Within These Walls - New Game (Help Wanted)

[Cthulhu135 12]

Hey guys!So, I have this idea for a super-ambitious, expansive game that mixes the classic gameplay of old-school JRPGs with the insane worldbuilding of modern Western RPGs, while adding a good bit of unique flavor in, as well....However, since having such an ambitious project as my first game is a frankly stupid idea, I've put that idea on the backburner and have instead begun work on a new (-ish, but saying why would be telling), smaller project with the tentative title of "Within These Walls".To start, here's a quick proof-of-concept video of what I'm going for, at least in terms of setting and whatnot (sorry about the audio, my everything is terrible :angry: ):http://youtu.be/MZ-Pg0cOoAAAlso, here's the game itself, if anyone wants to go in and take a better look than the video provides:http://www.mediafire.com/download/y13f34hsoqr4pt9/Orbis_0.exeSo, as you can tell, I'm going for a more story-driven and exploration-based game. There will be combat, but explaining when and where would stray into spoiler territory (although genre-savvy viewers can probably predict such things :wink:) .Alright, on to the point of this topic. You guys might have been able to notice, the entire game thus far has been made with either the default RPG Maker VX Ace stuff, other people's scripts, and stock sounds. Also, the writing's pretty terrible and I'm not as good with RPG Maker as I want to be. So, I'm recruiting a ragtag bunch of misfits to help me make this game!Here's what I need:Writers: Okay, as I mentioned, my writing's pretty garbage. So, I'd like at least 1 writer who can help me do the...well, writing. I'll divide this category into 3 subcategories:Scenario Writers: Someone who can help me iron down the plot points of the gameDialogue Writers: Self-explanatory, I suck at writing conversations, need help doing so."General Writers": Someone who can write things like item descriptions, observations, narrations, etc.Artists: Alright, I'll level with you guys: I can barely draw a stick figure, So this might actually be the biggest thing I need help with. Both a sprite artist and a character portrait artist would be great, anything beyond that will depend on what's needed at the time."Programmers": Pretty much just someone who can use RPG Maker better than I can. Some scripting experience would be nice on the off-chance that we need to do something that other people haven't found a solution for yet, but it's not necessary.Composers (Maybe): This might not be needed, since I have a few personal friends that are composers; however, I haven't spoken to them for awhile, so having some musicians on call would be nice ...I think that's it. Anyway, It would be great if we could get this project off the ground. Thanks for your time!P.S. Can someone help me embed that video, I guess I messed something up

Edited July 3, 2016 by Cthulhu135

[MythrilMagician 6,963]

There we go, video embedded for ya

Also, I wish I could help with the programming, but I still know so little about it. I might be able to help with writing, but I'll need some assistance to get better ideas and have the story more polished.

[Cthulhu135 12]

There we go, video embedded for ya

Also, I wish I could help with the programming, but I still know so little about it. I might be able to help with writing, but I'll need some assistance to get better ideas and have the story more polished.

Thanks! Like I said, the programming is more "can you use RPG Maker with any sort of proficiency", so it's all good As for the writing, I do have an idea of where I want the story to go, so just PM me or direct me to your instant messenger of choice if you want to talk. However, I do want to at least try to get a small team together before we move forward.

 

...okay, so I guess the "waiting for people to randomly see this and say 'yeah, I'll work for this complete stranger for an indeterminate amount of time with no promise of monetary gain'" tactic isn't working... Alright, what do you guys want to know/see?

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

I love writing and could probably contribute to writing, preferably dialogue but I could work on other things, too. Only problem is that I have a pretty full schedule, so I may not be quick in action.

[Cthulhu135 12]

I love writing and could probably contribute to writing, preferably dialogue but I could work on other things, too. Only problem is that I have a pretty full schedule, so I may not be quick in action.

