YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/WWWGravityGamesCom
Facebook Channel: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ascension-RPG/101274799939960?ref=ts
More map screenshots:
System Screenshots:
Ascension (Part 1: Rebirth)
- Thread starter gRaViJa
- Start date
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/WWWGravityGamesCom
Facebook Channel: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ascension-RPG/101274799939960?ref=ts
More map screenshots:
System Screenshots:
I have to say, this looks pretty impressive. Fine mapping and visuals make it aesthetically appealing, and the music is great as well. The gameplay and action sequences seem quite fun, too. There are some spelling and grammatical mistakes, though, and the plot seems quite generic; you'll have to do well with character development and dialogue to make up for that. I'd also advise making the battle animations smaller (they don't quite fit the tiny rtp charsets). Otherwise, keep up the good work!
Thanks for your opinion. About the story: i am confident i have an intruiging story for this game that is more original than it might seem in this thread. It's just that i find it hard to compress the entire story in just a few sentences. When the demo is released, i hope to prove that the story is one of the strongest points of this game 
About the writing errors: Yeah... English is not my first language, but an english person is assisting me with dialogue writing so normally there will not be a lot of grammar mistakes in the game release itself (if you have seen misstakes in the screenshots or videos, please let me know which ones) There probaply are some writing errors in the project thread itself. let's say i'll be updating this thread regulary, including the writing errors :p
The animations: you are right about that. I have been looking for a way to make the battle animations smaller, because it's really hard to do that in photoshop. I have read about an animation resizer somewhere, but i haven't found it yet.
edit: i've found a script that can resize animations, thank for poiting this out, it will certainly improve the game.
About the writing errors: Yeah... English is not my first language, but an english person is assisting me with dialogue writing so normally there will not be a lot of grammar mistakes in the game release itself (if you have seen misstakes in the screenshots or videos, please let me know which ones) There probaply are some writing errors in the project thread itself. let's say i'll be updating this thread regulary, including the writing errors :p
The animations: you are right about that. I have been looking for a way to make the battle animations smaller, because it's really hard to do that in photoshop. I have read about an animation resizer somewhere, but i haven't found it yet.
edit: i've found a script that can resize animations, thank for poiting this out, it will certainly improve the game.
Wazakindjes
Member
Hey, good to see you made a thread. =D I'm glad I could help. ;3 Good luck with the mapping and stuff. :3
Juan J. Sánchez
Sponsor
Looks like a fair game. I'm looking forward to playing the demo. By the way, you should revise your post; it has some typos.
I updated the first post:
I corrected some typos in the first post, but i'm sure there are more. Please let me know if you find any typos
I also added the character art for Luke, more will follow soon.
(removed old, unused character art)
If you view this post, please write something, positive or negative. Even if it's real quick. It really pushes me to improve the game and keep working on it
I corrected some typos in the first post, but i'm sure there are more. Please let me know if you find any typos
I also added the character art for Luke, more will follow soon.
(removed old, unused character art)
If you view this post, please write something, positive or negative. Even if it's real quick. It really pushes me to improve the game and keep working on it
Update
Mathijs, the art director of this game is featured in a well known Dutch design magazine. Pretty great that he is getting this amount of attention, he deserves it.
Also, the website is is almost ready, i'm just waiting for the webhost to initialise my url. (http://www.gravity-games.org)
ps: the dark gray squares will change into pictures, but i have to upload my site first before it works.
Mathijs, the art director of this game is featured in a well known Dutch design magazine. Pretty great that he is getting this amount of attention, he deserves it.
Also, the website is is almost ready, i'm just waiting for the webhost to initialise my url. (http://www.gravity-games.org)
ps: the dark gray squares will change into pictures, but i have to upload my site first before it works.
GiveMeASpicy
Member
This looks pretty interesting. From what you have told us about the story, that's not a whole lot to go on in terms of uniqueness, but I'm sure there's a lot going on beneath the surface. It also seems like you have an interesting battle system, and a lot of fun mini-game systems in the trailer. You're mapping also looks pretty solid. All in all, pretty solid effort so far.
Edit: Just a quick note. If I were you, toss out Triple Triad. Everyone throws it in there game, its not very original, nor was it very much fun when it came out in FFVIII(?). Try to come up with your own unique mini-game. It'll be much more impressive, and probably much more fun.
Edit: Just a quick note. If I were you, toss out Triple Triad. Everyone throws it in there game, its not very original, nor was it very much fun when it came out in FFVIII(?). Try to come up with your own unique mini-game. It'll be much more impressive, and probably much more fun.
