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Kirbopher
Animation Artist, creator of over 100 pieces of Flash animation on and offline. Graduate of the School of Visual Arts, Class of 2011.

Chris Niosi @Kirbopher

Age 35, Male

Animation Artist

School of Visual Arts

New York

Joined on 7/21/04

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What do you want to see out of a TOME game?

Posted by Kirbopher - March 21st, 2013


Got more of a particular question for you all, this time around.

TOME stuff! Episode 07 is about halfway done now. We've also got some completed scripts for a new short, as well as some upcoming Episodes as well. My goal is to finish up to Episode 10 within the end of this year. That said, onto the question...

What exactly would you like to see, if a game was made based on the world of TOME?

Now, what I mean by this is probably not what you're thinking. The most common comment I've received about people who really enjoy the show is that they wish TOME itself were a real game. Honestly; making an MMORPG/Social Networking game is NOT something I'm passionate about doing. However, I've wanted to make a game based on the -concept- of TOME since its earliest incarnation, all the way back in 2004. Even when I was conceptualizing this remake of the series only a few years ago, I originally wanted to do it as an updatable game, with each "Episode" of the show you're watching now being represented by a few levels and a couple boss fights. When I eventually realized it was more that I was trying to tell a story over trying to make a fun game, I scrapped the idea and just went with making a show instead.

So now, here we are, about a year and a half since TOME's first episode premiered. In the time I've been working since graduation, I've had the honor of being part of several video games like Skullgirls, Crisis Heart Brawlers and now Cryamore. Seeing how these large-scale projects all come together has been a great experience...and it's one that's made me become interested in wanting to REALLY try and create a TOME game. However, because the series as it stands right now is still very niche, I want to play this very carefully. I ask you, the audience, what you would like to see out of it?

To start with, I'm assuming people would still want to see/play with the characters from the show. However, another thing that ties into peoples' reasoning for wishing that TOME itself was a real virtual reality game, is that they want the ability to create their own characters. That by itself would probably be too ambitious of an undertaking, but would you be satisfied with just Alpha and the gang, or would you want there to be a customizable character to do with what you please and make your own experience? Further, what genre do you think would be the most appealing based on the concept? I've asked many friends and colleagues; the most general answer I've received overall is a side-scroller with RPG elements. Maybe something along the lines of the "Tales of" games, where the game it set up like an RPG, but Battle is done in real-time and your attacks are mapped to buttons and directions like Smash Brothers.

I have a lot of my own ideas, but I want to know what you guys and gals all think; not because I'm struggling for what to do, but because I want to do what YOU guys would be interested in and would want to have out of a game.

Leave a comment here, or on this post on the Official TOME Facebook page and share with me your thoughts!


Comments

Make it a 2d fighting game!

Truly customizable characters.
There's lots of games that brag about being able to give you tons of option to make your character unique.
Most of them lie.
I want to make a character that looks like one of my oc's not the other way around.
I want to be able to have a joker looking character with telekinetic powers, God Damn it DC online, I don't want my character to look like Iron man!!!!!!!
..... Oh right, TOME. Well, yes I have seen 2D sidescrolling MMOROGs become crushing sucesses.
I susbcribed to one of them recently and I have been playing it for free for the last four years only ocasionaly buying some game cash now and then for like two or three bucks each time.
With my cellphone.

SECOND THING I would like to see in a TOME MMORPG: being able to buy shit with my cellphone.
It's the only way I buy things online.

Third:
Customizable classes.
Just because I chose a tank type that doesn't mean I don't want to invest a bit on my dex and less on my strength.

I wouldn't be developing an MMORPG-style game, please re-read the last part of the blog post for more details.

Gotta say if there was a TOME game similar to Tales of Series i'd probably scream like a little girl it would be so awesome!

Kirbopher i honestly do want the game of Tome to come out but it has to be on a good time :)

Also forgot to add i much perfer just Alpha and co. as having a create able character makes stories worst generally

I think a side scrolling episodic action game with RPG elements is a very reasonable though still difficult undertaking. As for character options and battle systems, I think it should be based more off of the narrative YOU want to tell. "forcing" us to use the Tome characters will allow you to give a more narrow focus on the story surrounding those specific characters. Allowing us to create a character on the other hand may cause some difficulties.

Consider these two possibilities if we were allowed to create our own characters.
1. The story follows the main characters of Tome, but your character is someone that gets involved in the story. The narrative, while placing importance on you, will still be mainly based off of the story of thecharacters of Tome rather than yours giving your character a more "shallow" type of role.

2. The story follows YOUR character in YOUR OWN original story. Sure the story may be the same for you and everyone else that plays the game, but you feel like you are making some sort of difference without being overshadowed by the protagonists of Tome. This in my opinion takes ALOT more work to do well.

