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Confessions of a Novice Gamedev + Progress Update!
LadyTe-chan- 01/21/2017 02:48 AM
- 2732 views
<LadyTe-chan>:Thank you so much for {giving me RPG Maker for Christmas}, by the way! I'm having a lot of fun with the Character Generator in particular. :D
<SgtMettool>:Haha thats good! Have you managed to figure anything out with it yet? Try putting together a very simple game to start
<LadyTe-chan>:Well, I figured out how to fill in a map. That's literally it. But I guess we all have to start somewhere. XD
<LadyTe-chan>:Speaking of, I know this is a very general question, but... what do I do in RPG Maker now? I have a map I guess, but I don't really know what I'm supposed to do beyond this point.
<SgtMettool>: If you have a map, you can start adding "Events" to it. Events can be anything from NPCs to teleporter tiles, to processing. Go into event mode and make a new event. Like, try making an NPC that talks
<LadyTe-chan>:ok... I'll give it a shot.
That simple conversation was how my game started, 20 days ago. At this point, it's hard to believe that I have formally put this game forth and that people have actually downloaded it and enjoyed it. It's gone through a few versions already, but so far, I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out, and I'm working on fixing bugs and polishing it up a little more to release version 1.2 sometime soon.
I will say that making this game has been a truly fun experience. As a college student and English Major who has loved story-driven games for a long time, it was exciting to translate my idea into a much more tangible medium. However, more importantly, it was something that I could do myself- I didn't need to be a computer programming wizard or even know how to do HTML (because uh... I really don't know how to do HTML) to make a game that people genuinely seemed to like. I know how to write, but I always felt that the world of making games was something I could never touch because I'm not particularly good at doing anything technical beyond surface-level computing. With RPG Maker, I finally found a medium through which I could tell stories in a new and yet familiar way.
I admit, it was hard not to charge in and want to create a HUGE game worthy of all of my ideas. SgtMettool often had to remind me to rein it in because my ideas were getting ahead of my skill, or even my patience. At one point, I had wanted to put a second town, far bigger than Almick, into the game and it would have been at least 9 default map tiles large, and blah blah blah. Fortunately for my own sanity, that idea got scrapped, although in my later games, bigger (yet still functional!) towns may make an appearance.
However, for now, I'm just focusing on making this game the best it can be. In version 1.2, I intend to overhaul some of the maps in the game that are just too lifeless, too big, too square and boring, or just too impractical. I've been reading up on several threads, guides, and tutorials for mapping, and we'll see where things go! Check this out:
Progress already! Not perfect, but infinitely more interesting. (Special thanks goes to Liberty's "How Cliffs can be Cool" advice in the New Developer Screenshot thread for that one.) I'll also redo those interior maps that really need help, and those will show up at another time. Although I've been told that my maps aren't bad for a beginner, since this game is really something I'm using to figure out the software, I want to at least get to "Hey! That's pretty good, for a beginner!" It's all about making progress and fixing bugs. Some other fixes will include:
-Minor bugs and typos
-Some dialogue fixes
-Inclusion of a new script that wraps characters' text to better fit the boxes
In conclusion, I've learned so much already from doing this project, and I cannot thank everyone enough for the amazing support. I'm floored by how many pageviews this has gotten, much less about 30 downloads and 5 subs! That's beyond incredible to me. Thank you so much, rmn, for taking a chance on me and accepting a novice's first game; I have received nothing but overwhelming support and kindness from everyone who has interacted with my work. I hope that everyone will continue to enjoy it, and be on the lookout for version 1.2!
Sincerely,
LadyTe-chan
<SgtMettool>:Haha thats good! Have you managed to figure anything out with it yet? Try putting together a very simple game to start
<LadyTe-chan>:Well, I figured out how to fill in a map. That's literally it. But I guess we all have to start somewhere. XD
<LadyTe-chan>:Speaking of, I know this is a very general question, but... what do I do in RPG Maker now? I have a map I guess, but I don't really know what I'm supposed to do beyond this point.
<SgtMettool>: If you have a map, you can start adding "Events" to it. Events can be anything from NPCs to teleporter tiles, to processing. Go into event mode and make a new event. Like, try making an NPC that talks
<LadyTe-chan>:ok... I'll give it a shot.
That simple conversation was how my game started, 20 days ago. At this point, it's hard to believe that I have formally put this game forth and that people have actually downloaded it and enjoyed it. It's gone through a few versions already, but so far, I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out, and I'm working on fixing bugs and polishing it up a little more to release version 1.2 sometime soon.
I will say that making this game has been a truly fun experience. As a college student and English Major who has loved story-driven games for a long time, it was exciting to translate my idea into a much more tangible medium. However, more importantly, it was something that I could do myself- I didn't need to be a computer programming wizard or even know how to do HTML (because uh... I really don't know how to do HTML) to make a game that people genuinely seemed to like. I know how to write, but I always felt that the world of making games was something I could never touch because I'm not particularly good at doing anything technical beyond surface-level computing. With RPG Maker, I finally found a medium through which I could tell stories in a new and yet familiar way.
I admit, it was hard not to charge in and want to create a HUGE game worthy of all of my ideas. SgtMettool often had to remind me to rein it in because my ideas were getting ahead of my skill, or even my patience. At one point, I had wanted to put a second town, far bigger than Almick, into the game and it would have been at least 9 default map tiles large, and blah blah blah. Fortunately for my own sanity, that idea got scrapped, although in my later games, bigger (yet still functional!) towns may make an appearance.