Thanks for the comments
Yes, there is a lot going on beneath the surface. This project started as a story for a visual novel, so the story, characters and plot points are really worked on a lot.
About the triple triad: it's an intresting mather. it's true that many rmxp projects have triple triad included, but i think there are 2 problems with those: a) they just copy the game from SephirotsSpawn scripts. they do not make custom cards, graphics etc. i did ^^ and also: most of those projects even never get released.
I checked with people who are not really into the rmxp community and they all like this version of TT a lot, for a large group it's even the main point why they became interested in this project. Since i'm gonna try to spread this game outside of the rmxp community, i think that it's okay to include TT looking at how much attention it gives.
Yes, there is a lot going on beneath the surface. This project started as a story for a visual novel, so the story, characters and plot points are really worked on a lot.
About the triple triad: it's an intresting mather. it's true that many rmxp projects have triple triad included, but i think there are 2 problems with those: a) they just copy the game from SephirotsSpawn scripts. they do not make custom cards, graphics etc. i did ^^ and also: most of those projects even never get released.
I checked with people who are not really into the rmxp community and they all like this version of TT a lot, for a large group it's even the main point why they became interested in this project. Since i'm gonna try to spread this game outside of the rmxp community, i think that it's okay to include TT looking at how much attention it gives.
GiveMeASpicy
Member
Are you planning to distribute this game for free or commercially? To how large of an audience are you planning to present it to?
While its great that the game has gathered attention because of the system, it is attention because they recognize it from another series. If the game is just a project for fun, then you probably should leave it in, its okay. As you said, it draws good attention, and it'll be an enjoyable mini-game for players. But if this is a serious project for you, you might try to create something that will attract just as much attention, if not more, because its something no one has ever seen before.
While its great that the game has gathered attention because of the system, it is attention because they recognize it from another series. If the game is just a project for fun, then you probably should leave it in, its okay. As you said, it draws good attention, and it'll be an enjoyable mini-game for players. But if this is a serious project for you, you might try to create something that will attract just as much attention, if not more, because its something no one has ever seen before.
I am planning to distribute this game for free, though i have the intention to make commercial games after this (maybe in the same world as Ascension, i'll look into that later). What you say is true. There even have been plans for an original card game. The idea however got wiped when even a very good scripter had troubles making it.
It's true that a widely spread game needs more than a cool minigame. From what i've experienced so far, people first often look at this game because of Triple Triad. While doing so, they often get interested in the game's characters, story etc. as well and stick to follow it.
An original minigame would be even better, but i think that how things are now, a revised version of Triple Triad is the best thing to do for me
It's true that a widely spread game needs more than a cool minigame. From what i've experienced so far, people first often look at this game because of Triple Triad. While doing so, they often get interested in the game's characters, story etc. as well and stick to follow it.
An original minigame would be even better, but i think that how things are now, a revised version of Triple Triad is the best thing to do for me
New update!
The website is up and running. You can visit it at http://www.gravity-games.org
You can also download some cool wallpapers like this one:
(removed old, unused wallpaper)
The beta of the demo is getting closer too. If you want to be a betatester of the demo, be sure to register at the forum and the facebookpage here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ascension ... 960?ref=ts too
The website is up and running. You can visit it at http://www.gravity-games.org
You can also download some cool wallpapers like this one:
(removed old, unused wallpaper)
The beta of the demo is getting closer too. If you want to be a betatester of the demo, be sure to register at the forum and the facebookpage here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ascension ... 960?ref=ts too
So I've taken a look at the thread and most of the links. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order:
- A Facebook page? Youtube channel? A site with a domain? I think you should focus on getting a demo out before you start promoting the game so heavily. If the project ever gets canceled, you're going to really regret how much visibility you bought yourself because you're going to have to broadcast to everyone that you failed. There's nothing wrong with promoting your project, but you need something substantial to show off first.
- You badly need a writer. The main post is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. Another reason why you need more polish before you start advertising; it reflects very poorly on you and your team that your promotional materials are poorly proofread.
- The story sounds really boring and generic. How many times have I heard "ordinary schoolboy is whisked away from his ordinary life and gets involved in a conspiracy to save the universe?" If that part of the story really can't be changed, then I suggest not advertising it in the promotional materials. It's been done to death a thousand times.
- The character description of Luke makes it sound like this is a "boy growing up" story. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but isn't he a few years too old for that kind of story? I don't know about you, but I wasn't acting like a mischievous ornery brat who never thought about the future when I was 18. I could buy 16, but you'd have to handle his personality (and more importantly, the way people react to him and his gross immaturity) very carefully in order to make it convincing at all.
- Don't describe someone as a complex character. That's usually the first clue that they're not. We should get that impression ourselves.
