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)
NPC ANIMATIONS. A NICE LITTLE TOUCH, OR WASTE OF TIME?
Posts
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
LockeZ
View playlists
CloseBoth this topic and the topic about background stories for NPCs lead me toward wanting fewer, more meaningful NPCs. Like maybe 1-4 per town, so that they can get more attention and make the player actually care about them. I can remember a lot of old adventure games working like this - you'd enter the town and could either talk to the blacksmith or the bartender, both of whom would have real conversations with you, and would more often than not say things important enough that you'd want to go back and speak to them again later. A few modern adventure games like Phoenix Wright still utilize a similar system.
Phoenix Wright is a GREAT example of exactly the kinds of NPC interactions I do really enjoy. The NPCs you talk to don't tell you one random fact, they convey the primary plot of the game. In fact, they do more than merely convey the plot - they are entangled in it. Almost everyone with a speaking role is important. The Phoenix Wright games do a lot of work to animate their characters, and that work is definitely not wasted.
Phoenix Wright is a GREAT example of exactly the kinds of NPC interactions I do really enjoy. The NPCs you talk to don't tell you one random fact, they convey the primary plot of the game. In fact, they do more than merely convey the plot - they are entangled in it. Almost everyone with a speaking role is important. The Phoenix Wright games do a lot of work to animate their characters, and that work is definitely not wasted.
ZINGuh
0
@LockeZ: I agree with what you're saying. To me, towns are just bland. Npc's are bland. They are almost pointless, really... just a passer-through to the main storyline -- which is sad. Most rpgmaker games or just real games in general have these plain npc's that could be there or couldn't be there. One of the reasons I think I loved Zelda: Majora's Mask was because you actually gave a damn about the characters in that game. They were important, somehow. Sure, they weren't the main storyline... but say if you never reunited the couple Anju and Kafei -- they would never be together again. Kafei would never even know Anju was waiting for him until the very end and Anju would never know Kafei was trying to be with her. Same goes for the ranch sisters... if you never choose to stay overnight and help with the alien invasion, the little sister basically loses her mind.
One of the aspects in my game that I am really trying to portray is a sense of reality. There are side-quests. Those side-quests have outcomes. Those outcomes have consequences. Say if a bartender asks you to pick up a shipment for him because his shipment has been late 2 weeks now and he is running out of alcohol to sell to customers, and you say "No thanks" and go along your business... Next time you happen to cross through that town, there is no more bar. You find the bartender living in some god forsaken house and when you talk to him you find out that he got someone else to do what he asked you to do and that person ended up being killed by bandits of some sort and due to that he could not get another shipment through his only contact. Therefore the bar closes, he's out of a job, one of the families in town is depressed because they have lost their father (whom the bartender asked to do the quest) and there is just a general feeling of guilt towards the player.
Not every single NPC should be unaware of the events of the world around them. One of the things I like most that people do in their games sometimes is that every single npc in that world has an ever-changing dialogue either based on the heroes actions or the actions in the world. That makes me want to go talk to NPC's and spend some time in town.
While the main story is obviously the most important thing here, I think it's also important to create a world the player WANTS to be in... not a world that they tolerate being in because of the story.
One of the aspects in my game that I am really trying to portray is a sense of reality. There are side-quests. Those side-quests have outcomes. Those outcomes have consequences. Say if a bartender asks you to pick up a shipment for him because his shipment has been late 2 weeks now and he is running out of alcohol to sell to customers, and you say "No thanks" and go along your business... Next time you happen to cross through that town, there is no more bar. You find the bartender living in some god forsaken house and when you talk to him you find out that he got someone else to do what he asked you to do and that person ended up being killed by bandits of some sort and due to that he could not get another shipment through his only contact. Therefore the bar closes, he's out of a job, one of the families in town is depressed because they have lost their father (whom the bartender asked to do the quest) and there is just a general feeling of guilt towards the player.
Not every single NPC should be unaware of the events of the world around them. One of the things I like most that people do in their games sometimes is that every single npc in that world has an ever-changing dialogue either based on the heroes actions or the actions in the world. That makes me want to go talk to NPC's and spend some time in town.
While the main story is obviously the most important thing here, I think it's also important to create a world the player WANTS to be in... not a world that they tolerate being in because of the story.
Despain
415
as someone who aims to make his games with original graphics, NPC animations are a HUGE benefit. it reduced the amount of work you have to do while at the same time making the game a lot more interesting to the player.
i only make full walk cycles for the characters that walk. main characters, antagonists and major NPCs. of course i'll make graphics for a few generic NPCs here and there, but when I add them to the map I'll never set them to walk around randomly, but put them on a route. I'm really big on making unique NPCs to give towns more character—just copy/pasting random dudes and giving them useless dialogue lines is annoying and lazy, and obvious to the player.
most npcs have a specific purpose and location—i have lots of dudes playing instruments, some sitting on couches, NPCs sleeping, reading, drinking, eating, etc. it makes the world come to life and cuts down on the busywork of spriting.
Yeah this man. totally.
i only make full walk cycles for the characters that walk. main characters, antagonists and major NPCs. of course i'll make graphics for a few generic NPCs here and there, but when I add them to the map I'll never set them to walk around randomly, but put them on a route. I'm really big on making unique NPCs to give towns more character—just copy/pasting random dudes and giving them useless dialogue lines is annoying and lazy, and obvious to the player.
most npcs have a specific purpose and location—i have lots of dudes playing instruments, some sitting on couches, NPCs sleeping, reading, drinking, eating, etc. it makes the world come to life and cuts down on the busywork of spriting.
his is what I've been doing, and it's actually cut down on some of my spriting work! Personally, it's a lot faster for me to make a dude sitting down polishing a giant silver dildo sword than it is to animate him walking around in 4 directions he might never move to
Yeah this man. totally.
