An organized method

[Tori]

Well, because I am a perfectionist, I have a hard time getting started.  What I mean by "started" is what do you all do first to make a game?  Do you map everything?  Create characters first?  This is sort of a weird question, but perhaps you all can give me tips on what you do.

This is what I do:  Get side track on everything and then 10 hours have gone by!  I'm a Pre-med student, so yeah, can't do that!  Perhaps I shouldn't even try to make a game, but it's so much fun.

Anywho, what are you guys' tips on an organized way of starting?

Danke!

Tori

 

[Acera]

For my first 2 "projects" which were cancelled due to school, I just started out and made maps, then I thought up a story which could match the scene, the result? Crappy storylines with even crappier characters. This time however I'm thinking everything through, drew a world map, made a background story on the continent, timeline, during that I came up with a story.

How I now start it is quite simple. I set myself a reasonable goal (taking notice that I have slept to less the past week due to school -.-") and I say something like. The Intro has to be finished in a month. So I start and map out some of the world map, create the characters in the towns (with a small background, nobody just pops up right?). Yes it's slow, but steady and rushing will make you abandon your project one day (experience *cough*)

So my tip; take it slow and easy and make sure you have planned what you're gonna do.

~MindHunterr

EDIT: I think this topic has a better place in RM discussion though.

 

[khmp]

I say try to do everything first. Don't worry about getting sidetracked. 10 hours is a bit much though and that's coming from someone with attention deficit. You'll find out where your strengths and weaknesses lie. A very important aspect in game design is knowledge of what those are.

For me, when focused and on task I start with tech/scripting. What can I do with it? What are the limitations? If I want to do "x action" in game how would it be done in code? Story and Characters are something I only ever think about. I never actually write any of that down. That's probably bad but I can remember most of it. I only miss some portions of dialogue from when I'm about to fall asleep. Mapping/eventing for me is the last thing I do. I say last because I never reach that part :lol:

One final note. If you are not serious about making a game. You will not be able to finish one. But that doesn't mean you can't help someone else with theirs or ask help from others for yours.

Good luck with it Tori! :thumb:

 

[Grathea]

Well, generally I come up with characters first. Usually they start off as doodles, then they become bases for characters. After that, I stare at them for a while, until they're burned into my memory.
Then, I go to sleep. When I wake up, I write down my dream (which will usually have to do with some of the characters) and work from there.
Further dreams give more insight into character.

...But I doubt many other people work that way, and it doesn't sound that organized.

If you want to be organized, just try doing a little bit at a time, but set yourself a quota - i.e. x time spent on game per week, then make sure you meet it. Slowly but surely, you'll get there.

 

[Brewmeister]

Based on your first sentence, I'll assume you're kind of like me. Methodical.

Now, this is based on the fact that I'm very familiar with RMXP, and everything that is needed...

But, what I do is Plan. (A lot!). Start big, with the world, geography, demographics, etc.. make some sketches or notes. Then move on to the story, and as your story develops, so do the characters.
I tend to use an algorithmic approach, starting with a beginning & ending to the main story line, then continually breaking it down into finer steps / scenes / details. Some people like to write more prosaic, like writing a book from beginning to end. Either way works, as long as the outcome is a complete story, with the major plot all hashed out, sub-plots defined if not detailed, and the characters all identified & defined.
Then I go back through the story, and make lists of all the resources, features, systems, etc.. I need to support the story.  Now, this is where I get a bit anal. I have a Script template (like a movie or play script) that I use to transfer the story into script format, adding direction, action, blocking, etc...
I organize it by Location (Map in RMXP), and plot (what happens in that location based on the current position in the story.)  I also have a database template for RMXP created in Excel. I fill it out as I go through the story. It has sheets for all the database tabs, plus extra sheets for variables & switches,
and materials (resources).
After that's all done, I open RMXP (haven't touched it up to this point, other than for reference, or to test functionality, or try out a script.)  Once in RMXP, you can create your database from the spreadsheet, start importing resources that you have, or creating them if you're artistic. (I'm not).
Creating or organizing the tilesets, etc...
Then create / download / implement all of the scripts you want, and test the hell out of them.
Then you just use your script, sketches, and database to start mapping & creating events.

If you're not completely familiar with RMXP and all of it's capabilities, then it won't hurt to spend a bit your time making little test games, reading tutorials, seeing what add-on scripts & resources are available, and generally making yourself more than just 'adept' at it.  I went through a bunch of trial projects before attacking my 'pet project', just to make sure I wasn't going to miss anything once I really got going.

Of course, this is just one way, and is no more right or wrong than anyone elses.
Milestones are good, since they give you that feeling of accomplishment, and can keep you motivated.

P.S. if you want my templates, you're welcome to them.

Be Well

 

[Stardust]

Well, those are all good methods, but I think everyone has their own method for creating a game.  I'll tell you what I do just to give you the option.

1. I find characters I like from the graphics and choose a main character.  Don't bother with editing his/her abilities, class, or skills.  Just use defaults at first.

2. Choose a mood for the game.  Is it going to be dead serious, have some humor in it, are the characters going to end up fighting a lot, etc.?

3. If you don't have a definite storyline, just start creating, keeping the mood in mind.  Start with a general system for your game (is it fantasy, sci-fi, medieval, etc.)?

4. The first map is the most important.  This is where the player is introduced to their characters and the world.  Usually small maps are better, such as houses, small caves, etc. because this gives you the chance to introduce your character's personality to the player.

