Others RPGM RPG Maker MV vs MonoGame - any thoughts?

[MoroboshiAtaru]

Hello all!

Does anyone here have any experience on developing 2D games on both RPG Maker MV and MonoGame and can share some of their thoughts? I am just talking about 2D games.

The reason I am asking is that I am familiar with JavaScript, but my bread and butter is with C# and .NET. And I like managed code. Also MonoGame can be developed with Visual Studio (which is free), while RPG Maker MV requires a license.

I fell in love with Treasure of Nadia, which I believe was developed in RPG Maker MV. The developer of that game is AMAZING, so I understand that the bar is set very high.

Thanks to anyone for any input and stay safe!
Mo.

 

[Kirh]

RPG Maker MV is a game-making engine while MonoGame is a framework. If you're planning on making a map-based 2D top-down game, you should really use RPG Maker since it's literally made for that. You'll have a lot of things already ready for you to use like tilsets, tools to make maps using the tiles, ability to make events at specific places, a dialogue system, etc.
If you use MonoGame you start with pretty much nothing except a pipeline for your graphics and sound. You have to search and find third-party libraries for anything you want to do, even something as simple as a button(or make everything yourself) but you can do whatever you want with it.
In my opinion, if you want to make something that's not the classic RPG Maker game I would advise you to consider using Unity instead of MonoGame if you know C# since that's what Unity uses. You can make Unity2D projects and pretty much everything relating to the UI will be 100x easier to make compared to MonoGame, plus you'll still have the freedom to make whatever you want with it. Unity also has a free version so no problem in terms of licensing.

 

[MoroboshiAtaru]

RPG Maker MV is a game-making engine while MonoGame is a framework. If you're planning on making a map-based 2D top-down game, you should really use RPG Maker since it's literally made for that. You'll have a lot of things already ready for you to use like tilsets, tools to make maps using the tiles, ability to make events at specific places, a dialogue system, etc.
If you use MonoGame you start with pretty much nothing except a pipeline for your graphics and sound. You have to search and find third-party libraries for anything you want to do, even something as simple as a button(or make everything yourself) but you can do whatever you want with it.
In my opinion, if you want to make something that's not the classic RPG Maker game I would advise you to consider using Unity instead of MonoGame if you know C# since that's what Unity uses. You can make Unity2D projects and pretty much everything relating to the UI will be 100x easier to make compared to MonoGame, plus you'll still have the freedom to make whatever you want with it. Unity also has a free version so no problem in terms of licensing.

Thank you for the advice. I had no idea Unity came out with a free version. I tried it years ago and it was expensive, so I dabbled VERY LITTLE in Unreal Engine.

Recently I was just taken aback at the beautiful UX provided by Treasure of Nadia and found out it was built in RPG Maker MV.

Again, thank you!
Mo.

 

[kuraiken]

Thank you for the advice. I had no idea Unity came out with a free version. I tried it years ago and it was expensive, so I dabbled VERY LITTLE in Unreal Engine.

Recently I was just taken aback at the beautiful UX provided by Treasure of Nadia and found out it was built in RPG Maker MV.

Again, thank you!
Mo.

When planning what engine to use, you should have some conceptual idea of what kind of game you want to make, and what functions and assets are necessary.

You can, in theory, do your work in unity, unreal engine, and others, among them RPG Maker.

One thing I'd advise you on is to make that decision not necessarily only on engine-flexibility but also on what assets you can access.
For an indie game, assets are a big deal. You don't have a whole bunch of artists to do stuff for you, so you may have to resort to doing a lot of it yourself. That can become immensely time-consuming.

The big advantage in RMV is that you have a lot of free and commercial assets to access designed for 2D games (whereas unity and unreal engine are more, but not only, 3d focused).
RMV games can be made with high quality graphics and even some really neat lighting and weather effects, but you'll have to be willing to dig into the javascript part & you'll have to get those assets created, too.

You can check out some of the screens from the game I'm currently working on with Slaynee in RMV:
https://f95zone.to/threads/incandescent-shade-v0-01-alpha-slaynee.35689/post-3170900
Check the spoilers closer to the bottom for pictures & gifs.

