/rpgmg/ RPG Maker General #234

What roles do these monsters need to fulfill?
Tank: Dwarf, Bear, Mammoth, Auroch
Glass cannon: Ice Witch, Yuki Onna, Wendigo
Healer: Valkyrie
Status: Fox, Crow
Huge dude: Snowman, Treefolk, Giant
Crowd: Jackalopes or just monster bunnies
Metal Slime: Jackalope

I always look at magic cards for monster and spell ideas for specific settings. So maybe yo could look here:
magiccards.info/query?q=e:cs/en&v=card&s=cname

>What roles do these monsters need to fulfill?
Indeed, I should have specified better. I'm making a dungeon crawler RPG with lots of roguelite elements. Loved your ideas, though! I never thought about checking Magic Cards for ideas, what is pretty nifty. My main concern is that I wouldn't like to use references to a card game and I'd like to address these references to world mythologies instead.

Thanks a lot, user!

Not him but this is where the Magic card devs also got their inspirations from.
Stuff like Dorfs, Yuki Onna, Wendigo, Valkyrie, Giant are from different mythologies/folk beliefs. I would also say the same applies to Treefolk.

Well, you just look at the cards to see what concepts were used. For example, Cold Snap has Norse and Germanic mythology + Ice Age Megafauna + Cryptids from cold places as a clear basis for the setting, fantasy tropes like Feudal Kingdoms, Zombies, Dragons, elementalism, etc. are laid up on top of the basis to flesh out the world. Finally, there are cards that represent interactions between different aspects of the setting, such as frozen zombies and megafauna-riding barbarians.

You can follow a similar procedure to reach things like Zombie Dwarves and Megafauna-inspired elementals.

no

Now's not the time to be dead!

i like that idea. it might give some life to this dead, always-on-page-10 thread.
we could even add a new pastebin to the OP with links to all the games made through this challenge. like a time capsule of sorts.

I like the idea too. Not sure about the RTP use rule, though.

Well, the first guy that did it used only RTP resources to speed things up, but I'm pretty sure the second guy used some edited RTP stuff and some Mack(ish) tilesets - so he either found/made them in those 8 hours or he already had them before starting..

I think it's mostly a matter of wasting as little time as possible, but we could totally abandon the RTP rule.

That's a cool idea, I like it.
It's not like you would be bullied for posting your game or anything.
You're more likely to be ignored though.
Of the two people that did it, the one that got the most comments was the first. Half reminded him of the deadline to bump the thread and the other half told him his game didn't work.
There was literally just one guy that left criticism at all.
Dead general is dead. We're gonna end up like the now gone /sdvg/

We've been around much longer than /sdvg/.
Are we dead? Kinda, yes.
But this general has been like this for like 3 years.

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bump again

I'm programming.
I feel smart.

Good on you user.
What are you working on?

Interface stuff right now, I will post some screenshots once I'm done.
May take some time, however.

I need opinions.
What would be the best battle system for a shonen-inspired game a la Dragon Ball/One Piece/Bleach?
My first guess would be some kind of 2d fighting game, like the DS Bleach games or stuff like Extreme Butoden, but that seems way too difficult for me to do in rpg maker.

On the other hand, Blue Omen Operation uses a turn based battle system (with a few Warioware-styled minigames and a dodging mechanic, but it's still turn based) and I think it fits the game pretty well.

Maybe even something like the Tales of series (or the Summon Night: Swordcraft Story spinoffs)?

I dunno, I just really, really want to make a shonen-inspired game.

I might have watched too much anime lately.

This is tough. If you play for the social links, and you're bad at combat, you don't want the combat to ruin your experience. If you hate the social links, they're not required to beat the game. The combat IS required to beat the game, and therefore, needs to be easy as to not alienate the people who play for the sweet sweet character interaction.

There was a game way back (the first Valkyria Chonicles?) that Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade played together. Tycho liked building and equipping the army, and Gabe liked playing the battles. If you rely on competency in more than one gameplay component, you risk losing players. Gabe and Tycho had a good chemistry going, and it got them through.

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/v/ is imploding right now because Hawaii banned loot boxes or something

Good!

Show me your main character

If the general survives for another 6-7 hours, I will.

okay

Post yours first.

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He looks bad :(

>And this is where user works hard

I feel even a pure turn based system COULD work if it flows well enough. It'd need to be fast and slick, yet flashy. But your best bet is likely shit like timed hits/blocks/dodges, maybe button combo inputs for bigger attacks... trying to keep the player doing things through the entire fight to give it an action-y feel.

