- Joined
- May 23, 2020
- Messages
- 143
- Reaction score
- 90
- First Language
- English
- Primarily Uses
- RMMV
Untitled Open-world RPG
Synopsis:
The player takes on the role of an adventurer, one of eight gathered for a high-risk expedition. To prepare for their journey or simply to help out the locals, the player can take on Contracts (primarily optional side quests) brokered by the local taverns. While going about these tasks, each of the playable characters will also deal with several Personal tasks, requiring them to confront their past and deal with the (hard-to-face or ridiculous) matters in their present.
To be more candid with my fellow aspiring/indie devs: the Main quest will obviously provide a more epic purpose; the Contracts are intended to flesh out the world and make NPCs feel more realized (while providing a less grindy means to develop the party; ideally, they shouldn't feel like simple fetch or slaying quests); and the Personal quests will develop the characters' story arcs (background, personality, motive, etc.) to reinforce the character development within the Main quest. Completing Contracts and Personal quests should also have tangible effects on the Main quest.
Obviously, as the game is intended to be an open-world RPG, the order in which many of these tasks can be completed will be considerably flexible (but not 100% open, as that makes it difficult to craft a decent narrative, balance difficulty, or have a sense of progress in the setting).
Current Version: 0.1.4 (alpha)
Screenshots:
Latest screenshot from 9/25/2020 (after some minor JS edits which kept the proper characters transparent while being switched in and out of battle for stealth/hidden/invisible states):
Screenshots from 9/1/2020:
Screenshots from 9/1/2020:
Game Genre: Open-world RPG
Game Flavors: Fantasy, Comedy, and a hint of Steampunk
Developer Notes:
8/14/2020
Trying to finish the whole project before RPG Maker MZ comes out on 8/20/2020. Probably won't happen because I'm adding more meat to it than I originally intended. Also might go against my initial plan and swap out at least some of the RTP for different assets. -
9/1/2020
Definitely didn't finish this project before the release of RPG Maker MZ as planned. I intended this project to be an experiment to (re)learn RPG Maker tools. However, once I got started, I became invested and wanted to make a game that is fun and polished, even if it utilizes mostly RTP.
Currently, I've slightly modified some RTP character/tilesets to alter some aesthetics that bothered me. I'll likely modify the tilesets more (e.g., the first thing on the list is to replace winter tiles with additional non-winter trees so you don't see only one or two types of trees on a given map). I plan on also replacing all of the RTP BGM (but I probably won't swap out any of the RTP ME and SE).
Another change is implementing a handful of Yanfly's free plugins. The biggest being utilization of the quest log. I also intend to use the Item Core plugin to limit the amount of consumables the player can carry. Hopefully, this makes dungeons/expeditions more fun by requiring strategic conservation of healing items and MP as well as being more selective as to the fights they get into (i.e., so they don't just charge through dungeons constantly at full health, skill-spamming their way to victory). This will require some relatively careful balancing, but I hope it works out.
I'll probably have enough gameplay done for a "demo" soon, but I'll probably hold off on releasing a demo until I'm in the beta stage (e.g., only fixing superficial issues and adding endgame content).
Currently, I've slightly modified some RTP character/tilesets to alter some aesthetics that bothered me. I'll likely modify the tilesets more (e.g., the first thing on the list is to replace winter tiles with additional non-winter trees so you don't see only one or two types of trees on a given map). I plan on also replacing all of the RTP BGM (but I probably won't swap out any of the RTP ME and SE).
Another change is implementing a handful of Yanfly's free plugins. The biggest being utilization of the quest log. I also intend to use the Item Core plugin to limit the amount of consumables the player can carry. Hopefully, this makes dungeons/expeditions more fun by requiring strategic conservation of healing items and MP as well as being more selective as to the fights they get into (i.e., so they don't just charge through dungeons constantly at full health, skill-spamming their way to victory). This will require some relatively careful balancing, but I hope it works out.
I'll probably have enough gameplay done for a "demo" soon, but I'll probably hold off on releasing a demo until I'm in the beta stage (e.g., only fixing superficial issues and adding endgame content).
9/13/2020
Functional, new additions since the last update: several decently-sized maps, a handful of side quests, skills, and spells.
