True Story!

Talk about making games.

True Story!

Postby gamemakerdude » Mon Aug 25, 2014 8:06 am

Hey everyone! Some of you may have seen me here and there on the forums, I joined back in September 2012 and started this topic http://game-editor.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12329 on my then untitled project, which is now tentatively titled, yep you guessed it, "True Story". Though I have remained mostly dormant in the forums besides a few random posts here and there, I have been working hard on this project for the majority of all this time. When I first began using gE, I was completely naive about how it worked, or how to even begin to understand how to program anything, much less an entire game for that matter. Nonetheless, I remained steadfast and undeterred, completely determined to make my dream a reality, which is still the case to this day. Two years, 1000+ hours of internet programming reseach, 20 some odd programming books and online lectures later, and I am probably still a low to moderately skilled programmer yet I feel I have learned an incredible amount of information in that time as well and now feel very comfortable working in gE, so it has been time well spent if you ask me.

Anyway, about a year or so ago, I began working on developing a tile/map editor that would eventually be used to create the immense variety of large game areas that will compose the game's world because for me, this seemed like the most logical way to handle the game's maps given that many of them would be very large and I stand by that decision. Unfortunately, I didn't understand some of the concepts initially and had to overcome these obstacles slowly, nor did I have the foresight to include many features which I now realize are almost invaluable to include in such a program. I was working on this project for a long time and as I was just about finished with the code, (some 1200 lines of global text) I started thinking about some aspects of integrating it with my actual game and after discussing the issues I was challenged by with Skydereign for a bit, I decided to start the whole thing over again in order to manage everything properly and include new features which make it more versatile plus I now have all the added knowledge of having gone through the process once already. Which is where I stand right now. I have already begun working on the new version, and I am confident it will be feature complete by mid-October to November.

Also, some interesting information I recently became aware of is that the Penny Arcade is expanding the PAX event to Texas this year with PAX South, which is where I live. Coincidentally, I aim to have a moderateIy playable demo prepared by that time (probably only the first town or so) and hope(keyword: HOPE* :shock: ) to showcase it there and launch my Kickstarter project hand-in-hand so to speak at the very same time in order to hopefully generate buzz as well as to gain support for the Kickstarter's funding, assuming this is allowed, I am working on obtaining this information from a PAX spokesperson, as well as what would be required of me etc,. I have many other responsibilities and obligations to attend to, so my free time is very limited for the time being but I am optimistic that my Kickstarter project will be successful, and afterwards I will be able to take some time off of work and perhaps even school if I find myself able to in order to devote my full attention towards the development of this project.

However, I have not worked on any of the art since I began working on the tile editor so this aspect of development has been at a stalemate ever since, though the artistic style will most likely remain consistent with the prototype's graphics. I am keeping storyline information and ideas confidential for the time being, but the gameplay experience will most likely vary drastically from player to player depending upon the choices they make. I aim to have a minimum of at least five different endings, with as many as fifteen if things like funding, progress, etc., go exceedingly well, as well as a minimum of 60 hours of main quest gameplay, 60 different towns/ areas for the player to explore (with as many as 100), 1000 different NPCs, 1000 different items, 250 different enemies, and much, much more. Expect a lot of adventure, humor, wit, charm, satire, suspense, allusion and just overall wackiness. It will most definitely release at some point on Windows/ Mac/ Linux and will be sold on Steam, and perhaps eventually even ported to PS4/ Xbox One/ 3DS. Assuming the Kickstarter is successful, I would estimate the expected release date sometime around 1st quarter 2016.

Unfortunately, I have nothing of worth to share with the community in terms of a demo or anything like that yet at this point and for that I apologize, though in a couple of months I will release the map editor here on the forums when it is code complete, and when the game is complete but before it is released I will upload it publicly for the forum to enjoy and comment on for a brief time before it is put up for sale. I want this game to be the absolute best it possibly can be, which requires my utmost care and patience at every step of development, in the meantime I thank you for your interest and patience! :D
Attachments
Screen shot 2013-03-06 at 5.49.08 PM.png
User avatar
gamemakerdude
 
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:12 pm
Location: Texas
Score: 7 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby MrJolteon » Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:34 am

The first thing I thought when I saw that screenshot
Image

This will easily be the biggest game ever made using GE.
I'd throw some money your way but I don't have any, unfortunately.
All I can do is hope the kickstarter will be successful.
Join us on Discord!
Game Editor 2
These are the best ways to reach me these days


Your local Community Janitor, always lurking in the shadows...
User avatar
MrJolteon
 
Posts: 2326
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:25 pm
Location: Stranded under endless sky
Score: 105 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby MrJolteon » Mon Aug 25, 2014 12:26 pm

double post
Also, if you need any help making the maps, feel free to ask me.
If not, then that's okay too.
Join us on Discord!
Game Editor 2
These are the best ways to reach me these days


Your local Community Janitor, always lurking in the shadows...
User avatar
MrJolteon
 
Posts: 2326
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:25 pm
Location: Stranded under endless sky
Score: 105 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby gamemakerdude » Tue Aug 26, 2014 9:12 am

The first thing I thought when I saw that screenshot
Image

This will easily be the biggest game ever made using GE.
I'd throw some money your way but I don't have any, unfortunately.
All I can do is hope the kickstarter will be successful.


