History of RPG Maker Feature

[Valkysas]

With both the 10th anniversary of the RPG Maker Pavilion (July 21st), and the 10th anniversary of RPG Maker in the US (September 18th) on the way, I've added a new feature here that goes over the history of the console RPG Maker series, title by title, in chronological order.

These are not fully in depth game-exploring features like the RPG Tsukuru 4 or RPG Tsukuru DS articles were. Instead, this is just to teach you about what came before, and give some basic knowledge about each installment. Each game from this feature will be fully explored in a feature on this site by the end of this year.

The whole three-part feature is online now. Click here to check it out.

[orius]

I first learned about the original RPG Tsukuru in an issue of Nintendo Power from about 15 years ago. There was this article in their Epic section where they talked about Japan-only games, and this game was at the top of the article (along with a sidebar on DQV). I drooled over the thought of a game like this, and it was the very first time I felt irritated about a Japanese game that never got released here. NP mentioned that there was an official contest which offered prize money for the best designed game.

Naturally, when I saw an ad for RPG Maker in an issue of Dragon a few years later, it went right onto my "must get" list, because it reminded me of that NP article. I didn't learn that the games were from the same series until I became a regular here.

Originally Posted by Valkysas

See, ASCII created something called the "Super Turbo File". This battery-powered device plugged into your Super Famicom's second controller port, and in certain games that supported it, you could copy your saves to it. That STF on the game's box notes that it's compatible with it. So if you wanted to let someone play your game, you just let them borrow your Super Turbo File, or even copy your game to their Super Turbo File.

So that's how they did it. I always wondered how the concept would be viable without memory cards. This sounds almost like a proto memeory card.

[Valkysas]

This is one of the STF models. they're nifty. I want one, but I don't wanna spend $40 on one.

[TriggerHound]

This looks interesting. Nice to get to know about what came before the RPG Maker's I've used.

[orius]

Originally Posted by Valkysas

This is one of the STF models. they're nifty. I want one, but I don't wanna spend $40 on one.

Sometimes I wonder just how much we didn't get in the NES/SNES era. I've read about a large number of SFC RPGs that weren't localized. Not just games either but useful peripherals as well, like the Famicom Disk System. I'd say that's what happens when you market the console only to kids, but the same thing happens with games on Sega's and Sony's systems.

Some examples are on this page, but I doubt that's all of them.

[Ryner]

I never knew about those STF things, I always thought the dexdrive was the first of its kind.

[Valkysas]

Super Famicom page is finished with RPG Tsukuru 2.

[Valkysas]

Sony Playstation page is up.

[Valkysas]

The entire feature is now available.

[Draygone]

We would do a far better job of "reviewing" and generating hype for [RPG Maker 2] than any normal review site.

Did any normal review sites even touch it? Last I checked, it never had a review on GameSpot.

[Ryner]

http://www.metacritic.com/games/plat...?q=rpg%20maker

Anyway, I liked this feature. It had some good info that I had forgotten or never knew in the first place.

[Valkysas]

for some stupid reason, the links to the other pages within the feature itself all open in new tabs. no idea why its happening, it's not set up to do that.

I'm glad you liked it, Ryner.

[Draygone]

RPG Maker 2, due to both Enterbrain's own ambition, and our own requests, was the closest thing you could possibly get to an actual game development platform. It was extremely technical. The structure, the flow of the software, none of it even slightly resembled anything that had come before, even compared to the PC RPG Makers.

'Course, if we had known anything about RPG Tsukuru 4 at the time, we could've all just said "give us a 3D RPG Tsukuru 4" :P

[Caciss]

could the links to each console era not open up a new window?

[Rodak]

Originally Posted by Valkysas

for some stupid reason, the links to the other pages within the feature itself all open in new tabs. no idea why its happening, it's not set up to do that.

I'm glad you liked it, Ryner.

Originally Posted by Caciss

could the links to each console era not open up a new window?

If html works for admins, just add "target="top" to each link. Not sure how to do it with bbc code though

[Valkysas]

I know how to do it in html, but the page is done in bb code. I'll probably end up redoing it in html if I can't fix this.

[Ωbright]

That was a very enjoyable and enlightening read.

[Ixzion]

I linked to this over at the Mag. It was a good read.