Creating a Game - Compiled By The Magician

[Mulkaar]

**Inventing a Game Tutorial
(Created By Crazy Smurf Tutorial Credits to the Authors Named)**

_I thought I would collect all the tutorials which are best and helped me to design my game! (Note: This is for designing a game (world map and such) not for mapping tuorials or scripting as such._

**Planning, Thinking and Making – By Alster**

So, you've got Eclipse, got it set up (if you haven't then hit go back and look at a set up tutorial) and want to make the best MMOG (massively multiplayer Online Game) eva!!1

Hold your horses! First off your game (at least at the start) won't be massive. It'll probably just be a few friends, co-workers and family - more on this later. First off though go to your pencil pot and grab a pencil then find a few sheets of A4 paper.

1\. Start to jot down game ideas. Try to steer away from fan game *shudder* as they usually fail. Remember, Eclipse can be used to make loads of Online Games from Sci - Fi to Medieval. Remember though. There are already a load of games out there with aliens and people wearing chain mail so try to make your ideas original.

2\. Now you have an idea think of a name for your game. Try to make your name something that ties in with your title and also make it memorable. You want people to spread the word so a name like "The really cool game with an uber long title" won't help. The name may also tie in with the website - again, more on this later.

3\. Next we'll map. This may sound really hard and you may say "I can't draw" but for this map your drawing ability won't matter. Just draw a few basic paths, small villages (marked by squares) cities (marked by circles) and maybe even area borders. Nothing fancy. This map can also be quite small (2 or 3 A4 sheets) as at the start your game will be small.

4\. Now get on your PC and put that map on paper into pixels. I'm not going into the mapping bit so why not have a look at a mapping tutorial then have a go. Come back to step 5 when your done mapping EVERYTHING (well almost) on your paper. Remember not to give up. Don't get side tracked. This project should be as big as passing your GCSEs (well maybe not that big).

5\. Now I assume you've mapped out what's on your paper. Now start to add in your NPCs and Shops. Again, go and find out how to do this if you're stuck.

6\. Now it's time for QUESTS! These make up most games. Grab more paper and think up basic quests. These quests should not be related to your main quest line (if you have one) in any way.

7\. Now think up a main quest line. This could be really important in your game or an underlying factor. Is the evil lord FRRA going to take over the planet? Is your army being secretly corrupted by a shade while they fight it out with your enemy? Not all games will have a main quest so this is optional.

8\. Ok, we've made our basic game. Give your self a clap. Promotion time! First head on over to beta testing section of the forum and post up your game there. They'll report back on how good your game is and find any bugs or errors. If everything is clear move to step 9.

9\. Although this is optional it really helps. Make a website. freewebs.com or piczo will give you the tools to make a free website or if you know how to use Dreamweaver you can always make one with that. Include your games download link and any other information on your game here as well.

10\. Go to promotional websites. Make a video (trailer) of your game and post it on Youtube. You can also go to various websites and they'll put adds on other peoples websites. I can't think of any off hand so if anyone knows of a few PM me and I'll add em in.

11\. Forums are great for promotion. Include a link (that stands out) to download your game in your signature on start a thread about it. 

12\. Promote it at work, school, college, etc. Put fliers through
letterboxes. Anything will do!

And now you can sit back and watch…for a bit. People will want more from your MMO so be ready to update and add on new maps like hell. New content will keep people interested. Look at other MMOs for guidance - but don't copy them...they may havwe copyrighted there work. Better yet, get a team. The job will get done twice as fast with 4 people!

**A Brief Game Design 101 – By daMoose_Neo**

1) Why we play
Fundamental question of game design is this: why do people play?
Play play because, for lack of an easier way to understand it, we're stubborn. People log hundreds of hours on games because they challenge them, make them think, make them train themselves a certain way to overcome an obsticle. It often takes some people several tries to make it through an area in one piece, or survive a boss battle, or hours to solve an ingame puzzle. And because they can't quite make it over that hurdle, they come back for yet another attempt. Why not? It doesn't cost them anything to try again, its a fun way to pass time, and, just maybe, they learn something about it.

