#rm95

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- RPG Makers sold by RPG Maker Web/Enterbrain in English -

RPG Maker VX Ace

The latest RPG Maker engine and my engine of choice. It takes the VX engine and improves it a great deal, removing several limitations that fans have tried to get rid of.

Specifications: 544x416 window, 32x32 tiles, 32-bit incl. alpha channels, runs on all Windows versions from XP onwards

Short name(s): Ace, VX Ace, RMVX Ace, RMVXA, RPGVX Ace, RPGVXA

Games: Dreaming Mary, Hello? Hell...o?, Mogeko Castle

Pros: Has a limited freeware version called VX Ace Lite, supports scripting, restores some functions that have been left out of the engine ever since XP and earlier engines

Cons: Tilesets are a bit tricky to figure out at first, priciest engine if the freeware Lite version does not meet your needs

RPG Maker VX

The RPG Maker that came before VX Ace. In some ways it is simpler, but it also has some very imposing limits and thus doesn't see nearly as much use these days as before VX Ace came out.

Short name(s): VX, RMVX, RPGVX

Games: The Witch's House, Re:Kinder

Specifications: 544x416 window, 32x32 tiles, 32-bit incl. alpha channels, runs on all Windows versions from XP onwards

Pros: Less overwhelming compared to VX Ace, supports scripting, simpler than most RPG Maker versions

Cons: Very limited compared to VX Ace, severely limited tileset that can be a bit tricky to figure out.

RPG Maker XP

The oldest RPG Maker that has been released in English by Enterbrain and still a popular choice among RPG Maker users.

Short name(s): XP, RMXP, RPGXP

Games: To The Moon, Ao Oni

Specifications: 640x480 window, 32x32 tiles, 24-bit(or 32-bit?), best suited for use on Windows XP

Pros: Supports larger tilesets than any other engine, has a third tile layer for mapping, supports scripting

Cons: Scripts are more likely to cause errors for various reasons, doesn't run well on 64-bit Windows

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- RPG Makers sold by Enterbrain in Japanese only -

RPG Maker 2000

Even if RPG Maker 2000 is rather old and has been around for over a decade, it's still widely in use in the Japanese RPG Maker community. Although it's not as popular in the west, it still sees some use.

Short name(s): 2000, 2k, RM2000, RM2k, RPG2000, RPG2k

Games: Ib, .flow, Yume 2kki

Specifications: 320x240 window, 16x16 tiles, 256 colours, works from Windows XP onwards (though results vary on Windows 7 and 8)

Pros: Works even on new operating systems despite its age

Cons: To own it legally you have to buy it from a Japanese store, can only use 256 colours images, does NOT support scripting

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- No longer supported by Enterbrain -

RPG Maker 95

RPG Maker 95 is a bit of an odd instalment, though maybe I am saying this because it's the first Windows RPG Maker (or at least the first to be translated). Even if it is still around, it doesn't see much use these days and has almost no tutorials nor community knowledge available. Might be worth a look if you're interested in seeing how RPG Maker developed into what it is today, but I advice against using it unless you are dead sure this is your dream engine.

Short name(s): RM95, RPG95

Games: Palette

Specifications: 640x480 window, 32x32 tiles, limited colours (16-bit? I'm not sure), needs a patch to work on Windows XP, might not even work on Windows Vista, 7 or 8

Pros: No idea, to be honest!

Cons: Little to no documentation nor tutorials, almost no western users know anything about it, no longer supported by Enterbrain, can only use limited colours (256 colours?) images, does NOT support scripting

RPG Maker 2003

Funnily enough, the exact opposite story of RPG Maker 2000. Sees lots of use in the west still, but is not quite as popular in Japan.

Short name(s): 2003, 2k3, RM2003, RM2k3, RPG2003, RPG2k3

Games: Yume Nikki, Flesh Child, OFF, Pom Gets Wi-Fi

Specifications: 320x240 window, 16x16 tiles, 256 colours, works from Windows XP onwards (though results vary on Windows 7 and 8)

Pros: Works even on new operating systems despite its age, only RPG Maker version that comes with a sideview battle system by default, has several fan patches to extend functionality

Cons: No longer supported by Enterbrain, can only use 256 colours images, does NOT support scripting

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- Freeware RPG Maker-like engines -

Wolf RPG Editor (site)

Not quite as well-known as the RPG Maker series, but definitely worth a look if you want to use a free engine or like the functions it offers that RPG Maker lacks. There is no official English version out yet, but it is being made as we speak!

Short name(s): Wolf, Wolf RPG, WRE

Games: Mad Father, Misao, The Crooked Man, Mermaid Swamp, The Sandman, Alice Mare, LiEat

Specifications: 320x240 window with 16x16 tiles, 640x480 window with 32x32 tiles or 800x600 window with 40x40 tiles, 256 colours to 32-bit with alpha channel

Pros: Supports several resolutions, allows menus and other things to be edited without requiring scripting knowledge, has some functions that RPG Maker lacks, (the best of all:) completely free!

Cons: No finished English translation as of yet, not very well-known among English speaking game developers and hobbyists, lacks English tutorials and documentation as of yet, does not seem to have an in-editor scripting function, not very intuitive compared to RPG Maker, can be overwhelming for game development newbies

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