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I wrote this a while back. I would just tell people to go search for it, but searching seems to be broken. So, I did the work for you and hunted it down. I added a few things, too. Given the seeming anxiety for the masses to get their hands on CGE, I would like to remind you there are plenty of things you can do until it is released.
----Posted 1/17/2001----
Quote
Originally posted by sanehatter: I think I just might start a "What can I do until Coldstone is released?" FAQ. Additions are welcome.
You should have your plot FINISHED. When a film crew is producing a movie, they don't have to deal with the scriptwriter coming back and saying, "hey, we have to do these three scenes over again, sorry guys," because it's a tremendous waste of time and money. For the independant game designer, it is simply a waste of your most valuable resource: time.
I personally found that doing character design and plotwriting at the same time worked well. Others may not.
Once you've got your plot done, make out a list of things that need to be designed in detail: characters, places, spells, monsters, bad guys, etc. This way you can know, for example, that you have exactly twenty-five areas to design in detail, and you need to detail out twelve solid characters, good and bad. You don't need these details necessarily, just a quantity, as if you were filling out a purchase order, "OK, I need 403 different monsters, the power of which lies on a general bell-curve."
Again, I found it best to figure out my areas and monster quantities simultaneously. You can leave room for the addition of a monster or two, and minor tweaking, but having a list of everything you need to do is tremendously helpful, believe me.
Decide if you want music for your game. If so, are you going to write it, hire it out to a musician, or find some stuff you like and ask if you're going to use it. Don't steal. If you're investing all the other time and effort into your game, you don't want to be sued for copyright infringement on the music you use.
You're also going to need sound effects, unless you want to limit yourself to whatever ships with Coldstone.
If you are doing your own artwork you can begin the monumental task of actually producing it. At the very least, you should have your art direction down pat. What is art direction? Style, color palette, animating principles, how to do cutscenes, etc. Make up your mind whether your characters are going to be limited in detail and animation (like Exile/Avernum, Realmz, Final Fantasy I-VI, etc), or well-animated (Fallout, later FF games). Animating takes a lot of time and effort (again, trust me, I know).
I'll see what info can be released about sprite formatting, but for now, you should have as much artwork as possible (land, objects, people, monsters) in as far of a stage as you can take it without actually making the sprite. For me, this would be have things modelled, textured, posed, and animated in my 3D program. Since I don't know how you're making the artwork, I can't offer any additional advice. Keep in mind that Coldstone's Graphics engine does use 2-D sprites, so whatever methods you use, you should be aware that at some point you need to "flatten" it.
(/B)
you should also be aware that SkipMiere replied with:
----Originally posted 1/19/2001----
I have absolutely no disagreement with what Sanehatter and Et'he have said...
But I must interject a word of warning. Sanehatter has a 'not-quite-complete' development team. One of the key players is missing and, when included down the road could throw the entire project back to a very early stage.
The missing team member is the 'programmer'. In this case a released, feature-complete Coldstone and a very good working knowledge of it. What it is capable of, how well (read fast) its product (your game) can handle your features, what features of your game that are supported poorly if at all.
Yes, do as Sanehatter does, but realize that you are going to have to learn a great deal about Coldstone once you have it in hand before you can actually produce a game.
It would behoove you to also be planning a game with very simple graphics and no animation that has an relatively deep plot with interesting storyline and quite a bit of 'action' for the player. Practice dialog, battle scenes, shops, sound effects, camping/resting, magic effects/items, types of weapons/armor--- All on a very elementary level. So that when you actually get Coldstone, you have something small to 'play' with and to discover its'/your limitations on 'coding' a game.
Then start on your Magnum Opus with all the bells and whistles. Get the 'programmer' involved before going too far!
------------------ People who claim the sky is falling obviously aren't aware the earth is falling, too.
(This message has been edited by sanehatter (edited 02-21-2001).)
In addition, make sure that you can physically accomplish something beyond writing plot, and "organizing/managing the dev team." Although those tasks are very important, especially in an RPG, you need to actively contribute, otherwise more often then not, the rest of the dev team will sense that since you are not an active contributor, that you don't know the procedures involved and nobody wishes to follow someone else who they believe can't get something done.
I don't think this is too big a deal with Coldstone enthusiasts (it's an engine, not a game) just remember the bottom line. Story writing and "managing" is not enough. Get in the trenches and learn to create your own graphics, learn to program Coldstone so it dances to your whim, learn how to operate that beatbox and crank out some music... At very least, pick up an HTML book and manage the team's website. People love to help people that know what they're doing, and "managers" don't.
------------------
Yeah guys, get crackin'! Currently I am working on a massive update to the Angel's Fate website. The storyline for Angel's Rage (the first of the 4 installments in Angel's Fate. I am releasing the game in 4 installments because really each chapter is focused on a seperate character. Another reason is to keep the game small=happy dial up connectors) is done, graphics and sound will be another thing. I'll begin scowering for artists soon.
Just FYI, here is the names of the 4 chapters: Angel's Rage, Angel's Wrath, Angel's Legacy, and the final epic chapter is The Sacrifice of Angels
------------------ Apple Computer - The name of microsoft's research and development division -------------------------------- Make sure you visit the Coldstone Hotline Server run by GlueBubble. The IP is: 65.4.86.190
After all the planning is complete, get some attention to your project, test the demand and get positive feed back, join the ring(link in sig).
Oh has anyone seen Supersonic ?
------------------ (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ill_a_nois/ring.html")Join the CGE Developers Webring here(/url) (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ill_a_nois/index.html") My main page(/url) (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ill_a_nois/randd.html") My current project page if you like it, give me a buzz(/url) (url="http://"mailto:ill_a_nois@yahoo.com")mailto:ill_a_nois@yahoo.com(/url)ill_a_nois@yahoo.com
I noticed the same thing ill, is Supersonic dead? Because if he is somebody should pick up the pieces of the webring and put them back in order.
<A mouse enters, brings the topic to the front, then leaves.>
------------------ Guilt, fear, and mass insanity...three cheers for forge!!! If you don't care where you are, then you aren't lost. A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell and make you happy to be on your way.
good idea, sanehatter. Polish off your script until Coldstone comes out. Seriously, it is a good idea
------------------ Once The MadCat roamed Now Metzen rules One MadCat all alone
::holds cloak close to face::
about how close are we to the Final Release ? From the logs it seems as if the engine is merely being polished (grammatical errors...come on)
So seriously how close is it, mid-april, early may, June 1st ??? I'd really like to know... ::flings off disguise::
... So Says The CHill!
chill, just like everybody else who has ever asked, we don't know. If we did know, we couldn't tell you. It will be done when it is done, why must you continue to break the rules by asking questions you know there is no answer for?
Originally posted by DarkBlade: **chill, just like everybody else who has ever asked, we don't know. If we did know, we couldn't tell you. It will be done when it is done, why must you continue to break the rules by asking questions you know there is no answer for? **
-29° ::air ionizes around you, a cloud forms:: He is here...
Ask yourself this Do you reall know who I am on the other side of this screen, maybe I know more than you think I do, maybe I don' need you to tell me anything,...and maybe I already know that beta-testers know about as much as the rest of the bunch and that would be...Nothing ! The only real advantage that a beta-tester has over one such as me is that you've test-driven the engine,and I haven't....supposedly
::laughs::
::dissapates into a pleasant spring fog:: +29° He is gone...?
------------------ unseen... unwanted... unlawful... undead...
(This message has been edited by chill_rx (edited 03-30-2001).)