- Sogna is a silly name.
- What does "heavily edited" mean in terms of the battle system? I'm not familiar with Tankentai. Don't describe the battle system, describe its mechanics. Describe what makes it stand apart from other RPGs. Not everyone you advertise the game to will be familiar with these terms.
- Don't advertise how much of the database is original. That should be expected. Advertising minutiae like that makes it sound like you're desperate to appear to have more features.
- The same goes for "edited RTP."
- Don't advertise minigames. Minigames are a horrible plague upon RPGs and are more often than not just thrown in because the developer couldn't come up with a way to fill time (read: waste the player's time). Focus on the core game and minimize the number of gimmicks. Ask yourself what they really add to the game.
- The character artwork really isn't up to par. The artist really needs to take a step back and study basic anatomy. Poor quality art is worse than no art at all. Either drop the character art or get a competent artist who has taken an anatomy class.
And lastly:
- You're being far too ambitious here. Release date of Summer 2011? It'll never be done. At least one crucial teammate will drop by then or you yourself will lose interest in the project. I highly recommend breaking the project up into smaller episodes and releasing them every few months. That way, you have something to keep players interested and you get feedback. Not only does feedback motivate you and your team to continue working, but it also gives you insight into what the players want. It's better to get curbstomped by criticism after an episode you spent 3 months making than to get torn apart after a complete part that took you a year. The more feedback you get as you go along, the better the game will be in the long run.
Sorry if I come across as sounding harsh, but I've been in your boat before. 25-35 hours of gameplay *per part*? Either your game is extremely grindy and filled with pointless time wasters (e.g., minigames), or you have insanely high expectations for yourself. It took my friends and I six years to complete Vacant Sky, which the average player will get roughly 15 hours out of. I'm only saying this because I want you to improve and to make a good game.
- A Facebook page? Youtube channel? A site with a domain? I think you should focus on getting a demo out before you start promoting the game so heavily. If the project ever gets canceled, you're going to really regret how much visibility you bought yourself because you're going to have to broadcast to everyone that you failed. There's nothing wrong with promoting your project, but you need something substantial to show off first.
- You badly need a writer. The main post is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. Another reason why you need more polish before you start advertising; it reflects very poorly on you and your team that your promotional materials are poorly proofread.
- The story sounds really boring and generic. How many times have I heard "ordinary schoolboy is whisked away from his ordinary life and gets involved in a conspiracy to save the universe?" If that part of the story really can't be changed, then I suggest not advertising it in the promotional materials. It's been done to death a thousand times.
- The character description of Luke makes it sound like this is a "boy growing up" story. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but isn't he a few years too old for that kind of story? I don't know about you, but I wasn't acting like a mischievous ornery brat who never thought about the future when I was 18. I could buy 16, but you'd have to handle his personality (and more importantly, the way people react to him and his gross immaturity) very carefully in order to make it convincing at all.
- Don't describe someone as a complex character. That's usually the first clue that they're not. We should get that impression ourselves.
- Sogna is a silly name.
- What does "heavily edited" mean in terms of the battle system? I'm not familiar with Tankentai. Don't describe the battle system, describe its mechanics. Describe what makes it stand apart from other RPGs. Not everyone you advertise the game to will be familiar with these terms.
- Don't advertise how much of the database is original. That should be expected. Advertising minutiae like that makes it sound like you're desperate to appear to have more features.
- The same goes for "edited RTP."
- Don't advertise minigames. Minigames are a horrible plague upon RPGs and are more often than not just thrown in because the developer couldn't come up with a way to fill time (read: waste the player's time). Focus on the core game and minimize the number of gimmicks. Ask yourself what they really add to the game.
- The character artwork really isn't up to par. The artist really needs to take a step back and study basic anatomy. Poor quality art is worse than no art at all. Either drop the character art or get a competent artist who has taken an anatomy class.
And lastly:
- You're being far too ambitious here. Release date of Summer 2011? It'll never be done. At least one crucial teammate will drop by then or you yourself will lose interest in the project. I highly recommend breaking the project up into smaller episodes and releasing them every few months. That way, you have something to keep players interested and you get feedback. Not only does feedback motivate you and your team to continue working, but it also gives you insight into what the players want. It's better to get curbstomped by criticism after an episode you spent 3 months making than to get torn apart after a complete part that took you a year. The more feedback you get as you go along, the better the game will be in the long run.
Sorry if I come across as sounding harsh, but I've been in your boat before. 25-35 hours of gameplay *per part*? Either your game is extremely grindy and filled with pointless time wasters (e.g., minigames), or you have insanely high expectations for yourself. It took my friends and I six years to complete Vacant Sky, which the average player will get roughly 15 hours out of. I'm only saying this because I want you to improve and to make a good game.
