RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

[salamander]

To christen my official 2nd thread here, I will share with you good people my working idea for my game. And so we go...

Version: RPG Maker 1
Genre: Action Adventure RPG
Rated: Teen for violence, language, suggestive themes, alchohol


Title ideas: Dark Gaia

Synopsis: The year is 2450. Earth has fallen into shambles after countless wars to gain territory and resources. Derelict cities barely manage to stand upright through harsh winds. Broken machinery and ruins fills most of the remaining cities on earth. Gene lives in a small city-ruin known as Palos. Most of the people live in giant buildings known as 'shelters'. The outside is very dangerous. It is plagued by bandits, rogue robots, and harsh weather. That is where Gene comes in. He is part of a special group known as 'salvagers'. Gene, along with his best friend Zane and 6 others, venture out periodically into the depths of the city to find anything useful to the shelter. Scrap metal, mechanical parts, food, stranded survivors; anything like that.

It was all a normal salvage mission one chilly October morning...when something caught Gene's eye. He decided to investigate really quick and left the group. Zane followed suit. Usually when they found something shiny or sparkly, it was some type of disfunctional electronic. But what they found was no electronic...All it could be described as was a giant mass of darkness, floating in the air. They both cautiously approached it,and Zane went to touch it! It seemed to make a low humming sound. Then, all of a sudden, everything started to go blinding bright. Gene and Zane had to cover their eyes. It was getting too intense to bear, then...

Gene slowly opened his eyes to find himself on a beach. A tropical beach. He was in excruciating pain, and could barely keep his eyes open. He wondered if it was from that strange talking light. Where in the hell was he? He looked over to see Zane slowly staggering off into the island wilderness. "I'm...going to find...help..." was all Zane said. Gene couldn't keep his strength any longer and passed back out...

He awoke to find himself in some type of bed. Wherever he was, this was definately not the 25th century on Earth that he was from. A beautiful girl came up to his bedside and gave him a glass of water. "Where...am I?'
"Better question is, who are you?" she replied. He decided it would confuse her too much to tell her about the dark mass and how he somehow was teleported here. He decided to fake amnesia. She didn't buy it. "you can tell me the truth, you know' So he did. "that's the same exact story another guy had that came here yesterday!" She said, suprised. "Zane! Where is he? I need to find him!" Gene said, quickly sitting up.

"It's best the island council explain everything to you tomorrow. Now you need to rest..." And with that, she left him there in her bed to sleep, in the strange house to him, on an even stranger island...


Sorry that turned into a pseudo-book reading thing , but I thought that was better than just doing a bullet-list of all the basics of the story. I really hope at least one person will be interested in my upcoming game.


Criticism/ideas/tips ARE highly encouraged and appreciated!
I'll be posting sometime soon with more info and character bio's!

[Ωbright]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

It makes me happy to see someone working on an RM1 game, particularly one so well thought out and interesting. You definitely presented the game well, telling just enough to pull people in, but not giving anything away.

Very nice, and good luck with this!

[Perversion]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

I was initially gonna skim your wall of text, but I thought that would make me a hypocrite, so I read the whole thing.



It seems like an interesting start. A tad cliche, but not horribly so. You obviously know your way around the English language, which is always a major plus here.



I know you probably do not want to give away the majority of your story, but it's hard for me to give you anything more concrete, as I have no way of knowing how this story is gonna go. All I can say is, have fun with it, and don't get burned out working on it. My first RPGM3 game took about 200 hours to create/playtest/etc, and in rapid succession, I released two more games, began work on another two (or five), and had about 3 more projects in mind, one of which had a demo/teaser released to the community. That was all within a year of my first game.


It's now been almost three years, and I've done nothing substantial since. So my only other advice is to have fun with it, but try not to get burned out on the process.



I wish you luck in your creative endeavours.

[salamander]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

Thanks for the replies guys.

I know I didn't give too much info out, but that was because I wanted everyone to be as clueless feeling as Mr. Gene here, and create an air of mystery-intrigue.

-If you haven't already guessed, the name of the world Gene gets transported to is called Gaia. The civilization is something akin to the medieval period. Swords, sorcery, dragons; it's all a part of everyday life for the Gaians.


--------Game Features--------
1. Hundreds of engaging enemies, epic bosses, and endgame super challenge monsters
2. Post game content! Secret dungeons, a few quests, and much more!
3. Minigames!
4. Custom drawn sprites and objects
5. A few extra endings, as well as a few alternate endings

[Whataface2]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

Sounds very interesting. It seems that you have given a lot of thought and planning to your game. That will surely help you succeed in your game making. Plus I sure do like minigames. The best of luck.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

the whole mystery thing just doesnt work. its tough enough to get people to play your game. let us know what makes your game worth our time. dont tell us your game offers minigames - nearly every game offers those - tell us what games we can expect, tell us what fun things you have in store for us. its all about marketing your game.

