People have no idea how tricky the process of making a game is.
This was supposed to be a game made in little time, with not much thought put into things. Some sort of "first thing that pops into your mind" game.
The longer you take to make a game, the less likely you are to finish. The more detail you put into things, the longer you take. So people who make games should never try to make everything as good as it can be. That's a lesson learned long ago.
So, I was making this ranch map.
This is an entrance to a ranch map. The real stuff happen inside the house. Here, there are just some people you can talk to. I think it looks fine.
One day, thinking about the game, I decided this map should be bigger, so players could get the feeling like the ranch is placed on a big land. It would improve atmosphere, setting, etc. So I double the map width, and started adding... stuff.
Took me about 3h to add stuff. And then I realized: if I go on like this, I'll never finish this game. And then I undid everything.
That's a thought I have to keep in my mind at all times. I've given up on projects due to excessive thinking before. Don't want it to happen again.
It's funny how my later maps look so much more like normal games (graphic-style-wise) than my first maps, which were supposed to be plain-looking and more unique. Gotta be careful with that.
I've also decided I'll never make an RPG again. There's just too much effort on details that don't have a concrete impact on gameplay... like mapping, NPC speech, minigames, etc. I mean, it is important, and I like games that are full of details that improve on atmosphere. I've just been lacking the patience.
Oh, and check for new screenshots!
I know this problem. Thank god "Aorta" was already done when I started to add more and more details. Still I'm no fan of big maps. Whatever, don't say I have no clue how tricky it is to make a game! D-:<
ReplyDeleteI said "people have no idea...". You're not people. :)
ReplyDeleteNever make an RPG again?
ReplyDeleteI notice you don't say 'never make a game again', but your skills seem to lie in storytelling. What exactly do you mean?
A solution to the 'too much work' thing is always to get someone else to help out, but delegating is so damn hard if you're attached to something you're making D:
With the games of yours that I've played the 'one man vision' really shows.
Yeah, I wouldn't delegate. I wish I would, but I really care about the "it's my baby!" feeling, so having other people do substantial stuff in my game bothers me.
ReplyDeleteBy RPGs, I meant... traditional RPGs... with battles, level-ups, towns, shops, etc. Beautiful Escape is not an RPG, it's a puzzle-adventure. Marvel Brothel is a simulator. They both have stories, so I guess it's not about telling stories. This game is an RPG. But there's just too much filler in RPGs. Too much work geared torwards unimportant stuff, I guess.