Ultimately, RMV is probably the easiest and fastest engine to make 2D games in, because a lot of the gameplay framework exists already & it can be altered by countless freely available plugins. But getting stuff in high quality will still mean work.

I haven't checked the engine from Treasures of Nadia yet, but from the screens I'd say the creator used a 3D tool for not just the characters but also the backdrop maps, and then imported those pictures as parallax backgrounds instead of the drawn map. So you'll have to use tools beyond the RMV toolset to create 3D maps like that.

 

[ShamanLab]

Hello, what exactly you going to do with JavaScript, C# and .NET in porn game?

Most of them are very simple random clicking visual novels on RenPy. People want to look on porn here they don't care about game play mostly.

 

[kuraiken]

Hello, what exactly you going to do with JavaScript, C# and .NET in porn game?

Most of them are very simple random clicking visual novels on RenPy. People want to look on porn here they don't care about game play mostly.

That depends on the person.

A lot of the most successful erotic games also feature at least decent gameplay.

And if you want stuff like a daily cycle, a weather system, or a menu statistic for sex stats, or a CG gallery in the menu, or a dress & undress system that changes sprites & faces, etc.
Guess what you'll have to do to make it happen? Code it into the game.

 

[ShamanLab]

A lot of the most successful erotic games also feature at least decent gameplay.

RenPy 'enter your name + randomly clicking 70000 times or more' is a golden standard of decent gameplay here.

And if you want stuff like a daily cycle, a weather system, or a menu statistic for sex stats, or a CG gallery in the menu, or a dress & undress system that changes sprites & faces, etc.

RPGM has plugins for weather, daily cycles, menu stats and who know for what else too.

 

[kuraiken]

RPGM has plugins for weather, daily cycles, menu stats and who know for what else too.

And none of them are necessarily optimized for your use, or allow you to do what you specifically want them to do.

There's enough to make do - but not to have it do what you want it to do. You you need to be able to modify them via JS, or write your own.
I've done both. It helps a lot.

 

[ShamanLab]

And none of them are necessarily optimized for your use, or allow you to do what you specifically want them to do.

Not sure what you have in mind but for weather there is good plugins. And for menu there is more complicated situation because there is too much plugins for this.

 

[Stompai]

And none of them are necessarily optimized for your use, or allow you to do what you specifically want them to do.

There's enough to make do - but not to have it do what you want it to do. You you need to be able to modify them via JS, or write your own.
I've done both. It helps a lot.

Agreed here, plugins are a good way to get a template but modifying them to fit your needs make the difference between a generic and a unique rpgm game. Just like how creating your own model in daz3d is better over buying already made ones for art.

 

[Saki_Sliz]

da fuk?
I guess this thread got moved because I just now got a notification that this thread was made...

anyway, if it still interests anyone, I am making a custom game engine in monogame.

Since the original post date of this thread, unity has changed licensing (free for the first 1 million $) and Godot has become more viable ( version 4 is still in alpha) as a C# unity 2D substitute.

if one is going to make a game using monogame... well good luck, you're going to have a rough time. You need to understand the underlining game system mechanics, since you have to code everything yourself. I started my coding experience making custom engines and simulations in java because that is all I could do when I was a kid. The reason I am doing monogame instead of unity or godot (or unreal), is I want to avoid the learning curve and avoid the bloated code/systems and the odd niche behavior/quirks. Infact I am trying to work around the scene to scene mentality of unity and work more towards godots node system, but also implement a global game system not found in unity and unreal.

 

[MoroboshiAtaru]

anyway, if it still interests anyone, I am making a custom game engine in monogame.

Since the original post date of this thread, unity has changed licensing (free for the first 1 million $) and Godot has become more viable ( version 4 is still in alpha) as a C# unity 2D substitute.

if one is going to make a game using monogame... well good luck, you're going to have a rough time. You need to understand the underlining game system mechanics, since you have to code everything yourself. I started my coding experience making custom engines and simulations in java because that is all I could do when I was a kid. The reason I am doing monogame instead of unity or godot (or unreal), is I want to avoid the learning curve and avoid the bloated code/systems and the odd niche behavior/quirks. Infact I am trying to work around the scene to scene mentality of unity and work more towards godots node system, but also implement a global game system not found in unity and unreal.

