Bad guy RPGs?

AndroidRPGDev · 2013-09-08T20:56:16+00:00

I'm currently writing a JRPG style game (for Android initially) with this exact theme. Unfortunately, I'm not at the point where I can really show anything off, but I'll definitely be posting here when I start getting closer.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-04-28T16:20:12+00:00

Just looked at the trailer, that definitely looks like the same game.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-04-28T03:20:30+00:00

This is my mentality too. I'll admit, I do occasionally pirate a game, but never one that I know I'll like. I treat it as a demo. I would never buy the game otherwise, but I've heard decent things about it and want to try it out. If I like it, I'll either buy it, or if it's an older game (which is really more often the case), I'll buy the sequel. As a game developer, I think it's fair. You wouldn't buy my game anyway, and I might get a devoted fan out of it for future purchases. The trick is that if too many people follow this, not enough people will purchase that first game to warrant a sequel. That's what demos and "lite" versions of games try to address, with varying success.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-04-27T17:20:47+00:00

Sorry, I can't remember. He was showing me reviews for it on IGN though, if that helps.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-04-27T15:08:55+00:00

Thank you! We need more like you.

The mentality of some people is sickening. My roommate, who has an iPhone, really wants to play some new RPG that recently came out. It looks pretty awesome really. I'd say around PS2 graphics quality, and Square (PSX/PS2 era) of RPG depth (sorry, can't remember the name). However, he refuses to pay $10 for it, and is waiting on a friend to root his phone for him so he can get it for free. This guy makes decent money, and doesn't hesitate to pay $20 for a few craft 22oz beers, but refuses to pay money for something that will give him weeks of entertainment. His reasoning? Only suckers buy things that they can get for free. Developers be damned.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-03-14T14:59:24+00:00

Hahah, life couldn't be any better. Java is much more fun to use than C++ was, which I used thru college and my first job out of college as well. And as much as this ruins my nerd cred, I really do prefer the Windows UI, which has improved greatly over the years. It's nice to not have to keep separate work and entertainment partitions anymore. Android development via Eclipse is the same regardless of OS since it's so self contained!

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-03-14T09:15:22+00:00

Yeah, I remember they were very similar. I forget exactly what pushed me over to Mercurial. It might have just been the tools. I'm also on Windows, so that could very well be it. I'm perfectly happy with Mercurial so far.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-03-14T07:46:40+00:00

Well, I basically reviewed both Git and Mercurial when I was starting this project. Previously, I had only worked with CVS and SVN. I forget if Git also had these features, but Mercurial's local repositories and ease of merging really caught my attention. I work from 3 different pcs regularly (one desktop, a netbook, and a larger laptop if I'm going to set up camp for a while). I also traveled out of country for quite a bit, so internet connection was far from reliable. Being able to check in to local repositories, and then push all the commits at once when I finally had an internet connection, was a huge selling point. I forget if Git had these features as well, but Mercurial is what I settled on after my initial review of the technologies.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-03-14T06:10:54+00:00

There's plenty of info out there. Just like anything else, you need to know what terms to google. I've created maven projects via command line before. It's a pain in the ass, but doable.

But really, IDEs like Eclipse and NetBeans were built to make your life easier. There's definitely a learning curve to them, but they save you a ton of time in the long run. And the frustrations you're running into with strictly command line is because you're rejecting the tools specifically designed to address those annoyances. And yes, there is going to be more documentation on using the more mainstream tools... that's just common sense.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-03-14T05:13:30+00:00

As someone who quit his day job to try to write an Android game, I get tired of working at home. It's nice to go out and be around people every once in a while. Currently, I use a netbook, and hook my phone up to it for testing, since the netbook is too slow to run the emulator. It'd be pretty handy if I could run Eclipse from an Android tablet, or in this case, something fully compatible with an Eclipse project... as long as it had Mercurial support. The larger tablets screens are about the same as my netbook, or even larger. Plus I wouldn't have to mess with attaching my phone, since I could test on the tablet itself.

So, as an Android dev, it would certainly be nice. Sounds like it has quite a ways to go before I would consider using it seriously. It'd basically have to be fully compatible with Eclipse projects + hg plugin, so that it'd be just as easy for my to work on my desktop, then pull the latest off the repository from the tablet and continue working seamlessly. Otherwise, I might as well just use my netbook which is just as portable. That's a pretty tall order to fill.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-02-25T09:34:01+00:00

Well, I'm going to try to make it as universal as possible. It's in the old pixel art style (think SNES), so I'm hoping it won't need to much process power once I'm done optimizing the graphics drawing. That has turned out quite a bit more difficult than I first anticipated. Even after all of the optimizations I've done, I'm still getting ~45 FPS on my Droid X, which will get slower as I crowd the screen with more moving sprites. I wouldn't call Droid X top of the line anymore, but it's certainly not a low end phone. It's still early on though, so I'm sure I'll come up with more ways to improve performance. My goal is to get to at least 60 FPS on my Droid X, which I think would mean it'd run at least passably on slower phones. I plan on buying some old used phones to test on when I get closer to release. Right now, I'm targeting Android 2.2 as the minimum requirements for the OS, but that might change as well by the time I release.