I don't think anyone that understands what it actually takes to make a legit professional level game these days actually expects a MMO representing Tome given the show's current audience. That said, I think if you do pursue this idea of making a game in the near future, your next post should contain a lot more details designed to accurately reveals the scope of what you want to do.

While I Love the show, its characters and the work that you and your team are putting into making it a high quality work, I don't think the show itself currently has the audience size to garner massiv eamounts of funds via Crowdfunding. Tome is currently no where near popular as lets say Homestuck or Doctor Mcninja, or Cyanide and Happiness. Yea I know these are all examples based off of short animated shorts and webcomics, but I am just concerned that you may potentially be jumping the gun.

But yea, these were my thoughts. Thank you for reading

-Shiftshaper

Thanks for the great feedback!

-Regarding your point about the possible customizable character, I have absolutely thought of all the things you've suggested. As I alluded to in the post, it would only be under the circumstances of there being a high demand for it; based on the idea of people wanting to make their own personal experience out TOME's world, as opposed to JUST following the adventures of our heroes.
-An MMO is humanly possible, but as I also mentioned, it's honestly not a project I would pursue doing myself.
-I agree that the show has not reached the audience size necessary for crowd-funding, hence why I am biding my time and am aiming to finish 10 full episodes of the series before thinking of doing anything like a kickstarter or an indiegogo.

i would love a megaman battle network type game with alpha and company just because it looks like you took your grid idea from that game and those games are loads of fun

Yeah I would never ask you to make an MMO. That's really hard! Like really, really hard! There's balancing, more balancing, features, bugs server costs. it's a really stressful type of game to make. And seeing how your animations emphasizes PvP, I don't think it would have a huge audience in the US sadly.

I think if people want to make their own TOME characters that should be more like a flash game kind of thing.

I'd be satisfied, just playing Alpha and company. I don't think the main character has to be customized. Maybe you could let people choose Alpha's name like in Persona and Zelda games, but that's about it.

But if you do make a game. I like DotHack's hack 'n slash type of gameplay, where you have a party of characters that help you. That would be cool.

A side scroller would work too. Like Odin Sphere, where you move to different maps, and encounter different enemies.The Tales of games (Like Tales of Symphonia, Abyss, etc) have a cool side scrolling battle system also, but at the same time it has a 3D over world that you can explore. That'd be fun.

I hope you're planning to do this after TOME finishes an arc at least though so that you have a lot of story prepared for it.

A lot of people have recommended I check out Odin Sphere, I'll have to give it a go! Also I agree, I wouldn't want to mess with this until a full arc for TOME was completed first.

it would be cool if it was kinda smashbros sidescroller :P

i think an MMO RPG will fir perfectly

oh god dammit!! sorry about the multi post...

No problem!

TTA style grid fighting is a must! wouldn't be the TOME without it.

An side-scrolling RPG sounds good. I'd like to see the feature of a world view when moving along dungeons/areas in a Super Mario World style.
Also about the character topic I'd prefer playing with characters from the show because implementing a Character creation feature would take more time to develop.

If you end up implementing character creation how about using it for a battle arena system (the only RPG elements being the items/skills/equipment to modify your character's attributes/appeareance, like some sort of mix between smash bros. and league of legends that'd be awesome too :D)

Customizable characters, choosing different body parts, colors, powers and having it be like a "Stamina Mode" Super Smash Brothers game. I think it's simplistic enough to a degree. And have a story mode that fits within the realm of TOME, but separate from Alpha and the gang. Maybe do some tie-ins-- but keep a certain degree of individualism from your serial treatment.

Like... a 1 on 1 fighting game like Mortal Kombat, but with a healthy RPG in the middle to boost fighting stats. Much of TOME is centered around the people, but almost ignore the game they're in... I'd like to see the game! The RPG element can sum up the previous TOME episodes, then sidetrack to something new.

What's the point if it's not gonna be the MMO game of the future?

I'd personally be less focused with the RPG part of things and more or less the battle system and fighting on the grid. Customization is still kinda one of the key things about the game, I'm not sure how you would incorporate the moves to the character but maybe you could go with move sets like Soul Caliber where you can just add in the moves after making characters, might make it simpler anyways. I know MMO would be asking for too much but it'd be great if there was still some sort of online multiplayer instead of AIs. I dunno, I'm sure I'll play it regardless, but I thought I'd try throwing a few ideas out.

Old school RPG would work the best.
You could recycle almost eveything.
However you should make it like an episode/side quest.

THAT WOULD BE NEAT.

Newgrounds comment glitches. Gotta love 'em.

Well, if it can't be made into an rpg on a grand scale, maybe a fighter game would be kind of fun. Have main characters like Alpha and Kirb and some of the recurring characters like Granda and Rockoon, and make it a game where the player can choose who they want to fight with against others. I think it would be fun.

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