iPhone Project: Storyline ~ Go Nuts

[Gan]

Well, that's 5 people who prefer this story.


-Gandolf

[WarHampster]

I give up

Also, this story contains none of the things that you said were important (setting, character backgrounds, ect.)

[Gan]

Setting: New town
Character backgrounds: Traveling merchant camps
Goal: Clear away the monsters

Alright, so now this is cleared up... Let's elaborate and build.
Gnome, you suggested something about a Gnome camp? Swamp, you noticed that it has potential with room to build so I'll bet a few ideas came across your mind. Silver, you created this, I believe you would love to help piece it together. WarHampster, I noticed that you prefer dark and brooding, that would form suspense and impending disaster for the player which would make it more addictive. I'm sure you'd do a good job planning out unfortunate events.
Have something to add on? Post it, this is a story so get into role play.


-Gandolf

[WarHampster]

Your method of developing a plot makes no sense, I'll get off this train before it wrecks and transfer myself to the character development division. You guys do whatever you want and I'll come up with ideas for interesting monsters.

Also, I need some direction on the art... we should come up with an asset list so I can get started. I decided that just redoing silvers stuff in a new style is cheap, and we should come up with new ideas anyway.

So to start this information would be helpful:

Overall level of detail/ style/ realism wanted (an example from another game would be helpful).

What needs to be animated? I'll make animated templates for stuff so you guys can palette swap them as needed. I think that at least the player's walking should be fully animated...

What is the "base tile?" If you're just going to use the generic forest setting then my grass tile should be fine, of course you could be different and set the game in a desert or something.

How is equipment and stuff going to work? Obviously I need to make icons for the weapons, but will the player's sprite change based on what he's wearing?

[Gan]

Your method of developing a plot makes no sense, I'll get off this train before it wrecks and transfer myself to the character development division. You guys do whatever you want and I'll come up with ideas for interesting monsters.

Yeah, I tend to do things backwards or even in strange ways. Whatever gets the job done.

Also, I need some direction on the art... we should come up with an asset list so I can get started. I decided that just redoing silvers stuff in a new style is cheap, and we should come up with new ideas anyway.

Cheap is good, cheap is simple. Though if you'd want to put more work into it, sure I guess we could come up with a few extra things. (For example, a gold item sprite. I'll post the item list Silver gave me, it has nearly everything but for some odd reason it's missing a gold sprite)

Overall level of detail/ style/ realism wanted (an example from another game would be helpful).

Example from another game... hmnmnm.
Yipe Series
Yipe iPhone/Touch Game

What needs to be animated? I'll make animated templates for stuff so you guys can palette swap them as needed. I think that at least the player's walking should be fully animated...

Wow, animation? That'd take quite a bit of work. I'm thinking that it might be better to use what we have. This is our first iPhone RPG, it doesn't have to be our best. (We can save that for the OpenGL and online iPhone RPG 2) I'm mostly just worried about just getting it out there.

What is the "base tile?" If you're just going to use the generic forest setting then my grass tile should be fine, of course you could be different and set the game in a desert or something.  

Depends on how the story turns out, but most likely it'll be the forest tile.

How is equipment and stuff going to work? Obviously I need to make icons for the weapons, but will the player's sprite change based on what he's wearing?

Whoa, player sprite changing when equipping? That's probably a bit much. I'll post the item list we have. Also I'm still finishing the inventory/item equipping system.


-Gandolf

[WarHampster]

By using yipe as an example, are you saying you want the art to look awful ?

I'm just about done here, it seems that you don't have anything for me to do and are content with reusing the rougesoft and lost winds sheets.

I'm completely willing to put a lot of work into this and make the game look nice, of course if that conflicts with your idea of a simple RPG then you can make all the art in an hour by palette swapping silver's stuff.  

[Gan]

By using yipe as an example, are you saying you want the art to look awful

No way, by using the Yipe example, I'm inferring that I want the game to be immensely addicting yet simple. Simple sprites don't need to be awful, Silver's sprites(in my opinion) look wonderful.

I'm just about done here, it seems that you don't have anything for me to do and are content with reusing the rougesoft and lost winds sheets.

There isn't a need to recreate everything. You can buff up Silver's tiles as you have been, though besides creating a few extra characters or item sprites we should be fine.

I'm completely willing to put a lot of work into this and make the game look nice, of course if that conflicts with your idea of a simple RPG then you can make all the art in an hour by palette swapping silver's stuff.

