Poll: What would you like to see more of?

There's a new poll, located on the right of the page. I'm curious what you'd like to see more of ^_^

The poll will run all year so plenty of time to make your voice heard.

Cheers,
S

Technical Tuesday 13: Lighting effects continued

This week continues on with a similar theme to last week's technical Tuesday - lighting.

This video tutorial is made by Fallen Lorelei and is about how to set up sun beams for the overall map rather than lighting effects for an individual item:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNYQmkXiwVw

Technical Tuesday 12: Lighting effects

It's often the small details that set the atmosphere of a map. For this reason, I love lighting and shadow effects.

This tutorial on making window lighting effects is a handy lesson!

https://rpgmaker.net/tutorials/1328/

Technical Tuesday 11: Effective openings

I love this post from the RPG Maker Blog:

http://blog.rpgmakerweb.com/tutorials/creating-an-effective-opening/

This quote in particular:

YOU WANT THE PLAYER DOING SOMETHING.
Unlike the opening of a book or movie, video games are games. This means interactivity. Get your player into interactivity as SOON as possible.
If I’m sitting down to play a game, I want to play a game. Now, I choose RPGs because I like story, and most RPG fans love story, too, but if that was all they wanted they would probably be reading a book.

RPG Maker games often have a bad rap. I know I've bought several, only to give them up within the first hour mainly because the story was not engaging (either in the form of bad writing or information overload).

What examples can you think of for good and bad game openings?

Technical Tuesday 10: puzzles and switches

I love puzzles and mind quizzes, so I was quite happy to stumble across this tutorial on RPGMaker.Net

https://rpgmaker.net/tutorials/1370/

ADVANCED LIGHTS OUT PUZZLE: Make a light-switching puzzle with a single common event and some clever Javascript.

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Do you like puzzles in RPGs? What classics do you remember that made you think?

Screenshot Saturday: NanoWriMo

I know I've been falling behind with the 'must do mondays' and 'screenshot saturdays', but here is why. I've joined NaNoWriMo!

Now, I don't know if the game script will actually be 50,000 words (ouch) but at least this is motivating me to write it out.

World Building Wednesday 10: music

As mentioned previously, there are different cultures in this world, each inspired by an animal group. It makes sense that different cultures have different musical instruments, as we see in real life.

So this got me thinking...

What sort of instrument would a dog-inspired people have? When I think of dogs, I think of whistles, so perhaps the wind instrument variety (flutes / pipes / etc).

What about the bird race? Initially I would have said wind just because birds -> air -> wind, but perhaps stringed would suit them better?

I imagine the race inspired by the Tasmanian devils would be tone-deaf, so definitely percussion for them ^_^

And the cats? Maybe less instrumental and more voice-based?

And then the bigger question - what resources are out there that I could use for these purposes? RPG Maker has quite a few.

What is your favourite source of music for your games?

Technical Tuesday 9: mapping

Two weeks ago I posted an RPG Maker Blog tutorial on using positive/negative space to help the player along.

This is a more simple mapping tutorial (made me laugh actually XD)

https://rpgmaker.net/tutorials/1343/

I particularly like how they did the different shaped buildings in the town. I hadn't seen the RTP used like that before and it actually makes it look passable!

Technical Tuesday 8: Getting inspiration

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. - Ecclesiastes 1:9

It's common for people to see a mechanic in a game and think that it would make a good addition to their game. For me, I love the original Deus Ex's mechanics of augment slots that you could choose how to fill depending on your playing style.

But we need to be careful not to just steal an idea. RPG Maker blog has a post on this topic:

http://blog.rpgmakerweb.com/tutorials/on-the-shoulders-of-giants/

Don’t rip things off. Examine, adapt, create, and make it your own. Your mechanic should play and feel different. And never, ever forget the giants whose shoulders you are standing on.

It reminds me of the article about Game Choices a couple of weeks ago actually.

Anyway, back to Deus Ex. My game world (simple fantasy RPG) can't exactly use augments, but instead I am hoping to capture the feel by giving each playable character a skill that you can level up with experience points based on how you like to play. Quick, light attacks? Strong, slower attacks? Status effects? Your choice!

What game has a mechanic that you personally love and would use in your own game (if you are making one)? How are you changing it to match your game world?

Technical Tuesday 5: KISS

Another article from the RPG Maker Blog!

http://blog.rpgmakerweb.com/tutorials/kiss/

This quote from the very beginning summarises it perfectly.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

– Antoine de Saint-Exupery French writer (1900 – 1944)

;___; alas, so easy to write - much harder to apply. Something I find that helps is to brain dump and then go back and cull. Cutting away parts is painful, but the end result will be worth it!

Just recently I cut out an entire town from my story as it added too much time without contributing the gameplay. The important story element from that town I was able to tie up in a different scene.

Must-Do Monday 5: Keep on writing

This week I really need to focus on writing again. I am very much looking forward to when the script is all done - it's taking much longer than I thought as my writing habits aren't the best.

NaNoWriMo is coming up though, so I'm thinking of joining that for the first time.