[Valkysas]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

you dont have to spoil it to get people interested.

but yeah, more info, or giving more info on the characters and setting always help.

I gave absolutely no real story information in the description of my RPG Maker XP game, but was able to get a lot of people interested, and now people hound me on AIM about it.

[Ωbright]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

After reading his story intro I was left wanting more.

I mean in a good way.

But yeah, as far as game mechanic details, it's a bit lacking.

[salamander]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

I have taken your posts into consideration, good sirs, and I shall meet your demands.

Once you get to Gaia and kinda figure out what the heck is going on (your friend Zane is missing) and what you need to do (find Zane) you start out on your long journey. Obviously you will have Shika with you for starters.

From then on, the gameplay for most of the game will be to travel through different wilderness areas such as:
-Forests
-Mountains
-Caverns
-Deserts
-Islands and beaches
-Icy land tundra
-you get the idea

Exploring in the wild is a big part of my game. I will have lots and lots of scenes and stuff to do in the wilderness maps. Examples: cutscenes around a fire at night where you set up camp in certain areas, minigames (more on that if you scroll down), harvesting food and fruit, cooking different meals at the fire, making a temporary anvil and then being able to make weapons and armor(if you have the right materials), and much more.

Your next few general goals will be to rendevous with a priest in a certain town in the icy north, but its a whole 'nother challenge just getting there. You go through a few different areas, a few villages, and a few boat trips later, you're there. The priest scholar, named Alcora, is an expert on all things holy and arcane, and as such, is the know-it-all on dark matter, the stuff that you learned is slowly corrupting Zane. You learn that Zane is getting some followers who hail him as a dark lord. you find out that he plans on going after the biggest piece of dark matter in Gaia, to complete his evil transformation powertrip deal. From then on, its just a dash to the finish line to stop him before it's too late and he takes over both Earth and Gaia.

I plan on having 6 playable party members to choose from (including Gene). 3 guys and 3 girls, Final Fantasy 8 style There is one scene towards the middle of the game that decides what ending you get, depending on what you choose....Also, if you have a certain item in your inventory once you beat the game, you will get the extended secret ending.

I think I already mentioned there will be post game content, right? Three extra dungeons, and a few quests, and a secret I will not give out any info on. I know this is all sounding really ambitious, but I know my way around RPG Maker 1, believe me. I had it for upwards of 4 years. All of this stuff has been well planned out, and I'm not making it up as I go along. If you don't like it, please tell me so I know where I can improve!

Anyway, the three secret dungeons are acessible from a certain place towards the end of the game. You'll know what I mean if you play the game. The extra questline is actually a quest dealing with each party member, including Gene.

Oh yes, before I forget, minigaaaaaaames~ sorry that just kinda came out like that...

1.Harvester Gene
Explore wild areas to find edibles such as fruits, berries, certain flowers and roots, ect. From there, you can talk to Shika at your camp to make potions.(example: if you have 3 raspberries and talk to Shika, she will take them and give you back a health potion) you can't combine the ingredients with other ingredients, however; that's beyond the scope of RPGM1 and it's event memory and stuff. Some ingredients actually give you a permanent stat boost!

2.Chef Gene
Most monsters will drop their meat (hahaha..you know what I mean) and you can bring it to the fireplace at your camp to cook it over the fire. It turns into a healing item you can consume just like a potion.

3.Blacksmith Gene
Collect materials and ore from monsters, treasure chests, and natural deposits from your journeys! Once you have a hammer(buyable in any town) you can talk to a certain party member at any one of your camps to make a temporary anvil. From then, you can make weapons and armor, much in the same way as the 'harvester gene' mechanics.

4.Other minigames include (still kinda being planned out) rooms with deadly objects that have synchronized movement, so you have to dodge between them to get to the other side(one touch and you restart at the beginning).
A few rooms where you have to create a walkway over a chasm by hitting different switches and making floating tiles move(i know these sound odd, but if you saw them , you'd get it), I really am going to make more minigames because they are great fun and a break from the stressful adventure, but this is all I have planned so far.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

this is an excellent start and what i meant when i said you had to promote your game. great job!

[salamander]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

Okay, after much self-debate and thinking, I've decided to alter the main plot just slightly. I'm scrapping the whole cliche Phaeon idea for a less cliche and cooler idea...
Dark Matter

This is what Gene and Zane come across in their city instead of the Phaeon. When they approach and touch it, it transports them to Corulla beach in Gaia.Gene's mission is to track down and stop Zane, who is slowly tipping to the dark side due to the effects of the dark matter he absorbed.

