Biggest RPGM2 obstacle?

[christi]

What would you say has been the biggest obstacle you've come across in your game design process, and how, if you have, did you overcome it? Anything you can think of... program limitations, writer's block, battle system connundrums, or the time your memory card corrupted. Just interested to know what all of your biggest game design barriers have been, and how you worked around it.

I fortunately haven't come across anything too hindering, as I haven't gotten into a lot of customization... although I'd have to say that early on in my game design, the lack of a keyboard was a pretty big setback. It'd take me an hour and a half to write out six or seven textboxes of dialogue, and I can do it in about five minutes now. Sure makes progress happen a lot faster! Also, the first time I played the game, I initially (and very intelligently) set the game on "normal" mode instead of beginner. Yeah... reading the manual before you start playing helps. I didn't think it would make a difference (all the presets seemed to be there) until I got the strategy guide in the mail and couldn't figure out why I didn't have all of the "cool" buildings and dungeons. I ended up starting over (I only had about ten minutes of my game done) but it was still a pretty big setback.

More recently, I finally came across the world map "block limit." I had two islands on the same world map, with six buildings and three piers between the two of them, but when I tried to place building #7, nothing happened. I vaguely remembered people mentioning a "block" limit per world map, but couldn't find any current posts about it. Yeah... it might not seem like a huge deal, but all of the buildings I placed were necessary to my storyline, as was the much-needed seventh building. I got pretty stuck for awhile, and spent about a week trying to figure out how to rework my storyline around the problem, or at least seperate the two islands into two world maps (which I really didn't want to do). But, after awhile, I got smart and hollowed out my buildings (I'd built them solid... don't know why) and copy/pasted blocks wherever I could. When I finished, my two islands accommodated nine buildings.

So, that's mine... I'm sure I'll run into a lot worse problems once I start working with the battle system, but, that's it for now.

(Doan and Ves... I wasn't 100% sure where the best place for this thread would be. I considered the "Our Created Games" board, but figured most of the replies would be from a more "technical" standpoint, although they wouldn't really be considered "Technical Help." But... if you think there's a better place for this post, sorry, please move it to where it belongs!

[NASH7777]

I think domain chatter fits fine ffor this topic if I were to call it.
For me just the whole original conseptualization of the active battle system. I knew what I wanted...just wasn't sure how to do it. I had done scripting with similiar stuff on enemy location and attack range etc... So i started some games where I used some of it. They weren't that good and the battles were like...."how do I make the enemies 'smarter' and 'harder' but not too hard so it's not fun"? Which until recently the enemiy AI has sucked horribly. Now I got it going quite well, and know how to make it even better, which I'll do for one of my upcoming games. Just having the damage register, attacks interact well, enemies act well, and making it fun all together was the challenge. But now that I'm quite experienced with it, I feel I could make ANYTHING with RPGM2!!!!! ;D
MWahahahaahaa (*Cough) ugh...sorry....

[christi]

For me, the time spent and frustration is always worth it the first time I see my scripts running the way I want them to.

The ABS sounds awesome, by the way... I can't wait to see it. (Or to get a Max Drive, for that matter... )

[vespuleth]

id have put this in our created games, but this is fine w/ me. which leaves it up to doan.

anyways, ive encountered a few problems. first, i lost motivation to continue, and took a few months away. second, i lost my file. third, the tactical battle system, nuff said. fourth, i dont have the time to play as much anymore. fifth... well maybe i dont have a fifth...

/whining

[NASH7777]

Christi, if you want to check out my game you can click my website in my "signature". Then go to the photos page. The top 4 pages are picture-pages to the strategy guide. Also you can check out my topic "Zelda: Links Adventure".

[Deleted]

The only barrier that's an actual barrier that can't be worked around is the lack of sounds for each instrument in the instruments. This has made most of my songs I've made in real-life unable to transcribe into rpgm2 (or I'd have to really mess them up). I'm pretty mad they put all those sounds in but didn't extend the pitch far enough for them to actually be of good use for music creation. To give you an idea, in rpgm2 every instrument sound has 25 pitches, where as in real-life guitar has 51+, bass has 36+, piano has 80+, etc. so it's just absolutely ridiculous how limited it is. I'd have been just happy without them taunting us by putting those sounds in. Combining different sounds together doesn't work either (like trying to use the bass sound as deeper guitar). There really is no way around this besides messing up the songs so that they fit into rpgm2's horrible limitations.

[Doan the Nado]

My biggest problem has been lack of direction in my creation. I first was going to create a world map, but I didn't really enjoy doing that, so I moved onto doing some of the CMS stuff, but I don't have any items or weapons created, so I can't finish that. I finished my first area (a three story castle) and I'm pretty happy with it, but I'm reluctant to move on because I know that I will not be able to maintain the same level of detail throughout my game (memory limitations). Finally, I'm not sure exactly where I'm going with the story, and I need to figure that out before I can go much farther.

So yeah, I've mostly run into a self block, and it seems like I'm a lot more busy than I ever used to be. Hopefully I can get back to work soon.

[Dungeon Warden]

I enjoy playing around with RPG Maker2 and seeing what it can do, but I just can't get motivated to sit and program all the stuff I want to create. I wish I had Nash's time and energy. I could have had a really kick ass demo to show you all. Instead all I have is half finished ideas.

