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what does it take to make a successful game? [Game Makers look here]

What do you think it takes to make a good game?

  • Total voters
    54

Shun1

Started Project RGSShun
    • 261
    Posts
    15
    Years
    For years people have made games and people have said that their games are rubbish and they need work. So i created this thread to show and tell what you need to do to make a good game.

    To start the main thing you need is a good story line,

    Think of something new. Don't make it collect gym badges, defeat evil team and beat the elite four because people get bored off the same storyline over again.


    Read the below section in the spoiler to know the basics.

    Spoiler:

    If you have anything you want to add or anything you want to say feel free to say it.
     
    Last edited:

    Beam Me Up Furry Bandit!

    Naito Park
    • 129
    Posts
    15
    Years
    Shun said:
    For years people have made games and people have said that their games are rubbish and they need work. So i created this thread to show and tell what you need to do to make a good game.

    To start the main thing you need is a good story line,

    Think of something new. Don't make it collect gym badges, defeat evil team and beat the elite four because people get bored off the same storyline over again.

    I would suggest thinking up what is the main part off the game. Start with what happens at the beginning and then don't describe the whole game but describe what is about to happen in a small description.


    The second thing i would suggest doing is learn to use the Program you are using to make the game.

    simple enough.


    The third thing would be start making the games maps. you may think this is easy but it isn't. People don't like it when you create maps which are square make it more "rounded" after you have made each map don't make NPC's but instead making the characters events which are going in the game (Grunt battles and gym battles not trainer battles in the overworld.) After you have finished eventing you should think that your game appeals to your audience. show people screens of your work and ask for feedback.

    The next thing would be to add the Trainer's in the maps and encounters on each map. Don't make encounter's in places which are like towns (only if there is water no grass.)

    The final thing you should do is make the NPC's, Warps, Doors, Signs, Etc.


    Things you shouldn't do in a games beta.

    Make the beta to short, Try to make your audience play for over a certain time, Short beta's are boring. in beta 1 aim for 30 mins, beta 2 aim for 1 hour, etc.

    Things which can make your game more enjoyable.

    Add custom made tiles or use other peoples tiles and make a good tileset.

    Add Custom sprites, Yes this is hard if you can't Overworld sprite all you need to do is find some one that isn't busy.

    Add New items to the game to make it more enjoyable.

    Some people may say that adding new pokémon ruins the game, You may agree but if you are extremely good with Fakemon Spriting then i would suggest putting in fakemon.

    Look at Pokémon Acantithe It has amazing Fakemon, Better than nintendo.

    This is just a basic guide to making a game but make the game how you feel like.

    If you have anything you want to add or anything you want to say feel free to say it.
    Click to expand...
    They might have cool minigames/quests to do like the one in PKMN raptor where you can bake cakes!
     

    Neo-Dragon

    Game Developer
    • 1,835
    Posts
    19
    Years
    I voted for "different from the others" - "Know how to use the program" - and "other".

    1: Different from the others.
    This should go without saying, but with new members using the starter kit it doesn't. I will not be playing a game like the official games- meaning evil team- beat elite 4 blah blah (I will just play the official games).
    I will not play or even support a game that copies features from another game. Try come up with something you think is different for the pokemon experience, but fits. Your supposed to be a developer, so bloody develop your own feature.

    2: Know how to use the Program:
    I think if you want to make your game stand out, you really need to understand the program itself. That means knowing what it is capable of, and what the program's limits are.

    3: Other:
    This is more of a human quality, but you need determination and good motivation to continue to want to have a great game. As EVERYONE in this section knows, it's easy to write down in your thread that you want to have every region, and every pokemon. If you write this, you will be laughed at- at first. But if you are serious, you can do it.
     

    ▲

    • 325
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • Seen Jun 30, 2014
    Let's start with the poll.

    Good Storyline
    This one is prime. But what exactly makes a good story? Well, a few lessons can be learned from Dot, but, putting that aside, there's an approach I take to writing stories that I think everyone should take on--the 'Sandwich Method'. Basically, you start with the bread; you need a beginning and an ending. Think of thermo (if you've learned that yet)--it doesn't matter what's in the middle, but what you start with and end with is all that really matters. The beginning draws you in. The ending carries with it a certains atisfaction for having laboured that far into it. But don't forget the inside--you need cheese, some kind of meat, and a slice of lettuce. Each layer is different because of the one quality a good story possesses (besides seamlessness, which I don't need to discuss...I do that all the time): shifts. You can call it a plot twist or not. When I say twist, I don't mean 'lol my best friend is my enemy' but any change in the situation that changes the way the player feels about what s/he is playing or a radical shift in focus. This could be a change in adventure...or a newly-found objective, yanno, the whole Pandora's box thing.

