What would be the feasibility of creating a JRPG similar to the Grandia series of games as an amateur game development project? What engine would you recommend for the attempt?Having finished the script for a visual novel and progressed far enough in i

Name
Email
Subject
Comment *
File	Select/drop/paste files here
* = required field	[▶ Show post options & limits] Confused? See the FAQ.

File (hide): 653fee8e8c207ff⋯.jpg (38.99 KB, 470x300, 47:30, Grandia.jpg) (h) (u)

File (hide): 177abbb444d404f⋯.jpg (493.22 KB, 1920x1080, 16:9, Grandia 2.jpg) (h) (u)

▶Nodev 08/26/16 (Fri) 12:02:43 17546c (2) No.27636 [Watch Thread][Show All Posts]

What would be the feasibility of creating a JRPG similar to the Grandia series of games as an amateur game development project? What engine would you recommend for the attempt?

Having finished the script for a visual novel and progressed far enough in its development that I can be largely hands-off with the remainder of production, I've been looking to spin up another project to spend my time on, and I'm looking into the viability of trying either another visual novel or a 90's style JRPG. I've begun work on the game design documents for the latter recently, but I don't have experience with the design and development process of a game as opposed to a simpler project like a visual novel.

The first entry in the Grandia series uses 3D environments with 2D sprites to represent characters and combatants, while later entries in the series are fully 3D. It might be possible for the general combat mechanics from the franchise to be implemented even in a pseudo-3D or just plain 2D environment, and while that decision lies quite a bit ahead of where I am at the moment, I'd like to know what my options are as far as engine choice and how the decision to go 2D, Pseudo-3D, Low-poly or Sprite-hybrid 3D, or more modern 3D would affect development needs. I commission the work I cannot do myself (which is generally everything apart from writing, game design, and directing), so I'm interested in knowing the costs associated with these options.

Any advice would be appreciated.

▶Nodev 08/26/16 (Fri) 15:21:53 2d71b4 (1) No.27638>>27644

Grandia is relatively complicated as far as JRPGs go; not sure what you'd add by going with the more expensive option when the story is already disjoint from the game play.

otherwise something like RPG Maker has everything you need for a FF1 style RPG and a number of VN engines I can't remember the name of can handle your standard RPG combat and inventory.

▶Nodev 08/26/16 (Fri) 15:27:55 5690b8 (1) No.27639>>27644

Games are much, MUCH more difficult (see: expensive, time consuming, skill demanding) to make than visual novels. For some perspective, nobody in the history of /agdg/ (including before 8chan) has to my knowledge made a game like that, or anything that compares to the size of a videogame that you would find in a box. Throwing money at people to make it happen rarely works unless you really know what you're doing.

Just be aware of that before you go commissioning anything.

For 3D you basically have 2 options; Unity 3D and Unreal Engine 4. Nobody will be able to tell you which one is "better" because it depends so much on the skill level and preferences of the user, although Unreal can put out much more advanced graphics. If you're doing the programming, try both of them and figure out which one you like more, they're free so all you'll be losing is time. If someone else will be doing the programming, not letting them decide would be pretty stupid.

They can both also do 2D, but there's GameMaker Studio if you want something simpler.

The cost of decent quality 2D and 3D should be roughly the same in most cases, but it's easier to cheap out on 2D due to the high volume of amateur artists who can do it, while it's easier to get too ambitious with 3D due to the vastly increased possibilities. It's also very easy to massively underestimate the amount of assets required for a videogame, especially if you've never made one before. The characters are nothing compared to the rest of the game world unless it's very repeatable (e.g. a bunch of forests and shit).

▶Nodev 08/26/16 (Fri) 18:36:16 f9d298 (1) No.27641>>27643 >>27644

File (hide): d480bfbd018404e⋯.png (1.38 MB, 1937x1260, 1937:1260, SGB_SS_04.png) (h) (u)

smile game builder just got released, it may be what you are looking for: http://www.indiedb.com/engines/smile-game-builder

I don't think modern 3d is possible without a massive budget. the best you could do as a lone indie dev making one is something that would end up in the list of worst games of all time.

character modeling is where you are going to hit a roadblock. you have to model the base character or buy one but there aren't many anime style models so you're stuck with realistic ones.

then you have to do the clothing, the best way to do that is to use marvelous designer but its expensive.

you could buy each bit of clothing separately but a good looking outfit costs more than what you would pay in real life. since its an rpg you need to buy clothes for mutliple characters, i'd estimate at least $1500 spent at this point.

then you have to texture the model and do UV mapping, finally theirs the animation, and if you aren't a pro its going to look terrible, at least 5 times worse than the animations in morrowind.

▶Nodev 08/26/16 (Fri) 21:52:56 2a58f1 (1) No.27643

>>27641

>isometric RPG Maker

I won't lie, that looks pretty cool.

▶Nodev 08/27/16 (Sat) 05:57:22 17546c (2) No.27644

File (hide): db10143c00e290e⋯.jpg (598.9 KB, 1358x892, 679:446, Grandia.II.full.114638.jpg) (h) (u)

>>27638

It would certainly be a lot easier to use an engine like RPG Maker, but I'm not interested in taking half-measures, and there's more I want to accomplish with gameplay than what can be done in the RPG Maker engines. Not much more, but enough that they won't quite do. The option to just write another VN is always available to me, so if I can't be bothered to do anything interesting with the gameplay, I'd likely just scrap the gameplay elements altogether and put another VN together instead.

>>27639

It is a pretty significant undertaking compared to my current project, but I'm ready to have a go at it. It will probably be quite some time before I start reaching out for others with whom to collaborate and commission - I'll want to get all the writing and and game design done first as usual. Projects like these work out a lot better when I do my part first before proper production begins, I think. I have the advantages of time and money on my side. I wouldn't want to try something like this as a NEET.

I'm a little surprised to hear about 3D having a similar cost to 2D, I was concerned that the former might be prohibitively expensive. Where does one go to seek out asset creators (programmers, illustrators, composers, chiefly) for game projects like this? Since my last was a VN, it's been a fairly simple matter of hitting up Lemmasoft, but I'll certainly need to expand my search beyond there if I'm able to run with 3D.

How does low poly compare to other options for 3D? I'm aiming for a parody/homage to the 90's JRPG genre - likely equal parts played straight as lampshaded and fourth-wall-breaking, so I'm trying to work out what would be most appropriate for presenting that.

>>27641

Those stock assets are right about where I might be aiming for as far as the aesthetic style goes (apart from field models being perhaps slightly on the too-chibi side), but it looks like the engine itself falls short of my needs. Partially the tile-based movement and mostly the primitive battle system stand out as being inadequate.

/agdg/ - Amateur Game Development General★

General

WebM

Theme

User JS

Do not paste code here unless you absolutely trust the source or have read it yourself!

Favorites

Customize Formatting

Filters