Any casual/indie RPG's in the pipeline?

[whisperstorm]

I'm an RPG freak. Games like Fate and Aveyond are some of my favorites. I've heard wind of several "casual" RPGs in the pipeline. If you're working on an RPG could you chime in here? You dont have to mention any details other than "yeah we are working on an RPG".

Since good RPG's take so long to make, it would be at least encouraging to know if there are any coming sometime in the future...

[Rainer Deyke]

I'm on a sequel to Feyna's Quest (http://eldwood.com/feyna/quest.php) (with more focus on the rpg elements) which should be finished sometime next year, an action rpg which should be finished within the next five years, and a more traditional rpg which may or may not be finished at some unspecified point in time in the future.

[tentons]

I've got a semi-casual 2d RPG in early planning stages, which won't start in earnest until 2007 since there are 2 other projects to be finished first. I also have a much bigger--ok, totally epic--3d RPG in planning for after that, which is much darker and more "hardcore" (if we must throw these labels around). That is my dream game, and the time is coming to make it a reality.

[Musenik]

See our thread on the Feedback forum. We have a first playable posted. Try it out and let us know what you think.

http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthread.php?t=8336

[Jack Norton]

I'll probably do another RPG in future but not casual sorry :D

[RinkuHero]

I've a strategy-RPG (like Final Fantasy Tactics, Shining Force, Front Mission, Tactics Ogre, that sort of thing) in production, if that counts. It's longer-term though, probably won't be finished by late next year at the earliest. It's very early in production, as you can see from this screenshot (http://pics.livejournal.com/rinku/pic/000449c7).

[Uty]

I've got something that I'm in the design / script writing phase for. I don't expect to be done anytime soon.

There's a *really* cool looking indie RPG coming out in a few months called Age of Decadence. That's by Iron Tower Studios.

[esrix]

Attempting to design one. I'm going to make a board game version before starting on the computer version.

[Cartman]

I'm currently toying with custom classes in BlitzMax to create an RPG wrapper. If that works out and the scripting is solid, I'll then work on one.

[Midnight Synergy]

Wonderland Adventures (http://www.midnightsynergy.com/newsletter/issue006/page2.htm) will have some casual RPG elements (but isn't a true or at least typical RPG).

[sgm]

We're working on a couple of them. :)

The first one you'd be likely to see is a lot different than most RPGs. Instead of doing a very long game, we went with a more casual campaign-style. Several characters with a few hours of areas/missions each and a story that links some together.

[TimS]

We've sortof got one possibly slated for early '07... not really a TRUE rpg in the old sense (like Aveyond was)... moreso an RPG for the casual crowd (the "clickers"). Obviously if it ever goes forward THIS forum will be the first to see it... ;)

[VDweller]

http://www.irontowerstudio.com/

AoD has already been mentioned (thanks for that). It's not a casual game though.

[Glen Pawley]

I'm wrapping up work on my debut game, a semi-casual RPG. It's going to be finished in mid-October, and I'll probably announce it first here.

[amaranth]

I've got another Aveyond RPG coming out next August. In the meantime, I'm working on a truly casual 2D rpg/sim hybrid that will be out on January 11.

[Coyote]

Dang it, Amanda. How do you get so productive? I feel like I'm dragging my butt... (probably because I am).

[amaranth]

Dang it, Amanda. How do you get so productive? I feel like I'm dragging my butt... (probably because I am).

Lol, I want to complete my insane mission: escape from my day job!!!

[Davaris]

Also she's smart and doesn't waste time making engines. :)

[ggambett]

I'm working on a truly casual 2D rpg/sim hybrid that will be out on January 11.
How can you be so imprecise? What time that day will it be released? ;)

[RinkuHero]

I suspect she's so productive because she uses RPGMaker XP (if I'm not mistaken?). Despite what people say about those game engines, when you use that or Game Maker or something like those, you can make a game *much* faster than using a pure programming language. I don't think I'm ever going back to pure programming unless I want to make a really graphically intensive game.

[amaranth]

I love my RPG Maker, but I'm actually using Torque for my casual sim/rpg game. It's just a better fit for what I need to accomplish. One shocker for me... I thought that programming in Torque would be harder than RPG Maker. In fact, it's easier! I was stunned!