5. I'm horrible for creating an ending before a beginning.  I think you've always got to have a goal, though.  Start thinking about what you want from the game while you create maps and events.

6. When you're part-way through and know what's going to happen, start making your own skills, weapons, armor, editing or making your own items, and experiment with what you can do there.  I have to be in a certain mood to do this, though.  DON'T do this before you know you're going to go through with the game, or you'll waste a lot of time.

By the way, if you're using RMXP, I suggest checking how a character's graphic interferes with the text (the text is white) and using monsters isn't suggested (too big, block off view of enemies).  For RMVX, create an event and go through all the faces for the text message.  This will give you an idea of what each character looks like.  The sprites are good, but you can't really see who they are close up, and you'll be using the message pictures a lot.

Just a suggestion.

By the way, gratheo, your method is very interesting.  Some of the best ideas come from dreams.

 

[Hevendor]

Well, I have a hard time getting started as well. I usually only get started after I'm done with all the planning and what not - in the past (rm2k/2k3) I have started a lot of projects because I have SO many ideas flowing in, and they all seem too good to waste!

Nowadays, I've been trying to mend that the best I can. If an idea seems good enough to use, I make a folder with several different notepad files for different types of ideas (skills, locations, history, characters, systems etc.) and write down EVERYTHING I think of. And I mean everything. Nothing is ever deleted off those files after it's been written - you might just realize it was actually a great idea. This resembles Brew's database spreadsheets, only in a much less organized way.

After everything is written down somewhere (you can jot down ideas on actual notepads at school and so on), start filtering out the actual good ideas for the game. The brainstorming is usually the easiest part, if you're inspired (piece of advice: don't sit down and try to create, you'll grow more and more frustrated over time. Wait for the ideas to come to you and take advantage of those moments). When you have a solid, written base for your game, you can start working on the details, much like drawing a picture. For me, this ranges from specifics about location, lore, character personalities and other biographic datas to ideas for unique systems and what not. I personally abhor using pre-made systems, and having a good process of logical thinking and decent understanding of code, I create the systems that I've envisioned for the game and test them thoroughly before moving on. I'll often find myself at school or work (or anywhere really) thinking about exactly how I should code this and that to make sure it works; the worst thing that can happen to me is realizing one of my systems has an annoying bug that I can't fix without going through hundreds of lines of code and ending up scrapping the whole system, often resulting in a demoralized me and an abandoned project.
This whole process of creating systems usually has me creating graphics for the game as well, or otherwise acquiring (searching/importing) them.

Once you're done with the fine details (this is what takes me the longest, apart from coding) and have a good amount of knowledge about the world you're creating, you can start working with your engine. I personally am against filling out the whole database at once - at this stage, I prefer to play safe and wait until something is needed to actually make it. Start with the intro, but don't rush it! Try not to start working on it until you have the whole scene envisioned; music is my favourite source of inspiration. I'll choose something that fits the scene, usually the song that's playing DURING the actual thing, and think. When you're done with that, start mapping out your world. Here as well I prefer mapping as I go along instead of doing it all at once and eventing later. After you have everything down and are actually working on the game, you'll see that you'll just keep going and everything will flow naturally.

The worst thing you can do is forcing yourself to create - you don't have any schedules or deadlines to meet (I hope? :smile; just relax and take it easy.

 

[punched2death]

I do my projects in "layers". I'd first do the maps, then put on the story "layer" then add the database "layer" and then add extras, e.g treasure chests, non-story related houses etc.

 

[Juno]

Tori,

Here's what has worked for me (I haven't finished a game, but I've got about 9+ hours playable so far)

1. Start with what you know.  My whole project started with a simple story:  the main character is the son of a local blacksmith, and his initial quest is to travel to the Dwarven Mines to buy his father's yearly supply of coal.  I've studied blacksmithing in real life, so I knew that I could apply some of that knowledge to the game.  You'd be surprised how far a little real-world knowledge will go in terms of story-boarding, NPC interactions, character arcs, etc.  You're pre-med, so you presumably you know biology, chemistry, etc.  Maybe have your story center around a Cleric.

2. Keep a notebook handy.  When you have an idea for your game, right it down.  Keep it by your bed when you have ideas in the middle of the night, keep it with you when you're watching movies.  Inspiration comes at strange times, you don't want to miss out on it.

3. It's easy to get side tracked looking for the perfect resources, music, etc.  At some point you've got to buckle down and make your first map.  My first map was the character's main town, and it took forever because it was never good enough, and because I was always looking to find a better tileset.  Eventually I used a mash-up of several of the RTP tilesets, and I'm satisfied with it.

4. Sometimes mapping an area will help you define the story.  Sometimes you don't know what an area should look like until you've come up with the story for it.  There's no perfect formula, but I have found it helpful to keep a plot-line of what's going to happen in my game.  If I hit a wall creatively, I can check my plot-line to see what's coming up next, or make revisions, etc.

5. I keep an Excel spreadsheet of a lot of my game information.  The most important one is my game variables.  I keep a list of all the game variables, and I keep track of what value these variables are assigned to and when.  THIS IS CRUCIAL! If it weren't for this list, I would have been completely lost a number of times.

6. You might try making a To Do list as well.  Write down everything that needs to be done to make one town area, for instance. (Map town area, map inside houses, make NPC Events, define weapons/armor/spells/items for sale).  You'd be surprised how much easier it is to get something done when you can break it into manageable chunks.

Just some thoughts.  Hopefully you'll make some progess.