The RPG Engine

The RPG Engine is not a game. Games contain meaningful gamelike interaction and game loops, which are absent in this software. Instead of being a game, The RPG Engine is a software application that is a bit like Roll20, the idea is that you can use this software to support tabletop gaming, like a virtual whiteboard for playing Dungeons and Dragons, but make no mistake, there's no gameplay included in this, it's just a toolset to facilitate RPGs. It's not an RPG itself, there's no content, no game to play, no story being told, it's just an app. It's not even free, it just looks like it. This is a barebones client that you can't properly run a game from, it's more like a viewer/demo version. It was a paid product, a ridiculous $20 USD, and worse, this is being used as a thin end of the wedge to get people to pay an eye watering SIXTY UNITED STATES DOLLARS worth of DLC to unlock the full software package (software, not game, this is a very important distinction). For those unfamiliar with what actually makes something a game, a "game loop" describes the interaction and feedback a gamer has when playing a game. Tetris, for example, has a game loop where a random block appears, the gamer interacts with the block to position it, and then the game decides if that finishes a row or not, increases the players score if any rows were completed, then gives the gamer another block to position. Counter-Strike has a game loop where a player seeks another player, tests their skill against that player by shooting them or being shot, the computer rewards the player if they win, and then if the player survives, they repeat that loop. There's no loop here, no true interactive feedback. It simply is not a game, it cannot be "played". This has misleadingly been launched in the "Games" section of Steam instead of the "Software" section. This is a common mistake for developers who are new to Steam, or don't understand the difference between games and software which isn't a game. It seems this software published incorrectly as a game is simply lack of experience/knowledge of the correct process. Here's a link for the process to publish non-game software on Steam: [url=https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithPublishing?issueid=925]Steam Developer Help With Software Publishing[/url] It's unfortunate this process was not known about/followed, resulting in a software application being published in the wrong place. Publishing things which aren't games on Steam in the Games section as games is misleading to gamers and somewhat harmful, because it pollutes the Steam marketplace and takes away visibility and market exposure for genuine game developers who do the right thing and make games for gamers. There are no gameplay loops in this software, no "gameplay", no meaningful game like interaction. It's a software application and as such has no merits as a video game for gamers. Because of this, I cannot recommend this non-game software as a game to gamers.

good

This is a neat as a proof of concept but terrible as an actual usable VTT. Terrain manipulation is simple but has lots of missing features, no smoothing, or flattening options for example. Assets are generic store bought Unity low poly models and so, while they look nice enough, lack any kind of specialization for many systems, meaning that for anything that isn't generic stuff like dragons or goblins you likely need to use 2d billboard tokens. Building is clunky with no hotkeys to switch between move, rotate, or scale, no hotkey to turn on continuous placement, or to move props up or down. The grid also only applies to the ground and not props, meaning that buildings or props will cover it making setting anything inside buildings tough to do if you can even find the assets as most assets are mixed settings thrown together in very generic and sometimes vague folders. Some assets are also non-functional, with some lamps giving off light, and some just being generic props, some doors can open, some the GM needs to manually move, these assets are all thrown in the same lighting and doors category respectively with no real indication of which ones actually function other than most functional ones having an animation listed. Assets are tagged by pack or general theme, but there are no options to filter any tags, they exist just for the search feature. There also exists the option to export maps as a png for use on other VTTs, however the grid is only applied to the terrain, any props will cover the grid, which includes floors of buildings, making interiors difficult to use without using rulers. Managing sheets is a nightmare, the system has a PDF importer, but the PDFs are not editable or able to be written on, so it's useless for things like character sheets. Instead you need to custom build a character sheet using the provided unintuitive sheet creation tools or use an external website in the laggy built-in chrome browser that manages sheets for you, said browser gave me a warning about unusual traffic on my network when even accessing google by the way. There's a built in music player, it has no option to import music. The game comes with a character creator, but it's very limited, if you want to make anything other than an elf, human, or human with the head of an animal then it won't work, you'll have to open a map and kitbash assets to make your character, or use a 2d token which removes the ability to use the emote menu for 3d characters. More items are promised but the last actual content update was released in february, almost a full year ago. Finally; Joining people requires them to be your friend on steam, no option to have people join through a server list or IP in case you're running a session with people you've just met on something like a LFG post/forum/whatever. For the price they're asking you're better off looking elsewhere.

Who knew that learning an engine could feel like battling a dragon? "The RPG Engine and You" - is like Dark Souls with more spreadsheets. It's hard, but hey, at least there's no microtransactions!

A very promising way to add a little more interactivity do my DnD sessions, I really love what the team is putting together here. Straddles a tight line of being a customizable sandbox to host sessions, and just being a straight up game. All my DnD sessions are hosted online, and my friends all have ADHD, so having a map for them to actually walk around and explore, and things to fidget with, makes a world of difference while I'm handling all the different mechanics. And the animation system adds an entire new layer of interactivity that I haven't even scratched the surface of. And with all the different building blocks available to you, honestly the only real limit to your world is your imagination. God, I sound like I work for their marketing team. It's integration with Unity is also a plus as the workshop is easy to use both for creators and players, and already there's lots of unique creations to choose from. Except dinosaurs, why isn't anyone making dinosaurs? If I had to pick any negative at all, it's the lack of audio integration - I simply can't live without custom music, and as far as I could see, there's no way to add my own sound effects either. But I've read that's on the roadmap, so fingers crossed. Outside that, I'd love it if doing an attack with a character automatically deducted HP from the enemy, some kind of automatic system, but again then you're getting close to just being a video game. Anyway, just felt like this game deserved a little more attention so these guys could keep working on it, figured I'd throw my review into the ring. If you like DnD, this can only add to your sessions. And I looked at things like TTRPG, and this just felt cleaner, more accessible, and more focused. Does one thing, and does it well.

The RPG Engine затянула с первой же минуты своим атмосферным миром и гeймплейной глубиной. 10/10

Жена сказала, что если на этом обзоре наберётся 10 лайков и 5 наград, то она подарит ящик пива. Мужики, выручайте!

The RPG Engine — это мощный инструмент для создания и проведения настольных ролевых игр, предлагающий широкие возможности для кастомизации и взаимодействия. Он подходит как для опытных ведущих, так и для новичков, желающих погрузиться в мир TTRPG.

While I haven't had the chance to use this myself (as I haven't dmed a game since getting it), it is a great tool, it has lots of cool parts to it, that would definitely help any ttrpg game a lot cooler. This is quite pricey for the DM though (only the dm needs to pay this price though), so I'd say pick it up on a sale if you want to use it in a your next ttrpg campaign.