However, for now, I'm just focusing on making this game the best it can be. In version 1.2, I intend to overhaul some of the maps in the game that are just too lifeless, too big, too square and boring, or just too impractical. I've been reading up on several threads, guides, and tutorials for mapping, and we'll see where things go! Check this out:
Progress already! Not perfect, but infinitely more interesting. (Special thanks goes to Liberty's "How Cliffs can be Cool" advice in the New Developer Screenshot thread for that one.) I'll also redo those interior maps that really need help, and those will show up at another time. Although I've been told that my maps aren't bad for a beginner, since this game is really something I'm using to figure out the software, I want to at least get to "Hey! That's pretty good, for a beginner!" It's all about making progress and fixing bugs. Some other fixes will include:
-Minor bugs and typos
-Some dialogue fixes
-Inclusion of a new script that wraps characters' text to better fit the boxes
In conclusion, I've learned so much already from doing this project, and I cannot thank everyone enough for the amazing support. I'm floored by how many pageviews this has gotten, much less about 30 downloads and 5 subs! That's beyond incredible to me. Thank you so much, rmn, for taking a chance on me and accepting a novice's first game; I have received nothing but overwhelming support and kindness from everyone who has interacted with my work. I hope that everyone will continue to enjoy it, and be on the lookout for version 1.2!
Sincerely,
LadyTe-chan
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Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
View playlists
CloseHm...
- Realistic expectations of development scope.
- Commitment to improving.
- Responds to criticism well.
Conclusion: You're gonna go far. Keep it up! I'll give this game a playthrough sometime in the future once life stops kicking me up and down the street.
I sure wish I had a SgtMettool to nail my feet to the ground back when I first started game dev. Would have saved me a lot of headaches.
Quick point about the screens you posted:
- Realistic expectations of development scope.
- Commitment to improving.
- Responds to criticism well.
Conclusion: You're gonna go far. Keep it up! I'll give this game a playthrough sometime in the future once life stops kicking me up and down the street.
I sure wish I had a SgtMettool to nail my feet to the ground back when I first started game dev. Would have saved me a lot of headaches.
Quick point about the screens you posted:
Make sure to use the appropriate cliff edge for the appropriate location. I've circled a few areas that need edges.
You got it right on a few cliff edges. Just make sure to get all of them. Let me know if you need more specifics.
Hope that helps!
You got it right on a few cliff edges. Just make sure to get all of them. Let me know if you need more specifics.
Hope that helps!
LadyTe-chan
690
Yes, that was extremely helpful! Thank you so much! :D I didn't realize how obvious the tiny differences in the cliff tiles looked, and now that's all fixed, along with a mental reminder to be more observant about how certain groups of tiles look together.
Red said everything! Just take this time to enjoy learning the ropes, it's gonna take a while. Yet, if you have fun during it all, it will all work out!
I much approve of having a small game that you keep improving. It's a great way to learn.
If things go well for you in this game dev path, I do warn that you may grow very attached to your projects. It's a curse and a joy. It's really good that you're already showing realism and a good response to criticism early on. It will help the whole thing be a joy for you in the long run.
I'll give this game a go when I can! Best of luck to you on this game dev path.
I much approve of having a small game that you keep improving. It's a great way to learn.
If things go well for you in this game dev path, I do warn that you may grow very attached to your projects. It's a curse and a joy. It's really good that you're already showing realism and a good response to criticism early on. It will help the whole thing be a joy for you in the long run.
I'll give this game a go when I can! Best of luck to you on this game dev path.
BlackWolf1992
234
It is better to start out small. I learned that the hard way. I played through your game for a bit very well done for a beginner. Some map errors here and there, but hey you are leaning. :) Soon you will be awesome and stuff. Keep it up!
RM's default tiles "look" for depth perception when placing wall tiles. Basically, if you want to create multiple depths for walls, they have to all be the same height when meeting their upper tier.
Compare the image on the left, where the wall was originally drawn as all the same depth and then the top was drawn on top of it. Then notice the one of the right is corrected to have all of the cliff's depths to be 3 tiles high. RM will automatically round the tiles.
keeping everything the same height on a singular object is important, or you might end up with weird optical illusions like this:
Always check your walls!
And keep it up, you're doing great!
Compare the image on the left, where the wall was originally drawn as all the same depth and then the top was drawn on top of it. Then notice the one of the right is corrected to have all of the cliff's depths to be 3 tiles high. RM will automatically round the tiles.
keeping everything the same height on a singular object is important, or you might end up with weird optical illusions like this:
Always check your walls!
And keep it up, you're doing great!
Wait, it was SgtMettool who introduced you to RPG Maker? Well, that's a pretty great way to get started, I have to say. If you keep being so passionate and enthusiastic about improving your skills, I can only imagine we'll see awesome work from you in the future. Best of luck, and keep it up!
I remember trying to figure out cliffs, and getting very similar advise about re-checking the height of the cliff walls.
I also remember advice about a change in ground-tile to help differentiate the difference in height. Wait a sec... okay, it was this comment. Though, that was a more indoors/dungeon map, but, hey, it seemed helpful!
I also remember advice about a change in ground-tile to help differentiate the difference in height. Wait a sec... okay, it was this comment. Though, that was a more indoors/dungeon map, but, hey, it seemed helpful!
BlackWolf1992
234
I remember once making an exterior map with the field tiles...glad I learned from that mistake.
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