Haha yes! Well, I definitely aim for it to be the biggest gE game created by the time it actually releases, perhaps even one of the biggest 2D RPGs ever made! No doubt an ambitious goal, but I have so many great ideas that I would love to see come to life, my passion for this project compels me to work on it constantly when I am able to. I really want to share my vision of the perfect indie RPG with the world, even if the Kickstarter fails and it takes another 15 years to see it through which hopefully, won't end up being the case. No worries about not being able to support financially, like I said I'll post here in the forums publicly for a short time before it goes up for sale, in fact I may even do the bug/ error testing on here so you'll get to play either way and you can always help by just getting the word out when I am ready to launch and such. Plus, any people interested in my game will no doubt raise awareness of gE as well in turn, so it's really a win-win no matter how the cards unfold. Besides it will still be a good four or five months before I launch my project anyway, I just felt it was time to update the project status, let everyone know I'm still here working hard and to share some of my experience along the way with the gE community.

Thanks on for the offer for assistance, if you think you may be able to make sense of the map editor I'm working on and contribute to adding some features to it, that would help a lot so if you're interested in that PM me. Once it is working, putting the maps together will be really simple actually, most anyone will be able to do it in a matter of an hour or so. In fact, if the fundraising goes well, I intend to release a content creator of some sort on Steam also so that people can create sub-stories if they want, and will definitely do some DLC content if at all possible. The real work will be in the art designing of all the tile sets (grass, roads, dirt, etc.,), objects (things like trees, houses, buildings, signs, etc) and various other things (items, enemies, npcs, collision areas, etc) that can be placed upon the map, given that there will be well, a whooooole lot of all of them haha, but again just PM (with some of your art work preferably in this case, digital or hand drawn, doesn't particularly matter either way) and we can go from there. There will be a lot of other stuff to do too obviously, but in regards to creating the maps that's all I really need.
User avatar
gamemakerdude
 
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:12 pm
Location: Texas
Score: 7 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby MrJolteon » Tue Aug 26, 2014 12:57 pm

gamemakerdude wrote:-snip-

Code-wise I probably won't be able to contribute much. Graphically, I can contribute with very blockybuildings, various types of map clutter and fonts(especially pixel fonts). I'll PM you with examples of the first two, for the last I need to know specifically what you want it to be like.

Just give me some time to make the examples.
Join us on Discord!
Game Editor 2
These are the best ways to reach me these days


Your local Community Janitor, always lurking in the shadows...
User avatar
MrJolteon
 
Posts: 2326
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:25 pm
Location: Stranded under endless sky
Score: 105 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby Zivouhr » Sat Aug 30, 2014 4:21 pm

True Story! is sounding like a cool game. Be sure to post new pics and info when it's ready, thanks.
City of Rott Game created on Game Editor http://cityofrott.wordpress.com/
User avatar
Zivouhr
 
Posts: 549
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 2:12 pm
Score: 59 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby MrJolteon » Sun Sep 07, 2014 5:07 pm

gamemakerdude wrote:Expect a lot of adventure, humor, wit, charm, satire, suspense, allusion and just overall wackiness.

But will there be feels??
Join us on Discord!
Game Editor 2
These are the best ways to reach me these days


Your local Community Janitor, always lurking in the shadows...
User avatar
MrJolteon
 
Posts: 2326
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:25 pm
Location: Stranded under endless sky
Score: 105 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby gamemakerdude » Wed Sep 10, 2014 9:26 am

But will there be feels??


Oh, definitely :shock:
User avatar
gamemakerdude
 
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:12 pm
Location: Texas
Score: 7 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby DeltaLeeds » Wed Sep 10, 2014 11:22 am

Woah dude, I really can't wait for True Story's release! I loved the mother series (Though I haven't played Mother 1), and I'm looking forward for a mother-like game! Awesome job, and once again, I'll await this release!!!
Currently: Semi-Active.
Working on: Maybe putting my test games in gamejolt, polishing them a bit, but I still don't know when.
User avatar
DeltaLeeds
 
Posts: 693
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 12:45 pm
Location: In front of my computer.
Score: 38 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby gamemakerdude » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:45 pm

Woah dude, I really can't wait for True Story's release! I loved the mother series (Though I haven't played Mother 1), and I'm looking forward for a mother-like game! Awesome job, and once again, I'll await this release!!!


