<2022-08-18T23:44:10.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Question: You are also working on an RPG, right? Is it a tabletop or a vidjya? If the latter, how do you guys format your branching conversations and storylines? 
<2022-08-18T23:44:24.000Z> EmpressElect: Vidya.
<2022-08-18T23:45:39.000Z> EmpressElect: The hubby is the story guy. He's got it all formatted on a website.
<2022-08-18T23:46:29.000Z> EmpressElect: We're doing  wider strokes story wise for now. getting things playable how we like it where we can just plug and play the dialogue/quests before getting the conversations exactly mapped out.
<2022-08-18T23:47:51.000Z> EmpressElect: But we are mapping out character choices
<2022-08-19T00:25:18.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: I would like to talk more with you about this when I have some time (at work ATM), if that's ok with you? Cuz we are at the same stage writing wise. A link to the site would be good, if possible.
<2022-08-19T00:30:29.000Z> EmpressElect: I'll get it from him when he gets back home and comfortable.
<2022-08-19T01:12:00.000Z> EmpressElect: twinery.org/
<2022-08-19T01:12:05.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Thank you, Empress, I really appreciate it. Btw, sorry for just shooting you a DM and immediately jumping into this without so much as a "hey hey", I just knew I would forget if I didn't send a message at that moment and I am at work, too (lunch break now) so I tried to get to the point asap.
<2022-08-19T01:12:42.000Z> EmpressElect: Oh no, that's fine.
<2022-08-19T01:12:54.000Z> EmpressElect: Don't feel you need to small talk me if you need anything or want to ask.
<2022-08-19T01:13:01.000Z> EmpressElect: *want to ask something.
<2022-08-19T01:15:12.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: You're the best Empress. Thank you so much. One of these days, since we are literally doing the same thing, I would love to talk about each other's WRPG. My co-writer and I have gone full autism on this in terms of the writing/world building/character stuff. It legitimately makes me excited to see I ain't the only one in this whole thing working on this type of project.
<2022-08-19T01:17:37.000Z> EmpressElect: We're doing an actionish RPG. I'm mainly doing the systems stuff. We have a lot of tools to get this working, and we're making it based off of my Husband's D&D setting.
<2022-08-19T01:17:47.000Z> EmpressElect: One that me and a few friends helped colaborate on.
<2022-08-19T01:18:20.000Z> EmpressElect: But we're narrowing it down to a specific region and its conflict.
<2022-08-19T01:19:08.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Oh, nice. A fantasy setting! I hope you BTFO Bioware, cuz that's what we are shooting for, lol.
<2022-08-19T01:19:34.000Z> EmpressElect: We're just aiming to be a good indie game with a depth of choice and replay value.
<2022-08-19T01:19:56.000Z> EmpressElect: If it does well... We'll be making a multiplayer game based off of it.
<2022-08-19T01:20:03.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: It's funny, tho, cuz we are doing the same thing, but also the opposite. Ours is a sci-fi action and instead of one region, we kinda went overboard with the scale and now have to write out the entire galaxy.🤣😂
<2022-08-19T01:20:14.000Z> EmpressElect: Yep, I remember!
<2022-08-19T01:20:58.000Z> EmpressElect: The Southern Jewels - Rich lands torn asunder by dynastic and religious conflicts. A myriad of islands make naval dominance the only route to power and a never ending battle where it's just as hard holding your gains as it is making new ones. https://i.poastcdn.org/f0d8cfdb02256fb07900b066d5e163c79acc2b0b2d124146eee72d8b2b9775b6.png
<2022-08-19T01:23:05.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Aw, man, look at that, that looks great! I wish I could help out with this. 
<2022-08-19T01:23:43.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Also, I knew you were good with computers, but I didn't know you reached the level of being able to do game development...Or did I misunderstand when you said you're working on the systems.
<2022-08-19T01:23:52.000Z> EmpressElect: I made a few games before.
<2022-08-19T01:24:02.000Z> EmpressElect: Not as my job but as a hobby thing
<2022-08-19T01:24:44.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: I did not know that. Empress, you are like an onion. There's always more layers to you, lol. What games did you make? I'd like to try them one day.
<2022-08-19T01:25:55.000Z> EmpressElect: In jr high I fucked around with scripting on RPG maker made a wird Halo RPG thing... Made one with a rather intensive party system.... And then when I went to vocational school (our county had that option to go there for the last two years of high school instead of normal high school) I basically broke the shitty little game programming app we were supposed to use
<2022-08-19T01:26:14.000Z> EmpressElect: Because I was told "No cross system multiplayer, no save files possible"
<2022-08-19T01:26:35.000Z> EmpressElect: Found out it ran on Java, forked in some jython script, and got that shit running.
<2022-08-19T01:26:45.000Z> EmpressElect: haven't touched it much since then.
<2022-08-19T01:27:30.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Lol, that's amazing. So, these games ain't available for public consumption, then?
<2022-08-19T01:27:40.000Z> EmpressElect: Nope.
<2022-08-19T01:27:47.000Z> EmpressElect: Never developed anything I sold.
<2022-08-19T01:27:53.000Z> EmpressElect: And it's all lost due to the ages.
<2022-08-19T01:28:52.000Z> EmpressElect: Unless the family of one of my ex boyfriends (he passed when we were in high school) kept a few of the disks I gave him with the games.
<2022-08-19T01:28:57.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Btw, we heard from a guy who we later learned was an art thieve that doing things like pretenders and fixed cameras would help immensely with everything and that also, it would be fairly simple to program all the character interactions and such that we want to do and it is just a matter of writing. Is that true?
