So, I started making a MLP Video game...... but......

[Ashton]

Ok, as the title says, I started making a MLP video game (JRPG style) but due to a lack of some arts I stopped. Now the arts I need are available... but...

 

I started making the game in RPG Maker VXAce, which makes SNES/PSX style 16-bit RPGs. I've since come to realize that, overall, this is an unpopular format and have since started trying to learn Unity 3D to make 3D games...

 

My original game had the whole first area complete, including map, secret areas, hidden recruitable characters, jokes, cutscenes, etc... but it was only the first area, and a small part of the second.

 

Should I simply continue using RPGMVXA to make the game? Should I start over in Unity3D? Should I scrap the idea all together because nobody wants to play a MLP JRPG?

 

(And for anyone interested, yes, the game *is* playable and I can link a demo if any of you *really* want to see it, as I said the first area is done from start-screen till boss-battle through cutscene and into part of the second area)

 

Thoughts? Suggestions? Flames? Whatever you have, lay it on me! (please!)

[DerpRavener]

Depends why you're making the game, I think.  In my unprofessional opinion:

 

If you're making it because you have an idea you want to complete, if you want to have a finished project, if you want something you could look back on or show someone and say 'I made this', I would stick with RPGMaker.

 

If you want to make something for the purpose of putting it on display, if you want to develop game-making skills, I would go with Unity.

[Zealot]

Well, I've been doing unity game development for the past year. It's tough to get your head around. 

 

Still, if you wanted to show off your skills as a game developer then do it in unity. I would use unity 2D, just to simplify things as that is surprisingly easy to get going. All one would need is a few basic objects and scripts.

[Ashton]

Ok... getting answers to all the questions I'm not asking...

 

What do I really want? I want to make a game people will play. a game that bronies (and even a few non-bronies) will say "hey that was a good game, I really enjoyed it, great story, I'd reccomend it" (and they genuinely do talk about it) I DO NOT want people to say "well it sounds good but I'm not touching a game designed like that!"

 

Me personally? I grew up in the 16-bit era. I loved the old RPGs, top games on my list are EARTHBOUND, Final Fantasy 6, ChronoTrigger... I actually disliked Mario RPG because it introduced so many "action-RPG" elements and looked too 3D!

 

But, again... I am one of those who will change things if it means making more people happy or making the experiance more enjoyable to others. I want to make a game that people will really ENJOY and will be willing to play.

 

...but I have no idea what that would be... over half the time when I think I know the answer I am wrong...

 

As for me personally, both engines have a lot of selling poitns and a lot of faults, all I can say is I can probably complete the game using RPG Maker faster (since so much has to be coded in by paw) however, I have to make most of my own graphics in RPGMaker while Unity uses mostly pre-made formats that I can pose in 3D software, so that alone would save me a lot of time... (nto to mention BOTH of these "problems" are "set it up and forget it" where you code/edit once and can reuse everything over and over quickly later...)

 

So, yeah, it comes back to me asking more "What does the fandom want?" Would they be happy with a 16-bit RPG or woudl they demand Full 3D? Would they accept a game made with a (slightly infamous) "point and click" interface, or would they all expect something that has hundreds of pages of code that the game-creator (me) wrote myself...

 

In short, Which woudl be more popular and enjoyable? Or woudl the fandom as a whole have no interest in a Pony JRPG?

 

((and no, I'm nto even going to try and think about where Hasbro woudl stand on this))

[Zealot]

Honestly, I can't speak for if people would want a Pony JRPG. Personally I wouldn't, but hey I'm not all people in the world, hehe.

 

In all honesty, I can't think of a game I know has been made using RPG maker, those kinds of things tend to be more learning devices or just recreational things rather than serious packages like Unity or Unreal, because I can think of a lot of games made in Unity and Unreal. Successful big games, and smaller projects. 

 

So yeah, I think just because Unity is used a lot in the games industry, I think it would be worthwhile making a game with that. I mean, I don't really know your situation or anything but speaking as someone on a games development course, I wish I'd toyed with it and learnt it earlier.

