If you've had any experience with RMXP your first thoughts will probably be "I wonder if I could make my game online?"
How do I do it?
1. Learn scripting
2. Learn scripting
3. Learn to script
4. Learn RGSS/2
5. Learn scripting
If you do not have any scripting experience you will fail. If you have no experience with the Netplay scripts you will fail. If you think it will be easy you will fail.
Why do I need to learn scripting? It's all done for me!
Indeed it may be. But Netplay+ and similar systems are add-ons, and not part of the origional engine. Mostly there is no support for them. Mostly, nobody else will be able to help you with them.
Without scripting knowledge, where do you go when you get a bug?
Let's say you add a new script, and you get an error saying:
"Undefined method 'main' in Scene_Map line 32"
Where line 32 says:
Would you know how to solve it?
This is just an example, but if not then learn scripting.
Would you know what the four numbers in:
In a window do?
If not then learn scripting.
I'll just hire a scripter to do it for me!
1. NO.
2. NO.
3. Any scripter who knows how to use Netplay+ will most likely:
- a. Not want to be associated with it
- b. Have moved on to better things
- c. Be making their own game and not have time to worry about other people's projects
I'll just PM that guy who's making that online game, he'll help me.
1. NO.
2. Learn scripting
3. Learn scripting
4. Learn scripting
5. LEARN SCRIPTING
Point made yet?
If so, then some other things.
Online games need to be fun
Minigames. Minigames are the key word. Any form of minigame.
For example, get a battle system that allows enemy vs. enemy fighting, and let the player choose a side. Give them a prize if their team wins.
Or, set up events such as the fishing and mining systems found in countless other online games (but make sure you make them good, and make them origional.
Lulz I made a quest!
Your mom telling you to fetch a letter from a mailbox is not a quest.
"Fight that bear" is not a quest.
What you made is a task, and a lame one at that. Your quests need to take longer than 5 minutes to complete, they have to have a point to them, decent rewards that make the player want to complete the quest, and be origional.
My game doesn't need storyline, it's online.
Yes it does. End of.
My game can run off my PC while I'm online, it has good specs.
No it can't.
This is the reason I spent £200 (just £200) on a dedicated server for my online game (not plugging it).
It is not hard. There's a shitty tutorial on how to build one in my sig, though it's outdated.
You cannot run a game server off your own PC that you will be using.
For one thing, you probably have 6,700,992,768 other processes running in the background, such as MSN, anti-viruses, shitty firewalls, Windows tasks, etc.
For another thing, every time you even open an Internet browser, you will have huge lag spikes (as discovered in my game's Beta test).
This all adds lag, and nobody will play a laggy game.
Beta it. Test it. Any way you want it.
BETA IT.
Have a closed Beta. Even if it's only your sister/brother/cousin, playing at the same time as you.
Test it. Test it again.
Test every single system in your game even if it takes you days.
Then test them again.
If you have an error fix it straight away - I know this from experience, if you don't (or at least write down every detail) then you will either forget, or wont know how to fix it. If you are completely stumped at how to fix an error in the scripts learn scripting. It is not a hard concept to grasp.
I'm done.
How do I do it?
1. Learn scripting
2. Learn scripting
3. Learn to script
4. Learn RGSS/2
5. Learn scripting
If you do not have any scripting experience you will fail. If you have no experience with the Netplay scripts you will fail. If you think it will be easy you will fail.
Why do I need to learn scripting? It's all done for me!
Indeed it may be. But Netplay+ and similar systems are add-ons, and not part of the origional engine. Mostly there is no support for them. Mostly, nobody else will be able to help you with them.
Without scripting knowledge, where do you go when you get a bug?
Let's say you add a new script, and you get an error saying:
"Undefined method 'main' in Scene_Map line 32"
Where line 32 says:
Code:
$scene = Scene_MenuWould you know how to solve it?
This is just an example, but if not then learn scripting.
Would you know what the four numbers in:
Code:
super(0, 0, 320, 240)In a window do?
If not then learn scripting.
I'll just hire a scripter to do it for me!
1. NO.
2. NO.
3. Any scripter who knows how to use Netplay+ will most likely:
- a. Not want to be associated with it
- b. Have moved on to better things
- c. Be making their own game and not have time to worry about other people's projects
I'll just PM that guy who's making that online game, he'll help me.
1. NO.
2. Learn scripting
3. Learn scripting
4. Learn scripting
5. LEARN SCRIPTING
Point made yet?
If so, then some other things.
Online games need to be fun
Minigames. Minigames are the key word. Any form of minigame.
For example, get a battle system that allows enemy vs. enemy fighting, and let the player choose a side. Give them a prize if their team wins.
Or, set up events such as the fishing and mining systems found in countless other online games (but make sure you make them good, and make them origional.
Lulz I made a quest!
Your mom telling you to fetch a letter from a mailbox is not a quest.
"Fight that bear" is not a quest.
What you made is a task, and a lame one at that. Your quests need to take longer than 5 minutes to complete, they have to have a point to them, decent rewards that make the player want to complete the quest, and be origional.
My game doesn't need storyline, it's online.
Yes it does. End of.
My game can run off my PC while I'm online, it has good specs.
No it can't.
This is the reason I spent £200 (just £200) on a dedicated server for my online game (not plugging it).
It is not hard. There's a shitty tutorial on how to build one in my sig, though it's outdated.
You cannot run a game server off your own PC that you will be using.
For one thing, you probably have 6,700,992,768 other processes running in the background, such as MSN, anti-viruses, shitty firewalls, Windows tasks, etc.
For another thing, every time you even open an Internet browser, you will have huge lag spikes (as discovered in my game's Beta test).
This all adds lag, and nobody will play a laggy game.
Beta it. Test it. Any way you want it.
BETA IT.
Have a closed Beta. Even if it's only your sister/brother/cousin, playing at the same time as you.
Test it. Test it again.
Test every single system in your game even if it takes you days.
Then test them again.
If you have an error fix it straight away - I know this from experience, if you don't (or at least write down every detail) then you will either forget, or wont know how to fix it. If you are completely stumped at how to fix an error in the scripts learn scripting. It is not a hard concept to grasp.
I'm done.