next »

[ProgramGamer]

I have a problem.

Undertale has caused me to reconsider a lot of things about how I want to make games and why I should be making them in the first place. I have had a project (several projects actually but let's focus on one here.) since childhood that I have been working on, and the themes and ideas for this project have varied wildly along the years. I want this project to be as good as it can possibly be simply because of how much time and soul I've invested into the idea, but all the things I learn about game design keep changing the idea of what I want to make in the first place. I've lately been looking for the "core" of my game, the least I could possibly make that would still result in a satisfying idea and I'm not even close to finding the path to take to find that.

Maybe I'm just out of inspiration, but with so many permutations this project is starting to feel really disparate, and my search for it's absolute core has not helped much. So far, it's only made me realize how much of a Cave Story ripoff I was making it to be and how far away from an original idea I am. I want to make something great, not just good, but I have no base to start building on top off except for a set of characters and a basic premise I've been carrying since I first started making Game Maker 8 games when I was, like, 12 or 13. That might be wrong but I'm not gonna count the years accurately here.

Have you guys ever been in such a situation before? Is there advice I can take to really start looking somwhere interesting or is there no hope in my situation? Should I start anew and abandon this almost child like project I've been holding close for years or is it actually the cause of all these problems and I should throw it away as soon as possible?

I dunno. I'm rambling at this point but I've been trying to make a good game for like six or seven years of my life now, even if it was always just doodles in math class or a gimmick I thought was cool when I was making it out in my head. The only result I've ever gotten out of that so far is the game I made for Ludum Dare 32, which I'm very proud of but doesn't even begin to resemble the kind of thing I would want to make ultimately.

I guess playing Undertale for two hours really fucked me up huh.

[gimymblert]

It doesn't matter how much you try to steer away, that core will just be more abstract but still present, and every time you will realize how much similar your new amazing original project is really of this hidden core. The idea is to just make it and evolve it as you realize it. All your game idea is really only the same.

Then you will realize that my all my rambling about procedural generation, story, social gameplay and all are just the idea of doing majora's mask but infinite in days and scope. a child project is like a child it do grow up and become an adult.

Instead of debating how "the game" should be like, try realizing aspect of "the game" that stand in their own. "The game" will always find his way among all the project instance.

[JWK5]

Don't worry about making a good game (at least not yet), explore ideas. The good game will come about through refining the ideas you explore.

I am finding the biggest hurdle I have is getting out of my head and getting into the actual creation process. When I try to think several steps ahead of myself (or anyone else) I get snared in a web of assumptions, expectations, disappointments, frustrations, etc. and all progress slows to a crawl (and potentially dies off altogether). I am most productive when I explore ideas physically (i.e. actually crafting them and developing the ideas as I go).

I wouldn't worry too much about ripping of game X or Y either, if you are constantly looking for ways to tweak, alter, and push the various aspects of the game you create as you create them you'll inevitably break away from the initial framework you started with, at least to some degree.

If you don't want to hit the wall don't steer yourself into it.

[ProgramGamer]

Thanks, I feel a bit better. Also, I randomly found a touhou song I listened to when I was the age I mentioned in my post above and it's given me a surge of motivation and now I have a bunch of details ironed out on paper including collision algorithms and gameplay basics. I guess inspiration can really come from anywhere Haha

I don't think it undermines the distress I was feeling earlier though, and I expect there to be more questioning and hardship, but with a solid idea of what I should be making now, I think I got this a little more.

[Tanner]

Oh jeez I forgot to post this earlier and now this might be redundant...

One of the best pieces of advice I've ever received was from an otherwise mediocre screenwriting professor I had. I realized late into a project that I had subconsciously ripped off some major elements from a show in a pilot script I was working on. He told me, "Don't worry about doing something that's been done before; worry about doing it better." It really rewired how I approach creative endeavors. I also believe that if your personality shows in whatever you're doing, you can easily get away with "stealing". Make sure we know it's *your* game when we play it, and people will see that before they see any "stolen" mechanics or structures.