After trying to implement certain things with the MV editor (and Yanfly's free plugins), I realized it could not be done without additional plugins. Rather than spend months improving my JavaScript skills to do it myself, I purchased Yanfly's $30 "Full Collection" bundle which handle much of what I wanted to accomplish.
Already, I've spent hours going through the descriptions and documentation for Yanfly's plugins to carefully pick the ones suitable for my game. I'm not through the entire list yet, but I've opted not to use a slight majority of the plugins so far.
After trying to implement certain things with the MV editor (and Yanfly's free plugins), I realized it could not be done without additional plugins. Rather than spend months improving my JavaScript skills to do it myself, I purchased Yanfly's $30 "Full Collection" bundle which handle much of what I wanted to accomplish.
Already, I've spent hours going through the descriptions and documentation for Yanfly's plugins to carefully pick the ones suitable for my game. I'm not through the entire list yet, but I've opted not to use a slight majority of the plugins so far.
9/25/2020
Main things I've "completed" since since the last update:
1. Skills!
Finished eight skills/passives for each of my eight characters. They're all functional and have decent or placeholder animations and sounds which will be replaced or improved sometime in the future. Primarily thanks to YEP, I've implemented a proper taunt-capable tank, passives, "auras," and absorption barriers. A lot of standard RPG features I'm somewhat suprised MV didn't have to begin with.
Also utilizing YEP's action sequences for my characters to jump around on-screen (along with some minimal camera usage) as appropriate. Trying to be conservative with the sequences so they're not over-the-top. I prefer action sequences to be quick--more of a western RPG aesthetic, as opposed to the genreally flashier JRPG fare.
Having played a good amount of other RPG Maker games lately, I've noticed a few design choices I'm trying to avoid: leveling up too quickly, and spamming the player with a bunch of useless skills. I'm not a fan of leveling up multiple times simply from stepping outside of town, and I'm even less of a fan of the quantity-over-quality approach when it comes to skills (and items and gear). There's no point in giving a character 10 skills if, due to the imbalance in design, the player will probably only use one of those skills over and over.
So, what I'm doing is keeping the rate of level up relatively slow and utilizing YEP's skill-learning system. Every skill will be available to learn immediately, but the player will only have resources for each character to learn one skille very two levels or so. The result, I'm hoping, will mean that the player can carefully choose skills to adjust their party build. Eventually, at a certain level, the characters will have all available skills. The hope, however, is that because leveling up doesn't happen too often, the choices the player makes in terms of skills will feel impactful (in a fun way).
2. Careful Utilization of YEP
Yanfly's plugins are pretty versatile and I've used them to go beyond the capabilities of vanilla MV. This includes menu changes (still subject to change, hopefully once I improve my own JavaScript know-how), skill-related adjustments as mentioned above, and the all-important quest log. A lot of the plugins seem cool or interesting, but I've had to rule out the use of a bunch of them because I didn't want my game to be too convoluted. I want the gameplay to feel more deliberate, but I guess we'll see what people think once I the game gets to beta.
3. My own JS Tweaks
While my JavaScript skills aren't particularly great, there were certain things I wanted done which MV and YEP didn't do in regards to the battle menu and keeping characters at half-opacity (when "stealthed") when switching in and out during battle. So, I used my minimal JS knowledge and managed fixed these issues myself, more or less. This is the current result:
Nothing super fancy and, again, subject to change like everything else.
Though I'm updating them as I go, aesthetics (interface, art, music, and sound) are the last things I intend to finalize. Gameplay and content comes first.
1. Skills!
Finished eight skills/passives for each of my eight characters. They're all functional and have decent or placeholder animations and sounds which will be replaced or improved sometime in the future. Primarily thanks to YEP, I've implemented a proper taunt-capable tank, passives, "auras," and absorption barriers. A lot of standard RPG features I'm somewhat suprised MV didn't have to begin with.
Also utilizing YEP's action sequences for my characters to jump around on-screen (along with some minimal camera usage) as appropriate. Trying to be conservative with the sequences so they're not over-the-top. I prefer action sequences to be quick--more of a western RPG aesthetic, as opposed to the genreally flashier JRPG fare.