Dialogue is one of the biggest things I need (along with art and audio/music) since, as you might be able to tell from the video, I couldn't write believable dialogue to save my life As for your schedule, I'd hate to overburden you, but if you feel confident that you could squeeze this in, I'd love to see your work and, hopefully, have you on the team :)On another note, I'm working on a rough mockup of a map of the city in which the game takes place, I'll post that as soon as it's done.

 

*EDIT*

Here's the map mockup.  I'd explain it in detail but it's super late where I live, so I'll make another post tomorrow with the breakdown.  Goodnight, everyone! :smile:

 

Edited July 7, 2016 by Cthulhu135

[MythrilMagician 6,963]

Yeah, my schedule can be quite tricky to deal with as well, but that's the beauty of teamwork!

 

As for the map, it's great but could use a bit more work. You will need some labels to keep track of where the pubs and inns and all that jazz. Also, I see potential for a bigger map.

Dialogue is one of the biggest things I need (along with art and audio/music) since, as you might be able to tell from the video, I couldn't write believable dialogue to save my life As for your schedule, I'd hate to overburden you, but if you feel confident that you could squeeze this in, I'd love to see your work and, hopefully, have you on the team

On another note, I'm working on a rough mockup of a map of the city in which the game takes place, I'll post that as soon as it's done.

 

*EDIT*

Here's the map mockup.  I'd explain it in detail but it's super late where I live, so I'll make another post tomorrow with the breakdown.  Goodnight, everyone! :smile:

 

City_Map_Unaltered.png

I love writing and could probably contribute to writing, preferably dialogue but I could work on other things, too. Only problem is that I have a pretty full schedule, so I may not be quick in action.

[Cthulhu135 12]

Yeah, my schedule can be quite tricky to deal with as well, but that's the beauty of teamwork!As for the map, it's great but could use a bit more work. You will need some labels to keep track of where the pubs and inns and all that jazz. Also, I see potential for a bigger map.

I made this map undetailed on purpose, so I can use it as an in-game minimap; I probably should have mentioned that . I do agree on making it bigger, though.As for the explanations I promised in my last post, I'm going somewhere where I won't have internet access, and I won't be back until around 4 PM EST, so I'll post that then.

[Trece the Xam ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀) 3,859]

Hey guys!So, I have this idea for a super-ambitious, expansive game that mixes the classic gameplay of old-school JRPGs with the insane worldbuilding of modern Western RPGs, while adding a good bit of unique flavor in, as well....However, since having such an ambitious project as my first game is a frankly stupid idea, I've put that idea on the backburner and have instead begun work on a new (-ish, but saying why would be telling), smaller project with the tentative title of "Within These Walls".To start, here's a quick proof-of-concept video of what I'm going for, at least in terms of setting and whatnot (sorry about the audio, my everything is terrible :angry: ):http://youtu.be/MZ-Pg0cOoAAAlso, here's the game itself, if anyone wants to go in and take a better look than the video provides:http://www.mediafire.com/download/y13f34hsoqr4pt9/Orbis_0.exeSo, as you can tell, I'm going for a more story-driven and exploration-based game. There will be combat, but explaining when and where would stray into spoiler territory (although genre-savvy viewers can probably predict such things :wink:) .Alright, on to the point of this topic. You guys might have been able to notice, the entire game thus far has been made with either the default RPG Maker VX Ace stuff, other people's scripts, and stock sounds. Also, the writing's pretty terrible and I'm not as good with RPG Maker as I want to be. So, I'm recruiting a ragtag bunch of misfits to help me make this game!Here's what I need:Writers: Okay, as I mentioned, my writing's pretty garbage. So, I'd like at least 1 writer who can help me do the...well, writing. I'll divide this category into 3 subcategories:Scenario Writers: Someone who can help me iron down the plot points of the gameDialogue Writers: Self-explanatory, I suck at writing conversations, need help doing so."General Writers": Someone who can write things like item descriptions, observations, narrations, etc.Artists: Alright, I'll level with you guys: I can barely draw a stick figure, So this might actually be the biggest thing I need help with. Both a sprite artist and a character portrait artist would be great, anything beyond that will depend on what's needed at the time."Programmers": Pretty much just someone who can use RPG Maker better than I can. Some scripting experience would be nice on the off-chance that we need to do something that other people haven't found a solution for yet, but it's not necessary.Composers (Maybe): This might not be needed, since I have a few personal friends that are composers; however, I haven't spoken to them for awhile, so having some musicians on call would be nice ...I think that's it. Anyway, It would be great if we could get this project off the ground. Thanks for your time!P.S. Can someone help me embed that video, I guess I messed something up

