HEDGE1'S PROFILE

Edit: Thanks to everyone who responded to the survey (and if you haven't taken it yet, your response is still helpful). Unfortunately, I was not successful in winning money in the competition. However, I am pursuing other avenues for potential funding. I am also looking for ideas for a better name for the product/company.

Original Post:

I've been floating around the RPG Maker community since 2003, way back with the original Gaming World forums. I've loved what gets created here, but have continually been disappointed with the capabilities of RPG Maker.

For the last couple of years I have thought about what a better development platform would look like, and what capabilities it would have. This year, I had the opportunity to join a business plan competition with a top prize of $25,000 (and $100,000 of prizes overall). I am one round away from talking with actual investors, and two rounds away from the finals. Winning could also get me a chance at an additional $25,000 in state funding. I don't think I need to explain further why this is a big deal. But I need your help.

I spoke with a competition coach yesterday and they need more evidence my potential customers want what I plan to deliver. That's where you all come in. You're my potential customers.

I have created a short survey with eight questions and some space where you can write anything you want to me. I promise I will read it, and what you write could influence the final product.

The deadline for this round is tomorrow at midnight. So the sooner you can answer the survey, the better. Even after the deadline, keep answering the survey, since I'll need even more data points if I wish to make finals.

Take the Survey Here

Also, please don't get your hopes up. I have avoided posting about this previously because I have seen so many failed projects over the years that it breaks my heart. But this really is an opportunity of a lifetime, and I can't do it without you.

And if anyone can give me links to older threads about others who have tried this, that would be awesome. I'm aware of RPG20xx and the 3D RPG designer from a while back, but can't find other instances. Being able to cite forum threads where users post concerns could also support my cause.

Thank you!

I'm working on a quest menu and want to know how, from a game play perspective, people want it to function. The menu itself will be in list format and have an option to see all quests or just those not yet completed.

There are two options:

1. Newly received quests appear on the bottom of the list. So if you're at the end of the game and return to the first town and find a quest, it will appear as the very last item in the list, next to any other recently acquired quest (likely other end-game ones).

2. Quests have a pre-determined order and once you are given a quest it will always appear in the same location in the menu. So if you're at the end of the game and return to the first town and find a quest, it will appear near the top of the menu with all the other quests from that town.

For me the advantage of Option 1 is that it easy to find new quests and in many ways makes sense from a player perspective (they get a new quest and they add it to the list). The advantage of Option 2 is that it adds a bit of order to the menu and overall player experience.

In neither option will blank spaces appear in the menu. In both options I could also assign location names to the quest information, so that knowing approximately where a quest originated can be done with either option.

I'm not interested in highlighting quests in the menu that have not been "read" yet, due to the extra programming involved, but could see that as a valid enhancement if it appears important enough.