Having played a good amount of other RPG Maker games lately, I've noticed a few design choices I'm trying to avoid: leveling up too quickly, and spamming the player with a bunch of useless skills. I'm not a fan of leveling up multiple times simply from stepping outside of town, and I'm even less of a fan of the quantity-over-quality approach when it comes to skills (and items and gear). There's no point in giving a character 10 skills if, due to the imbalance in design, the player will probably only use one of those skills over and over.
So, what I'm doing is keeping the rate of level up relatively slow and utilizing YEP's skill-learning system. Every skill will be available to learn immediately, but the player will only have resources for each character to learn one skille very two levels or so. The result, I'm hoping, will mean that the player can carefully choose skills to adjust their party build. Eventually, at a certain level, the characters will have all available skills. The hope, however, is that because leveling up doesn't happen too often, the choices the player makes in terms of skills will feel impactful (in a fun way).
2. Careful Utilization of YEP
Yanfly's plugins are pretty versatile and I've used them to go beyond the capabilities of vanilla MV. This includes menu changes (still subject to change, hopefully once I improve my own JavaScript know-how), skill-related adjustments as mentioned above, and the all-important quest log. A lot of the plugins seem cool or interesting, but I've had to rule out the use of a bunch of them because I didn't want my game to be too convoluted. I want the gameplay to feel more deliberate, but I guess we'll see what people think once I the game gets to beta.
3. My own JS Tweaks
While my JavaScript skills aren't particularly great, there were certain things I wanted done which MV and YEP didn't do in regards to the battle menu and keeping characters at half-opacity (when "stealthed") when switching in and out during battle. So, I used my minimal JS knowledge and managed fixed these issues myself, more or less. This is the current result:
Nothing super fancy and, again, subject to change like everything else.
Though I'm updating them as I go, aesthetics (interface, art, music, and sound) are the last things I intend to finalize. Gameplay and content comes first.
10/27/2020
Made lots of progress over the past month (can't believe it's been a whole month; I've been working on this project for 2.5 months already)!
3 hours of content so far...
About 1/3 of the narrative is playable (the first Act of a three-Act game), which includes:
1. 12 starter/prologue quests, with each character having 1 unique quest before they team up with at least one other Player Character and quests begin to overlap; the "prologue" is finished after 2 or 3 quests;
2. 2 Main quests focusing on the main plotline (which is more "epic" and requires more time than side quests and personal quests);
3. 12 Side quests obtained by visits to the various taverns which, ideally, helps flesh out the town (essentially the adventuring hub), townsfolk, and surrounding areas;
4. 8 Personal quests designed to flesh out the 8 Player Characters by providing opportunities for the player to learn about the characters' past and/or personalities as they deal with problems which pop up in the present.
Based on my most recent playthrough/test, which includes a mix of idle time, skimming dialogue I've already read 30 times, and knowing exactly where to go, the current content takes almost 3 hours to complete.
Assuming actual players would take more time to figure things out, read dialogue (hopefully), and the chance that people might grind (though they shouldn't need to grind unless they're avoiding all the side quests), the game might take 4 hours or so. Probably enough for a demo but, again, I won't be releasing a demo until the game is in beta (and, theoretically, polished enough to not be too embarrassing).
Tweaking skills and gear
Of course, as I replay my content over and over to test and fix things, I've been tweaking character skills and equipment for balance and improving animations. As I create more content and add additional unique gear (i.e., gear you can't buy from shops), the refining of skills and gear will be part of an interative process to make sure the game is balanced.
Then, when I hit beta stages, every single skill and item will need to be reassessed again for balance. That's still a long way from now.
Music!
I removed all use of RTP music from my game a while ago, so I've been playing with only sound effects (including a walking sound effect through the use of a Common Event; I'm getting very used to it, so there' s a strong likelihood I'll keep the walking SE in the game permanently).
However, I've begun the process of finding (free) and suitable music to add to the game in the place of RTP. After a lot of listening, I currently have a list of 76 tracks which I'll have to narrow down, convert to OGG, and set loops via Audacity for use in RM. The first thing I'll need to do with them is find the ones which are good but not intrusive which can be used for ambiance (i.e., tracks that can be looped without annoying people). Then I'll choose a few other tracks that will be more rarely used for the theoretical emotional highs in the game (which generally won't be looped very often because those scenes shouldn't be super long or particularly abundant).
