Opinions and Question...?

[Armanic]

Simple discussion about what the ideal settings of a game would be for you, if a discussion like this was ever created them I am sorry, I am fairly sure many of them were asked in help sections though.

l-Rare drops... should normal monsters drop them or only bosses and what should the rates be?



Personally if normal monsters drop a rare/OP item it should be very rare and the boss drop rate should be based off of its difficulty to kill, if it's too hard 1% might be too low but if its too easy then 20% is too high. Can be difficult to balance when the player gets better gear and is higher level.




ll-Lower end game HP with low damage or 10 trillion HPs and hit 999 quadrillion?


I personally like starting low but end high (not as high as in the example though). I find myself having difficulty balancing that in projects I make but then again I never released any and most likely repeat the same mistakes over and over...



lll-Strict storyline or more "open world"?


Of course open world sounds amazing but having it too open and changing as the story develops can be a LOT of work. I think a mix between both is good, closing off certain areas during x and y quests or events or simply making the character back off saying "I don't think it's a good idea to go back yet..." is a bit cliché but works for me. A strict storyline with literally zero option to side track is not really my kind of thing, a story line is needed though but a bit of free movement on the general map is not bad.



lv-Do you use resources from other people online (with their permission/giving credit where credit is due), pay to have your own unique resources or make your own?


I use free resources I find online, modified some but kept the original too, basically just made variants (mainly colors) but making my own from scratch.... doesn't always end up how I would want it and I find this frustrating. Currently can't afford to buy any and well since I didn't even release a game yet would I really need to? Maybe If I plan to release the next big hit but let's be honest here...



v-Do you work on a project at a time or keep working on many?


I can't work on only one project, I need 2 or 3... One more serious, one to do complete none sense and the other to test ideas without breaking my actual project.



vl-Use only a few plugins (forgot the XP and Ace equivalent, sorry it's been too long!), scripts or nearly every you can find that runs without giving errors?


I am guilty, I use plugins I do not even need, I have deleted many and some I am considering deleting. There are a few I use 1 thing from them out of their 50 utilities and I am looking for ways around, some others I know the way around but I'm just too lazy to do it all...



vll-Do you want to (or have you) release a game? Long or short story?


I would like to eventually release one, I prefer a game that takes time but doesn't feel like you wasted 5 hours for "just that".
I also like New Game+, more than free roaming after a game has been finished...



What are your opnions on these? Feel free to ask your own! I might add more later but I think it is enough for now! ^^

 

[OmegaGhost]

l-Rare drops... should normal monsters drop them or only bosses and what should the rates be?



I love games that have rare/secret drops, as long as they are (strong/best) equipment and not items needed to complete the game. I prefer rare drops only on regular enemies because they're just easier to adjust. Say you are going through a volcano and the regular enemy there is the Fire Elemental. Let's suppose that, on average, a player faces 10 of them while venturing through. Now you have to decide, should the player get it most of the time in a normal run or should he actively be seeking it? I prefer the latter, so I'd set the chances at 1/30 as an example. After 10 kills, (if I messed up my maths, sorry, it's late) almost 1/3 of the players would get it. After 20 kills, about half; and after 30, most of them. Of course, bad luck or RNGesus may always come into play. By the way, I hate mega-rare items (such as 1/127) unless they are REEEEEAAALLY worth it, because it just feels like grinding.

ll-Lower end game HP with low damage or 10 trillion HPs and hit 999 quadrillion?


Bigger numbers are easier to fix if there are any problems, and they sure do look more satisfying. However, I prefer sticking to small numbers in general. I like starting with 500's for HP and ending with 5000's because it's easier to read, but maybe harder to balance. However, balancing stats like Attack and Defense sure is a lot harder with smaller numbers, since having 5 attack and getting to 7 can change a lot depending on your formulas.



lll-Strict storyline or more "open world"?


I agree with a mix of both. Honestly, I hate ALWAYS being stuck to the main quests, but having a completely free world is hard to event. So I'd take a "Pokémon-like" way out: You can go pretty much anywhere as long as you can get there and you're limited by your HMs/tools/spells?



lv-Do you use resources from other people online (with their permission/giving credit where credit is due), pay to have your own unique resources or make your own?


