Welcome to Final Dantasy I!
In this month, we will be using RPG Maker to create a short JRPG. The goal of this event is to encourage people to explore the RPG Maker tool of their choice and build experience and confidence. Building the next great JRPG is hard, but building a JRPG that someone can get 10-60 minutes of enjoyment from is easy!
Let's define our terms and scope. What do we mean when we say "JRPG"? I'm referring to a 2D game with a top down view for exploring towns, dungeons, and other maps with random encounters that handle conflict resolution via a turn based battle system. You can do a lot with RPG Maker tools and almost all of it is editable if you dig deep enough and are willing to learn, but RPG Maker will let you do a lot for you if you let it. There are built-in graphics packs, battle systems, characters, and even a few items and monsters. We'll leverage all of these in the coming month to create similar, yet distinct, small games.
Each group build needs a theme and the theme for this one is "One Dungeon"! Or, "One Dangeon" if you prefer. In order to keep us all roughly on the same page while still allowing for creativity we're going to each make a short game with the following rules:
- Your game must have one hub.
- A hub is a map where the player is not presented with challenges to overcome. Any resources that the player needs to complete your game should be found here.
- The hub might be a town, a field, a campsite, a spaceship, a cave, an item store, the town square, or anything else you want. You are limited only by your art assets and imagination.
- Your game must have one dungeon.
- A dungeon is one or more maps where the player is challenged and presented with new mechanics to learn and overcome.
- The dungeon might be a cave, a volcano, a forest, an abandoned ruin, a modern office building, or anything else you want. You are limited only by your art assets and imagination.
- Your game must include one major character named "Dan" and they must use the provided Dan sprites (modifications are allowed).
- We're in Dan's server so we should pay him homage. You can make him the main character, the villain, or perhaps event a damsel in distress.
- I will provide you with sprites and a portrait for this character. You may have more characters with the same or similar names, but everyone having this one common element will help tie things together and will be fun.
- Your game's title must begin with "Final Dantasy: "
- For example:
- Final Dantasy: DANger Zone
- Final Dantasy: The Godhands Within
- Final Dantasy: Day of the Jegan
You may be thinking "This sounds great, but I would like to incorporate this effort into my epic, sweeping fantasy setting that I want to develop" and if so I am here to tell you NO. In a creative project like a video game, it is easy for things to get out of hand and not be finished. We're going to practice the absolute basics in this group build and set our sights on a finished product, no matter how small and limited it might feel.
If you truly feel like you can do more, then that's great! I don't want to stop you; nor can I! However, please first finish a version that meets the requirements for the group build and submit that. After that, go on and expand upon it to your heart's content. Or start over and make a second entry (a month is a lot of time)! There's no wrong way to go about this except to not submit anything because you got too ambitious.
In the lead up to the start of the event I will be giving out free advice on how to make your entry. With my years of fiddling and concerted effort and dramatic failures, I would like to impart to you the fruits of my labor. I'll be going over, in brief, the following topics:
- How to scaffold a game in RPG Maker
- How to make a map
- How to make events
- How to design a dungeon
- How to use the database editor in RPG Maker
- How to balance enemies and battle encounters
In addition to all of this, I will be around weekly in voice chat on Tuesday nights to answer questions, troubleshoot and provide advice and guidance. I will also be available to respond to private messages over discord all week.
And that's it! The group build beigns on Friday July 15th and runs until Monday August 15th.
This means you have a few days to get your tools ready and ensure the program boots up. Please do not leave this until the last minute!
The Humble Bundle with RPG Maker is here: Humble Bundle RPG Maker Resurgance
- For $25 you can get RPG Maker MV (my preferred version) and a ton of art and music assets via Steam.
- For $1 you can get RPG Maker VX Ace (my previously preferred version) and a couple of art and music bundles for use in making games.
If you want to participate but aren't sure if you can get a copy of the tool, please get in touch with me and we'll see what we can do.
I hope you'll join me on this exciting adventure into the world of RPG making and I look forward to seeing what you can create!
