The curtain raises slowly. A hush falls upon the audience. The light dims and the spotlight slowly drifts to the center of the stage. A great man sits with his legs crossed. Opposite him is me... nervously trying to sort my question cards. The banter between two RPG Maker titans begins... Hello I am your host of Inside the Gamer's Studio, Games Lipton.
Credits to Strangeluv for this interview.
INTERVIEW WITH UPRC

The curtain raises slowly.
A hush falls upon the audience.
The light dims and the spotlight slowly drifts to the center of the stage. A great man sits with his legs crossed. Opposite him is me... nervously trying to sort my question cards.
The banter between two RPG Maker titans begins...

Hello I am your host of Inside the Gamer's Studio, Games Lipton.
SL: *adjusts monocle* Our first guest is UPRC, current Game and Demo moderator and former Site Administrator of GamingW... How about you tell us a little about yourself? We want to know about UPRC the man first. The titan. And also tell us how you got interested in amateur game design.
UPRC: A little bit about myself? Right. First off, I am not a person, I am a genetically enhanced bio-computer. UPRC is my serial number.
(audience chuckles heartily)
Actually, I am a 22 year old Canadian nobody working as a security guard for the worst company in the world (Securitas, don't work for them!) and I have zero direction in life at the moment except patting cats, drinking beer, and sleeping.
As for what got me into game making, I believe it was in 1999 and I was cruising around the net for something to do in my spare time, and somewhere on the ZSNES forums (of all places!) I found a link to Don Miguel's site. I ended up downloading RPG Maker 95 and tinkering with that for a bit until he translated RPG Maker 2000 the following year. Again, spent a few years with that before RPG Advocate translated RPG Maker 2003.
SL: *scratches chin* So you started to make games. *ahem* What would you say is your main inspiration?
UPRC: The Super Nintendo! I always wanted to create RPGs like the ones on there. Final Fantasy 4 and 6, Chrono Trigger, Breath of Fire 1 and 2, 7th Saga.. Those games ate up so many hours of my childhood, and I guess I wanted to emulate them.
(audience: hmmmmm!)
Those games meant so much to me as a kid and I simply wanted to relive that sense of excitement I got from playing new games from that era. By the time I started making games on RPG Maker 95, the PS2 and all that was already on the horizon so 16 bit RPGs were a thing of the past. I just wanted it to go on, even if it was just me, without anyone to show my work to.
(audience: awwww)

How many of us have motivation like that? To keep going when you have no support?
SL: *wipes a tear from my eye* So what kept you going? What kept you making those games? Do you have a driving force?
UPRC: More or less to just relive the golden age of gaming on my computer. Of course, it's not the same because Squaresoft, Enix, and Gang are not pumping out 2D RPGs for me to play. Instead I have to be the one to put them together, to test them, play them.. And it's fun, even to just play your own games. That's obvious though, because you're making what is fun to you.
Your ambition will be to make things other people will like, but that's not a huge concern of mine and I think the games I've worked on demonstrate that.
(audience applauds)
SL: *nods furiously* I am not alone when I say your work makes The Odyssey look like a darkjak post. Name one or two amateur game projects that you consider your favourites or regard as 'best of the bunch' and tell us why.
UPRC: Haha, here we go! A hard question. I don't think I've ever really played anyone else's RPG Maker game for too long. Maybe a few hours, but I've definitely never finished one.. But the ones which held my attention the most were Final Fantasy: Endless Nova and NigSek. Now, why?
Endless Nova was.. Well, really neat. It had a lot of RTP and the default RPG Maker 2000 battle system, but it retained some sort of really authentic Final Fantasy feel and I really have to hand it to the author. He did a bang up job on that game, it had an awesome setting and was really engaging to play.
NigSek was simply the first 100% custom game I ever played. It's probably the best fully custom game still on RPG Maker 2000 in my opinion because it is just so well made. SovanJedi put so much effort into his attention to detail and crafting a believable world that it's really quite stunning when you sit back and think about it. Good for him.

SL: Yes, good for him! What a chap! So we've talked about other projects. How about you tell us about your projects now - the ones you've worked on and currently working on.
UPRC: I've worked on so much! Alright, I'll just go over the more well known games I've worked on then. Here we go!
Lost Chapters.. That was like my flagship series back in the RPG Maker 2000 day. The first Lost Chapters was absolutely horrible. It had no intro, plopped you into a boss fight against a dancer right at the beginning (who joined your party immediately after), and starred a demon named Exdeath. It was voted "Worst RPG Maker Game of All Time" which is an award I'm very proud of.
There was a Lost Chapters 2 which, while still amateur garbage, received a better reception from Don's minions than the first. I've lost this game forever though, as far as I know. That's a real shame, because I'd love to see it again. Lost Chapters 3 (or Distant Lands as I called it) was some random game where a kid got lost in a cave, fought a demon.. Aged a bit. Basically, a total Breath of Fire 2 rip-off. I'll also say that I made all three of these games in the span of one year (2000-2001).
In between then and around 2004, not a lot happened. Started a few games, only one of which is still available. It's called Z-Saga and is an awful RPG Maker 2000 platformer starring Zero from the Mega Man X series. Don't play it, PLEASE.
Blackmoon Prophecy came afterwards.. I started it in 2004 and canned it in.. 2006, I think? I picked it up earlier this year (dropping the game I had been working on, Reminisce) and I've been working on it ever since. It's sort of my "baby" and I'm having fun watching it grow. Also, people seem to really love it too for it's old-school look and feel which I am forever trying to improve and perfect.

