RPG Game how to start off ?

[ceriux]

i know im in no place to start a game or mod at the moment as im not accessable to any tools let alone quake, but when i leave job corps i would like to get started on my game ill be using scratch.qc as a base and i was wondering in which order would be the best to start off? from what i know that the scratch tutorials teach you how to get the world to spawn, teaches you how to set up a player spawn, teaches you how to add light entities, sound entities, a chase cam, and player animation. so for the theme of game im hoping to accomplish what would be the next step? the next best thing to try and code in?

some of the things i plan to code in are:

a use key with useable objects,
player stats (requires frikfile - need engine coder)
player save (frik file -need engine coder)
inventory
visible equipment (md3 or hl1.mdl -engine coder)
either multiple races or 1 race with customization (maybe will make a poll)
interactable npcs (possibly with they're own scheduals)
day/night system
player storage (frik file)
quest system
quest log (possibly frike file again)
directional attack system
directional guarding system
semi advanced ai for specific monsters
pets
currency
possibly a trading system between players.
crafting
-possibly more open for suggestions-

im hoping to get a little more advanced gameplay out of the attack system not only will the direction of your attack effect the type of damage you will be dealing (slice,piercing,crushing, ect) but the damage will also be affected by your characters stats and and currently equipped weapon and its buffs if it has any and a couple other things like armor ect.. the game will be first person, with an option for 3rd. it will be an orpg with mmo traits. my main goal is to create a orpg with a good lore base, nice looking visuals but not over welming so that almost any pc can play and enjoy it.

but basically what im asking for is a couple of things, what would be a good way to plan this out in a order that would be most successful and create a good work flow, if anyone has any ideas, and what would be the best approach when starting off?

if possible i would like to have at least a small discussion about my project in planning i cant do much now but think and plan about what i would like to be doing.

thanks guys i appreciate any input , info, or ideas you may have.

[Sajt]

I recommend working from the bottom up, rather than from the details down. A lot of people, myself included, tend toward the latter. I would spend time working on making models, complex inventory systems, or a hub system, or even just constantly cleaning and reorganizing the code, and after years there would still be no "game".

The first thing is to scratch off ALL "original art and maps" from your first milestone. Those will delay any real work to no end. Unless your game idea is more about the world than the gameplay: then the first milestone should probably be ONLY a map and no code.

Also if you have any perfectionist tendencies then burn them out with a hot coal. Make crappy, low-poly models and maps if the gameplay still works.

If, on the other hand, it's more about the coding experience and self-indulgence or having fun, and you're aware that you will probably never release anything after years of "work" (like me), then there's no problem if you just do things in whatever order you want...

[ceriux]

thanks for the input Sajt i really appreciate it what about lowpoly perfectionist tendencies =P? my plan is to keep things low poly but still visually appealing thinking maybe half-life 1 quality give or take on the polies. the world i plan to make as detailed as possible but optimized as well. that alone i know will take quite a bit of work. but in my head the results are well worth the effort.

[Swift]

What's generally considered best for a project like this? Stripping down standard progs, or building up from the scratch base?

[ceriux]

well, since i plan to make it a stand alone game i suppose i have to start from scratch that way i can claim all code is mine, including the content.

[Spike]

Work out your theme. Big open areas? Enclosed areas? Hub-style bases? Is the focus on adventure, or action, or interaction?
Work out the dependancies. Implement those parts first.
stats+inventories may be the hallmark of RPGs, but they don't make a game on their own.

The whole point about RPGs is their ability to draw you in. Rewarding you for time spent, giving you a reason to keep playing.
Focus on the theme rather than the features. :P

[ceriux]

hmm i really like that reply spike. another words your saying focus on the basics first? then worry about the nice features that make the game rpg based , then the ones that extend its playability (the extras) ?

[gnounc]

[ceriux]

sounds good, i planned on starting with a town map for general stuff i need to code out then a "field" map for the other half of the stuff i need to add. but all pretty good suggestions i think having two types of maps for the two different types of things i need to code available will help me fill out what i want to code first then get the needs.