How much do I need to pay for this upon release?

Originally posted by Kurashi:

How much do I need to pay for this upon release?

I'd make the overlay and basic steam feature free, but for the features that only commercial Steam games get I would have to think about it.

In the best case scenario I'd probably charge based on how many of the Steam commercial features a game requires and I would prefer it to be a one time fee.

What I have been thinking of is having a system where you'd select features from a checklist that your commercial game needs and that would end up with the price.

The paid-for plan might not even happen, if people want Steam Overlay I'd do that for free, but if people don't care about the commercial Steam App features there isn't much reason for me to spend time on implementing them.

@Xilefian:
I recently got my Blade of Rage game (a RPG developed with VxAce) Green-Lit on Steam, and ideally I'd like to be able to include Steam-Achievements for it (it would be nice if what you mentioned also included a script and demo so I can see how I would then be able to implement Achievements for my own game), and it would of course be nice to have the Steam Overlay work with it as well.

I'm not a 'Scripter' (though I can sometimes muddle my way through some things enough to make bits of custom editing and such), and much of the scripting / coding stuff is waaaay over my head. So, I'd be willing to pay for it (the Steam Overlay + API script with ability to add Steam-Achievements) if the price seemed resonable & within my very limited budget (I'm basically broke, lol, but I'd try to scrape up some $ for it).

I was tentatively & briefly talking to a Scripter about it, but no plans were really yet in place, nor fees discussed, etc... So I'm still open to ideas about it and someone that could help me in this regard.

Even if you decide to not go ahead and make your Steam Overlay + API script for the general public, might it something you would consider doing for an aspiring Indie Game Developer like myself, who was able to get their VxAce game Green-Lit on Steam & wanted to be able to include the Acheivements for their game, if you were to recieve a payment for it?

Thanks. :) --Don

Originally posted by LoneWolfDon:

@Xilefian:
I recently got my Blade of Rage [...]

My solution will be a script API, so scripting will be required to take advantage of the features.

I will be keeping the API as simple as possible, so for achievements as an example I'll try to make it so the achievement IDs are read from the Steam Server and registered as symbols then in an event you could do something like;

I don't have a Steam app on the store, if I get serious with this I'll try and talk to Valve about becoming a Steam partner, from there I would be able to make an example project and hand that out along with the game specific DLLs for the commercial library if that becomes a thing.

I want to make the Overlay part as simple as possible, so I'd bundle a script that enables a default behaviour for it (Opens on-top of everything, F12 screenshotting, input capturing).

@Xilefian : Good stuff. Well perhaps as I continue development of my game, in the next month or so if I'm not able to find anyone else to help me with it, would it be ok if I contacted you about it and work out the details? As I mentioned, I'd be willing to pay if it's a fee that I'd be able to scrape up the $ for.
Cheers! :)

Originally posted by LoneWolfDon:

@Xilefian : Good stuff. Well perhaps as I continue development of my game, in the next month or so if I'm not able to find anyone else to help me with it, would it be ok if I contacted you about it and work out the details? As I mentioned, I'd be willing to pay if it's a fee that I'd be able to scrape up the $ for.
Cheers! :)

I'd rather you didn't contact me and wait to see if I will attempt this free version first

Originally posted by Xilefian:

I'd rather you didn't contact me and wait to see if I will attempt this free version first

Ok. No rush. I'm still developing my game and probably have a few more months or so before it's ready for release. I'll see how things go.

Ok I read all of the page since from now I wrote this.

Well.. Basically the idea is very great, but.. basi-cally.

The interest of the:


I. Steam Overlay in a RPG Maker Game will be really very very very limited..


The way of the engine of RPG Maker VX Ace is in Fullscreen is.. some of so-badly uglyest fullscreen engine I've ever seen, all seems just stretched, it's almost ugly.

And.. This.. imposed blur/tearing is not player-friendly not at all!

So.. Now this is why many RPG Maker VX Ace's game players will not use in FullScreen..
So.. The Steam Overlay in a pityful small window .. is a real non-sense.

Steam Overlay is more use-able in FullScreen, but as I explained.. In FullScreen, RPG Maker's game looks so badly ugly.




II. Steam API in a non-commercial RPG Maker Game will be not use-able at all BUT for commercial RPG Maker Game..


Which player really care to replace his artworks by real "images" of profiles in a RPG Maker VX Ace's game?
This make a difference potentially ambiguous in the in-game menu for showing FaceSet and for message..

An example from I what I'd say:

Thinking about the so-called Hero named "Eric", so, his charset is.. Eric but the FaceSet will be an avatar which don't have any related to Eric/the game, (let's take mine Steam Avatar for example).



Which use can we do from that.. Showing who is connected?
Is it really useful?
I mean.. "Yay! my friend John Doe is connected... but.. Wait before inviting him.. I can't play with him since the RPG Maker software can't support multiplayer efficient way to being (meaning gadgets)..."

So.. John Doe is certainly connected.. But.. This is here the interaction will stop.



This feature is certainly useful for some on Steam, but from I know, since always, RPG Maker VX Ace's makers have created their games with so-many scripts adding the abilities to track achievements from their game.
But, if makers can also publish them over the Steam servers, (assuming the game use a connection, but from I know, there is no online capabilities by default within RPG Maker VX Ace.), this can be something of a addition game feature, indeed, but again, only for commercial games..



Steam offer us the ability of tradings only Steam category of Steam Inventory items of the Steam User.
Likely, Steam Cards, Steam Emotes, Steam Backgrounds, well, only Steam stuff..
This can't be useful for trading a game item (like Potion) stuff from a players to another player.
So.. I don't see any of the interest here. But perhaps I'm wrong on your intention of featuring this.. feature.