(audience wows loudly!)
SL: *stands up and claps ferociously* This makes the Sistine Chapel look like a Majin Sam comic! How about you tell us a little more about Blackmoon Prophecy?
UPRC: Sure thing. Blackmoon Prophecy is a Final Fantasy fangame set in a fictional world called Gaia. It takes place a year after a horrible war involving, what else, crystals when for whatever reason, the Crystals begin exhibiting strange behavior. Vahn and Hans, two dragoons from the Kingdom of Branch, set out to figure out what the hell is going on. That's a really poor summary, but it's a difficult game to explain since I've worked on it off and on for several years now, changing so many aspects of it.

It's sort of a tribute to Final Fantasy 4 and its old-school gameplay. I wanted to make a nostalgic game, and I think I've got it.. From the sound effects in battle to cheesy dialogue and, of course, to the slow ass walking speed!


You're just a regular old history teacher, aren't you?
SL: Excellent! *strokes exotic goatee* What would you consider the most important elements in game making and do you have any advice for the other young designers on this site?
UPRC: Definitely the story. I've played some horrible games which had wonderful gameplay and atmosphere, but the story stunk and I just didn't care what happened. Storylines mean a lot to me, as does character development.. Which sounds a little odd, because my own game does not appear to have a whole lot (due to emulating oldschool FF). Awesome gameplay CAN carry a game with a bad story, but really.. Will you feel good about playing it after you beat it? I wouldn't.
Fantastic storylines are more engaging and are generally more rewarding to the player as you get involved in the world, its people, politics, disputes.. I love a good story.

As for advice.. This is pretty simple. Remember, we're not professionals here. We're just a bunch of geeky game makers sitting around our bedrooms making our little fantasy worlds so don't try to make something you obviously cannot. Know your limits, or you'll lose buckets of motivation.
Make a game that YOU want to play, not what OTHERS tell you to make. Yes, listening to feedback is good, but if your game eventually turns into what others want, and not what you want, then it won't be fun to make any longer. Understand? Good. Remember, it is your game. Not SSJ_Sephiroth15's game. Please yourself first and him later.

SL: I sit in awe, good sir. I sit in awe. Bravo! Bravo!
UPRC: Super!
The audience gives a standing ovation.
The spotlight dims.
The curtain lowers slowly... Stay tuned for our next episode of IN THE GAMER'S STUDIO.

