We need to start our own thing (Codexjam 2021 recruitment)

[Viata]

I've talked myself out of liking the idea of a game jam, lol. What is the point, exactly?

I said this some pages ago:

Time to make a codexjam. Best codexer game, best codexer (original or fanfic) short story, best codexer pnp module, best codexer rpg rules, etc.
Instead of trying to make a big game at once, motivate people to do small things first.

That is the point, exactly.

Not sure, tbh. This thread went from "let's assemble a team and make a cRPG" to "let's have a forum game jam" and the two are very different goals.

Since they are not from the same person.

 

[Moonrise]

This thread went from "let's assemble a team and make a cRPG" to "let's have a forum game jam" and the two are very different goals.

The idea is to isolate something worthwhile before getting in over ones head. It also separates the thinkers from the doers. Of all the games people imagine that will never materialize, RPGs likely take the crown.

 

[aeternalis]

I've talked myself out of liking the idea of a game jam, lol. What is the point, exactly?

I said this some pages ago:

Time to make a codexjam. Best codexer game, best codexer (original or fanfic) short story, best codexer pnp module, best codexer rpg rules, etc.
Instead of trying to make a big game at once, motivate people to do small things first.

That is the point, exactly.

Not sure, tbh. This thread went from "let's assemble a team and make a cRPG" to "let's have a forum game jam" and the two are very different goals.

Since they are not from the same person.

Sure, but OP wrote in to support your idea. Anyway, I think the below quoted is a good reason, essentially that doing a small, bounded project will work better to form a functioning team than will having a massive theoretical debate in discord and not accomplishing anything (a bit of my own extrapolation here, forgive me if I am assuming too much of your point)

Polls are easy but too expoitable

Pool is enough. The point is not to decide the winner, it's to motivate people to do stuff together, after all. Someone may write a short story and another person like it enough to ask them to make some game, pnp module or whatever together. The gamejam is a good idea for someone to throw a prototype and see what people thinks about it and find other people to make it better(in art, music, story, dialogues, gameplay, whatever).

My main knee jerk objection to a game jam is I don't have enough time to invest in going all-out, as gone are the days when I had zero obligations and could nolife a 48-hour hackathon. Still willing to participate though, just probably can't be the driving force of a super short sprint project

 

[LudensCogitet]

Sure, but OP wrote in to support your idea. Anyway, I think the below quoted is a good reason, essentially that doing a small, bounded project will work better to form a functioning team than will having a massive theoretical debate in discord and not accomplishing anything (a bit of my own extrapolation here, forgive me if I am assuming too much of your point)... My main knee jerk objection to a game jam is I don't have enough time to invest in going all-out, as gone are the days when I had zero obligations and could nolife a 48-hour hackathon. Still willing to participate though, just probably can't be the driving force of a super short sprint project

I see what you're saying. It seems to me that 2 weeks spent by multiple groups of people to build different things from scratch is not an effective way to make a small project or form a team. It's a way of doing something exciting that is not really making a game. Not a game in the sense that OP was originally talking about anyway. Games don't take 48 hours or 2 weeks. That's why I suggested using the same modding tools or something, with the idea of using it almost like an informal audition to show how many people actually follow through and what kind of things they might be capable of. Then, after the group has been narrowed down to people actually willing to put in work, discussion would begin to focus on some actual (small scale) project.

I also do not have the kind of free time necessary to slam out a functioning RPG in 2 weeks (it sounds ridiculous even typing it). But building an interesting side quest or small dungeon in a pre existing framework? So I can show I'm actually interested in working on an RPG afterwards? I'd cut out a few hours sleep a night for 14 days to make that work.

 

[Viata]

I also do not have the kind of free time necessary to slam out a functioning RPG in 2 weeks (it sounds ridiculous even typing it).

Tbh, I never said one should make a RPG in those game jam. It was mostly to find people who can make something instead of just being an idea guy.

 

[Bohrain]

Given that most indie game projects end up fizzling down your prospects aren't great. Not to mention that you aren't even brought together to work on something specific like an isometric Wizardry game or whatever. Being disgruntled about wokeshit doesn't give a concrete goal to refine as a design doc or keep any semblance of a team together when the development faces any sort of challenge.

 

[c2007]

I see the goal is not to make money. How noble.

 

[d1nolore]

Codex game jam is a great idea. If nothing else it might help bring exposure to some of the talented devs here. 2weeks is a bit short unless you already have all the tools prebuilt. Could do like themes for it as well to discourage people dropping in their pre-existing projects

 

[VonHoffenHeimer]

Given that most indie game projects end up fizzling down your prospects aren't great. Not to mention that you aren't even brought together to work on something specific like an isometric Wizardry game or whatever. Being disgruntled about wokeshit doesn't give a concrete goal to refine as a design doc or keep any semblance of a team together when the development faces any sort of challenge.

