PLEASE START US OFF BY INTRODUCING YOURSELF:
My name is Brent, I'm a 41 year old JRPG fan and game dev hobbyist, who also has a fulltime job
TELL US ABOUT TRIALS OF CASCADIA.
When I first played Final Fantasy 4 in the 90's (my first true introduction to fantasy), I was so existentially blown away that I came up with my own story and characters in my head. Cecil going from Dark Knight to Paladin was the coolest thing I had ever seen, so I immediately fell in love with the idea of the Paladin and the hero's journey. May have drawn some rudimentary art or comics at some point. I thought about Isaac, Orman, and Aiya's story for almost 30 years. Finally at a certain point I was challenged by an old acquaintance who had suddenly reappeared in my life, to do an RPG Maker game.
Probably a bad suggestion in hindsight as I tend to be a perfectionist. Anyways, the game is about a young Paladin, Isaac, and his less holy-inclined friend and mentor, Orman, who embark on a inagural journey to deliver a package, but end up getting involved with an enigmatic magic-wielding elf woman who puts them on a course to see the world from another perspective. There will be at least seven total playable characters, each with personal subclasses, dual techs, ultimate attacks, and other perks. I also wanted to hide secrets around every corner, and reward persistent exploration and a keen eye with unique scenarios you wouldn't see if you just rushed through, and to also add some high weirdness/horror elements to what would typically be a fantasy JRPG.
So far development has taken over 3 years and 7000 hours, as I continue to flesh out the massive world and story. I work on the game when I get home from my day job, and weekends after I take care of real life stuff. It's tiring, but I'm on a mission and push myself to do at least one thing on the game a day, even if it's just a few lines of dialogue. Each piece a progress is an inch towards the light at the end of the long tunnel.
WHICH GAME ENGINE DID YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
I started off just kind of poking around with RPG Maker MZ, not really knowing how to do what I wanted.. but at this point I am able to get as far as making my own plugins and javascript snippets, with only a few things requiring an outside programmer. I think my best teacher was, having an idea for a feature that I wanted or saw elsewhere, and then educating myself on how to implement those one at a time. I'm terrible with watching videos or reading to learn, so in order for it to get wired into my brain I have to understand it by putting it into practice. Would I use Unity or Godot for my next game? Well, there probably won't be a next game, as I am putting all of my efforts and ideas into this game. I think I can achieve what I want to with this engine.
WHAT'S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENT HURDLE SO FAR?
I'd say that the biggest hurdle has just been, time. Most of my time has been taken up by work, 730am to 5pm, and it eats up most of my physical and mental energy. By the time I get home and slump down in my computer chair I am frazzled and it's hard for me to get out of the headspace of problem solving and multitasking, and into the space of being creative and finding something that I am in the mood to work on. Sometimes I wish I could do a Kickstarter for 100k and focus solely on game development, but at the same time it's nice to have a guaranteed source of income to pay your bills, and to pay from my own bank account for assets without having to crowdsource (yes, I've spent thousands on assets).
I'm not one that likes to take big risks, and I think overall my life has been better for it. I also love my game, but I am realistic about the prospects of having a multi-thousand dollar Kickstarter for a something that is considered to be low budget or part of a niche genre. I also don't like asking for help, but I have been fortunate to find an artist that has been consistent over the last three years doing art for my game, and it wouldn't be what it is without his talent and reliability.
ADVICE FOR FELLOW DEVS?
Don't let other people tell you what you can and cannot do. Don't let people tell you that you can't make that dream RPG that you have always wanted to make. Just know that it's gonna take a long time, a lot of commitment and a lot of learning. It's going to be the hardest thing you've ever done in your life, but the learning will be fun, it will be enriching, and you won't ever look at playing games the same again when you can make your own. The people in your life may not believe in you or think you're wasting your time, the people online may criticize and try to tell you that they know better, but the best games were made using instinct and determination, not just by following best practices or trends. Work on something that you are inspired by and you can drive yourself to finish, build your cathedral brick by brick and try to ignore that doubt from yourself and others that has destroyed the motivation and forward momentum of so many hopeful developers.
ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?
Never give up, never surrender! Your dream is worthwhile.
- Brent 🍎