<2022-08-19T01:29:55.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Damn. Well, I will help in any way I can with your game if you need it. Just say the word.
<2022-08-19T01:30:05.000Z> EmpressElect: I'm not 100% sure what you are describing. (Pretenders?) But like for cutscenes, yeah you want fixed cameras.
<2022-08-19T01:30:28.000Z> EmpressElect: Mine is going to be a fixed camera angle, but then again it's 3d pretending to be 2.5d
<2022-08-19T01:30:57.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: *pre rendered backgrounds. Like in the old school survival horror games (Resident evil, Alone in the dark, etc.)
<2022-08-19T01:31:02.000Z> EmpressElect: Ahh
<2022-08-19T01:31:19.000Z> EmpressElect: Yeah, if you want to do a 3rd person thing with separate rooms, you can make it look good easy.
<2022-08-19T01:31:27.000Z> EmpressElect: If you have the right designer and artist.
<2022-08-19T01:31:37.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Shit, I gotta get back to work. If possible, I would love to talk about this with you more in the future.
<2022-08-19T01:31:37.000Z> EmpressElect: Look at how good Final Fantasy 7 STILL looks
<2022-08-19T01:31:43.000Z> EmpressElect: Yeah, I'll be around
<2022-08-19T01:52:29.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Indeed. So, you're saying my instinct is correct even with modern hardware and that doing pre-renders is a good way of maximizing computational power (idk anything about computers).
<2022-08-19T01:53:33.000Z> EmpressElect: Yeah, loading a single highdef image, is easier than rendering objects and forming it that way
<2022-08-19T01:53:52.000Z> EmpressElect: Especially when with each item in the background you'd need to texture those, so that's more images rendered.
<2022-08-19T01:54:26.000Z> EmpressElect: If you do the static artistic backgrounds with the RE/FF7 camera styles, than you can have a game that is better looking/.
<2022-08-19T01:56:05.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Which would mean, theoretically, that we could also have better character models, too? Would that also make programing A.I. behaviors easier, too and cut down on bugs, too?
<2022-08-19T01:56:46.000Z> EmpressElect: If you have fixed "rooms/cells" it makes AI easier to manage yes. And with the rendering resources freed up you could have better models.
<2022-08-19T01:57:49.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Nice. Cuz we have some pretty elaborate alien designs in mind.
<2022-08-19T01:58:04.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Fuck. Back to work.
<2022-08-19T01:58:12.000Z> EmpressElect: Have fun.
<2022-08-19T01:58:24.000Z> EmpressElect: We're just going sprite sheets, effectively.
<2022-08-19T01:58:49.000Z> EmpressElect: assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/sprite-management/spriteman-3d-47367
<2022-08-19T02:17:54.000Z> EmpressElect: It'll be like that, model wise. The environments will be 3d, but textured with pixel art.
<2022-08-19T03:49:46.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: See, this is what I mean by me being technologically retarded, cuz I didn't know you could texture 3D models with pixel art.
<2022-08-19T03:50:56.000Z> EmpressElect: Yeah, I was dreading having to do that by hand.
<2022-08-19T03:51:10.000Z> EmpressElect: But the Unity tool literally has you import the sprite sheet and it does the rest
<2022-08-19T04:01:00.000Z> EmpressElect: And funny enough
<2022-08-19T04:01:08.000Z> EmpressElect: Say we want to take a simple model and animate it?
<2022-08-19T04:01:17.000Z> EmpressElect: assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/sprite-management/magic-pixelator-70201
<2022-08-19T04:01:29.000Z> EmpressElect: Have a way to make it into a fucking pixel style sheet
<2022-08-19T04:47:15.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: So, my co-writer (I think you two met before) is asking if you could do a Q&A (his words) at some point so you can help us out with this? I sent the links you gave and he's been checking them out. Also, I would just like to hear more about what you are working on, too.
<2022-08-19T04:48:47.000Z> EmpressElect: I mean, shit is still being worked on, but I can talk to you about the main tools we're using.
<2022-08-19T06:19:51.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: I doubt some dunces like us could figure out how to use it, but if it's not a problem for you, it would be helpful if we could Q&A you a bit on our thing.
<2022-08-19T14:19:11.000Z> EmpressElect: Cool
<2022-09-18T02:35:32.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: docs.google.com/document/d/166tMm0g6ymPJqs30VBTImBdp3z2nnVQxrzbxw7R7Ht8/edit?usp=drivesdk first draft of the script. I would love your honest opinion on it. Keep in mind, it is just the first draft. I could use an honest critique.
<2022-09-18T02:39:22.000Z> EmpressElect: Sure thing, I'll take a peek come morning!
<2022-09-18T02:41:38.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Thank you, Empress. For real. My writing is, meh, okay. But I want this to be the best it can be.
<2022-09-18T02:52:20.000Z> EmpressElect: Fair warning, I am not a miracle worker https://i.poastcdn.org/cd40e41cbda97837d67ad12833760733397bb8e83f023816060c3672c7dfd608.gif
<2022-09-18T02:58:40.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Lol, thank you for that vote of confidence. 😂🤣
<2022-09-18T23:55:32.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Thoughts?
<2022-09-19T00:24:38.000Z> EmpressElect: Haven't had a chance yet, sorry
<2022-09-19T01:30:10.000Z> The_Vile_Delinquent: Alright.