Simple: I prefer making my own. But if you don't have the skill and/or time, paying or using free from others is always an option. But I like having things unique ;D



v-Do you work on a project at a time or keep working on many?


I hate being assigned a lot to do, so I'd take one at a time. Planning for the future is never a problem, though.



vl-Use only a few plugins (forgot the XP and Ace equivalent, sorry it's been too long!), scripts or nearly every you can find that runs without giving errors?


Use the fewest amount of plugins you can. That raises the chance of things working properly. Also, try eventing whenever you can instead of scripting.



vll-Do you want to (or have you) release a game? Long or short story?



No, but I plan to!


Sidenote: Sorry, I'm in a hurry to sleep.

 

[Matseb2611]

l-Rare drops... should normal monsters drop them or only bosses and what should the rates be?


When I think about it, I don't really like rare OP items to drop from regular battles, because it encourages grinding, and that is one of the things I most hate about games. Anything that encourages grinding and wasting time is a no-go in my books. I think rare items should be found in secret areas, by completing sidequests, or beating optional tough bosses.


ll-Lower end game HP with low damage or 10 trillion HPs and hit 999 quadrillion?


I prefer to notice some increase in damage output from early game to late game, but not to the point where it just causes 4-5 digit numbers to pop up everywhere. Keeping it to 2-3 digit figures is a lot more manageable.


lll-Strict storyline or more "open world"?


I like very story-driven games, so the story should never take a backseat for me, unless the reason I'm playing a game is for the fun mechanics (which isn't the case normally with RPGs). Open world games feel too aimless and unfocused to me and I get bored. I prefer more linear games, but some deviations and sidequests are always welcome, so long as they're not filler, but rather add something to the story or the game's world.


lv-Do you use resources from other people online (with their permission/giving credit where credit is due), pay to have your own unique resources or make your own?


A bit of everything really. I normally use resources from the forum (that I know are safe to use) or from the resource packs I buy. At times I need to pay for custom resources when what I need is very specific, though if it's something I can make on my own, then I'd do that.


v-Do you work on a project at a time or keep working on many?


Definitely one project at a time. I need my full focus and energy on a project I'm working on, and I can't bounce between multiple projects, because it causes me to lose this focus. If you work on too many projects at once, the chances are, none of them will get finished (or one might get finished but will take ages).


vl-Use only a few plugins (forgot the XP and Ace equivalent, sorry it's been too long!), scripts or nearly every you can find that runs without giving errors?


I try to limit how many scripts I use. I never use them unless I absolutely need them. Sticking too many of them into the game just for the sake of having them increases the chances of incompatibility errors, and I don't want that. So the less scripts/plugins I use to still reach my vision, the better.


vll-Do you want to (or have you) release a game? Long or short story?


Yes. Released 4 commercial RM games and about half a dozen of free ones. I like to keep them reasonable in size. My shortest one is about 1-2 hours long, longest one is just over 10 hours. On average, my games are about 5-7 hours in length. It's enough for me to tell the story I want to tell without taking forever to release the game or padding it needlessly.

 

[kaukusaki]

l-Rare drops... should normal monsters drop them or only bosses and what should the rates be?


It depends on what game I'm developing. So I can't give a solid answer on it.


ll-Lower end game HP with low damage or 10 trillion HPs and hit 999 quadrillion?


I'm used to playing D&D, so damage isn't insanely high. I keep thinking in number of dice lolz


lll-Strict storyline or more "open world"?


It depends on what game I'm developing...


lv-Do you use resources from other people online (with their permission/giving credit where credit is due), pay to have your own unique resources or make your own?


I buy resources if I'm crunched for time, otherwise, I create my own. We try to keep costs down by doing everything possible in-house.


v-Do you work on a project at a time or keep working on many?


At present, we have 75 games to code. Most are a decade old and being updated for the latest systems while others needed more debugging, an overhaul or total rewrite when backups fail. However, we have to work one project at a time. it keeps the coder monkeys happy.


vl-Use only a few plugins (forgot the XP and Ace equivalent, sorry it's been too long!), scripts or nearly every you can find that runs without giving errors?


