The Idea for my First Game

[Endless]

Hi there!

I'm new here at the community, and I'm looking for someone to work with. I'm not the best writer in the world, I can't even draw stickfigures correctly, and my programming skills shouldn't even be mentioned, but if you don't mind, I'd love to work with you.

The game I'm trying to make is a simple game in classic fantasy style that is more of a novel than a game. It has a few choices that either progress the story or leads to a game over.

The basic plotline is that of a young man living in a tiny village at the edge of the great wilderness. When the game starts, he's just turned 16 and the village elder has ordered him to undertake the Test of Adulthood. He is told to bring back a jewel from the ruins of an old temple, located somewhere in the wilderness. As he sets of to find the temple, he is attacked by small, humanoid monsters (commonly known as Goblins) but easily fights them off. The journey to the temple takes 3 days, and when he finally locates it, he has to explore the temple, while avoiding the two giant spiders that live there, solve a puzzle to enter a hidden chamber and steal the jewel from the newly hatched acid dragon that guards it.

Now, if anyone has any comments or critics, please feel free to post them here, and if anyone feels interested in joining hands, what I need is a programmer and an artist (and preferably a better writer than me as well, but I can't have everything, now can I). Well, I suppose that's it. Thank you for reading this far, and I hope for at least a few positive replies.

G- Jonny

[Efreet]

For a first project, it seems like a lot of work, but that's usually with all new things. I think you might want to look around at the FAQs and see what codes would help with your RPG, it's usually best to research like that, and figure out exactly what you want your game to do.

As with most RPGs, the most common user interface is a given map with a movable character. From that you have your random encounters and battles. Now that would be made possible if you were working with the RPGMaker series, but with Ren'Py I'm not too sure, though there is another interface that'll work.
The other method is the First Person View, as seen in Etrian Odyssey and some text based adventure games, where you progress one step at a time towards your goal.

Also, if you're looking for people to help you on your project, you might want to post in the "Works in Progress & Recruitment" board.

I hope this helps.

[V2Blast]

Sounds like an interesting idea for a game... If it's a novel, rather than an RPG, it should be simpler to make (I assume - I'm not a game developer ). Recruit in the WIP forum to get some people to work with.

Will the user be controlling his survival in an RPG-style way, and will he be solving the puzzle himself, or will it just be a description (and possibly depiction, with the art) of these things where the user doesn't have to do much besides choose between one or two text choices?

[Endless]

The game is supposed to be more like a novel than a rpg, since I don't have the knowledge to program the high-grade material needed to make a real rpg.

"Simple Example"
As Leonas settles down to rest after a long days walk across the plains, he hears a sudden and unfamilliar noise. As he looks around to locate the source of the sound, he spots a pack of small, green and ugly humans trying to sneak up on him. What does he do?

And here, the player gets to decide if Leonas stays and fights, if he runs for cover or if he does something else (what isn't really decided yet), and depending on what the player picks, the dialogue will be slightly different (describing the fight or how he sneaks past them, for example) before returning to the main storyline again.

As for the puzzle, ideally it would be best if the player had to think alittle on his/her own, preferably by having to solve the puzzle on their own, but I don't know if this is possible (I've read alittle on the imagemap thing but I can't figure out the how-to about it).

And the reason I'm posting here instead of in the Works in Progress & Recruitment section is because the rules there stated I needed some kind of material to back-up my call for help, more than just "Hey, I got this great idea and I'm looking for people to help me". Material which I don't have yet. But I'll post there as well, then, and if I do something wrong, I'll just take the blow for it.

[Koveras]

If you are doing your first RPG project and do not want to be overtly original, I'd recommend you familiarize yourself with the Hero's Journey story archetype and revise your story accordingly. Since the classic heroic stories are not classic without a reason, trust me. That would mainly concern the final part of your game, since your beginning is falls well into the pattern already. You can also read about the Quest plotline, one of Booker's seven basic plots, since that's what your story is right now.

You can find good summaries of the stories I mention on TV Tropes, here and here.

...

What, you are back already?! I thought you'd be stuck on that site for a while longer...

[this_barb]

Hi there!

I'm new here at the community, and I'm looking for someone to work with. I'm not the best writer in the world, I can't even draw stickfigures correctly, and my programming skills shouldn't even be mentioned, but if you don't mind, I'd love to work with you.

The game I'm trying to make is a simple game in classic fantasy style that is more of a novel than a game. It has a few choices that either progress the story or leads to a game over.

