Why You Should Learn THIS Game Engine

Today I explain and share my thoughts on the RPG Maker series of game engines.
Places I can be found on the internet:
GameJolt: gamejolt.com/@BinzuDev
Website: binzudev.com/
Discord server: / discord
Music:
Let’s get together now! - OMORI
Three bar logos - OMORI
Finding Shapes in the Clouds - OMORI
Boy oh boy - LISA the painful
Peper Steak - OFF
By your side - OMORI
Tussle Among Trees - OMORI
Useful things that can helps with coding in RPG maker:
List of all of the event commands and their code equivalent: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
MV/MZ code documentation: kinoar.github.io/rmmv-doc-web...
Further clarifications:
RPG Maker MV and MZ is coded in Javascript, but every version before that was coded with Ruby and used the Ruby Game Scripting System (RGSS). I didn’t mention that because you don’t really need to learn these languages to code with RPG Maker. As long as you’re familiar with any coding language, you’ll be fine. Also Javascript is mostly used for webpages, but the javascript you’ll use on a website and the Javascript you’ll use on RPG Maker are completely different things, so “learning” Javascript wouldn’t really do you any good.
Why this video took so long to make (if you care):
So I started this video by completely redrawing all of the animations of my can character in higher quality, I did this so that I would be able to make him big without losing quality, and also did something that allowed me to make it animated with a transparent background at the same time, which was very tedious to do with the method I used before.
Then I also changed the way I recorded audio midway through, and you can hear at 2:47 the massive difference in echo.
Then there is also the fact that this has so far been the hardest script to write by far. I knew what I wanted to say but structuring it was really complicated and many parts got rewritten or removed, and changes got made up until the very end.

[@BinzuDev]

Hello, thanks for watching to the end! If you’re new here, welcome! I have many more gamedev videos planned for the future, And if you’ve been waiting for this video, thank you for your patience! This has been the hardest video to make so far for all kinds of different reasons. There’s a section in the description for additional things I didn’t have time to talk about in the video and why this video took so long to make.

[@YippeeDev]

Someone needs to get this guy to 100k rn xd Also, how do you make your videos? They look so good xd

[@golf8084]

thx for the great video! look forward for the next vid. (unity is hell rn...)

[@va1ennyx]

this video perfectly describes why i love this engine; its like modding the shittiest game ever created and using different workarounds to do something amazing

[@Zanzuki93]

sounds like Skyrim modding

[@danterizzi6672]

There's a RPGM free alternative called "RPG Paper Maker". It's very good if you want to create 2.5d style RPG games.

[@Whoopsie_woggzy]

a buried gem deep in the pile of comments

[@beatrizscatolin5201]

thanks for the comment, dante!!!

[@micahlindley7515]

There should be something like this for 3d games. Like Trenchbroom for Quake, but as a game engine with simple modeling tools.

[@nikkim7038]

sounds like rpg in a box is what you are looking for

[@CornRecords972]

back in the old days there was fps creator. But its dx10 rerelease bombed so hard the company went under. I think its open source now if you can get it running... It had prebuilt art, an in engine tile based map editor, and loads of easy game mechanics ready to drag and drop in.

[@fearlesswee5036]

@@nikkim7038 RPG In a Box is too restrictive though; you're limited to a very cartoony blocky/chunky Minecraft-esque voxelized look. It feels way too cartoonish for anything trying to be remotely serious.

[@fearlesswee5036]

@@CornRecords972 Actually, the company didn't go under; they're still around and made many engines forked from FPSC, notably GameGuru and now GameGuru MAX. They're....very rough engines however. They have a negative reputation of being a glorified asset-flip making engine, and have a plethora of bugs and poor performance issues that haven't been fixed even years after release.

[@eddie-roo]

With plugins, RM can do 3D

[@b.heaven9234]

I just started my RM journey. I'm a programmer by trade so I am a bit confident I can navigate through the codebase. Just last night I started practicing coding in MZ with the purpose of displaying text and drawing rectangles. A simple playing around the title screen is a good way to acclimate with MZ's code. From this simple exercise, I few minor peeves already emerged. Most notably, the game lacks substantial documentation on what things are and what they do. Despite initial confidence I could still use a good API and object docs to help navigate. Stuff like what is a Scene, where do I pull this and that data, how do I make things happen when I press something, etc. Community docs help a lot, though they are either super basic stuff (What is JavaScript?) or too advanced for what I need.

