Game engine for RPG project?

[MoeffG]

So, after quite some time of gathering ideas for the story of a game i think i'm ready to start building it.

 

The issue i'm facing now is which game engine i should use.

At first i thought i'll go for Fallout 4, but with the sextec framework still missing and the annoying 4 reply options dialogue i think i'll have to pass.

Obviously i could use Skyrim, but i feel like i'm too late to the party for that.

 

Another alternative is RPGMaker, which does about the same as the NWN toolkit.

But since i'm not an art guy, i can't really spice it up and i seriously can't stand the turn based JRPG combat system.

 

Another idea might be to wait for Shards Online, which seems like a it will have full modding capabilities.

But, it's not released yet and i would need to wait for the community to make at least some adult assets...

 

 

Now, since i recently played "A dance with spies" which is a NWN module, i remembered that the NWN toolkit was and is still awesome.

It triggers about all the things i want to have:

Easy to use Toolkit.

Easy to make maps.

Unvoiced dialogue driven.

Simple but powerfull script language.

A ton of premade assets that i can use. (I can't do 2D/3D art for shit)

 

There is 1 giant issue that i have with the NWN modules, if i recall it correctly:

Updating/Patching a module requires players to restart (think skyrim scripts in savegames just worse)

There are options to circumvent this by exporting a character with special items that just contain variables to reimport again, but it's work.

 

Also, one smaller issue is that i'm not sure how large the potential playerbase is anymore.

 

 

So, anybody knows of another good alternative, or should i just bite the bullet and go create a NWN module?

[Thickthighsmallfeet]

First of all I think you should really consider what kind of game you are looking at. Will there be combat? What is the setting of the RPG? I personally find lengthy dialogues to be a chore in Skyrim and Fallout however they have some of the better options when it comes to importing models, characters and what not.

 

I have played so much NWN. While I can always play more of it I do wish to see some other RPGs with campaign editors get some love on the adult content front. Shadowrun for instance has a setting that is extremely flexible for adult content, particularly variety in terms of fetish. I can't speak for the editor though, never tried it.

 

RPG Maker is fine if it works for what you want. So many rpg maker games are forgettable though. You will also be joining the mass of WIP RPGmaker hgames.

 

Remember, if combat isn't strong you might consider not having any combat at all or having such infrequent combat that it is obvious it isn't meant to be focused. Unwinnable battle for scenes or just trigger conversations with descriptions of combat.

 

You could also go the Ren'py engine. It is designed for visual novels but can be used for other games such as Akabur's Princess Trainer.

 

Probably not of much help but humble bundle has a gamemaker studio bundle going again. It is worth taking a look at if you want to get into game dev hobby.

 

To be honest it sounds like you have intention for NWN module already.

 

Regarding art. Use temporary images. Basic stick figures if you want. You can replace the art later once you get the dimensions sorted this is generally pretty easy. When the time comes you could find a supporting artist or better yet commission the works. If all else fails use stock images.

[MoeffG]

Thanks for your answer.

Combat will be included, and if it just happens because you fail a skill check or didn't go for the non-combat route of a quest.

 

Returning to the art question, i mean 3D models, 3D pre rendered (like DAZ3d) or hand drawn 2D.

I can't do any type of art well and i know that so i won't even go that way.

If anything i can create 3D models with textures, but i'm way too slow to make enough myself.

 

Of course i could just use real or anime images found on the internet.

But the specific fetishes i have planed to include could be hard to find and i want the art to look at least someway consistent.

 

 

I just thought about writing down the main points first quest to give a hint of what type of game i want to make.

(Very short, you are a private eye and your first job is find out if a wife is cheating on her husband, which has nothing to do with story itself, it just serves as an introduction)

But now i notice that it would be way better just to make a bare bones proof of concept in NWN (even without additional (hak) asset packs) to bring my point across.