James GordanRPG games have been gaining in popularity recently. The immersive setting, character development, and the way the player controls how the story unfolds have made it popular in the industry and an absolute favorite of many gamers.
You may have thought that you’d like to develop your RPG for a while. Whether you’re a diehard fan or a developer that hasn’t delved into this genre before, you may be wondering what the best way to develop a role-playing game is.
The truth is that the secret to success is composed of many factors that blend to create the best computer game.
Choose a Concept
It all started with an idea. This is a common sentiment about people involved in any creative work. Musicians, visual artists, and writers express it as the driving force behind some of their most compelling work.
If you are the type that’s struck by random bursts of creativity, see if you can use those ideas. If you can’t decide, consider incorporating as much as possible of each of them into a larger story to create something truly unique.
You can write them down as they come to ensure they don’t pass by and you forget about them. Although all ideas seem stellar the moment they come to you, revisiting them later enables you to see their possible faults and so helps you choose only a few that can go forward.
If you’re not lucky enough to be visited by sudden inspiration, rest assured that all is not lost. There are a few steps you need to take when approaching the conception of a video game storyline:
- Explore the whole genre: One of the best places to seek inspiration is in the works that appeared before. You probably already have a few games in mind whose concepts you’d like to emulate. Get some key ideas of how the story flows or how the setting helps or hinders the character, and add them to your own game under a new form.
- Choose a subgenre: Particularly beneficial when you’re a beginner, you should aim to focus your attention on a particular niche. While triple-A games are almost universally exciting, it’s important not to follow the model of an incredibly extensive story when you’re only just beginning.
- Gain information: Common knowledge dictates that the more you interact with stories, the easier worldbuilding becomes for you as well. This is why you should look for inspiration in as many areas as possible and not limit yourself to only a few mediums. You can choose books or movies that follow the same genre you want to explore in your game, as their storytelling can inform the decisions you make regarding your concepts.
The storyline of any game is vital for its success, and that is perhaps all the more relevant in the case of RPG. You are creating a world for the players to inhabit virtually, and while it’s impossible to satisfy absolutely everyone, if the story is weak, stalling, or full of plot holes, your audience will notice.
This, in turn, will negatively affect your game. So take your time developing the story outline. Don’t rush the process, and reassess your drafts as often as you need.
Start Developing
If your concept has been set in stone and you are confident you’re not going to bring any more variations to it over time, then it’s time to begin development. Depending on the type of game you want to create, you’ll require different technological infrastructure.
In the case of hardware-intensive PC games, you’ll need more advanced tech, while smaller, mobile-friendly games are usually less extensive when it comes to creation resources.
Regardless, you’ll need to pick the programming language and engine that work best for the concept you have in mind during this development stage, where you begin code scripting for your game.
One of the most important parts of the layout of your game is that it has a significant impact on the players in the music. Choosing game background music perfect for the world you created is vital for creating the all-enveloping, captivating atmosphere that makes every game worth playing.
You can find something that fits any genre, from epic beats to lo-fi, 8-bit sounds. It’s essential to analyze the proper timing for the music to come in and the length of time you want it playing. Transitions, loops, and fadeouts can create a particularly hypnotic vibe if appropriately used.
And, of course, you want to develop tridimensional, believable characters. While this sounds easy in theory, it is more complicated than it sounds to create so many different personalities.
To flesh out your cast, establish a backstory for each of them. You don’t even have to reveal all of it in the game (keep material for possible sequels as well), but writing with an origin story in mind helps you figure out easier how a character would react in a certain situation, for example.
Set some key traits for each of them, then expand it. And, of course, figure out what their arc will be. A completely stationary character who doesn’t evolve and doesn’t change, for better or for worse, is boring.
The way a character interacts with the others is similarly essential for characterization, as are costuming choices that fit. For example, your characters’ costumes could reflect their diverse cultures.
Review the Finished Product
After the developing stage has been completed, it’s time for the final review before the game can be released on the market. Quality assurance testers will play the game repeatedly and write reports that take into account the graphics, as well as possible crashes or bugs.
This is essential, as players are unlikely to enjoy a game riddled with functionality issues. Even newbie gamers would be unlikely to oversee the defects, while more seasoned players are likely to consider it downright offensive.
After this process, your game is ready for its release on the market. You can create a website containing a game demo if you’d like to build up the excitement for the finished product.
It’s also important to remember that your game, much like all other video games out there, won’t be universally loved. And while you may encounter some dissatisfied customers and less than ideal reviews along the way, the people who love it are sure to be more numerous.
James Gordan