I take your critisicm very serious because i know you are a good game designer. A few of your point are certainly valid, some others i would like to respond too:
1) I just created the website and pages on YouTube and Facebook this week. The demo (which has about 3 hours of gameplay), will be released in a few weeks. I think this is the right moment to start being visible on the internet at least a little.
2) Yes, you are right about the writing. i already have someone who rewrites the more important dialogues in the game. But it's true i'll need someone who can check up on the entire game, i'll try to find that person.
3) I know the story sounds kinda cliche. I'm convinced the story in full is interesting and not unoriginal, but it doesn't show in that summary. I'll rewrite that summary so it reflects the real story better.
4) It's not that Luke is a bully who steals other kids lunch money. He's just not really interested in school and he's kind of ignorant. I should rewrite his character description maybe.
5) Good tip, i'll do that
6) Sogna is a real name in Norway :p Anyway, i kinda understand what you're saying and i'll probaply change the name.
7) Tankentai is a pretty well known battle system for rmxp/rmvx. I changed the visual part a lot, added some extra systems etc. i mainly wrote that for people within the rmxp community and who mostly know this system. When i'll give this information to people outside the community i'll focus on it's mechanics.
8)It should be expected, but many rmxp games don't have a custom database, so it wa way to distinct this game from others.
9) The minigame discussion again :p I'm not sure what to do about this. i think i'll leave it in the game and see what the betatesters think of it
10) This is the only comment i do not understand... At all. The artist is in a well known art school in his last year, so he's not a beginner). Beside this game his working for different other (professional!) games and projects and as you can see he is even being featured in a well know magazine. Another example: he is the graphic designer for a cardgame called "Tarot in de herstelde orde". It will be released next year and will be sold in entire Europe. So far the feedback about the character art has been absolutely positive. I have faith in his skills too, so i will not ditch him.
11) That's actually a very intresting topic you touched. I'll think about releasing the game in smaller parts, actually i have been thinking about it since long myself. I also know that people come and go in a project, but i believe the 3/4 core members will not leave anytime soon.
12) 30 hours per game is a bit exgarerated. But still i think the entire story would take up to 30-40 hours of gameplay, so about 15-20 hours of gameplay per game. I already have 12 hours of gameplay actually finished.
Yes, i am ambitious and i do make misstakes, but i've been working on this for a pretty long time and i'm sure i'll never ditch it and that the game will be enjoyable. I have the vague idea you think i didn't think things through, but i did
(maybe this discussion is going to be a little to long/detailed for this thread, so i you want to respond, it might be better to do it through pm's.)
1) I just created the website and pages on YouTube and Facebook this week. The demo (which has about 3 hours of gameplay), will be released in a few weeks. I think this is the right moment to start being visible on the internet at least a little.
2) Yes, you are right about the writing. i already have someone who rewrites the more important dialogues in the game. But it's true i'll need someone who can check up on the entire game, i'll try to find that person.
3) I know the story sounds kinda cliche. I'm convinced the story in full is interesting and not unoriginal, but it doesn't show in that summary. I'll rewrite that summary so it reflects the real story better.
4) It's not that Luke is a bully who steals other kids lunch money. He's just not really interested in school and he's kind of ignorant. I should rewrite his character description maybe.
5) Good tip, i'll do that
6) Sogna is a real name in Norway :p Anyway, i kinda understand what you're saying and i'll probaply change the name.
7) Tankentai is a pretty well known battle system for rmxp/rmvx. I changed the visual part a lot, added some extra systems etc. i mainly wrote that for people within the rmxp community and who mostly know this system. When i'll give this information to people outside the community i'll focus on it's mechanics.
8)It should be expected, but many rmxp games don't have a custom database, so it wa way to distinct this game from others.
9) The minigame discussion again :p I'm not sure what to do about this. i think i'll leave it in the game and see what the betatesters think of it
10) This is the only comment i do not understand... At all. The artist is in a well known art school in his last year, so he's not a beginner). Beside this game his working for different other (professional!) games and projects and as you can see he is even being featured in a well know magazine. Another example: he is the graphic designer for a cardgame called "Tarot in de herstelde orde". It will be released next year and will be sold in entire Europe. So far the feedback about the character art has been absolutely positive. I have faith in his skills too, so i will not ditch him.
11) That's actually a very intresting topic you touched. I'll think about releasing the game in smaller parts, actually i have been thinking about it since long myself. I also know that people come and go in a project, but i believe the 3/4 core members will not leave anytime soon.
