The VHS Wizard 🦝📼🧙

I don't know anything about making a video game, but I really... really... REALLY want to make my own some day, before I die.

Are there any paths for a person who doesn't know coding and isn't sure they can learn it at this point to make a game?

I was learning Godot before I got Long Covid and it sort of erased that info out of my brain and filled the place that it used to be with static that seems to be prohibiting me from writing new video game learning data to myself.

I have an idea for a story, a setting, multiple game mechanics, and have been using my pixel art drawing challenge thing as a way to try and generate some monsters to fill the world. I just have no clue how to actually... make it.

I've considered just going the "Vermis" route, making the walkthroughs and guides that would go with a game that doesn't actually exist as a sort of art project that would make my game kiiiiinda exist, but I feel like that's setting my bar lower than I want it to be.

Thoughts? Help?

#Indiegame #videogames

Feb 20 at 6:11pmWeb
Show threadThe VHS Wizard 🦝📼🧙Feb 20

It's your birthday, and your parents are going to take you out to eat, but first they stop at a seemingly abandoned mall that was apparently very emotionally significant to them because they need to pick something up from one of the still-operational stores.

Your dad says that it's going to be like 20 minutes and gives you a handful of tarnished tokens that are for the arcade in the back of the mall that he still had from his youth.

You find the arcade, it's still open but most of the games are off. You find a photo booth that still has power, and you decide why not, so you insert the coins and push the button... and then you see this weird, ancient symbol glowing on the mirror inside the booth, and there's a flash of light...

Show threadThe VHS Wizard 🦝📼🧙Feb 20

...and when the light dims, you find yourself in the same booth, but in a different place and time. You're now in The Deeper Well Mall, a sort of extra-dimensional mall outside of normal time and space that connects all reality.

Only... the mall is in kinda shitty shape, a bunch of stuff does not work, stores are closed down, fountains are off, plants are withered.

You learn that the mall management abandoned it a long time back, and it's been kind of running on autopilot ever since, with more systems breaking as they failed, including the teleporters (disguised as photo booths), which is what you accidentally used to get here. If you want to get home, you're going to have to repair the teleporter system

And to do that, you're going to need to collect the 8 pieces of the "Deeper Well Key", an ancient sigil that just so happens to look like the Cool S, but is now split up with different factions and individuals in the mall holding the pieces.

Show threadThe VHS Wizard 🦝📼🧙Feb 20

But you don't have to do it alone!

The world is full of these little creatures... stupid little creatures called BakaChibiMon. You are aware of them - a little too aware of them - because in your world, they were a video game craze thing for a few years and your parents collected them and were insane for them (they're basically Skylanders)

BUT, here in the Deeper Well Mall, they can both manifest physically (turning from a figurine into their representative monster) and digitally (you can connect them to various mall systems by just plugging the figurine into a slot)

Using your newly found tiny monster allies, you have to restore mall systems and fix problems for the residents to slowly work your way through and recover all 8 pieces of the Key so that you can escape this infinite mall dungeon.

And... you're increasingly suspicious that your parents not only knew all about this, but maybe sent you here on purpose?

Show threadThe VHS Wizard 🦝📼🧙Feb 20

Gameplay is a mix of concepts.

The main overworld is top down, 2D mall exploration (think the older pixel based Pokemon games) where you're doing overworld puzzle solving, fetch quests, and talking to NPCs.

There is a battle mechanic, not unlike Pokemon, but it's not as complicated or nuianced because it's only one of the many systems in place. You'll occasionally find yourself battling other people who also have their own BakaChibiMon figurines.

Using the BakaChibiMon figurines to interact with the mall systems itself opens up various mini-games. Side-scrolling platformers, puzzle games, shmups, sports games - basically, a variety of arcade-y mini-games that have you directly controlling the BakaChibiMon as it interacts with the "mall".

For example, to fix the fountain, it might be a Pipe Puzzle minigame. And after you've fixed the fountain, that unlocks the game in the actual arcade too, and you can keep playing it and getting higher scores to get more rewards

Show threadAlex Daily! Feb 20
@thevhswizard If you can live with the inherent limitations, there's GB Studio: https://www.gbstudio.dev/
GB Studio

A quick and easy to use drag and drop retro game creator for your favourite handheld video game system.

Show threadWiredfireFeb 20
@Alexis @thevhswizard GB studio is something I would very much enjoy taking some time to do something with when Life™ affords me the capacity. Looks so much fun.
Show threadMatthew SmithFeb 20

@thevhswizard This has always been something on my "bucket" list as a developer. I work on backend services and marketing stuff as a consultant and it's really not where I thought I'd be when I jumped into software dev as a teen.

I studied game dev in my younger years, learned some Godot and some Unity ... but my day job kicks my butt and its always so hard to stay focused on that goal. Mix in family, life, and the side job I do to survive .. I always get siderailed once I have a small prototype of Guy Walking On Screen haha

Good luck! Sounds like planning, guides, and ideating on the game is a good start!

Show threadkevFeb 20
@thevhswizard I don’t know if you consider Interactive Fiction to be “real video games” but I made a couple short games with Twine and zero coding knowledge.

One of them I technically made in zero hours by doing it over the course of the day light savings roll back.
Show threadTrixter of the Moon CouncilFeb 20

@thevhswizard If what you want to make is an RPG, there’s RPG Maker! At this point I think you only really need to code a game from scratch if you’re looking to introduce novel physics and mechanics.

https://rpgmaker.net/

Show threadnovember 🀄 in my mahjong eraFeb 20
@thevhswizard RPG Maker is pretty simple for a beginner to pick up, if you're okay with a top-down game!
Show threadPastaThiefFeb 20
@thevhswizard It largely depends on what kind of game you wish to make, but there are specialty programs that make it easier to make games within specific genres. For example, RPGMaker (whatever suffix -- there are many versions) significantly reduces the barrier-to-entry for top-down RPGs and JRPGs. Twine significantly reduces the barrier-to-entry for CYOA-style interactive fiction. I seem to remember there being similar tools for, say, Platformers.
Show threadmilla🧷Feb 20
@thevhswizard some engines have node-based scripting tools that don't necessarily require writing any "code" yourself. Like Unreal's Blueprint system and Unity's visual scripting. Not sure if there's anything like that for Godot...
Show threadxcorvisFeb 20
@thevhswizard there's a tool called RPG Maker that might be what you're looking for
Show thread Glen Mastodon ☠Mar 4
@thevhswizard There's a free impersonator of Construct called gDevelop. Ignore the AI bullshit, it's a nice drag&drop game development toolbox easy for beginners and pretty powerful considering it's mostly a drag&drop toy https://gdevelop.io/
GDevelop: Free, Fast, Easy Game Engine - No-code, AI-assisted, Lightweight, Super Powerful | GDevelop

GDevelop is a free, fast, easy, open-source game engine. Learn 2D, 3D or multiplayer game development with our tutorials. Publish everywhere: iOS, Android, Steam... Use AI to learn and build faster.