Obligatory Introductory Post

I'm a cover image, be entranced!

Like many others, my first encounter with the RPG Maker line of game making engines was via a certain 'Don Miguel''s...unofficial...translation of RPG Maker 2000.​

The RM2k games I'd been exposed to by then were very few in number, and yet, I was already in love with everything about them- the focus on storytelling, the bright, jagged graphics, the turn-based battle system that gave me an excuse to ignore my generally poor hand-eye co-ordination and terrible reflexes (which in turn typically led me to die within the first 15 minutes of any other action/adventure/combat game).​

Then I realised, through a forum dedicated to one of the games I'd played, that the whole platform that was used to create these wondrous hours of my favourite form of escapism from my "dreadful" school life was, in fact, available to use for (kind of) free!- I was moved to tears. Finally, I could express myself in secret ways that would help me evade the fate of the likes of poor Oogushi-kun.​

I spent the first several days stewing in my own head, thinking up ideas and expectations of what I would do once I got my grubby little hands on the download. Why wait several days instead of just downloading it right away, you ask? Because that's just how much I procrastinate in life.​

Anyway, I couldn't help wondering what I should focus on, what I wanted to focus on, when I started building my first game- a deeply mysterious, intricately woven story? Eerie, atmospheric scenes and cryptic dialogues? A complex world teeming with diverse life, a journey filled with scary men and wise monsters in far flung, distant lands? This, I realised, was going to be more than a way to pass my summer. This was going to be an exploration of the deepest recesses of my own heart, mind and soul; an adventure that would help me get in touch with my innermost wishes, and let me see who I really am through this soon to be notorious work of art that would be My Game. Because why enjoy anything in life without over-complicating it and blowing every little detail involved to grandiose proportions, amirite? Additionally, this way I could talk about the path of self-discovery I had had the privilege of traversing upon whence the game development began, instead of giving a concrete answer to any questions from anybody about that one game I was building where I'd promised to feature them as an NPC in exchange for assistance in overcoming a writer's block around the plot.​

I managed to pump myself up an unusual lot with all of this day-dreaming, to the point that I just went ahead and got the software a lot more quickly than I normally would have. As it turned out, within a few weeks of fleshing out my first ever game, that all I cared about was the loot. And looting. Pillaging. Plunder. Turns out I'm a simple human being, after all. With shallow ambitions, much like the rest of humanity. I'm no longer a fan of self-discovery sessions.​

So I've been at this one game, on and off, for several years now. I've never been able to go through with a project on RM2k smoothly partly because that's how I roll, and partly because the in-software translation is confusing. But considering how work has sucked all joy from my life (earlier, it used to be school), as well as the general direction the world seems to be headed in, I'd rather not leave all these things for later only to find myself cursing my laziness as I lay on the floor during the lockdown choking on the last crumbs of my crackers, overwhelmed with regrets and the stench of cheese.​

This part of the site is dedicated to myself- er, I mean, this part of the site is dedicated to articles, links and posts covering the basics of using RM2K to make your very first RPG! While the RPG Maker series has evolved tremendously over the years (the last version I recall having heard of is RMVX Ace or something, and I'm certain there must have been about 5 other releases since), they are all too complicated for this old timer's gnarly brains, and their graphics suck anyway. Nothing beats RM2k and RM2k3 for me when it comes to eliciting sheer joy and nostalgia.​

So if you find yourself metaphorically dusting off the cobwebs from that version of Don Miguel's rip that you've left languishing on your hardrive, or you've just stumbled across this page, having never heard of RPG Maker or RPGs even, and might just quietly be moving towards hitting the back button of your browser, or better yet, you've actually gone ahead and purchased RM2K off steam (yes, it's popular enough for the company to release a translated version on steam nearly 2 decades later), then maybe this site will have some useful information! Perhaps later, if I ever begin designing my own sprites or character sets and such, I will host them on here.

Soon,

-Meeseface