#learning how to mod rpgmaker mv

[m0rgueh0rse]

Termina if it was good 🙄🙄🙄

[radiation]

i’m bad at questions but i’m excited for ur game! i hope i’ll be able to play it :) how long have you been making games? are u self taught and what did u use to learn?

Thank you so much !! The free demo of the game will be in the form of both an itch.io web build (works on most OS/browsers) and a Windows download. The full game will probably be download only and unfortunately probably on Windows exclusively because RPGMaker MV games no longer work on newer Mac updates. So unless I get programming assistance that’s what’s up

As for how long I’ve been making games - I work in the game industry and I’ve worked on quite a few games w small/medium teams, albeit mostly on the art side of things. Having a lot of experience with the development process means I have a pretty good idea of how to handle scope & pipeline stuff

My experience in like… actual game design/development outside of me just fucking around in RPGMaker VX Ace as a high schooler and taking like. Suuuuuper basic Java, unity, and level design classes. mostly includes co-creating the game jam game Feed 15 Fish and assisting with game design / level design stuff for the wayneradiotv Minecraft charity stream mod (im responsible for the idea of the Pig Scare among couple other things)

I guess as far as game design goes you could probably say I’m primarily self taught, but that goes with the caveat of like. My game is a visual novel/adventure game, mostly reading dialogue and making occasional dialogue choices, traversing an environment to progress the game, a couple sorta-puzzles. I’d say the cloooosest equivalent I can think of to the game’s setup is To The Moon if you’ve played that, although id say my game’s gameplay design is a bit more…like, intentional? But narrative/script is absolutely the most important part of my game, whole thing is built around that. I think knowing programming fundamentals (you don’t really have to program in RPGMaker but knowing the logic is SUPER helpful) + being really really dedicated to building around scope + being halfway decent at writing are the most important skills for the kind of game I’m making. I think the first 2 speak for themselves but like….script writing ?? I think learning that has just been like. Idk. At some point I started becoming really fascinated with the intricacies of sentence structure and wording when making jokes both IRL and online, and I think getting good at economy of wording + comedic structure + always implying shit allowed me to me gain strong instincts for writing both individual lines and larger narratives

[rpgmgames]

January’s Featured Game: Roji's Room

DEVELOPER(S): Spicy Roll ENGINE: RPG Maker MV GENRE: RPG, Adventure, Mystery WARNINGS: Shifts in consciousness, Spooky, Strong language SUMMARY: Roji's Room is a turned base RPG about lucid dreaming, consciousness, emotions, friendships, meditation, wholesome, sleep paralysis, and adventure. You play as Jae who is an avid lucid dreamer, he wakes up in a room with no memory. You sleep and enter a dream world full of many entities that view their world as the real world. You meet Roji who is the key to solving what makes this dream world different from any other dream.

Download the teaser demo here! Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! *Jaies: Hello this is Jude S. (Jaies) and I’m the lead composer for Roji’s Room! I’ve always loved making video game music, and following indie projects, and now I get to pair that love with a really great game. It’s a dream come true! I hope everyone enjoys the music and the game (: *Spicyroll: Greetings! This is Jaeroll the game developer for Roji's Room! For now I am mostly working alone with the game along with Jude who composes the music. I am a intro/extrovert who is in love with life and its inhabitants. I am a registered nurse and a Reiki master. I love meditating , yoga, anime, JRPGs, indie games, crystals and music. I have been dabbling with rpg maker since 2006 with RPGMaker XP. Making so many projects but not completing them haha. I am grateful for the indiedev and rpgmaker community met so many awesome people through this development.

What is your project about? What inspired you to create this game initially? *Spicyroll: Roji's Room is an experiment for self discovery there will be many choices and activities that the player will be doing. It might be risky but my goal is not only to benefit the characters in the game but also the player themselves. Meditation, actions, emotions, wholesomeness. Display the rewards to practicing self love and the outcomes to not. I am a strong advocate to self love, I would love to deliver inspiration to people to practice more self love for themselves. I hope the game can invoke such emotions. But as the story its a mystery involving a boy who is a master at lucid dreaming but lost his memories. He was able to enter a dream world that is in disorder because the moderator lost it's body and is only a brain. The brain is Roji, its your quest to help retrieve the body and restore order to this special dream. While hopefully restoring the memories of Jae. Meeting many dream entities along the way your choices are really important. What inspired me is the many years of playing RPGs, and creating projects that was very surface and generic. I love art, creation and the helping of others.

