Homebrew RPGs?
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Homebrew RPGs?
Are there any good examples of homebrew NES RPGs in the style of Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy series? What I mean by style is basically having a separate "field screen" and "battle screen". Also, what would be harder, creating a platformer engine or DQ/FF RPG style engine?
Re: Homebrew RPGs?
I believe that the reason we don't have many homebrew RPGs is because scripting a whole game is a lot of work. RPGs have to much dialog, events, and so on.
Which engine is harder to code will depend a lot on the specific features they'll pack... A platformer with slopes and angles is considerably harder to code than one that only has blocks. Similarly, an RPG where the character can move freely and is more action-oriented is harder to code than one where the movement is strictly grid-based.
All things considered, I think that the mechanics of an RPG are generally easier to implement, but there are more things to code in addition to the map stuff, such as battle systems, menus, etc., while platformers are all about moving in the level map. Developing content for RPG is also more time-consuming, because of all the plot development that's expected from them.
Which engine is harder to code will depend a lot on the specific features they'll pack... A platformer with slopes and angles is considerably harder to code than one that only has blocks. Similarly, an RPG where the character can move freely and is more action-oriented is harder to code than one where the movement is strictly grid-based.
All things considered, I think that the mechanics of an RPG are generally easier to implement, but there are more things to code in addition to the map stuff, such as battle systems, menus, etc., while platformers are all about moving in the level map. Developing content for RPG is also more time-consuming, because of all the plot development that's expected from them.
Re: Homebrew RPGs?
I think the closest you'll find is 'Swords and Runes', which is not free...and has a very ...um...minimalist approach to graphics.
You could try one of the many hacks of FF / DW games over at RHDN.
You could try one of the many hacks of FF / DW games over at RHDN.
nesdoug.com -- blog/tutorial on programming for the NES
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Re: Homebrew RPGs?
What makes games hard to make is scope (i.e. how big is the game), not really genre. "What would be harder" is more about what kind of work you like to do or what kind of technical problems interest you.Friendly_Noob wrote:would be harder
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Re: Homebrew RPGs?
I think most of the work is going to be the time spent balancing the game (battles, enemies, attributes, etc) and the time it takes to keep playing though it for testing.
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Re: Homebrew RPGs?
Definitely. Also, RPGs are interesting because they are large scope. Nobody wants to play yet another uninteresting Dragon Quest clone that have hours of grinding and no story nor characters, even if such a game were to be easy to program.rainwarrior wrote: What makes games hard to make is scope (i.e. how big is the game), not really genre.
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Re: Homebrew RPGs?
Another question that comes o my mind is how were textboxes in DQ/FF series made. Are letters parts of the background so they don't cause flickering?
Re: Homebrew RPGs?
Yes. Games may reserve up to half of CHR memory on the background side of the pattern table for a font. If you have ROMs and a Windows PC, you can run the game in an emulator that supports viewing nametables in order to see what's background and what isn't.
- rainwarrior
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Re: Homebrew RPGs?
NES can only put 8 sprites on a scanline, so in general we must use background tiles for anything longer than that.Friendly_Noob wrote:Another question that comes o my mind is how were textboxes in DQ/FF series made. Are letters parts of the background so they don't cause flickering?
There are a few kooky exceptions though, e.g.

Ending of Strider
Re: Homebrew RPGs?
I don´t remember seeing a homebrew rpg for the nes, but there is homebrew rpg engine for GBA used to create a rpg playable demo called "Final Fantasy IV: The Return of Golbez". I think the sources are still available in gbadev. Obviously the code is not going to help you much if you want to program a NES rpg due to NES and GBA are systems with completely different hardware, but this engine can give you an idea of how to structure the project if you're still interested in starting it.
Re: Homebrew RPGs?
Last year, I had briefly been working on a game, titled "Dragon Master", a parody of sorts, of Dragon Quest. Unfortunately, that has been dragged out back, and shot, along with my other games.Friendly_Noob wrote:Are there any good examples of homebrew NES RPGs in the style of Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy series? What I mean by style is basically having a separate "field screen" and "battle screen". Also, what would be harder, creating a platformer engine or DQ/FF RPG style engine?
Recently, however, a friend has agreed to collaborate on a NES project, which happens to be an action RPG. It's pornographic, however, so it will NOT be posted here, or there, or ANYWHERE!

It's a furry-themed hentai parody of Hydlide, with a time travel theme, and plenty of animated sprite sex. It's NROM-restricted, just to make games' creation all the more fun!
Re: Homebrew RPGs?
Maybe I'm desensitized by some of the baddesthacks games, but...with 8-bit graphics, I can not imagine being offended by any kind of pixelated porn game. Feel free to link to really ANY kind of homebrew NES game, as long as you put a clear NSFW warning on it.
Maybe others here would have a different opinion. I don't know. Would that violate the forum rules?
On second thought, I bet at least 1 person here would be offended.
Maybe others here would have a different opinion. I don't know. Would that violate the forum rules?
On second thought, I bet at least 1 person here would be offended.
nesdoug.com -- blog/tutorial on programming for the NES
Re: Homebrew RPGs?
Surely you could find a forum that would predictably appreciate it?
Re: Homebrew RPGs?
I'm not opposed to games with sexual fetish stuff in them, but I definitely am not attracted to them either. At the very worst I simply wouldn't play the game if nothing about it caught my attention. But anyway, what's the point of making something you're not gonna share with ANYONE?
Re: Homebrew RPGs?
"You agree to not post pornographic content" Line 1 of the terms of service, here.dougeff wrote:Maybe I'm desensitized by some of the baddesthacks games, but...with 8-bit graphics, I can not imagine being offended by any kind of pixelated porn game. Feel free to link to really ANY kind of homebrew NES game, as long as you put a clear NSFW warning on it.
Maybe others here would have a different opinion. I don't know. Would that violate the forum rules?
On second thought, I bet at least 1 person here would be offended.
I kind of wanted to continue my art thread, but without being allowed to post the sprites, along with the background work, what's the point? ...plus, I don't really want any more grief from *that* guy. (Assuming that we're talking about the same person)
I don't really like doing the forum thing, as far as art goes. It's too much hassle.lidnariq wrote:Surely you could find a forum that would predictably appreciate it?
I've been making art updates on my FurAffinity, and Twitter accounts.
I didn't mean that I *won't* be releasing the game, what I meant is that I *can't* post any images of it here. Then again, I finished 2 full NES games to completion, and those were never *publicly* released!tokumaru wrote:I'm not opposed to games with sexual fetish stuff in them, but I definitely am not attracted to them either. At the very worst I simply wouldn't play the game if nothing about it caught my attention. But anyway, what's the point of making something you're not gonna share with ANYONE?

Then again, those were both poorly timed, as well. >.>
One was a gift for the community, a 2-player Bubble Bobble clone, featuring a Witch girl, defeating monsters with bubble magic. (meant to be released on Halloween night)
The other was a gift for a friend, an adult parody of SonSon, which resulted in being called "pedophile", and being "doxed" by a member of the NintendoAge community. Fun times.
Unlike the 2 terrible homebrew RPGs, this game will have the approximate quality of "Crystalis".
...and, it will be FREE.