RPG Maker: A tool for any budding games guy!

Make your own RPG!

The dream of creating an amazing game is a rather common thought to pass through a gamers mind. Perhaps you could be playing a game, and think, "this bit could be better like this," or "maybe that boss should say or do this instead". Whether it's the wandering train of thought from your own criticisms and ideas on one game, or simply a abundance of brilliant ideas for stories, epic battles or some sort of new innovative puzzle game, the prospect of making games is an awesome one. Of course, with the games industry being what it is, you need to know what you're doing to have all of your ideas come to life in whatever medium to try to imagine it, and though I couldn't say for sure, it looks to be pretty complicated, and of course, that's also most likely a full time job, with you working on the clock to create the new best video game.



So if you've ever fancied yourself a creator, and envision a game under your name, why not try the cool software "RPG Maker VX"? Whether you don't have the right grades or know-how to make the latest greatest Xbox game, want some practice before getting into the real thing or just want to put your brain to use in your spare time, I'd recommend giving this program a go. As a gamer myself, I've always had cool ideas for how a level could be set out, or an epic storyline that would work really well if I could just do it. I always loved the idea of going into games design, but as I grew a little older, my prospects in school expanded, and I decided it wasn't exactly something I could do full time. But with the help of RPG Maker, I can finally get the chance to build my own game, my own world, my own story, and try my hardest to make it as good as I can!

The versions in the RPG Maker series began about ten years ago or so, culminating in the latest release VX, and allow you to create your own game from the ground up with easy to use tools that for the most part let you make your worlds with the simple click of the mouse! The style of it is like the old school RPG games such as the Final Fantasy games, (before VII that is) and have a lovely art style, that really allows your locations to come to life if you're willing to put the effort in to detail them. Everything you can do is completely up to you. You can create your own in-game cut-scenes, elaborate puzzles and traps for your custom characters to navigate, and epic boss battles in huge dungeons. All the menus are set out well, and if you right click on something you don't understand, it'll tell you exactly what it does, and how to use it. I would recommend using an online tutorial to get the hang of what everything does first however, as it can seem a bit overwhelming to just try and start building without much clue on how to work everything.


 It really is a fantastic piece of kit for what it's worth, and again, if you put in the time and effort to really work on your game, it's just like any other piece of art. It'll leave you feeling satisfied to have achieved the picture you had in your head. Whilst the program does have its limits in areas, such as VX only allowing you a set amount of tilesets to use at a time, (the blocks that you piece together to make your areas) the only real limit is how far you're willing to see your ideas envisioned in the form of a RPG video game.

I for one have been working with it for a while, and am really impressed with the outcome so far. VX has allowed me to make huge dungeons crawling with whatever enemies I choose, quaint little towns with NPCs for my characters to speak to and cut-scenes with full dialogue and actions a lot easier than I thought I could have. Obviously it can be a little confusing to begin with, but when you get the hang of it, I always seem to have new ideas popping into my head with everything I do, because of all the options it gives to me.


So if you can't imagine yourself making the next Zelda game, but fancy a little bit of fun to create and even share with your friends, download the trial demo of VX and give it a go. Sure, it takes effort to make things work your way, but it certainly pays off when your game comes together and begins to play and feel like a professional licensed game! Go download it and get your ideas flowing!


Andy Robison

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