How long have you been working on your project? *Spicyroll: It's been a good year (:

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Spicyroll: Many games like Moon remix RPG, Undertale, Mother 3, Nino kuni. Artists Bryan lee O maley, Rebecca Sugar, many more. I love the aspect of alternatives to fighting in RPGs. Wholesome.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *Spicyroll: Yes there were many, sometimes just like many other developers you would get dev block or whatever. Burnt out for overworking and what not. Fear of people not liking the concept. Also a big one is the the limitations of rpgmaker, however I am grateful to the engine because just as an artist its easy to use. How I worked on it was giving time to myself, self love, doing other things other than game dev where it sparked that flame. Staying positive and interacting with other game devs. Playing story driven games.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Spicyroll: Many aspects! It was going to be REALLY spiritual and concepts were thrown onto you to "wake you up" However I realized it would be very jarring to people who aren't open to such concepts so I thought I should make it gradual. Current one is much more simple and I feel like more organized.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Spicyroll: Well my team is basically just me, I have many friends who produce music but most of them just wanted to chip in one song or two. I found an amazing composer online and built a cool friendship with him. I like working alone in terms of directing but I would be open to members. I just have the fear of butting heads and what not.

What is the best part of developing a game? *Spicyroll: The BEST part of developing a game is just creating something in general and to share in a interactive medium of your tastes of music and design. My most favorite is in hopes of invoking emotions for the player to release to help them in their daily lives.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Spicyroll: I have played many RPGMaker games most are on this list, the big ones Oneshot, Lisa, To The Moon. I realized the limitations of the engine but just remains grateful to be able to create a functional game with little knowledge of coding. Shout out to them plugin creators!

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Spicyroll: Although majority of the characters haven't been introduced in development, I relate to the main character. The name is a self insert but the character himself is at his core wanting to empathize with entities and connect. Its up to the player who is the guide to flesh those out or go a different route.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Spicyroll: I actually dont have any regrets, I am just grateful to the whole process cause everything negative was a learning experience (:

Do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Spicyroll: TAs of now I would leave it as it is and if characters are likable maybe some side stories?

What do you most look forward to now that you have finished the game? *Spicyroll: I look forward to the many smiles and emotions players give while playing the game. Also just art in general characters in many different mediums of art. I would hope that any concept or action can help the person in their waking life.

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *Spicyroll: It would have to be the engine, I know that sometimes errors will occur and hinder the process of completion. But it will work out ^^

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Spicyroll: Practice self care for yourself, you only have one body, mind and soul. If you practice those things and better yourself you can bring your best self to work on this project. Its sometimes unavoidable due to habits but when you realize that overworking yourself doesn't do any good to yourself or the project you can evolve into higher conceptualization? Also make the game YOU want, like as a love letter to yourself (:

Question from last month's featured dev @grimmshollow: What tricks do you use to make playtesting/debugging easier? *Spicyroll: Tricks? Uhhhh keeping save points and such around? Having your friends play your game with unbias so you can get the whole picture. Which cuts out time doing final edits at the last min of release.

We mods would like to thank Spicy Roll for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Roji's Room if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[rpgmgames]

September’s Featured Game: Ghost Hospital

DEVELOPER(S): Lev, Kip, Rose, Tredlocity, C, Bittersweet ENGINE: RPGMaker MV GENRE: Adventure, RPG WARNINGS: Anxiety, Body horror, Implied child harm SUMMARY: Ghost Hospital is a game about anxiety, depression, despair, mental rock bottoms, and, of course, ghosts. You play as Robin, a twelve-year-old girl who has an anxiety disorder and is very much alive in this hospital meant for beings that are not alive. Frankly, her anxiety was already bad enough before she landed in a hospital full of dead people, the still-shambling shells of ancient ghosts who try to take her down for a sweet taste of life, and the hospital directors hellbent on keeping her contained, and more importantly, away from the reason she's REALLY there. Thankfully, you have your new friends Jay and Sarcastic Ghost- Jay is a ghost about your age, and still a very new arrival to the hospital, and Sarcastic Ghost…well, he's an amorphous blob of a ghost, who talks a lot despite not having a mouth.

Download the demo here!

Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! Lev: Hey, my name is Lev! I'm an artist and storyteller, and though I've wanted to make games for a long time, this is my first serious attempt! Most of my work is about my experiences in mental illness. Kip: I'm a freelance artist being allowed to write cheap jokes in ghost form. Rose: I'm a freelance writer and editor for the game! I also work on dialogue and story drafting. Tredlocity: My name is Tredlocity! I do some character designs and writing in the game! C: c / ghoul is a character designer, comic artist and Halloween enthusiast. They're currently apart of several indie game teams and are writing the webcomic, This Dark Forest of Ours. Bittersweet: I'm Kendall (AKA Bittersweet), and I'm the resident music person (one of two, technically, but the other left the project unfortunately.) This is my first (and thus far only) major soundtrack composition project, but thus far, it's been a satisfying one!

What is your project about? What inspired you to create your game initially? *Lev: Ghost Hospital is a game about anxiety, and the game was born out of an idea to put someone in the shoes of someone with clinical anxiety and depression without going for the prototypical 'horror game' or 'walking simulator', giving more game-friendly, practical narrative and gameplay examples of how it effects people.