2) What this means for "1337 g@^^3z"
Often times, gamers are actually the worst game designers, at least right out of the gate, and heres why: most gamers lack the maturity to understand the challenge represented by the game. Given the power to design a game, a world, and its laws, the player will often opt to bestow ungodly power on all players in the game.
I use the term "1337 g@^^3z" here because all too often internet newbies latch onto "leet speak" (1337 being leet). And starting games, like starting internet chatters and users, often assume too much power and superiority without undestanding underlying principals.

A) Godly power, believe it or not, sucks in a game. Why play when you kill everything in one hit? Theres no resistance, theres no sense of satisfaction, theres no challenge to keep players coming back to enjoy the world you've crafted. Reduce the power levels and let players take it nice and slow through your world if you want them to appreciate the work you put into it.

B) Quality, not quantity. New gamers often think that huge numbers are 1337, and so want the biggest numbers possible without crashing systems, and even then I'm not sure thats enough for some of them. It doesn't matter how many experiance points or levels you have under you, it matters how hard you had to work to get them, and how hard everyone else had to work to get them as well. Take Dungeons & Dragons for example. The game, by itself, only allows for players to up to level 20\. Without supplemental material for "Gods", through level 25, thats the cap. Yet, a D&D player is incredibly satisfied with their level 20 character, just as much as a console gamer is with their level 100 characters in Final Fantasy, if not more so considering the hours the player had to log to achieve that.
So, the moral of this point is that if you make it a real challenge to achieve the next level, capping out at 20, or 50, is no shame, as each game commands its own respect. And, having low experiance point scores matters not if you had to fight tooth and nail to get what you do have. If you want something to be important, it means just as much to make it scarce as it does to drown your players in it.

C) Originality- the biggest trump card. Everyone has their own dream game regarding their favorite anime, TV show, fantasy novel, etc. You have a small problem there: Everyone has their own dream game regarding their favorite anime, TV show, fantasy novel, etc. Yes, I just repeated myself. With all fans of a given title having their own dream game, yours will A) get lost in the crowd of such titles and B) be ridiculed by some portion of the title's fanbase because you didn't meet their own expectations, which is their own ideal game. Considering the vast amout of fanfiction out there is only so loosly based on a title as to lay claim to the title in name alone, its so much easier to recraft the portions of the story that are from the property and publish your concept as 100% original, with inspiration from your dream title. That way, everyone can evaluate your work for what it is instead of what it is not. On top of that, a good premise could pique the interest of people who aren't fans of the original property, and those players would have been lost had you persued the original property.

D) Resonable pacing - All too often, new designers dump a LOT of information on their players, be it from the backstory, the game, or even just options available. If we take a look at professionally designed consoles, a trend emerges: you start out slow, small, and reletively weak with few options. As you master an option, another couple options presents themselves. Having mastered the first options, these ones come easier, and so the cycle goes. Believe it or not, you're learning as you play! Pacing is a key ingrediant for making a good title that sticks with people: you want to provide just enough options so the players aren't helpless, and you want to provide for them at a pace that they aren't overwhelmed by sheer amount of information or bored stiff waiting for something new. This can also help extend the overall length of the game, as this will allow you, the designer, to focus on this pacing and give players the space they need to master their options or absorb the story.

3) So why do ub3r 1337 g@^^3z 5uck?
For the most part because they fail to heed any or all of the above. Granted, you can ignore one of the tips and be reletively okay, but if you want a solid title you'll want to work on all of the above. Giving players ultimate power removes any challenge and any need to return for that. If they're just being thrown a lot of something, players lose a sense of accomplishment or worth as opposed to if they had to work for their earnings. And, when everyone and their brother has a server dedicated to the latest and greatest anime, combined with any of these others, your title is quite forgetable. And, without a reason to come back, either because of the huge learning curve or because of a lack of anything new since God knows when, its downright boring.
So, if you want a good game, pay attention to all of the above. Put some effort into your work, and make your players put a little effort into playing- everyone will have a bigger, and better, sense of accomplishment.

