PROJECT PLANNING/WORKING METHODS?

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I just read this article: http://rpgmaker.net/articles/101/

And I've got a confession.

I've never finished a project in my life. I only recently re-installed rpg maker, the last time I used it properly must have been between 4-6 years ago in my mid-teens. I was never brilliant but I was a perfectionist and could never live up to my own high expectations without getting totally frustrated at my own lack of ability/commitment. The closest I ever got to completing an RM project was putting out a demo of a joke GTA-style game that I made with a friend. What I was surprised to see when I found this place is that people actually HAVE completed whole game projects... I actually used to say (before I knew an RM community even existed) that NOBODY had ever actually finished and released a complete game.

So, to people who've actually completed a project or multiple projects... How do you go about it? Do you have any active methods for planning and executing the stages in your game's development? If you were to start a new project today what would your first steps be? and how far ahead do you see into your project's future? Do you have it all figured out from start to finish or do you wing it for the most part?

See, for me, I begin a project yet a KNOW somewhere down the line I'm going to have to face up to the things I'm putting off. For instance, knowing I'll need custom battle backdrops & custom monsters, knowing that I'm going to have to make at least some of my own music, knowing that I'm eventually gonna need to replace the crappy default hero re-colour I'm using. Where to begin?

These are the questions I'd like to see discussed.

Max McGee
with sorrow down past the fence
9159
I have three four completed projects that I consider full length, another couple of short ones, and about four times that number of demos that will never be completed. I have two finished novels, one that's well in progress...and I don't know how many fragments of novels and stories that will never be finished.

While I feel surprisingly ill qualified to discuss the topic of finishing things, I do have two three two major suggestions.

1. Lower your standards, seriously. If you think with the expectations you have of yourself, you'll never finish anything, you're probably right. You are after all only one person. (And if you've never finished a project, don't involve a team, it only complicates things.) For instance, do you really NEED custom whatever? The question you've got to ask yourself is, which do you ultimately want more if you can only have one. Custom whatever, or a finished game.
2. Just do it. Don't wait to feel inspired and don't wait to be 'in the mood'. The most important 'skill' in completing projects is the willingness to keep doing what you're doing even when you'd rather be doing anything else. This is why 'starting' projects is easy, at least for me, and finishing them is damn near impossible.

I'd like to add that both of these points are highly subjective and I am prepared to take flak on both of them. To try and reduce said flak: there are people who are of the opinion is that if you do something and you're not enjoying it, neither will your audience. I say that's bunk but of course I see writing/creating as essentially work...it's a job, just as much as building a house or breaking rocks or laying pipe. It's not supposed to be a picnic.
Yes, I agree wholeheartedly with Max - temper your expectations with realism, and be prepared to do tedious work at times.

No matter who you are or what project you work on, there will be times when it is just not FUN to work on your game. There is always some sort of grunt-work that just needs to be done before a game can be completed, and there is no way around it. You just have to steel your will and push through it.
There's no real concrete way to plan, but the general rule about project planning is that the more in detail you go with the planning, the less likely you'll get demotivated later. In addition to that, I would stress organization. Almost nothing is fun to work on in a cluttered mess.
Use this.

A GDD is only a small part of the pipeline process, but an important one. Use the tools the pros use.
I've attempted three games and finished two, and attempted probably a dozen novels and finished six. What I would suggest is sitting down with a notepad and let some music play softly and just write down all your ideas. Just brainstorm. Then think up some characters and form a bare bones plot with them. Every day, add new details to character and plot. But never just sit down there and plan everything beforehand. Some ideas won't come to you. You have to go out there and meet them while you're working.

So keep that notepad handy and write down any ideas you get. It could also be a good idea to make "character relations" sketches/diagrams, like how does each character feel about a certain character, thing or event. You'll have to learn how to manage your time as well as you WILL have to work hard from time to time. So yeah, set aside a block of time each day for this. Make sure you have some good music and a good environment to work in.
The other thing I would suggest for project planning is "OneNote", software that is part of Microsoft Office.
It's a virtual note book, but essentially makes it very easy to organize mass amounts of information.
If you think you have a good idea, but you're not sure whether or not to use it, you should rather do instead scrapping it. It's better to implement a bad idea than discarding a potentionally good one. If you know it wouldn't fit the theme/pace/style/etc. of the game, you may drop it, but you should try to make a sub-project with it when you have the time for it (better write all such ideas down, and take your time to develop them in a positive way). Several developers (I think Craze is a good example) manage to use a terrible idea and use it in a way that it's actually a good thing.
Whoa, I didn't see any updates on this thread until just now. I might make a HARDWARE VERSION of that thing that BD_Design suggested. By that I mean write it out on paper and fill it in.

