What's your favourite aspect of developing RPGs?

[awesomerhys]

Coming back to RMVXAce after a bit of a hiatus was rather liberating, as it allowed me to once again let my creativity run wild after a long break of not doing so. So, in an attempt to get to know some of you on this forum a little better, I'd like to ask: what is your favourite aspect of developing RPGs in RPG Maker, or even game development as a whole?

I love writing myself; creating the characters, their personalities, goals, failings and so on. I love creating backstories and lore for the various maps, dungeons and towns I create. I'm a bit of a sucker for attention to detail I suppose!

How about you guys? Do you prefer a particular aspect of RPG development over other parts? Maybe you have a cool story to tell involving the development of your game(s)?

 

[SlaveOfThaMind]

I would have to agree with you.


Writing. It would have to be one of my stronger points.


I love crafting an elaborate story...however its so much harder to blend aspects of a game in with just a story, some details will undoubtedly be dropped from the script, as well as innovating new features and aspects you couldn't have crafted without moving the story to a video game.


I see the pressure a lot of devs are under firsthand and boy does it suck lol.


All in all, its a wonderful experience to craft an RPG, and I could more easily name my least favorite aspects about developing an RPG than I could my most favorites.

 

[numfanklewhat]

As for me I really like designing and drawing the character. The storywriting and other related stuff such as databasing etc. often comes later after the character design have been finished. I guess everyone have their own approach to developing RPGs

 

[Chaos Avian]

I love developing/ designing characters and writing. But characters overall are what enjoy most, bringing your characters to life via RPG Maker and using the story to see them grow and evolve is really great. Back stories, dreams, strengths, weaknesses, etc the list goes on. Throwing them into various struggles always helps as well. Plus if you've ever made and/ or started a sequel the ball game is almost completely different~ I'm a fan of character driven narrative plots :3

 

[Galenmereth]

For me it varies; sometimes I prefer the writing, other times I prefer making interesting items and skills and balancing numbers. It all depends on my mood from day to day, and what state my mind is in. It doesn't make for consistent creating (some days I can't write to save my life, for example), but it makes the whole process a lot less linear

 

[awesomerhys]

Speaking of least favourite, I can't really pin down any part of development that I hate, but I find some things to be very hit and miss with me. For one, I can't map to save my life. I often take inspiration from places I visit, but my poor mapping skills mean I can never quite realise my vision. That said, mapping certainly is fun, especially when designing them with lore or the overall story arc in mind.

Sometimes working through the database can be irksome; creating a bunch of new skills and then playtesting, before realising you forgot to set a skill's features is a bit of a noob mistake, but it's one I've made a few times! Again, I don't really hate working in the database, as coming up with creative items, skills, classes and so on can be a ton of fun.

 

[Milennin]

I kind of like most aspects, but sometimes it depends on if I'm in the mood for it. I find writing dialogue usually fun to do, especially between the main characters, but doing too much at once can get me stuck on parts. Designing battles is fun too, but the amount of testing that comes with it sucks a bit. I've grown to like doing database work, like making items, skills, monsters, animations. Making graphics can be fun too, but really depends on my mood... sometimes I don't feel like doing graphics at all.


If there's 1 thing I don't like as much it would be mapping. It's pretty hard to design a good and interesting map, and it often takes ages to get anything that looks decent.

 

[Dalph]

Obviously writing, along with developing characters and new ideas.

 

[awesomerhys]

I kind of like most aspects, but sometimes it depends on if I'm in the mood for it. I find writing dialogue usually fun to do, especially between the main characters, but doing too much at once can get me stuck on parts.

I honestly find writing dialogue for NPCs is a good deal harder than writing for your main or support characters. Ensuring everyone in the world has someone interesting to say is something I desperately want to achieve with my game. I think Earthbound on the SNES is a masterclass in writing NPCs.

 

[Milennin]

I honestly find writing dialogue for NPCs is a good deal harder than writing for your main or support characters. Ensuring everyone in the world has someone interesting to say is something I desperately want to achieve with my game. I think Earthbound on the SNES is a masterclass in writing NPCs.

Yeah, NPCs are tougher because they aren't established characters that you've been working with for long times. So it's hard to come up with interesting or fun things for all of them (especially if it's like a large village). Never played Earthbound, but heard a lot of good things about it, definitely want to try it out some time.

 

[awesomerhys]

Yeah, NPCs are tougher because they aren't established characters that you've been working with for long times. So it's hard to come up with interesting or fun things for all of them (especially if it's like a large village). Never played Earthbound, but heard a lot of good things about it, definitely want to try it out some time.

I agree. One RPG trope I can't stand is when a pair of guards (or sometimes even a group of them) relatively close to each other will say exactly the same thing (Final Fantasy did this all the time). There's a part in FF6 where Locke disguises himself as a merchant to avoid the Empire's guards, and ALL of them will proclaim that they "ain't buying anything!" or something along those lines. That's the kind of thing I want to avoid like the plague.

 

[Galenmereth]

I agree. One RPG trope I can't stand is when a pair of guards (or sometimes even a group of them) relatively close to each other will say exactly the same thing (Final Fantasy did this all the time). There's a part in FF6 where Locke disguises himself as a merchant to avoid the Empire's guards, and ALL of them will proclaim that they "ain't buying anything!" or something along those lines. That's the kind of thing I want to avoid like the plague.