Utilizing more script calls, fixing my own JavaScript edits, and making tiny bits of art assets
While making more complicated events in the game, I've had to learn to utilize script calls to do things which normal eventing and YEP cannot do (at least not easily) (e.g., respawning monsters in a particular way, changing party leader/formation quickly for events).
Had to edit my previous JS code because it was causing my game to freeze (when trying to switch a character who started the battle stealthed but was not in the active party at the start of combat). Problem solved.
Also, since the RTP included a scythe icon, I went ahead and created a scythe weapon in the Database assuming the RTP already had a sideview scythe image. As experienced RM folks will know, the MV RTP does NOT include a scythe image! So I had to dust off my MS Paint and Photoshop to create my own scythe in the same style as the pre-existing MV weapons. I think the results are decent:
Custom skill icons
This is a lower priority (at the moment, having a semi-final list of music tracks and finishing more of the narration/eventing comes first), but the plan is to create a custom icon for each of the player characters' skills. The default icons are decent, but they don't quite do what I need.
3 hours of content so far...
About 1/3 of the narrative is playable (the first Act of a three-Act game), which includes:
1. 12 starter/prologue quests, with each character having 1 unique quest before they team up with at least one other Player Character and quests begin to overlap; the "prologue" is finished after 2 or 3 quests;
2. 2 Main quests focusing on the main plotline (which is more "epic" and requires more time than side quests and personal quests);
3. 12 Side quests obtained by visits to the various taverns which, ideally, helps flesh out the town (essentially the adventuring hub), townsfolk, and surrounding areas;
4. 8 Personal quests designed to flesh out the 8 Player Characters by providing opportunities for the player to learn about the characters' past and/or personalities as they deal with problems which pop up in the present.
Based on my most recent playthrough/test, which includes a mix of idle time, skimming dialogue I've already read 30 times, and knowing exactly where to go, the current content takes almost 3 hours to complete.
Assuming actual players would take more time to figure things out, read dialogue (hopefully), and the chance that people might grind (though they shouldn't need to grind unless they're avoiding all the side quests), the game might take 4 hours or so. Probably enough for a demo but, again, I won't be releasing a demo until the game is in beta (and, theoretically, polished enough to not be too embarrassing).
Tweaking skills and gear
Of course, as I replay my content over and over to test and fix things, I've been tweaking character skills and equipment for balance and improving animations. As I create more content and add additional unique gear (i.e., gear you can't buy from shops), the refining of skills and gear will be part of an interative process to make sure the game is balanced.
Then, when I hit beta stages, every single skill and item will need to be reassessed again for balance. That's still a long way from now.
Music!
I removed all use of RTP music from my game a while ago, so I've been playing with only sound effects (including a walking sound effect through the use of a Common Event; I'm getting very used to it, so there' s a strong likelihood I'll keep the walking SE in the game permanently).
However, I've begun the process of finding (free) and suitable music to add to the game in the place of RTP. After a lot of listening, I currently have a list of 76 tracks which I'll have to narrow down, convert to OGG, and set loops via Audacity for use in RM. The first thing I'll need to do with them is find the ones which are good but not intrusive which can be used for ambiance (i.e., tracks that can be looped without annoying people). Then I'll choose a few other tracks that will be more rarely used for the theoretical emotional highs in the game (which generally won't be looped very often because those scenes shouldn't be super long or particularly abundant).
Utilizing more script calls, fixing my own JavaScript edits, and making tiny bits of art assets
While making more complicated events in the game, I've had to learn to utilize script calls to do things which normal eventing and YEP cannot do (at least not easily) (e.g., respawning monsters in a particular way, changing party leader/formation quickly for events).
Had to edit my previous JS code because it was causing my game to freeze (when trying to switch a character who started the battle stealthed but was not in the active party at the start of combat). Problem solved.
Also, since the RTP included a scythe icon, I went ahead and created a scythe weapon in the Database assuming the RTP already had a sideview scythe image. As experienced RM folks will know, the MV RTP does NOT include a scythe image! So I had to dust off my MS Paint and Photoshop to create my own scythe in the same style as the pre-existing MV weapons. I think the results are decent:
Custom skill icons
This is a lower priority (at the moment, having a semi-final list of music tracks and finishing more of the narration/eventing comes first), but the plan is to create a custom icon for each of the player characters' skills. The default icons are decent, but they don't quite do what I need.
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