DaBouncer
Demon Girl
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2015
- Messages
- 265
- Reputation score
- 62
There are a lot of English game developers out there, and it pains me to say that a lot of them all have the same flaws. I'm no game dev myself, but I'd like to offer my opinions on what some 3D games do right, and what so many do wrong. I, like quite a few other people, are turned off a game project when they see a H-game with a 3D aspect in it, however 3D isn't always bad in my eyes, and the main issue is the misuse of 3D.
Misuse #1 - Mismatched art style
If you're making a game in RPG Maker, for the love of god don't use 3D CG or 3D standing pictures without having a custom tile set to suit your 3D pictures. Seeing 3D with the default tiles in any RPG Maker game is absolutely ridiculous and is a real bad distraction. Even worse is when a CG has a "realistic" looking background. To go from a "realistic" scene to a sudden, cartoonish array of greens, blues and other bright colours, it is very disorientating. People like continuity in their art style, and making 2D tile sets suit 3D CG is impossible with the default RPG Maker tools.
Misuse #2 - Awful 3D models
The best 3D I've seen has always been custom made models. Because I'm no game dev, artist or animator, I have no idea how these are made, but what I do know is that the majority of premade models are just poor quality. I've seen threads of games with 3D models filled with discussion about the programs and prerendered models the game's dev used, and it's almost always people saying that it was a bad idea. Only once have I seen such a discussion be positive, and that was when people recognised the 3D model was custom made from a program.
So, what are some good ideas?
Do some research before you choose a 3D program or model, don't just settle with the popular. 3D CG is best suited for worlds that are 3D themselves, or VNs. If you want to make a 2D game then get a tile set that suits your 3D, though doing that could be difficult unless you're a good artist, find a good artist, or have a 3D model that isn't realistic looking and can suit the bright, saturated colours of RPG Maker. I can think of one popular 3D model that is cartoonish, but the models themselves are awful.
That covers everything 3D, however there is one more thing I'd like to touch upon that can benefit any game dev, and that's presenting your project. Do not say you're doing anything unique, just don't, because it's pretty much guaranteed that your concept or idea is not unique and has already been done a hundred times, and on the off chance that your idea is unique, then let the people following your project say it for you, you'll gain a larger following if it's others saying those things compared to if you do, even if it's true. Also, if you are a lurker or not that well known in the community you're trying to sell your idea to (because that's what you're doing, regardless of if the game is free or not), then do not advertise your Patreon or other crowdfunding source unless you have a damn good reason to, and even then don't advertise it directly on your thread, instead link it to your blog that has a link to your Patreon. Hopefully you have been keeping a blog that has been in use for a little while, else it'll just end up looking like you're going "Hey I'm trying to not look like a money grub by not advertising my Patreon in an area nobody knows me in, instead I'll do it in a blog that I've only created to host my Patreon advertisement!" and that is just as bad as linking a Patreon with no pictures or demo. The best time to link Patreon is when people in the community start to follow your project actively, your followers start suggesting Patreon, or your game is at a point where there is a considerable amount of content for people to look at.
I'm sure there're other things I could have talked about, and maybe even some things I'm mistaken on or just plain wrong in, but I'm no developer, animator or artist, I'm just a consumer.
Misuse #1 - Mismatched art style
If you're making a game in RPG Maker, for the love of god don't use 3D CG or 3D standing pictures without having a custom tile set to suit your 3D pictures. Seeing 3D with the default tiles in any RPG Maker game is absolutely ridiculous and is a real bad distraction. Even worse is when a CG has a "realistic" looking background. To go from a "realistic" scene to a sudden, cartoonish array of greens, blues and other bright colours, it is very disorientating. People like continuity in their art style, and making 2D tile sets suit 3D CG is impossible with the default RPG Maker tools.
Misuse #2 - Awful 3D models
The best 3D I've seen has always been custom made models. Because I'm no game dev, artist or animator, I have no idea how these are made, but what I do know is that the majority of premade models are just poor quality. I've seen threads of games with 3D models filled with discussion about the programs and prerendered models the game's dev used, and it's almost always people saying that it was a bad idea. Only once have I seen such a discussion be positive, and that was when people recognised the 3D model was custom made from a program.
So, what are some good ideas?
Do some research before you choose a 3D program or model, don't just settle with the popular. 3D CG is best suited for worlds that are 3D themselves, or VNs. If you want to make a 2D game then get a tile set that suits your 3D, though doing that could be difficult unless you're a good artist, find a good artist, or have a 3D model that isn't realistic looking and can suit the bright, saturated colours of RPG Maker. I can think of one popular 3D model that is cartoonish, but the models themselves are awful.
That covers everything 3D, however there is one more thing I'd like to touch upon that can benefit any game dev, and that's presenting your project. Do not say you're doing anything unique, just don't, because it's pretty much guaranteed that your concept or idea is not unique and has already been done a hundred times, and on the off chance that your idea is unique, then let the people following your project say it for you, you'll gain a larger following if it's others saying those things compared to if you do, even if it's true. Also, if you are a lurker or not that well known in the community you're trying to sell your idea to (because that's what you're doing, regardless of if the game is free or not), then do not advertise your Patreon or other crowdfunding source unless you have a damn good reason to, and even then don't advertise it directly on your thread, instead link it to your blog that has a link to your Patreon. Hopefully you have been keeping a blog that has been in use for a little while, else it'll just end up looking like you're going "Hey I'm trying to not look like a money grub by not advertising my Patreon in an area nobody knows me in, instead I'll do it in a blog that I've only created to host my Patreon advertisement!" and that is just as bad as linking a Patreon with no pictures or demo. The best time to link Patreon is when people in the community start to follow your project actively, your followers start suggesting Patreon, or your game is at a point where there is a considerable amount of content for people to look at.
I'm sure there're other things I could have talked about, and maybe even some things I'm mistaken on or just plain wrong in, but I'm no developer, animator or artist, I'm just a consumer.