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HOW SHORT IS A SHORT GAME?
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JosephSeraph
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CloseIt's clear to us that short games are games that can be played fully under one or two hours, that's fine, but in terms of content, how short is a short game?
I find myself trying to create short games, yet I create 9 different tiers of weapons, a huge world map with countless towns, etc -- and then I notice the player spends at least 30 minutes on each "quest", effectively making the game huge V:
Granted, I'm not the best planner, but in terms of RPGs, a short game would be... a game with only one quest/dungeon? (the answer is no, but maybe it is something along that) ;_;
I find myself trying to create short games, yet I create 9 different tiers of weapons, a huge world map with countless towns, etc -- and then I notice the player spends at least 30 minutes on each "quest", effectively making the game huge V:
Granted, I'm not the best planner, but in terms of RPGs, a short game would be... a game with only one quest/dungeon? (the answer is no, but maybe it is something along that) ;_;
NebelSoft
33
I haven't played it, but I suppose "Half-Minute Hero" was a short rpg? ^^ At least according to the title... maybe you should look into that. ; ]
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
Obviously "short" is a relative term, but it sounds like what you're really trying to figure out is how to keep a game short.
Turn Based Battle is an example of a very short RPG. I highly recommend it just because it will make you start to think about how much stuff in your game is really unnecessary.
author=JosephSeraphThis seems like a pretty good rule of thumb actually. If you want the game to be short, create one single quest and don't add any side-quests. A typical RPG dungeon takes at least 15-20 minutes, and a long dungeon might take 30 minutes or more. And if you're condensing the entire game into that dungeon, then that means you probably have shops and/or multiple upgrades inside it, which will eat up another 10 minutes of the player's time.
in therms of RPGs, a short game would be... a game with only one quest/dungeon?
Turn Based Battle is an example of a very short RPG. I highly recommend it just because it will make you start to think about how much stuff in your game is really unnecessary.
author=fFinding Eden had two "dungeons" but each one only took about 5 minutes to complete, plus a short boss. If you have tiers of equipment and skills, you're already in the wrong mindset. A short game needs to be simple and sweet.
Granted, I'm not the best planner, but in therms of RPGs, a short game would be... a game with only one quest/dungeon? (the answer is no, but maybe it is something along that)
trentinxd
12
@LockeZ
I just played that turned based battle game. It was fun, but too easy, I wanted another transformation :P.
I just played that turned based battle game. It was fun, but too easy, I wanted another transformation :P.
Sviel
2006
Like a short story, a short game shouldn't have a ton of progression. So, no tiers of weapons, etc...maybe starter weapons and one other set, but no multiple EQ changes.
Since RPGs are typically considered average/long at around 15-20+ hours, from what I can tell, anything under that is short. Long for a game in itself, of course, but short by the standards of the genre. Just my views, though.
I just played Turn Based Battle and it was a very amusing game!
Oh, I just lol'd so hard at the ending songā„
But... I kinda create an emotional connection with the characters while both playing and making a game.
It's kinda hard to flesh out a character and only have 30 minutes of gameplay, I automatically go bigger than that and this is when the shipwreck happens.
Ending an RPG at thirty minutes into the game just sounds awkward, I don't know how could I actually achieve a feeling of accomplishment with that, especially when it comes to plot. ;_;
and yeah, making equipment tiers is definitely the wrongest way possible to go about short games haha XD
Oh, I just lol'd so hard at the ending songā„
But... I kinda create an emotional connection with the characters while both playing and making a game.
It's kinda hard to flesh out a character and only have 30 minutes of gameplay, I automatically go bigger than that and this is when the shipwreck happens.
Ending an RPG at thirty minutes into the game just sounds awkward, I don't know how could I actually achieve a feeling of accomplishment with that, especially when it comes to plot. ;_;
and yeah, making equipment tiers is definitely the wrongest way possible to go about short games haha XD
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
You can't flesh out a character or anything else in a short game. I agree with Sviel, the short story comparison is apt. You're not creating a living breathing world - you're creating a single event, and whatever bare minimum amount of buildup is necessary for it to make sense. I would probably advise treating both the gameplay and the story this way.
