LENGTH OF GAMES, NUMBER OF CHARACTERS, AND VARIOUS OTHER THINGS!

So, I'll just copy/paste a reply I got on a thread elsewhere (no names included). I will say that I do agree with this person's points, though some I have to wonder about. This is gonna be a big wall of text here. Yes, it will involve some stuff about my game, but this isn't about my game in general.

I didn't read the whole thread, but if you want my 2cc, try making a decent 6 hour quest, focus on few characters and plots instead of an overly ambitious 20 hour long beast that will be delayed for 4 years and you'll probably quit out of frustration. I'm seeing way too many characters in that screenshot already.

It's easier to gather feedback on a small game, learn from it and expand on it in a sequel. Never leave an aspect of the game depend on a person alone, place deadlines and enforce them. Even if people aren't ready make them show you what they got thus far. If someone's not contributing drop him from the project entirely and always have replacements.
Finishing sprites should be your priority right now, get a different artist asap or the project will die, doesn't matter if the styles clash, you may not even end up using every sprites in this project.

Hint: If you don't want to use FF6 monsters try Bahamut Lagoon, FF1&2 GBA, the SaGa series all had the same style, try the many remakes of Lunar, the SNES has lots of obscure rpgs for that matter, watch some let's plays on youtube and rip them.
Use the youkais from genius of sapheiros, screw art consistency as long they fit well.
Forget fancy status effects, the nice touches and palette cycles, no one is gonna play this for graphics, go with default rtp ones. Look at the Mugen community if you need some hit sparks, lasers, explosions and sounds.

Demos are pointless as this is not a commercial product you're trying to sell, I'd rather have little engine tests, like a small dungeon or a coliseum thing where I can test out the battle mechanics. Think of debug rooms, that makes it easier to point out what's wrong with your battle system.
RPG demos are usually 3 hour long and end up being all text and no game. Work on your game.

And please just finish this motherfucker. Even if everyone ends up hating it at least you'll have done more than 98% of all RPG Maker devs. Getting a project done, no matter how small is always more satisfying.
You can always go back to the art and fix it later, think of touhou mother, the first version wasn't too easy on the eyes, neither did Labyrinth of Touhou but later on they went back to it and improved their art. Think of embodiment of scarlet devil and how much ZUN improved from that to Imperishable Night.
Changing RPG Maker sprites is pretty straight forward, it'll be easier to find voluntary spriters once this thing gets done. Get the game finished first, no one wants to see their art go to waste on a dead project.

So I do agree that starting with a huge project is kinda silly and all, but I also kinda think that if the person has the willpower (and the time in my case...) to do such a thing, they should be able to do so. I mean yes, starting with a smaller project and then working up on it is ideal, but I just don't think that a small project would fit with a story that's meant to fit with a longer project.

And on that note, I also do agree that there should be a limit to how many characters are playable (yes, in mine there's a grand total of 53 playables, but only 24-28 are fully playable. Still a lot, but I don't think the game would work the same in terms of story if I didn't have all of them, savvy?), but at the same time, as I already stated, it just depends on how they fit into the story and whatnot.

And on the topic of demos, do you think demos are pointless or not? I don't think they are per say, as they help get feedback on the game up to the point that you're at and whatnot (plus having bugs fixed and stuff is pretty nice no?). Plus, it's one of the only ways to really GET the game out there no?

And on the topic of debug rooms and such as the user mentioned (I already use one in my game which I left open for players to have fun in), do you think they should be accessible and/or made as the user said or not?

author=Muninn
Then don't use that story for now. Put it on hold. Make a few small games, and then come back to your big project.

The other piece of advice that I'd give is that you should probably know when to say "enough is enough" with regards to a set of concepts. I've shelved several games which began as "small project to get me started"-type games, only for me to think "You know, I'd really like to explore this aspect a bit more...", and suddenly they're no longer small projects. Think of a small concept that you'll be willing to keep as a small concept.

The problem is that's not how I work at all in anything. Generally once I start something, I stick to it until it's finished (much like how I am with LPs and games. Once I start it, I generally don't switch between games or LPs until I fully finish THAT LP or game. It's the same way with my RPG Maker game. I had 2 at one point, but forgoe'd one of them for the current one that I've been working on for 3 years, mainly because I HAD all of the ideas and whatnot back then. I KNOW I can do this project, and while sometimes I don't LIKE working on it (but really, that's because mostly of boring coding work...I'm sure NOBODY likes to sit there coding the same thing for 4 hours straight), I've already decided that I'm going to see it through to the end one way or another. Just how I am I guess ^^;

Of course, the "enough is enough" idea is something I should take into consideration maybe right now. I've been coming up with more and more ideas for abilities and such, and really, I should save those for later. The main problem I have is that I know that if I try to put something in LATER, that's just going to require MORE work than if I did it now. For instance, right now doing Weapon Bless, and I've had people say wait until you're fully done with the game to put it in. But if I did that, then I'd have ALL of the weapons in the game to deal with instead of a few, which is arguably worse to deal with (especially when you have to copy/paste one weapon 10 times...and there's a LOT of weapons in the game at that). None of my concepts stay small...this project of mine DID start out small and HAD a set story (the game would've been just as long anyways). It's just that the more I worked on it, the more ideas I get and the more I put stuff in. ^^;

author=Julev
I'm going to agree with the poster you quoted. Most developers who start with big projects end up not completing them. That's why I often suggest new developers to start with smaller projects. That being said, there's also nothing wrong with working on a big project, as long as you don't let it overwhelm you.

Like I said in another topic about having many characters. I don't think it's a problem, but only a certain amount of those should actually be "important" story characters. After that you can add as many extra characters as you want. Once again though, having more characters adds more work, so you must be careful not to let it overwhelm you.

Demos are great, because they can make you work on certain parts more at times since you want to finish these parts for the demo. Same thing for a trailer. Just don't fall in the demo trap where you release a demo and then never work beyond that demo.

Debug rooms... Well I have nothing against them, but I like it if they are hard to find. Like a super secret part of the game that you might only find the second time you play.

I think for testing purposes debugs should be left open for beta testers and such. Probably a password or something given just to them for them to access it or something, I dunno. Sorta reminds me of how FFIV has that Developer's Room (not much of a debug room I suppose, but something the same nonetheless right?).


I'm actually confused as to why the original poster there thinks that a demo/beta would be bad to release for this type of game. I mean, how else would that person be able to get feedback and such on the game if they don't put it out there for people to try, savvy?

Woah, this came back from nowhere o_O

I think I've done a decent job at establishing personalities and all of that with each of them (keep in mind, half of them are only temporary characters anyways, but even they have their own personalities, combat skills, etc. Just that their combat skills are less refined as the permanent/optional characters). Sure, SOME of them are just THERE, but that's something I intend on fixing up anyways (well, it was going to happen anyways...just gonna take a bit to GET there seeing as I'm still doing coding business and need to do a lot of mapping).

I intend to see this game through up until the very end, regardless of how long it takes though! Just...gonna take a bit because of all of the mapping I have to do. That's the longest part for me since I hate doing it (coding and story stuff, I don't really mind and that goes relatively quickly for me. Mapping I just don't know what I want to do half the time, and now with the integration of puzzles in the beta5 dungeons, that's gonna be even more confusing for me! I might even need help on the puzzles themselves to make them unique and whatnot ;_; )