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Housekeeping
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My name's Kasey Ozymy. I'm a game designer from Texas. I made Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass and am currently working on Hymn to the Earless God.
Check out Hymn to the Earless God:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2165130/Hymn_to_the_Earless_God
Buy Jimmy:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/706560/Jimmy_and_the_Pulsating_Mass/
Check out Hymn to the Earless God:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2165130/Hymn_to_the_Earless_God
Buy Jimmy:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/706560/Jimmy_and_the_Pulsating_Mass/
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New User: First Project
Yep, I made it! Always good to hear that someone liked it!
You might also check out Snow Owl's stuff; he produces some cool horror games.
You might also check out Snow Owl's stuff; he produces some cool horror games.
Alex Gets Oppai
I hate that you guys made me look up the word "oppai," and I feel ten percent nerdier for knowing its definition.
I'm also terrible at this game.
I'm also terrible at this game.
New User: First Project
This is all the Eyes Without a Face you need:
Oh, Billy, one day I will learn how to sneer and sing simultaneously, too.
Good luck with your horror game! Its definitely a fun genre to work in.
Oh, Billy, one day I will learn how to sneer and sing simultaneously, too.
Good luck with your horror game! Its definitely a fun genre to work in.
Ys Series
I had Wanderers from Ys on snes, and it was an okay game that sort of pales in comparison to some of the giants in the action/adventure genre that were out around the same time. I went back and tried to play the first one and couldn't get into it, mainly because of the wonky combat system. But, man, that series has some great music.
Edward Snowden: ‘I already won’
I agree with the government transparency this guy's advocating. At the same time, his douchiness is palpable, especially with that fucking angel comment.
2-Day DO SOMETHING Challenge!
Man, I take too long to compose in Reason. Working with standard MIDI is so much easier since you're so limited on timbre choices. Anyway, did this the past couple of days:
https://soundcloud.com/a-very-long-rope/serotonin-flowers
Edit: it's for a game I'm keeping close to the chest for now, but it's meant to loop, so it has a weird ending if you listen to it for just one play through.
https://soundcloud.com/a-very-long-rope/serotonin-flowers
Edit: it's for a game I'm keeping close to the chest for now, but it's meant to loop, so it has a weird ending if you listen to it for just one play through.
What do YOU look for in a (good) story? (In a video game)
author=LockeZ
It amuses me that Xenosaga had like 70 hours of well voice acted cut scenes with an extremely intricate plot that they obviously spent years just writing, and you put it worse than FF4 which was the equivalent of a 5 minute long preschool storybook with three-sentence-long pages in which you paused for an hour at the end of each page so you could play a video game before turning the page.
I'm not disagreeing, mind you.
"Shion, we have to save the universe from the Gnosis!"
"Sorry, I'm reading through the in-game encyclopedia that covers the entirety of human history in the game world up until this point."
I only played the first one.
What do YOU look for in a (good) story? (In a video game)
author=Desertopaauthor=HousekeepingThis is a bit of a nitpick, but a character who changes from the beginning of a story to the end is a "dynamic" character, while one who stays the same is a "static" character. "Flat" versus "round" are for describing whether the character has depth of personality versus a few basic distinguishing traits. A character can be static and round, or dynamic and flat (for example, an NPC whose only distinguishing trait is greed learns their lesson and stops being greedy.)
A note on dynamics: your characters should change from the beginning of the story to the end. This is called a round character; a character that doesn't change is called a flat character.
A character doesn't necessarily have to be dynamic in order to engage the audience. In the story I'm working on right now, for instance, the main character doesn't really change much over the course of the story (although a lot of the other characters change around him,) but as the audience learns more about him, it puts his actions from earlier on into a different context. By the end of the story, he's still largely the same person he was to start with, but at the same time, he's very different from what the audience was led to believe. Note that I'm definitely not saying that plot twists are a substitute for good characterization, but the ultimate goal is to get the audience invested in the characters, and having them change over the course of the story is a means to that end, rather than the end unto itself.
"In his book Aspects of the novel, E. M. Forster defined two basic types of characters, their qualities, functions, and importance for the development of the novel: flat characters and round characters. Flat characters are two-dimensional, in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work. By contrast, round characters are complex and undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader." From Wikipedia.
Apparently, Wikipedia says "dynamic/static" refers to characters in the way you're differentiating round/flat; dynamic characters have several traits while static characters only have one or two. I didn't know that distinction existed, and it's a confusing one that I don't fault you for mixing up, as the word "dynamic" means something that changes and "static" means "stays the same." What a dumb distinction; I was just saying "dynamic" in a denotative sense.
I would argue that these terms are often synonyms, anyway, as by showing the different characteristics of a character over the course of the story, you're basically rounding them out from the perspective of the player. I get the distinction that's being made, though.
I would also argue that the character you have mentioned is getting rounded out, as their true motivations would have shown the character in a different light, rounding them out in the audience's eyes. I do get what you're saying, and my earlier distinction about the necessity of round characters could have been nuanced by things like audience perception, but I was trying to keep it simple. Good point.
What do YOU look for in a (good) story? (In a video game)
Make characters that are relatable, dynamic, and nuanced.
