I'm spitting these things out like babies

[Xobie]

The amount of games I have finished is going up for RPG maker 3, ever since I got a 64 MB memory card, and found all sorts of ideas.
How long does it take you to make a game on average?
How long do you like your games to be?
Are you more worried about trying to make something truly original with the limitations, or use the system to make games how they want you to?

[Hedrum]

Re: I'm spitting these things out like babies

How long does it take you to make a game on average?

Not quite sure for myself. With Patrick's Journey it only took me a year. With Monkey Brothers, I'm still not finished with making that game.

How long do you like your games to be?

With any RPG Maker 1 project I'd probably would only make it about over 5 hours or so long. Anything that can be completed in an hour is too short and any game that takes over 20 hours is just too long for me to complete. No matter what though, I never plan on the over all game-play time. Also, it depends on the player. If a player has no idea of what he/she is doing in the game and is lost, it could take the player over 100 hours to complete it. Or maybe the player happens to be skillful and beats the game in only 3 hours. As long as the player likes it, I'm fine with it.

Also, I truly think it's a bad idea to set a goal for how long the game should be. If you do that and you want to meet your goal, then you might find yourself just adding fillers to the game to make it bigger and thus making it longer for the player to complete it. If you're just adding fillers, this can also reduce the fun factor; which is something I try to avoid. If my game happens to take a person on average of 50 hours to complete, then so be it!

Are you more worried about trying to make something truly original with the limitations, or use the system to make games how they want you to?

Well, what does the system want me to make a game? Do you mean by making a traditional RPG? If that's the case, I don't follow traditions!

Anyway, I'm not too worried about making the game 'original'. I say that original ideas can either make or break something. If it's original and it's not good, than you have a problem. If it's original and it's good, than you have a winner. I don't worry too much about if my game's original or not, I just want a fun game that people people can enjoy.

I know I've said in the past the a game must be original in order to be good. Now I come to conclusion that what I have said in the past is not necessarily true. However, there does have to be some unique qualities in order for it to stand out from other games. You can have a game that has such an unoriginal plotline and yet be such a good game. What qualities might make this game great? Could it be the battle-system? The challenges that the game has? I don't know, you'll have to come up with something. If anyone is making a game for something has limitations (like RPG Maker) well, you're going to have a harder time with making a good game and that's exactly why I'm making a game for RPG Maker 1

[Valkysas]

Re: I'm spitting these things out like babies

ever since I got a 64 MB

NOOOOO!!!

those things never last long. I guarantee you'll go to load or save a file in a few weeks only to find out that everything has been corrupted.

[Rodak]

Re: I'm spitting these things out like babies

The amount of games I have finished is going up for RPG maker 3, ever since I got a 64 MB memory card, and found all sorts of ideas.

The RPGM3 saves still take the same ammount of memory whatever card you use!

Get a Sony 8 MB and be happy. It will not effect the size of your game!

As for your question, I like RPGMaker games to be over in an afternoon of play.

Of course, that is just a generalization. If I like it, it can be as long as a commercial epic or as short as my Garbage Puzzle Game (which takes 20 times longer (on average) to download, convert, and transfer to PS2 than it does to play!).

You know the old saying... "Size does not matter!"

It applies to everything from sex organs to martial artists, to length of RPGMaker games!

Peace.

[KennyKen]

Re: I'm spitting these things out like babies

It applies to sex organs?

Just keep telling yourself that Rodak

[Pagerron]

Re: I'm spitting these things out like babies

The game I'm making now with RPG Maker 3 was started in November of last year. Even though it is a very easy game to create with, you also need the extra time available to actually create your game. I've only had a few hours a week to dedicate to it, but visiting the Pavilion regularly keeps me inspired. It's going to take me a while to finish it I'm sure. I have a couple of folders of ideas that I jot into when I get inspired. I have lots of ideas, but haven't yet translated them into the actual memory card yet. When I made my last game with RPG Maker 1 it took me over 200 hours to finish creating it.

As far as length of actual gameplay, I have to agree with Rodak, it doesn't matter that much to me. I don't even think about that. I just make as good (and I hope, fun) of a game as I can and how ever long it takes to beat, then that's it.

[Crimson Knight]

Re: I'm spitting these things out like babies

Just keep fooling yourself Kenny.

For RPG Maker 2, a long time, but it's usually because I feel I can make a game better so I rebuild a lot. For RPG Maker 3, a week or two, not much to worry about since it practically makes your game for you. I'd like my games to be at least 4 hours long. With RPG maker 3 that's easy to do with one dungeon.

I want to create my own game. If a RPG Maker forces me to make one type of game, I'll throw it out eventually.

[Rodak]

Re: I'm spitting these things out like babies

Just keep telling yourself that Rodak

I'm not the one telling me that.

You're just trying to goad me into giving you negative feedback!

It won't work!!!

I don't do feedback except publicly, like this!

But on topic...

It really depends on what you want to achieve.

Some folks want to "Be as Professional as possible" and make a clone of an existing game (look at the number of questions that are just "Can I do ___ like in ___, and if so, how?"

Others want to make non traditional things like Tetris or other non rpg material.

I just want to make Art.

Therefore, in my games, Anything Goes!

I think this is why I gravitate towards complex scripting and Visual Effects.

I have spent little time trying to get the battles balanced because I don't care. I make these things to have fun!

With a goal like that, any RPG Maker will do. I am making a game for 3 as well, but it gets far less attention than my "real" work on 2.

I have a copy of 1 now, but won't play with it until after my project for 3 is finished (at least up to a demo).

From what I have seen all 3 are worth having.

Peace.

[ErikaFuzzbottom]

Re: I'm spitting these things out like babies

How long does it take you to make a game on average?

Couldn't tell ya, really. RPGM1, I made a 3-hour game in 150 hours (part of it is the game is like one giant minigame). RPGM3, I made a 3-hour junk game in 12 hours. No idea how long it would take to create a normal game on RPGM3.

How long do you like your games to be?

My games are as long as my ideas are. If I have a story that isn't very long, neither is my game. If my story is about as long as a novel, then my game is going to be pretty big. The key is (as said) not to add stuff into your game just for the sake of making your game longer. If you're going to add stuff into your game, make sure it's fun stuff. (i.e. please don't make me collect mushrooms for my mother)

Are you more worried about trying to make something truly original with the limitations, or use the system to make games how they want you to?

I'm gonna make whatever I want. It really just depends on what ideas pop into my head. If I get ideas that RPGM3 isn't "supposed" to let me do (I assume it wants me to create a typical RPG with storyteller scenes), more power to me.

I'd like to see your own answers to these questions.

Oh and yeah, don't use those big memory cards. They're trash.

[Xobie]

Re: I'm spitting these things out like babies

I have already had problems with the card, it nearly took my Resident Evil 4 progress, but I had a copy on a different card. But what I meant was I can have more than 3 games on a card with this 64mb one, and not have to get rid of all my other saves and such