A lot of work and looking nice can be included in a simple Rpg, though if it's not needed, we should focus of other things instead. I'd like to build the Rpg with what we have though later when we have everything down we can revamp a few things if we want and have time.

I'd just love for us to make something of decent quality as a group project and make it all the way to the app store. Once we have accomplished something as simple as that, we can take this to whole new heights.


-Gandolf

[WarHampster]

I am offering to do the art FOR you! YOU can focus on programming and design and not worry about the art at all! Why settle for "decent" quality when someone is offering to make all the art for you for free? I just don't get it.

I don't like you, you don't like me or want my help. I don't even know why I want to help you make this!

Now I am done here, and at the risk of sounding arrogant: you missed a great opportunity.

[Gan]

I am offering to do the art FOR you! YOU can focus on programming and design and not worry about the art at all! Why settle for "decent" quality when someone is offering to make all the art for you for free? I just don't get it.

At this point of time we don't need to worry about making fantastic art, only the basics. Having such a work load on your shoulders would discourage you and even cause what happened with Lost Winds and all other group projects to happen. We aim too high and don't make the distance we needed. If you really feel so strongly about making amazing graphics, go ahead. Though I wouldn't worry about it for now.

I don't like you, you don't like me or want my help. I don't even know why I want to help you make this!

You may not like me, but you've done some pretty great things for this group project. Revamped tiles, set up a repository, helped this whole thing get on it's feet. Just so you know, I've found you an invaluable part of this team. Though our efforts shouldn't be focused on bigger and better but actually building it together.

Now I am done here, and at the risk of sounding arrogant: you missed a great opportunity.

There are still plenty of opportunities for you, I, and the rest of the Gmg. At the moment let's just take the opportunity to put this together then you can use your artistic skills to make it amazing.


-Gandolf

[Silverwind]

Wait, stop! Why are you quitting Hammy? I haven't been on the computer recently because allot of things happened at my end of the screen and I've been incredibly busy, but why are you quitting? I have to hand over the computer now but please try to summon up why you're quitting in a post for me.

This project needs you!

[Silverwind]

Ok, I've read through the rest of the posts, but I still don't understand why you're resigning. If you don't like the story I'm sure we can have a revote seeing as how the project has been dormant for awhile. Personally I like the settlers idea as it keeps plot detail to a minimum whilst providing a semi-progressive "pick up and play" goal which (in my opinion) works quite well for a handheld game. Furthermore the story is entirely relevant to gameplay, in view that the merchants are shop keepers, the surrounding hills are explorable dungeons and the monsters are enemies. Every story element is included in the gameplay, an aspect I consider pretty neat considering how most RPGs boast lengthly plots concerning "an ancient wizard/king who created a powerful weapon/spell/magic item in order to defeat the invading kingdom of such-and-such/so-and-so" and yet feature hardly any of said elements when it comes to actual gameplay.

As for the graphics, draw whatever you want! There's no reason you shouldn't draw more tiles, but personally I'm content with what we have (and Gan is too by the sound of it). You've done a terrific job on the terrain tiles, and if you wanna do even more that's great but I think we can release the game as is graphic-wise if they end up threatening to delay release or something. As for animation, that's really up to Gan as he's programming the engine and may feel that excess visual effects and whatnot are better held off until a future update.

As for not liking Gan, you and Gan are thick as thieves! You always bicker and quarrel, but you always end up brainstorming together again a week later. Please don't resign, the project needs you...

[Swamp7hing]

CANT YOU SEE YOUR CONSTANT FIGHTING IS TEARING US ALL APART?!

A team is defined by those in it. Every member is just as important as the next.
So, no disbanding, please!
Opinions do count, and in the case of a creatively-oriented team - democracy doesn't always win out.
We aren't on a timeline.
We don't have a production company funding us.
We've got plenty of unique members, each with their own skills.
Now instead of fighting between ourselves and childishly bickering about who is right, who is wrong, and who doesn't like who -

Let's make a game.
And have fun doing it.

[WarHampster]

I'm over myself, my apologies.

I'm still not satisfied with the tiles and am re-redoing them.

[Swamp7hing]

Sounds great, I look forward to seeing the updated set so I can begin mapping. What levels should I start with?

[WarHampster]

New tiles in the works:







I think that these look a lot better.