[@BinzuDev]

yep, coding something new yourself in rpg maker is not an obvious task, there isn't that much documention let alone tutorials.

[@YoshimiMilk]

I love how you mentioned the pros and the cons of RPG Maker unlike others who only highlight the positives.

[@CalvinArt]

ngl binzu dev is probably one of the best KZbinrs out there

[@cody3504]

Cap

[@CrypticDiabolo]

Loved that you used a clip of Vinny, watched a few of your vids already, good stuff, subscribed

[@sentencedto7677]

Really loving the format and editing of these past few videos! Looking forward to more.

[@LegendaryHeroponRiki]

i really love rpgmaker horror games they are severely underrated

[@impracticality2312]

I have been recently playing the Fear and Hunger games and... damn those games are somehow making me scared shitless to even move forward in the dark and dingy dungeons aaa

[@HyperNova137]

I bought the "Trinity" version of MV for PS4 when it was first announced, but had to wait several years before it was released due to all kinds of delays and quality issues that they wouldn't bother explaining to us... I had a blast with it when it finally arrived, but around the same time I had also got my hands on Dreams for PS4, and that was the point where I finally thought to myself, "I think I can actually do this, with enough time and effort I could make my own AAA game and quit my crappy factory job." Of course, both of those PS4 games lack any way of selling or monetizing your creations, so they're basically dead-end routes for anything other than showing something off to your friends... But it was the first time I had ever felt like being a solo game dev with absolutely zero coding knowledge was actually possible. I spent several more years after that just collecting and organizing assets to use in MZ, and that's perhaps the greatest strength the engine has: There are an insane number of options out there for free music and graphics that you can Frankenstein together into something that's pretty darn appealing, and if you're an awesome storyteller then there's nothing stopping you from creating a cinematic masterpiece that would make Hollywood jealous (and why hasn't there been a movie based on TO THE MOON yet?). But the amount of work required to get to that point is... Well, for anyone who has never made a game before, it's infinitely more work than you can imagine, lol. No matter how talented you think you are, it's gonna eat up an enormous chunk of your life... So you better be darn sure that's what you wanna do before you go selling the farm. I've been unemployed for a year-and-a-half now and my game hasn't come along very far at all -- but what I do have so far, looks better than anything I thought was possible with an RPG MAKER game. The bad reputation that the engine has isn't because the engine sucks -- it's because beginning developers take on too much and then give up but still try to sell an incomplete, crappy project.

[@allergy3659]

you're absolutely right! another game that's made quite a splash lately is the coffin of andy and leyley, but if you're familiar with rpg maker you can recognise it just from looking at the title screen :P as far as i'm aware, tCoAaL is pretty popular right now :D

[@mercury5003]

Why HASNT there been a movie based off to the moon?

[@Noizzed]

It's only a problem to make games with the default assets if you are gonna create the visuals straight from the game editor. I recommend using programs like Gimp or Photoshop to create your visuals there, using the default assets you can make parallaxes, basically using layers of many effects like shadows and lighting to build over the default assets.

[@Kuso_Ouji]

Thank you so much for making this video! In my other channel I want to make a lot of RM videos because I do truly think it’s one of the best game engines out there and I’ve done a lot I didn’t think was possible… I’m so happy for that. Please make lots more RM videos, and I’m really interested in seeing your game! Edit: And thank you for what you had to say in the description, detailing your complications. Being not just a game dev but a KZbinR too is so scary to me.

[@mattwcook9127]

Finally working on fulfilling my life long dream of making my own games! Been working on a project since last July, and have been making great progress! Not only that, but I've been finding all kinds of Plugins that aren't good for this game, but will allow me to make future games that will all play and feel very different than the first one I'm making... very exciting stuff!

[@vargsieber]

Interesting, as a kid i wrote some weird short fantasy stories that i could maybe put into game form with this.

