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Mapper's block. Ever heard of it?
polarcactus- 11/29/2013 07:32 AM
- 1728 views
Yeah, that's what I'm going through right now as I continue Volume II of Enelysion, titled Black Tempest. After over 200 maps and using just the standard/default VX tile format ( TileA, B, C etc. ) and absolutely no parallaxing or TileSwap scripts, I'm starting to run out of ideas for new areas in the game.
Towns aren't a problem for me, but the nature areas are proving to be a tough nut to crack.I would confess I'm a self-proclaimed 'Level 99 Tileset Mapper' ( the title I have myself over at RMW/RPGMakerWeb, where I'm more active. I swear, my number of 'likes' I get will soon topple my post count of around 750. >< All due to the Screenie thread ) since like a level 99 character, I just can't push the boundaries anymore.
But I never started out with mapping skills like this. I was pretty bad in the beginning ( at least, that's what I thought, now that I look back ). Enelysion has undergone so many changes that very few areas have remained the same since the game's inception in February 2011 over at RMVX.net ( curiously, I joined that
site exactly one year after registering here at RMN. Yeah, I've been here for FOUR years 0_o. But I'm still a relative unknown in the comm ).
Early screens
Recent screens
Pretty much everything Laine wants to know gets revealed in the first ( lengthy ) cutscene with Altreyu. There is the usual world-building stuff for those of you who like lore and whatnot. After that, she begins her path of redemption, which is what Vol II is all about. And of course, her reunion with (spoiler).
So this Volume has a lot of magical influences, and I need to reflect that in my maps. I suppose the Shaded Glades ( one of the first new areas ) will be a cross between the Forest of Pan and the Ulaid Forest.
I do use one of Enya's tracks for this area ( from her 1988 Watermark album ). Given that the game is steeped in Celtic/Welsh myth, it would make sense to add it to the New Age/Celtic influenced soundtrack of the game.
I prefer posting my updates from here on now. Replies over at RMW are worse than a sloth... But it's happening everywhere. Replies to game threads have plummeted over the last 2 years. I remember over at RMVX.net, there were at LEAST five games that had over FOUR HUNDRED replies each, with two going over SIX HUNDRED ( mine and HK's VS ). I don't know what's happening to the comms nowadays. But that's another story.
Btw, I CAN parallax. Just so you know ;)
And have you guys ever wondered why the game has such a curious title?
Towns aren't a problem for me, but the nature areas are proving to be a tough nut to crack.I would confess I'm a self-proclaimed 'Level 99 Tileset Mapper' ( the title I have myself over at RMW/RPGMakerWeb, where I'm more active. I swear, my number of 'likes' I get will soon topple my post count of around 750. >< All due to the Screenie thread ) since like a level 99 character, I just can't push the boundaries anymore.
But I never started out with mapping skills like this. I was pretty bad in the beginning ( at least, that's what I thought, now that I look back ). Enelysion has undergone so many changes that very few areas have remained the same since the game's inception in February 2011 over at RMVX.net ( curiously, I joined that
site exactly one year after registering here at RMN. Yeah, I've been here for FOUR years 0_o. But I'm still a relative unknown in the comm ).
Early screens
Recent screens
Pretty much everything Laine wants to know gets revealed in the first ( lengthy ) cutscene with Altreyu. There is the usual world-building stuff for those of you who like lore and whatnot. After that, she begins her path of redemption, which is what Vol II is all about. And of course, her reunion with (spoiler).
So this Volume has a lot of magical influences, and I need to reflect that in my maps. I suppose the Shaded Glades ( one of the first new areas ) will be a cross between the Forest of Pan and the Ulaid Forest.
I do use one of Enya's tracks for this area ( from her 1988 Watermark album ). Given that the game is steeped in Celtic/Welsh myth, it would make sense to add it to the New Age/Celtic influenced soundtrack of the game.
I prefer posting my updates from here on now. Replies over at RMW are worse than a sloth... But it's happening everywhere. Replies to game threads have plummeted over the last 2 years. I remember over at RMVX.net, there were at LEAST five games that had over FOUR HUNDRED replies each, with two going over SIX HUNDRED ( mine and HK's VS ). I don't know what's happening to the comms nowadays. But that's another story.
Btw, I CAN parallax. Just so you know ;)
And have you guys ever wondered why the game has such a curious title?
