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LoTL Demo finally available.
polarcactus- 07/01/2016 03:12 PM
- 5985 views
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I'm wondering, since the game is nearly 200mb just for 5 hours, if I should just make an episodic split. I decided on this ages ago, but for my sanity ( and to avoid game development hell ), I think it will be easier to just divide it up into 8 five-hour episodes, then maybe do one super-merge right at the end.
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Honestly, I'm so whimsical at times. I feel I don't have the right temperament to be a developer. Just this morning I was thinking of canning the game for good, then I thought of all the characters and pixel art I've done so far. But then there are certain aspects about the general RM community that bothers the hell out of me ( like blatant bias: you just need to look at the Blogs section to get an idea of what I'm talking about ). I'm tired of keeping quiet about this and its the reason I'm no longer active in the community. It's like resisting the urge to be sick. It's been bothering me for months now and the best thing for me to do is to just stay away from the site, put those developers on Ignore and just do my thing.
Sometimes I wonder if I'll be better off learning code ( even if I do start off with HTML/CSS ) than being a slave to project that will be of no long-term benefit to me.
But don't mind my rambling.
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Honestly, I'm so whimsical at times. I feel I don't have the right temperament to be a developer. Just this morning I was thinking of canning the game for good, then I thought of all the characters and pixel art I've done so far. But then there are certain aspects about the general RM community that bothers the hell out of me ( like blatant bias: you just need to look at the Blogs section to get an idea of what I'm talking about ). I'm tired of keeping quiet about this and its the reason I'm no longer active in the community. It's like resisting the urge to be sick. It's been bothering me for months now and the best thing for me to do is to just stay away from the site, put those developers on Ignore and just do my thing.
Sometimes I wonder if I'll be better off learning code ( even if I do start off with HTML/CSS ) than being a slave to project that will be of no long-term benefit to me.
But don't mind my rambling.
Irog
4858
Don't worry about game file size as long as it doesn't exceed the 400 MB limit for download size. You'll most likely reuse a lot of the game resources in the next episodes so your 10 hours game-play release will be much smaller than 400 MB. Splitting a game in multiple episodes breaks the flow of the game for the player and requires additional maintenance work for the developer. Moreover, making game saves transferable consumes time that you want to invest in making new game content.
Being a developer is relevant only if you want to make a living from it. Most of us are hobbyists who makes games at our own pace for the fun of it. So you should work on your game in a way you enjoy.
Learning code is an excellent idea! It gives the best flexibility and is useful outside the gaming world. By the way, I started making a game while learning code because I wanted to have fun with this new skill.
Being a developer is relevant only if you want to make a living from it. Most of us are hobbyists who makes games at our own pace for the fun of it. So you should work on your game in a way you enjoy.
Learning code is an excellent idea! It gives the best flexibility and is useful outside the gaming world. By the way, I started making a game while learning code because I wanted to have fun with this new skill.
Actually dividing it isn't such a bad idea. That way youu would be able to nake eight gamepages for episodes and keep this one for info and the final compo. Reviewers would be happy to review bits rather than waiting on the final product. And your makerscore wouldn't suffer either.
@Dragol: Compared to the old demo ( which I presume no-one played; I released it back in April and it was 1.5 hrs long ), this version is around 5 hours, has more playable characters, more plot progression, character development, more items etc. etc.
@Irog: I suppose if LoTL bombs, I could always fall back on designing websites ( after I've mastered HTML/CSS, that is ) and hang up my RPGMaker mantle. RMing won't benefit me in the long run. At the moment, it's just a useless hobby that I happen to enjoy ( I don't know if I'm lying to myself or not ). Though learning Java/Javascript is a bitter pill to swallow( since I've never really looked at coding up until now ) but I'll probably get the hang of it if I stick with it long enough ( +1 year ).
To answer the question about episodes: On the one hand, I love my 20-40 hour epics, but it's a right pain in the behind to work on it all by your lonesome. The episodes themselves need to be almost self-contained, so the player can play the game without any fore knowledge, but LoTL's plot is structured to fit the 40-hour RPG, and I'll stick with that. I suppose we all have to suffer at some point to see our projects/ambitions/magnum opus' etc. get turned into a reality. While I've got one fairly successful game under my belt ( depends whether you call +6000 DLs 'fairly successful' or not xD ), it won't hurt to have another.
Game dev hell can be a lonely existence if you don't have a personal cheerleader to encourage you ( since none of my RL friends are particularly interested in my hobbies ). I've had a horrible experience ( my pride was gravely wounded as a result ) working in teams, after all, and I have no intention of going back there ( and I curse the people who did it to me ).
