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November 24th, 2018, 12:52
The only other way is to simply get out of the dysfunctional parts of the families. More than 10 years ago I decidede to just not show up on big family birthday parties anymore.
Since then, I might be even more of an Alien, but it's better for me and for them in the end.
And I feel good by that.
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December 4th, 2018, 23:10
So, I've been playing Artifact. What do you reckon?
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December 4th, 2018, 23:16
Haven't played it. I don't like 1v1 card games much.

I used to play MtG in a very big way many years ago, but I always preferred 2v2 or 3v3 setups. I'm not a big competitive player anymore, so I need the social elements to be stronger than straight-up 1v1 matches.

Unless you actually CAN play 2v2 or similar?

It looks like a cash grab to me, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad game.

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December 5th, 2018, 00:18
It's just 1v1s. I think it's good.

It is grabbing a lot of cash from me because cards on the market are just a few cents and I can build new decks for a few bucks. Suddenly I've got most the cards and 20 decks and spent $30 on the market.

But I was complaining that I wanted to just buy the full set and not gamble with packs and the market does let you do that. If you avoid a handful of expensive cards, the most being $25, then it's pretty cheap to get all the cards and much faster and cheaper than Hearthstone and others. It's got a real money AH, sort of.

There's never anything to grind for, no daily quests, stats, rank, etc, so there's no bots in the matchmaking. It's all just unrecorded casual games or play for a buck and maybe win your buck back + two packs.

edit: So, the way you play the AH is to make your best deck then only play ticket games. If you always win 3/5 games you get your ticket back. If you win 4 or 5 you get free packs, sell them on the AH. In theory you could fund all your steam games through winning Artifact games.
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December 5th, 2018, 12:25
So, I just finished a 60 hour interactive Unity development course from Udemy - and it was surprisingly useful and insightful.

Learned a ton of stuff about Unity paradigms that should make my game that much easier to make.

I was sceptical about Udemy - because it seemed a little cash-grabby. It probably IS that - but some of the courses are definitely worth it, as they're on sale so often.

For instance, this one was like 10 euro - and is among the best courses I've ever taken - online or "real". Well, maybe that's more about my own motivation than the actual course - but still.

I've started an RPG development course now, which is going to be even more relevant.

My game is doing a few neat things that I thought would be harder to achieve - but I'm only starting to get to the meat of it now.

It's a little scary to be at this stage, because I've run out of excuses. The current plan is to have something semi-finished in spring 2020. At least good enough for some kind of Early Access - even if I don't particularly like the idea of it.

As usual, I started out with an idea that should be simple enough - but I keep adding stuff that I feel the game needs.

As it turns out, my game will mostly resemble Rebel Galaxy (though more RPG-ish and less action-ish) - which is a little surprising to me, because I don't actually like RG much.

But that's good, because I know what to avoid

Not that I didn't already - but it actually seems we might have started out with similar premises.

For an added challenge, it's actually going really, really well with my "real" job. I'm doing things that would probably make other kinds of people feel good about themselves (like saving the public a significant amount of money) - but I don't really think it's worth feeling good about. It's trivial stuff.

But it's enough to keep me engaged with the job - which is a problem, because it's cutting into my focus on development.

Fuck!

Anyway, just a little update in case anyone is curious.

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December 5th, 2018, 21:28
Originally Posted by Darth Tagnan View Post
So, I just finished a 60 hour interactive Unity development course from Udemy - and it was surprisingly useful and insightful.

Learned a ton of stuff about Unity paradigms that should make my game that much easier to make.

I was sceptical about Udemy - because it seemed a little cash-grabby. It probably IS that - but some of the courses are definitely worth it, as they're on sale so often.

For instance, this one was like 10 euro - and is among the best courses I've ever taken - online or "real". Well, maybe that's more about my own motivation than the actual course - but still.

I've started an RPG development course now, which is going to be even more relevant.

My game is doing a few neat things that I thought would be harder to achieve - but I'm only starting to get to the meat of it now.

It's a little scary to be at this stage, because I've run out of excuses. The current plan is to have something semi-finished in spring 2020. At least good enough for some kind of Early Access - even if I don't particularly like the idea of it.

As usual, I started out with an idea that should be simple enough - but I keep adding stuff that I feel the game needs.

As it turns out, my game will mostly resemble Rebel Galaxy (though more RPG-ish and less action-ish) - which is a little surprising to me, because I don't actually like RG much.

But that's good, because I know what to avoid

Not that I didn't already - but it actually seems we might have started out with similar premises.

For an added challenge, it's actually going really, really well with my "real" job. I'm doing things that would probably make other kinds of people feel good about themselves (like saving the public a significant amount of money) - but I don't really think it's worth feeling good about. It's trivial stuff.

But it's enough to keep me engaged with the job - which is a problem, because it's cutting into my focus on development.

Fuck!

Anyway, just a little update in case anyone is curious.
Keep up with the updates

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December 6th, 2018, 05:02
Originally Posted by Darth Tagnan View Post
So, I've decided to go the indie developer route.

