A Long Road Home - AVAILABLE ON STEAM - ME NEED FOOD - GO BUY IT!

[J_C]

Guys, I'm gonna blow your fucking mind!

I'm making a videogame! All by myself. Now where is my developer tag?

Haha, in all seriousness, I thought I try myself out in this field, like expanding my hobbies with this (not like I have too many hobbies beside gaming to begin with).

I picked up RPG Maker VX Ace a little while ago, and I'm learning to use it step by step. Yeah, RPG Maker, you can stop the ridicule. I needed an engine which is easy to use, has a huge and helping community and has lots of resources to use.
I know that it has its limits, but part of the fun is to overcome those with different scripts and creative thinking. And to be fair, you can do almost anything with it which adventure games do.

And so I just revealed my chosen genre. I'm not making an RPG with this RPG engine. Makes sense, huh? Since I'm not a system or combat fag in RPGs, I don't think I could make anything worthwhile in that genre by myself.

Instead, my first game is a point and click adventure game. An oldschool point and click adventure, as Tim Schafer would say. No, really, it will be much more of an oldschool RPG than Broken Age for example. More difficult puzzles, no railroading, and an interesting gameplay twist I don't want to reveal just yet. Just with the graphics of RPG Maker. You have to endure that, I'm sorry.

This project started out as a tutorial project, as I learned to use the engine, but as it expanded, I decided to form it into a full game.

The best part is that in the last few days I made very good progress with the prototype, and in a totally unexpected way I almost got obsessed with it. Ideas keep rushing me all the time about putting stuff in the game, to expand it more and more. And I know I have to say NO to many of these, especially because this is my first game project. I don't want to bite more than I can chew. But it is not easy, last night I could barely get any sleep because I was thinking about puzzles and story all the time. I would work on this all the time if I could, but I can't do that because real job is starting tomorrow. Am I going mad?

Of course there are some downtimes which I hate. When a block hits me and I just sit in front of the editor and I can't get any work done.

Sorry for not talking any concrete details about the game and not showing anything now, but I want to finish the first chapter of the story before talking about particular things. I can talk about more stuff in a few weeks.

Since this is my first game, don't expect a mindblowing story and art design (story is pretty meh so far), but I think you will find the gameplay at least decent, or maybe even "itsgoodforwhatitis" at points.

First trailer:


18th May, 2016 - Demo Released
Download

 

[J_C]

10 hours later and not a "fuck you you retarded piece of cuck" comment? Codex, I am disappoint.

 

[nil]

You have to endure that, I'm sorry.

No, I don't.

 

[nil]

Sorry.
Seriously though, it's cool that you are doing something you enjoy, but there just really isn't much to say.
Good luck though, and have fun.

 

[J_C]

Sorry.
Seriously though, it's cool that you are doing something you enjoy, but there just really isn't much to say.
Good luck though, and have fun.

No problem. I know many people is appalled by this artstyle.

 

[Haba]

So what kind of romances are you putting in it?

 

[Mustawd]

I picked up RPG Maker VX Ace a little while ago, and I'm learning to use it step by step. Yeah, RPG Maker, you can stop the ridicule. I needed an engine which is easy to use, has a huge and helping community and has lots of resources to use.

Matt, stfu, and make it. I have like 10 RPGMaker games in my backlog. My only advice is to replay Chrono trigger a few times to really learn about the layout of levels. A lot fo RPGmaker games have a issue with this.

EDIT: You go BOY!

 

[Jack]

Instead, my first game is a point and click adventure game. An oldschool point and click adventure

RPG Maker

Pls no, use this instead:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk

 

[J_C]

So what kind of romances are you putting in it?

I was thinking about some furry stuff.

The best thing about making an own game is that when I'm thinking about stuff, a lot of ideas comes into my mind which is quite unique in terms of story and puzzles. And since I'm doing my own stuff, I don't have to say "man, nobody will are about this, I shouldn't do this" or "shit , somebody will be offended by this, let's reconsider".

And even in the end nobody will play this shit, at least I enjoyed doing this. Of course if I would do this for a living it would be much different, but right now it's just all for fun.

Instead, my first game is a point and click adventure game. An oldschool point and click adventure

RPG Maker

Pls no, use this instead:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk

People were recommending this to me before. Maybe if I make another game I try it out, but I already poured too much time into my own project to abandon it and restart.

But the biggest adventage of RPG Maker is that as I said it has tons of resources available I can use. And since I can't do art for example (and I don't have any help), those resources come in handy. I just not talented when it comes to drawing, so I can't draw and animate characters, and I'm sure as hell can't draw a decent looking background. RPG maker, being low res and tile based, is easier to use. And if there is anything that games like To The Moon and A Bird Story thaught meg that you can make decent looking adventure games with this engine. I just have to put better gameplay under them, because those two were basicly interactive stories.

Also, laying out levels looks easier in RPG maker than draw all the art for yourself. This is my first project, I want to finish something first before I make some more complicated stuff.

 

[HotSnack]

I concur with Jack. I use AGS myself, and can confirm that the engine is really good if you are trying to make a point and click with most of the fuss already sorted. It's well documented and has a very active and helpful community (no idea how it compares to rpgmaker community mind).

I wouldn't worry too much about art. One of the example templates comes with a model with all it's walking anims in place (which isn't that much more complex than a jrpg sprite), so you can always just use/trace over that to use for your first attempt at a game.

I know you feel that you're already invested in using rpgmaker, but those few days you spent in making a working prototype in rpgmaker you could have probably spent less than a day to do the same in AGS and following an online guide. Give it a try, if you don't like it you can always return to rpgmaker.