How long have you been working on your project? *Lev: The game started development in late 2016 as a thesis project for college. At its inital completion, it was more of a beta or proof of concept than a demo- in its current state, it's far closer to what we have envisioned for the final project.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Lev: Absolutely! The biggest influences are OFF, Yume Nikki, and Sweet Home, and a lot of Gameboy Color graphics and aesthetics- namely, Pokemon GSC and the GBC Zelda Games.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *Lev: RPG Maker is a versatile engine, but still fairly restrictive, so getting all the effects I wanted to work was challenging. Mental illness and real life have been taking a toll on development time, too. Getting things to work took teaching myself some javascript, and after being in serious development for this long, I've found ways to motivate myself to keep working. Having other people checking in on you helps, too.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Lev: In its very first inital pitch, it was much closer to Yume Nikki, being more atmospheric and serious. At some point in character and world development, though, I couldn't bear to make it a stoic adventure, and with most of the stuff I already take inspiration from, it's hard for me to not put jokes into the media I make, anyway.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Lev: At the beginning, it was just me working on everything. The first people I brought on board were my concept artist, Kip, my writer, Rose, and my musician, Bittersweet. I can't do music on my own, and I knew from word go that I wanted this to be the kind of game with a strong story and a lot of unique NPCs.

What is the best part of developing the game? *Lev: Call me biased, but the most fun part is making the art for it. It's hard for me to motivate myself to keep working if I'm just using default placeholder sprites, I have to make new NPCs to keep myself interested. It's not the most convenient, but it's fun to do, and it actually really does help with my workflow.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Lev: Oh, absolutely. RPG Maker games have a bad reputation for being very cut-and-paste, and there's a lot of those out there. But it just takes a bit of effort to make yourself and your game stand out, and it can be done absolutely beautifully! The latest one I've played was Hylics, completely surreal and wonderful.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Lev: Robin is a sort of proxy character for myself, so...I'm a bit biased on her. I love Jay a lot, too, he's kinda the friend I wish I had in elementary school when all this first showed up, haha. *Tredlocity: As someone who faces anxiety on a daily basis, I relate to Robin a lot. Though I would say my favorite character is Jay, since he can shoot plasma and has blue hair. *C: I'm partial to Coop [upcoming character], not just bc I designed them but bc I love big sister types. *Rose: I also relate to robin and jay! i try to control my anxiety while remaining positive and hopeful about situations. *Bittersweet: As an anxiety-riddled person, I relate immensely to Robin. However, my favorite character by far has to be Carna. (There's another character I'm particularly looking forward to when the full version of the game is released, though~)

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Lev: Honestly, there's a few things I wanted the game to be able to do at the start that I wasn't able to make happen. I spent a LOT of time trying to get it to work without having to go in and code it myself, and I wish I'd been able to take a step back, remind myself that this is my first serious project, and just stop worrying so much about what, in the end, would've been a minor detail, anyway.

Once you finish your project, do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Lev: Chances are I'm gonna leave it alone, but if I go back, I HAVE had a bit of a 'Ghost College' AU where they're exploring a haunted old library on their college campus instead of being trapped in a ghost hospital. It'd probably be cool as a point-and-click adventure, but it wouldn't exactly be a canon exploration of the postgame.

What do you look most forward to upon/after release? *Lev: I'm actually working on a few other projects, so being able to work on those more freely would be great, especially considering I'm really bad at keeping my own limits in mind, haha.

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *Lev: Mostly, I'm afraid that making a game about a subject like this, as a minority and with other people in my team that would be considered minorities, that releasing this game to the mainstream public would get me a lot of negative attention from people who think that people like us don't belong in the gaming sphere. It's pretty nerve-wracking, but after the positive reception of games like Undertale and SLARPG, it's getting easier to convince myself that I should be more afraid of people just generally not liking the game, haha.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Lev: Have someone to work with! DEFINITELY have someone to work with. Even if it's just a friend to bounce ideas off of or someone to ask if you've been working on the game, having someone else involved helps a lot. And specifically for RPG Maker- if you can, replace your default font with a different one. It's a minor detail, but it goes a long way towards making your game feel more original. *C: Always have a backlog of different projects. I have about four or five ideas constantly on rotation so I don't burn myself out on just one. *Tredlocity: My advice for any creatives is to start small, and just get it out. Feedback is a great motivator, and the only way to get better at something is to keep doing it! *Rose: I think some good advice is to write a few drafts of whatever it is you're working on in order to see which version you'd like to continue! let your work have different scenarios and situations based on various elements you insert or take out of a story, game, or other piece. *Bittersweet: Don't pressure yourself to a dead-set deadline. I know, you want to get this project out eventually, and if you're on a roll with development then all the power to you, but if you're struggling, don't let it burn you out. That's just unhealthy.

Question from last month's featured dev @toxicshroomswamp: How do you feel about your main character(s)? What piece of life advice would you give them? *Lev: I love my main characters, I love them like my own children. I would probably tell Robin that she'll learn to handle everything, it won't be so scary forever. I'd tell Jay that stopping for a minute and thinking is way more important than it seems. I'd tell Sarcastic ghost to shut up.

