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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (Live Reactions & Discussion)

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A thread to discuss My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and the tie-in media.

All of the usual forum rules apply. In addition, please remember that the thread is discussing a kids' show, and it's primarily focused on the work itself, not the fanfic — in particular, we don't want to see lewdness creeping in.

     Original OP text 
I don't know WHAT the Hell happened (I blame shenanigans) but we're going to start from scratch. Post your feels for this awesome show again! Naow!

Edited by Mrph1 on Aug 26th 2024 at 10:24:26 AM

darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#61401: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:37:59 PM

Keep in mind, Pen started the original draft of Past sins, which is about as cliche a ponyfic as you can get. So everyone's gotta start somewhere.

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#61402: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:38:55 PM

Those aren't exactly skills that you can just pick up on the side. Not well enough to be useful in a large project anyway. And I really don't like the attitude that writing is. The barrier to entry is lower with writing, but it takes every bit as much dedication and practice to get good at as any of the more technical skills. I've spent most of my life picking apart why I like the things I do in stories, which details are the important ones, what makes things come off corny or generic and what hits people in the stomach, and it shows in both my writing and my editing. I do still have my weaknesses of course—especially in the area of letting a story grow out of control—but I've also analyzed those weaknesses, know where they are, and am able to address them. I know what I know, I know what I don't know, and all of that knowledge was hard won.

This sums up most of my attitude on the subject as well. Although for what it's worth, I'm not sure I'd really like to be a part of a big project like that either because you'd have the amateur equivalent of Executive Meddling. Unless the writer is heading the project, they're basically going to be at the whims of the people doing the other stuff.

As far as writing in video games goes, I think that the Portal games a good example of things where writing is instrumental in hitting the tone. If G La DOS hadn't been written as well as she had been, she could've easily been incredibly annoying rather than hilarious.

As for writing in general, the thing is that the learning curve is not smooth. Writing passably is easy. Going from "passable" to "good" is an enormous leap.

I probably could learn how to make music fairly easily, but I just don't have the time. It's not something you do on a whim. I'd rather hone the thing I have a natural skill for than try to pick up some other skill to have an off chance at being able to use it for something.

@Gwen: I'm on a work retreat at the beach, actually. It's still too cool to do any swimming or anything, but the hotel is really nice.

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MetaFour AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN from A Place (Old Master)
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
#61403: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:38:56 PM

@Marcen: Did you play the final story and End Of The World yet?

edited 28th Mar '14 3:39:29 PM by MetaFour

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#61404: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:39:55 PM

Then there's my own project ideas, that changeling stealth game, a pony/touhou game, three original game ideas, as well as two graphic novels that I'd like to get off the ground eventually.

See the thing is that everyone has tons of ideas.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#61405: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:45:18 PM

Yeah, it's actually making them into something good that's the hard part.

Coming up with an interesting premise is easy. Making a good story out of it is not.

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marcen12 Sigh from Under The Floorboards (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Sigh
#61406: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:46:34 PM

@Four Not yet. I'll tell you guys when I finish the whole dang game.

https://youtu.be/_1F5HhUvFbM?si=csgwerqELcG6615q
darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#61407: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:47:32 PM

Lesson: Never go to Story for a pick-me-up. tongue

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#61408: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:50:27 PM

I have dozens of ideas. The trouble is paring them down to the point where you can work on them. At the moment I only have like three that I'm actively planning to pursue, and one of them is on the back burner anyway.

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storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#61409: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:51:10 PM

Lesson: Never go to Story for a pick-me-up

The problem is that I used to be an ameteur game designer, so I'm already jaded about it.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
MetaFour AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN from A Place (Old Master)
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
#61410: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:56:54 PM

Not yet. I'll tell you guys when I finish the whole dang game.
Well, you got through the Egyptian billiard ball puzzle painlessly. It's one of the most notorious parts of the game. So maybe that's a good sign.

Or maybe the game is just lulling you into a false sense of security so that End Of The World can completely crush you. DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN

CDRW Since: May, 2016
#61411: Mar 28th 2014 at 3:58:04 PM

@ Storyyeller: And that attitude right there is exactly why I haven't been able to pursue any of them. Everyone has ideas. Not everyone is able to pick the good ideas out from the bad, develop them past the idea stage, iron out the wrinkles, step far enough back to be able to take advice and input, and turn those ideas into something that appeals to more than just the person who thought it up. I have dozens of ideas every day. Hundreds of snippets of things in a month. Those are just the ones that I think I could turn into something good if given a chance.

But it's not about the specific ideas for me. I just want a chance to flex my creative muscles in a way I've never done before. I don't care about Executive Meddling so long as the people doing it aren't complete idiots. I want to work within the framework of a group and tailor my product to their expectations because it's a different kind of creativity that I find both appealing and challenging.

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#61412: Mar 28th 2014 at 4:20:06 PM

In other news, I've discovered that season 2 of Veronica Mars is much worse than sesaon 1. Good thing I decided to skip most of it.

