First game and how to go about it?

[Bloodmorphed]

Well, the reason I'm asking is simple because: I have attempted to complete several games now, only to find I've bit off more then I can chew.

You can look at Purgatory and Dungeon Maniac: Reborn from me. 

It seems like I like to try to do features, or even other stuff I CAN'T do on my own right now. I understand it takes a certain talent for someone to be able to do everything on their own. 

My question is: What should a first game consist of? Should I only mess around with one feature? Should I do things that teach me skills (Scripting, graphics, etc etc). I end up wanting to quit not even in the middle. The dungeon crawler I'm working on now I want to quite on. However not because I can't do the things I want to do. I can actually do what I have planned, but the problem is that it would be an extreme amount of work. Especially as I plan on making a lot of dungeons/floors. (at least 50 dungeons). First I thought about releasing only a few of them then just releasing a couple more at a time. But I think in this case it could be a bit weird.

So... What should a first game be? I mean honestly, just the normal RTP, maybe some custom graphics, or from resources I've bought/free for Plus , members? Then just make a story and go with that?

What was your first game, and what did you learn from it?

 

[EternalShadow]

For your first game, seriously just do what you want to do. You're not committed to any plans you make. You don't have to make those 50 floors - you can just go with something like 10 and release it that way, as long as the 10th/final floor has an ending to any storyline you put, for example. 

My first game - Zendir: A New World - was made in one month with pure RTP. Alas, there were game-breaking bugs I only fixed after that month! But that doesn't matter - what you take away from the experience of making your first game is what matters most. I learnt I could make a game in a month, even if it was a little flawed, so I focused the most on story and polish for Beyond Reality, my entry into the month-long IGMC contest. For both games, I only did what i wanted to, so to speak. I didn't spend hours making maps, but I performed different tasks whenever I felt like it to achieve the finished product in the end.

 

[Bloodmorphed]

Hm, Yes I guess that is true. I want to make this dungeon crawler pretty long because of reasons, yup, reasons. Lol

Perhaps I'll design some sort of normal RPG and take things easy. The dungeon crawler I'm working on is going to take a long of scripting (easy, as it just making recipes from venka's script, but it will be well over 300-400 recipes), and extremely heavy database of course. I did think about doing a simple horror game or a puzzle game. Who knows. Perhaps I can work on both, one when i get bored with the other and vise versa.

 

[EternalShadow]

But why do you need so many recipes and why does the game need to be long? Why does the database need to be heavy? RM isn't necessarily for making heavy AAA games, especially not as a solo venture. I scaled Zendir down from a six-island journey into a single starting tutorial island, a mainland and a small island, when I learnt how long it took to do things.

 

[Bloodmorphed]

Because if I take away everything you just listed, there is no game. The game is a Crafting Dungeon Crawler. It NEEDS the crafting recipes, otherwise my whole idea drops dead.

Also,short dungeon crawlers are not good (unless it has a damn good story) which mine doesn't. It has a story but it only has a story to make it work.

 

[EternalShadow]

Ok, a crafting dungeon crawler doesn't need to be long, it just needs depth. I wouldn't mind playing an hour or two-long game like that, but I wouldn't like to go through 100 floors just to experience the same thing over and over, you get me?

And if you feel the story isn't good, work on it and refine it until it is. Get Alkorri to look over it too ;D

 

[whitesphere]

I would say start with a short, simple story which doesn't require any scripts to implement.  Even in a short, non-scripted game, you'll still have PLENTY to learn and improve, such as:

* Map making skill (using the half-overhead view tiles effectively takes practice)

* Creating simple quests 

* Variables

* Switches

* Self-Switches

* Game balancing---combat, money and item drops, item potency and so on

* Linking together maps to create a reasonable, if tiny world

* Creating NPCs to help drive the story

* Creating and balancing the various character classes

* Polishing the end result

I'd stay away from crafting for a first tutorial game, because it requires scripts to work effectively.  Or, a reduced crafting requires a VERY complex common event to handle the item permutations.  And, if you're just starting out, that could be brutally difficult, unless you're already an experienced programmer and familiar with breaking down a complex concept into a series of small conditional branches.

As IronCroc points out, the best examples are the IGMC contestants.  By playing the RPGs, you can quickly see what works and what doesn't.

I've found the sample maps invaluable in showing how to construct a good map.  To load one, right-click on your Maps list and select "Sample Map" then choose one.