Once you establish that goal, Shika joins you and you both take a journey to the north to rendevouz with Alcora the priest, who knows all about the dark matter. You eventually learn that some people are hailing Zane as a dark lord come to vanquish all who oppose him, or some other sparkly title. Zane actually likes the idea. It isn't until he keeps finding more dark matter around Gaia that he actually starts turning pretty evil.

Eventually, you learn of his goal: he's headed for the largest piece of dark matter on Gaia, contained within the City of Baratina's treasury vault. That last bit will tip him over the edge and he basically becomes a dark demigod. His plan is to go back to Earth and declare himself absolute ruler, since Earth is in shambles anyway and too weak to retaliate. Once Earth is conquered, he will come back to Gaia to lay claim to it as well. I won't give away how he is stopped or if he even is stopped, but it will involve 'bright matter'

Now here you can read all the 6 playable characters' biographies in all their goodness:

Gene -strong wolf-
20
Male
Swords, greatswords, daggers
Makes his own path through life. Strong, thinks before doing; gains strength by having close friends to fight for the same cause.

Shika -caring witch-
18
Female
Black magic
Independent, adventurous, caring, admires Gene greatly. Always willing to help people with their problems. Gets jealous when Gene talks to other girls.

Alcora -peaceful scholar-
20
Male
White magic
Priest scholar in Xenith village. Soft-spoken, always the voice of reason, always serious, given up weapons, his house, and love. A serious pacifist. Expert in all things holy and arcane, including different types of matter.

Mundy -shy bowmaster-
13
Female
Bow
Extremely talented archer. Blind, but can sense objects and things all around her, as if she had sight. Timid and shy, slow to trust people. Has no family. Wants to have a purpose in life.

Samson -desert brawler-
23
Male
Fists/claws
The star fighter from the desert town Kuqua, he'll attack first and ask questions later. Eager to start trouble, he's a hothead. Hates it when he is made to look weak or soft/feminine.

Maria -rowdy spearwoman-
21
Female
Spear
Strong, playful, and flirtatious. Has an extreme attraction to almost any guy she meets, except for Samson. They constantly argue about anything. Maria is the party type and would rather spend the night on the town than fighting monsters.

And now, to raise some more interest in this game (title changed to Dark Gaia) I've made a world map that is representational of every place in the game you will go. Enjoy


P.S. previous posts were edited to be accurate

What do you think of the characters? I hope I made enough different personality types to make for some intense dramatic moments, but also have a lot of humor in the game as well.

[salamander]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

I'm thinking of doing concept art for the main characters, even though they will be ugly little RM1 sprites. Do you think that would be overkill in trying to raise interest in my game...?

[Whataface2]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

I'm thinking of doing concept art for the main characters, even though they will be ugly little RM1 sprites. Do you think that would be overkill in trying to raise interest in my game...?

I say go for it. The more work you put into your characteers the better they are going to be. I don't do concept art for my games, but I do have a concept on what the characters look like. Plus seeing your world map I'm sure your characters will look awesome.

[1ce]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

I'm thinking of doing concept art for the main characters, even though they will be ugly little RM1 sprites. Do you think that would be overkill in trying to raise interest in my game...?

Absolutely not.

Heck, I don't think you can go overkill on promoting your game, just do everything you can. Heck, look at me promoting Donkey Kong. I made custom pictures of avatars, signatures, box covers, development studio logos, and the title screen. I also have Draygone releasing his "Let's Test-Play" video tomorrow, and I talk about it every chance I get (since it still isn't released, it's available May 13th....just fyi).

So I'd say go wild. Take that custom map you drew, for example. That really got me MORE interested in your game. Heck dude, I already was interested, but that map was so well drawn that I'd like to see more of your stuff.

[salamander]

Re: RPG Maker 1 game in the works!

Suprise suprise!
Come one, come all, to the salamander ball!

I'm making a companion game to my Dark Gaia.

Title: Nella's Journey
Platform: RPG Maker 2
Genre: Platformer
Rated: E for everyone

Nella is a minor character in Dark Gaia that doesn't really have an important role. But in this game, she does.

You start out in a World Lobby, where you can access the four world areas: Grassland/Forest, Mountain/Cliff, Desert/Canyon, and Snow/Void. Each world will have 3 to 5 levels, all from my RPGM1 game Dark Gaia. In the levels, you collect Bright Matter spheres scattered throughout the level (in the grassland/forest world, theyre green; in the desert/canyon area, theyre brown; ect). A counter is always at the top right , showing you how much you have so far.

It costs a certain amount to unlock each new world in the Hub, (excluding the grassland/forest because that's free). Also located in the hub is a savepoint and a merchant elf who will sell you different things for your bright matter, such as armor, special abilities, ect.

I don't know how/if there will be enemies in my game, but this game is a work in progress, so expect to see new stuff about it posted here. Screenshots will be up soon.