A picture of UPRC himself, trying to give us a great scare!
Credits to Strangeluv for this interview.
The curtain raises slowly.
A hush falls upon the audience.
The light dims and the spotlight slowly drifts to the center of the stage. A great man sits with his legs crossed. Opposite him is me... nervously trying to sort my question cards.
The banter between two RPG Maker titans begins...
SL: *adjusts monocle* Our first guest is UPRC, current Game and Demo moderator and former Site Administrator of GamingW... How about you tell us a little about yourself? We want to know about UPRC the man first. The titan. And also tell us how you got interested in amateur game design.
UPRC: A little bit about myself? Right. First off, I am not a person, I am a genetically enhanced bio-computer. UPRC is my serial number.
(audience chuckles heartily)
Actually, I am a 22 year old Canadian nobody working as a security guard for the worst company in the world (Securitas, don't work for them!) and I have zero direction in life at the moment except patting cats, drinking beer, and sleeping.
As for what got me into game making, I believe it was in 1999 and I was cruising around the net for something to do in my spare time, and somewhere on the ZSNES forums (of all places!) I found a link to Don Miguel's site. I ended up downloading RPG Maker 95 and tinkering with that for a bit until he translated RPG Maker 2000 the following year. Again, spent a few years with that before RPG Advocate translated RPG Maker 2003.
SL: *scratches chin* So you started to make games. *ahem* What would you say is your main inspiration?
UPRC: The Super Nintendo! I always wanted to create RPGs like the ones on there. Final Fantasy 4 and 6, Chrono Trigger, Breath of Fire 1 and 2, 7th Saga.. Those games ate up so many hours of my childhood, and I guess I wanted to emulate them.
(audience: hmmmmm!)
Those games meant so much to me as a kid and I simply wanted to relive that sense of excitement I got from playing new games from that era. By the time I started making games on RPG Maker 95, the PS2 and all that was already on the horizon so 16 bit RPGs were a thing of the past. I just wanted it to go on, even if it was just me, without anyone to show my work to.
(audience: awwww)
SL: *wipes a tear from my eye* So what kept you going? What kept you making those games? Do you have a driving force?
UPRC: More or less to just relive the golden age of gaming on my computer. Of course, it's not the same because Squaresoft, Enix, and Gang are not pumping out 2D RPGs for me to play. Instead I have to be the one to put them together, to test them, play them.. And it's fun, even to just play your own games. That's obvious though, because you're making what is fun to you.
Your ambition will be to make things other people will like, but that's not a huge concern of mine and I think the games I've worked on demonstrate that.
(audience applauds)
SL: *nods furiously* I am not alone when I say your work makes The Odyssey look like a darkjak post. Name one or two amateur game projects that you consider your favourites or regard as 'best of the bunch' and tell us why.
UPRC: Haha, here we go! A hard question. I don't think I've ever really played anyone else's RPG Maker game for too long. Maybe a few hours, but I've definitely never finished one.. But the ones which held my attention the most were Final Fantasy: Endless Nova and NigSek. Now, why?
Endless Nova was.. Well, really neat. It had a lot of RTP and the default RPG Maker 2000 battle system, but it retained some sort of really authentic Final Fantasy feel and I really have to hand it to the author. He did a bang up job on that game, it had an awesome setting and was really engaging to play.
NigSek was simply the first 100% custom game I ever played. It's probably the best fully custom game still on RPG Maker 2000 in my opinion because it is just so well made. SovanJedi put so much effort into his attention to detail and crafting a believable world that it's really quite stunning when you sit back and think about it. Good for him.
SL: Yes, good for him! What a chap! So we've talked about other projects. How about you tell us about your projects now - the ones you've worked on and currently working on.
UPRC: I've worked on so much! Alright, I'll just go over the more well known games I've worked on then. Here we go!
Lost Chapters.. That was like my flagship series back in the RPG Maker 2000 day. The first Lost Chapters was absolutely horrible. It had no intro, plopped you into a boss fight against a dancer right at the beginning (who joined your party immediately after), and starred a demon named Exdeath. It was voted "Worst RPG Maker Game of All Time" which is an award I'm very proud of.
There was a Lost Chapters 2 which, while still amateur garbage, received a better reception from Don's minions than the first. I've lost this game forever though, as far as I know. That's a real shame, because I'd love to see it again. Lost Chapters 3 (or Distant Lands as I called it) was some random game where a kid got lost in a cave, fought a demon.. Aged a bit. Basically, a total Breath of Fire 2 rip-off. I'll also say that I made all three of these games in the span of one year (2000-2001).
In between then and around 2004, not a lot happened. Started a few games, only one of which is still available. It's called Z-Saga and is an awful RPG Maker 2000 platformer starring Zero from the Mega Man X series. Don't play it, PLEASE.
Blackmoon Prophecy came afterwards.. I started it in 2004 and canned it in.. 2006, I think? I picked it up earlier this year (dropping the game I had been working on, Reminisce) and I've been working on it ever since. It's sort of my "baby" and I'm having fun watching it grow. Also, people seem to really love it too for it's old-school look and feel which I am forever trying to improve and perfect.
(audience wows loudly!)
SL: *stands up and claps ferociously* This makes the Sistine Chapel look like a Majin Sam comic! How about you tell us a little more about Blackmoon Prophecy?
UPRC: Sure thing. Blackmoon Prophecy is a Final Fantasy fangame set in a fictional world called Gaia. It takes place a year after a horrible war involving, what else, crystals when for whatever reason, the Crystals begin exhibiting strange behavior. Vahn and Hans, two dragoons from the Kingdom of Branch, set out to figure out what the hell is going on. That's a really poor summary, but it's a difficult game to explain since I've worked on it off and on for several years now, changing so many aspects of it.
It's sort of a tribute to Final Fantasy 4 and its old-school gameplay. I wanted to make a nostalgic game, and I think I've got it.. From the sound effects in battle to cheesy dialogue and, of course, to the slow ass walking speed!
You're just a regular old history teacher, aren't you?
SL: Excellent! *strokes exotic goatee* What would you consider the most important elements in game making and do you have any advice for the other young designers on this site?
UPRC: Definitely the story. I've played some horrible games which had wonderful gameplay and atmosphere, but the story stunk and I just didn't care what happened. Storylines mean a lot to me, as does character development.. Which sounds a little odd, because my own game does not appear to have a whole lot (due to emulating oldschool FF). Awesome gameplay CAN carry a game with a bad story, but really.. Will you feel good about playing it after you beat it? I wouldn't.
Fantastic storylines are more engaging and are generally more rewarding to the player as you get involved in the world, its people, politics, disputes.. I love a good story.
As for advice.. This is pretty simple. Remember, we're not professionals here. We're just a bunch of geeky game makers sitting around our bedrooms making our little fantasy worlds so don't try to make something you obviously cannot. Know your limits, or you'll lose buckets of motivation.
Make a game that YOU want to play, not what OTHERS tell you to make. Yes, listening to feedback is good, but if your game eventually turns into what others want, and not what you want, then it won't be fun to make any longer. Understand? Good. Remember, it is your game. Not SSJ_Sephiroth15's game. Please yourself first and him later.
SL: I sit in awe, good sir. I sit in awe. Bravo! Bravo!
UPRC: Super!
The audience gives a standing ovation.
The spotlight dims.
The curtain lowers slowly... Stay tuned for our next episode of IN THE GAMER'S STUDIO.
