About First Projects

[Dark Gaia 13]

On First Projects

 

This article is intended to show new RPG Makers why a simple first project is often the best choice. In this article, I'll try to explain the reasons why newbies should, at first, put their ambitions on hold, including:

• A simple project is not overwhelming
  
• Simple projects allow the user to play around and learn.
  
• Simple projects offer no distractions for inexperienced users.
  

As you all most of you know, I've been a part of the RPG Maker community for quite a while now. I haven't yet reached the elusive status of "legendary" but I've been around long enough that I begin to notice trends and failings in the community. In my many years in the community, I've seen and played uncountable projects. Some were great, some only mediocre. Some were horrible. Over time, I've noticed that game making trends change, so new projects eventually steal the thunder of old ones, and the community moves on. There's one thing, however, that has remained the same ever since I first opened up RPG Maker to make my very first Final Fantasy fangame.

 

How many times have you seen newbies announce their epic, 20+ hour long, feature ladden, script infested first projects that they cancel shortly after? Why are first projects almost always doomed to fail? It seems that people new to the art of RPG Making are far too ambitious for their own good. I've done it myself, many moons ago; I've decided that my first project's going to be an epic saga set to rival the cherished classics of the RPG genre. Eventually, I learned that trying to pull off an ambitious project with little or no experience under my belt has two possible outcomes: either I become overwhelmed with the sheer scale of the project, realise I don't have the skill to do it justice, and cancel it, or else I finish it and release a bug-ridden crapfest. The moral here is that new RPG Makers must learn to recognise their limitations, and work within them until they are experienced enough to tackle a project that is truly spectacular.

 

The key piece of advice that anyone new to game making should heed is that to make a truly revolutionary game requires patience, skill and experience, three things that people often lack at the start of their RPG Making careers. A first project should be a tool for refining these things. The ideal first project should be something simple that isn't too hard to make. It's important for new RPG Makers to learn the finer operations of the program such as switches, variables, making skills, and editing the database. Likewise, there are fundamental aspects of RPG design that must be learned, such as how to create a balanced difficulty level, how to create interesting battles and strategies and how to construct an interesting, well paced storyline and likable characters.

 

This is a tremendous amount of things to learn, and this is why it's often better to start off with something simple rather than that epic saga (powered by 10,000 scripts and custom systems) that you've always dreamed of making. Furthermore, it's important for any game maker to learn how to present a game correctly, and how to read and respond to criticism, so that they can further their abilities. Taking on a simple project that has a steady rate of progress and is not too overwhelming allows newbies to have the very valuable experience of actually releasing a completed game to the community and receiving feedback.

 

You don't always have to make a game so tremendously revolutionary that it turns the community upside down. A large part of being a member of the RPG Maker community is learning skills and gathering experience. Even a very simple game with no fancy scripts or custom features can be a joy to play if it's made well and clearly shows effort. Likewise, even a game done badly gives its creator an important opportunity to learn how to improve and become a better game maker. Think of it this way, new users: would you rather release a short, simple game that's helped you learn the nuances of game making and release that epic saga later and really do it justice, or would you like to release it now and have it fall far short of your ambitions? Taking on a small, simple game as your first project is really the most logical choice a new RPG Maker can make.

[Mephistox 52]

My advice, first write the storyline and complete it at the 100%, no changes admitted. Design a layour of all the systems that you will include, items, events, etc. NPCS missions, reason to be, etc, then use the maker, if you have no storyline at 100% the project will fail.

 

Even for people with skills, big ammount of resources from any type you can imagine and all the scripts that she/he wants, if you have no background story, you don't know were to go and begin thinking on add and add and add and add things to the game that weren't planned, finally you got a project with 5 maps, all your systems, all your resources, but have no story and not mood to continue it, so, to the trash....That's happen me about 5 times, the only good thing that i got from that experience is that at least, i was improving my skills.

 

A good idea also is work with a team, an individual always will try to change the things everytime, if you work in pairs: 1 is faster to work, 2 you won't be alone, 3, you need your partner to decide what to change and not..

 

But again, most important STORY, layour, gant shit and all kind of schedulle paperwork that's why it's difficult to see 100% finished projects in my opinion.

[Dark Horseman 93]

To be brutally honest, new VX games are not going to be played by anyone except those few saints who want to give advice to people starting out. Someone may spend 200+ hours on that dream project, but it will only get downloaded a few dozen times. How many of us only play Indie-games that are spectacularly beautiful with their own scripts, animations, and original artwork done by a team of 4 people (if at all versus just popping in Mass Effect 3)?

 

I feel it's better to learn the limitations of the software first and dissect rpg maker games you enjoy playing than to even start a project. If you simply must make something right away, your best bet to get people to play it while learning, is to make it a short game with some hilarious dialogue. Good humor can substitute anything. I didn't think this game looked interesting at all (the series' first few games used nothing but RTP and the main character is the RTP guard), but the author was just so awesome it made my day.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hmK7eO3txuA

 

Edited May 4, 2012 by Dark Horseman

[INDOJIN 70]

Well, this article really opened my eyes. I think I should hold back my best ideas until I'm good enough. Thanks Dark Gaia

[Jamoculus 2]

Yeah i Just started my first project and this was a great read (and an awesome video that game looks freaking hilarious I need to check it out) I'm hoping I am good enough soon to make a basic game that i'm going to use to propose to my girl and hey if not atleast make some bitchin maps

[Velvela Jade 8]

What you are saying is good. I can write the epic story and the most hilarious scenes (from a kids point of view), but can't get the game programmed at all. This is why I quit being so worried about plot and character.

