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What are you thinking about? (game development edition)
Sorry, I forgot to respond to this thread; thanks chana and LockeZ for the advice. For the moment I've concluded that, as long as a game is fun, nobody will care too much if something is unrealistic. After all, one of the main appeals of video games, as well as just games in general, is instant gratification, and the more like the real world something becomes, the less instant that gratification becomes, lol!
The Screenshot Topic Returns
Thanks Chana!
...LockeZ, you're brilliant. I can't believe I didn't think of that, especially since all my wall tiles are along those lines.
Well, actually, I suppose the reason it didn't come up is because I never had large open areas before. The 'Barren Lands' are coming up though (don't ask), so that trick is definitely something I'll try there. Thanks!
...LockeZ, you're brilliant. I can't believe I didn't think of that, especially since all my wall tiles are along those lines.
Well, actually, I suppose the reason it didn't come up is because I never had large open areas before. The 'Barren Lands' are coming up though (don't ask), so that trick is definitely something I'll try there. Thanks!
The Screenshot Topic Returns
As far as I can tell, patterns are a necessary evil with one tile textures. After all, any one texture tile, no matter how seemingly irregular, is going to have visible patterns when it is repeated often enough. I have yet to see an RPG tile that is an exception to this (which isn't just a flat colour, of course). What most RPGs do to avoid this problem, and what I plan to do as well, is to break up the tiles with other tiles as much as possible to create a more natural affect. The above screenshot is just for feedback purposes; you will never see an area this barren in the actual game.
Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks for the feedback!
A Civil Garden Party ~ 2k3 Discussion
I actually own a legal copy of the Japanese RPG Maker 2k3, but I greatly prefer using XP. I like the mapping tools, the higher resolution, the large increase in eventing options and, above all, the scripting functions. I'm not saying 2k3 is bad, but in every appreciable sense the modern makers are superior.
(Though I suppose it is cool to have a built in side battle view for those who like that sort of thing.)
(Though I suppose it is cool to have a built in side battle view for those who like that sort of thing.)
The Screenshot Topic Returns
@Arandomgamemaker
The town looks a lot more intricate now, but the buildings still look a bit odd to me. The houses viewed from the front don't appear to have the same dimensions or be made out of the same material as the house on the bottom right. I would try to make the dimensions of the walls and rooves more homogeneous.
Adding detail? Well, you could add a pond, a graveyard, a windmill, a mayor's house, a pub, a market and some dirt roads, for starters. Towns are generally very simplified in RPGs, especially retro ones, so there is naturally a ton of stuff we usually leave out. Good luck!
@facesforce
I like the 8-bit graphics and the Megaten look, but as others have pointed out the sprites clash in size and perspective. The ground especially needs to be in perspective, as it looks very jarring compared to the walls. I believe most graphical programs have a perspective tool that would allow you to get the look of classic first-person adventure games you're going for. I do like the atmosphere you have going on in your screenshots.
@Commissar_Thule
I like the setting, and the character sprites work well with the background tiles. However, while I like that you're using sections of the overworld map for the combat screen, the character sprites are out of perspective with the background. The larger the sprites get the more noticeable this becomes; that enemy for example is clearly intended to be viewed from the side, not the 3/4 perspective that the map is in. Granted, lots of NES games did this sort of thing (the original Zelda, for example), and it doesn't look horrible or anything, but it is worth keeping in mind.
@stardust
That is just beautiful, and I don't even know how you did half that stuff. You've proven that the RTP can look gorgeous in the right hands.
Here is a new grass texture that I'd like to get some feedback on. The goal of this new texture is to look more organic and less like 'astro turf', which is a balancing act of art and function.
The colours are blended, the saturation is low and the pattern is mostly diagonal, which usually creates a more organic and less tiled effect. One thing I've learned in my brief time spriting is that every pixel matters, and that subtlety counts for a lot. For this reason I'm employing the 'Magic the Gathering' art test; I see if the tiles look good at full screen, and I see if they still look good at higher resolutions. So far this method has allowed me to reduce obvious tile patterns to a minimum, but as always outside feedback is appreciated.
The town looks a lot more intricate now, but the buildings still look a bit odd to me. The houses viewed from the front don't appear to have the same dimensions or be made out of the same material as the house on the bottom right. I would try to make the dimensions of the walls and rooves more homogeneous.
Adding detail? Well, you could add a pond, a graveyard, a windmill, a mayor's house, a pub, a market and some dirt roads, for starters. Towns are generally very simplified in RPGs, especially retro ones, so there is naturally a ton of stuff we usually leave out. Good luck!
@facesforce
I like the 8-bit graphics and the Megaten look, but as others have pointed out the sprites clash in size and perspective. The ground especially needs to be in perspective, as it looks very jarring compared to the walls. I believe most graphical programs have a perspective tool that would allow you to get the look of classic first-person adventure games you're going for. I do like the atmosphere you have going on in your screenshots.