Cool, don't know why I didn't see this. I know how to use RPG Maker very well, if you ever need anything let me know

[Cthulhu135 12]

Cool, don't know why I didn't see this. I know how to use RPG Maker very well, if you ever need anything let me know

Great, that's exactly what I need!  I literally made that whole intro/demo thing without knowing that events could have multiple pages; as a result, any event that's even slightly more complex than "move character over there" is a complicated mess of conditionals and unnecessary extra switches   So yeah, anyone skilled in RPG Maker is much appreciated

Edited July 7, 2016 by Cthulhu135

[Trece the Xam ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀) 3,859]

Great, that's exactly what I need!  I literally made that whole intro/demo thing without knowing that events could have multiple pages; as a result, any event that's even slightly more complex than "move character over there" is a complicated mess of conditionals and unnecessary extra switches   So yeah, anyone skilled in RPG Maker is much appreciated

Great! I'll be happy to help you

 

However, there's stuff in my way, let me explain: right now, I'm insanely busy, until the 22nd of July I can't really focus on anything, so I can help you out if you have any questions or want to do something complex, but I can't actually spend time on RPG Maker. Also, I've got my own RPG Maker projects, so if I use RPG Maker they do have preference, I guess you can imagine And finaly, I don't know how to script (program), so I can give you limited help there; I know where to find amazing scripts and make them work, but I can't make any.

 

That being said, I'll try helping you as much as posible!

[Cthulhu135 12]

Great! I'll be happy to help you

 

However, there's stuff in my way, let me explain: right now, I'm insanely busy, until the 22nd of July I can't really focus on anything, so I can help you out if you have any questions or want to do something complex, but I can't actually spend time on RPG Maker. Also, I've got my own RPG Maker projects, so if I use RPG Maker they do have preference, I guess you can imagine And finaly, I don't know how to script (program), so I can give you limited help there; I know where to find amazing scripts and make them work, but I can't make any.

 

That being said, I'll try helping you as much as posible!

That's alright, I'll happily accept your help when you can offer it, and wish you luck on your other endeavors when you can't   As for the scripting, as I said in the OP, the chances of needing a script that Hime or someone else hasn't already come up with are pretty slim

 

In other news, as promised, here's the explanation of the city map!  First, here"s a labeled version of the map for easier (albeit slightly difficult to read) reference:

 

 

Okay, here goes:

 

-The whole city is divided in quadrants by the Ikari Way (named after the current emperor), which runs north to south, and the Tzung River (named after the last ruler before the nation expanded into an empire), which runs east to west.

-The 2 southern-most districts are also arguably the most self-explanatory ones:

-The Market District is a large marketplace that houses a wide variety of stores, from a blacksmith to a grocery store.  There are also

  various stalls lining the streets, selling goods not found in stores; some back alleys feature stalls selling goods of a more dubious

manner...

-The Residential District provides housing for the "common folk" of the Imperial City.  The Empire's prosperity allows for a relatively

high, albeit cramped, standard of living.

-Directly above the previously mentioned district are the Docks, which transport and stock goods from all over the world.  While technically not a port, the Imperial City's close proximity to the mouth of the Tzung River makes these docks just as bustling as even the largest ports.

-Directly across the river from the Docks is the Canal District.  Built on top of a large portion of the river, this district is divided into two halves.  The Eastern Canals just south of the Garden District contain a lovely view of the ocean, as well as upper-class housing; the Western Canals, on the other hand, have sadly (and somewhat ironically, considering the Temple District directly to the north) become a lawless slum that not even the city guards dare enter.