[gimymblert]

I don't know much about touhou, but the video song bad apple caught me

[s0]

try iterating on your dream project. make smaller gams that incorporate some of those ideas, then use what you've learned from those (not just designwise but also dev process-wise) to make the dream project.

oh also don't worry about making something "great" or even "good" yet. at the point you're at, too much "quality control" can seriously inhibit you.

[starsrift]

I have a problem...

Me, I gotta stop trying to make tactics games that I can't art for.

[Nillo]

Me, I gotta stop trying to make tactics games that I can't art for.

Make a tactical roguelike. Problem solved!

[gimymblert]

basic Schedule:

[day]-12h

__[morning]-6h
____[dawn]-3h (6am)
____[midday]-3h (9am)

__[afternoon]-6h
____[]-3h (12am)
____[]-3h (3pm)

[night]-12h

__[evening]-6h
____[dusk]-3h (6pm)
____[overnight]-3h (9pm)

__[midnight]-6h
____[deep night]-3h (12pm)
____[early morning]-3h (3am)

I'm working on a hierarchical structure that describe time of day, but I got a bit stumped on the naming of the different section, Do you have an idea of to name the section about afternoon?

[Alevice]

afternoon starts at 12pm, no 12am, you doofus.

i hadnt heard of overnight

and i thought 9am would be noon, since past 12pm would turn into afternoon. in mexico at least, 12 starts the midday

[Schoq]

the way I managed to memorize which PM is noon is to remember it's the one that doesn't make any sense
"twelve hours past noon = noon ok got it"
other way is to pretend 12 is an exotic spelling of 0

happy to live somewhere where ppl at least in part recognize that a day has 24 hours

[gimymblert]

Well that's confusing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12-hour_clock#Confusion_at_noon_and_midnight

I used Wiktionary, that wasn't enough apparently
I was confused by midday too, it is describe as the same as "noon" which start at the ninth hour after sunrise damn that mean 15h
I'll go back to 24h cycles

[Schoq]

in the the winter here nine hours after sunrise is already past sundown

[ProgramGamer]

You could name 12 am siesta in reference to the Mexican tradition of taking a nap in the afternoon?

[Alevice]

You could name 12 am siesta in reference to the Mexican tradition of taking a nap in the afternoon?

i really wish that were true

[ProgramGamer]

I might have gone a notch too far calling it a mexican thing, a quick google reveals that it's actually just a generaly good idea to take a nap in the afternoon in hot climate countries.

[JWK5]

basic Schedule:

[day]-12h

__[morning]-6h
____[dawn]-3h (6am)
____[midday]-3h (9am)

__[afternoon]-6h
____[]-3h (12am)
____[]-3h (3pm)

[night]-12h

__[evening]-6h
____[dusk]-3h (6pm)
____[overnight]-3h (9pm)

__[midnight]-6h
____[deep night]-3h (12pm)
____[early morning]-3h (3am)

I'm working on a hierarchical structure that describe time of day, but I got a bit stumped on the naming of the different section, Do you have an idea of to name the section about afternoon?

Maybe something like this:

[Daylight]-12h

__[Sunrise]-6h
____[dawn]-3h (6am)
____[morning]-3h (9am)

__[Day]-6h
____[afternoon]-3h (12am)
____[midafternoon]-3h (3pm)

[Moonlight]-12h

__[Sunset]-6h
____[dusk]-3h (6pm)
____[Evening]-3h (9pm)

__[Twilight]-6h
____[midnight]-3h (12pm)
____[small hours]-3h (3am)


Noun: midafternoon
1. The middle part of the afternoon

Noun: small hours
1. The hours just after midnight

[gimymblert]

Thanks that's great!

[neight-bit]

**Spoken for**

Hi TIGSource,
I got a Stencyl key as part of the Humble Game Making Bundle and I'm confident that I won't be using it.  First come first serve to anyone who wants it!  The key has to be registered by Oct 10th or it expires, and I think it's good for a year.

Cheers!
Neight