RPG maker MV review

Introduction
This is technically not a game but a software program but you can create a game with this program! I have put many hours into RPG maker MV to develop my own game. The name is still secret and the gameplay as well!
What exactly is RPG maker MV? You can create a game from scratch and make your creations come to life. Create your own hero and enemies. If you don’t have the skills to make something from scratch, there are lots of resources that come with the RPG Maker MV software. All these tools are enough to start creating your own game but if you ever need more you can buy them on Steam for example. You can also use plug-ins to change your game! Plug-ins are available on the internet for free but some plug-ins cost money. RPG Maker MV uses javascript. It might be useful to learn a little bit of Javascript to create your game. The only real way to experience what RPG maker MV is capable of is by experiencing it.
There won’t be a story section in this review, you will have to create your own story with this software. The gameplay section will cover some of the basic things that you will be able to do in RPG Maker MV. I am having a hard time trying to learn Java script let alone teach it to someone else.
I will also not make a sound and graphics section since you will have to make this yourself or add it from the DLC. I will mention in the gameplay how to add music to your game and some other basic functions. I won’t go into detail about more advanced functions. I want to give a small example of what RPG maker MV is capable of.

What did I think of RPG maker MV before playing?
I started RPG maker MV since I have always dreamed of creating my own game and this software would make this dream possible.
The software may be a bit expensive on Steam but it is completely worth it. You can choose to make a free game or even a game that you can sell.
There are multiple RPG makers but I chose this one since it uses Javascript and looked wonderful in the trailer.
Soon there will be a new game making software called RPG maker MZ. Even though I use RPG maker MV I have pre-ordered RPG maker MZ, it is a wonderful upgrade.

Gameplay
How exactly does this software work to create your dreams?
Tilesets
Before you can create a tileset for your map you will need to create one. Right-click on the project in the menu in the down-left corner and select new. A new map screen will now appear. In this screen you can name your map, you will also be able to select a music file that will play for this map. You can select how big your map will be, it is best if it is not too big. I would not go higher as 256×256 but I would not know why anyone would need so much map space. The important thing to notice is the tileset option. You can click done for now and create the tileset and click edit when you have made a tileset for this map.you will have access to basic tile sets after you have purchased RPG maker MV but what exactly is a tileset? The tileset is what you need to create the floors and walls in RPG maker MV.

Click on the tile icon in the bar to start creating on your map.
If you ever need more Tile sets you can ask someone to create them for you for a high price or buy some on the Steam page of RPG maker MV. There are many DLCS that give you access to new tilesets.
for review purposes, I will let you know how to select tile sets from scratch in the systems menu that you want to use in your map. When selecting Tile sets it is important to note that you cannot use Tilesets from other RPG
makers unless you resize them. This is a more advanced technique that you can learn for yourself after gaining more experience in RPG maker MV and knowledge in photoshopping. The tileset size for RPG maker MV is 48×48 anything bigger or smaller will not be useable for tilesets. If you cannot make a new tileset you will need to change the maximum tile sets available in the systems menu.
You will be able to use ten different tilesets on one map. One of them is the region tiles which you cannot use to build a map. These are used for restrictions or making secret passages. You can also use them to manage your troops for specific encounters (this will be further explained in the Managing troop’s section). When you have plug-ins these can be used for more restrictions for example: using Yanfly’s plug-in so you are able to jump, you can use region tile one to disable jumping on that spot. The region tiles can be hard to use when you don’t understand them, luckily when you are toying around with them you will learn how to use them quickly enough. To create a tileset for your map you will need to navigate to the systems tab.

This means you still have nine tile sets left to build your map. All the tilesets A1 to A5 use different pixel sizes to perfectly fit into your game.
The tilesets A1 to A5 are used for creating the first layer of your map. A1 is used for animated objects on your map. This means water, lava, or even blood. You will need these to create waterfalls or anything else that is animated.
The tileset A2 is used for the ground,  do you want to have grass in your game or maybe a beach? All these tilesets can be used to create things that you can walk on.
The tileset A3 is used for making buildings. In my opinion, these are pretty scarce in the basic resources you get from buying RPG maker MV.
The tileset A4 is used for walls and roofs. It is important that you do not use a roof as a wall, if you do this your character will be able to walk through them. You will need to place a wall and then add a roof on top of it. If you are able to master this tileset you can create the perfect illusion of real walls with roofs.
The tileset A5 will be mostly used for stairs or extra items on the floor. I have used tileset A5 the most for building cliffs.
Now we have four more tilesets left to talk about, these won’t need much explanation from me. Tilesets B to E are used for decorations, anything you want that fits the size of this tileset can be used as a decoration. For example: a tree or a pumpkin.

Now we have one important step left! We need to go to the System tab and go back to the tileset menu. You will see the tilesets here that you have used when you click on the right number. Now you will see all kinds of circles on the tilesets.
Anything that you want to make solid needs to have an X sign and not an O sign. Make all the tiles that you used X except for the ones you want to walk on.

The best thing you can do is to create a new set of tiles for every different map you make so you won’t mess up another map when you put new sets in for another map. Below is a small video of me following these steps.

Character sprites and event creating
Now you have created a small town but it is completely devoid of life! The game is not fun if there no one in your town. You will need to make an event coding to create a Non-playable character. If you have read the tileset section above, I have mentioned you need to click on the tileset icon to start building. To start creating events you will need to click the icon next to the tile that looks like a pawn. For this review, I will explain how you will need to let a non-playable character talk.

