[tcaudilllg]

I'm working on a tactical RPG in which you only control 1 player character... the rest will be controlled by the computer.

NPC behavior will be a big part of the game.

I will post pics of my progress.

[BadMrBox]

That sounds interesting.
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[tcaudilllg]

First pic

[BadMrBox]

The groundtiles feels a lil' bit to busy. Are the player going to go from battlefield to battlefield alá Fire Emblem or move in a world and enter 'tactics' mode when a enemy appear?
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[tcaudilllg]

A couple things. I'm going for EGA style. On the one hand, this makes the characters simpler to draw. On the other, a number of gradients are impossible on EGA, like for example greens. Two shades with dark grey and blue as darks, but at a price of non-smooth grass flow. The background looks "busy" because bushy grass is the only grass that can be done with EGA that looks good. I made some 16-bit grass (at upper right) which looks a lot better, but I though I'd see what I could get away with in terms of EGA first. Using EGA is helping me to focus on movements and the significance of poses. Like for example, the emperor sprite on the left. His pose evokes power and magnificence. I do see the need to use a little more black with the sprites: the priest at right looks like he has frazzled hair, but this wasn't intended. Granted, there is nothing wrong with frazzled hair, so I might make an edit of that sprite even after I add more outlining to the head. Also I've noticed the sword maiden in white doesn't stand out to well... her twin swords are nearly imperceptible against the grass.

As for why the grass looks busy, it could be because your attention is draw to it by the overuse of a few tiles. I have a little more work to do with the tiles yet. But I think if there were less uniformity in the tiles, you wouldn't notice the background and would be more focused on the characters.

Regarding the game flow, it's like The Magic Candle and Blades of Exile.

[tcaudilllg]

The battles aren't the problem. The problem is the character designs, things I can't really program, but have to suggest.

There is a heavy Sims element. The draw of the game is in making the major battles a wrenching, regrettable experience. People do die. Friends die. No one is innocent, because all chose to fight, and yet, their choice to fight is noble. The fault is not those of the characters individually, but of their society for compelling them to battle.

How to make a stock character appealing? The period is medieval, so life is simple. The reason medieval storytelling is appealing is precisely because its characters are pure. Life for the poor was completely about emotion... logic was reserved for the wealthy. I'm toying with the idea of the protagonist's personality influencing the range of decisions selected. Nobody is perfect, and maybe the protagonist has to off themselves to keep the story going?

But as far as the characters go, a little dialogue, a tad of history (not too much... you can't lead a spectacularly interesting life in a medieval hovel), and some basic factors influencing battle prowess and reliability. The really important thing is to link them together emotionally, so that going against one means going against their friends. That's actually pretty easily done. Creating an intricate game means making the solution to the overarching situation a far off goal, in which human nature and local politics becomes the most serious obstacle.

For the basic plot, I'm thinking bandits attack a village. The protagonist's mother is, raped perhaps. He wants revenge but she's not dead... his emotions are tempered. He is cool and methodical and leans on his peers, who are also victims, to get revenge. The first part of the game is a leadup to the bandit stronghold, in which the fated clash of emotions takes place. But killing the bandit king was only the beginning of the troubles, in that the bandit king turn out to be the earl's illegitimate son... So the earl destroys the food supply in retaliation for the people's support of our hero. This creates the food shortage that is the catalyst for revolt.

[tcaudilllg]

I've been thinking of how the game flows. There are just a few consequential decisions in the game which sets the tone for the plot's progression. What to do in between these events? The player must have a motivation to improve their situation. I've thought about it and a superior motivation is the characters themselves. Because the players will bond with them anyway then it makes sense to give them the opportunity to improve their odds. Thus the work of the player in between plot twists will be to perform missions that improve the weaponry and armor of their players while avoiding their deaths. Of course, the story battles will be tough enough force players to choose survivors. This may make the game wrenching to play, but if it becomes such I have succeeded.

I'm gonna add non-combat units to the game. Runners will be able to rush the wounded off the field. If the wounded are gotten to a tent quick enough there is a chance they will survive.

The real issue is designing the characters and making the graphics for their animations. I took care of the tile graphics... made some good ones. I may have to improve the gameplay over multiple versions. I'd like to have a hundred playable characters by the end of the campaign. For the battle against the bandits though, I think I just need 20.

[tcaudilllg]

I completed the overworld tiles. After pushing the CGA palette to its limits, I realized that I just could not accept the hideousness of 2-shade grass. So I broke with the CGA palette and instead settled on a subset of the EGA/SMS 64-color palette. Still using 16 colors (for convenience), but replaced light blue with a green shade and lowered the gamma between the other greens. Took out purple and substituted dark brown/red and tan. Light blue isn't missed because water looks best with dark blues and cyans (light blue ruins it UGH). Exploiting only 7 colors for the entire map, I was able to make a tileset that I think is very pleasant to the eye and will convey the beauty and wonder of the setting.

[Mattias Gustavsson]

I'd love to see a screenshot :-)
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www.mattiasgustavsson.com - My blog
www.rivtind.com - My Fantasy world and isometric RPG engine
www.pixieuniversity.com - Software 2D Game Engine

[tcaudilllg]

[Mattias Gustavsson]

Neat! That palette works a treat.
_________________
www.mattiasgustavsson.com - My blog
www.rivtind.com - My Fantasy world and isometric RPG engine
www.pixieuniversity.com - Software 2D Game Engine