I just want a chance to flex my creative muscles in a way I've never done before

Why not try Construct or Game Maker? There have been good games made in Game Maker.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
KuroiTsubasaTenshi Streamer from Twitch Since: May, 2011
Streamer
#61413: Mar 28th 2014 at 4:20:47 PM

I've been trying to make my own game for ages (basically my entire life—minus those years where I was too young to read or write legibly) and I pretty much stuck myself in development hell. I've been through so many iterations of the rules and scripts that I've lost track of what version number I'd be on. I do know that I've thrown out and completely rewritten 95% of the stuff several times (hell, I even scrapped a somewhat working homebrew event and graphics engine). And the biggest lesson I've taken away from all that? Making a good SRPG is a stupidly colossal project.

I'm quite unsure if I'll ever finish it in the end and after my experience with creative works here in the fandom, I've come to the conclusion that even if I did, it's quite likely that no one would ever give it the time of day, anyway.

FE: New Mystery Only Feet 7PM PT Sun, Mon, Fri; Umamusume Haru Arima 7PM PT Wed, Thurs: http://www.twitch.tv/kuroitsubasatenshi
IkeAndMike Exists for some reason from Earth Since: Jan, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
Exists for some reason
#61414: Mar 28th 2014 at 4:28:08 PM

If you say coming up with an interesting idea is easy, I beg to differ. Yes, making the concept into a good story is harder, but good ideas are hard to come by.

http://h0useb0und.tumblr.com/
CDRW Since: May, 2016
#61415: Mar 28th 2014 at 4:41:13 PM

@ Storyyeller: I've tried Game Maker, and gave up when I realized that it lied when it said you didn't need to know how to code in order to use it, and the example code given in the tutorials didn't work in the program.

Making a game on my own is cool, but I run into all the same limitations of not being able to code, do art, or make music, and it's not really the point. It's the group project part that I'm really interested in. I want to see if I can use my talents to help create something that is beyond what I can do on my own.

@ Kuroi: I can imagine. I once made a strategy board game while I was in tenth grade, and even that was stupidly hard. Adding RPG elements and all the stuff that comes with making a computer game would only act as multipliers. It's really cool that you've been working on it though, even if it's never finished.

BigDog2 Since: Sep, 2012
#61416: Mar 28th 2014 at 4:47:05 PM

@storyeller

Construct and Game Maker?

Have you links for each of these? Can you tell me what each is like in summary?

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#61417: Mar 28th 2014 at 4:47:24 PM

And the biggest lesson I've taken away from all that?

No, the real lesson is that you need to prototype.

I want to see if I can use my talents to help create something that is beyond what I can do on my own.

Well if you can't make anything on your own, that's a given. If you want to make games, I'd recommend at least trying to learn the basics.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#61418: Mar 28th 2014 at 4:55:50 PM

Have you links for each of these? Can you tell me what each is like in summary?

Just look them up.

The pros of Construct is that it is free and open source and it uses Python, which is awesome in every way. The con is that I don't know of anyone who has used it.

Game Maker is a shareware product using a custom scripting language. The cons are that it is proprietary and the free version is intentionally limited to get you to pay. Plus it doesn't use Python. The pro is that I know of several good games made in it (Iji and Hyodrah)

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#61419: Mar 28th 2014 at 4:59:27 PM

I heard mega Pony was pretty good too.

CDRW Since: May, 2016
#61420: Mar 28th 2014 at 4:59:39 PM

Well if you can't make anything on your own, that's a given.

Do you have any idea how offensive that is? I can make stuff on my own, and I've proven it. I've made good stuff on my own, stuff that you've had the chance to see and stuff that you haven't. I have skills that are actually useful for the things I want to be involved in.

And don't go accusing me of not trying to learn the basics until you've overcome your writing issues and actually produced a story. I've already told you that I'm in the middle of learning how to draw.

edited 28th Mar '14 5:01:39 PM by CDRW

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#61421: Mar 28th 2014 at 5:03:16 PM

Do you have any idea how offensive that is? I can make stuff on my own, and I've proven it. I've made good stuff on my own, stuff that you've had the chance to see and stuff that you haven't. I have skills that are actually useful for the things I want to be involved in.

I thought you were talking specifically about videogames? Obviously you have done a lot of non vg stuff. Anyway, sorry, I didn't mean to be offensive.

Also, I did write half a story, I just haven't managed to finish it yet. And I've done art too, even if it wasn't very good art and it took me forever.

edited 28th Mar '14 5:06:28 PM by storyyeller

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
Seraphem Since: Oct, 2009
#61422: Mar 28th 2014 at 5:06:49 PM

Okay, awkward time to walk into the thread....

KingKix Typing the internet since '90 from Dante City Since: Jun, 2013 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Typing the internet since '90
#61423: Mar 28th 2014 at 5:10:42 PM

SPRING BREAK, BABY!

[down]You'll LOVE it!

edited 28th Mar '14 5:20:45 PM by KingKix

Dakota's blog An odd agent of justice
BigDannyC Since: Dec, 2013
#61424: Mar 28th 2014 at 5:12:11 PM

As soon as I watch for whom the sweetie belle tolls I will be caught up on the show!

CDRW Since: May, 2016
#61425: Mar 28th 2014 at 5:15:06 PM

We were talking about video games specifically. My point is that most of them are projects that are too big for one person. They require such a wide variety of skills that it's ridiculous to insist that everybody know how to do everything. You don't expect the artist to know how to code, though it's obviously useful if they can. The same with the musician. Writing and editing are no different. They are specialized skills that I have and that teams need, and I am better at them than the people who are insisting that they can do it all themselves.


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