[Dan MacDonald]

Torque3D? or Torque Game Builder?

[amaranth]

Game Builder :)

[whisperstorm]

I've actually given Torque GB a second look since I've heard several folks starting to use it. Amanda, could you post sometime about your impressions of it? If you had used it for Aveyond, do you think it would have been more difficult?

[amaranth]

I've actually given Torque GB a second look since I've heard several folks starting to use it. Amanda, could you post sometime about your impressions of it? If you had used it for Aveyond, do you think it would have been more difficult?

I think that TGB is a pretty good tool, but I'm not sure that I would use it for a big RPG though. It's really great for the casual game I'm creating now, but if I'd used it to make Aveyond, I suspect it would have taken me three times as long time to complete. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. TGB is a 2-D platform game editor but it isn't an RPG game editor. I wouldn't use RPG Maker to build a platform game, and I wouldn't use TGB to build an RPG game.

2. Auto-terrain is not available for TGB. This is important if you want winding trails, streams, etc. Auto-terrain lets you draw your streams, trails, and terrain without having to place each tile separately. Auto terrain resources are easy to manage and will save you lots of disk space. (An auto terrain resource requires 12 tiles. If you don't have auto-terrain, the same resource will require about 30 tiles.)

3. With TGB, you can't auto-select multiple tiles for the level. If you've got a tree that is 9 tiles, you'll have to put each tile onto the level separately. Of course, you can always add the tree as one resource to the project and drag the whole thing onto the level.

3. If you upload a tileset into TGB, you can only view one tile at a time in the editor. You have to "flip" to the tile that you want to use. If you have a tileset with 200 tiles in it, it's going to take some time getting to your tile before you use it. Of course, we can go back to the previous argument. You can import each object as a separate resource. But this also has problems. There's not a lot of room in the TGB editor for resources. If you've got a hundred resources, you're going to do a lot of scrolling for them.

4. There isn't an easy way to assign properties to tiles in a tileset, and the way the system is set up to use datablocks for tiles, it looks like you could have a debugging nightmare (especially if you've got lots of layers and your level is large). There are so many property options in RPG Maker and they just aren't there in TGB. And with the RPG Maker scripting engine, it's easy to manipulate tile properties, add new ones, remove old ones, etc.

5. In an RPG, there is a ton of game logic. It's really important to have a way to manage quests, items, monsters, etc. I suppose you could use datablocks for some of these things, but in general, I think it would be very difficult to manage this with TGB.

6. TGB does not have a polished editor. They are working hard on this right now, but it's still a young product and it shows.

So to put it in a nutshell, I personally wouldn't use TGB for a large RPG project. It would be difficult to build and difficult to manage.

[John Olsen]

I think that TGB is a pretty good tool, but I'm not sure that I would use it for a big RPG though.

I think TGB could be used to build an RPG, but based on what Amanda says, using TGB the way Aveyond was built would indeed not be a good approach. You need to take the tool into consideration with the concept and the design in order to take advantage of the benefits of TGB and avoid the parts that would be a nightmare to deal with.

Some of these points are just a rewording of Amanda's list, but here's my take on what works and what doesn't.

Plus: :)

Automatically animated terrain for things like water and vegitation.
Data storage that works sorta like classes that a lot of programmers are familiar with.
Community-provided content. (Free and Pay)
High flexibility, because it's a framework on which to hang a design rather than providing a fully specified process to develop a specific type of game.


Minus: :(

First generation editors.
No high-level RPG-specific tools. (quests, conversations, equipment, trade, NPCs, opponents, spawn points, etc.)


No matter the tool, your design must conform to the tools you use, or it will be an unpleasant and long task to make things work.

[Farmergnome]

Hey guys,

I dont know if this question belongs here, but here goes, Ive taken a fair amount of time off contracting lately to take steps to completing a small 2d rpg, visually somthing like dawn of souls on gba (ff1 n 2), Im not much of a marketing wiz, so I thought id ask if you think its actually possible to sell such a game with uber low res graphics stretched out to 640x?