@Commissar_Thule
I like the setting, and the character sprites work well with the background tiles. However, while I like that you're using sections of the overworld map for the combat screen, the character sprites are out of perspective with the background. The larger the sprites get the more noticeable this becomes; that enemy for example is clearly intended to be viewed from the side, not the 3/4 perspective that the map is in. Granted, lots of NES games did this sort of thing (the original Zelda, for example), and it doesn't look horrible or anything, but it is worth keeping in mind.
@stardust
That is just beautiful, and I don't even know how you did half that stuff. You've proven that the RTP can look gorgeous in the right hands.
Here is a new grass texture that I'd like to get some feedback on. The goal of this new texture is to look more organic and less like 'astro turf', which is a balancing act of art and function.
The colours are blended, the saturation is low and the pattern is mostly diagonal, which usually creates a more organic and less tiled effect. One thing I've learned in my brief time spriting is that every pixel matters, and that subtlety counts for a lot. For this reason I'm employing the 'Magic the Gathering' art test; I see if the tiles look good at full screen, and I see if they still look good at higher resolutions. So far this method has allowed me to reduce obvious tile patterns to a minimum, but as always outside feedback is appreciated.
Creation Custom Crafts: Craving Criticism
Already your sprites are looking much better Creation. Honestly, at present they look good enough for a professional game, but it is hard to get a feel on how well they fit with your game seeing them in isolation like this.
Would it be possible to see this in the context of a screenshot?
Would it be possible to see this in the context of a screenshot?
The Customer Is Always Right - Perception Of Designer & Player "Responsibilities" In Amateur & Commercial Video Games
author=NewBlack
rpgmakers don't play rpgmaker games properly anyway.
We're too busy trying to figure out how things were done or we could have done better rather than just playing them.
There, I said it.
Edit: Also, sometime we end up making things that are only meaningful or significant in the context of other rm users and would be totally lost on non-rmer players.
You bring up a really good point here. I've seen and played RPG Maker games that would probably be poorly received on a hyper-critical site like this one, but which nevertheless have a number of fans who praise and legitimately enjoy them in the communities where said games originated. Many of those people had never played an RPG Maker game before, and so were a lot less jaded on the default content and less aware of the games' flaws. The developers just made the games for fun, not caring too much about polish.
I guess it's hard to find the right balance; we're all here on RPG Maker.net because we want to make the best game we can, and there are a ton of talented people here to help us do just that. Projects that go through the rigors of peer review are almost guaranteed to be superior to ones made in isolation. Even so, it's useful to take a step back if you're getting frustrated and ask yourself, "do I really need to impress anybody? Has the joy gone out of this project?" If the answer is yes to either question, I suggest taking a step back and reevaluating your motivations. Listen to the advice people give you, but don't let them tell you you're wrong to make the kind of project you want to make; they're your critics, not your bosses.
And hey, if you're getting really discouraged, try showing your game to a friend who knows nothing about RPG Maker and see what he or she thinks. If they find the game fun, you must be doing something right!
American Constitution overriden
While this is quite worrisome, it is also cause for concern that some people seem to think they're going to see fascism take over tomorrow and that it's time to load up on ammunition. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing seditionist about owning firearms, and I'm not belittling the severity of this problem, but there is some middle ground between, "this bill has vague language that could potentially threaten individual liberties" and, "the government has gone mad so lets fight to the last man!"
Also, the comparisons to Nazi Germany are not apt at all. We're in a recession now, but this is nothing, NOTHING compared to what Germany went through during the 1920s. The Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic was enough to make even the most stalwart supporter of freedom lose all faith in democracy, allowing tyranny to take hold. The very fact that we're having this debate is a good sign that liberty is still alive.
Also, the comparisons to Nazi Germany are not apt at all. We're in a recession now, but this is nothing, NOTHING compared to what Germany went through during the 1920s. The Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic was enough to make even the most stalwart supporter of freedom lose all faith in democracy, allowing tyranny to take hold. The very fact that we're having this debate is a good sign that liberty is still alive.
What are you thinking about? (game development edition)
Congrats sbester!
I'm thinking about the extent to which realism should be a factor in my game's world. I mean, the tried and true RPG approach for a world-spanning plot is to have towns be small, to have one global economy, to have limited to no government presence or hierarchical structure, and to have the distances between areas greatly skewed in relationship to any kind of real-world geography. I would like to get rid of some of these, and keep others.
All of these unrealistic conventions exist for a reason; they make the games easier to make and easier to play. If, for example, towns were actual-sized, the developer would have to spend a great deal of time on just one town (possibly as much as he would have spent on the entire rest of the game), and the player would need a map and detailed directions on how to find his way around said environment. If the game doesn't take place all in one town, there is no reason to go to this much detail as it would just bog everything down.
