RMRK Universe (Blog: http://arwym.com/rmrku)

Please don't push yourself too hard, Arwym. =)

Hey!

To everyone who has been expecting this, I'm sorry for the delay.

I'm going to try to get back to it very soon.  If I can't enter the guild challenge, that is.  Otherwise, I'll be doing it in July or sometime in the Summer.

If you have ideas, you can still post here and mention them, okay?  And if you're interested in joining, you can also PM me or just reply here.

Seriously, I intend to do this.  The project is not dead.  I'm not giving up. 

Bye-bye for now!

TO THOSE INTERESTED IN RMRKU, PLEASE READ!

Okay, guys...

I know that there are some of you who REALLY have the intention of helping with the project.  I also know that you may be losing interest in this because of the delay.  But you know, we can't really move on if we don't agree on some important things, such as the engine we'll use, and the graphics.  Because I know that you guys had voted for RMXP's graphics, but like the latest blog entry says, that is not possible right now.  So we need to choose something else.

There are a few options.  First, we could choose a different engine.  For example, we could look for an RMXP MMORPG script (if there is one, I mean), get it to work, and go with whatever graphics we want, because of the flexibility of the software.  (However, I am not sure if the script would restrict from using certain features, so we'd have to see first.)  This is something about considering every single possibility that there is.  I have discarded several engines because of their huge amount of bugs.  I don't want a buggy engine.  That would probably mean a buggy game.  And we don't want to deal with that much, do we?  So to those who have suggested engines like Eclipse or even Elysium, the answer is no.  At least, until I find them stable enough.  Other engines of this nature are available, but they don't support anything else but 32x32 graphics.  So it's the same problem.  The engine I was going to choose (XtremeWorlds) has that problem.

And with that last statement about XtremeWorlds comes the second option.  The developer, Bradyok, wants to implement support for 64x64 and 64x32 graphics.  But the problem here is that he is the ONLY developer in that project, and adding that feature could take an undefined amount of time.  It could be months, or a year, or... never.  So maybe you want to wait for that, or maybe you don't.

The third option is to simply choose different graphics.  I find that to be the quickest way to solve this problem.  If you agree, we can start with RM2k/2k3 graphics!  I mean, come on!  They are not so bad!  And there are so many customs!  They don't have to be exactly like in the maker.  We'd have spriters in the project willing to help and do some edits.  There are some spriters here who have a lot of experience with these.  So why is it so bad to use them?  They'd give the game an old-school style.  And we could even try finding a sprite template (naked sprites in that style) and start creating our own characters, right?  I know that RMXP's graphics are pretty and all, but right now, it's not possible...
There are probably other options out there.  We just have to look.  The only condition is that the game's graphics must be consistent.  Combining different resources (different styles) could make the game look like a total mess.  Trust me, I've seen it in almost every amateur 2D MMORPG out there, and I hate it with passion.

And who knows what else I can come up with...  But for now, those are the options we have.

Remember that we can't do this without communication.  And I know that I've been absent for a few months, but I warned about that.  And I clearly said that I would be coming back to this with the intention of doing it.  I am not giving up on this project yet.  We have to at least try!

So PLEASE, please answer to this post.  Please tell me what you think, and if you have other ideas.  I don't want to lose focus of what this project is about.  This is about having fun!  And I want us to have fun developing this game.  We don't have to be so strict about making the game perfect, but this is a problem we have to solve already, if we want to move on and start developing.  Please give me your feedback!

THANK YOU!

I think 2k/2k3 might be our best bet, there's a lot of them out there, and a lot of tilesets that could be ripped from old SNES games that would fit

Thanks for your feedback, NAMKCOR!

Anybody else, PLEASE?

2k(3) graphics aren't even all that bad. Just tweak the old ones, find some awsome ones, or make new ones altogether. Since most amature 2D MORPG's out there use RMXP graphics they also use buggy engines, as you sortof implied. This would be one of the few that uses the "old school" graphics and I believe it would turn out great.

More than that, I want them to be consistent.  Most of these amateur MMO's mix the graphics.  XP graphics with 2k/2k3 graphics, and some rips from the Mana games, and then these sprites taken from countless different sources.  Not only there is a mismatch in the style and colors, but in proportion.  Trees too small for the character sprites, for example, or doors too small for one to go through, or character sprites much bigger than others... et cetera.  That looks horrible, horrible!  And I want to avoid it. 

Okay, I have two votes for the third option: using RM2k/2k3's RTP style graphics, or just something else that looks old-school.  But that is not enough to make a decision, so please keep those opinions coming!

