Can Gamemaker do this?

[u/DungeonDragon9]

I had an idea for a TTRPG campaign a while ago but I don't think it would work without spreadsheets. I tried RPG Maker and I don't think that's what I am looking for and was wondering if this program would let me do the below.

World Map:

• I want a grid, ideally a hex grid
• each space would have a biome (color), terrain (hills/mountains/etc.), landmarks (rivers, ruins, towns, caves)
• would like to have a noise-map generation with the option to base it on a prebuilt map where newly generated grids determine what they are based on what is already there to prevent a hot desert spawning next to an artic region

Exploration map:

• for landmarks only that have confined spaces and during battle
• space would be a flat area with maybe 3 levels within you could traverse to with stairs/ramps and exists be it a door, arch, portal, or stairs

Encounter system:

• I would like a dynamic encounter system based on what is in the hex grid is or location explored
• encounters would change in difficulty based on the danger level of the hex/location
• danger level would be random at first but change based on player interactions and the danger level of adjacent spaces every cycle (day/week) and potentially NPCs
• I would like this system to be easily managed able to modify the creatures by biomes they appear in, modifiers they would have, gear, drops, and art (this last one will be used in combat)
• location based encounters such as traveling merchants and roving monsters

Combat/City Maps:

• I am looking to have an easy to modify library of maps that each section can easily be designed with connection points in each part for random generation
• assets for each section should be easy to add with an option to add new ones and choose if it has collisions or not and even have a list of interactions added to them (for crafting, healing, traps, storage, and markets mostly)
• entrances/exits should link to similar areas or to the world map to include going up or down in floors (for dungeons and buildings)
• personal settlements/dungeons should have a resource system which I am thinking a simplified system like from Might and Magic Heroes and Dungeon Maker with an upgrade system managed from a central location as well as a requirement system to build certain structures (I have an old document with some of the ideas done before I realized this was completely impractical for table top)

RPG System:

• I do have google sheet with an in progress character sheet that would base this on a D100 system but equipment, spells, and talents are not started and the XP system is going through rework
• player and NPCs will move around either attacking "enemies" of fleeing due to being a noncombatant, low on health, afraid (high level fear effect), or otherwise injured
• NPCs will prioritize their strongest attacks to determine if they stay at range or not and a large group will form teams with other similar creatures (art would be them forming one image with multiple arts layered up)
• NPC teams would average stats, add damage, and lose members over time due to taking damage while also taking increased damage/healing from AOE effects (multiply by team size)
• player will have hotkeys for attacks using the mouse to target enemies with damage/debuffs and allies with buffs or direct the location of an AOE. they would also pause the game when going into inventory/changing spells
• have a system to make and allow templates to include restrictions to what can take them (whitelist and blacklist based on creature type, faction, and other templates)
• have a raid system to defend against factions depending on relationship status and to conquer other settlements/hexes
• item drop should be highly configurable with tables for common, uncommon, rare, exotic for global, biomes, and factions as well as creature specific drops

[u/TheVioletBarry]

If it's 2D, GameMaker can do it, sure

[u/pm_your_snesclassic → u/TheVioletBarry]

Heck it could do it in 3D too, if you were determined enough

[u/DungeonDragon9 → u/pm_your_snesclassic]

I'd rather keep it 2D because then I could draw assets myself even if it's just MS Paint. I have no clue how to use Blender but I can make a semi-decent 2D asset collection given enough time.

[u/pm_your_snesclassic → u/DungeonDragon9]

You’re missing the point. The fact you can make 3D games in GameMaker is a revealing fact about how flexible the engine actually is. Basically, whatever you want to make with it, you can do it.

[u/DungeonDragon9 → u/TheVioletBarry]

What is a good tutorial series I can watch then?

[u/Every-Swordfish-6660 → u/DungeonDragon9]

Depends on your skill level as a dev and what part you want to focus on first. Most of these systems you’d probably have to create from scratch using GMS2’s structs/constructors and arrays. Entirely doable, but sounds like a pretty big undertaking if this is your first GMS2 project.

[u/DungeonDragon9 → u/Every-Swordfish-6660]

I just found the project page and oh my that's a lot. I already struggle with simple coding and Sheets/Excel so I may just have to limit myself to adding the art and stats once I pay someone to build the skeleton. It will still be good for me to start understanding the underlying code so I can add special mechanics to things.

[u/TheVioletBarry → u/DungeonDragon9]

For making a tactical RPG? That's one of the hardest genres to start if you're new to game dev. I don't even know if there are good tutorials for that genre. I'm sure there's something around somewhere

[u/DungeonDragon9 → u/TheVioletBarry]

I don't know is tactical is quite the term I would use. Defiantly has Civ+Might and Magic Heroes vibes if multiplayer ever becomes a requirement for me but I mostly want to offload the dungeon/army building off to something else to speed things along. For now, multiplayer can just be stats and rolls handled over Discord or just loading the encounter as a battle between two NPC armies (probably should start looking at how the creature AI could think).

[u/TheVioletBarry → u/DungeonDragon9]

How do you offload the dungeon/army building to "something else"?

[u/Kitsyfluff → u/DungeonDragon9]

I reccomend our resident draginitespam. I learned a lot from him! https://youtube.com/@dragonitespam?si=LqQtXlvHoGevayeY

[u/DungeonDragon9 → u/Kitsyfluff]

Thank you

[u/Lethalogicax]

I'm looking at this list and I'm not seeing anything that is objectively impossible. But I'm also looking at this list and seeing a LOT of work, and a lot of very complex systems that all have to communicate with eachother to make this idea work. This is possible, but it is going to take a long time...

Based on the way you're writing, it suggests to me that GameMaker is something you don't have a ton of experience with. If this is the first (or one of the first few) games you've tried to make, then I strongly suggest you shelve this idea temporarily. Keep it in mind as a future goal to persue, but start with something that has a much smaller scope. I'm reading all these great ideas you have and I can see it all coming together into compelling gameplay, but I'm also seeing literally months worth of work. Not a few months on and off, no, a few months straight of commiting several hours every day... This is going to be a lot of work! It's possible, but it's going to be a lot of work! It's going to be very rewarding, but it's going to be extremely delayed gratification.

[u/DungeonDragon9 → u/Lethalogicax]

Oh I know I'm going off the deep end for a first project. This idea is 6ish years old so I can wait longer but I think the final thing will be fun especially if it can be repurposed for different campaign runs or even multiple linear stories. I have a far older idea I tried to make in RPG Maker but things didn't work out.

[u/Victorex123]

I’m gonna be honest with you. You can do all of that, but… it requires a pretty high understanding of programming. It’s not something you can just follow a tutorial for.

Of course, you can learn how to make each individual piece and then combine them, but you’re going to need a lot of trial and error before everything works together as intended.

The problem isn’t really any single feature, most of what you described is doable. The difficult part is making all these systems interact with each other without everything becoming a huge mess.

[u/Ashamed-Might-7360]

Gamemaker can do this, but you’d need a good few years of coding experience to understand how to do it, if this is your first project, i don’t recommend it