Difference between revisions of "VisuStella MZ One Year Retrospective"

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(Positives)
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When there are actual compatibility bridging problems, we revisit the respective '''Super Core''' and fix it as you can see in our [[VisuStella MZ Changelog|Changelogs]].
 
When there are actual compatibility bridging problems, we revisit the respective '''Super Core''' and fix it as you can see in our [[VisuStella MZ Changelog|Changelogs]].
 
With that in mind, this isn't an actual negative but a perceived one.
 
With that in mind, this isn't an actual negative but a perceived one.
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Aside from that, the only real negative I can think of is that looking through the code for a '''Super Core''' can be extremely daunting.
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Even with everything commented, it's still tricky to navigate.
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However, I believe this is something that the team is already used to by now.
  
 
=== Challenges ===
 
=== Challenges ===
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The extra layout styles made it easier for users to get the appearance they want for their games.
 
The extra layout styles made it easier for users to get the appearance they want for their games.
 
Other things include not needing to download external plugins for ''HP Gauges'' from the [[Battle Core VisuStella MZ|Battle Core]].
 
Other things include not needing to download external plugins for ''HP Gauges'' from the [[Battle Core VisuStella MZ|Battle Core]].
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== Overall ==
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The decision to move to '''Super Cores''' instead of using split cores is a success. The positives outweigh the challenges to be faced and there's really not that many negatives.
  
 
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Revision as of 12:14, 12 August 2021

Welcome to the wiki! This is where you can find resources from Yanfly.moe, Ækashics.moe,
VisuStella, Caz Wolf, Fallen Angel Olivia, Atelier Irina, and other affiliated content creators.


Introduction

At the time this article is written, VisuStella has been running for a year already. As the team director for the majority of the year, I'd like to take some time to reflect and review what went on during the year as far as developing and maintaining the library goes. There are negatives, there are challenges, but there are also a lot of positives. I'd like to take that time to talk about them so that the VisuStella MZ team can have a clearer understanding going forward. This article can also serve as insight to any potential plugin devs who plan on developing their own libraries.

Yanfly.png This is an article written by Yanfly.


Super Cores

One of the bigger topics that have been discussed in the community in regards to the VisuStella MZ is how big the cores are. Let's call them Super Cores due to their size. Each one of these plugins are made up of several smaller plugins of related (or semi-related) features. Some of the Super Cores are made up of 20+ plugins while some are made up of only 5-ish. Either way, they're bigger than what people are used to.

And before I get started, let me just put out one thing for the VisuStella MZ team to never forget about. I know that other plugin developers are emulating the Yanfly Engine style with Cores, Core Engines, and stuff. However, they made the dependencies on them way too high. For what it's worth, in Yanfly Engine Plugins, there was only ever one plugin that was dependent on the Core Engine and that was the separated desktop-only Core Updates. Adding a dependency should only be necessary when there are features added by the Cores/Core Engine that need to be relied upon. We don't want the library to be needlessly tied to the Core Engine even if it's a good idea to have regardless.

So what do I think about the Super Cores?

Negatives

One of the biggest negatives I hear about from the community is how difficult it is to make plugins compatible with the Super Cores. However, this is one of those statements where I have to disagree with. All of the Super Cores are designed to reuse the base RPG Maker MZ functions as much as possible. When approached by plugin devs looking to create compatibility with the VisuStella MZ Super Cores, we often discovered that the non-VisuStella plugin devs just didn't know a better way to approach the compatibility. This can come in the form of which functions to alias/monkey patch or which Plugin Parameters to turn off in order to bridge the two plugins. When there are actual compatibility bridging problems, we revisit the respective Super Core and fix it as you can see in our Changelogs. With that in mind, this isn't an actual negative but a perceived one.

Aside from that, the only real negative I can think of is that looking through the code for a Super Core can be extremely daunting. Even with everything commented, it's still tricky to navigate. However, I believe this is something that the team is already used to by now.

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges encountered with the Super Cores is how high maintenance they are. However, this is to be expected given how large they are. When a plugin has 20+ plugins shoved inside it, there's a high likelihood that it'll be updated often. However, it is worth it for all the positives that maintaining a Super Core provides.

Positives

One of the best things about making the Super Cores is how in-library compatibility is easily maintained. A common problem throughout the past RPG Maker iterations for scripts and plugins alike is the concept of putting everything in the right order. Plugins that were installed in the Plugin Manager in the incorrect order were bound to have problems and conflicts. With the Super Cores, that is mitigated for the majority of the plugin features added. Combined with the Tier system, errors of incorrect plugin order are practically non-existent.

Another major bonus of a large Super Core is the systemic synergy it creates with other features within the plugin. Certain features only became plausible by combining the features together. They allowed for better new feature integration across the VisuStella MZ library as a whole.

And the last big bonus of the Super Core that I want to talk about is the ease of starting up new projects. I've received a lot of positive feedback about them despite the negative comments on the modularity. The majority of users are happy they can grab the ten Super Cores and get going. This beats the past experience of needing to hunt down basic functions split across 100+ functions. This saves a lot of the users' time and allows them to focus on the experience.

Furthermore, there's lots of positivity coming from users where they are discovering features they didn't know they needed. Such examples include the diagonal movement from the Events and Movement Core or the tilted dash. The extra layout styles made it easier for users to get the appearance they want for their games. Other things include not needing to download external plugins for HP Gauges from the Battle Core.

Overall

The decision to move to Super Cores instead of using split cores is a success. The positives outweigh the challenges to be faced and there's really not that many negatives.

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