What to do about an overly large RPG...

[maia]

I have this problem. My latest game is looking to be 100-150+ hours of gameplay. Maybe only 30+ hours if you go through the main quest and only the main quest. I really do not want to die before this game gets done! I have come up with these ideas:

A. Abridge the game. It is one long game... seriously. I have it all plotted out. It is long, but I suppose that I could abridge it. Cut out some adventures. I am only concerned about the time that it takes to develop the game not the player's in game time.

B. 10-20 months I might have the 100-150+ hour game done... to which I run the risk that no one will play plast 2 hours or heck the game might not even work for them at all!

C. My game has regions (20). Should I beef up 1 region and turn it into its own continent, write a new storyline / plot and just have the player go through that? Instead of having a worldwide epic story that goes to other planets?

D. Release episodes... Like right now I have 2 regions done. Should I release the game every 2 regions?

[firerain]

Release episodes. Works better, and you get to keep your original plot. Also, if the first episode is good, players will want moar.

[Falcon]

Yeah, I agree with Firerain, stick with the chapter method, it's what I always plan to do.

My quick thoughts, 10-20 months, 100-150 hours? Either you have no life at all, or your game is going to lose quality on a major element, like storyline (my main issue with the one game of yours I played, it had lots of content, but it was all low quality to me).

But yeah, release episodes, if you want to see a game that's done it right, check out Master of the Wind or Quintessence. I'd suggest all chapters have at least 2+ hours of gameplay.

[maia]

150+ hours of content, 30+ hours of main storyline. I have been running the WHOLE thing by quite a lot of people. RPG fans, fantasy fans, fans of my writing and everyone seems to be hooked on the storyline. The side quests, dates and other fun would make up the 150+. Right now for 15+ hours I have 150 pages of dialog / storyline written.

It is true that I do not have any life, but I can also make 10 pages of golden dialog or 5 pages of story in a day. I always had friends that would push me to write them stuff within a 24 hour period :-)

[:)]

I'd be interested in the chapter idea

Try to point out major plot changes or moments in the gameplay every 3 or so hours and cut it out as a single chapter.

[Brady]

Yeah, just release a chunk of it of however any hours then plonk a 'to be continued' on the end and wait however long before releasn' more.  And yeah, if people like it, they'll not only want more, but encourage you to pull them out again, nistead of everyone gettin' worried like you are, that you may be losn' quality or somethin'...

Another vote for chapters...

[modern algebra]

What I would suggest is release in independent (in the sense that each release does not need the original chapters) chapters. You might need a script in order to make this work, but if you can find a way that you can just import save data, it will make each chapter much smaller and make people more likely to download the whole thing if they can download in independent installments. I don't know if a script like that exists, but if your game is as big as you say, then I think it would be worth it to enlist the aid of a scripter, if only for that single purpose.

[lost]

I would say don't waste time killing yourself for a 100 hour game. People don't really play more than 4 hours. This is an indie game after all. Maybe if 1 million people played the game 10,000 might complete all 100 hours. Even if it was in chapters.

[TekkenDevil]

Oh my gosh you are so doing what Im doing!!!!
Only I am willing to develop it until I die if needed to.
I take it that you too are going for a huge, big Gothic/WoW style game in RPGMaker form. Here is a hint:
Don't cut anything down that you planned or you will end up being disappointed at yourself. Trust me I tried to. Then my personal best friend Beta Tester said I should really try for what I planned, so what the heck I did and he found it much more better that way.
EDIT:
Another good way to make a game like that is to just do completely different segments every time. Like first I planned on completing the first world at once, but I soon found myself get bored.And that's not good. If you are bored while making it, then what guarantees that the players won't be bored? Then I decided to make one of the transportation sequences and later implement it wherever it needs to be implemented. Finished and then I had gained the will to make another segment of the first world because while making the previous one, I tougth of many new additions. Ever since then, I made one for Icey world, then rocky world, then Vulcanic world, then this then that and then that. And I'll add the events later.
Tho that COULD be that it only applies for my game.

[marty2008]

Yeah, I agree with Firerain, stick with the chapter method, it's what I always plan to do.

My quick thoughts, 10-20 months, 100-150 hours? Either you have no life at all, or your game is going to lose quality on a major element, like storyline (my main issue with the one game of yours I played, it had lots of content, but it was all low quality to me).

But yeah, release episodes, if you want to see a game that's done it right, check out Master of the Wind or Quintessence. I'd suggest all chapters have at least 2+ hours of gameplay.

I agree with you about it. look at Wow for instanced look at all the patches and add-ons and the wait for high levels to keep going. because all games only go up to leve 99 and thats it. Its what you have to make more qquests and rewards at the end of the final battle against the boss.