Then again, once Krispin completes his anti-gravity machine and pigs fly,
My, my, Lord J... have you so little faith in me? I know my dynamics and kinematics still... the last few years haven't utterly dulled my mind to it. Nor does philosophy and history remove applied science from my heart. I'll have you know the numbers, the theory of the matter, does work. Nor is it anything extravagant... just plain old MecE sorta stuff that I'm sure you yourself are eminently well acquainted with. Frankly, I'd be surprised if the whole thing worked simply on the grounds that it's too simple - if it did work in any fashion, it'd have been made a very long time ago. But don't count it absurd as yet... who knows, maybe I'll surprise myself. Be watching for a porkish Pegasus, Lord J. Heh. Oh, and then a very easy to use 3D game maker.
By the way, on the subject of this topic... well, you know, you might, say, be able to use something like the Warcraft III engine to program an RPG via triggers... I've tried making Chrono Trigger using it before, and have actually had some measure of success (and I don't mean my RTS mod based on CT, I mean a more RPG like game - though I had some trouble making it 'first person'... the camera is really hard to trigger right.) I'm assuming one might also be able to use modified versions of existing engines, such as Oblivion. I downloaded the editor once, and had it glitch up (I was able to create a demon character class 10ft tall and superpowered - got old real fast - but wasn't able to create my own dungeon, unfortunately.) But nonetheless, I think the basic form of it is such that allows very simple dungeon construction. As for character creation, I don't think it to be insanely difficult, either. So I think such a thing as that, using the Oblivion engine, would provide for the best and easiest form of a 3D RPG maker.
Nonetheless, I'm still rather in accord with Lord J and his defense of the 2D. Over the years I've had a wonderful time with RPGMaker2003 (which I favour over XP due mostly to the lower quality graphics which allow easier sprite editing and all, as well as more options being available in the event editing.) With imagination, there are a myriad of things possible (that is, even without using the script editing!) Take, for example, some of the successes I've had. Just using simple 'parallell process' events, setting the location of sprites and all that, I was able to make the other party members not only follow you, but stop moving around when you got too far away, as well as stop when they got near. Also things like doors that open when you click on them (basically just a simple switch that changes the sprites used for a door) and dynamic days. Also monsters that, once killed, show up as actually dead on the overworld, as well as avoidable battles. All very easily implimented (and I'll add that in the matter of the monsters and doors, it's even easier, because all one needs is a stock ten or so switches each for a given map, and, on leaving the map, turn each switch 'off', returning them all to their previous state.) Furthermore one can do all sorts of things that even the old games never tried. Say, give each npc three or four different lines of speech which are randomly spoken, or which trigger depending on a randomization when a character enters the map (furthered by a trigger which could cause the npc to stand in different locations, or be there or not depending on the randomization.) This gives the illusion, despite the low res graphics, of a dynamic world. You can also - and easily! - impliment such things as were abandoned for the most part (though it's been resurrected) long ago, that is, that your choices really, and seriously, influence the way others perceive you and the outcome. How hard is it to add an 'attack' option to npc interaction, and a variable that determines your repuation? These things are all hallmarks of 'advanced' games like Morrowind and Oblivion, but in fact are all very easily instituted in a simple program like RPGMaker2003.
True, in that old program you can't quite make use of .mp3s (thoug there is a patch, which didn't work for me); I just use .wavs and play them as sound effects. You can't control when they 'end', and as such are limited to whatever length of time the clip is, but that's alright if you reserve them for cutscenes. And as for the size of .wavs... well, I'm presuming this game is mostly for the entertainment of you and your friends, and as such file size really doesn't matter much. Let's see... a myriad other things you can make use of. I've been working on an RPG version of Tolkien's Silmarillion (with the elf lord Maedhros as the primary character) for, well, six years now on and off? And these are the sorts of things I've been able to figure out, and leading me to agree with Lord J. 2D can give you an extreme amount of use. I mean, heck, don't you guys hate the RPGs which are so bloody linear and have very little ability to wander around? You know how easy it is to make that sort of thing in something like RPGmaker2003? And if you're still worried about graphics, well, you can do that sort of thing that I did: give each speaking character a picture for his face. Really plays on the 'ol imagination, you know?
Anyway, point is, there are a thousand things you can impliment in the old RPG makers which, if you have ingenuity, are right at your fingertips. You could make a CT quality game easily.