 

I can't really say which would be more popular or enjoyable. Like I said, if you want to make a 16-bit RPG then that's quite easily done in Unity, you don't have to go full 3D. So if you want experience with a tool that is used a lot more in the industry then I would go with Unity. If I was embarking on this project, that's what would matter to me. 

[PrinceoftheNight]

I would actually like to have a look to the game to be hones... well the demo. I really like jrpgs. I remember playing equestriabound. (Mlp X earthbound) bla bla bla.

Honestly, I would like to see it first, then give my opinions about what you should do.

[Ashton]

@ zealot: that's exactly my problem, nobody who I talk to seems to really like JRPGs anymore (or wont admit to liking them) and has no opinion (despite the HUGE market), that's why part of me says "dont even bother continuing development"  (And yes, there are, I think 5 or so commercially "successful" games made with RPG Maker (one is on steam actually) but overall most people either (1) simply dont like 16-bit games, or (2) despite RPG Maker from an Elitist POV (i.e. you should have to code more and do more editing of images, etc, "it's blasphemy that they give you everything you need" --- and woe be unto you if you use ANY of the pre-made assets! Even something as simple as a switch, button, door, water-block... you will be flamed HARD for it)

 

@ prince:

This is the final playtest version I made. I cleaned up a few more things since this (I think there may even be a crash bug if you try to return to the dungeon after clearing it...) but overall it works:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8499597/MLP-Bane.zip

If you have questions, just let me know

[DerpRavener]

 

So, yeah, it comes back to me asking more "What does the fandom want?" Would they be happy with a 16-bit RPG or woudl they demand Full 3D? Would they accept a game made with a (slightly infamous) "point and click" interface, or would they all expect something that has hundreds of pages of code that the game-creator (me) wrote myself...

 

In short, Which woudl be more popular and enjoyable? Or woudl the fandom as a whole have no interest in a Pony JRPG?

 

This basically answered my questions.  Though I may not have articulated it in the best way, what they boiled down to was: are you motivated by internal things (the pride of having a completed project, a tangible representation of an idea you came up with) or external (skills you can sell, recognition of the game by others)?  And it seems like you are of the latter.

On that basis, I would say Unity is the way to go.  It would probably take more work, but if nothing else it gives you a more options for what can be done with a game, and that gives you more opportunities to make something people will find interesting.

I've seen some reasonably successful RPGMaker games, but truth be told I've always found JRPG style things to be rather limited.  The general set of mechanics doesn't allow for much, and when they do the games tend to succeed on art or writing rather than gameplay.

 

That said, to really accomplish what you want, you may have to answer a much trickier question: what is it the fandom/people want to play?

[Ashton]

This basically answered my questions.  Though I may not have articulated it in the best way, what they boiled down to was: are you motivated by internal things (the pride of having a completed project, a tangible representation of an idea you came up with) or external (skills you can sell, recognition of the game by others)?  And it seems like you are of the latter.

On that basis, I would say Unity is the way to go.  It would probably take more work, but if nothing else it gives you a more options for what can be done with a game, and that gives you more opportunities to make something people will find interesting.

I've seen some reasonably successful RPGMaker games, but truth be told I've always found JRPG style things to be rather limited.  The general set of mechanics doesn't allow for much, and when they do the games tend to succeed on art or writing rather than gameplay.

 

That said, to really accomplish what you want, you may have to answer a much trickier question: what is it the fandom/people want to play?

 

Yeah, I have a strange issue (dissorder?) that my motivation to do something decreases if there's no responce to it (doesn't even have to be a positive responce, I'm just as happy with a tiny hatedom as a fandom) but if my project is ignored, I quickly start losing interest. (you have no idea how many webcomics I've done to date, and all died because I didn't get a responce to them)

 

The general set of mechanics doesn't allow for much, and when they do the games tend to succeed on art or writing rather than gameplay.

 

That's exactly what a JRPG is. It's a story-telling medium. It's not about the mechanics (though they can and do help keep a player's interest) the point is to tell a story, which is writing and art.

 

 what is it the fandom/people want to play?

