Conceptualizing Your Game

[Lore]

Hi guys!

I'm currently in the stages of conceptualizing my game, that is, making note of the things/skills/classes/items etc, I want in my game. I haven't actually started much inside MV itself, aside from some minor database edits and setup.

For anyone interested in viewing what I have at the moment, feel free to check it out over at http://bit.ly/1KgwGjl You are also most welcome to give feedback and suggest other ideas. (The spreadsheet is currently being updated so some things will look odd or may not match up)

In any case, I'd like to know how you guys go about conceptualizing your game so you have a plan and foundation to work from when you start work on actually bringing the game to life.

EDIT: I'll also add that in addition to the spreadsheet, I translate ideas onto a Trello board too, which helps me get everything laid out in an order that I can use or rearrange as needed. :)

 

[LTN Games]

Hey, this is a great question and everyone does it differently, for me, I like to get the basic story and character bios first, I never really know how the database should be unless I got most of the story figured out. Once I have the story figured out I like to map, I know it may seem weird, I skip right to mapping, I don't draw maps on paper, I don't write down specific locations I just jump right in and start mapping. For me mapping is soothing, it gets the creative juices flowing and I come up with more ideas and major events while creating them. Then I'll do a bit of database work, a bit of eventing, just enough of everything to get some basic mechanics down so it makes playtesting a breeze.

I think for me is I like to see a piece of the game before I actually do any serious work, it gives me a basic foundation to work upon, so when an idea come to me on the spot, I'll have enough to work with and won't have to bother myself with writing all these ideas down and then figure out what to do with them all when I get back around to it lol. So to sum it all up, I don't write often, I rarely write my ideas down, I stick with basics of everything then I'll get into more detail when I need to. I think it's because I like having my options open, maybe I'm just too lazy to write things down, who knows? I like the way I do things, it works for me.

 

[SpectyrXIII]

I like both of your points! I feel like I'm a mix of both when it comes to making RM games. Although I'm still a bit novice to
RM in general, I've had a long history of writing. Especially when it comes to creative writing.

The first thing I like to do is write/type out my basic story premise and background. This could be a complete world/realm/universal setting.
Afterward, I decide where my focal point is? where in my world should this take place and with who? what kinds of people will the player
or reader encounter? it has to come down to synergy and reason for me. if a class serves no real purpose to the characters and world setting, it loses its immersion in my mind.

My next step is to jump into the RM database and start plugging in some toons. Maybe four actors. these four actors will sum up the general main characters such as the protagonist, and support characters. then, I work on the classes that suit each character. what emotion would drive each character to become a knight for example? maybe she's loyal, pious and lawful. OR what about joining a league of ninjas? what motive or reason would the character have to drive them to become these things? next, I'm back to writing more story details, and outlining each map.

These are just examples of how I figure out my story and then plug it into my game engine. Usually, it's constant hopping from Word to RM. RM to word back and forth. Figuring out a basic foundation to work from before going into the RM.

Overall, I think it's important to have your own system to development because not everyone is gonna approach things in the same way.

I like your spreadsheet concept! it looks very organized. which is very important to me as well! I also like how its divided by class-arch type too!

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