@Irog: I suppose if LoTL bombs, I could always fall back on designing websites ( after I've mastered HTML/CSS, that is ) and hang up my RPGMaker mantle. RMing won't benefit me in the long run. At the moment, it's just a useless hobby that I happen to enjoy ( I don't know if I'm lying to myself or not ). Though learning Java/Javascript is a bitter pill to swallow( since I've never really looked at coding up until now ) but I'll probably get the hang of it if I stick with it long enough ( +1 year ).
To answer the question about episodes: On the one hand, I love my 20-40 hour epics, but it's a right pain in the behind to work on it all by your lonesome. The episodes themselves need to be almost self-contained, so the player can play the game without any fore knowledge, but LoTL's plot is structured to fit the 40-hour RPG, and I'll stick with that. I suppose we all have to suffer at some point to see our projects/ambitions/magnum opus' etc. get turned into a reality. While I've got one fairly successful game under my belt ( depends whether you call +6000 DLs 'fairly successful' or not xD ), it won't hurt to have another.
Game dev hell can be a lonely existence if you don't have a personal cheerleader to encourage you ( since none of my RL friends are particularly interested in my hobbies ). I've had a horrible experience ( my pride was gravely wounded as a result ) working in teams, after all, and I have no intention of going back there ( and I curse the people who did it to me ).
Irog
4858
When you'll start programming, begin with textbook exercises then try small size projects. Expend your knowledge step by step and keep improving your skills at using the new knowledge. I always recommend the "start small then grow" approach.
Many people dream of large game project and get demotivated by looking at what's left to be done. Instead, look at what you've accomplished!
If I had planned a FireEmblem-like game I would have dropped it long ago. Now I have a very small game and feel great every time I improve it. Of course, the drawback is the poor sens of direction of the project... but that's part of the adventure.
Your team work experience is very valuable: you know what caused the troubles you went through. But you may have seen only the downside of team work. So you should talk to successful teams, and share experience with them to know what made them succeed.
Many people dream of large game project and get demotivated by looking at what's left to be done. Instead, look at what you've accomplished!
If I had planned a FireEmblem-like game I would have dropped it long ago. Now I have a very small game and feel great every time I improve it. Of course, the drawback is the poor sens of direction of the project... but that's part of the adventure.
Your team work experience is very valuable: you know what caused the troubles you went through. But you may have seen only the downside of team work. So you should talk to successful teams, and share experience with them to know what made them succeed.
Oh, I am starting small, with regards to learning how to code (CodeAcademy is great place to start), it's just that syntax will be the dearth of me. ><
It's funny you mention Fire Emblem though, because LoTL was originally going to be a TBS back in its very early build stages ( around July-August 2013 ), but I realised that 1) balancing a TBS is a lot harder than balancing a jRPG and 2) I didn't want to have a huge cast of characters, even though it would have been pretty epic trying to recruit 40+ units from all walks of life, and all of them with their own backstory.
It would have made sense given the game's setting, but given that LoTL's plot is so extensive ( the plot outline alone is the length of a novella ), it works better as a fast-paced, traditional turn-based combat game.
And the last thing a player wants after spending 20 turns trying to defeat their enemies is to sit for another 10 minutes of cutscenes and whatnot, and that doesn't even include unit set-ups like purchasing gear, assigning skill-points, learning new skills etc. It could have easily have doubled LoTL's potential play-time.
It's funny you mention Fire Emblem though, because LoTL was originally going to be a TBS back in its very early build stages ( around July-August 2013 ), but I realised that 1) balancing a TBS is a lot harder than balancing a jRPG and 2) I didn't want to have a huge cast of characters, even though it would have been pretty epic trying to recruit 40+ units from all walks of life, and all of them with their own backstory.
It would have made sense given the game's setting, but given that LoTL's plot is so extensive ( the plot outline alone is the length of a novella ), it works better as a fast-paced, traditional turn-based combat game.
And the last thing a player wants after spending 20 turns trying to defeat their enemies is to sit for another 10 minutes of cutscenes and whatnot, and that doesn't even include unit set-ups like purchasing gear, assigning skill-points, learning new skills etc. It could have easily have doubled LoTL's potential play-time.
What did happen to Transcend? I thought that was basically a group of best friends getting together to make a cool game. :(
Developing long games solo is a long and tough journey. Instead of always thinking of the end goal, you should keep your aim reasonable and set lighter goals along the journey. If your only goal is to finish your 40-hour epic, then you will have a rough time. :/
Good luck with the rest of this and congratulations on getting the new demo out! We're all rooting for you!
