So I havn't really screwed around with a rpg maker in a while, but now that I am starting to get back into it I was wondering if the newer RMVX is better than rm2k3. I know this has been discussed before, but now that people have actually been using both programs for a while I'd like to hear from you guys on which you think is better.

 

Linux.

I guess it depends on what you're going for.  In spite of VX, I still use 2k3 because I prefer the way it looks and I consider myself a master RM2k scripter.  I haven't used RMVX myself, but as Calunio said, most of the (current) games resemble one another quite a bit.  I'm sure there's plenty of power in the scripting system, though, but I have no knowledge of the extent of that power.

OK, slightly different question along the same lines- which do you recommend for a newcomer to game-making- 2k or 2k3? Is one easier to use than the other?

OK, slightly different question along the same lines- which do you recommend for a newcomer to game-making- 2k or 2k3? Is one easier to use than the other?

2k is easier to use (though the Don Miguel translation is a little iffy if you're a newbie), but 2k3 has enough features to make a user happy after he's grown comfortable with the basics of the two programs (they're similar enough for a person to transition between the two with very little "downtime" for relearning the other program).  I recommend 2k because, unlike 2k3, there isn't a whole lot of information overload right from the get-go, and unlike a lot of people, I tend to prefer its traditional turn-based battle system to the questionably-implemented ATB system used in 2k3.

Ah... and here I was gearing up for 2k3.. anyway, I'll see what I can see.

Noooooo...
Don't use 2k.
2k3 is NOT complicated in comparison to 2k. 2k3 has more features, but the difference between the two is actually very small. IMO 2k3 is just a better version of 2k. There's no reason to use 2k at all.

Except 2k3 has a completely different battle system, which as my experience dictates, is essentially half the game itself.  I also believe said battle system is inferior to RM2k's...not only for those playing it, but also for the many hoops that the creator must jump through compared to the one used in 2k.  2k3's battle system is not more complicated (no one is making this claim), but there is more to learn and manage in order to make it function adequately, hence my recommendation for the original RPG Maker 2000 until the newcomer has effectively learned the ropes.

If you wish to use 2k3 first, then go for it.  I won't stop ya'.

So regardless of that guy jackin my thread, the verdict is VX = bad and 2k3/2k = good still? Got it

VX = GOOD D:
Whoever said it's bad should be slashed. I mean sure the autotiles make everything blocky right now but you have to work on custom graphics to make it not blocky. VX allows more freedom over RPG game design ideas. like Ranged AOE spells, etc.etc.etc.etc. @_@

yeah but i hear it requires alot of scripting and I fail at that


Edit- also I cant stand the 1st person fighting view, and from what i've tried with that tankentai sbs it seems like it requires so much work to add new skills and such compared to 2k3, but like I said I fail at scripting so maybe thats it.

I'm tempted to start plugging XNA but then that's way, WAY out there in what your looking for so i recommend VX or XP over 2k and 2k3, mainly because learning RGS and RUBY will give you a foot hold into more commonly used programming languages and a basic idea of how coding works (or something like that) 2k.3 is basically a scripting engine with some code like bits.

EDIT: I will say this though, because of how limiting 2k/3 is you have to think pretty creatively to make something really complicated so it's good for thought exercises on how to create something with a (relatively) limited toolset.

Sppppeaking of XNA, I've been thinking about messing with it in my spare time, but I'm not sure about learning C# while I'm doing C++ in class. (Knowing me, I'd probably mix up some stuff: I spent like a day trying to figure out why my code wasn't working when I went from Java -> Python -> Java, only to realize that I was saying self instead of this. :P) Can anyone vouch for its usefulness in comparison to C++-based stuff like Dark GDK?

Actually, to the OP, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to look into programs that use languages. Once you've got a foothold in one, it's much easier to understand most of the others. Programming languages are not all that hard to learn; the difficulty comes in utilizing them to get what you want. For everything else, there's Google.

If you're hellbent on using RPG Maker, I would suggest 2k3, since it is easier to use, plenty of resources, only maker with a side view battle system as default, and one thing I'm sure that makes it better than 2k would be the ability to "Erase Event", which helps when running a chipset/picture test after appearing on the map without use of switches.

Not to mention the ability to make a few types of skills and items that wouldn't be available (without common events) with VX, and I'd have to assume XP. This, and classes will automatically swap out your skills for you, instead of forcing you to either add in a script, or code in your own level/class check common event, which although is not a pain in the ass to make, is still a let down for those who want to swap between classes.

Easily fixed. http://pockethouse.com/
Doing so in 2k3 is also effort.

What part of my post was this one directed at?