JRPG Monster Catcher Tutorials?

Questions
#1

I might be looking to learn how to design a game like Pokemon using this engine. I might like the Pokemon games, and I might want to make a game like an older Pokemon game, with a story, quest, mosters that can be caught , used as battlers, and stored.

I have a few questions, though.

How would I make the map and set the character movements? I know there’s a sample RPG map included, but how was it created?

How would I create a random encounter, battle, and storage system?

Could I make the map bigger so that the character travels over several worlds?
…
I have RPG Maker XP and a copy of Pokemon Essentials, but this might help me learn more about coding and allow me more flexibility than RPG Maker.

#2

Welcome! I’ve always wanted to make something Pokemon-like myself but never have.

A good place to start is to try and dissect the example. Go through the code and try to understand what is happening and how it’s structured. It will feel overwhelming no doubt, but that’s normal and not something to worry about. Start changing some variables and see how it affects the function of the sample.

All of these things are relatively trivial and there are loads of ways to achieve them. That is not to say that it will be easy for a beginner or that it won’t take lots of practice and trial and error. What way you choose depends on your specific situation, personal preference, etc. Use the Defold manuals and the Programming in Lua resource, which is free. Read up on concepts like tables, which will be crucial for your storage system, and math.random() which will be the starting point for generating random encounters.

Of course. Either you will make your own map system, or you will build off the sample you mentioned.

If you are brand new to this, then I strongly recommend parking your dream Pokemon game until you have acquired some skills. The way I learn best is to make things, so I would personally suggest that you make tiny games to develop your skills, for instance by cloning classics like Pong or Asteroids.

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#3

Are there any video tutorials available?

#4

Sure. Here are some generic Defold tutorials and luckily for you, there’s a tutorial on how to make a Pokemon clone in LÖVE2D (I say luckily because LÖVE2D uses Lua as well, so while it’s not the same engine as Defold, you should be able to learn lots about Lua).

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#5

Thank you.

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#6

You can check out @sicher’s video tutorial of war battles - it’s a beginner’s tutorial (top-down view game from scratch): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXsXu5srjNlz1HvCPytEVZggLqWBoF1pz

You can definitely check his RPG map example: https://github.com/sicher/defold-rpgmap :wink:

#7

@Alex_8BitSkull Thanks for the link to my game ! :slight_smile:

First, you have to understand the Engine. Its basic concepts. You use collections to structure game objects with different components. You then use Factories for game object creation and collection proxies or collection factories to instance collections. If you have no idea on how to use them, then it is the first thing you have to learn.

For the random encounters, you could use a counter for each step you make that reaches a specific value then triggers the combat.

For the map, the easiest way is to use a tilemap and a tileset.

Battle ? A collection loaded from a collection factory may be your way to go. Or a collection factory but then you’ll have to save the previous map collection and restore its state after battle. That would be harder for you but better resources wise.

Let’s recap what you need to do:

  1. Learn the basics of Lua. Basic types. Instructions. Functions. Tables…
  2. Read the documentation and test the examples. Get a clear view of Defold’s basic principles.
  3. Try to make small game prototypes and test projects for experimenting with features of Defold.
  4. Make (don’t try but finish it) a complete small game that you’ll polish to the max of your abilities.
  5. Ask for help and dig into the documentation and API.

This will need efforts but if you stick with it, it will be very rewarding.
Good luck.

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