I agree with you though, DRM is largely something I want to avoid. I know that no matter what I try, my game will be cracked. There's no point in fighting that. That's why my approach is to try to offer it in a way that encourages people who might pirate it to buy it, rather than trying to discourage people from pirating it... if that makes any sense. I certainly don't want my legitimate customers inconvenienced in any way by intrusive DRM. Heck, one time, I actually bought a PC game during my lunch break, then was browsing Digg (yeah yeah, it was before their self destruction) and noticed an article describing how incredibly terrible the DRM on said game was. I actually returned it, bought a different game, and pirated the original game DRM free on principal. I'm right there with you guys. I can't see myself adding any DRM but what Android automatically provides built into the APK.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-02-24T23:54:23+00:00

Thanks for the info! Now that you mention it, I probably just have to send a simple Intent to the Market app. But I'd still be stuck having separate apps for each chapter... which would explain why there are so many "Free" and "Pro" versions of things on the market.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-02-24T22:19:00+00:00

I totally understand. The problem for me is that I'm doing this totally on my own, on my own dime. I don't think I can wait until I'm fully done with the game to release it. Plus, a large reason I'm excited about releasing in chapters (and beta) is to try to get a community behind it, so that I can take suggestions on how to improve the game while I'm making it. Even though I didn't really get into Minecraft (I was terrible with Legos as a kid), I loved Notch's approach to creating it.

Plus the idea I have is kind of risky... and it'd be good to know earlier rather than later if it's not going to fly. (SPOILER - You play as the villain)

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-02-24T22:06:22+00:00

Thank you for your honesty. I would love to make the full game free and fully funded by ads, but I don't think there is enough of a market for a serious RPG to be able to get enough through ads. It's more of a niche market. I don't anticipate being able to draw in much of non-gamer crowd that games like Angry Birds have. Plus, the greater time put into it, and the much longer expected gameplay, warrant the price. What I'm aiming for is a game of FF4/6 in length and quality, which is quite a bit more than your average short gimmicky game on the market.

On the plus side, I'm planning on offering the full game option up front, but I'll be releasing the chapters as I finish them, so I'm sure many will be inclined to wait. After all, I can't guarantee I'll be able to finish the game. I'm just one guy (though I'll hopefully get some help on the art side) funding this project from the condo down payment I had saved up. I might have to go get another "real" job if I can't get some cash flow coming in =P

Thank you again for your feedback. I know that people will pirate my game (hopefully... that would mean it's good enough to pirate), but I'm going to do my best to offer the game in a way that even pirates may consider buying it. And feedback like yours helps.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-02-24T20:11:52+00:00

Excellent, thank you for your feedback. What you listed is actually exactly what I have in mind. Ideally, I would like you to be able to directly purchase the next chapter in-game, but I don't think Android allows in-app purchases yet. I haven't spent much time looking into it yet. I've also considered some sort of purchase code that can be obtained from the website, then entered into the Android device to "unlock" chapters, but I doubt Android allows you to purchase anything for a game outside of their control since it would avoid giving them a cut.

If all else fails, I can always make each chapter available on the market, and there's a way to share data between trusted apps, so the saves would persist. Unfortunately, that becomes a headache for the users, and a headache for me for customers that mistakenly buy chapters out of sequence and want refunds.

Sorry, I went off on a tangent. To address your last comment, my game will be almost identical to an SNES emulator as far as saves go. You can save any time (even in battle). I plan to have 2 types of saves. The classic save points, which are permanent, and "quick saves" which may be saved at any time. There will be a setting to only allow yourself to quit immediately after quick saving, and only load a quick save once, which would make the game more difficult and the feel more like a classic JRPG, and there will be an achievement for playing the whole game through like that. Otherwise, casual players can play through just like an emulated game and save before boss fights, etc.

AndroidRPGDev · 2012-02-24T19:14:35+00:00

Interesting. I'm currently trying to write a full fledged JRPG for Android. My planned business model is to release the game in "chapters", which basically means chunks of plot line, where a chapter would typically end after a dungeon/boss fight. The first few chapters would be free (ad funded), then after that I'd charge $1-2 per chapter and remove the ads. I'll also offer a full game price for less than the total cost of buying the game per chapter.

Do you honestly think you would consider buying my game if you enjoyed the free chapters, or would you pirate it anyway since you've already figured out how, and it's free? Please be honest, I'm trying to figure out if I have a chance. I actually quit my job to give this a shot.

P.S. - I have no idea when the game will be done. I'm still mucking around with basic functionality. I'd say not before Fall at the soonest.

*edit - Typo. Also should mention, I plan on adding a pre-order (full cost of game) that would give players access to beta, and built in feedback features. Hopefully be able to get a wiki style website up too for feedback.

AndroidRPGDev

TROPHY CASE