-To the north of the Canal District are two more Districts:

-The Temple District is dedicated to the worship of Aethernos, Jung-Kand's patron deity.  Designed to be similar in layout to the holy

city of Aethernum, this district houses four temples dedicated to the Four Virtues of Truth, Charity, Hospitality, and Peace.

-The Garden District is a massive park dedicated to the first emperor.  Interestingly, this district has been nearly devoid of crime for

the whole 5,000 years since its opening to the public, a claim that not even the Temple or Royal Districts can make.  Whether this can

can be attributed to the loyalty and reverence of the city's inhabitants or some higher power, one cannot say.

-The northernmost district is the Royal District, a gated community which houses the Empire's most powerful and influential people.  This district is built with the highest-quality building materials available (understandably, given the residents).  Most people (including the emperor himself, at times) show visible disdain towards the pretentious and narcissistic "Royals" who reside in these extravagant mansions.

-Finally, there's the Palace, home of Emperor Ikari.  This is easily one of the largest and most glamorous buildings in all of Jung-Kand, an odd fit for the humble Emperor.  The goodhearted Ikari often invites all the citizens of the city, both peasants and Royals alike, to partake in great (but never posh) celebrations within the palace, during which he makes an effort to personally greet each and every attendee (much to the anxiety of his personal guards).

 

...Well, that was a doozy!  Again, feel free to ask questions, offer constructive criticism, etc.

 

*EDIT*

Alright, so I took MythrilMagician's advice and am currently in the middle of increasing the map's size from 150x150 to 255x255 (the max map size in RPG Maker MV, on the off-chance I get my hands on a copy soon enough for the game to be reasonably ported over).  In terms of area, this makes the map nearly triple its original size (65,025 sq. tiles compared to the original's 22,500 sq. tiles), and the fact that the final games map will likely end up being split into multiple sections leaves room to expand even more!

Edited July 8, 2016 by Cthulhu135

[Trece the Xam ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀) 3,859]

That's alright, I'll happily accept your help when you can offer it, and wish you luck on your other endeavors when you can't   As for the scripting, as I said in the OP, the chances of needing a script that Hime or someone else hasn't already come up with are pretty slim

 

In other news, as promised, here's the explanation of the city map!  First, here"s a labeled version of the map for easier (albeit slightly difficult to read) reference:

 

City_Minimap_Large.png

 

Okay, here goes:

 

-The whole city is divided in quadrants by the Ikari Way (named after the current emperor), which runs north to south, and the Tzung River (named after the last ruler before the nation expanded into an empire), which runs east to west.

-The 2 southern-most districts are also arguably the most self-explanatory ones:

-The Market District is a large marketplace that houses a wide variety of stores, from a blacksmith to a grocery store.  There are also

  various stalls lining the streets, selling goods not found in stores; some back alleys feature stalls selling goods of a more dubious

manner...

-The Residential District provides housing for the "common folk" of the Imperial City.  The Empire's prosperity allows for a relatively

high, albeit cramped, standard of living.

-Directly above the previously mentioned district are the Docks, which transport and stock goods from all over the world.  While technically not a port, the Imperial City's close proximity to the mouth of the Tzung River makes these docks just as bustling as even the largest ports.

-Directly across the river from the Docks is the Canal District.  Built on top of a large portion of the river, this district is divided into two halves.  The Eastern Canals just south of the Garden District contain a lovely view of the ocean, as well as upper-class housing; the Western Canals, on the other hand, have sadly (and somewhat ironically, considering the Temple District directly to the north) become a lawless slum that not even the city guards dare enter.

-To the north of the Canal District are two more Districts:

-The Temple District is dedicated to the worship of Aethernos, Jung-Kand's patron deity.  Designed to be similar in layout to the holy

city of Aethernum, this district houses four temples dedicated to the Four Virtues of Truth, Charity, Hospitality, and Peace.