Depends on the game what plugins are needed. There's no need for gobs when something might clash (programmers do not follow the same guidelines).


vll-Do you want to (or have you) release a game? Long or short story?


In the past decade I have released games for free, but now they're being rewritten for commercial release. All my games play under 8 hours or less. I'd like to have the 80 hour playtime, but I have yet to have something complex to warrant taking that long to play....

 

[Valryia]

l-Rare drops... should normal monsters drop them or only bosses and what should the rates be?


With Yanfly's plugins, conditional drops are possible, making chance based drops a thing of the past.


ll-Lower end game HP with low damage or 10 trillion HPs and hit 999 quadrillion?


Stats reflect the character, and i handle them as such.


lll-Strict storyline or more "open world"?


Third Option in between: Mission based.


lv-Do you use resources from other people online (with their permission/giving credit where credit is due), pay to have your own unique resources or make your own?


I want to make my own. Do i have the skill for that? No. Do i have the willingness to learn those skills? Yes.


v-Do you work on a project at a time or keep working on many?


I work on one Project in the Maker itself, but work on multiple on paper.


vl-Use only a few plugins (forgot the XP and Ace equivalent, sorry it's been too long!), scripts or nearly every you can find that runs without giving errors?


I would prefer to only use Yanfly to evade any cross plugin bugs.


vll-Do you want to (or have you) release a game? Long or short story?


I want to release games to provide me with sustenance. The story of my game will be as long as it needs to be, playtime is irrelevant, fun per minute is.

 

[aboynamedearth]

Spoiler

Rare drops... should normal monsters drop them or only bosses and what should the rates be?



It depends on the type of game, I think.

Take for example loot-driven games like Diablo. The goal in Diablo is to continually kill monsters to incrementally increase your stats little by little, and rare drops give you somewhat larger increases over common drops. I tend to think that if your game has "tons of sick loot" then rare drops on monsters can be a good thing, so long as they are balanced to be incremental increases, rather than every rare being an Infinity +1 Sword. However, if your game is not based on "sick loot," then I think leaving rare weapons as rewards for achieving milestones in the game (bosses, clearing challenges, etc) is possibly more satisfying for the player. 

As for me, I don't particularly enjoy loot games unless they are multiplayer, so I would choose the latter for a single player RPG Maker Game.

Lower end game HP with low damage or 10 trillion HPs and hit 999 quadrillion?


One of my favorite RPGs is the first Paper Mario. Lower pools of health really seemed to make every ability count, and every bit of damage taken feel much more apparent. Each point of health feels valuable. 



Strict storyline or more "open world"?


I'm a sucker for good plot, with stakes. I'm not saying that it's impossible to add stakes to the plot an open-world game, but I certainly haven't felt them in any open-world games I've played.

The problem of open-world games is the idea that "Holy crap, there's this world-ending evil thing happening, I need to stop it... but first, I'm going to run around doing all of these side quests first and my character doesn't seem at all in a hurry to do the world-saving thing." Like, for real? Just drop me into a world to do stuff, and have emergent events, that might be more fun.



Do you use resources from other people online (with their permission/giving credit where credit is due), pay to have your own unique resources or make your own?


I've purchased resources, and I've modified resources. I work full-time, so it's difficult for me (as someone who's skill set is focused on writing) to create graphical resources in a timely fashion. However, working with amazing templates has been super helpful with my sprite work, and I've been designing a lot of my GUI on my own.



Do you work on a project at a time or keep working on many?


I only work on one project at a time, due to my limited time commitment.



Use only a few plugins (forgot the XP and Ace equivalent, sorry it's been too long!), scripts or nearly every you can find that runs without giving errors?


It really depends on what I can get away with. I'm honestly not a very strong user of RM, so I typically look for the path of least resistance and just use a plugin to make things happen.



Do you want to (or have you) release a game? Long or short story?


I'm looking to release my game eventually, with the goal of having a playable demo come December. As a writer, I'm excited to use games as a storytelling medium.