A toolkit for parallel development of narrative content and game design in indie rpg: implementation on the Godot engine
Main Article Content
Abstract
This paper presents the development and evaluation of a toolkit designed to optimize the workflow of game designers working with narrative content and game design for indie RPGs in the Godot engine. The relevance of this study stems from the growing number of independent studios utilizing Godot and similar game engines, which necessitates the creation of specialized tools to compensate for the lack of built-in solutions for RPG development, such as dialogue systems, turn-based combat design, cutscene management, and complex user interface implementation.
The aim of the work is to design a toolkit based on an architectural analysis of the reference game Persona 5 Royal, ensuring an optimized workflow for the game designer and reducing their dependence on the programmer. Methodologically, the research relied on identifying player states, independent modules, and areas of professional responsibility, which led to the development of five tools. Their effectiveness was evaluated with the participation of 12 novice game designers, including task completion time measurements, interviews, and expert ranking.
The results of the study showed that tools without analogues in Godot ("Combat Segments," "Complex User Interface," "Dialogue System") received high expert evaluations. The "Interactive Location Objects" tool, which has an analogue in Godot, reduced task completion time by an average of 65.5%. The "Commands to the Game World" tool did not demonstrate effectiveness and requires further improvement.
The practical significance of the research results lies in the creation of a ready-to-implement toolkit that enables indie teams to reduce RPG development time and increase the autonomy of their game designers.
Article Details
References
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