-The Garden District is a massive park dedicated to the first emperor.  Interestingly, this district has been nearly devoid of crime for

the whole 5,000 years since its opening to the public, a claim that not even the Temple or Royal Districts can make.  Whether this can

can be attributed to the loyalty and reverence of the city's inhabitants or some higher power, one cannot say.

-The northernmost district is the Royal District, a gated community which houses the Empire's most powerful and influential people.  This district is built with the highest-quality building materials available (understandably, given the residents).  Most people (including the emperor himself, at times) show visible disdain towards the pretentious and narcissistic "Royals" who reside in these extravagant mansions.

-Finally, there's the Palace, home of Emperor Ikari.  This is easily one of the largest and most glamorous buildings in all of Jung-Kand, an odd fit for the humble Emperor.  The goodhearted Ikari often invites all the citizens of the city, both peasants and Royals alike, to partake in great (but never posh) celebrations within the palace, during which he makes an effort to personally greet each and every attendee (much to the anxiety of his personal guards).

 

...Well, that was a doozy!  Again, feel free to ask questions, offer constructive criticism, etc.

 

*EDIT*

Alright, so I took MythrilMagician's advice and am currently in the middle of increasing the map's size from 150x150 to 255x255 (the max map size in RPG Maker MV, on the off-chance I get my hands on a copy soon enough for the game to be reasonably ported over).  In terms of area, this makes the map nearly triple its original size (65,025 sq. tiles compared to the original's 22,500 sq. tiles), and the fact that the final games map will likely end up being split into multiple sections leaves room to expand even more!

I'll have a look at what I can do when I get a chance.

 

Regarding your edit, I would make the city in several maps, it will make it look a lot better, and bigger.

[Cthulhu135 12]

I'll have a look at what I can do when I get a chance.

 

Regarding your edit, I would make the city in several maps, it will make it look a lot better, and bigger.

That's what I plan to do, both for that reason and because the game would probably implode if we put all the events needed to make a quality game onto a single map   As for the map I'm making right now, that's being made primarily for minimap purposes, like the other one.

 

Speaking of, here it is! (Sorry if it looks a bit jank, the map was actually so big I had to take multiple screencaps of it and splice them together.  *sigh* What I wouldn't give  for RPG Maker MV's "save map as image" feature...)

 

 

*Quick Update*

 

So, I've been messing around with Yanfly's Gab Window script in order to make some tutorials (The one in question being a short tutorial on dialogue options), and purely by accident, I got it so that the choice in question appears at the same time as the last tutorial window, which resulted in this:

 

 

...I don't know, I thought it was pretty cool, what do you guys think?

Edited July 10, 2016 by Cthulhu135

[Trece the Xam ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀) 3,859]

That's what I plan to do, both for that reason and because the game would probably implode if we put all the events needed to make a quality game onto a single map   As for the map I'm making right now, that's being made primarily for minimap purposes, like the other one.

 

Speaking of, here it is! (Sorry if it looks a bit jank, the map was actually so big I had to take multiple screencaps of it and splice them together.  *sigh* What I wouldn't give  for RPG Maker MV's "save map as image" feature...)

 

city_map_new.png

 

*Quick Update*

 

So, I've been messing around with Yanfly's Gab Window script in order to make some tutorials (The one in question being a short tutorial on dialogue options), and purely by accident, I got it so that the choice in question appears at the same time as the last tutorial window, which resulted in this:

 

Cool Creepy Tutorial.png

 

...I don't know, I thought it was pretty cool, what do you guys think?

You haven't really shown us that much from that Gab Window script in that image, but it does look good yeah, having a message that kinda completes another is a good idea!

[Cthulhu135 12]

You haven't really shown us that much from that Gab Window script in that image, but it does look good yeah, having a message that kinda completes another is a good idea!

Yeah, it was less of an actual update and more of a "hey, that's a neat thing that happened, I want to share that"   There'll be a bigger update soon enough, including--

 

*Alarm Sounds*  NEW CHALLENGER APPROACHING!