DUDES REPORT: AN INTERVIEW WITH A YDS

Scandalous Revelations!

  • Dudesoft
  • 11/15/2010 08:27 AM
  • 4363 views
DUDES REPORT:
An Interview With a YDS


In case you're unfamiliar who YDS is, check HERE.

Dudes
Hello YDS, we have not prearranged this interview at all and are about to really talk for the first time. How are you?

YDS
I am okay. I am just very hyper right now. I was jumping off my staircase and landing on my foot only to skate around my living room with my socks. I wanted to do a Let's Try, but I was just too hyper off of narcotics that my body naturally produces. Unable to stop the insanity, I just thought about my upcoming research projects for school and suddenly felt drained. Other than that, I am fine!

Dudes
A research project, eh? What are you going to school for?

YDS
Oh, I am a triple major in university for Political Science, Anthropology and International Studies with a Chinese minor.

Dudes
Would you say that RPG Maker is purely a hobby?

YDS
Yeah. It is. It is just something I do pureful for fun to take the stress of my own "normal" life away. Sometimes I invest too much time in it, but I don't really care much for anything regarding RPGmaker projects other than being able to "live out" a world I created in my head.

Dudes
Have you ever thought of implementing your studies in the worlds you create?

YDS
Hm. A little bit, but I didn't make much out of it in the end.

Dudes
Fair enough. Do you have an other interests outside of RPG Maker? The community is begging to know.

YDS
Hm. I rarely have time to do much else since I have a lot of academic work on my plate, partake in on-campus organizations and volunteer. I suppose I just enjoy hiking, biking and acting like a complete moron on Let's Trys.

Dudes
Yes, you certainly have a ton of Let's Trys. Ever consider pursuing a career as a video game reviewer in the future?

YDS
No. Not at all. Videogames are just my mistress, haha. I don't take it too seriously, but it is just a convinient hobby because I can always access it. I'd also be an awful reviewer because I have a severe care of motion sickness that prevents me from playing any 3D games. Which is pretty much what most games are these days. I guess that is why I have so much time to invest in RPGmaker projects and communities since I can't do much else in terms of gaming.

Dudes
So, you're stuck with us at RMN. That's not really a bad thing. There's plenty of games to be had, and made! Which games on RMN do you think stand out as your Top Five?

YDS
Oh geez, I don't really know. I can't say I really have any favorites, really. I enjoyed a number of them - I particularly like Alter ALIA Gensis, which I am playing right now (despite I cuss and scream at the game a lot!). Out of the games I enjoyed in past shows that I've done, I think Space Funeral stands out. I can't recall any other RM games off the top of my head now.

Dudes
How about with your own projects? Which would you say is your favourite?

YDS
Ahh. Probably the one I am working on right now, Bit Bonton. The last game my team and I made was moreso an experiment to get our feets wet in a new engine we are using, VX.

Dudes
Do you prefer VX to say... 2k3 or XP?

YDS
Yeah. It is just easier for me to use VX for a lot of reasons. The color limitations in RM2K3 drive me nuts. Plus the lack of a scripting system. VX is a pain in the ass to use and I create every single map into a panorama using Photoshop. But in some ways, it isn't too bad because I feel more inclined to add a lot of small details I would have closed over using RM2K3. It just takes up a lot more time.

Dudes
Wow, that must be a lot of extra work!

YDS
Yeah, it is. Though I don't mind too much. I really enjoy mapping and "world building" in games. It's arguable my favorite part when creating games, and it is probably why I even do so at all. Some people worry about implementing their gameplay or storyline, but for me, the real fun is putting out my imagination into graphics that people can explore in. I guess the obsession comes from my childhood when I was a kid, I didn't necessarily care

Dudes
How do you feel about working on a team? Would you say there are pros and cons to it?

YDS
I like working on a team. I am not very well-rounded and there aer some skill sets that I am lacking. There are a lot of pros in it, though admittedly the cons are very discouraging. Everyone that I work with is a hobbyist (asides The Digital Monk). None of us are bound to a contract and it is so easy to just slip away. I think the best way to work around it is be extremely organized and planned with what you want, and most importantly, be realistic about it. Here is an example from Eyes Without a Face.