The basic plotline is that of a young man living in a tiny village at the edge of the great wilderness. When the game starts, he's just turned 16 and the village elder has ordered him to undertake the Test of Adulthood. He is told to bring back a jewel from the ruins of an old temple, located somewhere in the wilderness. As he sets of to find the temple, he is attacked by small, humanoid monsters (commonly known as Goblins) but easily fights them off. The journey to the temple takes 3 days, and when he finally locates it, he has to explore the temple, while avoiding the two giant spiders that live there, solve a puzzle to enter a hidden chamber and steal the jewel from the newly hatched acid dragon that guards it.

Now, if anyone has any comments or critics, please feel free to post them here, and if anyone feels interested in joining hands, what I need is a programmer and an artist (and preferably a better writer than me as well, but I can't have everything, now can I). Well, I suppose that's it. Thank you for reading this far, and I hope for at least a few positive replies.

G- Jonny

It would make for a good crpg but probably not a VN.

[pinkmouse]

Hi there!

I'm new here at the community, and I'm looking for someone to work with. I'm not the best writer in the world, I can't even draw stickfigures correctly, and my programming skills shouldn't even be mentioned, but if you don't mind, I'd love to work with you.

The game I'm trying to make is a simple game in classic fantasy style that is more of a novel than a game. It has a few choices that either progress the story or leads to a game over.

The basic plotline is that of a young man living in a tiny village at the edge of the great wilderness. When the game starts, he's just turned 16 and the village elder has ordered him to undertake the Test of Adulthood. He is told to bring back a jewel from the ruins of an old temple, located somewhere in the wilderness. As he sets of to find the temple, he is attacked by small, humanoid monsters (commonly known as Goblins) but easily fights them off. The journey to the temple takes 3 days, and when he finally locates it, he has to explore the temple, while avoiding the two giant spiders that live there, solve a puzzle to enter a hidden chamber and steal the jewel from the newly hatched acid dragon that guards it.

Now, if anyone has any comments or critics, please feel free to post them here, and if anyone feels interested in joining hands, what I need is a programmer and an artist (and preferably a better writer than me as well, but I can't have everything, now can I). Well, I suppose that's it. Thank you for reading this far, and I hope for at least a few positive replies.

G- Jonny

Hi Jonny

Just a suggestion - as a little test project, why not snip off the very beginning of your idea and write the prologue as a Kinetic Novel? (A KN is like a game with no choices or combat.) Say the bit from when your hero wakes up on his last day in the village, up to the point where he's sent out on his quest.

You'll learn a lot about how Ren'Py works without having to tackle any difficult coding just yet, and you can practise your writing and drawing at the same time. Whether you decide to make the main part as a VN and emphasize the characters and the world, or as an RPG and emphasize the problems of combat and puzzles, the prologue will fit in either case.

Good luck!

PM

[Endless]

Hi Jonny

Just a suggestion - as a little test project, why not snip off the very beginning of your idea and write the prologue as a Kinetic Novel? (A KN is like a game with no choices or combat.) Say the bit from when your hero wakes up on his last day in the village, up to the point where he's sent out on his quest.

You'll learn a lot about how Ren'Py works without having to tackle any difficult coding just yet, and you can practise your writing and drawing at the same time. Whether you decide to make the main part as a VN and emphasize the characters and the world, or as an RPG and emphasize the problems of combat and puzzles, the prologue will fit in either case.

Good luck!
PM

You know, that is actually an awesome idea... Why did I not think of that. Not only do I get to play around with RenPy, I also get a (fairly) good demo out for people who might be interested... Thank you for the suggestion, I will get to it right away. As for me drawing the pictures and stuff for it... Ahaha... Yes, of course, I will try that, but I have to warn you right away, my art has this ability to leave deep scars in people, scars that can only go away by using Brain Bleach... But still, I will give it a try : )

G- Jonny

[pinkmouse]

You know, that is actually an awesome idea... Why did I not think of that. Not only do I get to play around with RenPy, I also get a (fairly) good demo out for people who might be interested... Thank you for the suggestion, I will get to it right away. As for me drawing the pictures and stuff for it... Ahaha... Yes, of course, I will try that, but I have to warn you right away, my art has this ability to leave deep scars in people, scars that can only go away by using Brain Bleach... But still, I will give it a try : )

G- Jonny

Glad you like the idea. As for the drawings: remember that your skills will improve with practice, and also if the story is good enough then this might attract an artist willing to work with you on the main project.

[guillx]

If it's a visual novel, and not an RPG, then you should modify your story, add somesort of plot twist or something.