September Goals and Progress Thread

Hello all and welcome to September. A time of changing weather...and game making!

Post your goals and progress for September below.

PS: Anyone got a banner they want to contribute for this one?

I wish I had... :/ I do just stars when I wanna relax.

This month I will try to survive there will be folks to inspect my block... just while I had to do my preparations(vs Bedbugs invasion), it looks awful. (really scary) I will mostly lurks and if/when it gets out of the way I will return on with the program :/

Good luck everyone on your goals and hold on to your dreams before humans and critters stomps on them. :)

Goals for September:

As always I am going to set more goals than I can possibly achieve in a month's time, for no rational reason whatsoever. Many of which I am simply carrying over from August's list, having not completed them then; along with new items to make up for the things I actually did manage to complete.

Once more into the breach & all of that.

Item 1) Finish lore "World Map", by assigning terrain features to the remaining territorial regions, & then use finished image for project title mechanic.

Item 2) Finish updated Iconset, & integrate new icons into their respective placements in database.

Item 3) Tune the "Speed" portion of all of my skills (Which for some reason I've completely ignored), primarily based on weapon type, to further simulate a weapon weight penalty, to work with the already created differing TP (Stamina) consumption rates of those skills, & their TP regen penalty. As well as to give rear line casters & range specialists, a "quick draw" versus "sniper shot" component to their tactics.

Item 4) Build the enchantment system for Weapon & Armor customization.

a) Add enchantment components to random loot generation system, by populating the components that will provide runes & glyphs.

b) Update shop inventory system, by setting up the inventory for my enchanters, & adding a limited selection runs & glyphs to "general merchants".

c) Create icons for Runes & Glyphs, add to updated iconset, integrate into database.

Item 5) Set up mechanics for party banter system, (Situational based feedback, character development, player interaction/immersion with party members, etcetera). I'll write up the actual substance of the banter, once I've further developed the characters personalities, as well as the points of interest in the faction campaigns, & have decided on any significant interactions they may or may not have.

Item 6) Rebalance Enemy parameter curves in accordance with new player character rebalances.

Item 7) Begin creation of skill integrated & Troop based AI common events, for enhanced tactical operations by enemy warbands.

Item 8) Test of concept, battleback construction via map image from corresponding tileset.

Item 9) Test of concept, alternate battler composition, SVA sprites & modified visual encounter sprites.

Item 10) Further develop IP lore pages, on various topics.

Oh my, it's September already. Perhaps I could finally stop lurking and post in these threads again. >>'

I haven't managed to do a whole lot for my game... well, for a while. There's been some progress in the course of months but nothing even semi-regular, so I'm hoping that peer pressure and inspiration drawn from others in this thread will help me.

Anyhow, goals:

• Finish writing the first part of the main story and its branches
  (Bonus goal: write some side quests as well)
• Make a list of things needed for the overworld tileset and make the tileset by combining several existing tilesets (mostly FSM)
  (Bonus goal: try making a pixel birch - I'm not sure why, but I'd really like to have birches in my game)
• Practice using Spriter Pro for the sideview battler
  (Bonus goal: colour the battler base)
• Plan/make one or more bosses (with placeholder graphics)
  (Bonus goal: sketch the bosses)

As noted in the last thread my goal(s) for this month will be quite lofty since I will have a lot of free time.

FIRST
I will complete the second demo of "Alex and Adva; I've heard norse". This includes the main hub town, the swamp level and the second dungeon. There will also be a archery/Shield-surfing minigame.
SECOND
Create a epic narrative poem (edda-style) to serve as backstory for the game. It will not be in the game proper or necessary to understand it but rather enrich the world for those interested.
THIRD
Play through the entire game from start to finish to make sure that demo 1 and 2 work together both seperate and as one experience!

It will be hard to do all these things in a single month, but I am certain I can if I stick to the schedule that I have created.

Ok, I managed to finish my goal for August, but while doing it, I got a little caught up in another idea. So while I am off for the next month with my broken knee (waiting for the ok to go back to work), I decided I would make a game in a month. from the 1st sept to the 30th.

So here's my ultimate goal: Make a game in a month.

Progress Update : Day 1
title screen (technically this was done before the month statrted, but it's what inspired me to do this)

Maps
-starting maps done
-Most skills worked out in excel
-characters all chosen
-basic plot worked out

TO DO -Day 2
Dialogue
-Write Prologue dialogue + Ist chapter dialogue
Maps
-first town
-forest
-bandit hideout
Eventing
-Prologue/tutorial
Databasing
-Entering skills into database
If Time Allows
-Dialogue input

My goals for September:

-Finish the Strategy Guide for The Book of Shadows.

