Creating your RPG Project/Game step by step

[Elliott404]

This is probably a dumb question, but I really want to organize ideas, events, etc, step by step. It might take a long time if it's according to my pace.

To me, I thought writing your project's story(s) is the 1st essential step since it's the core of the project. The other steps? It's all distorted in my head. Unless you have some advice(s) in mind, and would like to share?

 

[Bex]

I mostly played around with the Editor, that helps learning the Engine, but fancy mechanics dont create a early Game Prototype for you.
And a early Prototype dont need fancy Mechanics, if its fun and fitting it can be remaped or stuffed with working mechanics or better NPCs later on.
Else you spent 10 Hours for something, and next day you realise its not fitting and you need to totaly redo it.

Spoiler: Picture

It doesnt matter that:
The map got bad shape.
Got just placeholder music and placeholder Tileset thrown at the screen.
Is not starting with fancy intro
It got no Gameplay in startroom to introduce player to player actions like movement and action button.
Textboxes also got non final text, just write in what comes in your mind.
Lightmap Picture missing.

Perfectionism is good, but not in early development, iam not sure if that is realy true, but it appears like that to me.
I mean if you get a foundation its easier to improove on that, rather than trying to deliver perfect room after perfect room from scratch and than dealing with changes afterwards which than create immense workload.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

People tend to do things differently because what works for one might not work for you.. You could try different approaches and see which one works best.

For me, my go-to procedure is

- Basic idea of story (very rough, sometimes its just a very very vague idea like "brother and sister going on revenge")
- Think what sytems to implement and make them
- Do basic database stuff needed to test said systems and test
- Do database stuff needed at beginning of game
- Do mapping amd eventing of intro
- Continue cycling between databasing and mapping/eventing, progressing thru story
- Adjust systems as needed
- Throw project to trashbin (joke!)

 

[Elliott404]

Perfectionism is good, but not in early development

Yes. I 100% agree to this. I've learnt this the hard way after I've wasted so much time on one map to make it perfect, and ignored the most basic mechanics I could've worked on.

@Engr. Adiktuzmiko
I've threw many prototypes already lol. Really, I am working on the 7th prototype after so many failures, and crashes due to overload plugins.
As for now, I am making simple Common Events for constant usages, and simple cutscenes without any flashy graphics.

 

[TheoAllen]

I thought writing your project's story(s) is the 1st essential step since it's the core of the project

Not entirely true or wrong either. The core of the project could be anything.
> Want to show off your awesome story? then the story is the core.
> Want to show off your awesome battle system? then the battle system is the core.
> Literally insert anything there ...

The very early prototype I make is usually to make a proof of concept of the said core, most of them are mechanics though. Then I build up from there. Even I make a "placeholder story" that will be revamped later just to get the feel of the system in a long(er) run.

 

[Elliott404]

Oh. Then, considering that I am focusing on the story, then I chose the story as the project's core. I thought it'd at least lower the weigh on my shoulders once I'm done with it, otherwise, I can focus on anything else beyond; whether alone or not.

 

[Milennin]

These are the steps I follow at the start of a project:
-What is the game's main theme?
-What are the core features and mechanics to support the main theme.
-How does the game start, and what are some key points in the story to happen?
-Clean up and organise database
-Start making the game

 

[bgillisp]

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