The best-case scenario is that RMRKU have their own custom tileset in 2k/2k3 style, however it swould need a big effort even for an experience spriter.
But 2k/2k3 default RTP is good too. 

Yes, we're going to need to edit tilesets at some point, maybe even create some, but that won't be necessary in the beginning.  I want to release a beta with just the basic areas, to see how it feels and how the members like it.  And from then, we'll start working on new areas and features, and on preparing events.  At least that's the current plan.

What I think we should definitely try is making a custom spriteset BASE.  If we want to implement paperdolling instead of making the players repeat the same sprites and look like clones, that's what we should do.  Paperdolling is being implemented already into the engine I chose, so it should be possible.    I have made a spriteset base before.  Unfortunately, it was lost when the old computer "died".  But I can make something simple that looks old school.  It should be no problem.  Making the clothes would be the hardest part.  But if the sprites are made for 32x32 size, it's much easier and faster. 

Do you guys like the idea?  Or should we keep it simple and just use whatever resources we find?

Paperdolling?

Totally agree on the RM2k/2k3 graphics; easy to edit, fast to edit, and don't look bad.
They're pretty flexible 

Paperdolling?

You don't know what paperdolling is...?  Not even in the traditional form?  Okay, I'll explain.  If you were a girl, you would probably play with dolls at some point in your life.  And you would dress her up, with different clothes, accessories, etc.  As it is obvious, the doll always remains the same, no matter what clothes she's wearing.  So she's the base, right?  And the clothes are interchangeable.  You can change them as often as you want.  Well, it's the same when you play an MMO and you change your character's equipment, and that equipment is visible in your "avatar".  Another clear example is Gaia Online's avatars.  There are also books that include a drawing of a character with only their underwear (or maybe naked?), and with different clothes and accessories included in several pages, which you can cut, and place or glue over the drawn character.  Those are like paper mannequins.  Well, I think that's enough explanation.
So basically, it's a matter of creating a basic spriteset base on its own, without clothes, or at least with underwear.  No eyes, no hair, no accessories.  And for every different hairstyle, shirt, pants, gloves and shoes you have to make a different sheet.  And you place one on top of the over, like layers.  But in this engine, you could only change clothes.  So the same hair and face are forced for everyone.  BUT, I also have a way to solve that.  There is a command to change the basic sprite, so we can just sell different hairstyles at a salon in any town in the game.  Sounds neat, eh?

You don't know what paperdolling is...?  Not even in the traditional form?

I know that. But I didn't quite get how paperdolling is in games. Now I seem to remember, and to think that all these years, I call them "customization."

You don't know what paperdolling is...?  Not even in the traditional form?

I know that. But I didn't quite get how paperdolling is in games. Now I seem to remember, and to think that all these years, I call them "customization."

Yes, it's the same as --visible-- character customization.  I guess it's common among the amateur-2D-MMORPG-making community to use the term "paperdolling" instead...

So, I guess the voting is finished?  Because I don't see any more answers coming. 

If that's the case, then the decision is made: we use the RM2k/2k3 RTP graphic style instead of RMXP's. 

Yay!!! :S

Also, there's a new entry at the blog. 

Forgot to tell you, guys, that soon we'll begin with staff meetings and more recruiting.  Some members have already been accepted into the main staff, so I'll start with those.  We'll make the first decisions together and then recruit for more.  So stay tuned.  This is an open project, and everyone can contribute somehow.  But there has to be a staff that will work on some more private aspects of the game that won't be revealed until the release.  Because, what is the fun in playing a game you know everything about? 

Open contributions will always be accepted for: graphics, item/monster/skill ideas, events, among other things.  Or that is the plan, at least.

Anyway, I'll PM those staff members soon with more information about how we'll communicate. 

And there's something else!  I will request a public sub-forum for open RMRKU discussion in the near future!

And that's all for now.  See you soon!

So can I be a spriter? 

  Do you have any samples/projects I can see, SJR?

I can PM you some stuff when I find it all! 

Hey, guys! 

My final exams end this Friday, so I want to get back into this ASAP.

I want to know who is STILL interested in helping. 

I know about Leventhan, Forcystus, Redwyn, NAMKCOR, JAP, SirJackRex, and I think Havick, too (though I haven't seen him around since like February).  Anybody else?  Maybe someone I have missed?

As soon as I confirm who is joining the team in the first phase of development (organization and planning), I am going to start.

Please let me know as soon as possible! 

Thank you!

(NOTE:  By the way!  For the moment, don't worry about what you can do for the game.  Just tell me that you're interested and committed, and we'll find a place for you in the project.  There's always something to do!  So just let me know!   )