[@camerontheidiot3800]

Thank you BinzuDev I've been wanting to make a game for a long time

[@whyamidoingthis9922]

So well done, even if it doesnt get too much views, its incredibly well made, be proud

[@Stathio]

How to get your game made in RPG Maker taken seriously: just make a good game with it.

[@Noizzed]

As someone who knows how to use more advanced engines like Unity, Unreal and Godot, sometimes i get the itch to just open RPG Maker and make a quick RPG without worrying about most complicated stuff of game dev.

[@Cuprite1024]

While I've never finished a project (Most I've done is release two one-hour-long demos for Pokémon fangames), I've been casually using RPG Maker for a long time, and I really enjoy the process. It's fun to watch that idea you had pop up in your head one day become something actually playable, even if it's just a prototype. As for the RTP assets, I like to modify them whenever I need something new, that way it fits in with the rest of them and it's not *just* the defaults. That's also very enjoyable to me. Really, RPG Maker's just been a really good creative outlet for me, and I love it for that. I'll eventually try to make something in an engine other than RM to get out of my comfort zone a bit (Likely Godot or something), but idk if I'll ever move away from it completely. (Ok, well, I've made one thing in GB Studio for a game jam, but that one was kind of a pain to work with. Lol)

[@KuraiNoOni]

@BinzuDev You did forget the newest entry RPG Maker Unite, which was released last year around April/May( after some long delays), so it was available by the time you released your Video. It is currently available in the Unity Market Place, and is set to be released on the Epic Games Store soon.( Steam didn't allow for RMU to use the unity engine as a dependency, which requires a separate license, hence it's delays in the first place). It is also the first installment of the Series, to not be an entire engine, but a Framework built on top of the Unity Engine.( Which harmed its adoption when Unity got screwed by it's now former CEO) The thing that you could have highlighted, is the Character Generator of newer engines, starting with VX( I believe it was in VX Ace), allowing you to easily create new assets on the fly, which even include the Side View assets, if you want to use the Final Fantasy Style battle system. The RPG Maker was really popular back in the '00s in Germany with some old classics like "Vampires Dawn" or "Unterwegs in Düsterburg". They were all made in the infamous Don Miguel translation of the RPG Maker 2000 and 2003.( Infamous because it redistributed the entire engine for free aka piracy, as well as changing and adding to the provided assets, like the Inn melody, which was lifted from FF7) Other popular stuff made in RPG Maker includes Pokemon Essentials, which was used for fangames like Pokemon Uranium.

[@allste626]

There's a reason he didn't mention Unite probably. Unity is not something you want to get involved with right now.

[@Poffy_]

I love your editing style you should make a tutorial

[@dizfoster8726]

You’re so real for this ngl

[@kruko8200]

This was my first engine. When I was still at school I saw RPG Maker MV at a decent price on steam and tried it. Now I have 500 hours registered at steam. After that I tried construct 2 due to a gamedev course for teenagers where I live and now I study gamedev as a career mainly using unity. However RPG Maker will always have a special place in my life as it's what got me into gamedev

[@Madlad-1337]

Thank you for making this video,now I know which engine I’ll use when I create my dream game.👍

[@AL-lh2ht]

Everything he said is basically the same thing for other engines.

[@PankakesTheReal]

im using game maker because i heard it made undertale and its also easy to learn

[@Luluskuy]

Use unity instead. Trust me. When u use RPG Maker, u will ask ur self why just doing this simple things is this complex, and why double click not work for mobile.

[@suyahatesntr]

I quit RM before I could even produce a single game. Yeah it's easy but the amount of problems you have to face when creating something that doesn't exist is just overwhelming. It's easier to start from zero and create your own game from the ground up than have this game engine lay it out for you.

[@playversetv3877]

like what problems ? i think its good for beginners rather than starting from scratch

[@Luluskuy]

@@playversetv3877 well, if u make a simple game using rpg template. Then it's good choice. But if u make unique mechanics, I mean programming something with the system, then basically u must know what to change instead just create one yourself

[@mrchung]

​@@Luluskuy Yeah in that case it's better to just code yourself.