Somthing similar to that:

http://www.armchairempire.com/images/Reviews/gba/final-fantasy-dawn-souls/final-fantasy-dawn-souls-3.jpg

Of all the things (even finishing), this is the thing that worries me, weither people will just snob it because it looks uber low res or not...

Edit: Sorry about the bad link.

[Coyote]

The screenshot just has text about Moby Games.

I would REALLY recommend improving the graphics before selling it on the PC, though. It doesn't need to be earth-shatteringly awesome, but it shouldn't be distracting.

[Rainer Deyke]

That Final Fantasy screenshot looks good enough to me. Not perfect, but certainly better any number of commercial RPGs that have been released in the last ten years.

That said, it would look even better if passed through the scale2x algorithm, and even better than that if you took the output of the scale2x algorithm and tweaked it by hand. If you can't be bothered to do that, then chances are that your game won't be able to stand out among any number of fairly good freeware rpgs (http://rpgdx.net) - not (just) because of the graphics, but because of your attitude.

[Farmergnome]

Thanks for the replies guys,

Yea I was sorta tossing up either freeware or realy cheap, but its nothing to do with my attitude. I checked out the list of freeware rpgs, and I guess this is the angle im comming from, most have fairly average to poor production values compared to my art so far, but some have alot better tech than im planning to release on, so should I go freeware or charge a few dollars for it?

[anttti]

should I go freeware or charge a few dollars for it?

I think you should consider releasing this title as freeware, just to build up name or community. Then after that think about making business.

Now certain people on this forum think that you should never give your work away for free, but this is Just My $.02.

[whisperstorm]

There seems to be some mental block about a game if it is less than 19.95. If you try to sell your game for less then folks don't think it's worth it and will not buy it. However if it's not worth 19.95 in perceived quality, they wont buy it either. I think you should give away some portion of the game as freeware and see if you get any interest. I think your closest equivalent in terms of strategy is to look at Aveyond and how Amanda's first game was freeware and built up a community of folks who enjoy her games. Then she sold the next game.

[Farmergnome]

Thanks for the responses guys,

Wisperingstorm think your idea makes sense, either give it away as freeware or patially (donation or somthing?) Thanks for the help anyway, Illl probably be back with more questions in the comming months closer to finishing it.

[Davaris]

It looks fine to me. Check out Aveyond. Its a big seller and the graphics are simple.
Forget donations. They don't work.
See if Amaranth likes it. She might sell it off her site.

[amaranth]

See if Amaranth likes it. She might sell it off her site.

Are you kidding? Of course I would sell it off my site! The players there are drooling for stuff like this and the closest thing I can give them is Cute Knight. Bring it on!

[grayaii]

Even though this thread is pretty old, I might as well pipe in.
A couple of years ago (2005) I finished my first game ever, called Terra Aegrus. It's a simple 2D RPG, but boy did it take a long time to finish. I read somewhere in this forum that 2D RPG's are relatively easy to program, but tremendously tedious to complete, and I couldn't agree more. I'm a one man show, so making that RPG took almost 2 years to complete, but it was fun, and I made some money off it. I only work on it part time (3 hours per week, I would say...). You can download it either from download.com or from my website http://www.graycoresoftware.com

I'm now working on version 2 and it's almost done. Coding it is (relatively) a piece of cake. It's finding the artwork, music, making the story line, etc. etc. that's really time consuming.

That's my two cents.

[Coyote]

Well, since you necroposted and everything to resurrect this thread, I figured I'd mention my current project, Frayed Knights... and that the "pilot episode" (like a free demo, but not) will be available in a couple of weeks.

http://rampantgames.com/blogimages/oldprisoner640.jpg

[gdunbar]

Well if Coyote can do it, then so can I. My free demo/prototype, "To The World Tree", is completed and available:

http://www.prankster.com/ttwt/

I'm currently working for the man, but when I'm done I'll dive back into the indie-RPG fray. My plans are still TBD.

Geoff

[Leon]

May as well toss my game into the mix. :)

I'm working on an RPG as well. I can't go into great detail yet, but you can check out some of the graphics here.

http://forums.indiegamer.com/showpost.php?p=158213&postcount=15