I might be in the minority here but I think that purely turn-based would work great for Dragon Ball if, like said, it were fast and slick enough. If you can stack up a bunch of actions really quickly and fluidly and then have them all unfold in a flashy, visceral and exciting way, it would be much more satisfying than playing a bunch of minigames.

...

Look into Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans on DS. It's pretty generic turn-based with a few minor additions, yet it's widely agreed to be a fantastic Dragon Ball game. Obviously there are ways it could've been better, but it's a good base to work from and should be relatively easy to replicate in RPG Maker.

Why should I? No one is going to say anything about him and I will not know if it's because he looks like shit or because people just aren't interested.

Reminds me of a younger version of Enoch

That background kinda hurts my eyes but I really like the hair.

I will at least tell you if I like him or not.

>That background kinda hurts my eyes but I really like the hair.
Thanks user. The background is just a test because I'm garbage at tiles, but I was really happy with the hair so it's good to get positive feedback.

Unprecedented levels of immersion and player choice

I love to have options.
Does it change the story in any way?

The main story will be largely the same, but some sidequests will be different/exclusive, and party character interactions will be different too.

There might even be a way to change your gender midgame. We'll see.

Speaking of which, does anybody out there with a talent for pixel art feel like helping me with tiles?
I can do characters but boy am I struggling with this.
I'm trying to make a shopping mall tileset in a vaguely Pokémon GBC style (but with 24x24 tilesize).

I use parallax mapping so I don't have to deal with automatic tiles.
It sounds simple but I would take a good look at the Pokemon GBC games and find out how they did the environment.

soundcloud.com/tinyghoststudios/finalbossmaybe
placeholder instruments atm; chorus melody writing, and actual arrangement tomorrow when people aren't sleeping

Looking forward to the final version.

Oh yeah, I tried that game.
It was unexpectedly awesome.

Then again, something like four fifths of the DS' library are unexpectedly good games.

He's a kid. He's always fucking pissed.
He probably solves all his problems with violence.
He might be a bit plain looking though.
I'll have to workshop his hair and clothes a bit. Maybe add a bandaid on his face or something or shorten his sleeves so his hands are actually visible.

I've also got another character already drawn, and I think he/she came out better than the MC design-wise.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I'll see what I can do.
Attack of the Saiyans on the DS used something like cards in battle, right? That might be interesting to implement.
I hope I don't get sidetracked and start playing on the DS.

good night bump

His design is simple but it works. Does he gets in fights often? If so a bruise/bandaid would work well.
Maybe even have his clothes a little torn.

Here's the other character.
He's supposed to be mainly a support, but I could probably give him a way to transform that teddy bear into a rideable mecha or something.
I mean, if we're gonna keep true to shonen stereotypes, new forms and transformations are basically a must.

Wait, no, scratch that.
I accidentally confused Attack of the Saiyans (RPG) with Goku Densetsu (Card-based RPG).
Admittedly, they're both pretty good games.

He sure does. I'll probably add that bandaid I mentioned, along with a few scrapes on his legs/knees if I decide to make his shorts shorter.

>Oh my what a cute gi-
>It's a boy
Really cute design.

muckin around a bit with lights

It could be either, really.
The design is pretty ambiguous.

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If I published a game made using a cracked version of MV to Google Play would I get in trouble for it? Could someone detect if my game is made with a pirated copy?

the general consensus is usually to develop your game with the pirate version and buy just before you release

iirc there were ways they could tell on older versions but I don't know about MV

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Uh, didn't know that.
It's only a problem if you straight up want to sell your game though, right?
If, for example, you uploaded it on itch.io and made it freeware with a suggested price, would you still have to worry about that?
You're not explicitly selling it, but you might get donations out of it anyway...

I'm probably going to make one for funsies.
I'll be on vacation from work in the first week of December so if I only have my laptop, it might be in RM95

Character generator face is temporary.

New one, this time it's definitely a girl.
A girl with a slingshot.

Making cute characters is really, really fun.

Thanks. I'm actually not sure whether to make that character male or female, since as said it's actually a somewhat ambiguous design.
But somehow I feel like "he" fits more than "she". Might be the colors I used.

Who cares as long as it's cute?