It feels so cold to act like this... I don't know how to do it objectively, that's why my 'short" projects end becoming ridiculously huge, and then unfinished ):
Perhaps if I do make a live breathing world and use it as a kind of stock seting for small games? I wonder if I'm the only one that faces this kind of problem? Probably not, as it is not so different from the "AAA Rpg complex" that seems to affect 99,99% of the newcomers ):
Perhaps if I do make a live breathing world and use it as a kind of stock seting for small games? I wonder if I'm the only one that faces this kind of problem? Probably not, as it is not so different from the "AAA Rpg complex" that seems to affect 99,99% of the newcomers ):
Well, if you're looking at creating a really short game, (<1 hour), then look no further than contest games. Contest games are often very short, and if you look at the winners, then you can see a pattern in how they quickly establish rapport with players, and get into the action quickly. I'll list a few that you can jam and learn from:
RM Venture
This list consists of full RTP quests based around the default characters... if that's your cup of tea
Final Quest - the disciple's journey
DEVIL::ender
Lawrence of Aragorn
Eric's Day Off
All Hallows' 2013
Horror games with mostly custom resources made within a month, 2013
Rust and Blood
Suzy and freedom
The God of Crawling Eyes
Halloween Bash
Subject
Game Chill 2013
Winter game making contest
Czarina Must Die
RM Cook Off
Make a game using Lite
The Grumpy Knight
All Hallows' 2012
Horror games with mostly custom resources made within a month, 2012
Wine & Roses
Will you ever return?
There are much more, but all you need to do is look in the Event History tab to find gems. Mostly it's all about pacing. I reckon everyone is still working on it, but if you can create something which moves along at a fairly quick pace throughout the entire thing, it doesn't matter the *number* of dungeons, it's more about the variety of content within them. Wine and Roses had one single dungeon for the whole thing, but the interior of the dungeon varied, and it's one of the most epic RPG Maker games there is. That game didn't have too much dialogue, but what dialogue was inserted in there contributed to the plot and mood. I thoroughly recommend Wine & Roses.
Edit:
Also I forgot to consider that there are very many short games (<1hr) outside of the contest arena. Clock of Atonement was only 5 minutes long, but somehow it managed to enthrall me despite its length. It wasn't a traditional RPG with dungeons and equipment, but it's a good lesson in how to make short gameplay that is still engrossing.
Miscellaneous
Randoms
Wither
Clock of Atonement
Very Pink Game
RM Venture
This list consists of full RTP quests based around the default characters... if that's your cup of tea
Final Quest - the disciple's journey
DEVIL::ender
Lawrence of Aragorn
Eric's Day Off
All Hallows' 2013
Horror games with mostly custom resources made within a month, 2013
Rust and Blood
Suzy and freedom
The God of Crawling Eyes
Halloween Bash
Subject
Game Chill 2013
Winter game making contest
Czarina Must Die
RM Cook Off
Make a game using Lite
The Grumpy Knight
All Hallows' 2012
Horror games with mostly custom resources made within a month, 2012
Wine & Roses
Will you ever return?
There are much more, but all you need to do is look in the Event History tab to find gems. Mostly it's all about pacing. I reckon everyone is still working on it, but if you can create something which moves along at a fairly quick pace throughout the entire thing, it doesn't matter the *number* of dungeons, it's more about the variety of content within them. Wine and Roses had one single dungeon for the whole thing, but the interior of the dungeon varied, and it's one of the most epic RPG Maker games there is. That game didn't have too much dialogue, but what dialogue was inserted in there contributed to the plot and mood. I thoroughly recommend Wine & Roses.
Edit:
Also I forgot to consider that there are very many short games (<1hr) outside of the contest arena. Clock of Atonement was only 5 minutes long, but somehow it managed to enthrall me despite its length. It wasn't a traditional RPG with dungeons and equipment, but it's a good lesson in how to make short gameplay that is still engrossing.
Miscellaneous
Randoms
Wither
Clock of Atonement
Very Pink Game
Sviel
2006
author=JosephSeraph
It feels so cold to act like this... I don't know how to do it objectively, that's why my 'short" projects end becoming ridiculously huge, and then unfinished ):
Perhaps if I do make a live breathing world and use it as a kind of stock seting for small games? I wonder if I'm the only one that faces this kind of problem? Probably not, as it is not so different from the "AAA Rpg complex" that seems to affect 99,99% of the newcomers ):
That's sort of the method I use.
For example, I made one setting, then created 5 games (some short, some not), 1.5 novels and a series of ~40 short stories all based in it. It really helps to have the whole world thought out, but if I want to do something short, I find a single event and work around that. The world informs that event, but if it's important enough, the player can care about it without being filled in on the entire history.
Also, even in a short game, a character that comes in developed is going to hit home a lot faster than a character just being developed for the game, given equal writing skill.
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