Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Post History
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
HOW TO SUCCEED
Posts
Craze
View playlists
CloseHow to succeed: karsuman and I worked on V&V skills and how to promote synergy for three-four days, then continued to tweak as we went through production.
Do you remember when V&V Overhaul was released over a month ago? September 12th? Well, our current project's development started a few days before that.
We just finished the skill list. Granted, we took a few days to talk about the characters and the structure of the game, but still.
Jus' saying. This is what gets us almost forty downloads/day (on average), especially now that it's down to word-of-mouth.
Do you remember when V&V Overhaul was released over a month ago? September 12th? Well, our current project's development started a few days before that.
We just finished the skill list. Granted, we took a few days to talk about the characters and the structure of the game, but still.
Jus' saying. This is what gets us almost forty downloads/day (on average), especially now that it's down to word-of-mouth.
Darken
3952
post=103266
Good rule for RM: start with small simple games. Grow from there.
Many people ignore this as they go through their own ways of "making something one by one." for instance, remaking the same epic game over and over piece by piece. I can't say this is the wrong way as many people still learn from their mistakes from what I've seen. It really just matters whether or not you want things "done" or something "eventually done"
DFalcon
2141
Of course I don't want to say "do something other than what you want to do", but I think some people get caught up in the notion of having their Big Project because their Vision must be Fulfilled. Smaller projects have a lot of advantages, not least that either "Okay, I'll do better next time" or "Gee, what if I fixed this up?" is a viable option. (If this sounds odd coming from a guy with one 3.5-year game - most of my small projects haven't been RPGs, and I haven't circulated them widely.)
I agree with Sovan in spirit but not in fact. It's important to have an idea of what you're getting into and what remains to be done. But I've never turned out a list in such detail at the start of a project, and if I did I'm sure it'd be a lot different by the end.
What I would say is, be sure to get the highest-risk stuff done first: the stuff that, if you can't get it right, you absolutely will not be happy making the game without. For me, this is generally convincing myself that I have core gameplay. Don't be afraid to let several ideas percolate if you can't get past that first high step - write them down in a notebook, and you'll slowly come up with variants or additions, or be able to use parts later. Like Darken said, an idea written down is always better than an idea in your head.
I agree with Sovan in spirit but not in fact. It's important to have an idea of what you're getting into and what remains to be done. But I've never turned out a list in such detail at the start of a project, and if I did I'm sure it'd be a lot different by the end.
What I would say is, be sure to get the highest-risk stuff done first: the stuff that, if you can't get it right, you absolutely will not be happy making the game without. For me, this is generally convincing myself that I have core gameplay. Don't be afraid to let several ideas percolate if you can't get past that first high step - write them down in a notebook, and you'll slowly come up with variants or additions, or be able to use parts later. Like Darken said, an idea written down is always better than an idea in your head.
AznChipmunk
4613
NSN, the game started by YDS and I several years ago, never made any progress because of major plot issues. The thing is, we didn't lay down any sort of... foundations for the plot. We basically said "LOL DETECTIVES IN EARLY 1900s AND CHINESE PEOPLE AND RACISM AND JAZZ" and tried to go with that a bit, but there were so many holes.
Now, that's a much larger project that the one we're currently working on, Muse. Muse is a much smaller project and much more developing plotwise. Before starting any work of the game, I wrote out what I wanted for the game's plotline, instead of using a "go-with-the-flow" method. Then, after releasing a version for a contest, we rehased most of the plot and laid out thematic foundations--this was super helpful, as our game's general concept and theme guides the game's flow. Also, we took time to write out plot points, characters, etc. Basically, what's left is to actually make it, and we're working as fast as we can.
And while I am a big fan of aesthetics, functionality is the #1. Muse has both down though, imo...
in short: PLANNING SHIT OUT FIRST IS SUPER DUPER HELPFUL
Now, that's a much larger project that the one we're currently working on, Muse. Muse is a much smaller project and much more developing plotwise. Before starting any work of the game, I wrote out what I wanted for the game's plotline, instead of using a "go-with-the-flow" method. Then, after releasing a version for a contest, we rehased most of the plot and laid out thematic foundations--this was super helpful, as our game's general concept and theme guides the game's flow. Also, we took time to write out plot points, characters, etc. Basically, what's left is to actually make it, and we're working as fast as we can.
And while I am a big fan of aesthetics, functionality is the #1. Muse has both down though, imo...
in short: PLANNING SHIT OUT FIRST IS SUPER DUPER HELPFUL
After I finished V&V Overhaul (Karsu was already working on characters and a basic setting for AW), the first thing we did was make The List. It's a, uh, list. It states everything that Karsuman and I agreed on as stuff that should be in the game; the number of chapters, how equipment works, the distribution of skills, how gay Rucian* is, etc. We also did this for V&V and V&V Overhaul. Some things get cut, but once production starts nothing gets added without our mutual consent and several days to mull it over.
tl;dr: What Azn said
*Rucian is actually a conservative, so I settled for "Rucian is really hot."
tl;dr: What Azn said
*Rucian is actually a conservative, so I settled for "Rucian is really hot."
litearc
0
The 3-tile rule doesn't apply to houses, castles, buildings, etc... (pretty much anything artificially made) - it works great when you're working with forests and caves, etc...
yo litearc good to see you how is your brother doing we need more "old times" rpg makers around here
AznChipmunk
4613
post=103459"LOL DETECTIVES"you and me azn, we are the lol detectives
i just saw this
this is amazing
What Azn said. I can't stress how important it is to get a good sense of direction of what you want before attempting a project. One of my biggest downfalls was that I was too excited by "non-essential" things like detailing out the plot, I never laid down a skeleton before I started fleshing things out. The end product, metaphorically speaking, lacked vital organs and various limbs. Basically, it was nonfunctional and made no sense in the end. Sigh.
Neok
3602
I like that analogy. :D
Anyone who's ever tried to make a human body (game) without a proper skeleton (plan) probably knows how that turns out.
Basically the human body (game) can't stand on its own and collapses all over its organs and appendages (systems, graphics, etc.) and the ones at the bottom get crushed because it can't support all the weight (hype).
Also it looks very disturbing and painful (bad). And probably doesn't get many dates (players).
Anyone who's ever tried to make a human body (game) without a proper skeleton (plan) probably knows how that turns out.
Basically the human body (game) can't stand on its own and collapses all over its organs and appendages (systems, graphics, etc.) and the ones at the bottom get crushed because it can't support all the weight (hype).
Also it looks very disturbing and painful (bad). And probably doesn't get many dates (players).
Manifesto
33
post=104865
I like that analogy. :D
Anyone who's ever tried to make a human body (game) without a proper skeleton (plan) probably knows how that turns out.
Basically the human body (game) can't stand on its own and collapses all over its organs and appendages (systems, graphics, etc.) and the ones at the bottom get crushed because it can't support all the weight (hype).
Also it looks very disturbing and painful (bad). And probably doesn't get many dates (players).
wow, this actually is very helpful to me. Like alot. Im going to remember this.