I posted the original question after I watched a YouTube video about the creator of Stardew Valley. He created the game and all the assets from scratch, which i found impressive! I believe he used XNA, which I think now is defunct and (maybe) was replaced with MonoGame? I understand that MonoGame is a blank slate engine. One can do A LOT but has to build it all up.

I am a C# developer and I liked the fact that MonoGame uses C# and available in Visual Studio - which is what I use at work everyday.

I wish you good luck with your game!

Mo.

 

[Saki_Sliz]

I believe he used XNA, which I think now is defunct and (maybe) was replaced with MonoGame? I understand that MonoGame is a blank slate engine. One can do A LOT but has to build it all up.

Yup

Well if you like having full control over things, and if your an experienced C# dev, monogame is for you. I've been coding for a decade, but only hobbyist/academic level, likewise for game making, but I'm certainly not a professional, as I am an electrical engineer (terrible time to finish college during a pandemic). If you want to bounce questions off me while working on learning monogame, feel free to send me a message. Warning, I type walls of texts.

 

[MoroboshiAtaru]

Yup

Well if you like having full control over things, and if your an experienced C# dev, monogame is for you. I've been coding for a decade, but only hobbyist/academic level, likewise for game making, but I'm certainly not a professional, as I am an electrical engineer (terrible time to finish college during a pandemic). If you want to bounce questions off me while working on learning monogame, feel free to send me a message. Warning, I type walls of texts.

Thank you, will do

 

[krs123]

I'm in a similar situation... my niche is C# and .NET. Started messing with MonoGame during quarantine, and am just utterly floored by how much easier RPGM seems. Even getting basics into place with MG is a hassle, not to mention most anyone who knows how to use it keeps that information close to their chest. Hard to find comprehensive tutorials, and watching how much easier it is assets wise to use RPGM makes me consider switching.

 

[MoroboshiAtaru]

I'm in a similar situation... my niche is C# and .NET. Started messing with MonoGame during quarantine, and am just utterly floored by how much easier RPGM seems. Even getting basics into place with MG is a hassle, not to mention most anyone who knows how to use it keeps that information close to their chest. Hard to find comprehensive tutorials, and watching how much easier it is assets wise to use RPGM makes me consider switching.

I totally agree with everything you said! The truth is that RPG Maker was made for these type of games. Monogame is a blank slate, a framework, like the good ol' XNA. Everything has to be build from scratch. I watched the YouTube documentary about the creator of Stardew Valley. I believe he still uses XNA and he created EVERYTHING himself. Took him a few years.

In the end I guess go with what makes sense to turn your idea into reality.

Mo.

 

[Saki_Sliz]

anyone who knows how to use it keeps that information close to their chest. Hard to find comprehensive tutorials

oh defiantly.
and when someone does make something to share, then you have to go through the work of learning how their system works and having to adapt your thinking to match their tools, which is why many ignore this and try to do their own thing.

 

[krs123]

I think I'll still slowly work on MonoGame content... the utter freedom is obviously very appealing from a coder perspective. Also RPGMaker has several limitations, but I bought MV and have been having fun learning it. now i just need to learn how to render 2d animations hahah. but thats a whole other problem

 

[MoroboshiAtaru]

I think I'll still slowly work on MonoGame content... the utter freedom is obviously very appealing from a coder perspective. Also RPGMaker has several limitations, but I bought MV and have been having fun learning it. now i just need to learn how to render 2d animations hahah. but thats a whole other problem

Sounds like a great plan, I wish you good luck and enjoy the journey!

Mo.

 

[MoroboshiAtaru]

A bit off topic, but something that can be used in both RPG Maker and MonoGame:

NLT, the creator Treasure of Nadia is using DAZ assets to render the world background and every interior. This, of course, is on top of the beautiful character renders he uses for dialogue and cut-scenes. At first I thought he was using Blender, but then I recognized some of the assets (such as the outside of the Doctor's office). I have not tried it myself, but he is probably using an orthographic camera, maybe at a 45 angle? NLT is VERY good!

Mo.