Skills needed for a card game plugin. Please help with tips!

[Annwfn]

Hello community, it's me again, Annwfn, with a kind request. I am willing to create an intricate card-based plugin for RPG Maker MV which I am willing to give an intricate AI, animations and whatever it needs to imitate a Yu-Gi-Oh! like TCG. What skills do you think I need to achieve this? What softwares will you recommend me to dive into, at least entry-level? The plugin is aimed to have the following:

<> an advanced AI that can adjust itself to most situations and be able to use the synergies I will implement in the various Decks.
<> card animations, maybe sprites floating above the cards themselves.
<> a "table" where the cards will be set, and mechanics to place them face-down, face-up and so.
<> card pictures and sprites - these are not mandatory, but will have to be fitted in. This is also a candidate as a project for the comprehensive Java course I am going through right now. I need the mechanics set up first, the rest can be filled with different placeholder pictures until I decide on real, final ones. Sprites would float above the cards, can be replaced with RPG Maker characters until later.

For the beginning I know I need to learn JavaScript, which I am diving into slowly but surely. So... any ideas? Thank you, and please provide me with many details ^^

Yours faithfully,
Annwfn

 

[mlogan]

@Annwfn When you say software, do you mean software to help learn code or to make animations or what?

 

[Annwfn]

Hello! Thank you for your swift answer! Yes, anything regarding that, coding included! But also to make easy, fast simple animations (not looking for professional ones necessarily).

 

[ImaginaryVillain]

Visual Studio Code is my go to software for writing code, any art program can do animations, Krita's my usual art program, GIMP, Photoshop and Painter are other solid options. Poryg has some decent tutorials to get you into Javascript https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOUwC0sn8jb83Gn3mos5lEg besides that the "Learning Javascript" board here is a good place to pick up scripting knowledge. As for decent animation tutorials, I'd just run a search on Youtube for 2D animation tutorial.

There are also a couple of card game plugins you may wish to look at https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/stv-plugins-stv_monstercards.80301/ and https://atelieririna.itch.io/collectible-card-game though the second one is not free, and has potential lag issues from what I hear.

 

[Zekken]

You can also take a look at the Tomoaky card game plugin :

ひきも記は閉鎖しました。｜RPGツクール用スクリプト素材サイト

RPGツクール用スクリプト素材サイト

hikimoki.sakura.ne.jp

Wrote in Japanese, but you can translate it.
If you want to create a floating monster, maybe you can take a look at this plugin and make a compatibility with it :

MV3D - 3D rendering for RMMV with Babylon.js

Author: Dread/Nyanak Version 0.4.2 A 3D rendering plugin for RPG Maker MV. Wall tiles (A3 and A4) are transformed into 3D walls, allowing you to easily create 3D maps. Regions and terrain tags can also be used to control the height of tiles. The airship will collide with walls if it isn't...

forums.rpgmakerweb.com

Btw I really interested for your plugin, have search it for a long time. Are you gonna release it for public? If yes, please contact me.

 

[Annwfn]

Hello! Thank you very much for the swift answers! I know of Atelier Irina's plugin, I own it! And have tested Monster Cards as well. Just because I need a functional project I think I will take a look at how they were also designed code-wise, just to get an idea, cause I am intending to create my own code, though I might need to see others' references, since I am a beginner in JavaScript.

I have not started working for it, since I am interested in what I need to learn towards its own creation. I need the project till end of May. So I kind of need to really start working towards it. I hope I will be able to create a functional part at first (like the AI to work and the animations to be in), mainly the skeletal part - to which I can add sprites and pics and sounds, etc.

With regards to programming languages, is JavaScript the only one I will need for this? Or would others be needed? Am interested to know, so I can arrange my time and see how to make good use of it.

 

[mlogan]

@Annwfn This threadis a bit tricky since you're really asking multiple things in one thread, even if it is all related. We try to keep things to specific areas of the forums for a few reasons, but largely so that members helping know it is something they can help with and also so that other users searching for answers can better find what they are looking for, if it's already been answered.

Since your original post primarily talks about creating a plugin and that you want to learn to create them, I'm going to move this to Learning Javascript.

As for everything else, if you are looking for programs to help you with artwork/animations, etc, I suggest that you post about that part only (leave out the Javascript/plugin stuff) in Useful Development Tools. I hope that makes sense.

 

[Raizen]

Hello friend!



You can also study mine if you do wish to ^^

Triple Triad Card Game

Triple Triad Introduction This is the Triple Triad Plugin!, For those who never played, here is a big chance, it puts the card game in your project as a side mini-game, really addictive, and thanks a lot for square for the marvelous mini-game x). Features - Artificial Inteligence - Card Album...

forums.rpgmakerweb.com

Its open and has an AI based on Mini-Max and Decision trees.



Now about the skills, since I am on my third card game (you can check my signature for the one I'm working today). I will talk only about the code part.