 

People are so big on getting the plot right, and getting the characters right and all that, that the mechanics are just left in the dust. Character development and plot development will happen. I'd concentrate on just learning the basics of using the program itself first.

 

Personally, I would not bother trying to write a "mini-game" that is awesome for gamers because that mini-game still requires lots of mechanics that hasn't been learned yet. Instead, I would write mini-games that teach the very concepts that the Newbie needs to learn, focusing on 1 concept at a time.

 

This means that they write a game that does....

(Each number is its own game)

1) Plays around with movement only. And, work out moving between maps and around rooms. End Game here. (This is where I failed - moving between maps.)

 

2) Adding to game 1, you now add in the Chests and collecting gold. (Success here.)

 

3) Add in viewing all that money you have collected. (Haven't done this yet.)

 

4) Add in variables.

and so on.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Well, this article really opened my eyes. I think I should hold back my best ideas until I'm good enough. Thanks Dark Gaia

 

Instead of holding back, why not take those "best ideas" and figure out how you can write a mini-game that reflects those "best ideas" and will teach you what you need to learn so you can write those "best ideas" how you really want them written?

[amerk 1,122]

To be brutally honest, new VX games are not going to be played by anyone except those few saints who want to give advice to people starting out. Someone may spend 200+ hours on that dream project, but it will only get downloaded a few dozen times. How many of us only play Indie-games that are spectacularly beautiful with their own scripts, animations, and original artwork done by a team of 4 people (if at all versus just popping in Mass Effect 3)?

 

I feel it's better to learn the limitations of the software first and dissect rpg maker games you enjoy playing than to even start a project. If you simply must make something right away, your best bet to get people to play it while learning, is to make it a short game with some hilarious dialogue. Good humor can substitute anything. I didn't think this game looked interesting at all (the series' first few games used nothing but RTP and the main character is the RTP guard), but the author was just so awesome it made my day.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hmK7eO3txuA

 

 

I must be in the minority then, as I've played through dozens of indie games that stay with the RTP. As long as the story is engaging and not full of mistakes, the game play is balanced, and the mapping is decent enough to enjoy even if it's not perfect, it makes no difference to me what scripts are being used. As for nobody playing VX games, I think that's far from the truth. VX dot net is full of amateur games that's received lots of downloads.

 

In any case, I agree with Dark's thoughts about creating the 20+ hour epic adventure. I've seen very few solo indie projects that ever do well with a 20+ hour game. Most times it's not worth the effort, or the game is too ambitious to be done alone that it never gets passed a single demo. Even people who have learned to master the editor find it difficult to make a huge project alone.

[Saiknohx 5]

Sitting here, in the midst of a massive quandary of what to do with my project, I happened to read this. I think it was the bold text that really rammed the point home. I'm seriously not ready for the hassles that come with a big project. Heck, I barely know how to work the variables and stuff. It doesn't help that I hyped up the possibilities both to myself and to others. Now I just feel kinda lost though. Need to learn how to do everything first, I guess.

[Tentacle Grape 6]

Good advice here for anyone new to the engine. My first RM game was built on VX and very simple. It was a one hour game without scripts and less than a handful of custom graphics. (It only took me a week to make!) From that alone I felt I learned enough to make a larger scale RM game should I choose to do so. Although I personally never wanted my first project to be a huge game, I'm sure starting small sounds boring to people who are new with RM. But it's a lot better than having never finished an idea to begin with.

[Velvela Jade 8]

Sitting here, in the midst of a massive quandary of what to do with my project, I happened to read this. I think it was the bold text that really rammed the point home. I'm seriously not ready for the hassles that come with a big project. Heck, I barely know how to work the variables and stuff. It doesn't help that I hyped up the possibilities both to myself and to others. Now I just feel kinda lost though. Need to learn how to do everything first, I guess.

 

My Final Project will be massive, but I've taken that massive project and am only writing a prototype of it that is called the "Basic Project". My Basic Project only has moving between maps, buying items, and opening up a secret door. It doesn't take long to play at all. It doesn't include any battling. But it did get my feet wet for using loops, variables and key pressing to get something to happen.

 

I can enjoy it as is, or start part two. I'm going to learn manipulating inventory next perhaps, or maybe just focus on graphics and getting the items that the player will really buy for Jade Uni made. The thing I love about VX Ace is that I can stop the project at almost any point, and have a game to play, and then later add to it again.

[Siriun 0]

I do agree to an extent. The project I'm working on is actual my first full length that I'm writing out the story line to it now. I've been using RPG Maker for the pat 10 years on and off so to finally have enough experience and knowledge in a program after all this time is extremely beneficial, imo. Like the dude said above, as long as you have your story written out all the way AND you are a veteran of the Rpg Makers, then go for that awesomely epic long game.

 

I know my way around Rpg Maker pretty well but my problem has and was always coming up with a good story. I got really good at making puzzles and drawing maps, and creating events but I'd really recommend you have your story down first. Then make sure you know the rpg maker you're using.