Not sure when, but soon.

I've got a few ideas of my own - but my primary challenge is to find a project that's doable within a year or two.

Every time I sit down and try to develop something, it grows too big and I end up overwhelming myself.

I will NOT develop trivial fad-like games (Battle Royale Tetris) in order to cash in. I know a lot of developers start out like that, and there's nothing wrong with it - but it's not for me.

On the other hand, I don't want to shoot myself in the foot and come up with something only my mother will pay for.

So…..

Ideas.

It's safe to assume that whatever I make, it will have some RPG elements.

Could you RPG fans help me out with something that's not too ambitious for a solo developer - and which might be something people would actually play?

I'm going to try this and go all the way - but it's not to get rich. It's to support myself and nothing more.
I only read a bit here…one where you said you could never finish a game on your own.

Not say you could but with that thought process don't even start. If you don't believe 100 percent in yourself, then why start anything.

I would say just do a small town with a few side quest that leads to bigger quest(problem in the small town) and see how people react. Something you could build off, even if it seems simple.

This would give you some basic feed back to see if you want to build off it.
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December 6th, 2018, 11:40
Originally Posted by CelticFrost View Post
I only read a bit here…one where you said you could never finish a game on your own.

Not say you could but with that thought process don't even start. If you don't believe 100 percent in yourself, then why start anything.

I would say just do a small town with a few side quest that leads to bigger quest(problem in the small town) and see how people react. Something you could build off, even if it seems simple.

This would give you some basic feed back to see if you want to build off it.
I don't doubt myself - but I believe in reality

I've never been big on self-doubt. I don't do pride and I don't do shame. I just do the human thing - where I recognise that we have flaws. I prefer that to self-delusion.

That said, doubts and worries don't translate to never finishing anything. Certainly not if we pretend success is "earning a lot of money" and we listen to, say, what seems like 90% of all Hollywood actors talking about how they never believed they would amount to anything. Doubt is almost a kind of fuel in Hollywood. Even the most "successful" actors sometimes doubt they'll ever get another job.

Of course, I'm not looking to "succeed" in the traditional sense. I have unusual criteria for that, anyway.

But…. thank you for the feedback!

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December 28th, 2018, 20:16
Working on three things right now:

Particles and damage system. I managed to create a decent laser shot effect that I'm somewhat happy with

Inventory and "tier 0" purchasing systems. As in, the ability to buy weapons and place them in (on?) the correct hardpoints on ships - so they're physically shown in the right place and work as intended when fired. I plan on implementing energy/heat mechanics - so that it's going to be a strategic choice in terms of what kind of weapon, and how many you have active depending on your opponents.

Tier 0 "landing zones" - which is going to be a relatively primitive feature compared to what I would actually want it to be. It's more than likely going to be a few backdrop images with relatively simple NPC/terminal interactions. Think Privateer/Freelancer - only with mostly static art - and you will have some idea.

My own promise to myself is that I must have SOME iteration of all three before my current vacation is over. Refinement and polish comes much later, though.

It's perhaps not the smartest approach, but I want to tackle the biggest challenges that's in my head before I start doing the easier stuff.

Well, except for the things I really have no idea how to do. One such thing would be cooperative multiplayer. I've bought a Udemy course for that - but I don't have the first clue how feasible it's going to be for me to implement that. It's sort of a dream feature and the kind of thing that would make someone like myself interested in a game like this.

I'm still a lazy little fuck, sadly - but there's some progress here and there.

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January 26th, 2019, 20:05
So, I got the landing zone system working for iteration 0. Targeting is in as well, as is distance measuring and so forth.

Didn't quite make the inventory system - as I struggled a lot with a few things. I spent an entire day trying to figure out how to activate inactive objects, for instance

In the end, I just opted to instantiate and destroy UI objects instead.

I also figured out how to deal with a few high-level challenges, including how to implement a game manager properly.

My current version, which I call 0.1 - is just a sandbox in which I intend to get every single feature working at a base (iteration 0) level.

When that's done, I will essentially start over and 0.2 will become the first version where I start polishing and get rid of as much of the asset-store/placeholder crap as I can.

At this point, I haven't decided how much of my game will be based on pre-purchased assets - but it's pretty clear already that there's no way I'll be able to create my own stuff in several cases. I guess this means a lot of my game will be an "asset flip" - but that's really not a big concern for me.

If there's anything worthwhile in my thing it's going to be my mechanics and the gameplay horizon.

I've also done a gut calculation in terms of how many copies I need to sell to finance future development for a year, which is around 2500 copies. That's not an insignificant amount for an indie game - and I don't have the slightest idea if I'm going to be able to pull that off.

For now, the plan is to get the PC version working - and then it should be relatively trivial to get the Linux/Mac versions functional. As for Xbox/Switch - that's another matter. Presumably, it's not a TON of work - but I obviously need the interface and the controls ready for those platforms.

