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RPG Architect??
🕑 Added 2022-07-20 15:00:01 +0000 UTCHello! Today's post is a special preview of something different.
I want to shout out RPG Architect. It's a new RPG-creation engine being created by a buddy of mine -- the same one who put together the generator that's become a key part of the Elements character set.
I'm not just promoting it though LOL -- I want to show it off because I helped design some of the big features, so it's something that I've been working on too!
You might have seen this old RPGMaker UX redesign that I came up with years ago. It's a bit outdated now, but I've always wanted to have a go at re-envisioning the kind of game-making software that got me into this hobby in the first place. Locke reached out to me after seeing that to get my input on RPG Architect.
I pushed really hard for a feature that would allow the user to visually design menus, HUDs, etc without needing to program. As someone who focuses on design and aesthetics (and really not a programmer at all), that's one area that always felt like RPGMaker was missing.
I put a bunch of time and thought into making mock-up images for how I imagined the feature to work -- and the madman put it in!
In RPG Architect's database, there's a whole section dedicated to User Interfaces.
The idea is that you can make any sort of UI on this screen, so you can completely customize your game. From the basic common text message box, to HUDs, to shop windows, menu screens, battle UI, etc. A menu-maker!
In the example here, you can see that the message box has space for all the things that you'd expect -- with elements that are variables that you can change in the event script, and the user could add other elements too.
And then in-game it displays just how it was setup in the database.
(Okay, the test graphics are a little janky -- you might recognize the Omega Modern characters looking out of place with that realistic portrait lol -- but the idea is to show off the UI feature :P)
Oh yeah, it's 3D too: you can see that in the screenshot. Architect's able to make games with that Playstation-style aesthetic that seems popular with the kind of indie RPGs that I've been seeing a lot on Twitter lately, with the lowpoly 3D environments with billboard sprites.
It's a neat aesthetic, but it's not my personal taste; good thing for me that it can make the regular type of 2D top-down style too (the preview image at the top shows both style, I stole it from the website).
They're also making use of my new Open RPG tiles to make Architect's RTP (that's another reason why I wanted to show it off). I'm really proud of how many people are getting use from the set since I released it recently.
If you're interested in learning more about RPG Architect, testing it out yourself, or supporting it, check out the website or patreon page.
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Anyways:
I'll be back on Friday with another new asset release. Today's post was a little extra blog post -- so I'll still be back soon with something fresh. See you then!
Thanks!
Comments
Gino
You can manipulate the DOM with javascript w/ RPGMAKER MV. The sky is the limit.
pingudroid
Looks very interesting! I'm all for RPG Maker alternatives - I love RPG Maker but, as you say, there's limitations. UI design really requires a visual editor to be feasible... that's my main complaint about RPG Maker too. I'll keep an eye on this project! :)
Taylor Jeude
Our goal is to get into Early Access by the end of Summer (for the US -- but I'm in Texas, so Summer lasts until December) -- ideally sometime between August and October. It should NOT take another year -- it's actually quite mature already. If you check out any of the videos of it, you'll be able to see how much it already can do. If you're skeptical, you're welcome to try it at the $10 cost -- and if you don't like it, cancel. Worst case scenario, you're out $10 and when it gets released, if you decide you want it, you can get $10 off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pUrvZFd-s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRnucWvRMuY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNWpLAubrfE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp78VrEQi18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qce2aD7pa64 (Some of these videos are older) I was planning on limiting it to one copy of the product per patron. I don't know why anyone would want more than one copy, but if someone has a special request, I might be able to honor it. I don't anticipate having to do many of these, since I think we'll be in EA before I have to worry about triple-digit (or even 50+) patrons on Patreon.
Thomas Barber
OK, that's sounds fair for the first three months, but what happens if the product doesn't get Early Access for a year? Then we have invested $120 via the Patreon. Do you know for certain if RPG Architect will be greenlighted for Steam Early Access within the next three months? Will we be able to get multiple copies of the product?
