TOUCHFUZZY'S PROFILE

"Are my kids going to grow up to be happy?"

All the big picture questions with no real good answers just don't seem that important to me personally. I just want to know that I'm doing the right things for my kids, and that things will work out for them.

author=Adon237
The text editor is as annoying as hell over there. Maybe it's just Chrome. But they have a sexy black theme.
hint hint

Chrome and IPB3 do not get along. They get complaints about it all the time. Hopefully they fix that shit.

(seriously, I love the IPB3 forum software because the admin cp and just whole style of the forum is very well done, but fucking chrome breaks the rich text editor.)

author=Liberty
Most RMN staff have been in the RM* 'world' for more than two or three years. Some since the inception of RM forums. There's also a lot of these old-world people that hang around the forums and IRC.
RMW staff are mostly newer to the scene and draw in a newer crowd more readily, though there's a lot of crossover between the two sites.

I wouldn't say that much. Most of the RMW staff are carryovers from the last forum I was an admin at (rpgmakervx.net, which is a hellish place owned by a shitty ad mill company), and most of them have been in the RM world for years.

Also, I would point out that the whole "WE ARE THE OLD CROWD" thing that RMN carries around is part of the reason this site comes off elitist at times (To be a veteran RMer and make good games, you have to have been doing it for AT LEAST FIVE YEARS (something I saw on this site once that made me laugh))

I wanted to tell Kentona first, but the dude totally JUMPED OUT THE WINDOW WHEN I WAS TRYING TO TALK TO HIM. (Ok, not really, he just left the irc channel), but I'm just too happy not to want to announce it myself.

For people who don't know, I'm Nick Palmer, I work managing the official RPG Maker English site's(RPGMakerWeb.com) blog, Facebook, Twitter, Forum, and well, a billion other hats involved in RM Marketing.

Anyway, we at Degica (the company that markets and distributes RPG Maker outside of Japan) want to show appreciation to RMN for being such a great fan community for our products. As such, we will be supplying the Medal of Honor prize copy of RPG Maker VX Ace.

The idea of how to give criticism came up earlier in the rmn irc channel, and the following quote is what came out from me on criticism in a hobby such as RPG Making.

author=Touchfuzzy
I actually think that, while criticism is a good thing in any artistic endeaver, the first thing that people should look for when making a game is making themselves happy. Its a hobby. If they are passionate about it and they enjoy what they've made, I'm happy for them. Doesn't mean I'll like their game as much as they do, and I will criticise what I see as flaws from my perspective but... unless they are making a commercial game, I just think the goal should be to make them happier with the game they make.

I just want to see people happy with what they make. Yeah, there are a lot of newbies who can't take any criticism, its true. But another thing I've noticed (in the RM community at large, not just at RMN) is this idea if anyone disagrees with criticism they are stubborn jackasses or whiny. I mean, if they are ignoring EVERYONE and acting like a crazy person, that's one thing, but if they are taking advice in other areas, and one thing they don't seem to want to change... that doesn't make them an idiot.

I actually saw this exact thing recently (on another forum). A person made several maps using a style that I honestly think looks pretty crappy. Several other people agreed with me, but he liked the style. He responded and adjusted almost everything that other people brought up EXCEPT that style, yet he was focused on and insulted because of his refusal to abandon that one thing.

Lets be honest. Every single game that we all love, has a few people who would absolutely hate it. I think Final Fantasy VII is a good game. I'm sure there is a crowd of you who absolutely hate it and would lambast it. I didn't really like Legend of Dragoon. I'm sure there is a crowd that will completely disagree and tell me how awesome it is. We all have different tastes, and when we give criticism we need to keep that in mind. You may see something as a huge flaw, while the person making the game might see it as great, and hell, some other people PLAYING it might think its great.

It would be a terrible thing if I liked every game that was made. It would mean that the fans of games like Call of Duty or Battlefield would have nothing for them.

Basically this is what I'm saying:

If you are giving criticism, be polite. Try to explain what it is you don't like about the game. Be specific, explain alternatives the person could use. Don't be annoyed if the person doesn't listen to your advice. Don't label someone who politely tells you that doesn't fit into their vision of their game as an idiot or whining baby.

If you are receiving criticism, be polite, don't respond badly if the person doesn't like your game. Take an honest look at the criticism and ask yourself "If I incorporate this, will it make me happier with my game." If the answer is yes, do what you can to incorporate it. If the answer is no, tell them politely that you thank them for their advice, but it doesn't fit into your view of the game. Do your best to explain WHY it doesn't fit into your game.

TLDR
Don't be a dick.

Also, hi, I don't post here, but, around the RM communities I'm... kind of a big deal /narcissism.

Also, Indra, I hope that my criticism was helpful and sorry it took so much pestering to get me to play your test build ;_;