 

[Burning Bridges]

We are all trembling with excitement

 

[Irenaeus II]

Isn't the thread in the wrong forum (the correct one being codex workshop). As for J_C making a game, sure why not. Just use AGS instead of jRPG ugly graphix and I might actually check it out when you are done. Any advice needed in terms of setting, plot, writing or dialogues be sure to seek my thoughts.

 

[J_C]

I concur with Jack. I use AGS myself, and can confirm that the engine is really good if you are trying to make a point and click with most of the fuss already sorted. It's well documented and has a very active and helpful community (no idea how it compares to rpgmaker community mind).

I wouldn't worry too much about art. One of the example templates comes with a model with all it's walking anims in place (which isn't that much more complex than a jrpg sprite), so you can always just use/trace over that to use for your first attempt at a game.

I know you feel that you're already invested in using rpgmaker, but those few days you spent in making a working prototype in rpgmaker you could have probably spent less than a day to do the same in AGS and following an online guide. Give it a try, if you don't like it you can always return to rpgmaker.

Ok, will download it and take a look.

We are all trembling with excitement

You will see when my game blows your mind. :D

 

[J_C]

Isn't the thread in the wrong forum (the correct one being codex workshop).

I wanted to make it there, but the description says that it's for RPG projects only.

 

[MRY]

I've used the older RPG Makers (95 and 2000) extensively, and AGS quite a bit (it's Primordia's engine, but I wasn't the coder). My recommendation would be that you stick with RPG Maker.

It is absolutely true that you cannot make a good traditional point-and-click adventure with RPG Maker -- To the Moon is extraordinarily superficial as adventure games go, as much or more like a jRPG than an adventure, and certainly not a point-and-click. But you can probably make a more elaborate adventure game than TtM with RPG Maker. And the premade resources are a huge difference -- likely the difference between being able to finish the game and not. A point-and-click adventure game requires tons of art, and that art has to be unique. The built-in stuff that comes with AGS is not usable for anything other than shovelware or parody. Moreover, AGS requires you to do manage tons of stuff that, in my opinion, is less easy though far more powerful than what RPG Maker has.

With RPG Maker you can fairly easily make a generic-looking and shallow game; it will be tough to make a very deep, unique-looking game with RPG Maker, but this is your first game. The important thing is not for it to be made great, but for it to be made at all. That is much likelier to happen with RPG Maker than with AGS. You'll be gaining useless familiarity with an engine that you can't use much down the line, but you'll still be learning the basic practical skills of budgeting your time, scoping out a game, etc.

So my vote is stick with what you're doing.

 

[J_C]

I've used the older RPG Makers (95 and 2000) extensively, and AGS quite a bit (it's Primordia's engine, but I wasn't the coder). My recommendation would be that you stick with RPG Maker.

It is absolutely true that you cannot make a good traditional point-and-click adventure with RPG Maker -- To the Moon is extraordinarily superficial as adventure games go, as much or more like a jRPG than an adventure, and certainly not a point-and-click. But you can probably make a more elaborate adventure game than TtM with RPG Maker. And the premade resources are a huge difference -- likely the difference between being able to finish the game and not. A point-and-click adventure game requires tons of art, and that art has to be unique. The built-in stuff that comes with AGS is not usable for anything other than shovelware or parody. Moreover, AGS requires you to do manage tons of stuff that, in my opinion, is less easy though far more powerful than what RPG Maker has.

With RPG Maker you can fairly easily make a generic-looking and shallow game; it will be tough to make a very deep, unique-looking game with RPG Maker, but this is your first game. The important thing is not for it to be made great, but for it to be made at all. That is much likelier to happen with RPG Maker than with AGS. You'll be gaining useless familiarity with an engine that you can't use much down the line, but you'll still be learning the basic practical skills of budgeting your time, scoping out a game, etc.

So my vote is stick with what you're doing.

Thanks. I checked AGS today, since I didn't want to rule it out without seeing it first. And the thing is, that engine is for those who are intermediate level developers IMO. Even though it is more powerful and I can see that people can make classic style old school adventures with it, it would need much more time to learn it. And knowing myself I would lose my enthusiasm in days. There are templetes and some premade resources for it, but even those need more time to adjust to my game than RPG Maker for example. At least with RPGMaker I can get a quick satisfaction every time I set up a map, writing a dialogue and adding a few puzzles in a matter of hours.

As you said, I think I start small, I try to finish a game with a simple engine, and if by some kind of miracle, I get good enough in this, I might advance to a better engine.

 

[toro]

We are all trembling with excitement fear

 

[J_C]

What if the main character would be a homeless hobo, and the puzzles were based upon gathering stuff from garbage cans and using them at the appropriate places. Puzzles would have several solutions, based upon how creative you are with the stuff you find.

 

[Darth Roxor]

What if the main character would be a homeless hobo, and the puzzles were based upon gathering stuff from garbage cans and using them at the appropriate places.

ah i detect a clear inspiration from underrail

should be a new hit title on the codex

 

[J_C]

What if the main character would be a homeless hobo, and the puzzles were based upon gathering stuff from garbage cans and using them at the appropriate places.

ah i detect a clear inspiration from underrail

should be a new hit title on the codex

I haven't played Underrail yet (pls don't kill me), but great minds think in a similar way.

What if the main hero would wield the Huegpenis?

 

[Azrael the cat]

Is it a Depression Quest spiritual sequel?

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

Inbe4 this thread turns out to be a veiled cry for help and attention as J_C is found hanged in his appartment

 

[Irenaeus II]

In that case, move thread to GD or retardo sticky.

 

[J_C]

In that case, move thread to GD or retardo sticky.

No, I will present a demo in a few weeks. Which will contain the first 4-5 areas, around an hour or so gameplay (or less or more, I don't know).

 

[Astral Rag]

RPGMaker

reported