RPG Maker MV launched yesterday, and I already have it in my possession. I'll need to spend a lot more time with it to get familiar with all its features and learn its differences (and similarities) to RPG Maker VX Ace. But I wanted to report my preliminary impression of the program after just a cursory examination. I was very excited for this update to the RPG Maker program, namely due to some of its advertised improvements - mainly, the addition of of a side-view battle system, and cross-platform compatibility (including the alleged ability to embed games in a web browser). Now that I actually get to look at the program, there's one thing that has me a little concerned, and it's the graphics. They're spiffy enough, but they have a softer, more rounded, kind of a more cartoony look, that I'm not sure I like. This problem is as apparent with the battlers as anywhere. I should be happy with them, because some of the bonus resources include some much needed robot enemies, but they don't fill all the holes I need to be filled, and I'm just not sure I really like the style - even more so than before.
I was excited when I heard that they updated the character generator, but while those graphics look smooth, I have to say I don't like it as much as the old one. For one thing, the outfits don't look nearly as interesting - they're all samey, and tend not to have the distinctness of variation (e.g. heavy armor versus a school uniform versus a business suit versus a dress) that the last program had. And there doesn't appear to be the option to change the color of the characters' underwear (why? now everyone has to wear the same underwear?). The facial options are much more limited (it's possible that this may be expanded in the future, but until it is, there's not much I can do with it). And there are no "half-elf" ears (which were kinda important to my RPG) - it's either go all the way or bust. I was also hoping they'd maybe include a character generator for smaller-framed child characters, but no such luck.
Perhaps the most concerning graphical issue for me is that, in order to use the side-view battle system, you have to have a whole bunch of extra sprites for in-battle animations (fists raised, using a skill, getting hit, etc.). These are provided with the in-game actors, but I'm not sure I like them - in VX Ace, I made a point to use the character generator to create unique characters for my playable heroes, because I didn't want to just use cookie-cutter heroes as the stars in my game. The new character generator creates those battle animations for you, but again, I'm not sure I like the characters that the new character generator creates. It's a problem. I'm already toying with the idea of importing all the old graphics from VX Ace, in order to take advantage of the new engine (which undoubtedly has plenty of good things to be said about it - I just haven't delved that far into the program yet). But if I use the side-view battle system, which was very important to me, I'd have to manually add sprites that would seriously reduce the animations, and I just don't know how well that's going to work.
All in all, it reinforces the primary issue I've had with developing my RPG in RPG Maker from the start - and that is trying to mold the ideas I have in my head to the capabilities of the program presented to me. I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I know that I don't have the ability to program a game from scratch, but I feel like it would be easier to just dive into the RPG Maker program and make a generic RPG with whatever resources I can find within the program (which is undoubtedly its main use), rather than trying to use it as the engine to bring the specific game idea(s) in my head to life. But that's not what I actually want to do. I'll keep you posted. (I think that maybe actually a lot of my problems would go away if I just knew somebody personally who was a talented graphical artist that was willing to design all new graphics for me to use with the program, free of charge - because, honestly, I can't afford to pay somebody else's salary, I can't even afford to pay my own salary).
