Apparently MZ lets you preview move routes in the move route editor without having to start up test game. That could save a lot of time during development compared to MV, especially for a long game that uses a lot of event movement for cutscenes.
Efficient marketing seems to be about gaming the system to overcome the veil of market saturation, to shift reliance towards strategy over luck. Since some methods can cost money and/or significant time expenditure, they can feel like a big gamble just because of the cost.
I hate the mosquito in my room who likes to buzz my head when I'm trying to sleep or get work done. I may add a mosquito extermination quest to my game out of spite.
I did some rough map sketching today for the first town in my game and my planned world map. Fifteen towns on rough draft. I think this might be the one I develop from after going through several drafts.
The plugin dev behind Ritter Title Movie plugin (on itch.io for MZ) added a random playlist feature to the plugin that I requested. Being able to play multiple different movies while idling at the title screen opens up some really fun possibilities for the planned dressings in my game project. I've also decided not to do two at the same time, the scifi game will have to wait for the fantasy game to complete first.
Ugh too much work piled up and NYCC is this coming week so I have to make up for lost time. I don't think I'll be able to finish an entry for the boss battle jam after all, at least not the way I want to do it. Good luck to everyone in the contest though.
I think I'm going to put in an entry for the boss battle jam since I already prepared a lot of ingredients while testing out stuff for my game and it wouldn't take too long to move some stuff over to the sample template.
One of the worst design choices I've seen in an online game is to significantly nerf in-game rewards (to drive profits from in-game microtransactions) after players had already gotten used to a certain level of reward over a long time. It's always better to start low and give more as needed, or offer something new, rather than to blatantly take away from the players.
A surprising number of plugins have appeared for MZ since last year. I'm currently making a "shopping list" so that I'll know what I need to test when I switch over to MZ later this year. Much of it is stuff updated from MV plugins, but there are also a good number of new things. It'll be fun to test it all out.
I've been viewing trailers and product banners on Steam as part of studying marketing for videogames, specifically JRPGs. There's a huge gap between the top and bottom in terms of quality and even a mixed review game can have a much better look than a game with great reviews. I can see why skilled publishers become attractive (for hire) to many aspiring game devs.
My Overworld might be a mix of inspiration from 2D Final Fantasy games, Breath of Fire, Battlechasers: Nightwar, Super Mario World, and Pillars of Eternity. If I can make it more in-depth than just walking from point A to point B, that might do a lot for the gameplay experience. Hmm...
Apparently some artists have aphantasia, preventing them from producing images in mind. When ordering a commission, it might be prudent to include some visual examples for reference to what one desires in the finished product in case the artist has aphantasia.
The release of Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series will be good for commercial indie RPGs imo, in that it renews interest and nostalgia for classic 2D gameplay. Indie devs releasing their games within the next couple of years could have a golden opportunity to ride the nostalgia train, but their games and marketing still have to be good to avoid getting kicked off the train in transit.
It seems to be never too early to research and prepare a list of things to do for when marketing one's commercial indie game begins. I've figured out some things to do that should be done months before I even start beta testing my game. If I live long enough to finish my game, the last half-year up to release day (after beta testing ends) is going to be intense.
I really liked the world map interaction when riding a chocobo in FF9, and the random events of world travel in other games. The world map can be so much more than just a way to add time between locations. I think that I'm going to make non-entry interactive spots on the world map in my game, turning the map into a side-game of exploration and treasure-hunting.
Until I studied acting and playwriting in college, I felt that I was a good writer, but seeing where the ceiling truly exists in a larger world made me rethink a lot of my mental processes and approaches to storytelling. Writing for an RPG is very similar to writing for a play or movie, so IMO taking some related classes or even just watching educational videos could do a lot of good for solo devs of indie RPGs.
It's disturbing to see some people readily support the Bob Chapek approach at Disney when a similar dynamic occurred at Activision Blizzard, leading to the decline of World of Warcraft. Giving power to Distribution/Merchandising can lead to a focus on squeezing money out of consumers instead of improving product quality.
I'm thinking of playing FF14. I checked a Square Enix website player search to see if the name I'm considering for character/account is taken. I was surprised to see that it's available. I might start sooner than later to get the name.
I've decided to keep the main story in my fantasy game linear, but in new game plus mode, open up hidden alternate endings that have to be discovered by the player, much like what was done in Chrono Trigger. That really ramped up the replay value for me when I played Chrono Trigger.
So I sent my game demo to be entered into a game showcase. They asked if I had a website for my game. So I listed my game page here. I don't know if that will count or not.
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After a storm, an elderly woman asks the player to dump out standing water to get rid of them. You're more than welcome to use this idea if you want. Exterminating them sounds way cooler though. I'd love to see what you come up with!
Mosquitos are definitely annoying.
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