RPG Development - First Ideas?

[TJ Belfiore]

Hi, TSF.

Asking your personal and professional opinion, what are the most important things to take in mind while developing a RPG?

Also, where could we get more members? We have two but that's not enough obviously. We're in need of other members to do different jobs that we cannot do ourselves such as advanced programming.

If A programmer costs money, how much hourly? Thoughts?

[Indoril Nerevar]

One big thing to keep in mind is that everything should be properly documented. Make sure you have copies of all your design work, including screens, concept art, storyboards, psuedocode, game mechanics design, etc. This is important later down the track when one of you says, "hey, how was such-and-such supposed to work?"

The other big thing that cannot be stressed enough is: design, design, design. While it's not necessarily as "fun" as actually creating the game, it is a heck of a lot more important. You need to get absolutely everything down on paper before you write a single line of code. Your game is going to have bugs. It's much easier and cheaper to sort them out in the design stage than in the programming stage. The percentage of your total time spent on actually writing code should be very small. The idea is to get your code as close to perfect as possible before you even write it.

I don't really know where you could get others to join you, except maybe some of your friends. Professional programmers cost a lot of money - I suspect more than two high school students could afford, unfortunately.

[5NIPER_WOLF]

Nah I think he said he was in College but I guess it does not really matter.

What you are saying is all the art, ideas, script, everything should be written down before we do it on the computer? hmmm....

P.S.: what is psuedocode?

[Indoril Nerevar]

I assumed since you're both 15 (according to your profiles), you were both still in high school.

Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be written down on paper (although that would be a good idea). You could have it all typed up in a Word document. It just needs to be recorded somehow.

Psuedocode is where you write out sections of your code mostly in English, to make sure you know exactly what you want before you actually write it. It doesn't use any of the programming syntax, which means you can easily transfer it to any language. For example:


if playerExperience >= requiredExperience

set levelUpPoints to 3
show levelUpScreen
set requiredExperience to requiredExperience + 100

end if

[5NIPER_WOLF]

Oh I understand now, record ideas, thoughts, development etc on some form of recording, be it digital or analogue. So Psuedocode does not have to be an actual syntax or command, just a general code for some trigger or whatever to get the idea.

Very interesting.

[Hircine]

Get yourselves onto www.gamedev.net
there are a LOT of articles that will help you start. (make a Design Document)
Do not Attempt to make the next oblivion. (trust me on this)
Maybe aim for somethign like Zelda. (not zelda clone, just something like it)
perhaps go for something smaller, so maybe use gamemaker. its a lot easier and you could do it yourselves. 20bucks gets you the premium version, so you have access to the good features. If you are any good at art, you could just make the sprites etc yourselves, there are a few places that will have free resources available, and at royalty free to boot(if you make money off your game, you dont have to give them anything).

Indoril is right, pre-production(design, discussion) is the most important aspect of any game, make a concept, write a design document, while you do that, look for friends that maybe interested in helping out.

my other way of going about this, is go onto the Xna Forums, read the forum rules(they are ctrl'd by M$ so their Mods can be strict) go to the Help Wanted Section, post up your game idea, design doc etc. any concept art you may have. if you are looking at not making any money off it and just get experience in the field, say that you will go open-source.Ask for some programmers, im sure there are some beginner programmers eager to learn more and would be happy to join any project, if for some reason you get lucky, you might get a experienced programmer :) , Xna is a pretty good platform(IMO) for getting into the field of game development.
(me and some mates are starting out atm. we have some ideas and a bit of a concept. and an AWESOME artist :P)

Hircine.

[TJ Belfiore]

I'm in college. Probably going to be graduating High School next year.

I'm 15.

[Mcninjaguy]

how many grades did you skip Undocked Windy?

[TJ Belfiore]

2nd grade :P

I'm currently a freshman. I'm going to get most my credits next year since I have it all planned with my current teacher (I'm home schooled).

I already have like half the credits needed to pass 12th.

[TJ Belfiore]

Yeah, I'm not aiming toward anything online or multilayer since half those games are just horrible anyways. I want to either make a legal sequal/presequel to a popular game (with the creators permission ofcourse) or make a zelda type game but with more RPG aspects.

[TJ Belfiore]

Thanks for all the links, Hircine.

[Mcninjaguy]

I think the basic idea is the hardest part. story and gameplay concept

to make a workable game you need a good story teller otherwise the game is a flop before it even begun and the gameplay can be cool but you'll just feel lame doing certain things when the game is made

I won't be technical here as I know nothing of that sort

yea I'm thinking the pre design is hardest too
its like writing a book then fitting technology into it with an artist for game levels, programmers to make the world work and testers to make to get the flaws out. Its a lot of work.

[TJ Belfiore]

Yeah it really is, but I hope everything works out and we'll make it big. I know that sounds like what you'd here from a 15 year old, but I have a feeling we'll make it. If we work hard, we can do it.

After all, we're serious about this. I want to be known, like the creators of Final Fantasy and Breath of Fire.. Doom.. Donkey Kong.. Etc.

[systemErr]

Hi... get your education first. This isn't something you just wake up one day and decide to do. Do you know how many millions of dollars it took to create SPORE? Do you know how many people are involved on these projects? Have you ever just looked at a game's credits to realize how many aspects there are to game programming, the shear number of people, and ultimately realize how much work it takes?

[TJ Belfiore]

No, actually I thought it took one person to create Final Fantasy VII, and it took less than an hour.

Of course, I know, Silly.

[Hircine]

systemerr: have you ever seen any of Chris Sawyers games? like transport tycoon and the like? he created ALL of the code for those, the only thing he didnt do was art & sound.Undocked sounds like he has a friend or two :P, and nowadays games are a LOT easier to make, with all the middleware available. (oblivion is a hack job with about 6 different bits of middleware). Undocked isnt making the next oblivion or the next spore. I made a half dozen games with Gamemaker in 05/06(some quite complex, and i was undockeds age.), sadly i lost them all in the great external HDD crash of 07. I know our Games Team leader(Indoril), who's many Visual Basic games (hes got loads and loads, tho most unfinished/buggy :P) were created just by him. yes they are simple. but (hopefully) undocked isnt going to make something big.

Talented & Determined people can get stuff done, don't dash Undocked's hopes by saying all that.

Undocked, my suggestion is this: Make a game like Zelda, but has a story and background you create. dont call it zelda lol. :P
It will be more fun, a little bit more work, but totally worth it in the end. and you won't need to call it a "zelda clone" (cos all pokemon is a zelda clone :P, with added/changed bits. )

Undocked: "I want to be known, like the creators of Final Fantasy and Breath of Fire.. Doom.. Donkey Kong.. Etc."

who are the creators of those games? :P


Hircine.

[TJ Belfiore]

Wikipedia, my friend. lol

[5NIPER_WOLF]

How can you skip 2nd grade and be in college? you have to be 18 to get into college so if your 15 that makes you in 9th grade, skip one that puts you in 10th grade, wth?

Anyways there are many games made by 1 or few people, take Prince of Persia, the very first one was made by 1 person, doing all the coding, drawing, music, everything and it was one of the most advanced game of it's time.

[TJ Belfiore]

Prince of Persia was poorly done though, lol.

I skipped 2nd and i started school one year late, so I'm 15 in 9th. Works out perfectly.

[Hircine]

My brother was put into Primary school at 5(so a year earlier), he also skipped a grade(or something similiar, he's 10yr older than me >.<). but effectively 2 yrs ahead.
he finished High School, two years early ^^ and got an OP of 3. he is a fairly smrt bloke.