The soft shadows contrast pretty strongly with the more straight-edged character and background.
It's not bad though. Just a bit jarring when you first see the screenshot.

cute

>2017
>Still no and system that allows menu equipped dual wielding

Last character I came up with for now.
I put it in a spoiler because it's special.
I dunno whether to make it a form that is always on in battle or something you can only gain access to through specific conditions (technique, full moon, transformation).

I should probably see if I can make some original sprites next.

I ended up modifying this one a bit by adding more visible hair and ears.
I also made a red headed version with freckles. It looks cute.
I also made some small changes to the other two.

I'm going to make the cutest fucking shonen-inspired game I possibly can.

Thanks!

That sounds neat. It's nice to see more people taking a stab at this challenge, it means more people actually working with rpg maker instead of shitposting.

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A couple questions
1. Has there ever been an RPG with a structure similar to, say, an N64 collectathon?
2. With such a structure, what is a sound method for level growth?
3. Does a party consisting of Black Mage, Fighter, White Mage, Tank work?
4. How do you know when a Healer has too many offensive options, a DPS has too many support options, etc.?
And two that are less problem solving more "give me ideas"
5. What is a fear of yours, avoid super common stuff like acrophobia and claustrophobia
6. What is a strange or less common fear you know people have

I used to come here a long time ago

the best fit for shonen games is fightan, there's a reason most shonen games are fighters

Welcome back

Thanks, I came around when this general was around 200. Have there been any new games or projects being worked on?

Hows that collab game that probably never got finished?

1. Can't answer this unfortunately, since the only collectathons I ever played were the first Spyro game and Crash Bandicoot.
I don't think there was ever a N64 collectathon-styled RPG. Maybe some sidequests and/or minor mechanics, but never an RPG completely focused on that type of thing.

For some reason I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of a collectathon. I mean, as I said I've played a few collectathon games in the past, and I do get why they're fun, but at the same time I wonder if the definition of collectathon couldn't be applied to very different games by bending the rules a bit.
For example, Pokémon is an RPG, right? The main focus of the game is the level growth of the pokémon and the battling. Yet isn't there an hint of collectathon when one of the objectives is to "catch them all"? You do get a "reward"
of sorts for completing your pokédex (a bigger pokédex to fill), but it's not like you NEED a specific amount of pokémon to progress the game.

Bleh, sorry for rambling.

2. Uhm... I guess you could completely forego the idea of exp gained by combat? As in, there's still combat, and you can still get useful stuff (like loot) from it, but the actual level growth comes from collecting whatever thing your collectathon is about.
Again, I feel like I'm not grasping the idea of collectathon for some reason.

3. I think it could work, but you'd probably have to make the Fighter a little bit squishier, since they're usually supposed to also be the tanks.
Or am I thinking tabletop rpg right now?

4. It really depends. I guess healers usually have, at most, normal attacks and maybe a few holy-themed spells to use against those pesky undead. On the other hand, DPS usually have a few single target buffs and everything else is damage-focused.

5. No arachnophobia or entomophobia? Then... anginophobia?

6. Omphalophobia, a fear of belly buttons.

Sorry for the long reply and for rambling.

1. A lot of Aldorlea games have a bunch of hidden stuff, usually 20-25 hidden rooms, but never a 'Collectathon,' outside of Pokemon and other collectable monster games I guess.
2. If you're going to have separate classes (as per Q3) then having collectables for each character/class might be the easiest way to go.
3. Presuming Fighter is physical damage, that's probably fine. May want to go with a Hunter/Ranger/etc for some difference between them and tank.
4. When you consider using the healer for said offensive options. FF1 did it well where they were good for specific enemies (undead), but outside of that, they had little efficacy in an offensive nature outside of the hammer.
5. Horses and winged insects (moths and butterflies included). Two separate fears fwiw. I'd probably be horrified of a Pegasus
6. Spiders, Darkness, the Future, Scratching on a door

>Around 200
I can't even remember when that was.
It's hard to tell because sometimes we manage to stay up for two weeks and sometimes we die in a couple of hours.
But yes, the old collab is dead and the new collab i̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶ awaits a volunteer for the next chapter.

What's the cutest breed of dog you can think of?

I knew someone who had a mild (?) case of Aquaphobia, she had problems showering. She couldn't deal with water pouring down on her face or with large bodies of water at all.
Her hygiene suffered a lot because of this.