We mods would like to thank Lev, Kip, Rose, Tredlocity, C, and Bittersweet for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Ghost Hospital if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[rpgmgames]

April’s Featured Game: Folkloria

DEVELOPER(S): folkloriarpg ENGINE: RPGMaker MV GENRE: Adventure, RPG SUMMARY: Folkloria is a lighthearthed turn-based RPG set on a floating island inhabited by mythological creatures. You play as Weaver, a young and unassuming griffin determined to rescue his family from the clutches of Dr. Zeralidius, a shady businessperson from the world below the clouds who plans to modernize the peaceful island.

Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! *Oi! I'm Domino, a wannabe artist. I've been drawing all my life, a passion I inherited from my father, but only recently I decided to publish my work online. Through the years I have tinkered with basically all iterations of RPG Maker, making silly short games with my friends before attempting to develop something full-fledged.

What is your project about? What inspired you to create your game initially? *Domino: Folkloria is a very simple, cartoony turn-based RPG which spices things up with timed hits, counters and a variety of partners. The game takes place on a floating island inhabited by anthropomorphized mythological creatures. The protagonist of the story is Weaver, a child griffin determined to rescue his family from the clutches of Dr. Zeralidius, a shady businessperson from the civilized world who wants to forcefully modernize the island. Along the way he will meet new allies like Lauper, a thousand-year old phoenix who needs his help to drive Zeralidius out of the island, and Akinai, a kitsune merchant who will supply them with the best items she has to offer. I still haven't shown all the party members, but among them are a buff minotaur lady, a shy but frightening wendigo and a sculptor gorgon. 

What inspired me to make a game was the indie scene in general. I have always dreamt of being a game developer since I was a kid, and when indie games first started becoming really popular I thought to myself "Hey, I could probably do that!". The folklore theme of the game was decided completely at random. When I first created the character of Weaver with my friends years ago, we wanted to make a traditional 2D platformer. We came up with a griffin character since being part lion and part bird he could fly, run fast and use its claws to attack. That decision alone basically shaped up the rest of the setting, and I started populating the game's world with different mythological creatures.

How long have you been working on your project? *Domino:  The game in its actual state was started at the end of 2015, but the basic setting and characters (specifically Weaver, the protagonist and Zeralidius, the villain) were conceived as far back as 2012. I didn't pay much attention to it during the following years since I was working on another unrelated project with some friends, but after things fell out with them I decided to revisit the concept and flesh it out.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Domino: Of course! If it wasn't obvious enough, the game is heavily influenced by Nintendo RPGs, especially the Paper Mario series. I always loved the simplistic approach towards the RPG formula those games have, and I also adore turn based combat with timed button presses. I think it keeps the player engaged. Graphically, Mother 3 was a big inspiration. The art style of that game just resonates so well with me, with that colorful palette and the black outlines that make the sprites stand out so much.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *Domino: The biggest challenge was overcoming the limitations of the engine itself. I chose RPG Maker because it's very easy to pick up, as I'm mainly an artist and I don't know anything about coding. But as time passed, I noticed that even when using countless scripts I couldn't achieve the battle system I had in mind for my game, which required timed button presses and numerous character animations. So one day I decided to try making the battle system from scratch, using only common events and script calls, and it worked smoothly. In the end it felt extremely satisfying to see something like that work as intended, and by experimenting with script calls and variables I at least learned something about coding.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Domino: Like I said before, the game was initially conceived as a 2D platformer. Then, when I picked up the project again years later, I envisioned it as a bare-bones boss rush RPG with Weaver as the sole playable character. As I started adding more features like partners and equipment, I felt those would be wasted in a boss-only game and I finally decided to include random enemies. Since then the game hasn't changed much, but to this day I always find myself revisiting minor stuff like the design of some NPCs (and I should seriously stop doing that!).

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Domino: I prefer to work alone, as I am very picky about how characters and gameplay aspects are handled, but I still enjoy receiving feedback. I have a very close friend who doesn't actively work on the game, but always tell me what I'm doing right or wrong, and I find his help invaluable. So far I'm doing well one-man-armying the project, I will have to find a composer sooner or later though, since making music is the only thing I can't realistically do by myself.

What is the best part of developing the game? *Domino: Animating the character sprites and seeing them interact in battles is incredibly satisfying to me. Being an artist at heart I'd say spriting in general is my favorite aspect of game development. Another thing I absolutely adore is worldbuilding, researching the mythical beasts from all around the world and trying to incorporate them in the game by giving them my own spin.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Domino: I haven't played many RPG Maker games, but I did enjoy LISA the Painful and OneShot immensely. I was impressed by how far these two games in particular pushed the RPG Maker engine to its limit.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Domino: Self-inserting isn't something I like to do in games, so this is a hard question for me, but I think I can relate with Weaver, he mostly keeps to himself but he's always willing to help his friends and family.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Domino: Yes, I regret not having started working on this project earlier and wasting too much time during the planning phase.

