New Project Yays and Nays

When beginning a new RPG Maker project, what is the one thing you look forward to the most and the one thing you
always dread?

 

Dread: Mapping
Look forward to: Literally everything else

 

I look forward to mapping, then messing with tilesets and sprites in a graphic program, drawing busts, then eventing.
The part I am always worried about and struggle with is making the story.

 

Usually when I'm starting a new project, I have something in mind that I'm burning to create - generally either a single overarching Mechanic, or an imagined Place that I want to show off. Or both.

What I always dread is that moment when I have to sit down and write "real" narrative/dialogue (as opposed to placeholder stuff) that people will read. I feel like I'm exposing myself in ways that I don't want to, when I do that kind of earnest writing.

 

I always look forward to the art and writing. Mapping not so much, but I don't hate it either. My problems are with all the gameplay related stuff. Things like balancing, making the features fun, hunting for bugs...

 

Looking Forward to: Mapping, Eventing*, Storywriting*, Gameplay Mechanics Workshopping

Dread: Almost Everything Visual (Tilesets, Animations, Battlers, sometimes sprites), Eventing*, Storywriting*, SCRIPTING.

*= Depends on if I get burned out or not. Thankfully, with the project I'm currently working on, the hard part's over.

 

Look foward to: Eventing, programming, balancing, database stuff, story writing, gameplay mechanics.

Dread: All the visual stuff. Mainly the sprites. I. HATE. MAKING. SPRITES. Nothing burns me out faster.

 

Finishing it is to be expected
and illness and computer/vampire bug invasion eating everything in my life is what I dread since I can't finish a thing when they start.

 

Look forward to: All things writing

Dread: mapping, balancing

Sometimes I think I should just write a book, but in the end the visual component is very important to me, even if the process of making it can be arduous

 

Look forward to: Art, adding cool stuff.
Dread: Sprites, making a coherent story.

 

Look forward to: Writing (world building, character design, story, dialogue, set pieces), Combat design (skill sets, theorycrafting, balancing), Planning (wishlisting, brainstorming)

Dread: Anything related to coding, Cutting things (sometimes really cool ideas have to be let go), Re-writes (no idea why this is so hard for me when I otherwise love writing), Management/Producer stuff (having to tell someone on the project to redo something suuuucks)

 

Love : Database Planning
Hate : Mapping

 

Look forward to: Finishing a demo that I can show off, and/or eventually the complete game.

Dread: the inevitable moment when the work becomes a chore. Because that’s usually when I give up or put the project on ice. And it’s painfull and soul crushing every time.

 

Look Forward To: Combat mechanics, dungeon design, puzzles, world-building. I spend a lot of time thinking up new mechanics - cool stuff to make more interesting choices in battle or more fun ways to move around on the map - and I really like designing all the locations in the game to feel different, like giving towns different architecture or making NPCs doing every day tasks to make the game world more interesting to explore.

Dread: Plot. I'm just not great at organizing all my ideas into a coherent plot for some reason. I think up dramatic or comedic scenes and I can use eventing to make them happen, but actually plotting out the course of the plot, and making sure everyone has actual reason to be doing what they are doing, and making sure there is an actual, clear goal to be working towards at all times without slowing things to a glacial pace...well, that's all stuff I'm working on for my current project. I guess I just need better writing skills to make my mechanics and scenes actually work.

Neutral: Database. I don't mind making all the items, switches, variables, abilities, etc. and can do it just fine, but there can be a ton of it so I can't say I actually look forward to doing it.

 

Looking for to: Writing Characters and Story Parts + Music
Dreading: Debugging/Playtesting (as in, seeing your sh*t over and over and over and over and over and over and over, and yet there's STILL that one little thing that could be better or isn't working that you've gotta dig up everything and fix)

 

Looking to: Write the story and build the world via mapping.
Dread: Database, maybe I am just sick seeing numbers and calculations because I already did it at work. haha

 

Lookin' forward to: literally everything. The possibilities are boundless, but eventually, I will lean myself to all things visuals
Dread: (if solo) time management and schedules / (if in a team) uncooperative partners

 

Look forward to: The Story
Dread: Mapping

 

I look forward to developing the story and making the world develop through maps and music and sounds.

I dread trying to figure out how to do the complicated things I always decide to do, battles, puzzles, database stuff.

It can be really confusing when you're trying to weigh your own ideas with what you think might be fun to the player.

 

I actually enjoy mapping...what I do not enjoy is the inevitable stress it causes when I freak out over every little tile and whether or not I should Parallax map or not. Sound design and music too. I am not acoustically inclined...

What I do look forward too is writing characters, character dynamics, background characters, non-player characters and background to characters. Did I say I like writing for characters? Because I do!