[@deotexh]

Yeaaaaahhhh OMORI OST to go with an RPG Maker video! :D

[@dokushi]

I stopped making my game a few years ago because I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong and now all I have is the game name and the story but I don't know how to put it in the game engine But I think after this video I may get back into it and possibly finish it hopefully

[@colbyboucher6391]

1:05 A trainwreck I don't know about? Time for me to do some digging!

[@EtherealSki]

Funni naked and devils tengo games

[@FunniFelaz]

Oh no…

[@deadend6399]

fear and hunger was also made in rpg maker

[@Alice-FE]

Mogeko Castle... now THAT'S a throwback

[@Stoned_Coyote]

RPG Maker is definitely one of the game engins of all time.

[@Bloodsausagecat]

I see deepseaprisoner in video preview and I click XD. Their game wadanhoara and the great blue sea actually pushed me to wanna make a rpg game myself!

[@beatrizscatolin5201]

My boyfriend sent me your video and I thank you infinitely! I'm wanting to make my first game and this video gave me great encouragement to continue. thank you very much!

[@tonydogo8207]

1:43 BINNYY

[@Korastly]

underrated bean can

[@bebdergame]

I LOVE USING RPG MAKER!!!!

[@redrenagade0423]

Let's not forget about Mario the Music Box! lol

[@Uranium4719]

WHY ARE YOU SO UNDERRATED YOUR TO GOOD

[@enter8439]

Nice video

[@Santouryu3]

RPG Maker: Unite is adopted version of Loki the ice child!

[@Thadthep_Saksirisathin]

While I have negative opinion on newer RPG Maker nowadays, I must admit that the series built up my childhood dream of game making and logic flow skill, the skill which make my block-coding experience in Gdevelop engine much, much easier. it's absolutely one of my advantages over lot people (Although i can't write C# or Java for game making). I think that if you don't use the series to make JRPG, small video game, or game with simple and clear mechanic, the engine should be treated as first step of BIG game making. It definitely helps the kid or newcomers to understand how code or game making work.

[@quack4247]

not the okegom jumpscare

[@Deep-sleepxxx]

W vid i didnt watch till the end cause im busy but ill continue when im free

[@Luluskuy]

No

[@marc13bautista]

Showcase GDevelop please 😄 Watched your video on making dream game and it was nice for a starting indie maker like me. I'm on the fence about getting RPG maker even though its currently on sale (MV for $8 and MZ for $40) since the paywall user created plugins and possibility of hitting the problem of not being able to add certain features that cannot be added in without despair because of how premade the engine is (unless you know coding) is super worrying. I've only used Gdevelop for a little bit but the freedom to put extensions anywhere seem more suitable to do a lot more with more room to learn programming logic and to not be stuck and as a starter who doesn't know any programming languages. Seems perfect if coming from Scratch according to your other video (though i haven't tried Scratch). Hope you give it a try as well. 🦈👍

[@cinemaphar]

MOGEKO CASTLE MENTIONED!!! 🗣🗣

[@morkk5945]

Love your videos

[@BinzuDev]

love your profile pic

[@morkk5945]

@@BinzuDev thanks!

[@crownofartorias7152]

I think the thing that turned me away form the engine and made me drop whatever project I was on was when I wanted to implement combat, but whenever I went to ask questions everyone just said to just start learning code on a different engine at that point :/

[@Stathio]

That's dumb of them. Just keep customising and building features piece by piece until you get the battle system you want, just dropping an entire engine and game project partway through isn't going to help anyone.

[@interdev]

You forgot rpg maker fes for 3ds, it is probably somewhere between rpg maker mv, mz and the other one

[@glvt1026]

MOGEKO CASTLE REFERENCED‼

[@Seacat17]

First Scratch, now this... I failed to make game in Scratch and now YT recommended me this video. I have no idea on what to create on RPGM so it will be unique. I hate pixel art in my gut.

[@ethangeorge9940]

What’s wrong with pixel art

[@Seacat17]

@@ethangeorge9940 overused.

