ARIEDONUS'S PROFILE

I have actually been thinking about this for quite some time, but in light of recent events, I feel that this is an appropriate time to bring it up.

The idea I am proposing will shake up how submissions work around here. Yeah, it'll require some more coding and all that fancy hooplah, but I think it has the potential to bring RMN closer to what people envision it to be.

Correct me, but from what I've always understood, it was a goal for RMN to be an organic site that more or less runs itself. That's why the staff don't have shiny names anymore, the amount of shiny people has gone down, and why those who are shiny don't flaunt that they're shiny. The idea I'm proposing would take this a step further and make RMN even closer to being "user-run," while (hopefully) reducing the amount of Blockland incidents around the site.

This idea is stolen borrowed inspired by another website that's really badass: Newgrounds. They have a submission format that works and could be a great feature for our site as well. Keep in mind that this is not my proposed plan, but the way Newgrounds runs it. Certain factors I feel would need changing and there's probably junk I'll completely overlook. (That's where your feedback comes in.)

For those of you who aren't familiar with how Newground submissions work, let me break it down:
- Users submit their shit in and it enters the submission queue, much like how it goes here. Difference is, the queue is public, so everyone is going to see the new submissions as they roll in.
- Other users check out the submission through this special queue. After reviewing the submission, the user gives it a rating based on its merits.
- After a submission receives a number or ratings, it is accepted or rejected based on its score. Anything that receives a decent score is accepted. (Honestly, I haven't been frequenting the site much recently, so the details on this part are probably fuzzy.)
- Users are able to comment on the submissions at this time, as well, so ratings don't go without some wordsy feedback.
- Finally, and possibly most importantly, users who are dipshits with their ratings and downvote or upvote everything they come across will slowly lose voting power. Basically, if you're too nice or too mean, it will reflect in your voting power based on what happens to the submission (accepted or rejected). This encourages users to really vote based on its actual merits instead of lame shit. This voting power is public on a user's profile, so everyone knows if your definition of quality work is screwy.

I believe that covers pretty much all there is to the system, as far as I can tell. Thing is, RMN is not Newgrounds and what works for NG will not necessarily work for us. Changes will have to be made to make sure this system suits the site and the community, otherwise it'll just be a detriment to the goals we have.

Changes/Alternatives That Have Come To My Head As I Typed This Up:
- Ratings can be kind of arbitrary at times. I know some people are not a fan of the star system attached to reviews, so it may be more appropriate for games in this queue to have a different format. Instead of a star rating, users could either vote "Accept" or "Reject" with the option of attaching a comment to their vote.
- With Newgrounds, the game's creator and score is completely public. With the goal of making people vote as fairly as possible, it may be a good idea to make submissions anonymous and to keep the games current submission score/comments hidden.
- Even though this will make the site more organic, I'm not suggesting the elimination of staff. Having staff around to keep an eye on things is still a good idea. One of the modifications I would make to NG's system to accommodate our site's standards is having whoever still messes with the submission queue just look over submissions, make sure they meet the bare minimum (three screenshots, one paragraph, whatever that shit is), and send it to the public queue for judgment.
- Going along with the staff thing again, it might be a good idea for them to review the more "deviant" submissions that receive an excessive amount of good or bad scores. They would basically make sure that 20 jerks didn't get to the game at once, preventing its chance at a fair judgment. If the deviant submission is really worthy of whatever judgment it received, though, the staff would just clear it off their list and whatever happens happens. If there is a chance that the submission did just have shitty, shitty luck, the game could be kicked back into the queue for another chance. (Obviously, limits would have to be put into place to prevent staff from potentially abusing this extra life for submissions.)

I believe that just about covers everything I wanted to suggest. It is pretty late, though, so I may change this post to add/fix shit as I figure it all out. Have at it.

The title says it all. I recolored a monster sprite and wanted to see if I actually made it look like it came off the same palette. I don't do recolors/edits often enough to be super-pro, so I wanted to get an outside opinion.

Original:


Recolored:

The purpose of this topic is two-fold:
1. Get advice for creating a game in a relatively short period of time (I am aiming for 2-3 months or less)
2. Get feedback on the basic concept for my game.