Developing long games solo is a long and tough journey. Instead of always thinking of the end goal, you should keep your aim reasonable and set lighter goals along the journey. If your only goal is to finish your 40-hour epic, then you will have a rough time. :/
Good luck with the rest of this and congratulations on getting the new demo out! We're all rooting for you!
@Luiishu: Sent you a PM regarding that game.
I'm not looking at LoTL as a big 40-hour epic though. I'm breaking it up into manageable five-hour chunks. And I do celebrate milestones on the way.
I'm not looking at LoTL as a big 40-hour epic though. I'm breaking it up into manageable five-hour chunks. And I do celebrate milestones on the way.
author=Luiishu535
What did happen to Transcend? I thought that was basically a group of best friends getting together to make a cool game. :(
It was. But even in those situations, things don't always work out. Communication is key in team situations, and proper communication wasn't maintained. I think we all learned something from it.
author=Luchino
I've had a horrible experience ( my pride was gravely wounded as a result ) working in teams, after all, and I have no intention of going back there ( and I curse the people who did it to me).
Given that I'm one of the people who worked with you, I find statements like the one bolded to be very personally harmful. I personally reached out to you after the incident (and during the whole incident) and you wouldn't talk to me. It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, but seeing this hurts me, after I tried everything I could to make things work in that team.
Blind
2262
author=Luchino
Honestly, I'm so whimsical at times. I feel I don't have the right temperament to be a developer. Just this morning I was thinking of canning the game for good, then I thought of all the characters and pixel art I've done so far. But then there are certain aspects about the general RM community that bothers the hell out of me ( like blatant bias: you just need to look at the Blogs section to get an idea of what I'm talking about ). I'm tired of keeping quiet about this and its the reason I'm no longer active in the community. It's like resisting the urge to be sick. It's been bothering me for months now and the best thing for me to do is to just stay away from the site, put those developers on Ignore and just do my thing.
Sometimes I wonder if I'll be better off learning code ( even if I do start off with HTML/CSS ) than being a slave to project that will be of no long-term benefit to me.
But don't mind my rambling.
Don't let anyone toxic in the community get you down. Be proud of this project—what it's become already, and has the potential to become. It's 10x more compelling than most stuff on this website IMO. You could even take this game commercial, if you continue on with the custom tiles, etc. XD
Even if your game isn't liked by everyone (believe me, I've known the feeling)—finish it for yourself. You owe it to yourself (and your long-time followers) after all the work that's gone into this project.
Also, it's something to consider, but you don't necessarily have to make this 40-Hour opus to achieve your vision, ya know? Remember the old cliché; quality over quantity. I have no doubt that you could easily rewrite the story to a 12 or 20 hour game, and still achieve the same effect on the player.
Choosing the episodic route doesn't mean you have to "sacrifice" either. I went down that path for BR, and it's actually very freeing.
But yeah. XD I'll give the new demo a whirl.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
author=unityauthor=Luchino
I've had a horrible experience ( my pride was gravely wounded as a result ) working in teams, after all, and I have no intention of going back there ( and I curse the people who did it to me).
Given that I'm one of the people who worked with you, I find statements like the one bolded to be very personally harmful. I personally reached out to you after the incident (and during the whole incident) and you wouldn't talk to me. It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, but seeing this hurts me, after I tried everything I could to make things work in that team.
And this was after me messaging you, Luchi, after you suddenly stopped communicating with us for a few days before even learning something was amiss. Until then, we made adjustments to try and accommodate you every time you voiced a concern, so these statements from you are a complete and total shock to see.
You're making yourself out to be the sole victim of this situation, Luchi. Don't.
Irog
4858
The most discouraging part in learning code is the beginning where you learn the basics but see no practical application of it. When you covered all the basics, you see all the possibilities opening. So persevere!
Actually, your characters portraits have a nice Fire Emblem style. And some people suggested FE mechanics to improve my project.
"The game designer single most core skill: Communication!" - Extra Credits
Communication is like any other skill, it requires practice. So persevere!
"You never fail until you stop trying." - Albert Einstein
Actually, your characters portraits have a nice Fire Emblem style. And some people suggested FE mechanics to improve my project.
"The game designer single most core skill: Communication!" - Extra Credits
Communication is like any other skill, it requires practice. So persevere!
"You never fail until you stop trying." - Albert Einstein
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