It was pretty and had better music than 95 (not that it mattered, you had now!) but doing anything in it was an absolute chore. Due to memory constraints there were no name for switches and variables wouldn't be a thing until 2k. Hmm, I don't remember too much else from it.
If you had 8 strength at level 1 you'd have 16 at level 2 and so on with no way to change that besides starting at a higher level and using that as your base stats. 8x8 chunks? Character stats were entirely linear with no base value. RM2 had world map chunks you could use though, the max size was. You couldn't even make world maps in RM1, there were four premade ones you could choose. RM2 had a more diverse set of chunks than RM1 which were more the same chunks but different skins applied on top. The chunks you had access to were determined by the 'tileset' of your map.
Mapping was done by placing premade chunks onto your map. RM2 sank real quick when the same translators made some RM95 translation patches.
RM2 was all the rage before RM95! RM1 was never used due to an emulation issue where your game data was never saved to SRAM and when it was solved (who knows when) there were PC RPG Makers which were way better. You can tell it comes from the same family as 2k/2k3 and VX Ace, but it feels somehow different at the same time. XP, in comparison, feels like their cousin. They're very similar, but there's plenty that sets them apart. Not saying it's the better option (I personally think it is, though), but in terms of layout and functionality, it feels closer to 2k/2k3 than XP, which I feel makes it a bit easier to find things and get used to the feel of the program. I'd say VX Ace would be the best to leap into if you're transitioning from 2k/2k3. It feels nostalgic to be working with these programs again, after almost 10 years of being away. I'm just excited to jump in and get my hands dirty. Work on a small project in each, and see which one is more suited overall. Anyways, maybe I will tinker with both for a month. I remember the events in XP being a bit confusing. Most of my experience was with RM2K and RM2K3, so I'm used to having the two layers to work with. I'm more interested in something that is fast/easy to use, and I'm not really hung up on mapping. Thanks for all the great feedback everyone, it's much appreciated :) I like the sound of VX Ace.