Yeah, I saw that, it is downloading. Also, it seems that the DLC packs only work with VX Ace.
I'll probably go with the $1, just wondering if it is worth it to go higher.

So, the only DRM-free content is the Free Games bundle #1 & #2 - or am I missing something?

Going to have to get this one. I have fond memories of wasting time/screwing around with one of the old RPG Makers during college, and I've nearly pulled the trigger on VX Ace a few times. I need to decide on which tier to go with, however. Even the $12 tier is tempting, especially given the typical cost of just the base game.

Nah, you're just jealous of it ;-P

I saw it but I'm not counting it as I already have it multiple times, GOG version included. ;-)


EDIT: typo

Well, pointed this out to a friend who's had RPG Maker on her wishlist for a while, and am debating it for myself. Mainly the $12 tier for the inclusion of game character hub to give me something to work with on custom sprites.

Do i gettin it right - they sell steam keys for RPG maker? I mean, i now need Steam even to install SOFTWARE, not games??? No freaking way!

I won't lie, I really like this. RPGMaker VX Ace has been on my "not quite wishlist but really want some day" list.

I checked the timer a couple of hours ago and it said I still had 1 day for the Divine Divinity and Age of Wonders sale.
What happened?

Nothing. A new Humble Weekly occurs every Thursday.

Well that's a bummer. I was going to buy it tomorrow...
No problem. With this new bundle I can make my own game!

I tested "game charachter hub" and well, it's only useful if you take your time creating new outfits/parts (cloaks, hair and so on) one by one and assemble them (kind of works like Spriter). For the rest, it just feels like a re-skin of Paint without new additionnal presets charachters types or arts. So skip the 12$ tier if you're only interested in that program (you can check the tilesets dlc's in the steam store to see if it fit your needs).

Sweet Lily Dreams looks cute and interesting, I'd definitely love to play it for the story, puzzles, exploration and graphics, but I'm put off by the 40+ hours length combined with all the reviews I've read pointing out how challenging and also frustrating the combat can be, how huge the areas are and how much grinding is required. Those are my main gripes with JRPGs, it's a shame that for me they ruin the attraction of all the supposedly great and original things in the game. :(

Like Doug Walter of IGM wrote in his review, a bit polemically:
"To illustrate a point, I’d like to mention Kurt Vonnegut’s first rule of fiction writing: “Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.” If game writers and designers had taken this to heart in the 1980′s, the entire console role-playing game genre just might not exist today. This sub-genre is swollen with mechanics that provide a manageable context and proportionally little gratification beneath a massive layer of challenge that manifests largely as delay." :P

Any suggestions for original RPG Maker games that don't take that much time to play through, feature some interesting combat in smaller doses and are very low on grinding and repetition?

I've always been interested in making a RPG title of some sort. The question is to go for Ace in the first tier or XP in the second tier. Or perhaps get the Game Character Hub as well in the third tier. It would certainly give me a use for the various sound assets I've created.

http://store.steampowered.com/software/

it has been going on for over a year now. Some nice deals there also, now and then.