BUILDING ON BASIC IDEAS

Hi guys, it's been a while since I made a game, and I'm considering dipping my toes back into the old pool - especially as RPG Maker VX Ace went on sale on Steam a few months back and it's just sat on my list ever since.

Problem is, I really need to flesh out my ideas and, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, I've forgotten how to. What I know is that I want a clean, futuristic setting and an emphasis on exploration and wonder. A journey of some sort would probably suit that. This journey would need to be the backbone of a good narrative as a lot of people prioritize the story in an RPG.

I've been drawing comics in my absence and I'm quickly realizing that the rules and tactics I apply to writing comics do not apply to creating an RPG. A comic is 24 pages and done, nice and easy to pace as I set what's happening when, sometimes split a story over two or three issues, reader doesn't influence the outcome, characterization is not influenced by the reader.

As soon as I go to make an RPG I notice that "Hey, the player helps drive this story" and I don't know the player. I have no idea how long it will take a player to get from town a, through dungeon b, to town c as I don't know their skill level, I don't know what build their character will be, and I don't know if the way I portray characters in cutscenes is going to fit the way someone is playing as that character.

Now, there are controls I can put in place for these things, but only to a certain degree. The player is a co-pilot, a collaborator, and I have limited communication with them. Their power stems from the gameplay and the player's interaction with the game world, the decisions that they make. Trying to predict and accomodate for this is a truly daunting task.

How do the rest of you usually move forward from this point? Where you have a bare bones basis and the road ahead looks to be quite a long and unclear one?

That's actually a really well written article. It's made me realize my core is incomplete.

An emotion you want the player to feel - Wonder of exploration
A mechanic you want to experiment with - I got nothing
A design skill you want to practice - Creating interesting and varied environments

I know that I want this journey to take the player to new areas on a regular basis, and I know it will be a creative challenge because I've spent most of my time practicing character design and neglecting environmental design on previous projects. I also want to hint to the player that there are other rewards for venturing off the immediate, obvious, and well trodden path. I don't know why the player is on this journey, or what gameplay features will exist to ensure they enjoy this journey and that's a major problem.

You mentioned whether the game would feature towns and whether it will be vibrant and populated or desolate and barren. I know that I want the player to start in a very nice, clean, well run metropolis which is essentially paradise but then experience that the grass isn't so green for the rest of the planet and that some areas are in serious trouble just to accommodate the one nice area you've come from. For this to have the same impact on the player as it does the character, I need to give the player the impression that the quality of life shown at the start of the game is universally enjoyed by all of the world's inhabitants, as this is how the main character will have been brought up.

Pokemon is a perfect example. I think the release of X and Y is the main driving force for me getting off the fence and saying "Let's stop just saying it would be nice to make this game and let's start actually putting something down."

EDIT: Narrative wise, I'm thinking that you're travelling because you're escaping with someone of political importance. Maybe they're seeking asylum elsewhere after discovering corruption within the government and you're going to help them get there.