Flex Goal:
-Start mapping the maps for A Darkness over Parandor. I have the system and plot outlined now, and know how everything connects, so next up is to make the maps.

And a progress update too:

9.1 Update:
-Did the rest of Chapter 1 and all of Chapter 2 of the strategy guide.

My goal this month is to make the basis for the Act 2 as well as deciding what to be made for the Act 3; funny enough, I have set the ending for An Empty Tome story before everything else.

Anyway, here's the pacifist who, when she has enough of it, is able to send nukes. Part of Act 2 stuff.

My only goal for sep: finish the dialogues for the 'aqquantice' level of relationship with at least 5 characters.

My goal is to get back to work on Ouroboros, I have taken waaayyy too much time off, but to be honest, I am probably just going to screw around and make some more levels to A Monster's Heart and finish out my original design, re-release it and mess with my side project.

I will be taking break for this month, so not much progress will be made due to two reasons. Irl is already kicking in, and I'm stuck on advancing my game plot (sure I already wrote the bare bone of the plot a month ago, it just doesn't feel right). I feel like to need to rework it once more.

So mostly I will be screwing around this month. Good luck peeps!

I've decided to limit myself to a maximum map size of 20x20, and 3-4 maps per town, forest, dungeon etc, otherwise I'd be mapping forever. lol. Also I'm doing mu best to keep the maps simple and RTP, while making them look interesting with the odd edit. Unfortunately I'm not going to have time to do anything else today. sigh. real life has caught up to me. lol

Progress Update : Day 2

Dialogue
-Write Prologue dialogue *done
Maps
-first town *done
-forest *done
-bandit hideout *done

TO DO -Day 3
Dialogue
-Write Ist chapter dialogue + 2nd chapter dialogue
Maps
-second town
-Way to 1st temple
-1st temple
Eventing
-Prologue/tutorial
Databasing
-Entering skills into database
If Time Allows
-Dialogue input

September goals:

>Come up with a coherent story,
something to stitch my plot points together.
>Finish the starting city’s events for act 1 (additional stuff comes in for act 2)
>Get a jump on the nearby small town.
>Throw together a few (weak) baddies for the walk there

@Paladin-Cleric of Awesome : I did something similar in my next project, the only difference is I did 45 x 45 size maps, and one square on the world map = 45 x 45. So if that town is one square on the map I need to fit it in a 45 by 45 block or else.

9.2 and 9.3 Update:
-More Strategy guide work. It's now done to end of Chapter 3, though I finally figured out the style I liked late Chapter 2 so I need to do some edits to the earlier areas to match.

Day 3 update

All I got done today was a map, and that's not even finished yet. Today was a go slow day I think. tomorrow will be better I hope.

To Do Day 4

-Finish Day 3 maps
-Write some actual dialogue
-Maybe figue out some puzzles for the temple?

Update #1 for September:

The weekend was fairly productive, finished balancing the speed setting for all of my skills, completed my updated iconset & integrated the new icons into the database, & even added a few more terrain features to "Lore World Map" that will be my title Screen.

For this week I am going to focus on putting in more work on the "Lore World Map" as I want it completely finished this month. & probably either start setting up the party chat mechanics or the enchantment system.

Item 1) Finish lore "World Map". W.I.P.

Item 2) Finish updated Iconset. COMPLETED.

Item 3) Tune the "Speed" portion of all of my skills. COMPLETED.

Item 4) Build the enchantment system for Weapon & Armor customization.

a) Add enchantment components to random loot generation system, by populating the components that will provide runes & glyphs.

b) Update shop inventory system, by setting up the inventory for my enchanters, & adding a limited selection runs & glyphs to "general merchants".

c) Create icons for Runes & Glyphs, add to updated iconset, integrate into database.

Item 5) Set up mechanics for party banter system, (Situational based feedback, character development, player interaction/immersion with party members, etcetera). I'll write up the actual substance of the banter, once I've further developed the characters personalities, as well as the points of interest in the faction campaigns, & have decided on any significant interactions they may or may not have.

Item 6) Rebalance Enemy parameter curves in accordance with new player character rebalances.

Item 7) Begin creation of skill integrated & Troop based AI common events, for enhanced tactical operations by enemy warbands.

Item 8) Test of concept, battleback construction via map image from corresponding tileset.

Item 9) Test of concept, alternate battler composition, SVA sprites & modified visual encounter sprites.

Item 10) Further develop IP lore pages, on various topics.

I'm slowly starting to try to get back on my feet (can I be more uncertain?).

