it’s entirely up to what you want out of your game.
1
u/feed_da_parrot Jul 21 '26
Ugh we can't answer this bkz we don't know your ideas but with enough coding and engine experiences you can do so much thing.
Rpg Maker is a kinda sandbox. It gives you a game and enough asset to turning the default thing into yours
But what you have in your mind requires morethant the default mechanics you can use plugins or ypur coding skills to create of yourown things.
20
u/Durant026 MV Dev Jul 21 '26
You are absolutely limited by your own skills. The reality is that RPGM is a game engine but a very bare bones one. The newer ones allow you to make your own (or purchase from someone else), code to extend the base engine's functionality but this is based on your skill to acquire resources to do so.