>spoiler attached to response #1
When I say collectathon structure, what I'm thinking is something like Mario 64, where you're given a large amount of small goals and have to complete certain amounts of them to get past certain progress points. In my game, this amounts to various small dungeons the player has to complete in order to access the game's main dungeons in full. Usually collectathons don't require every goal to be completed in order to achieve an ending, but offer an alternate final level or at least ending for getting 100% completion.
PS1 Crash is not a collectathon, level progression is linear and collectables are never required for a normal ending
Pokemon is not a collectathon, as its progression is not directly tied to the goal of "catching 'em all"
>response #2
I was thinking this as well, though I worried about the problems that arose when Paper Mario Sticker Star ditched combat EXP. Then again, that game has no replacement for EXP whatsoever, while my game would at least have a level system, so it might work.
>response #3
I was trying to think of a term for "character who does high melee damage but doesn't have tanking options" other than DPS, so yeah I agree the fighter shouldn't be as beefy as the tank
>response #5 and 6
Never heard of Entomophobia, Anginophobia, or Omphalophobia thanks!

And it's fine, I'm glad you put a lot of thought into it

>3
I was worried about the Fighter and Tank being a bit samey ever since I made the former into a melee character from my original plan of archer. I did it in the interest of making the healer have a ranged weapon but I guess it wouldn't hurt to have two ranged attackers
>5
Interesting ones, will keep in mind
Horses are great, weirdo

Already had Aquaphobia jotted down, but thanks
A phobia stops being minor when it interferes with your basic needs, so no that's not a mild case if her hygiene is suffering

Could also use a rogue/thief/assassin instead of archer/fighter. Or a monk. Lots of lightweight options that are still 'DPS'

Bumpa

Probably around 8 or so months ago.
So the old collab is dead? I'll check the link to the new collab. Don't know if I'll volunteer though.

The old collab died right at the end because no one wanted to have a finale for it.

The collab in the OP died a couple of months ago since no one new was interested in it.

I assume one of the major problems was the linear nature of it made it incredibly easy to write the next dev into a corner, hence the interest drained...

Though a familiar dev named W.T.Dinner is in the process of starting another new collab project.

Honestly, I've seen a few of these collabs come and go and always wondered what and how to get them finished.

Maybe the story should be worked on backwards? It always seems like the story is the part that comes to a grinding halt at the end.

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How do you organize your research/notes?
I write down everything in a single .txt file but I fear that this is not the smartest way of handling things.

What OS are you on? Have you heard of org-mode? It's a program inside of emacs and I love using it for organizing. There is nothing wrong with using a text file for organizing things. I think we're used to using GUI and fancy formating for organizing things because our world is becoming more visual. However sometimes you just want to put ideas down quickly and there is nothing easier than using plain text. Of course you can style it and make it easier on the eyes by using different signs to mark important headlines or points, or even draw out maps. Look at old gameFAQ tutorials and you'll see what I mean. Most of that websites tutorials were based on text files. They recently moved to allowing HTML files too. If you want to you could experiment with HTML notes as you can do a lot with that like add links, images, and other files but that might not be worth your time if you don't want to do other things with it as well.

It might not be the smartest, but it's certainly not as dumb as the way I do it.
I use thousands upon thousands of post it notes. I just scribble down everything that comes to mind when I get an idea, adding more and more stuff to the post it note until the text is almost unreadable because it's squished so much. It helps that when I want to I can write extremely small.
I've got a stack of them hidden somewhere in my drawer, and I just finished transcribing another stack into a single .txt file.

Sometimes I just grab blank pages and fill them with ideas, sketches for characters/objects/monsters/layouts and even summaries of the stories.
I just prefer writing by hand when I'm in a creative mood, I guess.

I did use a text file once though. It was just for the story and the characters, but what I did was basically write everything I thought of, stream-of-consciousness style.
Then I left all of that in one or two paragraphs and rewrote everything in a more organized manner, by dividing the characters by role and alignment. Then I wrote down the major events for each part of the story and then I went and added little connections between the major events.

Writing all the previous stuff helped me see how I went from one idea to the other, and since sometimes I lose my train of thought it also reminded me what I was actually writing about.
It was all in one text file, but you could totally do the same thing and divide everything in different .txt files and put them in directories and subdirectories, while connecting everything with an hyperlink to a main .txt file (if you're using Word/Apache).

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It's the primetime to work on your game user.
Are you working hard?

The PS1 version has native dual-wielding. In my early days, I had to buff shields a lot to make sure people couldn't cheese the game with it. There's no way to turn it off.

BUT PS1 STILL WINS AGAIN!

I'm working hard [Spoiler]on Uni stuff. Sorry user.[/Spoiler]