SAM'S PROFILE

So, it's been a while since I did anything with RPG Maker *cough* go download Fenrir *cough*, and now that my degree's pretty much finished I wouldn't mind making another game in RM2k3. Why 2k3? Because I know 2k3, I'm familiar with 2k3 and I can make 2k3 dance however I want it to, well, almost. Plus, using 2k3 keeps things niiice and casual for me.

I've got a couple of ideas floating around, a few ideas for simple systems. I'd love for you guys to pick them apart for me.

I've been debating an open world, versus say, a three act linear story. The linear story would not be void of side quests and exploration, but you would get subtle hints before completing the last main bit of story for Act 1 that you won't be able to go back and finish any of Act 1's side quests or even access some of Act 1's areas after Act 1's completion, if this makes sense.

I recently completed, and thoroughly enjoyed, Mass Effect 1 and 2, and while I think it would be too big a task to make large changes in the story based upon your decisions as can happen in Mass Effect, I do think it would be neat to play on the whole Paragon/ Renegade system. For the uninformed, it's an old and basic system where you choose how to reply to people and a statistic changes depending on your answers making you more of a dick or more of an angel. Mass Effect took it further but I like the basic concept and I think I could use it to change people's reactions to you and maybe force a dickhead player to approach a mission in a different way to an angel player. I think it would also be fun to put the lives of minor characters in your hands and have small reprucussions later based on your choices, but nothing huge or complicated.

May I apologise now if this sounds a little jumbled, I'm literally typing while I think.

Time period struck me. Classical RPGs set in the past are done and dusted, but it is incredibly easy to find resources for such titles, and I already did a game set in the future *couch* go download Fenrir *cough* so it would be nice to do a more traditonally styled RPG, and this includes random encounters.

For me, I like random encounters, so long as there isn't one every two steps. I believe that there are still people who love to hunt these creatures down and grind against them, or try and force that one rare drop item from a group. I did consider, for the less hardcore, an arena, where you can fight stronger monsters and earn EXP more quickly. Maybe you would have to pay or complete a side quest to open this arena.

For the dungeons, I would be looking towards Zelda for inspiration. Zelda has you dodging arrows, spinning flame wheels, using switches to change layouts of rooms, using certain items in certain areas... Smart but familiar puzzles that grow in difficulty. These are the kind of dungeons where, despite what I said earlier, I would turn random encounters off. It would just be you, and the puzzles and cavernous maze of the dungeon. If grinding were neccessary I would place a 'spawning pit' near the boss room that was known for giving birth to local monsters so players could grind without having to leave the dungeon and come back.

I think I need to really narrow my ideas down and write a design document. I have a plot. It is not finalised yet. I have the rough ideas, characters, locations and how they get from one place to another, but some of the details are missing, there are gaps in the storyline, a few characters need personalities tweaking and ultimately I need to decide whether to be open world or more linear Act based before I can start writing scripts or anything.

What do you guys think?

Thanks. I've finished the short four page comic now, when I get my grades back from uni next month I'll be allowed to post the entire project it centered around. As for the sketch being tilted, in the full body shot (only got round to inking and colouring his head so far) he's kinda throwing one arm out while walking forwards so it helps convey the weight of his step.

I'm currently using PhotoShop CS3 and a Wacom Cintiq 15x series PL-550 tablet. Been struggling with getting the pressure sensitivity on it right for a couple of weeks now.

Sorry, been hectic lately. here's some more angled shots of the bot for you Max. Ratty, yeah, arms seem a little short, trying to decide if it's because I put the crotch too low or made the body too long (common mistake of mine) or if it really is just the arms. At any rate it's being looked at.

I'd love to rig and animate this thing but there's not enough time before hand in. maybe in summer, in my free time, I'll get it up and moving.

These are with the toon shader on






Also, here's a comic page from what's replacing the storyboards

And for shits and giggles

Some of you may remember I was working on a 3D model for my uni course. I finally finished it and added textures to it. I was going for a comic book asthetic so the texture maps contain a lot of hand drawn details.

There are pics of it with and without the toon shader on, think the toon shader makes it look very Borderlands.

Without toon shader





With toon shader

It's an absolute dream to use now I'm used to it and have started getting the sensitivity and everything set the way I like it.