I have long been searching for a way to get a nice, quick game under my belt so that I can finally receive critique, advice, etc. from the community on a product that I have actually deemed as "finished." So far, my ideas have been proven implausible due to a lack of resources, help, and the limitations of my engines of choice. My latest idea, however, is one that I believe I can actually transform into a decent game and do so in a nice amount of time.

My concept for my game is simple: every time you play it, it will be different. The dungeons you visit, the way those dungeons are set up, the shops you visit, the bosses you fight, etc. will all be randomly generated to provide new challenges with each playthrough. While there are obviously some limitations to this, the point is to make a unique experience each time. For example, you may end up fighting the same boss at the end of the game, but the dungeons you cleared to get there would be different from the last time you played. The storyline is, due to the high flexibility of the game, not going to be the main focus of the game.

Also, it is important to note that the ideal playtime for each playthrough would not exceed a couple hours. The game is meant to serve as a quick burst of fun.

To create this game, I simply want to create a basic infrastructure for the game, and from that point, let it create itself (if that makes any sense).

So, with all of that in mind, I seek your help in the form of feedback on the actual concept and advice to help create this in 2-3 months or less. If any elaboration is needed, I would be glad to provide it.

EDIT: I am using RM2k3 to create this game and it will be an RPG. (Just to clarify)

Overview
I haven't really been working on this game for too long (about two months), but I'm hoping it will be a game with a storyline people will actually be interested in/care about. Other than that, I don't have much to say except read on...

Also, if you're looking for the game's page, click the banner. :D

Backstory
It's a bit rough at the moment, but here you go.

"Syrunilae was a beautiful planet, formed by a god by the name of Vaigen. He watched over his planet for many years, assuring that balance was kept. Eventually, it came time for his sister, Eclipse, to come check up on him and his planet. She was the unofficial leader of their galaxy, and to keep things in order, she spoke to the gods and goddesses on occasion, a routine checkup of sorts. On her checkup; however, Vaigen decided to go a step further and give his sister a tour of his planet.

Unfortunately, it did not lead to any good. After their tour of Syrunilae in the form of humans, a human couple happened to see Eclipse and Vaigen as they returned to the heavens. At the time, neither thought anything of it, but word of the event made its way to every corner of the earth, and everyone was wondering: what if? This question even plagued the mind of the few blessed with the ability to speak to him, and they constantly questioned him, asking for answers that he would not give. Anger soon got the best of him though, and the god called on a large group of meteorites, raining them down on Syrunilae. The meteorites completely and utterly shattered the planet, nothing remaining once the dust had cleared.

Destroying the planet took a fair amount of energy from Vaigen, despite his godly status, but he took no note of it and set off to create a new planet. It was a fresh start, another chance to make his perfect little world. But, creating a world takes more energy than destroying one, and it took its toll on Vaigen. After mere days the god could no longer go on with this task and perished, leaving his new planet unfinished as he vanished from the cosmos…"

The game's story starts with two explorers, Leo and Jade, on an airship to an unexplored area. Minutes from their destination, the airship is shot down. Luckily, Leo lands in a lake and survives, but Jade is nowhere to be seen. So, he begins to search for her in a nearby forest, although he may just find a little more than he had planned...

Class System
Each character has a variety of classes available to them, and they can be changed any time you're not in combat or a cutscene. Certain puzzles in dungeons may only be completed by characters of a certain class, as a certain ability specific to that class could be required (ex. a character with the Thief class is needed to unlock a treasure chest). Also, you will be able to form the most effective battle strategies by the classes you choose for your characters, making combat easier and more profitable.

When the class menu, or the "Grimoire of Skill" as it is currently called, becomes available, each character has three classes to choose from. As the game progresses, the characters may unlock other classes that will offer different/better fighting styles, though through what means is dependent on the class.

Basic Class Descriptions



Screenshots

The CMS for the class menu in action.


I'm not an expert on big, looming shadows, but...


Part of the introduction.

1 2 (Trying to decide which battle layout I like more)

Devlog: link