Hi! My name is Charlotte Toumanoff, and I am a first-time game developer. This post is part of my project, “I Created A Video Game in 8 Weeks, Using RPG Maker MZ,” where I create a self-contained video game quest with impact, choices, and multiple endings, from scratch, using RPG Maker MZ.
To see the rest of the project (and play the game), click here!
Creating the Bedroom
This is the main character’s bedroom.
While designing the map, I wanted to tell a story about the main character’s (let’s call him “Elliot” for simplicity’s sake, even though the player gets to name him in the intro) life with his family, prior to the game beginning, as well as give subtle insight into Elliot’s mental state.
It is an incredibly important space. This map provides the player’s first opportunity to move around, explore the environment, and get a feel for gameplay.
It also accomplishes three critical things...
It Gives Us Insight Into the Main Character
We gain information about his past, his emotional ties to his mother and brother, and his current state of mind. The room is a mess, he doesn’t have the energy to cook or do dishes, and objects around the house keep reminding him of his lost family members.
It Establishes the Tone of the Game
A dual tonality exists throughout the game: a mixture of dark and light. Humor and sorrow. Like I said in the Week Four Project Update, it is very important to me to strike a balanced tone between the spooky horror-ish elements of the dream, and the humorous aspects of the game.
I think I managed to achieve that in this room. Although, I still have some nagging doubts about certain object interactions that I worry skew too sad or too light-hearted, that may stand out within the room as a result. Like hitting a discordant note while playing a piano.
It Functions as a Mini Gameplay Tutorial
I can’t control whether or not a player clicks on an object--nor can I control which object they click on. If a player clicks on an object in the Bedroom map and is met with silence, then they may (understandably) assume that there is limited or no object interaction in the game, and may do less exploration once they leave the map.
What I can do--what is in my control--is increasing the chances of a player finding something they enjoy by interacting with the environment.
The more they interact, the more content they will find. Having every single space in the room be interactive then functions as a promise: if you explore, you will be rewarded.
Bonus: Hidden Goodies for Inquisitive Players
There is a “Game Over” screen for players who manage to find it.
If you eat the casserole on the table and then interact with the blank space left behind, this text box pops up
If you check up on Mr. Fluffybuns after freeing him from his pillow prison, this interaction gets triggered:
Conclusion
I know that some players have little-to-no interest in clicking on every object in a room; I also know that other players (like me) do, and are waiting for the green light to click with wild abandon.
I’m hoping that my game will satisfy both, but this room should at least let them know right away that extensive object interaction is an option within the game.
By the time a player leaves the bedroom map, I want them to do so with a basic understanding of what ‘Elliot’ knows about G.R.A.N.D.M.A. and his brother’s disappearance, a sense of the game’s tones moving forward, and an introduction to what gameplay options are available to them!