Does this seem like a game you'd play?

[danzibr]

I'm working on a game. Old school graphics (polite way to say I'm not very good at art), create a party of 5 from 10 classes, wander around, beat baddies, gain levels, that sort of thing.

Currently, I've just made the party creation part of the game (well, I have a *little* bit more, but nothing presentable). I'd rather not pursue it if I get a lot of negative feedback, though. Anyway, here's the video! It starts in earnest at 0:12.

[DomaDoma]

I'm the type to be sold on the strength of the story, but the apparent crafting focus and off-the-wall classes do intrigue me. Probably the class I most want to give a spin is the Farmer, because I'm mental like that.

[danzibr]

I'm the type to be sold on the strength of the story, but the apparent crafting focus and off-the-wall classes do intrigue me. Probably the class I most want to give a spin is the Farmer, because I'm mental like that.

Haha, great! Thanks :)

I've been told I have an odd sense of humor, and that'll be present in my game, perhaps subtly, like the unusual classes. And yeah, the crafting will be hugely important. Glad you're intrigued :)

[CarpeGuitarrem]

The classes (mostly) seem original and fun! I'd love to see more of that pursued in the game; why are chefs and farmers and jumpdudes going on epic quests? What puts me off the most is probably all that talk of "wander around, beat baddies, gain levels". I've done that, a lot. There's nothing wrong with testing your game-creation by retreading that ground, but I'd love to see you dig into "what do I do?" more deeply, and see what answers you can come up with.

[danzibr]

The classes (mostly) seem original and fun! I'd love to see more of that pursued in the game; why are chefs and farmers and jumpdudes going on epic quests? What puts me off the most is probably all that talk of "wander around, beat baddies, gain levels". I've done that, a lot. There's nothing wrong with testing your game-creation by retreading that ground, but I'd love to see you dig into "what do I do?" more deeply, and see what answers you can come up with.

Sounds good, sounds good.

I have several at least partially original things in mind. I mean, from a certain point of view, everything's been done. But I haven't seen a plot quite like mine, as well as a major mechanic, not have I seen several other mechanics combined in the way I'm intending.

Still, good points, good points. Thanks!

[Grinner]

I'm reminded of EarthBound. It's got a JRPG vibe, but there's a certain quirkiness layered overtop it. Unfortunately, there's nothing in the way of gameplay, so I have no idea if that quirkiness is quirky-charming or quirky-annoying. You might be sitting on something here, though, so call me tentatively interested.

It would be very interesting if the classes could be integrated into the story somehow, so they make sense. At the moment, it's an amusingly eclectic collection of classes, but if the characters' only purpose is combat, that's not as interesting as something where they also serve an intradiegetic purpose. Like, maybe only certain classes can access certain areas. For instance, there might be a sidequest in the women's restroom that only female characters can enter.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Sounds good, sounds good.

I have several at least partially original things in mind. I mean, from a certain point of view, everything's been done. But I haven't seen a plot quite like mine, as well as a major mechanic, not have I seen several other mechanics combined in the way I'm intending.

Still, good points, good points. Thanks!

Awesome, then I really dig that. It'll make for good "elevator pitch" material once you've got further along.

[danzibr]

I'm reminded of EarthBound. It's got a JRPG vibe, but there's a certain quirkiness layered overtop it. Unfortunately, there's nothing in the way of gameplay, so I have no idea if that quirkiness is quirky-charming or quirky-annoying. You might be sitting on something here, though, so call me tentatively interested.

It would be very interesting if the classes could be integrated into the story somehow, so they make sense. At the moment, it's an amusingly eclectic collection of classes, but if the characters' only purpose is combat, that's not as interesting as something where they also serve an intradiegetic purpose. Like, maybe only certain classes can access certain areas. For instance, there might be a sidequest in the women's restroom that only female characters can enter.

Great! And it happens that you hit the nail on the head. It's not coincidence that the party in my video is all-female ;) I have plans to make the class choices meaningful beyond just combat.

Awesome, then I really dig that. It'll make for good "elevator pitch" material once you've got further along.

Glad you dig it :)

[Slayn82]

Seems cool. Have you ever played Darklands? I got the feeling that your concept is like a jrpg version of it. In that game, Medieval Magic is real. But it has the limitations of the medieval ideas - you have to spend a good time praying, craft lots of Alchemical formulas before traveling, buying and selling items is pretty important.

