Project Dreamers

I like to talk big about how much I know about game design. But I know that however much I like to talk, there's definitely things I'll never know I don't know. I guess the only way you can really learn whether or not you know enough abou games to really make a good one is to make one yourself.

So, that's what I'll do: I'll make a game, and utterly terrify myself with the amount of work that needs to be done before I'm happy with it. If I succeed, hopefully it'll be good. If not, well, I'll have to find out what I've done wrong.

I've had ideas kicking around for a while now for various games, but the one I find is most within reach is an CRPG idea that I'm going to call for now "Project Dreamers". Project because that's what it is, and Dreamers because that's part of the plot. I hope to God I come with an actual name before I finish.

I'll be developing this using the open-source Sphere engine. The advantage of this engine is that very little of the gameplay mechanics are defined by the engine, so an author gets infinite flexibility as to how they're going to implement battles, levels and suchlike, which I intend to take advantage of (in fact, that's the point) while handling more complicated things like scenes, animation and the like by default.

As I go, I'll post my ideas on the plot (I'm essentially going to satirise the fall-of-the-gods parable so often seen in CRPGs, and I've been doing some research in that direction with regards to the Protestant movement and the rise of the philosophy of modernity), the gameplay (I'm stealing neat ideas from pretty much every Square game ever made) and working with Sphere (which hopefully will be pretty comprehensive once I'm done).

It should be good. I hope you'll join me.