RPG Maker 2003, despite its age, is almost unparalleled in usability all these years later. I've been working with it on a personal project for a few months now and it's been a joy to use. It captures a very authentic retro feel (which is to be expected), running in a native 320x240 with assets in 256 color bitmaps by default. And as someone with virtually no game design experience, it's been a fantastic entry point. Super easy to use once you get the hang of it!

However! There are limitations, and some people may want to seek out newer versions of RPG Maker for these reasons:

- There is no scripting, the main kicker. This means that the possibilities are limited to whatever the event system will allow.
- The resolution is very limited. Individual tiles are no greater than 16x16 and character sprites are no greater than 24x32. If you want to depict a large character, expect to do some workarounds with pictures.
- Also the manual is... not very well written

Despite these things, I've found it to be a wonderful engine. It's also one of the only iterations of RPG Maker to my knowledge that, by default, features a side view battle system with player battle sprites. And y'know, I think that's pretty cool.

[P.S., you should play OFF by Mortis Ghost. It was made in this engine!]

RPG Maker 2003, despite its age, is almost unparalleled in usability all these years later. I've been working with it on a personal project for a few months now and it's been a joy to use. It captures a very authentic retro feel (which is to be expected), running in a native 320x240 with assets in 256 color bitmaps by default. And as someone with virtually no game design experience, it's been a fantastic entry point. Super easy to use once you get the hang of it! However! There are limitations, and some people may want to seek out newer versions of RPG Maker for these reasons: - There is no scripting, the main kicker. This means that the possibilities are limited to whatever the event system will allow. - The resolution is very limited. Individual tiles are no greater than 16x16 and character sprites are no greater than 24x32. If you want to depict a large character, expect to do some workarounds with pictures. - Also the manual is... not very well written Despite these things, I've found it to be a wonderful engine. It's also one of the only iterations of RPG Maker to my knowledge that, by default, features a side view battle system with player battle sprites. And y'know, I think that's pretty cool. [P.S., you should play OFF by Mortis Ghost. It was made in this engine!]