Akatsuki Chronicles [Episode 1 released]

[Broleta]

Hi folks, I've been working on this little project in my spare time just for fun really. I'm still learning how to use RPG Maker so hopefully it will improve episode by episode. I would really appreciate constructive feedback. It's basically a story I put together using characters based on a few of my friends from another forum. I've mapped out quite a lot of the story to get a decent number of episodes out of. Hopefully you find it a little entertaining too.

Akatsuki Chronicles is an episodic series which follows the story of a group of special individuals as they find their way in a world which is unfamiliar to them and attempt to avenge their loved ones, pitting themselves up against the ruler of the land of Moark.
The series was created primarily using RPG Maker XP software. However, this is not a typical RPG Maker game, where in which the player 'plays the game' rather, the viewer watches Akatsuki Chronicles.
Each episode is around 18 minutes long, similar to an anime episode and is presented on YouTube for ease of access to casual viewers. Episode 1 is out now. The next episode is in late stages of production.

Story

Spoiler

In a land inhabited by individuals who have no memory of life before recent events, there is an uprising on the horizon. Moark is a dictatorship ruled land with an absolute Lord at the head. This Lord and his Moark 'Court' have total control over the land and have gone unchallenged as the people of this world are disabled by feelings of loss and confusion. Akatsuki Chronicles follows the story of a group of individuals who desire to unlock the secrets of Moark by following feelings of revenge fuelled by pieces of their memories.

Screenshots (Episode 1)

Spoiler

Episode 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUoa3J-A7h0

 

[coyotecraft]

There isn't a lot of room for camera techniques in rpg maker. But panning the screen is a good way to establish the location. Just like in comics, when switching to a different scene you need a panel of a cityscape at sundown or overlooking a forest with a full moon in the sky so the audience has a better idea of where and when it is.
It's a little jarring to be in once place like Altered's cave, fade to black, then suddenly you're inside an ice cave. You have no idea where it is, what it looks like from the outside or how much time has passed.

 

[Ellie]

This is an interesting idea. I know we've had plenty of episodicals in the past, but I don't think one that was released via YouTube.

I think the message boxes are a little jarring if I'm honest. Without the constraints of a playable game, there's more room to play around with things like text boxes, moving them around, making them look nice, etc. I think a good way forward would be to find a way to style them nicely, perhaps like speech bubbles, I'm not sure; but as they're a key part of the videos and repeated so much on the screen, any work done on them would improve the whole episode, if that makes sense. I'm thinking around the 15 minute mark when they are normal sized and quite large, and such. It also cuts off the text in places.

But good luck with learning RPG Maker and while watching a video of an RM game isn't totally my thing, they've been successful in the past, so I'm sure you'll get a following on YT.

 

[Broleta]

Thank you for the feedback folks. coyote I love that idea of panning the environments. Amy I'll experiment with the text boxes. I think you have a good point about their potential. I've thought about using character images in them.