Plot and Character Feedback

[Rogue Milk]

So, I am writing down the story for a project of mine and, although I have the general plot figured out, I was pondering which way would be better to start off the game.

At first, I though of going with the classic "hero waking-up in his bed" approach and then have some scenes, his village gets attacked and then finally he is off to his adventure.

But as this is my first RM game, I am afraid the player might loose interest in the game pretty quickly if I go this route.

So, I started considering starting the game straight up on a dungeon, as I believe that battles gets the player a more rewarding experience at the beginning of the game, since he is not invested in the story or the characters yet.

I can easily adapt the beginning of the story to suit any of those routes.

As a example of a game starting with a village, I am thinking something like Grandia:

And as a example of a game starting with battles (although not technically a dungeon), I am thinking something like FF6:

What do you guys think?
Which do you prefer for a small RM game?
Start on a peaceful village or fighting in a dungeon?

 

[EstevaoG]

I think that starting the game on Action and then calm down a little is always interesting, dungeons are not a very usual choice for the beggining of the games, but it will sure be cool to see. About starting with action, i remember the start of FFXII, it is really cool to learn about the game already understanding about the action and the backstory at the same time.

If you choose to start on a village you probably have to work a lot to make that start interesting.

I am afraid the player might loose interest in the game pretty quickly if I go this route

This can happen if you don't immerse the player in the game's story, and that can be a little hard.

So, my opinion is, start with the dungeon idea.

 

[l8rose]

I chose dungeon but I like something in between the two. FF6's start is not quite dungeon and not quite village (as you're romping through a village in a magitech suit), plus it gives you some quick and dirty backstory on that main character.

I think it would be really dependent on the story/game on which would be better to start as both have their merits.

 

[Henryetha]

If you like a slightly different approach with the classical hero waking up in his bed, you could consider to not choose a village as environment.
He actually could be a homeless in the kingdom's capital or the prince or the son of the butcher or the butcher self..
Or instead of him waking up introduce him in a cutscene where he plays a role in an everyday life plot (like for example there's a homeless boy, stealing some bread from the market. They see him and try to catch him, but the "hero" helps him escape)

 

[Kes]

Story is not a mechanic, in and of itself, and 'Game Mechanics Design' is for looking at aspects of game play at a more conceptual level.

[mod]Merging this with Plot and Character Feedback[/mod]

 

[jonthefox]

@Rogue Milk Between those two choices, I find the FF6 intro much more compelling....but, that might be a fair comparison, since it's FF6 after all.
Honestly, it depends on a lot of factors, but here's something to think about: what is the strength of your game? what's going to grab people and make the player think "wow this is cool" ? Some games do it by starting in a town with beautiful tiles and mapping, immersive lightning and ambient sounds, a vibrant village and engaging characters/dialogue. This will make people want to keep playing the game. If your intro village is just kind of meh, but you can make an opening dungeon that looks cool and is interesting, and you have a really fun/clean battle system, then this might be the better choice.

 

[LightDiviner]

Hello. I may not have a full version of RPG Maker...my family is kinda poor at the moment and can't afford to get anything extra...but I do use Ace Lite. And, I do have an idea I wanna pitch, if I'd be allowed. I'm still working on a name but, that could probobly be worked out later.

My game would take place traveling between two worlds. The realm of mortals, and man. The realm of mortals would be Gaia, and the realm of gods would be Palamecia. The main character would be the child of the goddess of light, who is the ruler of the realm of the gods. They would also have a sister who they love very dearly. When the game starts, you being a god, your stats would be super high. There wouldn't be too many battles at first though.

Shortly into the game, an unknown army starts attacking your home. You were outside at the time, but quickly went in to save your family. Your unable to find your sister anywhere, but you do manage to find your mother in the throne room. But when you get there, she is being murdered by a masked figure. You attempt to confront them, but even with your super high stats, they completely wreck you. Before they can finish you, a bright light envelops you and you are transported to Gaia. Your level is lowered to a reasonable early game one, and the adventure begins.

I have a whole story I would wanna tell but, I don't wanna really get into that many spoilers. I hope you like the basic idea.

 

[Kes]

'General Discussion' is for looking at broader issues connected with game making. It is not for feedback on individual projects, although you can use your project as an example to illustrate something.

[mod]Merging this with Plot and Character Feedback[/mod]

 

[LightDiviner]

'General Discussion' is for looking at broader issues connected with game making. It is not for feedback on individual projects, although you can use your project as an example to illustrate something.

[mod]Merging this with Plot and Character Feedback[/mod]

Sorry, first time here.

 

[Kes]

@LightDiviner not a problem - we expect people to be unsure at first, which is why moving threads is automated!

 

[LightDiviner]

@LightDiviner not a problem - we expect people to be unsure at first, which is why moving threads is automated!

If you don't mind me asking, what do you think of my idea?

 

[lianderson]

@LightDiviner I may not be Kes, but the setup to your plot works.

 

[LightDiviner]

@LightDiviner I may not be Kes, but the setup to your plot works.

I've been going through lots of re-writes of the plot to come up with the one now.

 

[MobileSuitSonic]

Name for this enemy:



Maybe has poison spells?
Not so sure where to go with a walking apple with a worm in it...

 

[Marquise*]

Jobyte?

 

[MobileSuitSonic]

Jobyte?

Maybe, but let's see what names could come up with for this:

 

[Verdelite]

Hello there~ I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to ask but I felt like my question didn't fit in any other place and wasn't really worth making an entire thread about. I need your opinion on a dialogue-specific problem.

I have three characters A, B and C. C is the friend of B.
Now, whenever character A talks to B, A refers to C as "your little friend". I liked the term, since A has a rather condescending manner of speech and I felt it fit well.
But, uh, a friend of mine pointed out to me that apparently the term "your little friend" is usually used as a euphemism for a man's private parts, giving the dialogue a completely different connotation.

That was definitely not my intention and I'm completely clueless regarding euphemisms like that.
Is that euphemism really that common? Do I need to cut that term from my dialogues if I don't want the reader to misunderstand? Or does my friend just have his mind in the gutter?

Your help would be much appreciated! I have no idea about these kind of things.
Sincerely,
a somewhat distressed Verdelite

 

[Aquachubolt]

No, your friend is just a gutter-born troglodyte. Don't listen to him.

 

[BrandedTales]

Name for this enemy:

View attachment 68140

Maybe has poison spells?
Not so sure where to go with a walking apple with a worm in it...

Granny Smith.
Give it a disease effect that lowers attack strength of the party.

 

[Marquise*]

Maybe, but let's see what names could come up with for this:

*reading somewhere*
Preview?