How do you start on a technical level?

[Noxusa]

Hey everyone

A year ago I decided to learn 3D software and have been using Blender for over a year now. My goal was to create my own adult game and I feel that I'm at a point where I can actually start. However, the only thing I actually wonder is... how do I start? I'm not talking about an idea or anything that has to do with the dialogue or the story. I more so mean how do I start on a technical level?

I know everything depends on what exactly I want to do, but say that I want to create a basic VN. Do I just download some DAZ assets? Do I start creating environments myself? How do you actually start creating something?

 

[79flavors]

This was my answer recently...
https://f95zone.to/threads/a-questi...-doing-the-images-and-code.71453/post-4947970

 

[8InchFloppyDick]

79flavors answer is AWESOME. It should be made required reading for anyone thinking of wanting to write their own VN. I could nitpick here and there, but on the whole 79flavors is right on the money.

He/She is basically telling you to:

1. practice using Daz for character modelling/posing/rendering in general.
2. practice turning the text of a story into something 'playable' using the mixed blessing that is Ren'Py.
3. write your own story and storyboard it.
4. model, pose and then render your storyboards in Daz.
5. merge your renders and writing efforts in Ren'Py.

Best of luck!

 

[Valmorgren]

My advice is to make a design document. It provides a roadmap for where to start, where you want to go and where you want to end the game. In it make sure to come up with character concepts, gameplay (if there is any), locations and possible branching paths (again if there are any). The purpose of a design document is to keep a developer from getting too far in the weeds, stay focused and don't let content creep bog you down.

In the document layout some core ideas on the characters, location and scene. Like for a character what are their likes, dislikes, brief history or anything else you feel is relevant. For locations consider the purpose of that location, will the player go there more than once and if not do you really need it, what will the player do there, is it repeatable, will the tasks change, etc.

Another big thing is to know your MC, what is their driving factor, how does it work, how is it applied, how does it motivate them? For example; MC is yelled at by Character X in the park - MC can A. Fight, B. Run, C. ?. Then how does that affect the a fore mentioned elements.

As you can guess a design document can get in depth or as basic as you need to stay on track. Character design, gameplay, UI and script are different animals, so this is just my starting advice to you. It comes from a former career in the AAA games industry, now long behind me.

 

[TDoddery]

Not to detract from anything that has been said above, but I am a big fan of trial and error in this case.

Remember we are talking about initially creating something that exists only for you on your own hard drive.

So it's not like learning to drive a car, or how to use a chainsaw, or when's a good time to put the cork back in the bottle.

What I'm trying to say is you can't really go wrong, and you could spend more time trying to go right than actually getting on with it.

Having said all of that, I do think you need to be clear on your story first. If you're clear on that then what the hell, just have a go at telling it. If you get it wrong (and you will) you'll be in a better position to see why and what to different.

Worked for me.