On Development
 | submitted by marshmallow on Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:40 pm
My opinion on avoiding cliches and getting to the point. |
Well, I criticize many a great game because of their fillers, so I guess I can share with the world my reasoning and possible corrections to the problems I see.
For the most part, it's pretty much impossible to avoid EVERY cliche ever when making an RPG. For instance, does your game have a sword in it? Done thousands upon thousands of times...So why don't we view things like that as cliche? I know not, but it really is. Come to think about it, does your main hero have some problem with local political events/individual/disaster? Thought so.
As you can see, not every game can be completely void of cliches. But, you can cope with that realization by making what unique gameplay elements and features really stand out. How do we go about doing this? Simple: do something no one else has really done before. Cover your bases, develop your game's problem, finish strong, and leave the player feeling satiated after digesting your product. I'm not focusing on more than the development in this particular tutorial, but maybe later...
Developing your game can be a pain in the behind. Most people think that merely linking events together using dungeons/castles/towers as sufficient. In truth, it should be the other way around. You should first present a clear problem. Now this problem can change with time or remain a solid thorn throughout, but you need to have a focus point for the player. Think of it like this: If you want to drive to California from Maine you would have to cross like 12 states first, right? Never do you forget that California is where you're going, despite your environ. Sort of the way a game should work. You should be able to know exactly what purpose a sidequest is serving in the big picture, regardless of how small or insignificant it may be. A good example can be found in Final Fantasy 9...oh wait...no it can't...So we'll look at another game: Xenogears. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but in Xenogears, you know EXACTLY what purpose each and every action you do serves. See what I'm getting at? There is no smoke and mirrors, no illusions, just a destination and an origin.
Now let's talk player. Where should the player be at any given point in the game? Let me break it down.
2-7%: Intro/tutorial
8-21%: Early levels and Introduction of villain/main problem
*22-51%: Player realization that he is nearing the climax
25-74%: Climax
**Last little chunklet: after-quest conclusions
* The player should know that he is approaching the point of no return, and should not yet know exactly what happens ahead. The next few hours of gameplay should trickle in, allowing the suspense to build before you lay whatever 21st century literature inspired twist you have working on the player's shoulders. Do not let the player know too early what the future has in store for him as far as endings go, as this will cause boredom and a predictable conclusion. Ways to avoid this are pretty common: use deceit (fellow party members leaving/ally attacking/environment itself), mystery and single-blind events to fool the player into thinking he knows what's about to happen.
** This is where you tie up any loose ends, like maybe finding out the evil overlord you just killed had a son or some such incident. This could also be a joyous occasion, where the player sees the party members enjoying the peace they bestowed upon the land or playing with their family or something. Be creative. Remember to keep your characters in character if you know what I mean. Your party members could have mixed reactions to the events they've seen, and ideally they should. For instance, one of your party members could have become deeply depressed that they have ended the life of another living being and killed himself, while another revels in the idea of making the world a safer place.
That's pretty much all as far as this one goes. I'll be sure and write a few more later.
(