Have you ever done NaNoWriMo? Any tips or fun stories to share? ^_^

Screenshot Saturday 5: design documents

Lately I have been focusing on documenting various aspects of the game, inspired by this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Level-Guide-Great-Video-Design/dp/1118877160

God willing, if I ever release this game, this document could easily turn into the official guide with strategies and things :)

Here are some screenshots:

'Beat chart'

Crafting items 

Ingredients

Meals

World Building Wednesday 5: Converting character concepts into sprite art

The past three weeks I've shared character concept art for three of the seven playable characters - Bimbi, James and Wedge.

I thought this week it would be fun to have a sneak peek at the sprites that the concept art inspired!

I'm using the 'MACK / Looseleaf' style rather than the standard VX Ace or MV style as I prefer the proportions - more realistic and yet still rather cute and anime-esque.

I use the Game Character Hub (GCH) to make my sprites as it has a large number of clothing items that you can add easily to the character. GCH has a bit of a bad reputation (as per this review) but for my purposes it's ok. The feature I like is a little window in the corner that shows what the sprite looks like walking in all four directions (up/down/left/right).

Anyway, without much further ado, here's Bimbi, James and Wedge.

You may NOT use or share these sprites.

Technical Tuesday 4: event triggers

I wanted to share this tutorial by AvalonMelody (https://avalonmelody.deviantart.com/) on event triggers in RPG Maker.

https://avalonmelody.deviantart.com/art/RPG-Maker-Event-Triggers-543683421

This would have been a handy tutorial when I first started out ;____; hopefully it saves someone else the pain!

(as it's quite a large picture, I haven't directly linked it. You can read it at the above link).

Must-Do Monday 4: Create a list of maps needed

Must Do Monday! Time to once again outline goals for the week.

Since I've gotten a bit more of the way into the script, this week I would like to start a list of maps needed so far.

I'm hoping, God willing, to include things like:
- atmosphere
- types of enemies
- expected events (probably won't share that with you though ;) )

Can you think of anything else that would be good to include in a list like this?

Screenshot Saturday 4: Writing!

Haha it's a bit hard to have a screenshot of the script, since it will give plot points away. So I'll just leave you with this gif:

Technical Tuesday 3: Gameplay Choices

This article on the RPG Maker Blog about 'False Choices' really got me thinking.

http://blog.rpgmakerweb.com/tutorials/false-choice/

When you add something think to yourself: Why would a character use this ability instead of all the other abilities he has access to? Why would a person use magic when attacks do just as much damage AND don’t consume any resources?

Even if they don’t use resources in the way you generally think of (HP/MP/TP), they still take a resource that is generally overlooked in most game design: Actions. Remember, no one is going to use a skill, job, or ability if another one works better.

I've mentioned before that my first dive into game making was a terribly flawed mish mash of ideas. I had to learn the hard way that things shouldn't be added just because it looks/sounds/acts cool.

What things have you added to a project on a whim to later find it just subtracts from the whole?

Screenshot Saturday 3

Here's two screenshots of this week's progress!

I've actually had this week off work, so have been able to do more than over the past couple of months.

Screenshot 1: continuing with the light puzzle. 

(Ignore the birds... they are my temporary 'switches' lol)

Screenshot 2: Another forest scene. Do you think it's too busy?

Technical Tuesday 2: Game design

I've mentioned before that I'm a member of Habitica, the app that makes habit-setting and to-do lists a fun RPG.

One of the guilds on Habitica is the Game Development Guild. One of its challenges is to complete a Game Designs Course.

I've done level 1 so far, and found it useful to set up a framework to understand what I'm trying to accomplish.

Have a read through!

https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/level-1-overview-what-is-a-game/

If it's too much to read, the 'homeplay' at the end is great :D

Thoughtful Thursday 2: foreshadowing

Since I've been trying to focus on the story lately, today's Thoughtful Thursday is about the struggle to write a coherent story with an underlying theme.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend Invisible Ink by Brian McDonald
https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Ink-Practical-Building-Resonate/dp/0984178627

His main profession is in script writing for TV/movies. I've found it directly applicable to script-writing for games, with the caption that you (as a writer) need to allow freedom for how the player lives out the story.

The fundamental point I gleaned from Brian's book is about defining a theme (e.g. 'pride goes before destruction') and foreshadowing this throughout the story. Ways you can do this is to have a side character put a question or raise a discussion with the main character in the first act.

I've been listening to Jane Eyre lately and noticed how Charlotte Bronte uses a secondary character, little Helen Burns, to discuss with Jane how we should not blame others for our actions, but rather serve with love regardless of how people treat use. Although Helen doesn't remain in the story, the rest of Jane Eyre is an exploration of how Jane reacts to different trials caused by other people's actions.

(Jane) "... you are good to those who are good to you. It is all I ever desire to be. If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should — so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again."

(Helen) "You will change your mind, I hope, when you grow older: as yet you are but a little untaught girl."

"But I feel this, Helen; I must dislike those who, whatever I do to please them, persist in disliking me; I must resist those who punish me unjustly. It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, or submit to punishment when I feel it is deserved."

"Heathens and savage tribes hold that doctrine, but Christians and civilised nations disown it."

"How? I don't understand."

"It is not violence that best overcomes hate — nor vengeance that most certainly heals injury."

"What then?"

"Read the New Testament, and observe what Christ says, and how He acts; make His word your rule, and His conduct your example."

"What does He say?"

"Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you."