My August goal was to "stop being terrified to death and do something already". I did, sort of. General progress in August:

• Started brainstorming story ideas, again
• Started a new project and copied all plugin settings and required assets to it (organization is the best procrastination)
  
• Since I copied my old files I started with some things looking pretty good already: fonts, hundreds of plugins and their setup, visual settings and style, many useful templates
  
• When in doubt, make a combat system. I recreated my old combat system and tweaked it to make it interesting and unique, and hopefully fluid, pretty and not boring, created some original combat mechanics along the way (maybe I'll show it someday)
  
• I created basic class and enemy templates and mechanics and tested them to death, made really good AI (to the point MV started to lag like crazy, lol), and all skill/state templates (like 50 of them). Basically the game's combat is working pretty well at the moment, and it's like 50% of the game, amirite? (probably 10%)
  
• Started playing Chrono Trigger (it's research okay?)

My September goals:

• Narrative: Brainstorm for reals, finally create at least a basic plot outline and character ideas (even if they're bad)
• Narrative: When done with basic outline, engage in some light world building
  
• Assets: Purchase remaining assets (hope there's a sale)
• Mapping: Train to make maps with new assets, practice good mapping (create lots of base maps)
• Database: Create lots of enemies based on available monster graphics, for each, create: stats, skills, AI, loot
• Database: Continue tweaking basic skills, especially for priest. Optional: work on skill animations and action sequences
  
• Ambitious: try to create a combat system where characters move during battle (see: Gaia's Melody), and the transition to combat feels more fluid and not like an interruption (see: Chrono Trigger), and perhaps try to make random encounter system with step/encounter tracking on HUD
  
• Systems: Continue tweaking combat system to make sure it's really fun and strategic on both small-scale (encounters) and large-scale (bosses), and also tweak other systems to make core gameplay loop as fun as possible
  
• Design: When lazy, keep designing. There are tons of things you could design, important and not so: animations, combat transitions, random/on map encounter system, treasure system, crafting system, weapons/armor/consumables, menu screen, leveling/exp system, progression system, skill gain system, class system, loot system, save system, shop system, audio design....
• Research: When too lazy or tired to design, research. Play classics. Watch anime for inspiration (I know right). Read forums for design ideas.
  
• Community: Make a dev blog if I'm feeling confident enough (and once I have something to show - probably more likely an october/november goal)
• Random ideas: voice acting, pixel art, game design document, SFX, music, more pluginz

My main goal is to finish the story development of the game I'm working on.
My secondary goal is to promote the crap out of my Game Jam I'm running in Sept and October.

@HawkZombie : I saw the game on itch.io earlier today. If (big if) I get this guide done I may try it. Provided I'm not too exhausted from work.

9.4 Update:
-Got about 2/3 of Chapter 4 done in the guide. Got to do 3 optional areas, the 2nd to last boss strategy, then the last dungeon and boss strategy for that dungeon to finish.

Ooh, ooh, my very first post on a 'Goals and Progress' thread! Okay, so...

I recently started using RPG Maker MV a few months ago, but I do have a game in progress.

My progress so far:
Story:
I already have a general story, and have had one for a very long time, for this game already written up - from beginning to end.
I've already written up major plot points, but the details will come as I start on the story events.
This story has been a story that I've spent years working on, and am just now using it for a game.
Characters:
In the short time I've been working on this project, I've already added my entire roster of playable characters (all 12 of them).
10 of the 12 of them have an entire moveset already programmed (and animated using Yanfly's Battle Engine Core + Expansions).
I'm not entirely happy with some of the moves I've come up with, so many of them will need to be tweaked.
All characters have stats roughly where I want them, but only roughly - they'll need to be tweaked as well.
Skills:
As I mentioned above, I have skills for 10 of the 12 playable characters, but none for any of the monsters/enemies.
Monsters/Enemies:
I only have a few monsters for battle testing purposes. No actual enemies have been programmed for use in the game yet.
Items/Weapons/Armor:
I've only added armor and weapons for the starting area, and only for the starting four playable characters. I also only have potions
and other items for my game's starting area.
Maps:
I have been hard at work crafting the maps for the starting city, and I'm about 75% of the way finished with the starting city, but
that's about it. I did also craft a 'test chamber' for testing various gameplay mechanics. Many of the NPC shops have been added,
but other than that, there are no NPCs in these maps yet.

My Goals for September:

- Finish maps for the entire starting area and 'prologue' areas
- Add NPCs to the starting area

This project has been moving quite fast, thanks in part to the fact that I already have a great story, great characters and a great general direction for the project (and trust me, that is a huge help), but also thanks in part to a friend who is helping me out with
combat/gameplay mechanics, and I also gotta give a shout-out to @hiddenone for use of many of her resources in my game as well.

Any tips and advice moving forward would be appreciated! :D