The urge to code a game has returned :) What I want to make is something Final Fantasy like. However I am very much in doubt which engine to use, I have though of using the Halflife 2 SDK (since I have HL2), but have feeling it is not good for this kind of game. Any advise? Am I better off coding my own? I should mention that I would like to be able of using modern day graphics not 2D or for that sake Quake level graphics. If I am going to code my own engine, I am wondering if XNA would be good choice. It would be cool to be able of deploying the game on Xbox 360 (I am aware that it is not possible with the express edition). Since I am not a story writing / graphics / audio dude (think coder), I am going to see if I can find some help (and possibly more coders) when I have more of an idea as to what the plans are. To begin with I will try to get a feeling of how modeling works using Blender, think it is a good idea to have the basic understanding.

Quote:Original post by Principher

If I am going to code my own engine, I am wondering if XNA would be good choice. It would be cool to be able of deploying the game on Xbox 360 (I am aware that it is not possible with the express edition).

It is possible with express edition. In fact that's the only edition available right now. You have to pay 99 dollars for creator's club, which is what allows you to deploy to the 360 and is available on the marketplace.

Quote:Original post by WinKs

It is possible with express edition. In fact that's the only edition available right now. You have to pay 99 dollars for creator's club, which is what allows you to deploy to the 360 and is available on the marketplace.

Sorry about being ambiguous, what I meant was, that it is not possible to make the game available on the net / on CD, without expecting the user to hook his Xbox up to a computer in order to upload the game. At least that is how I read the FAQ...

I wouldn't say that the source engine wouldn't be good for that type of game. it may have been designed for first person shooters but its definitely robust enough for rpgs. it will of course take some work but writing your own engine will be a hell of alot more work not to mention that if you use the source engine you can work on content and game logic rather then debugging massive amounts of framework code.

It depends upon your skill level. I recently learned Flash's actionscript scripting language and decided I wanted to make a Final Fantasy type game (probably because I've been replaying the original Final Fantasy (the best, IMHO. My team is at level 30, I have the best everything (except the masamune), have all my spell slots filled, and only have to enter the temple of fiends for the final battle. The game is awesome)

First thing I did was make a tile editor. Then I made a cel-animation editor that scripts animations based on a sprite sheet. Then I made a NPC editor that uses the animation editor and allows branching dialogues with respones. Then I added the ability to set a path that NPC moves on, with pauses, and added that to the tile editor so I can put people on the map. Now I'm working on the battle system (arguably the most important aspect).

So, basically, it's really the tools you develop that matter. I'd suggest taking it one notch at a time, and just bang out editors until you have enough to actually start scripting a game with. (and I don't really recommend doing it in Flash, since the power-limitations are crippling and the debugging capabilities are moronic)