Once you finish your project, do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Domino: Absolutely! I would definitely love to expand the game's lore further through comics and other side projects.

What do you look most forward to upon/after release? *Domino: The sense of accomplishment of having completed and released a game! But deep down, the thing I'd love the most is having fans of my work and seeing my characters drawn by other artists.

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *Domino: The whole marketing part scares me. I really don't know how to promote my game, so getting it noticed is going to be pretty tough for me.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Domino: Oh man I am bad at this. I'd say... when starting, keep the scope of your game small. Make something that you, as a player, would enjoy playing. Don't try to follow trends and, most importantly, value every bit of constructive criticism, but remember that you can't always please everyone!

Question from last month’s featured dev @plueschkatzeart: How do you keep yourself motivated?  *Domino: Sharing my progress on the blog for everyone to see is what keeps me motivated. Since I set myself the goal of posting at least once a week I've become more productive than ever. Of course, the positive response I receive from my followers also help. Another thing that encourages me to keep working on my game is seeing other developers succeed; that gives me hope and drives me to do my best!

We mods would like to thank Domino for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Folkloria if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[rpgmgames]

July’s Featured Game: Black Crystals

DEVELOPER(S): Yoraee ENGINE: RPGMaker MV GENRE: Fantasy, RPG WARNINGS: Alcohol Reference, Drug Reference, Use of Alcohol, Use of Drugs, Use of Tobacco, Mild Blood, Fantasy Violence, Sexual Themes SUMMARY: Starsio, a street performer, finds himself in the stickiest of situations. Starsio was kidnapped off the streets of his home town and brought to the brothel Paprika where he is forced to become a performer. One rainy night, Starsio gathers his courage and wits and plans an escape. He convinces Arthur, an apprehensive and fidgety new found friend, to accompany him. Starsio sets his escape plan in motion with one last song…

Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! My name is Hind, but online I go by Yoraee (fans of Breath of Fire may recognize my handle).

I used to make parodies of anime openings and endings featuring the Ninja Turtles (If you REALLY want to you can look them up on youtube by searching for Yoraee!)

I am a HUGE fan of Ninja Turtles, Inazuma Eleven, Cyborg 009, Hetalia, and Ace Attorney! My favorite video games are Saga Frontier, Tales of Destiny, and the Suikoden series.

I joined the RPG Maker gamedev community about two years ago when I started working on Black Crystals. I LOVE it here! :D

What is your project about? What inspired you to create your game initially? *Yoraee: Black Crystals at its core is about Home. Whether it be finding home, returning home, or creating home. Black Crystals features a large ensemble of characters, each with their own story and struggle, all of which revolve around this central theme.

How long have you been working on your project? *Yoraee: About two years now.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Yoraee: Yes! The jigsaw chain coop system and the spontaneous leaning system featured in Black Crystals' combat system are based on similar mechanics in the PS1 game Saga Frontier. Of course I added my personal touches to these system to make them less of direct copies. The Interact and Talk system is inspired by Undertale in the sense that a battle can be concluded without the need for combat. In Black Crystals, however, you are able to interact with the environment and alter it, so you can actually see the results of your choices in battle and how they change subsequent choices.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *Yoraee: Definitely! The main two challenges for me are time and motivation.

Since I work full time, the only times I can work on Black Crystals are after work or during weekends or holidays, which limits my productivity greatly. I took some leave from work at certain points and basically locked myself in my house and worked on the game's systems, but aside from that work on Black Crystals has taken place during my little free time.

Motivation, well, comes and goes for me. Some days I'm all like "YEAH! THIS GAME IS AWESOME!!" and other days I'm like "what am I doing why am I wasting my time on this". In order to keep myself motivated, I made a habit of posting weekly on my devlog. By posting weekly, I get more regularized feedback, which gives me a good motivational boost to get me through the week till the next update.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? Yoraee: The systems design didn't change much. I had an outline of the features I wanted in Black Crystals; the interaction system, the state of mind system, the coop and leaning system. What came next was implementing these features and refining them.

The characters underwent changes in the way they are written. Arthur and Starsio's personalities sort of switched midway through writing, and the current way they are written seemed more cohesive to the story line.

Several other NPCs also underwent changes. I had a Paprika worker, Anita, for example, who played the role of both herself and Patricia. Later I split the roles and ended up with two characters; Anita and Patricia.

Finally, the whole cats thing was non existent two years ago. They sort of materialized into the game a few months ago :3

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Yoraee: Aside from music, which I commissioned, and the plugins, which are contributed by the amazing coders in the community, I'm a one-woman team taking care of all aspects of the game.

I prefer to work alone, simply because my processes are horrible and my pace is very erratic. I think I would drive potential team members mad XD

What is the best part of developing the game? *Yoraee: Seeing how everything clicks and fits together in the end :) The end product to me is always worth it.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Yoraee: I love playing other RPG Maker games. I think you can't help but think and analyse how things are done in a game while playing it if you are a dev yourself. I think its adds to the fun of the experience for me.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Yoraee: My favorite character hasn't shown up yet :( Its a secret for now!