Unless you use it cleverly; it can also be a source of comedy if done right

 

[awesomerhys]

Unless you use it cleverly; it can also be a source of comedy if done right

I was actually thinking of using the trope in a comedic fashion. I'll have to put some thought into it though as comedy isn't really my strong suit. :/

 

[Arin]

The combat.

Yeah, I'm a rebel.

And I know I'm going to get at least one comment saying "combat in RPGs takes too long, it's boring, why do you want combat in your game"?

First of all, it's my game.

Second, it's rather fun balancing mobs to find out how difficult or easy an area should be before proceeding. Especially in a sand-boxish type of game, you have to make extensive cuts and tweaks, balance all the Spells and Technique (Skills, rather) so that they aren't too OP, and replay Boss fights over and over because they're fun that way. You won't even probably make those Boss fights in your game, but testing them out is the most fun aspect.

 

[Galenmereth]

The combat.

Yeah, I'm a rebel.

I really think being motivated by the gameplay is a very strong trait. After all, if you have combat in the game, chances are the player will witness a lot of it. Gameplay has a tendency to often take a backseat in RPG's, which I find is a shame.

When I decided to include combat in my game, it was a decision I made where I made sure I was ok with spending at least half of my development time on the combat system. Any less would render it filler. Combat is definitely something I enjoy doing, too

I was actually thinking of using the trope in a comedic fashion. I'll have to put some thought into it though as comedy isn't really my strong suit. :/

I don't remember which Zelda game it was, but in at least one they make a self-referential joke to the "Yes/No" trope where the only answer is "yes", and "no" just loops you back to the same question. It basically was a question where neither "Yes" or "No" made sense, as the question asked something along the lines of "So where did you come from?". It was pretty damn funny to a Zelda veteran at least 

 

[Galenmereth]

I'm terribly sorry for double posting; didn't realize I was in the same thread. Please delete this. 

 

[awesomerhys]

I really think being motivated by the gameplay is a very strong trait. After all, if you have combat in the game, chances are the player will witness a lot of it. Gameplay has a tendency to often take a backseat in RPG's, which I find is a shame.

When I decided to include combat in my game, it was a decision I made where I made sure I was ok with spending at least half of my development time on the combat system. Any less would render it filler. Combat is definitely something I enjoy doing, too

I don't remember which Zelda game it was, but in at least one they make a self-referential joke to the "Yes/No" trope where the only answer is "yes", and "no" just loops you back to the same question. It basically was a question where neither "Yes" or "No" made sense, as the question asked something along the lines of "So where did you come from?". It was pretty damn funny to a Zelda veteran at least 

I do believe Zelda games have done this a few times. I think Link to the Past did this, and I know Ocarina and (maybe?) Majora's Mask also poked fun at the notion of "obviously pick yes you imbecile" style questions. Who knows though, admittedly I haven't played a Zelda game in about a year or so, outside of Link's Awakening DX on my 3DS. 

In terms of combat, it's definitely something I want to put a good deal of effort into. It took me a while to realise it but the vanilla RMVX battle system is beyond generic, so I've been trying to spice it up with diversifying my characters beyond the "uses x weapon" format. I am nowhere near skilled enough to change the system through scripting, so I've been doing my best to add an element of risk vs. reward with each of my party members. I just hope I can make it work.

 

[Tsumeshi]

I like making the characters and battles, also the maps and, well, I love everything really.

 

[Matseb2611]

I notice at least a couple of people said they didn't like doing the mapping, but I personally think it's one of the most fun parts of game-making. This is usually the time when the place/scene that's in your head finally takes a visual form, and this also helps you as a developer to get even more immersed into your own setting, allowing more ideas to keep coming. Once you realise what the place actually looks like (which is not always the same as it is in your head), then you can start adding more to it and even end up adding the details that you haven't initially thought about adding at all. 

I would agree though that story-writing and character development are among the most fun things, especially when you're starting the mapping and eventing part of the design, so you can get to working on each scene and every line of dialogue, and essentially feel as though you've actually joined your characters on this adventure (and on many occasions even experiencing the same emotions as they would).

In regard to combat, it's usually the boss fights that I find fun to do, because by the time I started working on it, I would've already come up with a basic strategy and mechanic of how the boss would attempt to fight the player. And as you start adding all the events and dialogues during the fight, you get a ton of chances to develop both the personality of the boss itself and the characters.   

 

[awesomerhys]

I notice at least a couple of people said they didn't like doing the mapping, but I personally think it's one of the most fun parts of game-making. This is usually the time when the place/scene that's in your head finally takes a visual form, and this also helps you as a developer to get even more immersed into your own setting, allowing more ideas to keep coming. Once you realise what the place actually looks like (which is not always the same as it is in your head), then you can start adding more to it and even end up adding the details that you haven't initially thought about adding at all. 

I do think mapping is a ton of fun, I just wish I was better at it! The templates in VX Ace help a lot, but that only serves to make your game less original. As such I've spent nearly 60 hours on the first town and dungeon area just to make sure they look as good as I can possibly make them, maybe to the point of being nonsensical (my first dungeons is a forest inside of a cave, for example.)