Then, run through all of the tutorials and see if you can download any free RPG Maker sample games.  These can show you how a game is constructed.

 

[Andar]

I wrote a topic on how to start when you're new to the RMs, and it might also contain some help when you've problems with your first game. Follow the link in my signature and see if it helps.


Additionally, what to contain in your first game should be carefully selected - enough to make the game interesting, but not so much as to make the project too big to complete. But the decision "what is too big" depends on what you can do, so no one can decide that for you - and unfortunately, unless you got some "experience" with aborted projects due to trying something too big, neither you can really decide that.


I think you should check all features whether they are central points or not, and remove anything that is not a key point from the first game. And a first game should have only one central point, do not try to mix too much into it.

 

[Simon D. Aelsi]

This may sound coldhearted, but practice! Start small... make maps. Events...

Oh, most importantly. The only difference between a good game and a book really is the fact that a game is INTERACTIVE. They're both stories!  Look at many entries from the IGMC.  You'll find a lot of what should be done, and what should NOT be done (Like with mine! ).

Play the IGMC entries, too. They're all free to play and it'll be good experience. Watch LPs of them.  Indrah and Palladinthug (Not necessarily IGMC entries, but still) have some pretty good videos, oh and Archeia. There are more too, you can find 'em in the LP hub, I'm sure!

In the short time I've been using the software I've learned a lot!

I hope this helps!!

 

[SquallStorm]

I may the blue duck in the red gallery, but my first project is one that's already a year into dev and it's based off my life's work.  It's been a long and hard road (one man teams are not easy, especially when you can't make art or music yourself) but this is by far the most rewarding thing I've ever done.  My personal advice is to do what you feel is what you want to do.

 

[Zoltor]

Well the first game Isn't something people should "worry" (not even as a free game) about releasing, even if you keep at it long enough/fix everything in the end.

It's purpose is to improve your understanding of eventing, and the manipulation of the database.

Spend a few years having fun with creating things in that, perhaps show your friends or whatnot what you have done, ect.

Then you'll eventially be more or less done with it(well you'll probally get bored of it or want to add/change so much stuff, you are better off just starting a new project), and start making a new game. That's the game you'll eventially finish, hopefully(as long as you avoid being part of a "team", that Isn't a paid venture, you should be fine. Teams really are the kiss of death for game development, because expecting people to be as passionate as you are, in creating your game, is unrealistic).

 

[bgillisp]

This may sound coldhearted, but practice! Start small... make maps. Events...

This. I am working on a big project, but 3 weeks in decided to switch over to a small 5 level dungeon crawler just to test my low-level combat balance. To give you an idea of how small a project it was, I used only RTP maps or randomly generated maps, so I could focus on the combat only.. Ended up with a simple 1 hour game, and it taught me that my combat system was broken in a lot of places for low level characters.

Since then I've moved back to the big project too. So, you don't have to drop the big project to do this, just treat your little small project as a side venture for practice. I still have another one that I call Junk that I use just to try stupid stuff and not worry about breaking my big project.

 

[SOC]

Personally, I think just completing a game is vital to your outlook as a designer. Things like complex features, special graphics, ect. are nothing but road blocks in your game making that can turn off your drive and leave your project unfinished. The best game designers are creative with what they have, rather than designing new stuff. So I think you should just create a full game with mostly RTP/easily available resources with minimal/only plug and play scripts first so you can say "Yeah, I made this. It's finished."

 

[whitesphere]

Personally, I think just completing a game is vital to your outlook as a designer. Things like complex features, special graphics, ect. are nothing but road blocks in your game making that can turn off your drive and leave your project unfinished. The best game designers are creative with what they have, rather than designing new stuff. So I think you should just create a full game with mostly RTP/easily available resources with minimal/only plug and play scripts first so you can say "Yeah, I made this. It's finished."

Absolutely!  Nothing builds your confidence more than finishing even a small game.  And running a small game through the entire development cycle gives you a basic grasp on how to do these steps on a much larger, more ambitious project.  That's why I'm glad I took part in the IGMC.  It was my first game completed, even if a very tiny one.

 

[bgillisp]

 That's why I'm glad I took part in the IGMC.  It was my first game completed, even if a very tiny one.

 Ditto. I took part to actually make one of those game ideas I've had in my head for years. Was it what I wanted? No. But, I managed to produce the first chapter in that month, which has helped a lot. Even though I've now edited the first chapter heavily, the experience was still valuable.