There are many more options that you can do with event creating but there are too many different options to explain them all. This will learn you a basic eventing script that you will need this to grow your skills.
When you click on this icon the town or building you just created will turn into a grid. Click on the tile where you want to create a non-playable character. If you are unknown to RPG maker MV this new screen might look intimidating to you. What would you need to do here? Creating an event can seem hard at first but when you get a good grasp on it, it will be like taking candy from a baby.

The first thing we are going to do is locate the option to switch the event from below character to the same as character. This will make the non-playable character solid. Now we need to look for the movement, it will be fixed. You will need to change it to random so that the non-playable character is able to walk around. Now you will need to click on the image to give the event a character sprite. Choosing any sprite is okay for now as this is a test run. As you will see there are many different ways a character sprite can stand on the ground. Now click in the middle of the screen on the black crystal. Three tabs are full of events! This might seem hard to process but once you get the hang of creating events this will come easy for you.

We will create an event that you will need a lot in making your game. We are going to make a self switch! Click on the button Show text, type in any text you would like your non-playable character to say.  And don’t forget to put the name of the non-playable character in the beginning. For example: Hilda: This is a test text. You can add a face if you like for the person by clicking the image box on the text screen. Now we will let this event do something else. Once again click on the black crystal and this time select control switch self A. Now you will need to create another event page on the same event. You will need to click on self switch in the options menu on the left side, click on the self switch, and select A. Now the non-playable character will disappear after the player has talked to Hilda once. If you want the non-playable character to stay and say the same you will need to leave out the self switch A.
In the video, I will also show you how to quickly create a treasure chest.

Plug-ins
Plug-ins can completely change your game but they can also be used as smaller edits to your game. There is not much to tell about the plug-ins
There are many free plug-ins to find on the internet and most creators have a core plug-in.  This core plug-in will need to be on top of the list of the other plug-ins. For this review, I will tell you how to de-activate and re-activate the screen you will get when starting the game. This is made with MV screen. Click on the puzzle piece on the bar and you will see the plug-in list. You can add new plug-ins if you have them. Click on the made with MV plug-in and you will be able to disable it.
Not all the plug-ins are compatible, having too many plug-ins can create errors and break your game.

Managing troops and playtesting
There is one more basic thing I would like to talk about, the enemies that you will use in your game and how to activate them. First, you need to click on the System tab and select enemies. There are a few pre-made enemies but for this review, we will select a new enemy. If you cannot add a new enemy you will need to change the maximum amount of enemies at the bottom of the screen. You can select an image for your enemy, this is what you call a battler. Once you have selected a nice image to fight the player you will need to give the enemy stats to fight like health points. You can add experience points and gold on this menu. You can use the standard potion to add to the drop list of the enemy for now. Once you are done fiddling around with this screen we need to head to the troop’s manager.

The enemy you have created is not yet ready for battle. You can change the color of the enemy if you want by changing the hue. You will need to head over to the troop’s manager to get your enemy ready for battle.
Have you decided yet if you want front view battle or side view? You can change this in the system settings in the system tab. For this review, we will be using side-view battles. You will need to create a new troop number first. Now you need to select your enemy on the menu screen. It will now pop-up in the battle screen. Drag your enemy all the way to the left and put it on the ground. You can now click the battle test if you have never used RPG maker MV before you can select Harold.

We will now click edit on the map you have built for this test. You will see a large menu called the troop manager. Click on the upper bar and select your troop number. For this review, you can choose the entire map, as you can see there is an option for region ID tiles. Leave the weight on five for now. The weight depends on how likely it is you will encounter a monster if you have multiple troops on the map. Now we need to test all the things that you have created for testing RPG maker MV.
Click on the event icon and click the right mouse button in your new map. You will need to select, set starting position player, the icon you have selected will mark where you start the game. Now we can click the green arrow on the bar. A new screen will open in RPG maker MV. You can now walk around in the town you have created, interact with your non-playable character. You will also encounter the enemy you have created.

What did I think of RPG maker MV?
I am still using RPG maker MV a lot to create my game, this will take a lot of hours! I am very satisfied with all the tools that this software provides to me.
You will really need to use the software for yourself to experience how it feels to make a game for yourself.
I have encountered many errors (created by me) that can take long time to fix but it is worth it in the end. I hope I have helped some people with the basic information that I have given in this review!

I give RPG maker MV a personal rating of 9

Pros and cons
Pros
–  You are able to create your own game.
– RPG maker MV grants you many tools to make it easier for you to create your own game.
– The engine that RPG maker MV provides you with can create a beautiful game.
– The plug-ins can completely transform the game into what you want your game to be.
– You will be sucked into a giant black hole of creating maps and events for many years.

Cons
– It can be hard to learn how to use this software.
– Gathering personalized resources can be really expensive.
– Creating your own tilesets or sprites from scratch can be really hard and time-consuming.

I really like this software and I will keep working on my game and eventually release it! I recommend this to everyone who has the dream of making his or her own game.
My wife will review my game since I am probably a little bit biased.
I give this software…drumroll…

8.7

I hope you liked reading this review. Leave your thoughts in the comments or leave your own rating.
There is also a giveaway that you enter until August 1, 2020, at 8 P.M CET.
You can purchase the software here: https://tinyurl.com/Buy-RPG-maker-MV
I hope to see you in the next review.