 

This. So very much this. I look at sales of Square's games (JRPGs) and those numbers scream that there is a huge market for JRPGs, but when I read around on forums and such I see people bashing JRPGs and talking about how in other games they just skip plot-critical cutscenes because all they want is to play the 'action' of the game and not be bothered with a story... There's a huge dissconnect here and I dont know exactly where it all really falls...

[Zealot]

Hmm, well I've never liked them. There is probably a market for it, but still if you want the game to be successful rather than just have it as a pet project of yours then I would probably canvass your market and see what they are interested in. That is if you're doing this as more of a way to make money than just as a learning experience.

 

Still, if this isn't just a pet project, you are in it to make a bit of cash then I think RPGmaker would be best. That way you can avoid the hefty licensing fees that come with unity. After all, it's free, but when you start making money you need a proper license. That's another way to look at it, hehe. But still, I'm not sure on the rules that govern that engine.

 

So there's the choice. Make something from the heart, or do research and try to make something you think people will enjoy. I guess that's that.

[Ashton]

Hmm, well I've never liked them. There is probably a market for it, but still if you want the game to be successful rather than just have it as a pet project of yours then I would probably canvass your market and see what they are interested in. 

 

That's kinda the point of this thread, since a whiel back I saw somewhere that canterlot is liek the #3 largest pony site onthe 'net I figured I'd get a lot of feedback... I forgot the members here (as a whole) will all-but die to avoid giving feedback on anything...

 

I'm not looking to make money (except maybe by using adfly or something for downloads) I want to make a game and I want people to play it and enjoy it. I want to regularly have people say they liked it, or tell me what they didn't like about it... I dont want to spend months making a game then it never be played...

[PrinceoftheNight]

Alright, I'm going to make a small review with y experience and comments about it.

 

It was a nice playtrough of the game. First, the intro. Although you can not skip it until you have a save game, it is quite nice. The main menu music is also quite nice, although something less... cheerful would go better after seeing how the game is itself.

 

Now, the gameplay. It is nice to see gaming back to the old school. No explanation of how much of the game works and bla bla bla. I missed that a lot. Also, the castle theme reminded me a lot of Corneria's castle theme, really, it was like hearing it again after a long time of not playing FF1. Also, the Princess Looked SO DARN ADORABLE!!! Ahhh!!! I just wanted to go and hug the princesses! *ehm* anyways, back on topic.

 

The battle mechanics looked pretty good for me. It was a good experience to go back also to the turn based combat and stat based. The story looks quite promising  also. It got me interested.

 

About the bug you mentioned, it appears when you don't have the key to go into the dungeon. I was exploring and when I got to the door locked, I tried to see what happened and crashed. So is not when you try to go back, is when you don't have the key for it.

 

It was a good game to be honest, I really liked it, but I'm a fan of Jrpg games, so... idk if all this helped you.

 

About carrying on, I would encourage you to do it, it has a pretty good story and effects to be honest, and the 16-bit appearance makes it look awesome

[Ashton]

Alright, I'm going to make a small review with y experience and comments about it.

 

It was a nice playtrough of the game. First, the intro. Although you can not skip it until you have a save game, it is quite nice. The main menu music is also quite nice, although something less... cheerful would go better after seeing how the game is itself.

I was using the premaid into music, I'll probably change it to something a *little* sadder, but I dont like the title screen to be sad.

Now, the gameplay. It is nice to see gaming back to the old school. No explanation of how much of the game works and bla bla bla. I missed that a lot. Also, the castle theme reminded me a lot of Corneria's castle theme, really, it was like hearing it again after a long time of not playing FF1.

FF1 was Mystic Quest right? I loved that game, one of the first I played to use weapons to advance by interacting with the environment! I sadly dont think I EVER finished it... maybe I missed something but eventually it became Nintendo Hard and I kept dieing...

Also, the Princess Looked SO DARN ADORABLE!!! Ahhh!!! I just wanted to go and hug the princesses! *ehm* anyways, back on topic.