**Munro’s Basic Game Name Tutorial – By Munro**

STEP 1
look around the room look on labels look on posters for 1 word i picked glacier.
STEP 2
spell it backwords this helps come up with those cool names mine would be reicalg.
STEP 3
pick a section of letters from that word to work with this makes it easier to work with in general i picked REI.
STEP 4
add, mix or take away letters to make it look cool i did RIEK
STEP 5
add 1-4 more word's that are common in mmorpg's eg: Riek Online, Legends Of Riek.  I did Rieks Reaking.

**Setting Up a Good Presentation – By lolz!**

So, Want alot of people to join your game? Want them interested? Well don't poke at it so fast.
I will give you hints and ways to set up a good topic on your game!

First things first, you need a story, well thats pretty obvious, but don't give the audience a whole long story about the world and the parts of the world and how the world… well i hope you get the point. You need a nice balanced story, you know like a blurb on the back of a novel or book, make the reader interested in your game, please avoid, Join now its free and fun :D, at the beggining of your post, its just annoying.

So you got your story down, well make sure your topic is pimped, add some banners, mabey even some screenshots, wich most people ask for. Discuss the features about you'r game, give them a quick list of features of what your game provides, and tell them what is unique about your game.

Advertise :D, A good thing to do, post a banner on your sig or your avatar, make sure you have a website url so people can check your game out.

Make sure your game is fully or near completion, you don't want 40 people waiting 4 years for your game to be completed. Most people will just leave.

The most important, use perfect spelling and grammar, (ignore mine) this will make you look very professional, dont put OMG My gaME = UB3rL33t!! Play plz :D.

Last but not least, Don't use excessive emotes, I know they are tempting but they are to fun for something serious. Sound confident and positive when you talk about your game. Don't put in a lot of "maybe I'll..." or "what do you think of..." type things in your main post. If it sounds like you're waffling, people are going to assume you're not determined enough to finish. Don't ever bash any aspect of your own game. Confidence and joy are contagious. Spread them to your readers.

Now as i say goodbye prepare for negative feedback, most people will Female Dog about your game, but dont pursue them over just because they insulted your game, move on, and if they dont like it leave em alone.

Take these tips in mind to make a wonderfull presentation, and remember to work on your game as well!

**Making Your Game Popular! – By MadKid**

Now speaking as a gamer and a designer I know that different taste means it's harder to make a "perfect" RPG, to be honest a "perfect" RPG means it caters to those tastes. So when you make an RPG, try to incorperate all my hints to make your RPG as general as possible.

1\. What angle you come at: some RPG's have little stories that help decribe the game, some have stories that drive it, both have considerable amounts of people that love them. to make both sides of the debate happy you need to think in moderation, events and an actual storyline both come in to play here. Here are a few examples

Monsters have invaded the earth and you must destroy them!- BAD STORYLINE! this storyline only tells you what you DO, this game is most likely your run-of-the-mill RPG, with all default settings and almost no customality

Monsters have invaded the realm of earth in time of war! Defend your sides territory when they invade and rule the planet earth!- GOOD STORYLINE! Although the consept needs work, this allows for an idea of side-taking, you can hold monthly invasions to keep the players busy, or let players invade the other team!

2\. Pimp my Game! Do you think everyone wants to walk around looking the same with one one weapon in the general store to help them defeat evil? CUSTOMIZE MAN! Use that noggin! think of as many classes, equipment items, and monsters to keep players immersed in the fact that they WANT to get that Golden Excaliber or beat the Winged Harpy of the Torn Down Castle!

3\. ROLE-PLAYING game- if it doesn't have some amount of role-playing in it, it's just a game; look up some ideas from very popular games and programs, Habbo Hotel has a million people on everyday because they can just hang-out talk and have fun! Come up with a few fun ideas like housing, casinos (not very rp-ish but it's fun) and other stuff to allow the players to explore and talk about it with their friends.