I think we found the project manager.

 

[aeternalis]

Someone start a thread or a PM or discord or whatever and let's do this

 

[Bloodeyes]

Someone start a thread or a PM or discord or whatever and let's do this

I'm making the Discord now. Expect your invite via PM in the next couple of hours. I've not used Discord much so I'm messing with security settings and such, trying to make it nice for when I invite people.

 

[Bloodeyes]

It's up. Invites sent. If I missed you, @ me in this thread or PM. Once I get volunteer moderators I may just open invite the whole Codex. Depends on what the others say about that though.

Slow so far, I think most are still asleep. I did only invite 11 people though.

 

[Hag]

I may be interested in a Game Jam but I'm waiting for the official thread with the rules, theme and all.

 

[Sjahki]

I would like an invite please Bloodeyes

I have game develop ambitions and oh boy it's another codex discord, sign me up.

 

[AdolfSatan]

Why code an engine for scratch when KOTC2 and IceBlink are already available? It seems like an unnecessary complication for a first project. Both were enough for Dorateen to produce incline so high it's almost vertical on his own.

I'm a designer by trade and am always studying UI/UX optimization. I might chime in to help with that if the project shows promise and anyone cares to hear what I got to say.

 

[GrafvonMoltke]

I have decided that I will write your sex scenes.

 

[d1nolore]

Why code an engine for scratch when KOTC2 and IceBlink are already available? It seems like an unnecessary complication for a first project. Both were enough for Dorateen to produce incline so high it's almost vertical on his own.

I'm a designer by trade and am always studying UI/UX optimization. I might chime in to help with that if the project shows promise and anyone cares to hear what I got to say.

could do a game jam based on using these engines

 

[ProphetSword]

could do a game jam based on using these engines

Could also do it using:

Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights 2
Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures (FRUA)

 

[LudensCogitet]

could do a game jam based on using these engines

Could also do it using:

Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights 2
Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures (FRUA)

I've been looking into FRUA. Proven track record and actually tactical combat. I'm wondering how possible choice and consequence and skill checks are in it.

I haven't sat down to really dig in yet, just browsing the design manual and watching some videos, but I haven't seen a lot about, say, setting a flag that changes a character's disposition toward the player based on an event or dialogue option, or doing a "open doors" or dex check to determine an outcome.

 

[ProphetSword]

I've been looking into FRUA. Proven track record and actually tactical combat. I'm wondering how possible choice and consequence and skill checks are in it.

There are no skill checks in FRUA. This is due to AD&D not having skill checks as part of the system.

As far as programming "choice and consequences," you can track a great many things with clever use of Quest events to track steps in a quest and whether or not a quest is successful or has failed. So, I suppose anything is possible, depending on how much of that you wanted to do.

The biggest issue you would run into with FRUA is that it was built for DOS in 1993, and therefore has a limited number of areas, each of which can only have a finite amount of text and up to 100 events. If you get far too ambitious, you can easily hit a wall. The other side of that coin, though, is that if you manage things right, you can still write a game with plenty of text (more than a standard Gold-Box game would have had). There are some other clever tricks and hacks that can be used to extend things out further.

I haven't sat down to really dig in yet, just browsing the design manual and watching some videos, but I haven't seen a lot about, say, setting a flag that changes a character's disposition toward the player based on an event or dialogue option, or doing a "open doors" or dex check to determine an outcome.

Attribute checks are in the game. You can definitely set an event to see if a character can beat, for example, a DEX or CHA check. You can also do "Open Door" events, utilizing Bashing and Lock Picking options. Flagging if a party was successful isn't hard either.

Setting a flag that changes an NPCs disposition to the party isn't hard either. As mentioned above, there are ways to use the Quest Events to track things.

 

[Krice]

Are RPG engines actually good for creating a new game? Has anyone done that with any kind of success?

 

[Viata]

Are RPG engines actually good for creating a new game

One could say those FO Total Conversion mods are "new games". There is also the case of Ultima V: Lazarus which was made using the Dungeon Siege engine. However, I have not played it so I can't comment if it was a success or not.

 

[ProphetSword]

Are RPG engines actually good for creating a new game? Has anyone done that with any kind of success?

Depends on how you measure success.

People have successfully created games that people have enjoyed in Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2, FRUA, IceBlink, Dungeon Craft, The Bard's Tale Construction Kit and RPG Maker. Is that success?

People have made money with games created in RPG Maker. Is that success?

 

[d1nolore]

Are RPG engines actually good for creating a new game? Has anyone done that with any kind of success?

Depends if you mean; toolsets like nwn, modding like with mount and blade, or engines like RPG maker?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Are RPG engines actually good for creating a new game? Has anyone done that with any kind of success?

there's a popular oblivion mod called fallout new vegas