Advice for making an RPG Maker Game for someone who overthinks/procrastinates

[jamalMV]

Hey guys, so i'm thinking that i might start on an RPG Maker game at some point but i'm a bit overwhelmed by all the information alot of people have given in regards to how your games should look over social media.


I am not a beginner at this it's just i tend to find it difficult to organize my thoughts and ideas or overthink/procrastinate whenever i try to create something good with RPG Maker. So what i'm looking for essentially is a short piece of advice rather than a ton of information that i would find very difficult to wrap my head around. any ideas?

 

[Iliketea]

If its your first time then you should do a very short game at first before doing your "Real" game.


Something like a story about a cat wanting to eat fish and goes to the harbor to get some but has to deal with evil dogs and help other cats so they show her the way or something.


Not longer than a hour.


Without using any plugins or any other graphics and music than the RTP.


That way you can get some of the basics down and familiarize yourself with the program


Also do some maps for fun or try to copy some maps you see on the forum to practice mapping

 

[Vox Novus]

Well my number one and what I consider to be one of the most important ones is to have fun with what you make. If you don't enjoy working on it you aren't getting anything out of the hobby; while you want other people to enjoy your games and want to play them, this hobby should be something you do for yourself.


Right behind that the best advice is to walk before you can run (and before that crawl, and before that flop about). Don't try to bite off more than you can chew and don't try and tackle your dream idea of a game right away, start out with something small (2-3 hrs of gameplay for example).


As for looks, default assets can work fine and you can make an enjoyable to play game with them. A few of my favorites on the forum here are mostly default assets. Again, I think this is where doing it for yourself comes into play. That being said there is legitimate merit in considering non-default resources if you are attempting to capture visual and audible  interest of people quicker than you would with all default stuff; especially if you were making a commercial game. Even then though plenty of developers have succeeded with default graphics by offering strong playing games.

 

[Kes]

You might want to have a look at this thread in General Discussion.




In particular (because so far there aren't many replies) look at my post which is just a couple down where I provide links to a range of similar topics in order to give that member a range of opinions and advice.


It may be that following that thread will answer all your questions, in which case we can close this one.  If, on the other hand, you think that your query is somewhat different, I can move this to General Discussion.


Please post and let us know what you would like.

 

[jamalMV]

@ksjp17 if you think maybe the general discussion would be a good place for it then by all means move it but i'm actually wanting some more simple advice rather than loads of information as i tend to get a abit overwhelmed by that.

 

[Kes]

Okay I'll move this to General Discussion.


Once I've done that, you might edit your title so that it reads "Simple Advice for making..." and/or edit your opening post to include the info you have just given.  You could specifically request that people do not provide loads of information.

 

[LaFlibuste]

It really depends on how your workflow and methods. Not everybody would function like me, but my advice would be: make a plan. Decide on what you mostly want your game to be beforehand and plan ahead. Start with a vague outline, like writing down the main plot, briefly describe the main characters, briefly describe the world/setting. Decide on what systems you would like to include. Then, still rather vaguely, define what you actually need for your game: what systems you want, what art you need, etc. And this can serve as a general roadmap to keep you on course for the future. Of course you can make it a bit more in-depth, although be sure to leave some creative room, and feel free to change idea on any number of specific of element you had decided before hand, but if you work towards a goal it's easier to keep at it and stay on track, rather than ceaselessly side-track and procrastinate. Also, feel free to use place holder art at first. Art is a huge time-sink and you can actually kill your projects just taking too much time browsing art/music repositories to find the perfect fit instead of actually working on your game. You can always switch your art later on.


So basically:
1) Broadly outline what you want to work towards.
2) Define more or less vaguely what the steps are to achieve this broad objective.


3) Follow your plan and get yourself actually working on your game as quickly as possible.


Also, as countless others have said, don't aim too high (or in this case, too long) for a first project.

 

[watermark]

A good piece of advice is to stop posting or browsing this site. Because this place is the ultimate procrastination excuse for an RPG Maker.


Oh who am I kidding I can't do it either. 


procrastinate...procrastinate...procrastinate.....

 

[richter_h]

There will be many, many interesting stuffs and would-be interesting stuffs as well, there your perseverance is put into test.


Don't rush things, create an atmosphere you'd like the most and start working on your project, little by little.


Start from something simple that you can do it in single seat. Make visible boundaries for your project, and for the love of Talos, don't break your own rules until your game is ready to publish.