[@SuPeRNinJaRed]

I thought you were trolling (but that’s what I’m used to having used RPGM my whole life) but yeah it’s basically let’s either make a super basic rpg or use heavy eventing/scripting/plugins not to mention creating the custom graphics and music to shake off any initial stigma your game would receive 3:40 and after all that time you spent you might as well have just used Godot or something like that... but that’s the beauty of Rpgmaker it’s exactly as you said you end up almost overcomplicating the simplicity of it... Like having training wheels on a motorcycle! But I’ve always been so comfortable with it that I’ve never found a reason to change either, it’s the Rpgmaker’s complex I guess lol

[@user-xl3wn9sb4e]

Your so funny bro love ur videos 😂 time to take a piss

[@JustToSaveYou]

Highly recommend that beginners don't use plugins in their first project, or at least try to do what you're doing without a plugin first so you have a strong idea of what you need, and only add the bare minimum. I added too many plugins to my first game and quickly broke the file badly enough I had to scrap the entire project since I was too new to troubleshoot.

[@Maximuzs]

What game engine is best for making a 2D RPG Turn-based game? I mean exactly like the game Ninja Saga on Facebook before.

[@rmt3589]

I LOVED NINJA SAGA!!! That's not the type of game that I tend to make, but of you make that, let me know! I will be a happy player!!!

[@Maximuzs]

@@rmt3589 I love that game too! But on my concept I want to make a game like Ninja Saga but with a twist, you know like character creation with choosing an element and like the eye powers and things but with also a twist of Demon Slayer concept like their breathing forms and Jujutsu Kaisen concept like their domain expansion things. That’s the type of game I want to create.

[@rmt3589]

@@Maximuzs Haven't seen demon slayer, but Jujitsu Kaisen is amazing!!! I deffinately want to play now!!!

[@Maximuzs]

@@rmt3589 for sure! I’m more motivated to create that concept of mine so thanks! I will definitely update you!

[@Saprues]

Sorry but might be a silly question- But do you have any recommendations to wich type of computer would be best for most game engines?

[@BinzuDev]

Uhhhhh, if you mean operating system, then I guess windows, since everything is made to work on windows first. If you're talking about desktop vs laptop it really does not matter as long as it's not too old.

[@kxngklizhy9185]

Can you develop RPG games for IOS or Anroid with RPGMaker? Good video btw!

[@BinzuDev]

Yes you can! There's built-in touch screen support and IOS/android exporting

[@kxngklizhy9185]

@@BinzuDev Sir you are amazing! Really big thanks for that fast reply and please keep up the amazing work you put out! Big love

[@notaprogrammer123]

1:08 for those who dont know: changed

[@HauntLich]

I'm at the very edge of my sanity. In your game, you have Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga style battle mechanics. Did you make the plugin yourself, or is it an existing plugin? If the former, can you sell it/make it available? If the latter, which plugin did you use? My Google-Fu is weak sensei, please, take pity on this weary traveler!

[@BinzuDev]

I use the visustella battle core plugin's action sequence commands. But I coded all the attacks and dodging mechanics myself using a bunch of common events. Its very hardcoded so I can't just share the code in a plugin or something.

[@HauntLich]

@@BinzuDev I appreciate you letting me know how it was done. I guess I'll just have to figure it out! Cool to see that it can be done though.

[@rayanayesh4300]

I need help what sources i can learn from the advanced things😅

[@HomelessWarfare]

You could also get a older version of rpg maker. I’m playin with XP just to play around with.

[@thewitheredstriker]

Same. I love VX Ace and its Ruby scripting engine compared to MV's JS plugins. I like both, but I just have this nostalgic feel for the older editions.

[@Cuprite1024]

I've mostly only used XP for Pokémon Essentials, but I recently learned that it has an FPLE script (Basically, a first person dungeon crawler), and it runs much better than the MV version for me, so I've started throwing together a prototype with that for something unrelated to Pokémon (Tho it *did* start out related). It's interesting working with XP like this, cause it was always the version I thought to myself "I'll never use this for regular RPGs." Guess I was wrong about that. Lol.

[@michalkrasnodebski8709]

RPG maker MV or MZ ?

[@chugbunga1665]

did he ever mention what engine to use instead?

[@jamielishbrook2384]

one question. I used to love playing the golden sun games on my GBA. Would I be able to make a game that gives a similar experience?

[@jazzyjswift]

Absolutely without a doubt.