A note on relatability: characters don't necessarily have to make "the right" decisions, but they have to make decisions that, when we put ourselves in their shoes, we can understand. I'll use Final Fantasy 6 as an extended example throughout this: when you see Terra in the world of ruin, she's lost her will to fight, and she instead chooses to watch over a group of orphaned children. Given the social isolation that Terra experienced because she is half-esper, her decision to stay in a place where she's socially accepted--even depended on--makes sense, even if the player wants her to fight with them again. Because of the destruction that's happened to the world, Terra recognizes that same power inside of herself, and the psychological block she has against using that power again also makes sense. The player might not agree that her separating herself from the conflicts of the world is the right course of action, but we still don't fault her for it, because we know what it's like to feel alone and to finally be accepted, and we also know humanity's capabilities of destruction and the depression that can cause. We can relate.
A note on dynamics: your characters should change from the beginning of the story to the end. This is called a round character; a character that doesn't change is called a flat character. A general rule of writing is that most stories function based on a character moving from state A to state B, and the story is designed to test them so that they make that movement. This doesn't mean that every character has to start being a cynical bastard and change into a bleeding heart looking to save the world. Look at Kefka, for example. Kefka's basic personality is the same at the beginning of the game as it is at the end, but the events of the story have taken Kefka even further down the path of narcissism and nihilism. There's still an arc to his character that makes him interesting to watch as the events of the game unfold.
A note on nuance: your game should be the first time I've seen your character. Inevitably, there are tropes that a character can fall into, but even if you're working with a trope, temper your characters by how they react to the plot. Edgar, for instance, is a rich playboy; this is something we see all the time (The Talented Mr. Ripley unfortunately comes to mind). However, Edgar also has a penchant for machinery. He also has an interesting relationship with his estranged brother. He's also a clever and benevolent leader. Also, also, also. All these "alsos" serve to turn Edgar into a character that we've really only seen once.
As far as plot goes, there are so many different ways you can go. The biggest rule of thumb is to show us something we haven't seen before. Your characters will be doing a lot of the legwork, though, so you could actually show us a ground situation that we have seen before, but the characters' interactions could still make it nuanced. You can have a clever, intricate plot--and it's fine to start with this--but, regardless, make sure to give us characters that engage us. Too, try to make it about something that matters to you--at least thematically. You'll put more feeling into it, and the audience will pick up on it.
A note on relatability: characters don't necessarily have to make "the right" decisions, but they have to make decisions that, when we put ourselves in their shoes, we can understand. I'll use Final Fantasy 6 as an extended example throughout this: when you see Terra in the world of ruin, she's lost her will to fight, and she instead chooses to watch over a group of orphaned children. Given the social isolation that Terra experienced because she is half-esper, her decision to stay in a place where she's socially accepted--even depended on--makes sense, even if the player wants her to fight with them again. Because of the destruction that's happened to the world, Terra recognizes that same power inside of herself, and the psychological block she has against using that power again also makes sense. The player might not agree that her separating herself from the conflicts of the world is the right course of action, but we still don't fault her for it, because we know what it's like to feel alone and to finally be accepted, and we also know humanity's capabilities of destruction and the depression that can cause. We can relate.
A note on dynamics: your characters should change from the beginning of the story to the end. This is called a round character; a character that doesn't change is called a flat character. A general rule of writing is that most stories function based on a character moving from state A to state B, and the story is designed to test them so that they make that movement. This doesn't mean that every character has to start being a cynical bastard and change into a bleeding heart looking to save the world. Look at Kefka, for example. Kefka's basic personality is the same at the beginning of the game as it is at the end, but the events of the story have taken Kefka even further down the path of narcissism and nihilism. There's still an arc to his character that makes him interesting to watch as the events of the game unfold.
A note on nuance: your game should be the first time I've seen your character. Inevitably, there are tropes that a character can fall into, but even if you're working with a trope, temper your characters by how they react to the plot. Edgar, for instance, is a rich playboy; this is something we see all the time (The Talented Mr. Ripley unfortunately comes to mind). However, Edgar also has a penchant for machinery. He also has an interesting relationship with his estranged brother. He's also a clever and benevolent leader. Also, also, also. All these "alsos" serve to turn Edgar into a character that we've really only seen once.
As far as plot goes, there are so many different ways you can go. The biggest rule of thumb is to show us something we haven't seen before. Your characters will be doing a lot of the legwork, though, so you could actually show us a ground situation that we have seen before, but the characters' interactions could still make it nuanced. You can have a clever, intricate plot--and it's fine to start with this--but, regardless, make sure to give us characters that engage us. Too, try to make it about something that matters to you--at least thematically. You'll put more feeling into it, and the audience will pick up on it.
VorlorN Review
I think the thirty soul quest may have been nerfed since you've played it. When I first talked to the "wise old guy" npc (can't remember his name now), I think he said I needed seven or so, and I'd already killed a few things, so it's probably 10 or 15 now. It was a little annoying, but I think it was designed to get the player more used to the fighting mechanic. I definitely saved after every kill, though, which says more about the mechanic than the quest.
Games - Tester
Games - Other