4\. Look: If a football field with dead grass looks more spectacular than your Newbie Town, your dead; get a few custom templates, and read a few mapping tutorials, detail is everything and mapping is a HUGE detail in a game

5\. Community: Believe it or not, not all games have a community, this is a HORRIBLE mistake, communities help you get key points about your game across and will most likely give your game some popularity, find a template or two, get some free hosting and start advertizing

6\. Be Active! If you get a server host, website and advertize a little, and then don't add anything to your 25-map game, no-one will wanna play for very long. Add some stuff! be active, add events like before. and UPDATE the game with dungons for players to explore!

**Darkfox’s Tips to a Better Game – By Darkfox**

1. Never Put Online On Your Game Name It'll Just Not Sound Rite EX. "Inuyasha Online" Well It Just Doesn't Sound Like A Game More Like A
Fansite…

2\. You Shouldn't Make A Game That's Already A Game Like "Pokemon" Reason. If Its Crapy They Might Sue lol But Main Reason Is Too Many Ppl Make Copies Of A Game So It'll Be Hard To Find On A Search Unless You Blab To Every Person lol...

3\. Never Make A Huge Game Thatll Take To Long For Dail-Up Ppl They Just Might Exit Out Of The Download When They See The Size...

**Making a Good Advertising Post – By Alex**

–---------------------------------------
Part One

The Post Skeleton (For those who want a fill-in-the-blanks post)
------------------------------------------

Game Name (Come up with something good) -
Description (If you cant come up with 4 long sentences, then dont even bother with a game) -
Story (If long, just give a small part of it) -
Screenshots (A must have) -
Website (If you dont have one, get one NOW) -
Positions needed to be filled (If you have any)-
Contact Info (Not needed, but very useful)-

------------------------------------------
Part Two

Making your game look good
------------------------------------------

Section One: The Game Name

Ok, this is a major area that most people screw up on. The fisrt thing most potential helpers/players will see is your game's name and if it sucks, then they wont look.
Fix:
Use a diffrent language (Latin works great)
Come up with a unique name
Advoid:
Useing Age/World/Land of *Something*
Copyrighted names

Section Two: The Description/Story

Simple rule: If you cant write a good size paragraph about your game, work on your concept.
Fixes:
Have a unique idea
Use good gramar and descriptive language
Advoid:
Vauge description
Over used ideas

Section Three: Screenshots and websites
Screenshots; they let people see what your game looks like. You'll have more people interested in your game if you have screenshots

Websites, a good website shows you are commited to your game. A fourm on your site allows you to keep in touch with the masses. A download link makes your game open to the masses. Freewebs is good if you dont know html, but for the love of god, DON'T USE FREEWEBS TO HOST DOWNLOADS!!! Dot.tk is good if you want a free domain name, but some borwsers dont support it.

And These Are So Important! - By xStevexCorex

READ THIS NEXT SENTENCE BEFORE CONTINUING TO MAKE THE THREAD:
- If the game you are recruiting on is not made with Eclipse, DONT POST IT!

Guide:

1\. Make sure it has enough info to summarize the game. MANY games dont have a storyline and thats fine, but things like Features, Background, Time Era, etc., are good for starting the thread.

2\. Screenshots. Screenshots show your current work. A current button to use to take a screenshot is F11\. Just go in game, go to the map you wanna screenshot, press F11 on your keyboard, check your client folder, and you should have something like Screenshot0.bmp in there, use that. Note: F11 Screenshot style comes with anything that is currently ontop of the client's area so if you are putting the mapeditor into screenshot mode, keep the editor out of view. Without screenshots, you won't get too many replys, maybe just rants about it. Having screenshots shows your ability to map yourself, even if you aren't going to be mapping. It also shows the quality you show in your games.

3\. Grammar/Language/Spelling IS A MUST!!! If you type like this "OMFGZ TEH BIG w00ti3z n we r da kewl 1337 d00dz n00b!!!1111", you need to get a life and go back to 1st grade. Use correct grammar and spelling, not words like "plz" "r" "u" "ther" and etc. Its not hard to just spell out a word thats probably at the most 6 letters long. People like me get immediately unattracted, no matter how well you gave info or screenshots.

4\. Begging and desperation. This is USUALLY and I express that term alot. Meaning, begging the users to join your project is a turn off, well at least to users like me. It shows that you have no hope for your game and you'd rather have others do all the work for you. Don't act desperate, even if you truly are, others don't need to know.