First of all, what is the level of animations you want to achieve? This is probably the second hardest part I work with when I am doing a CCG. The ones I used on Triple Triad were more basic ones, the ones in my project are more "professional like" with perspectives, particle effects and distortions in images to create effects also. If you want nice effects you will have to learn after Javascript itself, how to implement libraries and work with them. I chose the ones that work with PIXI since there are a bunch of libraries that do those nice effects. I suggest learning a lot Javascript, doing some code your own, messing with arrays and images and then start trying to implement these third-party libraries. Done all that, which can take some time depending on how much you dedicate to it, you will build your game. The AI is the last possible thing to do on the CCG, so I would not worry by now, but it will likely also be the hardest part depending on the complexity of your card game. I can't say a technique to use for it since it depends completely on the rules of your game, but once you got to know JS, got to code on it, manipulate images, import libraries, after ALL that, you can start to check on AI heuristics and technicques. There are a bunch of them and some will or might not work for your CCG.

After I said all that, I can tell you, its not easy on the code part to make this type of game, but if you dedicate a lot of time to learn all that I think you will have no problem to construct the game the way you want it!

 

[Annwfn]

Well, would like to try this as a project for the Java course I am in (intricate course, will do some JS through it as well as HTML and CSS throughout it) ad the course ends on end of May, when my project has to be completed. Am interested in having at least a skeletal part for it, mainly to work: have a decent AI, animations wouldn't necessarily be mandatory. Once I have this, I can actually move forward to the greater parts:

<> brilliant AI to adapt to the situations (most accent to be placed here). Card effects will be somewhat intricate, since I intend to at least somewhat replicate a Yu-Gi-Oh! battle system, with different invocation situations and rules, alongside my imagination. Like for example, I have a deck idea whose mechanic is simple: if you lost, you forgot something. It has something that will pop up for like literally 95% of the situations, making sure you will not lose. However, it takes long for it to win, doesn't have too good offense, and it's basic functions are combos: one after the other. I cannot create simple things, but am willing to start with something simple

<> animations: don't have to be too cheeky. I can go with the base ones in the game for the beginning, though am still unsure if the teacher will accept my project. If not, I will have much more time to focus on it (since it's no longer limited to end of May) but will probably take longer to create since I will have to focus on another project until then, which may actually be a lot simpler. I will take a look at your card game, and be noticeable of the different mechanics. I might add something new to my imagination's repertoire. Never too late to learn something new.

 

[Annwfn]

Hello friend!



You can also study mine if you do wish to ^^

Triple Triad Card Game

Triple Triad Introduction This is the Triple Triad Plugin!, For those who never played, here is a big chance, it puts the card game in your project as a side mini-game, really addictive, and thanks a lot for square for the marvelous mini-game x). Features - Artificial Inteligence - Card Album...

forums.rpgmakerweb.com

Its open and has an AI based on Mini-Max and Decision trees.



Now about the skills, since I am on my third card game (you can check my signature for the one I'm working today). I will talk only about the code part.



First of all, what is the level of animations you want to achieve? This is probably the second hardest part I work with when I am doing a CCG. The ones I used on Triple Triad were more basic ones, the ones in my project are more "professional like" with perspectives, particle effects and distortions in images to create effects also. If you want nice effects you will have to learn after Javascript itself, how to implement libraries and work with them. I chose the ones that work with PIXI since there are a bunch of libraries that do those nice effects. I suggest learning a lot Javascript, doing some code your own, messing with arrays and images and then start trying to implement these third-party libraries. Done all that, which can take some time depending on how much you dedicate to it, you will build your game. The AI is the last possible thing to do on the CCG, so I would not worry by now, but it will likely also be the hardest part depending on the complexity of your card game. I can't say a technique to use for it since it depends completely on the rules of your game, but once you got to know JS, got to code on it, manipulate images, import libraries, after ALL that, you can start to check on AI heuristics and technicques. There are a bunch of them and some will or might not work for your CCG.

After I said all that, I can tell you, its not easy on the code part to make this type of game, but if you dedicate a lot of time to learn all that I think you will have no problem to construct the game the way you want it!

Hello again! Played through your lil' card game project! I liked the animations but it's not what I'd go for. Though, the idea of drag-and-droppin' your own card from the side "deck" is actually very interesting. My idea would have pre-built decks for the player, since I don't like the idea of putting them to grind. It's gonna be somewhat of an "accidental" part of the Chapter I am working on. Meaning it will be a part of it, or should be so.

The mechanics would imply invoking the cards from hand in face-up ATK position/ DEF position (including face-down), similar to Yu-Gi-Oh, and having a "table" unto which the battles will occur. Creating some floating sprites above the cards would also be a nice feature I am aiming for.

The "life" mechanics would be based on one of two principles: either Life Points: like in Yu-Gi-Oh! or more around "sacrificial life points". This refers that you pay off of own Life Points to summon and use stuff, as well as cause indirect damage to the enemy player (a rule would be attacks don't go towards the enemy player, but losing cards also drains own HP).

And decks? They will be premade, a few readily accessible to the player, I don't want to spend time on building deck-building and customisation. I don't want to have the players go through insane grind, just step in and join the fun, while unlocking the decks of the characters they defeat after they defeat them.