Making games isn't easy, and starting up a dev log isn't easy either. Heck, I've put off writing this introductory post for over a month, because I was never quite sure how to go about starting it.
But putting things off forever means they will never get done, so even if it isn't the most gracious start, at least it has begun.
This development log will document my research and production processes as I work to create a classic NES JRPG, styled after games such as the original Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest titles. But, this leaves the question, how do I go about doing this? I could create one through modern game dev tools such as Unity or Unreal. I'm experienced in those, and it would make the process a lot easier, but it would also mean that the end product can't actually be played on a NES system. It would be a game emulating a NES JRPG, not truly being one itself. That left me with two options. I could either try and learn 6502 Assembly and build the game entirely from the ground up, or I could find a modern tool that would do some of that heavy lifting for me.
Enter NESmaker. While the tool itself is still being developed and updated, even as it stands I knew it would at least give me a working point to launch myself off of. But, as with every new tool, this means learning it and getting to know all its quirks and idiosyncrasies.
Thankfully, NESmaker comes with its own downloadable set of tutorial assets and a guide for how to learn to use the program. And while not perfect (it seems the guide itself and the assets provided do not perfectly match, as some of the instructions call for code segments that do not exist, or the code that does exist contains more code than shown in the instructions), with a little work and guessing, I was able to (mostly) get the tutorial game completed and functioning.
I say mostly because while the programming for other interactions with the crabs and projectiles worked, the crabs would be hit by, but not damaged by, the projectiles. Still, the tutorial did as it was supposed to: it walked me through the basic functions of the 'overworld', 'underworld', and 'HUD' map options, the different map screen dimensions, how to create sprites both in the tool and through editing pre-made sprites imported from elsewhere, assign code to button presses and provide restrictions for when/how that code will function. It also gave a (admittedly short) tutorial on writing custom code. Based on my current understanding, unfortunately I didn't manage to get myself out of learning 6502 Assembly, at least not fully. Still, this gives me tools and platforms to build off of, I don't need to start from scratch. And that, I think, makes it a great place to begin.
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