    Good Sprites
    That's so subjective...everyone thinks good is important. Do I believe they need to be flawless? No--nobody immersed enough in the game should be looking that closely because they are either drowned in the music, strategy, or the 'fun' of it all.

    Custom Made Tiles
    You want your own world, right? Paint it the way YOU envision it. Therefore, get your own. The only exception is if your game takes place in Hoenn (in which case RSE tiles would be very approrpriate for continuity's sake...it makes me angry when professional teams redo the tilesets every few games for the same place and CHANGE the layout).

    Diffrent from the other games
    I voted this one, too. Isn't this a given? If it's the same formula and looks the same, then people will pick the profesional ones every time.

    Same as the other games
    The only time this works is if the game is purely fun and has no other good qualities; I would jump up and down if we saw another Battle Network game (we never will, but...). In pkmn, a similar game never goes...

    Fakemon
    It depends on the region. It has to make sense...you can't just slap 600 pkmn in one region and say it makes sense; not that many pkmn exist in Hoenn, and Hoenn is huge geographically. How many aquatic pkmn are there? Not a whole lot for as large as the sea is...additionally, we don't need any Zaptergons or any useless legends like that.

    Long betas
    Who cares about a long demo? Just make sure that the final product is long...

    Good graphics
    Sprites are graphics...it's semantics.

    Good Grammer and Language
    If it lacks solid grammar, then why would anyone take it too seriously? Like I said in a recent negrep, letting conventions fall by the wayside is carelessness...

    Good maps
    Location, Location, Location
    If I don't like your Wento region, then why would I want to explore there? I, myself, find exploration tedious to begin with, and exploring somewhere that I do not find engaging won't keep my interest long.

    Understands the program
    ...uh, if they made it, they have to understand it...paradox. If someone uses Essentials without making heads or tails of it, then they should be working for somebody else because it will not fit the different game condition above.

    Has Good battle Sprites
    As far as pkmn goes, poses don't bug me...however, poor mixes are obviously fail.

    Has an enjoyable style.
    Covered in other areas...

    Other (Please Post)
    Where's music? The audio sets the mood and draws the player in. If you can use a sense, then do so. Why do some game systems vibrate the controllers when you're hit or something? It makes use of your sense of touch. Using your sense of hearing makes you even more into the game world, which is the premise behind it all...now, making you try to smell burnt marshmellows with Flamethrower would be going too far.
    Plus, some game thems are so unforgettable...like I'm sure 80% of the people here could play the Legend of Zelda main theme in some form on a musical instrument; it's just that common.

    Also like a secret area when you complete certain stuff
    I'm alright with that if it has a reason...even in my favourite games I'm not too fond of the 'unlock the hidden level by collecting pieces to a map' or whatever. GSC Kanto has not a whole lot of point to it unless I'm forgetting a story force after you become the Champion...now, another part to the story after finishing the pseudo-main quest that acts as an unlockable, now that's elegance. Again, it's back to what I said about shifts...good writing has good shifts. Oh yeah, while I'm on that...

    Good Games Don't Overdo It
    I use this comparison a lot, and I think it works. A game is like a paragraph. You make a new paragraph when the thought changes, right? When the macro-adventure changes, make a new game. Going to six regions without any reasonable sense is just awful. It's not a cool idea, and it is too much to make a great plot for. Gameplay gets boring, and the plot becomes meaningless too quickly...I'd rather have a meaningful adventure than one that never ends.

    ...I'm a little burnt-out now, so I might return later with some more...
     
    Legobricks

    Legobricks

    • 7,741
    Posts
    17
    Years
    • Seen Sep 18, 2020
    Original concept (i.e. outlandish setting; interesting controls/functions, if possible), intelligent story/dialogue. Try not to base it on anything but what comes from your own imagination... and if one does not have an imagination, perhaps one shouldn't even be trying to make games in the first place.

    Your poll options seem consistent primarily with Japanese role-playing games... was that intended? I so, why?
     

    ▲

    • 325
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • Seen Jun 30, 2014
    Bolds are below, as always...
    Cassino said:
    Original concept (i.e. outlandish setting; interesting controls/functions Bleh, I can't stand imaginative controls...anything strange drives me crazy., if possible), intelligent story/dialogue. Try not to base it on anything but what comes from your own imagination... and if one does not have an imagination, perhaps one shouldn't even be trying to make games in the first place. I almost sigged that.