I think when I eventually release, I will take a look at how sales are going - and then I'm sure the prospect of starvation will motivate me to get the console development going

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January 26th, 2019, 22:20
Good to see you're making some progress. 2500 copies may be a good goal to set. Not unrealistic, but not easy for a one-man-job either.
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January 27th, 2019, 02:23
Keep the updates coming. Seems interesting. Its similar to lucky days thread years ago.

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February 3rd, 2019, 20:32
My current plan of working on my game at my regular job is going well. I get an hour or two in every day - which is just great, because it means I don't have to feel bad when I get home or during the weekends for slacking off.

I've made quite a bit of progress in terms of getting to grips with how Unity wants to work - and I now have solutions to multiple problems that I was afraid were going to be much harder to solve.

I'm working on the Interface and Item interaction stuff right now. I've found a very good tutorial on YT that has an Interface with all the features I want. It's a lot of work to implement it all, but it's coming along - and though it takes time, it's not very complicated.

I'm starting to actually believe I might finish this thing.

I've also come a bit closer to figuring out what features I definitely want - and what features will depend on time and challenge.

I don't know how I would pitch it, because it's a mix of several genres.

It's going to be a sort of "tactical Diablo with spaceships" - with the emphasis on progression and slightly more measured combat than most space games. As I said before, there's going to be a lot of Freelancer/Privateer in terms of upgrading your ship and gear - but it's from an Isometric perspective and combat is going to be very different.

I have a million features dreamed up - but I will have to be very hard on myself and keep it down to something feasible.

Just doing one little feature at a time in this sandbox setup is going well. I'm doing better than I thought in terms of not spending too much time making things look good - or any kind of polish. Of course, it's going to look like shit once all features are in - but then the hard part should be over - and I will have to see how much I can polish and optimise it.

I just want something relatively functional before I start that process.

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February 4th, 2019, 14:07
Sounds like you're making some nice progress!

I am currently watching a ton of tutorials for Unity since i absolute hate the overwhelming feeling i get when i look at a new program (with Blender it was an absolutely infuriating experience). Since i don't work i have 100% free time and should be able to do at least something, i'm leaning towards 2D, maybe start with a simple platformer.
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February 4th, 2019, 16:22
Originally Posted by vurt View Post
Sounds like you're making some nice progress!

I am currently watching a ton of tutorials for Unity since i absolute hate the overwhelming feeling i get when i look at a new program (with Blender it was an absolutely infuriating experience). Since i don't work i have 100% free time and should be able to do at least something, i'm leaning towards 2D, maybe start with a simple platformer.
Blender is a strange beast, and I certainly struggled to learn how it worked myself. That said, it's been a long time since I used it, so I'm probably going to need a refresher for that if I decide to do some 3D modeling again.

I can recommend Udemy if you're looking for a more comprehensive path. A few of their courses are absolutely excellent - and they're on sale constantly.

10 euro for a 50+ hour quality course with tons of extras is pretty cheap, if you ask me.

That said, I do get the sense that the majority of courses are less impressive. I've only tried the top-rated stuff.

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February 4th, 2019, 19:37
Originally Posted by Darth Tagnan View Post
Blender is a strange beast, and I certainly struggled to learn how it worked myself. That said, it's been a long time since I used it, so I'm probably going to need a refresher for that if I decide to do some 3D modeling again.

I can recommend Udemy if you're looking for a more comprehensive path. A few of their courses are absolutely excellent - and they're on sale constantly.

10 euro for a 50+ hour quality course with tons of extras is pretty cheap, if you ask me.

That said, I do get the sense that the majority of courses are less impressive. I've only tried the top-rated stuff.
Yes they seem pretty great, i'll probably buy some of those eventually.
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February 4th, 2019, 19:50
Yeah, it's a VERY mixed bag on Udemy. Found some good ones, but there's some amateurish crap on there too, and I don't always find the ratings a reliable guide.

EDIT: I do think those kinds of courses are useful for learning game engines. It's a topic that has so many different aspects, it's difficult to cover it all in a comprehensive and structured way. I think learning by immersion - just going through loads of courses and exercises, and slowly putting it all together - is a good approach.
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February 7th, 2019, 15:29
Moving here to avoid clogging up your other thread.

Sounds like your game design concepts are solidifying. I was reading your dungeon crawler struggles with complexity and I wouldn't give up on that as a future project. It doesn't have to be complex to be fun and rewarding. For example I think this developer has a fantastic looking game with great mechanics and feel but with a fundamental flaw being rouge like. If he had a save system I think his market would be much larger. It would easily grab anyone who liked the Balrum or the Eschalon Series (Basilisk, apparently a viable developer financially) or similar. Plus pixel art is big these days.

Just food for thought. I don't know anything about Unity compatibility with pixel art.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eb2sZ-X88U
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February 7th, 2019, 15:30
BTW showed that video to my 15 year old son yesterday and it had massive appeal. Just a basic marketing viability check
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February 8th, 2019, 10:58
Apparently, the house I was looking at might need an entirely new roof - and that's sickeningly expensive. I'm not going to finance that - so if the woman selling it won't reduce the price significantly, it's probably not going to happen. Bah

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