I like Arthur's character in the current story. He reminds me of a younger me, too easily influenced by others and too scared of saying no. While writing the story I feel like grabbing him and giving him a good shake and yelling "Just say NO you passive fool!" XD

Bonus Info: The game has six main characters! :D

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Yoraee: Yes, the animations. I spent so much time making skills detailed and fluid. I think I kind of lost track of the bigger picture. My animation process is much more improved now, with a more streamlines approach to animations.

Also putting animations together in the Animation tool in RPG Maker MV. I used to manually set up each frame next to the next frame, and it took AGES for animations that comprised 6+ frames. Later it clicked that I could set a template and record the x and y positions and then just move everything around in one chunk to save me TONS of time. I need to make a tutorial on that some time because its such a time saver!

Once you finish your project, do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Yoraee: Black Crystals is episodic. The current game is Episode 1. As episodes progress more will become known about the game's universe and characters.

What do you look most forward to upon/after release? *Yoraee: Players reaction and feedback first and foremost, because to me that will be detrimental to whether or not I continue the series.

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *Yoraee: Just the capability of the RPG Maker engine. I'm worried about the game lagging or dropping frames when played, given the graphics size. Lag to me kills the experience so I'm doing my best to make sure it doesn't happen in Black Crystals.

Also I'm kind of nervous about how people will receive the battle system ~_~

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Yoraee: Learn from the community. Its amazing the amount of resources and knowledge we have in the RPG Maker community. Don't be shy to ask for help if you need it. From my experience the community is one of the best there is.

Question from last month's featured dev @maimiestoybox: What has been the most rewarding part of your game dev journey so far? *Yoraee: Just sharing tidbits of the game and getting feedback from the community. It does wonders to my self esteem :)

Also the feeling of self accomplishment when you see the bits and pieces you created come together and your project take shape. Best feeling!

We mods would like to thank Yoraee for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Black Crystals if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[rpgmgames]

March’s Featured Game: Ceress and Orea

DEVELOPER(S): plueschkatzeart ENGINE: RPGMaker MV GENRE: Puzzle, Adventure SUMMARY: Ceress is sentenced to death, because she's in love with the 'wrong' person. But stubborn as she is, she calls out to an old deity, demanding a chance to change this unrighteousness.

Can Ceress overcome death to be reunited with the woman she loves, Orea?

Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! *Hi everyone! My name is Plueschkatze, which might be hard to say for anyone that’s not used to German, so feel free to call me Plue!

I started using RPGM in 2016, but I’ve been into game development since 2013. Last year I published two games and both have been products of teamwork for game jams. They are ‘The Beast Named Eliza’ and ‘Dear Edwin’.

What is your project about? What inspired you to create your game initially? *Plueschkatze: Ceress and Orea is about love. It’s a short game (about an hour) that follows Ceress, who is overcoming death to be reunited with her Love, Orea. It’s an adventure game, inspired by many of the amazing modern adventures/walking sims. You’ll traverse a cave system, which is basically a spirit realm. And yes, it’s about the love of two young women. Love itself is such a bittersweet experience, because it can mean happiness and pain all at once. I hope you can sense some of that bittersweetness within this game, but I wanted Ceress and Orea to be mainly a somewhat relaxing experience, that helps people to escape their stressful day for an hour. It has also given me the opportunity to grow as a game dev and tell one of the many, many stories that are in my head.

How long have you been working on your project? *Plueschkatze: I created the RPGM project folder in November 2017, and I’ve been developing CaO full time since January 2018. So I’d say CaO has been in development for about 4 months now.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Plueschkatze: Yes. Games like, Life is Strange, To the Moon, Telltale’s the Walking Dead, and many other modern adventure games and walking sims influenced what I want from games. They are the main reason I don’t have a combat system in my game, because it’s only telling a story. It’s more like taking a walk, than heavily action packed gameplay. Even titles like, The Last of Us, Fragile Dreams - Farewell to the Moon, Zelda Twilight Princess, and Breath of the Wild had an influence, at least to an extent, and the beauty of abandoned and overgrown places inspired a few of the maps. Though I wouldn’t compare CaO directly to any of these named games.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *Plueschkatze: Oh, yes. There have been many smaller challenges. From buggy plugins, to not being sure how to effectively show and tell what I want the player to experience. And also being limited on time and money. I’m a freelance artist and am currently living from savings. I’m hoping that CaO will sell well enough that I can keep making games afterwards. The future will show~!