    Your poll options seem consistent primarily with Japanese role-playing games... was that intended? I so, why? Yeah 'cause this is in the Game Development section and not te Other Games section, so we're primarily talking within our little microcosm here...because it's what game developers care about. I really went a little far with some of the straying I did...
    Click to expand...
     

    Shun1

    Started Project RGSShun
    • 261
    Posts
    15
    Years
    Bolds are below, as always...

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cassino what does it take to make a successful game? [Game Makers look here]
    Original concept (i.e. outlandish setting; interesting controls/functions Bleh, I can't stand imaginative controls...anything strange drives me crazy., if possible), intelligent story/dialogue. Try not to base it on anything but what comes from your own imagination... and if one does not have an imagination, perhaps one shouldn't even be trying to make games in the first place. I almost sigged that.

    Your poll options seem consistent primarily with Japanese role-playing games... was that intended? I so, why? Yeah 'cause this is in the Game Development section and not te Other Games section, so we're primarily talking within our little microcosm here...because it's what game developers care about. I really went a little far with some of the straying I did...


    Well it wasn't intended that the poll seems to be for japanese Role-playing Games.
     

    spike6958

    TCG Collector
    • 1,197
    Posts
    18
    Years
    • Age 35
    • UK
    • Seen Apr 30, 2021
    Good Storyline, Unique Features, Good Grammar and Spelling and Good Knowledge of the program, they are the most important things in any game, with out these your game is doomed to fail, either by the creator getting stuck and giving up or the players getting bored fast because there is nothing new.

    The least important thing is Graphics, sure nice ones are better but there are many times i would rather go back to PS1 and re-play Final Fantasy 7,8,9 than play these new games with beautiful graphics, but boring storyline.
     

    InMooseWeTrust

    Jack of All Trades
    • 803
    Posts
    16
    Years
    Some things really bother me:

    1. Never releasing anything
    If you've been working for so many years and you have implemented so many features that you claim to have implemented, how about actually showing us these things? Unfortunately, most game developers promise a lot but never has anything to show for them.

    2. Giving up
    After they make a lot of really ambitious plans, doing all that work, and hyping up everything about the game, they just one day stop posting in the thread and give up. And then that's it. You never hear from them or their game again.

    3. Being overly possessive
    Yes, I understand that you worked hard to make all those sprites and events, but would it hurt you that much just to help somebody else out every now and then? Seriously, no matter how original you think you are, your work is just as unoriginal as anybody else's. The entire Pokémon franchise is a product of Satoshi Tajiri's imagination, not yours. You only add onto what everyone else did. The vast majority of you are using Pokémon Essentials, which isn't yours. It's the work of Poccil and Flameguru and a few other people. The sprites you're using? The vast majority of them are ripped from the Nintendo games (not you) using software (not made by you) by someone else (who is not you), and then they're uploaded to some resource site like spriters-resource.com (not your web site)! Yeah, real original. Would it hurt you THAT much just to share every once in a while?

    4. Trying to start one thing before finishing another
    There are a lot of people who do this: They start one project while in the middle of another project, then they start a third one on top of that! It's about quality, not quantity, and if you try to make several games at once, either they'll all be really bad or you'll give up doing all of them at one point or another.
     

    ▲

    • 325
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • Seen Jun 30, 2014
    InMooseWeTrust said:
    2. Giving up
    After they make a lot of really ambitious plans, doing all that work, and hyping up everything about the game, they just one day stop posting in the thread and give up. And then that's it. You never hear from them or their game again.
    Click to expand...
    Not only that, but starting over with your third or fourth game does not do you any good, either. Make one project, and stick with it...you can only make it better with time, and starting freshly every time throws away good work.
     

