What is a good programming tool for developing RPG games?
May 19, 2013 8:27 AM Subscribe
I want to develop an RPG game based on a non-popular, out of print tabletop RPG - the game I'm developing will be for PC/Mac/(possibly mobile). So far, I'm looking into RPG Maker, which seems to be able to fit the bill most appropriately. I've also looked at Titanium for developing mobile games, but this seems like it's not necessarily a good fit for just hitting the ground running. Any ideas are welcome - priorities are that the system is flexible for development and is easy to begin with (I'm cool with advanced features, but don't want to have to hack the system in order to merely start bringing my ideas to fruition).
I'm happy with Unity. There are RPG frameworks like ORK you can buy for it which will catapult you into game development.
posted by BeeDo at 1:45 PM on May 19, 2013
posted by BeeDo at 1:45 PM on May 19, 2013
Best answer: Ask yourself what the most important part is: The Story (the characters, setting, the roles, what happens, etc) or The Rules (combat system, loot tables, character traits, movement, all the GM stuff.)
If its the Story then look at an existing RPG maker - specifically RPG Maker is currently the most robust in regards to being able to tell stories and there is a lot more community support for it than any other.
If its the Rules then you have a much larger task ahead of you and you're probably looking at more-or less writing something from scratch, with the help of typical game libraries for animation, etc. In which case I'd go with whatever you're most comfortable with. At the moment I would look at either Python with Pygame or Flash. Another option would be to do it in Javascript since it will work across platforms, and might not take much work to get it into mobile. There are a number of them and they're evolving quickly, so I can't confidently recommend one for you, but people have written RPGs with Craftyjs, Impactjs, and Limejs as well as others.
posted by Ookseer at 4:26 PM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
If its the Story then look at an existing RPG maker - specifically RPG Maker is currently the most robust in regards to being able to tell stories and there is a lot more community support for it than any other.
If its the Rules then you have a much larger task ahead of you and you're probably looking at more-or less writing something from scratch, with the help of typical game libraries for animation, etc. In which case I'd go with whatever you're most comfortable with. At the moment I would look at either Python with Pygame or Flash. Another option would be to do it in Javascript since it will work across platforms, and might not take much work to get it into mobile. There are a number of them and they're evolving quickly, so I can't confidently recommend one for you, but people have written RPGs with Craftyjs, Impactjs, and Limejs as well as others.
posted by Ookseer at 4:26 PM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
A guy I know made a game in RPG Maker. It was mostly an inside joke, but it seemed to work OK. What are you looking to get out of it? Is it telling a story, developing a better system, or having exciting action? Would you rather write, make art, or code?
posted by sninctown at 6:22 PM on May 19, 2013
posted by sninctown at 6:22 PM on May 19, 2013
Response by poster: So, the key is actually the gaming platform - I want to recreate or create an homage to Earthdawn, the old FASA game. I think that it's totally doable in RPG Maker with some adaptation, but RPG Maker won't let me export to anything except for Windows as EXE (so no mobile, etc.) I agree that the learning curve for straight-up programming a new system is beyond me - I'm interested in hearing more about Unity, because it seems like it's highly functional, mostly made for 3D MMOPG development (again, not quite what I was looking for, my goal is something more similar to Crystalis or Final Fantasy, which suits RPG Maker).
So, to answer the questions posed above: The system is the key, and then second is the character dynamics, third is storyline, fourth is graphics/etc. I realize that many people would think 'story needs to be first', but I'm hoping to turn this into an ongoing development where I can release modules, akin to the early AD&D system. That means that the storyline(s) will be self-contained, and/or I can merge them all together to make a larger RPG system.
Pygame is good, but limited for RPG development. Game Maker is also viable, but it definitely seems more like a shoot-em-up, sidescroller/platform game development application. Since I'm specifically looking for RPGs, that both works in my favor and limits me.
posted by jibberish at 10:52 PM on May 19, 2013
So, to answer the questions posed above: The system is the key, and then second is the character dynamics, third is storyline, fourth is graphics/etc. I realize that many people would think 'story needs to be first', but I'm hoping to turn this into an ongoing development where I can release modules, akin to the early AD&D system. That means that the storyline(s) will be self-contained, and/or I can merge them all together to make a larger RPG system.
Pygame is good, but limited for RPG development. Game Maker is also viable, but it definitely seems more like a shoot-em-up, sidescroller/platform game development application. Since I'm specifically looking for RPGs, that both works in my favor and limits me.
posted by jibberish at 10:52 PM on May 19, 2013
I'll second using Unity. I'm currently developing a 2d platformer with it, but also planning on doing something more rpg eque in the future. There will be a steeper learning curve than with RPG Maker, but you'll be gaining a lot more flexibility. The multiplatform support is also key. I'm able to test my game on pc, mac, android and ios from one project.
I'd suggest a few tiny projects to get your feet wet before jumping into the rpg project. There are quite a few good beginner tutorials. Here's one I used :
http://walkerboystudio.com
There are some assets (basically plugins) on the Asset Store that will be very helpful. For a 2d game I highly recommend 2d Toolkit.
posted by meta87 at 9:10 AM on June 22, 2013
I'd suggest a few tiny projects to get your feet wet before jumping into the rpg project. There are quite a few good beginner tutorials. Here's one I used :
http://walkerboystudio.com
There are some assets (basically plugins) on the Asset Store that will be very helpful. For a 2d game I highly recommend 2d Toolkit.
posted by meta87 at 9:10 AM on June 22, 2013
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posted by cupcake1337 at 8:54 AM on May 19, 2013