Glad you liked them, I spent a LONG time on the graphics side of things ^_^

The battle mechanics looked pretty good for me. It was a good experience to go back also to the turn based combat and stat based. The story looks quite promising  also. It got me interested.

Yes, the story has barely even gotten started. I had a HUGE cutscene planned at the end of the second map where it reveals more of the plot (and Ruxpin's backstory --- provided you saved him) 

I'm a HUGE fan of turn-based combat, "action combat" is something I dislike about most modern games because it relies more on muscle-memory and random "button mashing" instead of planning.

About the bug you mentioned, it appears when you don't have the key to go into the dungeon. I was exploring and when I got to the door locked, I tried to see what happened and crashed. So is not when you try to go back, is when you don't have the key for it.

Thank you, its easy to forget since off the top of my head I can think of like 8 different times you could interact with the door (some of them obscure and unusual) extra hard when most of the testing involves testing other elements so you use the same setup. If I ressurect it, I'll be sure to fix that bug (I think I did, but I cant remember now...)

It was a good game to be honest, I really liked it, but I'm a fan of Jrpg games, so... idk if all this helped you.

 

About carrying on, I would encourage you to do it, it has a pretty good story and effects to be honest, and the 16-bit appearance makes it look awesome

Thank you. I tried to cram as much humor plot and as I could into it (did you find "Cadence's !!!"? ...did you try to look at it a second time? ) it's also got several branches to the plot. Specifically if you spare Ruxpin (If you didn't, then you should go back and try it to see what happens spoiler: he joins you! If he's in the party you'll get a lot of extra dialogue plus later on I planned a couple extra maps, an extra boss fight, and a cutscene --- you also he causes you to skip a hard boss battle)

Well, two things stopped me. First, the fact that I was lacking some art assets I needed (though I came up with a way around them) and second, the new season was about to start, so I was worried there would be changes (there was --- for example the library is gone and now there's a castle. That would have required a LOT of re-coding, though the Map could give some nice side-quests that otherwise would be just "out of the blue" if I stuck to the story alone)

...well... and the fact that RPGMVXA has a rather large hatedom because it lets people with no idea what they're doing make very bad games very easily... (certainly not an issue with Unity... first couple HOURS of making a game in it revolves around writing hundreds of lines of C# code... and that's only for the most basic functions! Though, to be fair, that's all back-end "database" work, so you could build environments and such first then add it later. Unity is beautifully modular in that regard.)

[PrinceoftheNight]

There is no need for the main screen music to be sad, just less cheerful.

 

FF mystic quest is the first final fantasy that came out in America. I was talking about the original FF1. the one of the 4 heroes of light and stuff.

 

Actually, when I fought him I actually spared him. It was a nice touch of you to do that since to my knowledge, most people would have take him down, mostly because it was the second option rather than the first one. (really that affects the options the player take somehow.)

 

I also noticed all the humor in there, mostly of the dialogs Spike does when you do certain things, Tia's cake and that they might had hired Sweetie bell to the kitchen. xD I found them funny as soon as I saw them.

 

All that other stuff is more technical stuff I 'm not sued to it, but I understand part of what all you said. The fact that you lack the art assets and all those impacts on the progress, and everything new they bring out changes everything xD, I hate and love that for some reason.

 

I'm really looking forward to the final version (or next demo. )

[Ashton]

I'm honestly not sure why I made it the second option... probably for simplicity in coding (even though sparing him throws a switch that effects things all the way to the endgame!)

 

It really makes me happy to see somone appreciated the work I put into the dialogue. I promise if I continue it to add as much humor as possible throughout! (though it will be a lot harder since spike leaves the party (permanently) in 1-2 maps after that... 

 

Yeah... funny how sometimes something so iconic and unique gets very little action... to be honest map2 is set in the everfree and I needed a timberwolf... could NOT find one when I was making the game. Now I have a 3D model that can easily be posed.

 

lol. I doubt you'd really be that excited about the next area, it's a maze. Of course the one after THAT is when things really get messy... but I'm getting ahead of myself (though sadly that's about as far as I planned the levels... I mean I had ideas but nothing solid to go on...)