    Nytkoi

    Pokemon Copper!
    • 1,625
    Posts
    16
    Years
    There is soo much people need to improve on. Lets get started, now. :P

    Good Storyline
    This is probably one of the most prime things you need in a game. It basiclly controls the way your game is played. For example, if you make an in-depth story, you're giving yourself a challenge, whether you finish the game or not. The storyline might not seem important to beginners, but trust me. I have a lot of experience with storylines, and I can tell you one thing. It takes quite a while to think up a good one. Try looking around you, and play back what you say in your head sometimes. They might give you ideas. Sometimes it dosen't have to be like that. Use whatever you need to inspire you to write a good, long and creative story. Also, please, no theft. >.>'

    Know The Program
    Damn. If this isn't the most important thing in making pokemon games, RMXP or hacking, is, then I don't know anything. Always know your programs. If you have a question about it, there's a big chance there's going to be a notebook file called README that comes the program you got/downloaded. Also, If you still don't get it, ask the creator of the program. Of course, you can't with RMXP, sadly. (though if you really want to, email the company that made it :P). And, for the people who are making pokemon games, if you download Pokemon Essentials, you've got it made. Take an hour or two to read the notes.html, then you're set. Notes.html probably has every little newbie question in your minds. So, there isn't a big need to referring to the Help And Request Thread. (Found here.) So, there's really no excuse to dumb questions. :/

    Different from other games
    Again, major conecpt here. If you steal ideas from idea filled games (ie. Neo Eras and Raptor) It just shows that you aren't ready for game making yet. Your game should be unique, not a rip off someone else's game. Really guys, stop copying and start using your noodles (brain). xP Need ideas? Again, look around you. See how the world functions. Find something intreasting? Try to add it into your game. Trust me, this makes your games much better.

    Good Graphics
    Yet essential, you don't particularly need this. If you are a good pixel artist, then use your pixel art. For me and most of the other games, we use graphics. This also ties with being original in a very important form. For example, Uranium has changed their pokemon sel. screen. If you copie the style of theres, it's obviously NOT original. Make your own graphics, or recruit someone to make them for you.

    Well, that's about what I think's most important. To Noobs:
    Read this.
     

    Shun1

    Started Project RGSShun
    • 261
    Posts
    15
    Years
    Nytkoi said:
    There is soo much people need to improve on. Lets get started, now. :P

    Good Storyline
    This is probably one of the most prime things you need in a game. It basiclly controls the way your game is played. For example, if you make an in-depth story, you're giving yourself a challenge, whether you finish the game or not. The storyline might not seem important to beginners, but trust me. I have a lot of experience with storylines, and I can tell you one thing. It takes quite a while to think up a good one. Try looking around you, and play back what you say in your head sometimes. They might give you ideas. Sometimes it dosen't have to be like that. Use whatever you need to inspire you to write a good, long and creative story. Also, please, no theft. >.>'

    Know The Program
    Damn. If this isn't the most important thing in making pokemon games, RMXP or hacking, is, then I don't know anything. Always know your programs. If you have a question about it, there's a big chance there's going to be a notebook file called README that comes the program you got/downloaded. Also, If you still don't get it, ask the creator of the program. Of course, you can't with RMXP, sadly. (though if you really want to, email the company that made it :P). And, for the people who are making pokemon games, if you download Pokemon Essentials, you've got it made. Take an hour or two to read the notes.html, then you're set. Notes.html probably has every little newbie question in your minds. So, there isn't a big need to referring to the Help And Request Thread. (Found here.) So, there's really no excuse to dumb questions. :/

    Different from other games
    Again, major conecpt here. If you steal ideas from idea filled games (ie. Neo Eras and Raptor) It just shows that you aren't ready for game making yet. Your game should be unique, not a rip off someone else's game. Really guys, stop copying and start using your noodles (brain). xP Need ideas? Again, look around you. See how the world functions. Find something intreasting? Try to add it into your game. Trust me, this makes your games much better.

    Good Graphics
    Yet essential, you don't particularly need this. If you are a good pixel artist, then use your pixel art. For me and most of the other games, we use graphics. This also ties with being original in a very important form. For example, Uranium has changed their pokemon sel. screen. If you copie the style of theres, it's obviously NOT original. Make your own graphics, or recruit someone to make them for you.

    Well, that's about what I think's most important. To Noobs:
    Read this.
    Click to expand...
    yes there is alot people can improve on andyou have more or less hit the mark. Many people have contacted whatever company but some people don't get a reply so they have to work it all out themselves.
     

    I Laugh at your Misfortune!

    Normal is a synonym for boring
    • 2,626
    Posts
    15
    Years
    Agent Zero said:
    Good Grammer and Language
    If it lacks solid grammar, then why would anyone take it too seriously? Like I said in a recent negrep, letting conventions fall by the wayside is carelessness...
    Click to expand...

    I agree that bad grammar/spelling can be irritating, but it doesn't have to ruin the game. For example - Pokemon Quartz, one of the most well-known hacks ever made, has pretty dodgy grammar in places. Yes, I'm well aware that this is Game Development, but a lot of the same rules apply.
     
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