I guess I'll just have to sit down and force myself to work on my game. I know once I get started I won't want to stop, so I just need to get going.

[Doan the Nado]

Funny, DW, that's exactly how it is for me. Good luck to both of us, I guess, in sitting down and doing this thing. I am currently cutting some extra online stuff out of my life, so I should have a lot more time for RPG-making.

[BloodKnight]

The biggest obstacle I had was using the default aspects of RPG Maker 2, such as its X menu. There are a few bugs in it relating to some other features from going too far into the game, and they aren't really fixable. These kept me from messing with the DMS and molding it into what I wanted to do with it. It's a shame too, as the DMS has some potential.

The only obstacle I really came across and overcame was the lack of motivation. You get all these ideas and such, but you never really want to do them, as the process may be too great, you may have to create something you don't want to create to make it work, etc. But it happens, and I just have to remember that my game isn't gonna get done if I don't make it.

[NASH7777]

Seems like our biggest challenge is Motivation, especially with a lot of the creation process that were not looking forward to make. Sorta like how I stopped for a little bit working on my game, nobody was like "what is going on with it?" or anything so It was dead for a while. We must keep each other motivated so come on and finish those games!!!!
I want to play some cool games in '05!!!!

[WarDragon]

Placing all my ideas in the right place. That's sometimes my obstacle

[Deleted]

I find a good strategy is to try to open-up long hour+ openings for rpgm2 and go as long as I can. That's what I try to do at least, since it keeps your thoughts in order (less broken-up) and turns what would probably be one or two sittings of 30 minutes to one sitting of 2 or so hours.

I find my most frustrating part is getting something to work right, but doing similar, repetitive actions is fun with... Jimmy Eat World!!!!

[NASH7777]

lol only a couple hours at a time in a row... hehe
I go for 5-6 hours at a time, only stopping when I'm forced by SHE-WHO-IS-NAMELESS, to come up from the dungeon and eat and be forced to socialize with the outcasts of the upstairs...How evil it is...NOW BACK TO MY GAME!!!! ;D

[Kumo Shinagi]

The math of RPGM2. I trip on it alot.
Plain and simple.

When it comes to everything else, no problem.
But when that lady is named Math....
I mess up alot. I'm okay in math but I'm surely not the best.

And the worst part, I want to actually land a real job creating video games. :lol

[WarDragon]

i'm not good with math unless i have help. But i know some things to get by

[NASH7777]

I love MATH!!!!! Mostly the creation aspect of developing ways and equations for solving things or creating a needed effect for something.

[vespuleth]

i like math. my problem is in environment creation.

[Aaron]

I don't like math that much...

My biggest obstacle is probably getting everything in order and finding the time to get it into the game. I am a complete failure when it comes to organization and staying with one task until it's finished....

[vespuleth]

thats probably the one thing i do well, i work on one thing at a time.

[Aaron]

Not me, I work on probably work on 3 to 5 things at a time. I never get anything done.

[Deleted]

I used to like math some too, but later it gets way too in depth, complex and hard to understand, and pointless to most everyone except mathematicians.

I often times'll go for 4-6 hours working on rpgm2, but it varies how fast I get burnt out on working on the various different things, and
JIMMY EAT WORLD!!!
helps quite a bit, he he he.
Often times too when I'm working with getting something to work right, I have to stop working and come ask DW for help here.

Earlier on organization was also a trouble for me, but I've since organized what I've done and now organize everything I do right when I do it.

[christi]

I was going to try and respond to individual quotes, but I'm thinking this thread is a little too big for that. So, let's see...

Storyline - I know how my story starts. I have a pretty good idea of how it ends, and I feel like I've got a decent handle on the middle. But it's really the intricasi intricisi intricacies [thanks, dictionary.com] of my plotline that get to me. For example, I know that X is going to happen, and I know why it's going to happen. But, why would Y have reacted that way? How is that going to affect Z? Will that leave Q with any sense of plausibility at all? And should I really reveal X so soon? Tune in next week, kids...

Motivation - Right... sometimes I don't have this. Or, I do, but I start thinking about how many other things I have to do before I can accomplish what I really want to work on. And, let's face it... sometimes I just don't feel like designing the dungeon needed to house that particular event. I'm not bad at working on one thing at a time, but I get too fiddly with it sometimes. During my first few months of creation, I'd spend a few hours on one particular dialogue, ensuring that it flows just the way I want it to and that it either reveals, or doesn't reveal, the right amount of information. I've gotten better about this though; it really hindered game development. Right now, I'm just kind of roughing out what I want the characters to be talking about, and telling myself I'll go back and flesh it out later.

Scripting/Math - I'm not all that amazing at scripting yet, and I've never been that impressive at math, although I have to admit that it's kind of nice to have found an aspect of my life that I can actually apply algebra to, aside from writing out "Roy's Hot Sauce Formula" at work. (Complex-looking algebra equation designed to help whoever runs to get lunch remember exactly how many hot sauces Roy needs per taco... it's a very specific formula.) But, I digress... scripting and math can be a bit of a hindrance sometimes, but it's nice be around people who are considerably more knowledgable about RPGM2 than I am.