RPG Maker VX Ace

5.0 stars

"It Doesn't Get Any Easier Than This"

September 2, 2012  |   By Monthig

Version: RPG Maker VX Ace 1.0

Pros

* Really simple to get started on your first game

* Ruby scripting support which allows endless customization

* Provided graphics (sprites) that can be used commercially

*Character generator for those who have little graphical skill

* An extensive international community that provides a wide variety of resources from custom scripts to graphics and music.

Cons

* Game Resolution Limited to 640x480 and below

* Cannot make games for mobile platforms

Summary

For years I've steered away from RPG Maker products because I thought that I couldn't make a fully featured game with them. I bought Ace on a whim and I'm happy to find that my fears were unfounded.

RPG Maker VX Ace (or RMVXA) is a Game Creation System (GCS) geared towards making Japanese Styled Role Playing Games (jRPGs) like Final Fantasy.

Making your first game is fairly easy. The process involves drawing tiles with the editor which is similar to a paint program. Although the creator has Ruby scripting support, programming is not required. RMVXA has a powerful 'eventing' system which allows you to easily change anything from the tint of the screen to how your characters move around.

The creator features a database which allows you to configure enemies, characters, classes and even add in your own resources. Everything you need to start your first game is included. Music, sound effects, animations and graphics are all there.

I'd recommend RMVXA for the hobby enthusiast or even the commercial game maker on a budget.

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4.0 stars

"The easy start to game making"

September 2, 2012  |   By Scinaya

Version: RPG Maker VX Ace 1.0

Pros

-User friendly and rather intuitive
-Wide control over the materials and database
-Supports custom made content (graphical and audio resources and RGGS3 Ruby scripting)
-Comes with the most important core materials to use
-Flexibility (even if it sometimes requires creative ways of using the program)

Cons

-Certain hard-to-change restrictions (small in-game screen resolution, clunky level/map editor)
-There's yet more to wish in flexibilty

Summary

RPG Maker VX Ace is definitely best of it's series so far. It is easy to use and to fast to get into. There is space for customization and with scripting and creativity the created game can be bent far from the traditional 2D RPGs. Several limitations from previous Makers have been lifted in this version and user has especially more control over database now (for example possibility to add your own custom damage formula.)

Some functions as the level/map editor, could be still improved, but at the moment RPG Maker VX Ace is good option for developer planning 2D RPG.

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4.0 stars

"Hours of creative entertainment and hard work~"

September 2, 2012  |   By silversatyr

Version: RPG Maker VX Ace 1.0

Pros

A great program with a lot of ease of use for new users, and scripting capabilities for those who are more experienced, RPG Maker VXA is a versatile game that enables you to make games for recreation or profit.
Much has improved on the older versions of the program, including increased Tile accessibility, easier to understand and learn scripting language, increased versatility when dealing with character, skill and item creation, more versatility with regions and eventing.
There are a lot of extras that were included with the program which help make it superior to the previous version - VX.
The addition of a character generator with-in the program is also a big bonus as it allows you to create character faces and sprites on the fly.

Cons

Sadly a lot of the RTP is the same as the pre-released VX RTP, so it might not look very different from a graphical point of view. There are some additional tiles, though.
Also, the mapping stays the same as in VX, so it has the same squareness. Thankfully, there are a lot of scripts out there to help with that.
There's also been a few bugs - namely with events and lag. It's not as bad as VX was, though, which is an improvement, but it would have been nice to see the issues eradicated altogether.

Summary

Though Ace has a few little issues, they aren't major nor detract from its general use. It's a fun to use program with a lot of potential for creation and experimentation, which is what is desired in a game making program.
There are issues with how it looks, but that can be easily brushed aside with the use of scripts, custom graphics or even mapping techniques.
The best thing about the program is that it is fun and easy to pick up. You can make the games that you wanted to make as a child - those traditional RPGs that drew you into the world of gaming - and with scripting you can create even bigger, better games than what you might have envisioned. Add in the many packs of music and graphics that Dejica and Enterbrain offer to their customers and you have yourself an engine that is amazing in its simplicity, fun in its execution and versatile in its abilities. I know I've logged in more hours on RPG Maker programs than all the games I've ever played, combined. Well worth the money spent!

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4.0 stars

"Simply Awesome!"

September 2, 2012  |   By MrKuvo

Version: RPG Maker VX Ace 1.0

Pros

-Finally a random character generator!
-multiple tile sets along with awesome passability options
-the shadow pen tool
-much needed database system upgrade, even allows for custom damage formulas on everything.
-runs a LOT faster, harder to bog down the system.
-Lots of sample maps to get first timers started

Cons

-default tiles are just plain ugly. They need a serious make over and released for free to everyone who purchases this. I can't help but feel ripped off in this department. There are free tile sets out there that kill the one you get with your initial purchase. However if you want to release a commercial game then you may end up having to pay additional costs to the makers of said tiles.
-Price
-No side view battle system
-no multiple layer fogs supported without 3rd party script
-No built in abs system
-native resolution is 544*416

Summary

Overall, RMVX ACE is an awesome product. I can't help but think this is what RMVX should have been the first time around. It is an extremely easy to use software. With all the resources you get with it you can have a game up and running in no time at all. And as usual, there are a lot of awesome community made scripts and resources available to allow you to do things that are not part of the package. If you have ever been interested in building your own RPG and have zero programming skills this is by far the best option available.

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5.0 stars

"this is great! but need improvement."

September 2, 2012  |   By jomarcenter

Version: RPG Maker VX Ace 1.0

Pros

the game have a unique experiences to vx ace user compared to vx or xp. upon checking out the character review i can easily make temporary or permanent character for my game! while some certain feature like multiple tile-set just made me impress when compared from vx version. and the additional of graphics and music was added some more than in xp and vx version. with some addition of the video feature user can make video for their game and use than, unlike vx or xp there no feature like that and required scripting. and the shadow feature has impress me since i can use this as an advantage to create shadows that was needed to be put properly.

Cons

there was no way to resize the game windows which required a script to do so. and the lack of side-view battle system that was commonly used system in japna video game. and the used of chibi style character was used than the character system that was used on xp (downgrade much?) and also some removed featured from vx and xp. amount limitation on everything, they should remove and give it unlimited everything instead of making user save space by making maps big and putting a lot of room in a single map. lack of feature that allows us to put the game on different devices, (mac,iphone,etc...) lack of layering system that was used in xp.

Summary

now it been 7 month since it released and i think i make a good review out of it. thank you for making a such a great engine and hoped that you will make more in a future. i try all 3 rpg maker product with the 30 day trial period before and this one is what i brought because it had more feature than the previous two.

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5.0 stars

"A stunning toolkit for beginners and advanced users."

April 9, 2012  |   By Faladis

Version: RPG Maker VX Ace 1.0

Pros

*Quick to start.
*Ease of use.
*Vast array of material to begin with.
*Trigger system that allows you to control the flow of your game.
*A powerful database system for enemies, animations, and more.

Cons

*A hefty price tag for a starting program.
*Not 100% user customization applicable.
*Lack of facial features and animations in the character generator.

Summary

Not quite a leap, but definitely a step up from RPG Maker VX, VX Ace offers users a new experience. New users will be enthralled by the character generator, a customization engine allowing you to graphically build your vision of your game's main characters and supporting cast. Veterans will love the new script support in Ace, allowing more complex scripts that would usually bog down the engine to run easily.

Overall, it is an improvement over VX and is an essential tool to any beginning game developer with a mind to make a classic RPG.

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