Clichés like these have been used so often that gamers and developers have come to accept them, but when a designer starts deviating from certain clichés towards, say, a more realistic style of story telling or world building, it draws attention to the other clichés that remain out of necessity or convenience. One solution is, of course, to just change the game to a smaller scale to maintain the illusion of realism, but this kind of dodges the issue of when it is and isn't okay to use clichés that fly in the face of realism.
We've talked about this before, and there doesn't seem to be an easy answer to the issue. Then again maybe I'm just thinking too hard and I should get back to making the darn game.
I'm thinking about the extent to which realism should be a factor in my game's world. I mean, the tried and true RPG approach for a world-spanning plot is to have towns be small, to have one global economy, to have limited to no government presence or hierarchical structure, and to have the distances between areas greatly skewed in relationship to any kind of real-world geography. I would like to get rid of some of these, and keep others.
All of these unrealistic conventions exist for a reason; they make the games easier to make and easier to play. If, for example, towns were actual-sized, the developer would have to spend a great deal of time on just one town (possibly as much as he would have spent on the entire rest of the game), and the player would need a map and detailed directions on how to find his way around said environment. If the game doesn't take place all in one town, there is no reason to go to this much detail as it would just bog everything down.
Clichés like these have been used so often that gamers and developers have come to accept them, but when a designer starts deviating from certain clichés towards, say, a more realistic style of story telling or world building, it draws attention to the other clichés that remain out of necessity or convenience. One solution is, of course, to just change the game to a smaller scale to maintain the illusion of realism, but this kind of dodges the issue of when it is and isn't okay to use clichés that fly in the face of realism.
We've talked about this before, and there doesn't seem to be an easy answer to the issue. Then again maybe I'm just thinking too hard and I should get back to making the darn game.
Any libertarians here?
author=Dyhalto
Here's a cut and paste of an email I got six months ago that sums up the highlights of what sucks in the "Obamacare" bill.Please pass this on to your friends...democrats and republicans, everyone should know why Pelosi wanted to hurry up and pass this Bill before anyone could read it.
READ PAGE #58 AND #59 TWICE IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND IT THE FIRST TIME. YOU DECIDE?
How much power do we want our government to have over us?
This is the most succinct exposure to Obamacare that I have seen and everyone (including Democrats) should be up in arms.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OUR REPRESENTATIVES DON'T READ WHAT THEY SIGN.
Obamacare Highlighted by Page Number
THE CARE BILL HB3200
THIS IS THE 2ND OFFICIAL WHO HAS OUTLINED THESE PARTS OF THE CARE BILL.
Judge Kithil of Marble Falls , TX
- HB3200 highlighted pages most egregious
Please read this... especially the reference to pages 58 & 59
JUDGE KITHIL wrote:
** Page 50/section 152: The bill will provide insurance to all non-U.S. residents, even if they are here illegally.
** Page 58 and 59: The government will have real-time access to an individual's bank account and will have the authority to make electronic fund transfers from those accounts.
** Page 65/section 164: The plan will be subsidized (by the government) for all union members, union retirees and for community organizations (such as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now - ACORN).
** Page 203/line 14-15: The tax imposed under this section will not be treated as a tax. (How could anybody in their right mind come up with that?)
** Page 241 and 253: Doctors will all be paid the same regardless of specialty, and the government will set all doctors' fees.
** Page 272. section 1145: Cancer hospital will ration care according to the patient's age.
** Page 317 and 321: The government will impose a prohibition on hospital expansion; however, communities may petition for an exception.
** Page 425, line 4-12: The government mandates advance-care planning consultations. Those on Social Security will be required to attend an "end-of-life planning" seminar every five years. (Death counseling..)
** Page 429, line 13-25: The government will specify which doctors can write an end-of-life order.
HAD ENOUGH? Judge Kithil then goes on:
"Finally, it is specifically stated that this bill will not apply to members of Congress. Members of Congress are already exempt from the Social Security system, and have a well-funded private plan that covers their retirement needs. If they were on our Social Security plan, I believe they would find a very quick 'fix' to make the plan financially sound for their future."
Honorable David Kithil
Marble Falls, Texas
All of the above should give you the point blank ammo you need to support your opposition to Obamacare. Please send this information on to all of your email contacts.
I used a spoiler tag since it's different from the thread topic.
I did a quick web search to see if any of that was true, and found this:
http://coffeebear.net/2009/11/22/h-b-3200/
I'm not saying people should or shouldn't support the bill, but it is disturbing that some people take e-mails like that at face value without doing any research first (I'm not saying Dyhalto did that, as he received the e-mail six months ago and probably did look into the bill to form his own opinions since then). Messages like this one keep language vague and alarming in order to win people over to a specific way of thinking before they have all the facts.
Granted, I'm not sure how many people have actually read the bill in the first place.
Games - Tester
Games - Other