And a Tank with Vitality, heavy armor and speed, and who probably buffs the party? Chefs gonna be OP. Is Toriko another of your influences?

[Fri]

Hey, I think I've linked it to you, but maybe I haven't, so just in case.

Have you seen/played Artifact Adventure? It's in steam. It might be a good source of inspiration, and showcasing that people do still play this kind of games, if the vibe I got from this game is right.

It's basically open world ff1 style basically plotless game, where you freely create a party at the start of the game ala FF-1, then wander around in mostly storyless open world jrpg universe. It's up to you to find towns and do quests and find artifacts and when to find the main big bad to end the game. You could even get an airship straight at the beginning of the game to sequence break everything.

Another inspiration would be Metal Max series from SNES. It's basically a post apocalyptic mostly-storyless open world rpg as well, where the "plot" is you being bounty hunter and finding all the bad guys hidden all over the world. The main draw is finding new tanks and customizing them, since you can fight in and out of tank, and the jrpg tank battle is the main meat of the game.

[Vitruviansquid]

I might play this game? The pitch is something I'm interested in, but it's also a pitch that fails often. Almost the entire appeal of these games depends on how interesting the combat system turns out to be and how well the classes are designed, but I can't understand those things from the teaser you put up.

Now, if I was going based just on this teaser, I would probably not play or look into this game because the retro art style and the density of the jokes in the teaser makes me think the game is designed to invoke nostalgia and get me to laugh, which makes me suspect it's to cover for weak game mechanics (kind of how there are a million mediocre old fashioned indie platformers out there). Since I did not find the humor appealing (quirky, but not appealing) and was not into Final Fantasy, I would not try this game.

[danzibr]

Seems cool. Have you ever played Darklands? I got the feeling that your concept is like a jrpg version of it. In that game, Medieval Magic is real. But it has the limitations of the medieval ideas - you have to spend a good time praying, craft lots of Alchemical formulas before traveling, buying and selling items is pretty important.

And a Tank with Vitality, heavy armor and speed, and who probably buffs the party? Chefs gonna be OP. Is Toriko another of your influences?

Hmm, Darklands, no. Haven't heard of it. I'll have to look into it... sounds interesting. And while I know of Toriko, I've never seen/read it.

Hopefully I can make them equally OP :)

Hey, I think I've linked it to you, but maybe I haven't, so just in case.

Have you seen/played Artifact Adventure? It's in steam. It might be a good source of inspiration, and showcasing that people do still play this kind of games, if the vibe I got from this game is right.

It's basically open world ff1 style basically plotless game, where you freely create a party at the start of the game ala FF-1, then wander around in mostly storyless open world jrpg universe. It's up to you to find towns and do quests and find artifacts and when to find the main big bad to end the game. You could even get an airship straight at the beginning of the game to sequence break everything.

Another inspiration would be Metal Max series from SNES. It's basically a post apocalyptic mostly-storyless open world rpg as well, where the "plot" is you being bounty hunter and finding all the bad guys hidden all over the world. The main draw is finding new tanks and customizing them, since you can fight in and out of tank, and the jrpg tank battle is the main meat of the game.

Indeed! In fact, thanks to you I bought Artifact Adventure. I like it a lot, and draw some inspiration from there. It did a good few things I dislike, but still, it's a solid game.

And Metal Max, hmm, I'll have to look at that, too.

I might play this game? The pitch is something I'm interested in, but it's also a pitch that fails often. Almost the entire appeal of these games depends on how interesting the combat system turns out to be and how well the classes are designed, but I can't understand those things from the teaser you put up.

Now, if I was going based just on this teaser, I would probably not play or look into this game because the retro art style and the density of the jokes in the teaser makes me think the game is designed to invoke nostalgia and get me to laugh, which makes me suspect it's to cover for weak game mechanics (kind of how there are a million mediocre old fashioned indie platformers out there). Since I did not find the humor appealing (quirky, but not appealing) and was not into Final Fantasy, I would not try this game.

While I can respect you not appreciating my sense of humor, the bolded part is just rubbish. I've seen this kind of nonsense on game-making forums. "The art is beautiful so the gameplay must be bad." "The story is awesome so the art must be sub-par." It's as if an artist can't be a good storyteller or the like. Absolute balderdash.

Still, if you don't like Final Fantasy, I highly doubt you'll like this game. I understand your comment.