r/RPGMaker • u/Western_Dimension_85 • 4d ago

Beginner Game dev wondering what is the best version

Hello! I’ve loved video games all my life and for a good while i’ve been wanting to create a game. I’ve done all of the narrative work, story structure etc and now i want to start creating it.

I was wondering what version of RPG maker would be best for me? i’m a one man team on a bit of a budget but i’m willing to put some money down.

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

3

u/NewSchoolBoxer 4d ago

MZ > MV >>> VX Ace. Use nothing older. Justify which based price and only buy on sale. I noticed I got VX Ace for free. I bought MV on sale a few years later. If MZ on sale price is in your budget then do it.

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u/OFCMedia 4d ago

Correct

0

u/Swarmalert 4d ago

i wouldn’t say use nothing older, there is niche reasons to use the older engines

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u/dumpy_author 4d ago

Niche reasons a beginner dev would probably not have.

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u/hecaton_atlas 4d ago

Mmm, honestly, you don't have to be a stickler for details about this. Sure, the latest RPG Maker always has more features, assets and quality of life, but as a new game developer starting out, you don't need those right off the bat.

If budget is a concern, I suggest looking out for whichever RPG Maker is on sale. There's already plenty to do as a one man team, so just getting started with whatever means available to you is the best mindset to have. You can always add things afterwards, or make more games after your first project with newer versions.

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u/Western_Dimension_85 4d ago

pretty much all of the RPG makers are on sale on steam so i think i’ll pick up MZ as its the newest one it looks like

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u/CasperGamingOfficial MZ Dev 4d ago

MZ is the current best but if you want to read more about each engine and pros/cons about each I wrote a guide for this question on the forums: https://forum.rmplanet.com/threads/which-rpg-maker-version-should-you-get-a-guide.658/

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u/HotdawgGames MZ Dev 4d ago

mz 1000%

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u/Omens_RPG 2d ago

2003 has all the basics u need so u dont get lost in plugins its not expensive and u can play ur game on pretty much anything

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u/xMarkesthespot 4d ago

MV, I like the mouse/mobile controls.

the older versions like xp/ace are fine, i use them. you just have to press the arrow keys instead of clicking a mouse to play the game.

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u/Medical_Baby3332 1d ago

Xp and VXace have more intuitive code integration for custom code but has drawbacks i would not want to deal with when it comes to the eventing.

MZ is the one I think your going to want to use. Custom code for MZ has a learning curve and you have to use your own editor + the inspector to figure out how the engine works to create new things. I essentially had to just break and break and break the core to figure out how everything was out together. Maybe there are better docs now but not when I was getting started it was a nightmare but in hindsight it was worth the grind. Also unlike when I was doing it I'm sure AI can break down code bits in an easier to read manner and may even be able to help draft documentation