The Community Project

Make games! Discuss those games here.

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Spoonweaver
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The Community Project

Post by Spoonweaver »

Hello! :v:

Someone once said their is no I in Team. What an idiot.
We've all been one man teams while making our games.
However, over the course of the years, a single idea keeps coming up. We all know we're good at some parts of game development and bad at others.
Amazing feats of scripting have been seen accompanied by questionable graphics and on the flip side games with amazing graphics but little to no game play. And that's just the tip of the ice berg. Story telling, map design, concept creation, music composure, time management, difficulty balancing; you're bound to lack in some department. But what if you could just focus on one thing?

The idea to do a community game isn't new. It's been tossed around for ever, even recently.
I think it's a great idea with some huge flaws. The biggest flaw being, why would I would on this game and not my own?
The next biggest thing standing in the way is, who's in charge of what?

What I would like to propose is this, a community game that every working on the game equally owns it, from the main art director, to the music composer, to the map designer. Everyone that officially works on the game owns it equally, sharing anything gained from it (assuming anything is actually gained from it). So think of this as your game. Think of this as a chance to do that one thing that wouldn't work because you can't do every part of the game yourself.

So, who's in charge? I assume you're thinking I'm going to say me. And that after saying that I'm going to say it's not me.
Well no. I'm not in charge, but I can be. A video game, even nes ones, can have a lot of roles normally. I think what we can do is figure out which roles we would all best fit. If nothing else comes from this, maybe thinking about which roles we think we'll fit into and letting everyone know will help further game development collaborations.

So! Come! Post what you think you'd be best at if you were working for a video game company.
I don't have a list of every single position, but here's a list of a few ::

Director - helps communicate between different aspects of the game and align goals
Designer - comes up with concepts and gameplay elements
Programmer - scripts the game
Artist/Animator - draws the game
Audio Engineer - makes the music and sound effects
QA Tester - manages game difficulty and tests the game during production for the team
Writer - writes the story / links textboxes to in game elements
Map designer - designs maps
Character Creation - works closely with the artists to design the look of characters
Understudy - works directly with another position to assist them in their work


Now there are a ton of other things you can do that I can't think of right now.
Let's all just try to share what we think we'd be good at.
Last edited by Spoonweaver on Sat Jul 18, 2020 12:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Bob the Hamster
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

I like this idea. Collaboration is good, and maybe something cool could come out of this.

Here is my personal pitch:

I have really wanted for a while to do a point-and-click adventure in the OHRRPGCE in the style of a Monkey-Island or Maniac Mansion

I don't have a specific story in mind, or a lot, or an art-style, but I would want it to be funny, and I am a fan of sci-fi, fantasy, or horror for this kind of game.

I would also want to limit the scope of the project to "short story" length, so it would not necessarily need to be as long as the more famous games in the genre. (That makes it more possible for us to get it to a "done" and "published" state)

I could contribute in a "Director" role, and I could help out the designer(s) and the programmer(s) and the writer(s)

(I imagine "writer" as a possibly distinct role from designer, depending on the game of course)

Is anybody interested in filling a role on a game like that?

Also, I am still totally interested in hearing any other people's alternative pitches.
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Spoonweaver
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Post by Spoonweaver »

That's the fourth time this week someone has brought up making a point and click adventure in the OHR, must be a sign!
I think the idea of a writer positions is a good Idea, I'll add that and a few others to the list up there.
Oh and I think I'd be best in the designer, director, or programmer position.
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Foxley
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Post by Foxley »

I'd go in on map designer or sound effect design if this happened. Can't compose music worth a damn though.
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Post by MorpheusKitami »

