Difference between revisions of "RPG Developer Bakin Editor Early Access Review"
Line 113: | Line 113: | ||
Doing a test play here won't give me much to talk about as it's just an empty map so let's start editing the game. | Doing a test play here won't give me much to talk about as it's just an empty map so let's start editing the game. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Map Editor == | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[File:RpgDevBakin_Editor1.png|600px]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | Immediately, we're taking to the map editor. | ||
+ | Makes sense. | ||
+ | It's where RPG Maker takes you too after creating a new project. | ||
+ | And quite frankly, it's the easiest place to start. | ||
+ | |||
+ | <hr> | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[File:RpgDevBakin_Editor2.png|600px]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | The "Map List" tab allows you to add maps and map folders. | ||
+ | Yes, you heard that correctly. | ||
+ | You can now create map folders and dump those maps into said folders for better organization. | ||
+ | This is a feature that RPG Maker desperately needs so that we don't have to create empty maps to function as pseudo-folders. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Now this is where I have some issues: | ||
+ | |||
+ | The "Map List" button tab is hidden away quite well with a vertical context bar. | ||
+ | I'm not sure what the design decisions are behind this, but it's incredibly easy for a newcomer to miss. | ||
+ | |||
+ | I don't understand why they couldn't just add "Map List", "Placed List", and "Common Events" to the Master Menu selection to the left. | ||
+ | It's not like they are lacking in room there. | ||
+ | |||
+ | <hr> | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[File:RpgDevBakin_Editor3.png|600px]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | <hr> | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[File:RpgDevBakin_Editor4.png|600px]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | <hr> | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[File:RpgDevBakin_Editor5.png|600px]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | <hr> | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[File:RpgDevBakin_Editor6.png|600px]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | <hr> | ||
Revision as of 13:34, 18 October 2022
VisuStella, Caz Wolf, Fallen Angel Olivia, Atelier Irina, and other affiliated content creators.
IntroductionRPG Developer Bakin is the "new" RPG Maker-esque engine on the block. I say "new" because it's actually created SmileBoom, who made Smile Game Builder, another RPG Maker-esque engine. They're no strangers to what an RPG needs and it shows with Bakin. However, the question is, does Bakin do what RPG Maker MZ does better or is there some work to be done? Now that Early Access is out for Bakin, let's take a look at what Bakin has to offer. Keep in mind that since this is Earth Access, it means that not everything is finalized and that's potentially more to come. Creating a New ProjectWhen creating a new project, we're greeted with this screen. By answering the questions asked of the guide, it helps kickstart your game dev experience. This can become potentially tedious but overall, I like it when using the program casually. Here, we enter the game's title, subtitle, and the name of the creator. Sadly, there's a limit of 18 characters each. This may or may not be a problem for some games, but I know for certain languages (ie. German), this can become a big issue. For other languages like Japanese or Chinese, this is a very small issue. Here, we decide if we want to use assets provided by Bakin or just leave it empty. For those coming from RPG Maker, this is where you decide if you want the RTP (Runtime Package) aka default assets. This can be a time saver for those who want to create a minimalist project or a project with completely unique assets and don't want to waste time having to remove everything. RPG Developer Bakin is interesting in how it handles the player character. In RPG Maker, the player character is determined by the first character in the player's party. In Bakin, it's a separate entity. This can be either a blessing or a curse. It can be a blessing for those who wish for more autonomy with a "leader but not fighter" type of playstyle (akin to Pokémon). Or it can be a curse for those who swap out their party members constantly (akin to Octopath Traveler). Characters in Bakin can be either 3D models that turn as the camera moves or 2D stamps that will always appear flat on the screen to the player's camera angle. This is where things get interesting. You get to choose your camera angle that's best fit for your game. There are four of them and they can all make for some very interesting gameplay decisions.
Having the ability to pick and choose from these is absolutely fantastic in my opinion. The Operation Method determines how controls are handled.
I think giving these control schemes to the player is great and opens up a lot of game genre possibilities. You're seeing it right! The ability to jump and run with inertia is innate with Bakin and doesn't require external plugins like RPG Maker! Huzzah! However, keep in mind it's very basic though. Jumping will launch the player a set height and you cannot adjust the height based on how long you hold the jump button. Think of it like jumping Disgaea's base or the awkward jump height and arm flailing like in Minecraft. Inertia feels kinda weird imo and is best left off unless you're planning on doing an action game. Going up a minimally slanted cliff kills your momentum more than a speed bump near an elementary school zone. I think both of these features can use some tweaking. And finally, the last page before going to edit your game. You can decide to test out the camera and control scheme for your game here. It's a high quality of life feature that makes me glad the Bakin developers added in because there are 12 different camera and control schemes you can use. Doing a test play here won't give me much to talk about as it's just an empty map so let's start editing the game.
Map EditorImmediately, we're taking to the map editor. Makes sense. It's where RPG Maker takes you too after creating a new project. And quite frankly, it's the easiest place to start. The "Map List" tab allows you to add maps and map folders. Yes, you heard that correctly. You can now create map folders and dump those maps into said folders for better organization. This is a feature that RPG Maker desperately needs so that we don't have to create empty maps to function as pseudo-folders. Now this is where I have some issues: The "Map List" button tab is hidden away quite well with a vertical context bar. I'm not sure what the design decisions are behind this, but it's incredibly easy for a newcomer to miss. I don't understand why they couldn't just add "Map List", "Placed List", and "Common Events" to the Master Menu selection to the left. It's not like they are lacking in room there.
Next Topic |