Dudes
Oh wow, did everyone add to that, or was someone the project co-ordinator?

YDS
For Eyes Without a Face, I was the project co-ordinator. I think it is really important to have at least one person be responsible for organizing the way the game is put together. I've had projects that tried to be more ... democratic about the matter; however, things just weren't done very efficiently.

Dudes
Oh, definitely agreed. Without someone ultimately holding the whip, there's no driving force to keep everything moving in a solid direction. Are you excited for the future, after having the experience of For Eyes Without a Face under you feet?

YDS
Oh yeah. I really hate horror. I would not even play test Eyes Without a Face (partially because I was scared!), but I am really excited about what I am going to do next.

Dudes
If you're adverse to horror, which genre mostly appeals to you?

YDS
Probably RPGs or Adventure games. I think I've played over 60 - 70 JRPGs in my lifetime, haha. Even though I think the genre is mostly trash, it is just a weird addiction.

Dudes
That's for sure a good base to build games on! Do you think you can improve the RPG genre? If so, how?

YDS
Haha. I don't have dreams like that. Again, my goal in RPGmaker is pretty simple. I just want to make a world that's suck in my head and put it down on paper and make it come to life. I am not too interested in making gaming revolutions.

Dudes
Well, you still must aspire to make your world everything it can be, correct? Not something all jRPGs can attest to.

YDS
That's true. I am really pouring my heart into the next game of mines - which is much more personal than Eyes Without a Face.

Dudes
how so? Care to explain that, or leave us in elusive mystery?

YDS
I can explain a little bit about the game. You control a little girl named Savannah who recently lost her mother to a coma in a car accident. Her dad abandons her with a family friend, named Terrence, in New York City. Out of boredom, she explores the house and finds a old computer which opens up a portal to a new but "broken" world called Bit Bonton, which is composed of vaporware games created by a character called "The King." Gameplay-wise, it's a marriage between Earthbound and Soul Blazer. Savannah is the only person who is capable of reviving Bit Bonton because "The King" was from her own world. New York City becomes a world map for you to explore and find places that we were once important to the King before The King gave up on developing. By interacting with the place, you can revive a part of the land in Bit Bonton. And you restore NPCs and locales within the area by fighting monsters.
There's a lot more to the story! But I s'pose you guys will see it after Game Drive is over.

Dudes
Well, you definitely have my interest, and I'm sure others' as well.

YDS
It's a really bizarre game, so I doubt everyone will like it. Though I am having tons of fun making it.

Dudes
Can you share any future ideas / worlds you plan on working in?

YDS
There's the first world, which is a parody of the steam punk genre. It's a massive "steam punk" city full of cogs that do nothing. On an airship covered in cogs that do nothing. Which is tied down to Bit Bonton by a thin balloon string.

Dudes
Does the steampunk genre 'grind your gears'?

YDS
Haha. I dunno.

Dudes
It's been a pleasure interviewing you, YDS. Maybe when Bit Bonton is out, we can do this again.

YDS
Sure. It was fun being interviewed.

Dudes
Shazam! There you have it folks, the imfamous YDS. Lock your doors.
Make sure to check out her handywork in Eyes Without a Face and the rest of her game profile!

Posts

Pages: 1
This interview is awesome.
LEECH
who am i and how did i get in here
2599
post=calunio
This interview is awesome.
Craze
why would i heal when i could equip a morningstar
15150
T - Triple major?
Not gonna lie, Bit Bonton will probably be my favorite RM at this rate.
tardis
is it too late for ironhide facepalm
308
author=Craze
T - Triple major?


YDS is certifiably crazy. I am 99% sure she is also a time-traveling alien.
LEECH
who am i and how did i get in here
2599
author=tardis
author=Craze
T - Triple major?
YDS is certifiably crazy. I am 100% sure she is also a time-traveling alien.
Pages: 1