May 28 Update (Patreon)

(I actually wrote this post a while back, then there wasn't time for it between updates going out. It's still basically current, it just feels odd to read something I wrote a while back when I had more free time.

Also, there is an unplanned meme! This is another one from Argo and Annikath, and apparently they memed about it on Discord, but I have been too busy to notice.)

Time for another meandering post. I played a popular retro RPG recently and enjoyed it; I really do love this genre. But it also got me thinking about the gap between the work I'm able to produce and the types of indie RPGs that have gone viral in recent years. I'm thinking about it along several different categories.

Design: All the RPGs I've done are based on RPG Maker plus the most interesting scripts/plug-ins/add-ons I could find. I like to think I could design some fun core mechanics if I had the flexibility, but that remains to be seen, doesn't it? In the future I'd strongly consider commissioning some custom combat/game mechanics.

Visual Aesthetic: Probably the most visible difference. A lot of popular games could have been made in RPG Maker, but they don't have the same core look. It would probably cost $20-50,000 to give a game its own unique aesthetic. Not trivial, but not impossible. Despite the fact that many players are indiscriminating about this sort of thing, I'd consider it for future work.

Music: I know I'm going against the grain here, but I'm not convinced this draws in the right type of players. Plus I'm tired of stock music getting called custom and custom music being called RTP.

Sound Design: I wonder about this one. With OEA I replaced almost all the RPG Maker core sound effects, but not the battle sound effects. Not sure anyone noticed. No real conclusions here.

Voice Acting: A pretty big deal for visual novels, but not usually expected for indie RPGs. Voice acting is something I'm reluctant to take on, so it will likely remain an omission for the near future.

Promotion: Perhaps a major factor, as I've never had any meaningfully successful promotion. At times I've considered running a Kickstarter for a project, not for the money but just to get the press that comes with it. I feel like I haven't seen any evidence that normal press routes are worthwhile: essentially everything is random or backchannel. So this aspect is an open question.

Implicit in some of the above is one of my overall limitations: programming. I think it's no accident that almost all the solo or small team projects are led by a programmer, because coding is central to the work. There are too many hack coders out there, both SFW and NSFW, and even incompetent work will quickly cost tens of thousands of dollars. And even for the one person I've worked well with (the programmer for DStP), there's just so much more communication and less iteration when you aren't doing things yourself.

This is a sympathetic audience, so let's give me some basic credit: given enough time investment, I could develop my skills in a given language or more powerful engine. I've been trying to do so nights after my main work for some time, but a while back I decided to throw in the towel. Spending time developing skills means time not creating content, and I don't think a large percentage of fans are willing to wait for that. Even if I took a major chunk of time off and learned a lot, how good of a job would I actually do? I'm getting older and the idea of dedicating months just to become competent at best makes me grouchy.

I've always tried to experiment with new things and not get too deep in any ruts, but your brain does build up patterns over time. I know I'm never going to be an artist, for example: the fundamentals of what it takes to build up those skills are a bad match for how my brain works. Whereas with writing, design, and the various other fields I've focused on, I still derive enjoyment from the parts of the work that are less enjoyable. I like to think I'm a little flexible, but am I flexible enough to start over in areas where I have no real competence? It seems not all of them.

The silver lining is that setting this secondary goal aside means faster progress on my core projects, it just interfaces with my long term goals in an awkward way. I can spend more money on system design and visuals, but based on OEA I'm not sure this will pay for itself.

So I view this as a bit of an obstacle. I'm grateful for my success and all of you have ensured that I can keep making games like this in perpetuity. But I'm not so wildly successful that I can fund a small game studio for years. I'm not really sure what the right next step is, after the completion of my current projects.