Regarding bugs… I contacted the creators of the plugins and all of them have been very nice people and fixed them for me! If you provide them enough information to quickly get an idea what they need to fix, the chance is pretty good they’ll do it within a short time. This community is great, and most people are very willing to help each other.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Plueschkatze: It hasn’t changed THAT much. A few ideas for the backstory changed, especially for one of the characters. But overall it’s been a pretty straight forward process.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don't have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Plueschkatze: I’m solo developing on this project. While I enjoy teamwork with like-minded people, I also very much enjoy working alone. But I’m sharing my progress with a few friends, which is a joy. Having people around me that share the same passion (game dev) really has a huge impact on my productivity!

What is the best part of developing the game? *Plueschkatze: Normally it’s world-building, but CaO doesn’t have much of that, because it’s such a short project. And as an artist, it’s of course the art part. ;3

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Plueschkatze: I don’t have much time to play games. So I usually only play the games I really, really, really badly wanna experience by myself. The last one was actually Zelda Breath of the Wild, and I avoided footage of some that I’d love to play in the future (like Nier: Automata and The Last Guardian). But I tend to watch let’s plays and streams while I’m working. I also follow a lot of devs on twitter and check forums to see what other RM and indie devs are working on. I see myself less as a ‘RPGM Dev’, and more as a general indie dev, because I wouldn’t mind switching to another engine, though I really, really love how kind hearted this community is. The engine is also really easy to use.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Plueschkatze: The deity is my favorite, since they are fun to write. But I feel very connected to both Ceress and Orea, I love both girls.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Plueschkatze: Because I’m not done (the last 20%!), I can’t tell yet. So far I’ve really enjoyed this journey and you’ll ALWAYS have parts that you could improve. Nothing will ever be perfect. At least not to everyone. The biggest challenge is to know when to stop and call it done. Many devs get way too lost in their process.

Once you finish your project, do you plan to explore the game's universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Plueschkatze: I don’t have plans for a sequel (or prequel), but one never knows.

What do you look most forward to upon/after release? *Plueschkatze: This is my first commercial release. It’s also my first game that will be on steam. I’m really looking forward to that experience and to learn from it, so it will be better the next time! I’m also SUPER curious how people will react and if they’ll enjoy the game. Thinking about it makes me really nervous, ha ha ha!

Is there something you're afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *Plueschkatze: I’m afraid of rude comments. Ugh. But who isn’t, right? I’m also afraid of being unable to keep making games, because I enjoy it so, so, so much. But I have to pay my bills, so more freelance work means less game dev time for my own projects.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Plueschkatze: If you’re serious about gamedev, try to learn. Do not only watch RPGM tutorials, but also some about character development, world-building, documentations about the era you’re game is set in, etc. etc. Also, network with other game devs that are in a similar position as you and that are like-minded. Sharing knowledge will help you improve and grow a lot! Also share your progress. Good feedback will not only help you improve your game, but also encourage you to stay motivated and to actually WORK on your game.

Question from last month's featured dev @lonestargame: What's the most ambitious thing you've tried to do with the engine? *Plueschkatze: Uff. I think there’s nothing overly ambitious/complex within my current project, so this is a tough one for me! Ha ha.

We mods would like to thank Plueschkatze for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved! 

Remember to check out Ceress and Orea if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[rpgmgames]

August’s Featured Game: Land, Sea, Entropy

DEVELOPER(S): Rozel ENGINE: RPGMaker MV   GENRE: RPG, Fantasy, Adventure SUMMARY: Land, Sea, Entropy, is a story-heavy action role-playing game with elements of mystery and horror. You live beneath the sea in a small village called Tidemoor. To the North is a labyrinth inhabited by strange monsters… and their numbers are only growing. So as one of Tidemoor’s warriors, your job is to thin the beast’s numbers and protect your town. But you get too greedy, go too far, and reach a point of no return. You find yourself in a world far different from your own, but it isn’t all full of monsters. There are peaceful places too, areas that are completely safe and untouched by any beasts. As you come to meet the inhabitants of this new land, and seek to return to your own, strange phenomena begins to occur and a mystery surrounding the unknown world unfolds. 

Introduce yourself!  Hello, I'm Rozel! I began playing around with RPGMaker back in 2014, starting with a trial of RPGMaker XP. This is when I started practicing pixel art more and learned some of the ins and outs of the engine itself.

My hobbies are digital art and fiction writing, so I was interested in combining those with my love of games to make something of my own!

What is your project about? What inspired you to create your game initially? *Rozel: I've always enjoyed role-playing games. Although I had used RPGMaker XP awhile back, I didn't do much with it. One day as I was looking at a pixel RPG, a sudden thought popped in my mind. “Hey, this is neat... I could make something too.” So I started planning out an RPG of my own, and later bought RPGMaker MV.

Land, Sea, Entropy, is a game involving exploration, action, mystery, and lots of choice-making. You play as a warrior, lost far beyond the comfort of your home. You try to return, but you become connected to something larger and more sinister. Obstacles arise one after the other, and home only seems farther and farther away.

