vx ace Parallax Mapping - good or evil

[Szyu 52]

Hey there, long time no see....

I'd like to start a discussion about whether parallax mapping is better than normal mapping...

 

First I'd like to state that I do know that the possibilities with parallax mapping are sheer endless, but on the other hand, in my opinion it would just let the game's size explode, since every map could take multiple big image files...

 

By using the RPG Maker VX Ace you can define a mass of tilesets, so I think this would be good enough for almost every case.

 

What are your thoughts about this?

[+ Chaosian 617]

I find I simply don't have the time, patience, or, frankly, skill for it. Tilesets for me.

I can't deny some absolutely outstanding art comes from parallax maps though.

[+ TBWCS 953]

While it opens a lot of door towards beautiful mapping, it isn't for everybody and creating a map in parallax style takes a lot of time to do the following:

• Design
• Scaling
• Testing

You also have to consider that parallax mapping isn't normally available by default with any rpg maker engine. You'll definitely need a plugin or a script to make it work. For me, making something which always needs a script is kinda, well, removes the 100% creativity that I want. But still, like I said, it opens lots of opportunity and doors towards a beautiful visual over your game.

 

Do I use Parallax Mapping?

 

No. In my RMXP project, I combined all the tileset chips into one, then map with any tile I want. It is also the same way that I do with my VXAce project.

[Szyu 52]

Missing scripts would not be a point here, since I'm a scripter myself (just lacking creativity and ideas).

So what I'd like to discuss here are the good and "evil" sides of parallax mapping and what you all think about it.

[Radiant Arin 412]

I've been using Parallax Mapping for my RPG Maker VX Ace project. I'm well aware that Parallax mapping is far more time-consuming than using normal tilesets, but if you're using only normal tilesets, there are some applications you can't do. For example, you can't make a thick, dense forest in VX Ace without lining several trees together, or making an original map that doesn't look "blockish" or 2D. With Parallax Mapping, if you know how the program you're using works when separating layers, then Parallax Mapping can be a really rewarding experience. 

 

But because you can make maps that others won't be able to, it's definitely a more tedious and repetitive process. Layer this, layer that, layer this, copy paste this, copy paste that, until you end up with something that has about 1200 layers, like my map is going (only because the map is so huge). And yes it does increase the size of your game, but people really shouldn't be complaining when modern games today can take up nearly 30 to 40 GB of HDD space, as opposed to a little RM game that can only take up maybe 1 or 2. If that.

[lonequeso 1,921]

Welcome back, Szyu!

 

Parallax gives you a lot more freedom with your mapping. If you're a skilled artist, there's little you can't do using it. I'm am not a skilled artist so the decision for me was an easy one. I actually do like the old-school blocky look as well. If you have the skill and are willing to put in the time, parallax is probably the better option. You can make your game look far more unqiue with it.

 

If you're a big fan of the traditional tile set method you may want to stick with it. The biggest plus is it will save you a ton of time.

It also depends on what style you want to create your game in. If you're able to do both, that's the most important factor.

[Cookie Ninja 374]

There is one thing that hasn't been mentioned. If you want some tiles to work as over pass when they normaly wouldn't + have alot of animations (like torches, plants moving in the wind etc) parallax mapping can allow you to group all of these into a single event (as opposed to having 100+ events). This will certainly enhance overall performance on larger maps, albeit a tedious work day to set it all up, but it might be worth it if performance is an issue.

 

I'd also like to add that unless there is a large quality difference between parallax maps you made vs normal tileset maps. You could always combine the 2, using parallax for those special cases. 

[Tsarmina 2,612]

I'm a parallaxer and proud of it. It DOES tend to make your game files expand, but if you use tinypng that helps a lot. Almost all the size of my game right now isn't from my detailed parallaxes, it's from music. I like parallaxing because it allows freedom from the grid, personalisation on a level that's impossible to achieve with editor tilesets, and of course generally more aesthetic maps (granted, of course, that you know what you're doing! ^^) 

 

However, it does take a while, and the layer separations are a real pain. I'll add that it can be hard to work with some events, because overlays that you need for some parallaxes will overlay themselves over events, and it can lead to a lot of hassle. :c

[Whiona 310]

Before I actually tried parallax mapping, I was a bit grumbly about it. I knew that many people liked the look of parallax maps better but I didn't want to do it. All I ever heard was people going on and on about how difficult it was, which intimidated me. Once I actually gave it a shot, though? SO worth the extra effort. I am unreasonably happy with how my maps look now! It's not even that much harder unless you want to do a bunch of custom editing. Some aspects of it are even easier than traditional mapping - for example, you can drag objects around instead of having to erase them and then put them somewhere else. If you don't want to (or can't) parallax map, then that's perfectly valid, but from my experience I'd say don't knock it till you've tried it.