[@jamielishbrook2384]

@@jazzyjswift sweet

[@skysapfire9086]

I can’t find any videos on this so I’ll just ask here. How do you download the free trial? I have a MacBook air 13 and it won’t let me use the free trial some kind of error keeps popping up

[@genralty]

beanzu

[@conkergemini6489]

Subscribe at the first minute of the video. ¡Amazing presentation!

[@jokeymyguy]

NOT THE MOCK PIKACHU AND PROCCUTiO

[@titobeastdragon4294]

I know I'm late for this but "Too late who gives a S***" But I'm thinking about making a game with it! I won't spoil anything but the hint of the game is in my channel.

[@Lightfulsyn]

1:12 i unfortunately know the exact game your talking about

[@dodderythedromedary6890]

what game is it, I'm out of the loop :(

[@Lightfulsyn]

@@dodderythedromedary6890your lucky

[@Quarynet]

@@dodderythedromedary6890 Most likely Changed

[@dodderythedromedary6890]

@@Quarynet thx, we'll never know for sure, but that fit the WTF bill pretty damn well

[@Quarynet]

@@dodderythedromedary6890 :3

[@Bren_gerrrr]

its funny that omori was made with rpg maker and he used omori music

[@toastedtoast275]

OOOOO

[@ZsH85]

Bakin is better for me. as far as i know i cant make a 2.5D game in rpg maker with blender animations and stuff

[@JustinUnger-ve6qy]

its easy, but not very flexible. If rpg maker had a move event to event commnad, instead of just move event towards hero. there is soooo many systems i could accomplish way easier if available.

[@budhadevbiswas]

hey can you make a review about copper cube 6.6

[@danielsurvivor1372]

RPG Maker XP turned out free today, is it worse than 2003? Cuz there are so many more tutorials and videos about 2003 over XP 😢

[@BinzuDev]

2003 is older than XP, but all of the rpg maker versions are really similar to one another. And since its free I think there's no harm in trying it out anyway.

[@velvetix2388]

Anyone know a good place to learn rpg maker? I tried asking for stuff on their official discord server, but the experience was.... well, not so pleasant X).

[@BinzuDev]

Well I think a good place to learn rpg maker is simply... Well rpg maker itself! It's simple enough that you can figure out a lot of things out by messing around and seeing what each menu does. You won't gain the know-how of how to make a full game but for the things you can't figure out, searching online should give you most of the answers you need.

[@futurelaming8388]

"Time to take a piss!" 😂😂😂😭😭😭

[@iamLI3]

col vid

[@celine.s]

I'm completely new to making games, why is it considered a red flag to use RPG Maker's default assets ?

[@lexiferenczy9695]

You can

[@artmanstudios7037]

Wait one second do not start making your first game yet at least you must go through it in the traditional sense first and foremost. The first thing you have to do is create your first RPG maker game in RPG maker 2000 which is the first PC RPG maker game maker that we all have to go through to make our first game you would also be forgiven if you start with RPG maker 2003 but always start from the beginning then make your second game on RPG maker 2003 challenge yourself with those first and then you can move on to another ones as they are quite different but relatively the same as with those two you don't have the freedom of coding your own plugins or any assets so easily it's quite limited and what you can do! There's also virtually no many tutorials on this so you're pretty much going to be on your own but if you don't give up it's pretty self-explanatory what you can really do if all else fails you could always search for tutorials online somewhere maybe somebody might actually be able to tell you something as well!

[@TallTapper]

i like cars they're cute

[@KhoaNguyenPhamang-mk7jd]

wolf editor is better than rpg maker 🤣🤣🤣

[@virtwar]

Found it today. Found no documentation on the website. No info about the platforms. Does it look like a tool for serious development? Nope.

[@laurasstern0001]

look into OMORI and then tell me this cant be used for serious development

[@nifftbatuff676]

If you use rpgmaker, you better just create your own engine.

[@spikytoaster]

Dont be euro ok? Lets not do this. Fjf

[@Seacat17]

Got it for free for 2 days in Steam. Built-in tutorials don't work. 2 crashes in 10 minutes. Grid based mapping only. Unable to play the game, even after compilation. No tests? Googled for answer - no solution, only workarounds.

[@KevinArellano]

Yes because no