5\. Here we have a format I thought of to help you when you are doing said thread:

Story (if you have one but optional):

Info/Summary (should be long):

Time Era (when does your game take place: historical, middle ages, modern, etc):

Gameplay type (what style of gameplay: fantasy, law vs crime, etc):

Features (whats unique about your game):

Screenshots:

Anything else you need to put out, or extra info (website, forums)

By Anna Comnena

1. Show what you have. Preferably screenshots of work you have already done. If you have not done any work yourself, why would people trust you to carry your own weight?

2\. Try to have a clear game plan laid out. Nothing is worse than people joining a game then having the owner switch to a new game or something completely different. Also having your own work made and shown helps convince people you are invested in your project.

3\. Try to be specific in what type of help you are looking for. Mappers and general developers are probably the easiest to get help for, since most Eclipse users can do these things decently. Looking for custom graphics artists is harder however, as that is a lot of work and often they are doing their own things.

**By Final-Knight**

1. Don't make a fan-game as your first game. Why? Cause Fan-games tend to be difficult. Also, your awesome idea for a Naruto MMORPG will probably turn out to not be as great as you think. If you wait, you'll realize what makes a good game.

2\. Before you start a game, look at other people's games. Go into the Projects area and take a look at some of the good games. You'll see that they have good stories, unique gameplay, and maps that more than 5 minutes were spent making them.

3\. Don't get lazy. Don't take shortcuts. It will seriously hurt your game. I would know. I'm a lazy person. My game tends to suffer because of it.

4\. If you're not happy with it, improve it. They say the artist is their toughest critic. Well, in game making, if you think the game is crap, it probably is.

5\. Work one 1 project at a time. Don't do 8378387209 different projects. Remember, quality over quantity.

6\. Play games. Other people's games on this site, PS2 games, arcade games, whatevan. Find what's fun in them and what's not fun. Figure out a way to put the fun stuff in your game and keep the not fun stuff out.

7\. Plans are not pointless. Don't just start mapping a game without any storyline or plot planned out (Unless you're just trying to get better at mapping.) Try to get as much detail into a design before you start making it. It'll make it a lot easier in the long run.

8\. Be persistent. If you think your game is crap, don't just give up. Keep trying. You may just hit that breakthrough that will make your game awesome.

9\. No one paying attention to your game? Screw them. Usually, new games get a little bit of attention, but then start to lose it. This is because, it starts out as a neat new idea, then it becomes old. When you finally get a major update to your game, attention will usually come back.

10\. Don't post little updates like "I finished 3 new maps!" I'm going to be honest. We don't really care. What about that minigame you were putting in? Or those custom GUIs? If you're gonna say something about your maps, do stuff like this… "I've completed about 50% of the maps." and... "90% of maps are finished." We don't care about 3 maps. Over half of the maps? Yes, we'd like to hear about that accomplishment.

11\. Get a team. almost no professional games are made by one person. You're gonna need back-up if you want a good game. And don't just recruit your friends. Yeah, they may be cool, but you want people with real skills.

12\. Someone insulted your game?! *gasp* Guess what? There are jerks out there. Ignore them and move on. I've seen too many people just quit a forum and end up quitting their game. If they continue harassing you, get someone in charge.

13\. Lot's off MMORPGs I see on here and other places tend to have 1 major flaw. And that would be 1 desert, 1 mountain range, 1 plains area, 1 snowy area. Take a look at a map. See all those mountains? Learn that there are more than one of landscapes. Make a realistic world.

14\. Restrain yourself. My last project failed because me and a few friends decided that there should be super awesome weapons, armor, and monsters. Well, time went on and that's all we were making. Try to make the game as if you were playing it. Start with the beginner things, then move on to the advanced things.

15\. Be unique! A stock Eclipse game isn't the best thing in the world. Add some nice things. There's a Script Database on this site. Use it to your advantage.

16\. Go big. Try to make your game as big as possible (Not filesize-wise, mind you) Make the world huge with hidden areas. Tons of items. Lots and lots of stuff. Just obey tip 14 and don't go overboard.