Anyway, this feature can be so-useful for .. again, commercial games.
Making DLC can be something of useful I think, even it's a more a commercial arguments than a game feature.



III. And so.. Now.. My Conclusion


Non-commercial RPG Maker VX Ace's makers can be fullfully disappointed/anger (that's a details, but an important details) from the non-ability to use theses possibles useful features.
Since, Steam API need an authorization key, theses features will be then only useful for commercial games.

** The most usefulm feature can be Steam Achievements I think..

As Steam API will be only for commercial games, I recommand you to addressing to commercial makers already existent, like developpers of To The Moon, Skyborn, Aveyond, etc.. (sorry for others devellopers which I not cited, but your games don't come back in my toughts for the moment).



Steam Overlay seems a very great idea, but from what I can read in your "description of use capabilities", it's just way-so limited as hell due to RPG Maker VX Ace's graphics engine itself, so, might be a false-great idea to work on a Steam Overlay.

There is possibly a chance to be useful when the "High Res DLL" directly created from RPG Maker VX Ace developpers will come one day... (some say as a rumour it's in the road.. a High-Res DLL beta-test very very hidden on Steam has been launched, but now terminated).

But.. From now, the Steam Overlay is pretty useless !



Hope my feedback will be useful to you Xilefian.

PS: where is your: OpenGL dll ? Is it usable for non-commercial/commercial games? Please give us a link :)

EDIT: fixing some typo errors, and wrapping a bit my text.

Originally posted by Aтαηα¢ιυѕ:

Ok I read all of the page since from now I wrote this.

...

Seems like you're missing the point a bit. This isn't for standard RPG Maker games, it's for people who will find it useful with scripts.

So someone may make a script that implements Steam trading, in which case you may need avatars and names.

The character portrait Steam avatar was an example of a possibility, it isn't a mandatory feature, you can do anything you want (you're free to use your imagination, don't assume I won't let you).


You can actually change the resolution of RPG Maker VX Ace, so the full-screen thing you mentioned in point 1 is already void. I did think of this, it will be low resolution if no-one changes the RM resolution, so I would implement a downscaling feature to accommodate this (which I described above).


We don't need Enterbrain to make a high-res DLL, we can do that ourselves (in-fact, we don't need a DLL, as I said it's built into the engine already).


My OpenGL API is free for use, you can download the demo here; {LINK REMOVED}https://www.mediafire.com/?cmu3coyp5vh36m1

All your feedback seems to presume that I am forcing features upon people, so unfortunately a lot of what you said is actually not an issue for me, it's an issue for anyone who wants to use Steam features. Everything I said were example possibilities that you can do, they're not feature's that I'm going to make.

Hello Xilefian, just want add the maximum resolution allowed in RPG Maker VX Ace games is 680*480.

So...
We can't overcome this limit ourselves.
And so, the fullscreen point is not void (not totally void for being more true).

For all the left things..

Interfacing Steam Overlay/Steam API, will be perhaps a non-sense in a RPG Maker game.
But, non-commercialy I want mean, it's certainly an another case when used in a commercial game.

I know also that you don't debating about a mandatory feature when you described your Steam Avatar capability, but, well..


No no, I just give my feedback about "a maker" using your "possible features".
Please don't think that I think (in any time) that you forced features upon people XD.
(as English is not my primary language, it's perhaps a misspelled sentence I wrote)..


[Off-Subject: ON]
And thanks for the link to your OpenGL API. It is stable? Is there a topic/a manual?
[Off-Subject: OFF]

Thanks for reading.

Originally posted by Aтαηα¢ιυѕ:

Hello Xilefian, just want add the maximum resolution allowed in RPG Maker VX Ace games is 680*480.

Oh my mistake, I did not know this.

I can easily add in resolution chaning to the DLL, which would destroy the window and recreate it at a desired resolution, that has been done many times before in previous RPG Maker versions.

That OpenGL project is abandoned due to the overhead of the Win32API calls, it can be sped up if threading was used, but that's a massive undertaking so it was easier to abandon the project.

What I have there is pretty stable, someone is already using it to add per-pixel lighting into RPG Maker games.

Originally posted by Aтαηα¢ιυѕ:

Hello Xilefian, just want add the maximum resolution allowed in RPG Maker VX Ace games is 680*480.

Well you see the thing is taht my resolution is 1080 * 610 because I got the dll that allows for larger window screens which by the way is something that is planned for future implementation so at that point this particular argument will be moot. But not until then.

Exactly What I said, it exists a "High Res DLL".

But not many people have it.

Also, Archeia (which is one of the author (seems she is)), give us no useful informations on this High Res DLL.

Anyway, I'm so disappointed I miss this DLL when in BETA.

Originally posted by Xilefian:

Oh my mistake, I did not know this.

I can easily add in resolution chaning to the DLL, which would destroy the window and recreate it at a desired resolution, that has been done many times before in previous RPG Maker versions.

Interesting way of workaround, but my advices will to you must waiting for the future possible implementation of official High Res Update.

Good luck with your project.

Originally posted by Aтαηα¢ιυѕ:

Interesting way of workaround, but my advices will to you must waiting for the future possible implementation of official High Res Update.

Well I have no reason to wait, it's quite an easy feature to do in a DLL and it can be replaced with any official implementation in the future.

Ah if so, then go work on, and show us the result ! (but pay attention to EULA of RPG Maker VX Ace, it not permit to hack the resolution.. by injecting a DLL.. in core of RPG Maker VX Ace).

Now if you can do that, the Steam Overlay can be more useful in this way!

I'm curious now.