Design and use of RTP

[Lunarea]

I posted this on another forum, but I think people could benefit from it here as well, so I'm re-posting. :)

There's a wide-spread opinion that RTP sucks and that games using RTP aren't worth downloading.

I think what people don't realize is that their sometimes-visceral reaction isn't to RTP but to bad game design. When you see 6 million plains maps with 4 trees, one square patch of grass and Arshes walking around, you might start feeling like RTP is overused and it sucks. This is where more vocal people start saying things like "Only newbies use RTP" or refusing to download and play games that use RTP. As the more vocal members are usually the ones who gain internet fame and notoriety, communities get into the cycle of ignoring RTP games.

This is a very frustrating trend for game-makers with a solid game design. Your only options become to either befriend a vocal figure on virtually every community forum or start posting like mad to gain enough presence for people to check out your game. When this happens and your game is no longer ignored, you'll find that people become like gamers everywhere: more attracted to story and gameplay elements than the visuals. But instead of redeeming RTP, your game becomes the one that breaks the norm. It becomes a case of "Yea, RTP sucks. Except in GameX." mixed in with "I hate RTP, but I was able to ignore it because GameX was fun."

So, let's get some things straight about design and the use of RTP.

• There is a reason why RPG Maker programs come with RTP. It's there to help new people learn the program without needing to jump immediately into graphical design. It's also there as a support for game designers who aren't artistically-inclined. Think about how much more work there'd be if the program came without any graphics. And think about how much more tempted people would be to rip off and steal graphics from others' projects.
  
• As a pixel style, RMXP is uniform and fits together. There are defined palettes and consistent shading. The scale and perspective are always correct. At the same time, it offers enough variety in terms of locale so the average fantasy-oriented story can easily be built. Graphical consistency is so much more important than graphical novelty. Graphical novelty will get people to download your content, but inconsistency will disappoint them and make them close the game.
  
• To date, it has the most edits and original styles available. No matter how fantastic another style might be, they can't come close to having as much variety as RTP does.
  
• If you are artistically-inclined, you'll usually find it easier to use RTP as a base to build on than making things completely from scratch. Not only is it less time-consuming, but you are working with a defined style. Most of us who pixel will tell you that style changes as you get more experience. So, your later pixels are significantly better-looking than your older ones. To fix them, you get into an endless cycle of re-doing your work. And if you're an artist who has a consistent style and can dish out graphics with ease and in short time, you've probably been snatched by some game company (and thus don't work on RPG-maker as a hobby).
  
• Even the most beautiful graphics will look like crap if the design is bad. If Enterbrain was to take away the current RTP that's packaged with RPG Maker and replaced it with completely new graphics, a few weeks later you'd get people saying how much the new style sucks. Design in terms of mapping and visual appeal is a learned skill. It's rare that someone will buy RPG Maker and immediately dish out fantastic maps. It's important to keep this in mind when offering critique or forming an opinion on the quality of the design and graphic choice.
  
• "I'm not playing any game that uses RTP sounds." "I'm not playing any game that doesn't use facesets." "I'm not playing any game that doesn't name their potions creatively." Sound ridiculous? The choice of graphics goes along the same vein. The only difference is that graphics is the first thing a person sees and the only thing one can really show off. I mean, one can possibly post screenshots of their scripts or systems, but they're meant to be experienced rather than viewed statically. In the end, graphics are meant to enhance the whole of the game: story, atmosphere, events. They aren't meant to replace quality content and shouldn't be treated as such. I'm not suggesting to ignore graphics completely when designing a game, but merely give them the same consideration as every other aspect.
  
• Designing a game around RTP isn't a matter of settling for less. It's about making the choice that will give you the biggest chance to finish your game. Because that's really what game making is about - having a finished product. Even if you're talented at making graphics, doing things from scratch takes a lot of time. So much, in fact, that the majority of projects with gorgeous custom graphics never get finished. If using RTP saves you time, then do it.
  
• Design around your strengths. They will compensate for your weaknesses. People will still play old Nintendo games because they were fun to the point of being addictive. Or, looking at the more modern example, World of Warcraft still has millions of subscribers even though there are a lot more games out there with better graphics. People will complain and criticize, but in the end, they'll forgive a lot if you make their experience fun. Things like same ol' graphics can be forgiven if the rest of the game is designed well.
  
• Last, but not least, if you've made a sound and informed choice to go with a particular graphical style, you should not need to feel compelled to defend your choice. As the designer, you should welcome feedback. But at the end of the day, you're the only one that can decide if your design elements are appropriate or not. You're the only person that can see the game as a whole (until it's released, that is) and the person that will be doing all the work. That should take precedence over what your audience and fan would like to see.
  

Feel free to discuss.