How does it happen?

[Fortet]

A question for you Charasians:
How do you begin development on a game? What's your inspiration?

For me, it always starts with characters. Any random day, I'll get a good idea for a character concept, and I'll draw him/her out, followed by some sort of description or biography that I jot down. The names always come last. It may sound weird, but I don't name the characters - they sort of name themselves. Something just pops out and fits. I don't mean to sound noobish or stupid by this, but it's true.
After that, I'll begin to build a story around this character - what is his/her world like? What's troubling him/her? Who are the friends of this person? What are some current events in his/her world? After that, I make more concept art of various things (mostly character art).
From here, I map out what systems I would like to develop for the game. Strangely, this was the first step for my current project. I'll draw mock-ups of the systems and proceed to recreate them in RPG Maker. After that, I sprite the characters and everything else I need (or I use Mac & Blue >_>).
After that point, I usually lose inspiration and abandon the project

Anyways, explnplz

[drenrin2120]

That seems like a pretty solid way of going about things. My way is so *** backwards. I get a name and an age, and maybe a short biography. My character development is very poor. Then again, I haven't started a new project in 4 years. So, for me, my process has been to jot down some crap and ask questions later. Revision has been my best friend.

[Tina Branford]

Some people just have a certain creative spark that lets them imagine characters and worlds in a moment. Unfortunately, I don't, so I just plagiarize my characters and storylines from other games. <_<

I generally start my games with a rough idea of the beginning, middle and end, then make the in-between parts up as I go along. I might have some ideas for the characters, but generally they end up vastly different than what I planned.

[Prpl_Mage]

I get out the intro of the game first. Based on the thought or something that made me start it.
I have the beginning in my head, I have the main events in the game and the semi-ending then it's just to start on the game.
I plan out any systems I may want. Cooking, herb gathering, hunting ect. It doesn't really plan a huge part in the game but it's more like "What kind of small fun would fit into this world and what would the player get from it?"
As far as the story go I remember to leave a lot of loose ends after me. So if I don't like where the game is going later - I can simply slip into one of the unresolved problems or such. (Also it keeps some enigma in the game so everything isn't explained for the player right away)

Then I just make the rest as I go.

The characters are usually more in my mind than on an actual paper, I just think up the main three.
1. Why in god's name is he doing this?
2. What does he have, what can he gain, what can he lose?
3. Why did he decide to join up with the party?
It's the basic - personality and such comes as I go.

Resources is something I make when I need them. I need a charset, I make a charset. I need a background - I make a background.
I've realized that making the resources first or before the next part doesn't work. Too much Paint-work in a row(lose interest) and then too much programing and mapmaking.

And then it's ""done"".

[fruckert]

Idea's for me come randomly.

The idea for Splinter came to me when I was camping one day, and thought of a person who was able to shape reality itself.
Over time I doodled and these formed the basis for the world of Splinter.

Myrdia came to me when I was going through the official tutorial for Neverwinter Nights modding >_>.
I was thinking "This story's boring..." and just started making **** up. Desther was the town in the official tutorial mod, I just gave it a name and personality. The Steampunk aspect came later, when I started wanting guns in the mod. And then I made up the White Knights and the official story came.

Kyoob came to me when Lucas sent me a stick figure and I was bored so I started making a game with it.
I thought that the stick figure sucked so I drew a square smiley face and started working on a platformer with only squares.

Basically, these ideas pop right the **** out of nowhere, and I just start rolling with it.

EDIT: Here, have a quote mutilation.

[...] I [...] came.

[Drace]

1) An idea
2) Work a story on given idea
3) Create characters for story
4) Add gameplay
5) Graphics
6) Music

That's my tactic. Though I haven't been very active with game making the last few years.

[Uberpwn_w00t]

Oh, man! I have all these crazy ideas! I'll create universes in my head, and stories, and characters with feelings and emotions, and plots, and sub-plots! I have ideas for all these wacky systems and original gameplay dynamics!

And, well, it stops there. All my games are in my head. :C

[Fisherson]

Some people just have a certain creative spark that lets them imagine characters and worlds in a moment.

That'd be me. The other metheod I use is I take idea from sources I've seen beffore and hammer them into my own ideas. Just look at the roster for Warped. Half my characters are made based on pepole from this site.

[Legacy of Elecrusher]

Some people just have a certain creative spark that lets them imagine characters and worlds in a moment.

I have this as a curse. D:

I get ideas too much to actually finish a project.

[A Forgotten Legend]

I usually make an intro.

Then from the intro characters, make up the characters for the game.

Then I randomly start composing music for it.

Then I create a mini book with all the maps I'm going to make for the game. (Thats how AFL worked anyway, Tears is a bit different)

Then I get to work.


Oh.  And it has to be 4 in the morning for me to get anything done.

[HackersTotalMassLaser]

Ideas ideas iddeas.

Then locations and more locations.

Then story correlations.

Get rid of some locations.

Write more story.

Start making characters (Bios)

Finish story. But it's not "official"

Start on the actual game. Get resources first.
Foreverything I will use.

Design or decide on characters, enemies, chipsets
the like.

Start mapping the first THREE MAPS, that includes an introductory one.

Do the rest.

Then get lazy.

[Legacy of Elecrusher]

I start with a weapon.
Then I make a personality based on that weapon.
Then a person to match that personality.
Then at least two people that he'd get along with.
Then a place.
Then a story for that place.
Then a backstory for the world in general.
More places.
Important people in those places.
Story for the game.

Then I just sort of go from there. Strange process, yes?

[Red Giant]

wake up

'ave a shhttp://it

make a game

[Fortet]

wake up

'ave a shhttp://it

make a game

win

[Cerebus]

A question for you Charasians:
How do you begin development on a game? What's your inspiration?

For me, it always starts with characters. Any random day, I'll get a good idea for a character concept, and I'll draw him/her out, followed by some sort of description or biography that I jot down. The names always come last. It may sound weird, but I don't name the characters - they sort of name themselves. Something just pops out and fits. I don't mean to sound noobish or stupid by this, but it's true.
After that, I'll begin to build a story around this character - what is his/her world like? What's troubling him/her? Who are the friends of this person? What are some current events in his/her world? After that, I make more concept art of various things (mostly character art).
From here, I map out what systems I would like to develop for the game. Strangely, this was the first step for my current project. I'll draw mock-ups of the systems and proceed to recreate them in RPG Maker. After that, I sprite the characters and everything else I need (or I use Mac & Blue >_>).
After that point, I usually lose inspiration and abandon the project

Anyways, explnplz

It's pretty much the same for me, except that I do name the character.
Although I usually don't sprite anything too, because I lose inspiration and/or feel lazy after thinking about all that needs to be done.