Take people's opinions, but ask to yourself whether you need second opinion or not. You're to shape your game by your own hands, the others don't have rights to do so.


When you feel like distracted by something, stop. Don't make any progresses until you reconsider the consequences.


If you're stuck in your procrastination, let it be. You'll be back into your project. Enjoy yourself, nourish your craving for ideas, but don't take them into project once you're done with your procrastination session.

 

[Dr. Delibird]

Quick tip:


Keep a notepad or anything you can write/type on handy AT ALL TIMES. This way you can write down any thoughts that come to your head and you can easily refer back to them later even if you have forgotten them.

 

[Crabs]

Choose only one or two complex concepts and make the rest as simples as you can.


I'm going to use my current project as an example which I've already worked on for about 300 hours.


I'm building an insanely complex world and I'm also making a lot of fancy skills.


But, in other hand:


- I'm using the RTP tileset


- I'm using the RTP BGM/BGS/SE


- Only the default elements (normal, fire, water, wind...)


- Default status + stat change buffs/debuff + special buffs/debuff only for bosses (which is not much)


I mean.... I'm a person like you, who procrastinate a lot. But I've already worked for more than 300 hour in 2 months on this project (not counting research). This approach based on partial simplicity worked for me. Might work for you too


I don't think that browsing on this forum is procrastination. You can get some precious information about resources, hints and tips or design decisions here. Procrastination is when you watch random stuff on TV/Netflix/Youtube, or browse on facebook to know about your friends, etc.

 

[Milennin]

First, you need to know what you want to make. By knowing what you want, you spend less time just sitting and thinking about what to do next. Instead, you can immediately start working on your ideas by doing stuff in the editor and getting things done.


Second, you need to know your limits, and stay within those limits. By knowing what you're capable of, you can set realistic goals for yourself that you know you'll be able to achieve. The more you move outside your own limits, the harder it's going to be to stay motivated as your goals drift farther and farther away.


Third, work on one thing at a time. When you finally get yourself to open the editor and do something, commit to doing only thing. Make events for at least one hour. Make maps for at least one hour. Organise the database for at least one hour. The more you focus on one thing at a time, the less time you spend switching between stuff and having to constantly readjust yourself to a new task.

 

[Crabs]

 Instead, you can immediately start working on your ideas by doing stuff in the editor and getting things done.

I agree. There's some simple stuff that is possible to do on early project stages. 



For example, creating consumable items like small potion, medium potion, big potion, antidote, eye drops, etc. It's a simple task and you don't have to actually bother about balancing yet. Just put some random values. Your game will probably need those items and you're making progress on your database.

 

[Zaen]

I agree. There's some simple stuff that is possible to do on early project stages. 



For example, creating consumable items like small potion, medium potion, big potion, antidote, eye drops, etc. It's a simple task and you don't have to actually bother about balancing yet. Just put some random values. Your game will probably need those items and you're making progress on your database.

I'm to the point in my game where I need stuff like that in the editor done, and there's almost no items. I don't know. If I had gone right off the bat focusing on stuff like that, I probably wouldn't have gotten this far. Instead I started on the fun part.


Which I think was already said... Have fun. So, do the part that is fun for you, because I'm pretty sure it's not universal what part is fun. You eventually will encounter the part that you think, "Oh, man, that's going to be tedious," but I don't think you should start with it.


Have a small scope. And honestly just make whatever you want to make. 


.... side note, people say I tend to "over think" stuff, but... I feel like I think things thoroughly, whereas a lot of people don't think much at all. It might not be the same thing we are talking about, but use characteristics your advantage.


Unfortunately, if you have difficulty motivating yourself to do it, there's not a whole lot anyone can tell you to make you do it. You either are going to do it or you're not.

 

[Crabs]

@Zaen


Umm... it probably worked well for me because I like making a database.


I'm a person who likes every single step of making a game. haha

 

[Kyuukon]

Work everyday, even if you're not at your 100% energy/motivation. Make some progress! Eventually you'll be back at it at your fullest!

 

[Crabs]

Btw,


One the biggest sins a dev can make is to take a day off just because he/she has done a lot of progress on the previous day. It's a justified procrastination. I've done this a couple of time and I regret. xD


It's really tempting, but you have to be strong. You should use the momentum to make more and more progress.


Resting is important, but it has to be planned. Like every sunday and no exception.