[Guest]

Ive wondering what some people think about the size of buildings in rpgs...should they be to perfect scale??, i.e. the outside reflects the exact space inside, which makes for a very large looking building when outside (relative to most rpgs),....or should the buildings look smaller from the outside, and when you go inside, the area is alot larger? Making it to scale will be more realistic but buildings that large might make villages ridiculously while smaller building will make villages and cities more practical, they may appear akward and unrealistic, taking away from the games mood. So does anyone have any opinions on this?

[BigManJones]

I've seen some games (Darkstone and maybe resle demo) where the walls/ceiling become transparent when the player enters; for these the building have to be to some kind of scale - ie, a small dwelling. But if you make a large building to scale then your map will be huge so obviously there is a trade off there.

Personally, i like the method of making buildings small and switching to an indoor map when the player enters.

[Rainer Deyke]

Some scaling is OK but don't overdo it or it'll look ridiculous (like in Breath of Fire, SNES version).

Something to consider: real medieval peasant dwellings are tiny by modern standards. No more than a couple of meters to a side for a whole family. Certainly smaller than a screen in a typical RPG. So if you want your buildings small on the outside, consider making the insides small too.

[Jihgfed Pumpkinhead]

I see absolutely no problem with scaling down the houses on a map, realism be damned. You shouldn't be aiming to create a world that's realistic, aim rather for creating one that isn't so glaringly unrealistic (unless, of course, that's what you're aiming for, in which case, go for it) that it distracts the player. Just as character sprites are drawn with gigantic heads so that we can give more attention to the important details (the facial expressions), the map should be created so as to give most attention to the important details in the scene: the characters, as well as any particular accents around the town. These things are going to be tiny compared to the buildings around them, so you pretty much have to shrink the buildings down to a manageable size.

That said, things are entirely different if the town is itself an enemy-infested area of exploration: if exploring, make the outside of buildings as big and crazy as you like. Consider in FF3, most towns had miniature buildings, as you describe, but the pseudo-town of Zozo (I can't believe I remember that name, it's been so long... oh, well, I loved that game) had huge buildings, because it wasn't really a town (from a gameplay perspective), but really just another forest/cave/monster-infested area done up to look like a town.

If you're really hung up on realism, do as Rainer Deyke said, but I really recommend against creating a super-gigantic-realistic town, unless, again, alienation is what you're going for.

[ThousandKnives]

I agree with Jighfed on basically every point. The most important thing is simply that you stay consistent with the kinds of scale changes so they are expected. The player may be jarred the first one or two times perhaps, but after that they will be grateful for the extra detail in houses and reduced walking times in outdoor environments.

Games are art, there isnt a single answer. Make a game with 100% consistent scale, make a game with wildly variable scale. Whatever. If you can make it work (that being the key), then you've done the "right thing."

[Rainer Deyke]

Actually I think FF6 did a great job of scaling the buildings some without overdoing it.

[XMark@katimavik]

I think the FF6 buildings were all exactly to scale, though. Not sure, but it'll give me an excuse to play through the game again :)

[Guest]

After reading pumpkinhead's reply it was clear that using scaled down buildings is the way to go. As i really think about the alternative it seems impractical, and i think it would only take away from the game. Therefore ill definatly be using scaled down buildings. Thanks for the input everyone.

[ishpeck]

Not that the opinion of a forum-newbie counts for much, but. . . he's my $0.02's worth:

One of my favorite cRPG's ever was Ultima 6 because the world map was seemless. You could walk from a building, into town, and into the wilderness (outside town) and you didn't load a new map. The town was not just a little icon on the world map (until you stumbled onto it and you found yourself magically at the edge of a city).

Having towns as actual buildings (put to scale) on the world map can help convey the total scale of the game world. Geography/setting plays a large role in the telling of a meaningful story.

However, like everyone else has said, if it does distract from your actual goals, don't do it. It's a cute idea but it can deter you from the true message of your game.

The artistry is everything.
_________________
--
The Ishpeckian Network is part of this balanced breakfast.
http://www.ishpeck.net/

[valderman]

1:1 building interior:exterior scale is best left to 3D games. It wouldn't feel right if a 2D RPG wasn't scaled.
_________________
http://www.weeaboo.se

[Ironshanks]

That really depends on how you're doing buildings too. I lot of RPGs will use houses with only one or two rooms. Scaling isn't really neccessary in that situation.

Personally I like buildings to be to scale because I'm interested in architecture. But if it's going to end up being distractingly off screen or if wandering around it will cause gameplay problems than don't bother.

It's all a matter of what fits best.
_________________
That's not a broken link, it's a PICTURE of a broken link. It's really very conceptual.