RPG Architect - The RPG Maker Killer?
Added 2022-06-25 16:36:06 +0000 UTCSurprise Saturday post! Hope you are doing well today. :D
So I mentioned yesterday that the limitations of RPG Maker can be...well, frustrating. Don't get me wrong, I've managed to make a lot of great content using the engine, but overall the engine really hasn't grown too much since it's creation. In fact, from what I've heard, they've actually taken a lot of steps backwards as far as features go.
As it turns out, I'm not the only one who is frustrated with the engine. One of our Warriors, Locke, has taken up the task of creating a much needed competitor in the market. For the past couple of years, he has been diligently working on his own engine, dubbed RPG Architect. While the engine is still in development, it already boasts a lot of promising features that will have RPGM users salivating.
You can find out more details at his website, or even by joining his Discord server. If you find that you believe in this project, Locke has set up his own Patreon page to help fund the remainder of development. By supporting, you gain early access to builds of the engine, so you can go ahead and get your hands dirty and learn the ins and outs before it hits the market.
I'm making this post for several reasons, but most of all it's because I really believe in this project. So much so that I'll be contributing music to be included as part of the engines RTP.
Well, with all that said...I'm thinking this could be a new occasional segment. A "Party Member Spotlight" if you will. If any of you would like me to make a post about YOUR projects, whether its a game, a YouTube channel, or anything at all really, I'd be MORE than happy to!
I refer to you all as Party Members because I really think of us as a team. And as such, I'd love to have us support each other in anyway we can, whether it's financial, signal boosting, or even just motivation. Every little bit helps!
As always, thank you so much for your support! Now go give your fellow Party Members some love!
Take care,
-Bert
Comments
Hey, thanks for the comment on RPG Architect. Right now, 2D lighting isn't quite there. What you're seeing in Streets of Rogue are Polygons essentially rendered and then shaded, likely -- it's a clever technique. Since RPGA is 3D (and then dropped to 2D), it's hard for things to know in shadow mapping "where" depth occurs, since everything is 2D and sorted by depth outside of the rendering. Right now, you can get "some" shading, but it's not 100% consistent based on layer (you can see this in the left side image of the last image). That said, it might be possible to do this at some point (it would probably require rendering lighting and layers one at a time -- which could be rather expensive... but the engine runs INCREDIBLY fast at the moment, so it might actually be feasible at some point (if we don't do something else "special"). We do, natively, support images themselves, so it wouldn't be impossible to put on "lighting" images at different layers with different transparencies (or baked into the image's alpha channel itself) and have them influence things, but I'll admit that's probably not quite what you're trying to do! It'll definitely be considered/researched as we move forward! There are just more pressing "core" features to work out -- but I'll add it to my work backlog.
Taylor Jeude
2022-07-01 19:07:10 +0000 UTCLet me see if Locke can give you some feedback on that...hold tight!
Bert Cole (AKA Bit By Bit Sound)
2022-07-01 18:58:48 +0000 UTCI didn't see the feature I'm looking for: the ability to do 2D lighting. (Streets of Rogue really sold me on this.) The difference lighting can make on a map is huge. There are some plugins for RPGMaker, but with the difference it can make in a game, I'd love for it to be simple and easy.
S.W. Black
2022-07-01 17:24:24 +0000 UTCHaha I thought it might throw a couple of people for a loop. XD I'm happy to shoutout any of my Party Members. You guys have all done so much for me, it's the least I can do!
Bert Cole (AKA Bit By Bit Sound)
2022-06-25 17:04:11 +0000 UTCAnd here I thought the RPG architect soundtrack wasn’t loading x’D Nice to see you do shoutouts too.
ReProjectSD
2022-06-25 16:37:41 +0000 UTC
