grunthos64: Its really just a very over priced piece of game making software. The real options in the engine are with the DLC which alot of it is in the higher tiers, so they get ya that way
I feel I have to refute this. Considering everything that RPG Maker does
for you, if you are a hobbyist that wants to make an RPG but does not want to learn full-on coding and build it from the ground up, and don't mind the game being 2D, there really isn't much better of an option right now.
It does TONS for you. Metric tons. And then is
still rather customizable through Ruby, to the point that people have made side-scrollers, SRPGs, etc, in the system. I've heard some things can be difficult to get around (I've never used it myself due to never having made an RPG) but, given the alternatives, like I said, it's the best option for hobbyists interested in making a 2D RPG. GameMaker might be a close second but setting the systems up in GameMaker can be difficult depending on the person.
It's priced well for what it is. There's a certain stigma involved due to how many games re-use the royalty free assets included or found on the web but otherwise, the price is rather fair, all things considered.
The DLC is entirely royalty free assets. None of them do anything to modify the capabilities of the engine. If you end up using your own assets, they are pretty much useless to you.
Ergo, if you're interested in using RPG Maker
at all, now is the time to grab the bundle. I can't remember the differences between VX and XP, other than XP having a
much larger library of scripts available for it but they're both still being sold alongside one another for a reason.
blakstar: Thanks. I'm always rather wary of these offers -- you buy the bundle and then find out that anything produced can only be released for private use, unless you buy the PRO version, etc.
There are no fees involved in anything you produce which is a big part of why RPG Maker is as popular as it is.