Dev Log 2: No MAPS?

Less than 10 days to get everything ready for the IGMC 2022 so it's been a bit of a hectic scramble to get the game to a mirror-like polish and to ensure the game doesn't break when testing (can't risk it bombing before the 10-min mark, hehe). But I do want to talk about one thing.

For those of you who are familiar with my previous games, you will notice one major thing that's missing.

MAPS.

Yeah, for the first time in my 13 years as an RM hobbyist, I am actually making a game that has no maps created in the editor. Because this is my first time using RPGMaker MZ, I wanted to do something a little different with the engine. Also, my design philosophy is heavily inspired by the current mobile games coming out of China and Japan (without the predatory monetization) so Guilty Red uses a node-based exploration system with a focus on crafting (don't worry, the grind isn't nasty :p) and battles. If I could describe my future vision for Guilty Red, it's like Arknights and Granblue Fantasy hooked up and had a baby (look them up, they're incredible mobile titles :3)

 I've always wanted to use animated battlers with a cool UI but I couldn't do this with the previous makers (both Ace and MV required Luna Engine for customisation) so when  I saw MZ could do both, I went HELL YES >:D I've been enamoured with animated battlers since I played Phantasy Star IV way back in 2001 on an emulator.

I also designed the game with smart devices in mind. The traditional top-down approach for level design can make it a bit tricky to navigate, especially on a small screen (or for players with chonky fingers). My dream is to have mobile ports of all my future titles using the current game design approach. Which obviously includes GR.

Does that mean an end to my mapping? Probably not xD I'll still be doing small projects in MZ after the IGMC ends.

Until next time!