I like the idea of a point and click adventure, adventure games have been done in OHRPGCE, but not point 'n' clicks. I'd suggest something along the lines of a RPG/Adventure hybrid, like Elvira or Legacy: Realm of Terror. But you know, from the side, like traditional adventure games. And a setting of a horror-infested mansion or a sci-fi spy story. The former, while cliche in general stories, isn't used very much as a singular setting in games, and especially RPGs. The latter is just rare in general. I only know of Heinlein's Friday for the latter. However, either way, I'm for horror or sci-fi, because humor-laden fantasy games are a bit overplayed in general.
In terms of what I can do for any such team, sprites and backgrounds are in my wheelhouse, animations and tiles are not. I can write most genres, and design something interesting given a proper amount of time. I can do testing, music and maps too, but they won't be the most amazing things ever.
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Post by Bird »

*sigh* The old dream. Of cooperation. Of overcoming each one's weaknesses. Like a successful RPG party.

And this is absolutely true, that a lot of game makers here are good at only one thing. My strenghs are programming and testing. Absolutely no interest in proper stories or graphics. I'd like to help, but it wouldn't be full-hearted at the moment, as time is short and I need to hunt money first!

Please consider that coordination is difficult with the OHRRPGCE. I am working together with The Lord on the Hinterlands project. We played out the advantage of different time zones, but coordinating to not overwrite the other's progress is difficult. Actually it would be better, if all the different parts of the .RPG file (the lumps) wouldn't be put back together in one file.
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Post by ArtimusBena »

You somewhat read my mind Spoon (maybe it's because of our discussions in the voice chat). I was just coming on here to suggest that people team up. Maybe a community game won't be the answer, but I won't try to shoot it down.
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Post by SwordPlay »

How about OHR House? It might work as a point-and-click, or avant-garde experimental game.
I think that's a good excuse to do whatever you want and have fun while you're doing it.

I think I could understudy writing, programming, art, design, etc.,
"Imagination. Life is your creation."
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Post by ArtimusBena »

I think I'd be good in the director role on something like this. Working with people individually is a strength of mine, I put the team ahead of myself, I like to let people be the experts in their fields, and I'm good at maintaining the focus.

Of course, everyone wants to be the director, and that's our problem in the first place. So, at minimum, if a community project takes place I'll be happy to write some diddies or some interesting script.
Last edited by ArtimusBena on Sat Jul 18, 2020 8:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Foxley
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Post by Foxley »

ArtimusBena wrote: Of course, everyone wants to be the director, and that's our problem in the first place.
Not me, I'd rather have someone just tell me what work needs to be accomplished and I find a way to make it happen.
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Post by ArtimusBena »

Okay. Sword was onto something then. First, we'd need an idea. In his example: OHR House. It's well defined and we all understand what would probably work and what wouldn't. When it comes to a tight-knit team of just a few, it's well enough just to have a guy with a vision and do some tasks, but with a community thing you need something that everyone can get in on. For instance, if I said, "Okay, we're making an Indiana Jones sidescroller!" Everyone would instantly know what they can do for it.
Last edited by ArtimusBena on Sat Jul 18, 2020 8:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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SwordPlay
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Post by SwordPlay »

Things to remember:

Not everyone will be interested in every project.
Not everyone will be suitable for every project.
Not everyone will be available for every project.

Did anyone mention "Producer"?
"Imagination. Life is your creation."
ArtimusBena
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Post by ArtimusBena »

These are true things, Sword. But let's humor each other :) You never know.
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Post by SwordPlay »

ArtimusBena wrote:I think I'd be good in the director role on something like this. Working with people individually is a strength of mine, I put the team ahead of myself, I like to let people be the experts in their fields, and I'm good at maintaining the focus.
Isn't that more like a producer?
Whereas the director makes the creative decisions during the production, the producer typically manages the logistics and business operations, though some directors also produce
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ArtimusBena
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Post by ArtimusBena »

Simple answer: no. Producers don't talk to the actors or discuss artwork with the art department or hash out the storyboard with the DP, or tell the composer what the audience needs to feel at 36 minutes and 5 seconds in.
Last edited by ArtimusBena on Sat Jul 18, 2020 11:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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