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blueperiod
775
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CloseHey Luchi, I think if you're having trouble finding inspiration for new maps, maybe try scouring the internet for images of awesome places that can serve as inspiration for your game. I'm not sure if you already you already do this, but when planning out the locations for my game, I'm pretty much never in a creative rut because there's so many incredible looking locales out there to inspire me, be it in real life or in fiction. For games like yours, that have an incredibly alluring and beautiful graphic style, having the same forest, boring medieval village, and cave (of the ice and fire varieties) gets old after a while, so it's good to aspire to create unique and interesting environments and towns, both for your sake (so you don't get bored) and to hold the interests of your players.
For example, I'm currently modeling a town in my game after this cliff-side village in Spain: http://www.hotelclub.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Siurana.jpg
Sure, it's impossible to get exact representation of this with the RTP, but it doesn't hurt to use the colours, layout and atmosphere of it for inspiration. It's also a big creative challenge, which keeps you on your toes. :)
Also, maybe it's just me, but I don't think you should worry so much about the amount of attention your game gets. Sure, getting attention for yourself is a big part of developing, but it shouldn't be the only thing that propels you in creating your game. When a creator depends solely on public interest to gauge whether or not he/she should continue working on their work, it makes it hard for me to keep interest in that project, since it could be canceled at any second. I was honestly kind of angry that you canceled Enelysion the first time, since I was invested in that story and its characters and to not see it come to a good conclusion because the response to it wasn't what you wanted, it made me a bit weary of becoming too invested with LotL since I feared that it would end up the same way. So yeah, I don't think you should put too much of an emphasis on what other people think as far as your games go-- you're the creator, what should matter most is whether you like it or not. That's just my opinion though. :)
For example, I'm currently modeling a town in my game after this cliff-side village in Spain: http://www.hotelclub.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Siurana.jpg
Sure, it's impossible to get exact representation of this with the RTP, but it doesn't hurt to use the colours, layout and atmosphere of it for inspiration. It's also a big creative challenge, which keeps you on your toes. :)
Also, maybe it's just me, but I don't think you should worry so much about the amount of attention your game gets. Sure, getting attention for yourself is a big part of developing, but it shouldn't be the only thing that propels you in creating your game. When a creator depends solely on public interest to gauge whether or not he/she should continue working on their work, it makes it hard for me to keep interest in that project, since it could be canceled at any second. I was honestly kind of angry that you canceled Enelysion the first time, since I was invested in that story and its characters and to not see it come to a good conclusion because the response to it wasn't what you wanted, it made me a bit weary of becoming too invested with LotL since I feared that it would end up the same way. So yeah, I don't think you should put too much of an emphasis on what other people think as far as your games go-- you're the creator, what should matter most is whether you like it or not. That's just my opinion though. :)
Dyhalto
7536
All blocks can be overcome with inspiration. If you need to, take a break and expose yourself to other stuff which might provide you with what you need. You could play some other games, be they commercial or RM, or you could break from the game scene altogether and watch a bunch of movies/series/anime. blueperiod also has a good idea.
Just don't scare us with another "fuk dis" blog.
Just don't scare us with another "fuk dis" blog.
It's more of a mental thing, to be honest. I don't know if you guys know this, but I suffer from very low self-esteem and self-confidence, and that sort of screws with my internal working screws as well ( and game development ). Why do think I've been struggling so much with this project? ( I've been a heartbeat away from cancelling it all together. It's a very difficult mindset to get out of. ;_; ) But I always right ship and remind myself of why I've been able to come so far with the game.
The communities and the players/fans who found joy in playing EHD from day 1. I actually had to write down what this game has achieved so far and pin it to my taskbar to remind myself. I even made a Download tracker. I realised that Enelysion has recieved 989 downloads ( includes Mediafire's ) between the 22/09 and 22/11 for the full release of the game. So it made me smile. But yeah, I need to get out of this 'eff dis' attitude of mine. It doesn't paint a very rosy picture of me as a dev, now does it?
The communities and the players/fans who found joy in playing EHD from day 1. I actually had to write down what this game has achieved so far and pin it to my taskbar to remind myself. I even made a Download tracker. I realised that Enelysion has recieved 989 downloads ( includes Mediafire's ) between the 22/09 and 22/11 for the full release of the game. So it made me smile. But yeah, I need to get out of this 'eff dis' attitude of mine. It doesn't paint a very rosy picture of me as a dev, now does it?
Dyhalto
7536
Low self-esteem is one of our ingrained characteristics as artists. Comes with the territory. Don't let it get to you.
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