17\. Give the NPCs life! It is kinda hard to pull off in Eclipse, but give them unique personalities.

18\. Be original. If I see that your spells are Fire, Ice, Water, and Wind... I'll be mad. If you actually put blatantly ripped-off spells like Ultima in your game.... I will personally come and put you and your game through a meatgrinder.

19\. Make it look professional. Use a spell-checker. Use proper grammar.

_Please Note: IF you don’t want your tutorial on here then tell me or I’m not allowed to use these tutorials I’ll be more than happy to remove them/this post :)
Hopes this helps everyone!_
**Sincerely,
Crazy Smurf**

[Zarnick123]

Great Stuff here Smurf

I vote for Sticky, this will help many Nub cakes

[Mulkaar]

@The:

> Great Stuff here Smurf
>
> I vote for Sticky, this will help many Nub cakes

Thanks. I'ts not particually mine just easier. It has some of the best tutorials on there. Including the name tutorial. At the time I was Ill so Sirad + Ill = Illidaris :) Hope this helps lots of people it still helps me.

[Alpha]

Sticky vote.

This is awesome, great job!

-Alpha

[Marsh]

Awesome :), this should help alot of poeple out with there game. Stickied!

[Mulkaar]

Sniff my first sticky! Woo hoo thaks a bunch!

[Drummerpete]

awesome.

[Antidote]

This is top-notch quality stuff!  Really helped me to put my thoughts out in order and on paper.  You may want to note that the first steps towards the top are NOT going to go by quickly.  It WILL and SHOULD take a long time to map out your game, create skills, think of a quality storyline, etc.  I think that too many people believe that this will happen overnight.

[Guest]

yes these are good 5/5

[jna]

Very good tutorial, now, i hope people are reading them.

[Ridrik]

I bet a few links to some tutorials wouldn't hurt a bit, between topics.

[Mulkaar]

@Ban:

> I bet a few links to some tutorials wouldn't hurt a bit, between topics.

Ok… try to explain what you mean . XD

[Fatmidget]

All those countless retarted hours on an awful game named runescape make sense now!!!!
LOL
Thanks for the guide, very helpful 100/5

[azkanan]

How to make a good game name:

Look around your room for two titles… I have a huge collection of games, so, Call of Duty...and... Blacksite.

Pick two words from it, stick it together. Blackduty. Callsite. Sometimes it takes a pick and mix...

Dungeon Siege and Warcraft. Dungeoncraft. Warsiege. You get the idea. :)

[Yxxe]

nice compilation Crazy Smurf!  :cheesy:

[laurencemeenk]

I just joined this forum so my comment is probably irrelevant, but…
The darker texts on this topic are kind of difficult to read.
Sorry for my inexperience! :embarrassed:

[Novur]

@laurencemeenk:

> I just joined this forum so my comment is probably irrelevant, but…
> The darker texts on this topic are kind of difficult to read.
> Sorry for my inexperience! :embarrassed:

I agree with that. Expecially the Blue is hard to read against the background

Good job with this, this is exactly everything I want to read compiled into 1 post.

[Myron]

@Novur:

> @laurencemeenk:
>
> > I just joined this forum so my comment is probably irrelevant, but…
> > The darker texts on this topic are kind of difficult to read.
> > Sorry for my inexperience! :embarrassed:
>
> I agree with that. Expecially the Blue is hard to read against the background
>
> Good job with this, this is exactly everything I want to read compiled into 1 post.

Just change the layout then. :)

Profile -> Summary -> Modify Profile -> Look and Layout -> Current Theme (Press Change) -> Choose a other layout.

:)

[laurencemeenk]

Thank you so much! I can now read the text!
Sorry about that… XD

[Relly]

Or you could just highlight the text by clicking and dragging your mouse over the text.

[laurencemeenk]

Oh. Now I feel really dumb. haha :embarrassed:

[Myron]

@laurencemeenk:

> Oh. Now I feel really dumb. haha :embarrassed:

Isn't something to be ashamed of, you know it now. Just make sure, you'll remember it and share your
wisdom with other members who don't know. :)