My goal was and still is to make something that had the fast-paced fun of real-time combat, the challenge of puzzles, and the immersion of enjoyable character interactions. The main character falls into the 'silent protagonist' type, but this is because the player's role is more about choices and experiencing the influence they have on others—instead of having a set-in-stone personality. When it comes to character development, it's the other characters that are given the spotlight.

How long have you been working on your project? *Rozel: I started forming ideas for the game around March, 2016. It was also around this time when I bought RPGMaker MV, so I was still learning how to use it.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Rozel: I was partly inspired by a manga called Pandora Hearts. In it, conflict occurs between the characters but they're all still so likable at the same time. I also love how deeply connected the characters are to the story and each other, and how some of them have so much history together. LSE sort of adopted that interconnectivity, history, and hopefully I can achieve similar likability.

In general, I pull inspiration from lots of different fantasy stories and sometimes folklore.

And, like many RPGMaker devs, I've been inspired by Ib in some ways. The atmosphere, the simple yet creative visuals, and the puzzles in it are all great. Ib and other RPGMaker horror games are part of what led LSE to having some elements of horror.

But when it comes to the combat style in my game, my main inspirations actually come from online action RPGs. In particular, the side-scrolling ones like LaTale and Elsword that I used to play. In LSE, you'll be comboing attacks and using your fast reflexes to avoid enemy retaliation.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them?   *Rozel: Self-doubt. I've dealt with this in waves throughout development. I've gotten so much positive support about the visuals, but that's just part of the game. Is playing it actually fun? Will people enjoy the story and characters, beyond the simple descriptions I've revealed? I won't know for sure until I start sending the game to testers, but it isn't quite ready for that yet.

Sometimes I work on one aspect of the game for so long, repeating it over and over again, so of course it won't be fun to me in that moment. But when I go back to other parts of the game, I remember that I do actually enjoy playing my own game. It gets me going again. There are still early parts of the game I'll have to redo, but I'm not going to let myself get stuck remaking endlessly.

So I've resolved to complete the game all the way through as it is before going back to update older sections. I've learned so much from making LSE, and hopefully I'll be a better artist, writer, and game designer by the time I get to the end.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Rozel: Yes! It's evolved a lot. I was originally going to make something small and more simplistic, but I gradually got more and more ideas about the characters and the world. I'm at a point where I'm satisfied with what I have and the game is sort of shrinking again as I pick out the best ideas to use.

The tone is also a bit different. The plot was going to be nonsensical and comedic, which I'm honestly just not that good with. I still hope to put in some comedic flair, but the project is taking a more serious and in some cases darker turn.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don't have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Rozel: I'm working alone right now, though I've gotten great feedback and advice from friends! I prefer working alone, it's easier for me to make things closer to how I imagine them. I tend to have weird way of organizing and plotting stuff out, too, so it would probably be tough to keep others in the loop with my mess of ideas.

What was the best part of developing the game? *Rozel: I love seeing my ideas come to life, and it's really satisfying to feel like I've finally figured something new out (even if I really haven't)! There's a lot involved in developing a game, so you sort of have to become a jack of all trades if you're going to develop solo. I've been able to pick up new skills and improve on skills I already had, it's been lots of fun.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Rozel: Every character has pieces of me in them, and lots of big differences too, but the character which stands out as being the most similar is Vyn March. She's introverted, keeps a positive attitude about things, and writing is her hobby. Much of her character is built on the experiences I've had in the past, but I won't go into it further because I don't want to spoil things!

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Rozel: Maybe I could've spent more time preparing, maybe I could've set better rules of consistency to follow when designing the game. But I needed to mess up a few times in order to learn. I think everything I did helped lead me on the right path, even if I had a shaky start. Mistakes are all a part of the process, so I don't have any regrets.

Once you finish your project, do you plan to explore game's universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Rozel: There's a really small chance I might make something that takes place in the same universe, with the same rules of magic and so on. As for the characters, their stories will have reached a conclusion at the end of the game. I don't think I'll have anything more to tell about them and will move on to new characters for the next project.

What do you look most forward to upon/after release? *Rozel: I really hope that I can affect someone in a positive way, whether that be through the characters and writing or just by providing something fun to play.

Is there something you're afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game?  *Rozel: I think the worst thing would be releasing it with glaring bugs and plot-holes I somehow didn't notice, but that's what testers are for. Fingers crossed that nothing is missed!

Question from last month's featured dev: Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Rozel: I do play RPGMaker games occasionally. Getting familiar with what other devs come up with in the engine is a good way to gain inspiration.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Rozel: Critique is a useful tool, but I want to add to that. If someone is rude in their critique, it doesn't necessarily invalidate their opinion. It definitely doesn't mean they're right, but there's still a chance you can find useful information.

Also, sometimes people are just really bad at wording things so they come off as rude when they don't intend it. So don't write off a suggestion just because it seems mean-spirited. At the same time, everyone has a different idea of what makes a good game. Don't make changes only to please someone else, make the game you want to make!

We mods would like to thank Rozel for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved! 

Remember to check out Land, Sea, Entropy if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum