RPG Maker Fes

1. JustinWayne

   Jul 17, 2017

   8

   I am enjoying this tool a lot. While the negative review here cites the lack of ability to create super complicated titles, that's not what itI am enjoying this tool a lot. While the negative review here cites the lack of ability to create super complicated titles, that's not what it is supposed to do. It certainly allows much more than making " a map, make a character, then have them wander around aimlessly", which does make me wonder whether they played the thing for more than 5 minutes.
   
   This isn't me picking on one person though, this seems to be a general sentiment amoung the "hardcore RPGMaker crowd", which is not who this game seems to be geared towards. This game is much more geared towards people who like things like Mario Maker, who would like a similar tool but for a simple 2D RPG to write fun little stories and adventures with.
   
   As someone who played the PSOne RPGMaker game (and who thoroughly loved it) I'd say if you liked that, you will definitely like this. The interface is very user-friendly and I found the learning curve far less steep because of this. I didn't care for the more Anime inspired art-style and prefered the designs of the PSOne RPGMaker, but that is likely just personal preference.
   
   I also find the DLC packs are really lacking when it comes to content, which is a shame. If you are mostly looking to create fantasy worlds for your RPG, don't bother with any of the paid stuff as it simply isn't worth it.
   
   Overall, if you are a fan of the PSOne RPGMaker game or are just looking for a simple playbox to create your own little story without any pretention to actually "develop" in the same way a lot of PC RPGMaker users do, give this game a shot. Otherwise, this game may well not be for you.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
2. CmdrCrunk

   Aug 28, 2017

   8

   Put a good amount of time into creating a project and overall the experience has been good, although limited.
   
   By buying RPG Maker FES allPut a good amount of time into creating a project and overall the experience has been good, although limited.
   
   By buying RPG Maker FES all you are getting the game creator aspect of the software, the RPG Maker Player is a free app on the 3DS that allows access to all the user made content, and it is also free. If you are only interested in playing free games, just get the player. For those interested in creating content, you can still do a decent job and make fairly complex games, albeit not without its fair share of problems.
   
   Firstly, this is not a game but a creative tool. There are no example games provided (there may be in the future to buy... but none at launch, and not for free) and no tutorial. If you want to create a game, you are very much on your own. When you do actually create something, I did not find it too hard to work out, but requires a good amount of trial and error at first. The creation is based on setting tiles to make a map and events for anything you interact or fight with. My initial issue is with the amount of content for creating your game is quite limited. You really have to be creative with what you use to get the most out of the game. The tile sets provided cover the basics, but if you are like me, you'll need to purchase all the DLC to have a broad enough approach to do what you want. On the subject of the DLC, you do not get much for your money and there is no preview before purchase. I recommend checking out the official website to browse before you consider buying.
   
   Other negative comments are about limitations in regards to the number of maps being 100 and limited to 64 weapons and armour etc. I do not think this is a limitation, as unless you are planning a major project (and you really should have the latest PC version for this), these limitations will not effect you too much. Also if you are planning a major project there is no way of monetising your creation, so again go with the PC version.
   
   A few problems do exist when in creation mode. The most catastrophic is a bug that kills the program, losing all your unsaved work to that point. I have encountered this multiple times, and the only solution is to remember to save regularly. Hopefully this can be fixed, but I'm not holding my breath. Other problems are when creating you can only copy and paste a limited area, less than a screen size. I do like the touch controls for map creation which are intuitive, but often you have to work around the limitations, repeating simple tasks constantly.
   
   The main reason you I give this a positive review is in the ease it is to upload, share and download other creations via the network function. RPG Maker FES is a limited version of the full tool, but it is not designed for a complex userbase. It is designed more for the starter or for people making small projects to share for free. The network function is far from perfect however, especially when compared to something like Mario Maker (on Wii U, I've not got the 3DS version). The only categories are best rated within 7 days or most downloaded within 7 days, so if your game is 8 days old it will be buried. The star rating system, like most rating systems, can be gamed by groups of people and the quality of games available can vary significantly. Where Mario Maker shined was that you had to demonstrate that the level could be completed before you could upload, not so here. Prepare for bugs galore, uncompleted stories and impossible to progress situations. Now, an RPG project is a long endeavour and it can't be expected that each game is 100% complete, however people can upload anything, and without a reviewing system (more than the star rating) it is impossible to know if you are going to waste a significant amount of your time.
   
   The positive side to the network in RPG Maker FES, and the point where the whole program is worth the purchase for me, is that you can share your game with anyone with a 3DS, without them having to pay for any software. This is the key value to this game, that truly anyone can play, no limitations. All a player needs is the free RPG Maker FES Player software and the name of your game and they are good to go, streamlining and simplifying the sharing process.
   
   That's it, as for the takeaway point to this game. If you want to create small project, simplified RPG games (although with a good bit of scope for larger, more complex projects) to share with your friends easily, this is the game for you. If you want to create a massive and complex RPG and have the option of monetising it, go for the PC version. If you want to just play the games, download the free RPG Maker FES Player. I'm enjoying using it for what it is, and that's all I want.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. Redroom100

   Jul 2, 2017

   8

   While has a learning curve, this is a great creative tool and it is fun to play other peoples creations. Not much of a tutorial, but skillsWhile has a learning curve, this is a great creative tool and it is fun to play other peoples creations. Not much of a tutorial, but skills can be learn through looking at other people's work such as Annatictac or Michibiku. However there are updates that are not available in North America at this time that other countries do have, making user made content from other country unplayable. That should be fixed soon though.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
5. RudigerTech

   Aug 21, 2018

   7

   The RPG Maker FES is a nice Software for creating some cool RPG's.
   
   Positive: + Simple Design + Games can be played from everyone for freeThe RPG Maker FES is a nice Software for creating some cool RPG's.
   
   Positive:
   + Simple Design
   + Games can be played from everyone for free (RPG Player, look in the Nintendo-Store)
   + Many tools
   
   Negative
   - No Turtorial
   - Games are saved local, if the Module goes to an other DS the Game will be deleted
   - Controls are a bit meh
   
   It's a good beginner Tool for an simple acces to the Programming of simple RPG's
   
   Greetings from Switzerland :)… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
6. shauniscrazy

   Jul 9, 2017

   6

   I believe critics of the game have primarily only focused on the creation aspect of the game. It is necessary to point out that there areI believe critics of the game have primarily only focused on the creation aspect of the game. It is necessary to point out that there are levels that you can play without having to buy the full game. The player that you are able to download is free. I recommend giving it a try as it is risk free. Whereas the graphics of the game are quite sub par, every other aspect has been implemented as best as possible. One complaint I have is that it appears there is no option to change the enthnicity of characters while creating them.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
7. Trey82

   Feb 14, 2020

   4

   It isnt so much that this is a bad toolset,
   it isnt that it doesnt do what it advertised,
   Its kinda like the settlement building in fallout4It isnt so much that this is a bad toolset,
   it isnt that it doesnt do what it advertised,
   Its kinda like the settlement building in fallout4 ~ you can absolutely create anything your heart desires! So long as you desire only these few things, and work within arbitrary limits, and it wont function quite as advertised PLUS we limit what is, at its heart.. an already limited amount of tools.
   If you've used RPG maker, you know that you can easily create a world, populate it with 'portals' to cities, rooms, dungeons, etc. You can set events and triggers and equipment and the whole thing. Then you can, if you are so insane... customize every last little detail. Then quality-assurance your own creation over and over and see if it fits your dream-game.
   Then you can go online and find ideas in OTHER people's ideas, scripts, addons, etc.
   Not so much on this edition. This is truly a lite version, insofar as any handheld games.. regardless of system power/memory limitations/storage medium issues, ahem, everything.. everything could be 'more'. Because it already exists. RPG maker games have existed for decades. The path is already blazed! :)
   