Thanks jonathang! While this project is inspired by the Mother series, it is definitely also inspired by many other games as well, even books and movies too. Think more action packed, more character customization, more storyline options/ paths, more open world. I'm not saying it will be better than Earthbound or anything by any means, it is one of my most favorite games of all time. Though I will certainly do my best to make it everything that it possibly can be. Progress on the new and improved tile/map editor I am designing has already surpassed the prior version I was working on, shouldn't be much longer until I am thru with it! 8) I'll resume working on the artwork afterwards, things should really start coming together then.
User avatar
gamemakerdude
 
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:12 pm
Location: Texas
Score: 7 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby Zivouhr » Sat Nov 08, 2014 8:53 pm

Looking forward to seeing more about True Story! Any new pics on your progress will be nice to see. 8)
City of Rott Game created on Game Editor http://cityofrott.wordpress.com/
User avatar
Zivouhr
 
Posts: 549
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 2:12 pm
Score: 59 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby MrJolteon » Sat Nov 08, 2014 8:57 pm

I don't know about gamemakerdude, but I can tell you that I have not made any progress whatsoever in two months.
Join us on Discord!
Game Editor 2
These are the best ways to reach me these days


Your local Community Janitor, always lurking in the shadows...
User avatar
MrJolteon
 
Posts: 2326
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:25 pm
Location: Stranded under endless sky
Score: 105 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby Zivouhr » Sun Nov 09, 2014 4:17 am

MrJolteon wrote:I don't know about gamemakerdude, but I can tell you that I have not made any progress whatsoever in two months.


Well, making a game takes a lot of commitment and motivation.
Life is filled with other priorities, so when there is spare time, work on creating games can occur. I've been busy also and haven't had nearly as much time for game creation as I'd prefer with art projects, work and events in life. 8)
City of Rott Game created on Game Editor http://cityofrott.wordpress.com/
User avatar
Zivouhr
 
Posts: 549
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 2:12 pm
Score: 59 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby gamemakerdude » Mon Nov 10, 2014 1:01 pm

Well, making a game takes a lot of commitment and motivation.
Life is filled with other priorities, so when there is spare time, work on creating games can occur. I've been busy also and haven't had nearly as much time for game creation as I'd prefer with art projects, work and events in life. 8)


I have actually been working really hard on it, well the tile editor mostly. Making a lot of progress, but still a ways to go unfortunately. There are many features I am trying to add that could be foregone for a time in the initial versions used to begin creating levels, it is a very dynamic editor that requires a lot of foresight in the design. It allows for different tile sizes, to choose different tile sets, to lay actors (referred to as objects in the editor) over the tiles, linking maps from one to another, loading NPCs, enemies, items, etc., Really, in a sense it is the game itself, rather the engine behind the hood. I think I've got a pretty good grasp to go about it, it is just going to take time. I think I have been overworking myself actually with work and school and other various things going on, it is tough to find even an hour or two to devote to it. BUT, Thanksgiving and Christmas break are coming up and I will get some time off from work too hopefully around the same time and will hopefully have a beta of the tile editor here soon. I could post it up in it's current state if anyone is interested in checking it out, but it is still very much a work in progress and kind of sloppy at this point code wise from where I would like it to be.

I have been working on the storyline a lot when I can find a spare moment at work or school or before I pass out at night and have come up with some pretty awesome ideas. Basically without giving too much away, it is an epic satire adventure that blends a modern day setting with sci-fi and fantasy themes. Each continent in the game world will be an almost completely open world unto itself (a la Zelda: A Link To The Past) and the story will unfold from the perspective of different characters in different ways depending on what choices the player makes. There will be a strong emphasis on player choice and character development.

Plus, I have been doing a lot of organizational stuff regarding the project and how it will unfold in terms on development and how to efficiently use the time the Kickstarter will allow us to work on it when the time comes. So yes, in short, a lot of work is being done even though it doesn't seem like it. If I don't post much in the forums, it's actually because I'm probably working on something instead. :P
User avatar
gamemakerdude
 
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:12 pm
Location: Texas
Score: 7 Give a positive score

Re: True Story!

Postby gamemakerdude » Mon Nov 10, 2014 1:04 pm

Oh and unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to make it work in time to unveil it at the first PAX South event this year, which is kind of a bummer as I was really looking forward to that, but I think it will give me time to make a very strong playable and exciting presentation for next year.
User avatar
gamemakerdude
 
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:12 pm
Location: Texas
Score: 7 Give a positive score

Next

Return to Game Development

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

cron