Strangeluv, that's dead impressive.

Guess it's time to get the notebooks out. I use them for everything else, so why not this eh?

While I'm here...I'll as a noob question:
Do you guys clear out your database before starting a project? :/
Do you guys clear out your database before starting a project? :/


Yes, maybe keep the first entry of each page as an example/test. Like slimes or the basic attack animation.
post=147846
Do you guys clear out your database before starting a project? :/


I used to do this, but now I'm actually trying something a little different for my project. The only time I've opened up RMXP is to create a project folder and remove all the data from the folders. Instant organization for all my research and notes! I did keep the database files in a folder to play around with. Later I'll open a new project for the actual game itself, at that point it's goodbye, database.

I'm still putting ideas together, and I don't want anything like technical feasibility to get in the way of that. There will be plenty of time after that to start cutting.

For design documents I recommend saving multiple versions and tracking them with a version history. That will make it easy to reference past revisions in case you want to take another stab at a failed idea, or if a revision ends up not working out.
Quick personal question about this topic:

If the game is being done in the typical RPG style with multiple characters and intricate interweaving storyline, then I assume it would be best to write out the entire story on paper first, right?

I have this IDEA for my game, so would it be most beneficial for me to write it out from beginning to end with the basic skeletal backbone then add on the different story arcs and character development ploys? Should I even worry about the rpg maker part of this idea until the story is created and fine tuned?
post=148314
I have this IDEA for my game, so would it be most beneficial for me to write it out from beginning to end with the basic skeletal backbone then add on the different story arcs and character development ploys? Should I even worry about the rpg maker part of this idea until the story is created and fine tuned?


This, in my opinion, is very important. If you don't plan your story as much as possible, you may end up with an incomprehensible mess full of plot holes. Chances are the dialogue, spelling, and grammar will suffer as well. Character development is also important. You don't want a character suddenly doing something totally out of sync with their motivations. As for "fine tuning," you'll be doing that throughout the life of the project. So don't feel like everything needs to be set in stone.

Keep in mind, however, that the story should not take precedence over gameplay. Don't get bogged down with details. This is a game, not a book (unless you're working on an interactive novel). But planning will help you out in the long run. Of course, there are some people that can do great things with a minimal amount of planning; those are the exception, not the rule.
post=147475
1. Lower your standards, seriously. If you think with the expectations you have of yourself, you'll never finish anything, you're probably right. You are after all only one person. (And if you've never finished a project, don't involve a team, it only complicates things.) For instance, do you really NEED custom whatever? The question you've got to ask yourself is, which do you ultimately want more if you can only have one. Custom whatever, or a finished game.


Truth.
LouisCyphre
can't make a bad game if you don't finish any games
4523
Uh, it is possible to finish a game with custom 'x', given you take the necessary steps. (i.e. "stylistically" simple graphics, in this instance.) If your game is designed to be finished with 'x' taken in to consideration, then there's no issue.

The question becomes, how will you optimize your ability to add 'x' to your game?
I'm confused if you guys are talking about custom poop systems or custom graphics. But I guess they both require some effort... so
Everyone has their own way of making games. Me, personally, I don't write anything down. I just go with whatever's in my head (and in most cases, I usually have the ending already in mind and different fragments of key events--so it becomes a matter of making them all fit). I just take it day by day. I work on a game for a while and if it gets boring for me, I'll stop and take a break for a few months.

I guess it helps to avoid giving yourself a release date.
Just to put my own 2 cents into this. One of the things you need to do is to set aside a regular timeslot to work on your game without distractions. As long as progress is being made, your motivation level shouldn't decrease as much.

Secondly if you are working with a team, having a repository is.. Well, not a must, but incredibly useful. This way you and your other team members can submit files and changes to the repo without worrying about who else is online, and allows everyone to see the game progress without swapping files back and forth. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, do a search for Subversion or Tortoise SVN).

Even in my case working by myself currently (though I'd like to build a team again soon) I have a repo hosted on google code. This allows me to work using any computer instead of only one. (Useful when my fiance wants to play The Sims and I wanna code, I just borrow her less powerful laptop!)

Finally, as stated above, plan plan plan. Create a design doc, a todo list, and whatever else you find useful to plan out what needs to be done.
I've always considered using a repository for game making, but I never really looked into how to do it. Is it hard? I've used plenty of repos, but never set one up. I end up just using my flash drive more often than not.
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