   If this app could be summed up, optimistically, I would call it a tutorial. A drawing board.
   Whatever dreams you have can be put onto this, before you put it onto the final product on your PC.
   The stylus makes this version reasonable for many purposes. The sprites are varied enough to get your basic ideas down, so give it a go. Just expect little.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. Lemming182

   Jun 30, 2017

   2

   Critically limited in the tools available to anyone remotely serious about making an enjoyable gaming experience, this is not for anyone whoCritically limited in the tools available to anyone remotely serious about making an enjoyable gaming experience, this is not for anyone who has any experience in past RPG Maker titles, or those who wish to do much more than make a map, make a character, then have them wander around aimlessly.
   
   At surface level it seems interesting - the map design is made easy by the touch controls, but that's just about where it's merits end.
   
   Here's a small list of the major mechanic limitations I've encountered in 2 days of play:
   
   -heavy limits to specific creation areas in the database: 16 classes, 16 party characters (total possible throughout game), 64 items, 64 weapons, 64 defensive equipment, 99 monsters, 99 battle groups, 99 MAPS (hope you don't want a massive game world!)
   
   -zero interface dialogue alterations. Every battle for every user will end with
   "has
   X experience
   X gold
   
   " in a large empty box
   
   -almost no unique event options; want conditional branches? In this software, you can't have them. There is no room for "if switch = ON make X happen, else Y", it just isn't an option. This is but one of the critical tools in story creation that are missing from this.
   
   -party stats are locked to their profession; you set the value they are at level 1, and every level it will increase by that amount. You can't make items that increase this, or alter them in events, this is the system you have to use.
   
   -equipment only alters one stat for each piece; no heavy equipment possible that increases strength at a cost to speed! No special equipment that increases several stats, it's again take it or leave it.
   
   Honestly, I could continue for a long time listing features I would consider very basic for a game maker, nevermind an RPG maker; it is obvious on a portable system they wouldn't include a script editor, and that was something I was prepared for - but there are countless fundamental basics you cannot do in this game. You can make text, you can move events, you can manipulate them with switches and variables (as long as you don't want too much of an impact to occur in the event manipulating the values), and that's about it.
   
   There's also the content issue in terms of games assets. In terms of the RTP they provide, it is quite expansive - to a degree. The basic set has maybe 100 or so character sprite / body image combos, each with 4 colour / appearance alterations; this is large enough to have diversity in games, but not large enough if you're wanting your game to be along the lines of a Suikoden clone or the like - and this isn't possible anyway, with a max of 16 per game. Tile-wise there's 10+ pages of ground and object sprites, plenty to make world maps, varied towns, moving water in ports etc - and they're all easily implemented. The trouble is without user content or a mass of additional DLC in the future these will be a problem. In the 2 days I've played around with it, I made a large world map, I think 10 or so villages-cities, several accompanying dungeons, and a few random houses - and I've used most of the tiles by now. You will need to be incredibly creative in you map design to make these last a game's length, never mind making your game appear different to everyone else's! This may improve with time, but given the Day 1 DLC being 4 or so packs priced around £3-5 each, it doesn't seem likely.
   
   Lastly, the editor music. Oh my days. You can listen to the one track ad infinitum while editing, or you can turn your sound off. You can't seem to select an existing song you're matching to the map you're designing even, to help keep the mindset needed for the situation.
   
   Sorry for the wordy review spewing out of me here, but I felt strongly enough about the limitations that I made a meta critic account simply to get this out there - most of the reviews seemed average - glowing, with little being said about the downsides of the software - and they are critical to anyone not making a game in an extremely casual way. RPG Maker FES does have a market - people extremely new to game design, who are very casual in their approach to telling a story; if you have an RPG in mind, and a story you would like to tell in a similar style, don't bother; there is no way to even come close to matching what you will have in your head with this. If you just want to tell small and silly stories that you can have your other friends with a DS to play, go for it - their system of upload and download of games is certainly robust. If it weren't for the pitiable lack of functionality otherwise, it's worth in my eyes would skyrocket.… Expand

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