Why this?
I wanted an engine that is focused on turn-based combat.I am a big fan of turn-based RPGs. One of the favorite game series growing up, Final Fantasy, always stuck with me because of how simple and intuitive combat can be. It’s what got me into games and into game design.
There was just one problem.
There’s no easily accessible game engine that is dedicated to simulating combat.
One could argue that RPGMaker is tailor-made for this, but I’ve found that it’s mostly focused on the exploration aspect of RPGs, focusing on easier map-making rather than easier combat. I wanted a combat-focused game engine with stats, damage calculations, and turn ordering ready to go.
I wanted to make something I can use over and over again.Before Simulacrum, I have had a background making JRPGs in websites and one of my school projects, “Dream Arena”, was an earlier iteration of that idea. At the time, I made it so I can finish the project as early as possible and submit it, as most students do with their assignments.
The problem about this is that I didn’t have the insight to make it as a project that I can look back and build upon. I made them with the mindset that they are assignments to be passed, not as projects that can be continued.
I wanted to build Simulacrum as an ongoing project that can be built upon as well as something that can be referred to to build something else.
I wanted to blend the feeling of playing a game with making a game.When one thinks of game engines, one may think of Unity or RPGMaker. These are powerful engines, yes, but with that power comes with it a huge amount of complexity.
I’ve come to understand that systems that look daunting off the bat are not unnavigable, and a lot of exposed screws and buttons means its developers can customize whatever they want. There’s power in navigating complexity.
But there are people that like playing games and want to delve into them, but find the complexity of the user interface impenetrable. It can discourage them from getting into game design in general.
I wanted to make the approach more “enthusiast-friendly”, by mixing the aesthetics of the game with the user interface to make it look more familiar and be more intuitive.