12) 30 hours per game is a bit exgarerated. But still i think the entire story would take up to 30-40 hours of gameplay, so about 15-20 hours of gameplay per game. I already have 12 hours of gameplay actually finished.
Yes, i am ambitious and i do make misstakes, but i've been working on this for a pretty long time and i'm sure i'll never ditch it and that the game will be enjoyable. I have the vague idea you think i didn't think things through, but i did
(maybe this discussion is going to be a little to long/detailed for this thread, so i you want to respond, it might be better to do it through pm's.)
gRaViJa":1jdl2pwk said:I take your critisicm very serious because i know you are a good game designer. A few of your point are certainly valid, some others i would like to respond too:
1) I just created the website and pages on YouTube and Facebook this week. The demo (which has about 3 hours of gameplay), will be released in a few weeks. I think this is the right moment to start being visible on the internet at least a little.
2) Yes, you are right about the writing. i already have someone who rewrites the more important dialogues in the game. But it's true i'll need someone who can check up on the entire game, i'll try to find that person.
3) I know the story sounds kinda cliche. I'm convinced the story in full is interesting and not unoriginal, but it doesn't show in that summary. I'll rewrite that summary so reflex the real story better.
4) It's not that Luke is a bully who steals other kids lunch money. He's just not really interested in school and he's kind of ignorant. I should rewrite his character description maybe.
5) Good tip, i'll do that
6) Sogna is a real name in Norway :p Anyway, i kinda understand what you're saying and i'll probaply change the name.
7) Tankentai is a pretty well known battle system for rmxp/rmvx. I changed the visual part a lot, added some extra systems etc. i mainly wrote that for people within the rmxp community and who mostly know this system. When i'll give this information to people outside the community i'll focus on it's mechanics.
8)It should be expected, but many rmxp games don't have a custom database, so it wa way to distinct this game from others.
9) The minigame discussion again :p I'm not sure what to do about this. i think i'll leave it in the game and see what the betatesters think of it
10) This is the only comment i do not understand... At all. The artist is in a well known art school in his last year, so he's not a beginner). Beside this game his working for different other (professional!) games and projects and as you can see he is even being featured in a well know magazine. Another example: he is the graphic designer for a cardgame called "Tarot in de herstelde orde". It will be released next year and will be sold in entire Europe. So far the feedback about the character art has been absolutely positive. I have faith in his skills too, so i will not ditch him.
11) That's actually a very intresting topic you touched. I'll think about releasing the game in smaller parts, actually i have been thinking about it since long myself. I also know that people come and go in a project, but i believe the 3/4 core members will not leave anytime soon.
12) 30 hours per game is a bit exgarerated. But still i think the entire story would take up to 30-40 hours of gameplay, so about 15-20 hours of gameplay per game. I already have 12 hours of gameplay actually finished.
Yes, i am ambitious and i do make misstakes, but i've been working on this for a pretty long time and i'm sure i'll never ditch it and that the game will be enjoyable. I have the vague idea you think i didn't think things through, but i did
1) Fair enough. I didn't really look at the dates.
3) Just don't emphasize the cliche elements when you advertise it. Focus on what's original.
4) Fair enough. I just didn't get that impression from his description.
6) Oh, really? I guess it just sounds odd to me then.
7) What about it makes it different from other games using Tankentai?
10) I'm not really sure what to say. I hate to burst your bubble, but that level of art quality really isn't up to par for a game.
3) You're right here. I think i wrote it that way so it would appeal to as many people as possible, forgetting that it would make it sound very cliché. i'll rewrite it asap and change it.
4) Again, i'll rewrite it and it and you're right about it.
6) If it sounds odd/silly it's better to change it. Not hard to do anyway.
7) For example: each player has skill points. Let's say player 1 has 20 skill points and Fira and Thundara (not real names in the game) are each worth 12 skill points. this means Player 1 will only be able to use one of these skills during one battle. picking your skills before a battle will increase strategy. If you want to perform a skill or magic, you have to input a number combination in a short amount of time. this makes it more interactive. The characters have overdrives, but they always come with a downside, like: an overdrive will cast shell and protect but also beserk and poison. The ultimate sword skill will also always kill the user etc. Also, players do not level up but get their upgrades through a skill board etc.
10) Still find this weird. When more of the art is completed, i'll post it here for your feedback. I would also like to hear other people's opinion about the character art. So, if anyone is reading this... :p
Thank you for your opinion Sailerius. You might have expected a flamepost but i know you gave this criticism because you want me to improve this game or the information i gave was to vague and should be changed.
I have to say, your artist really intrigues me. I decided to look him up, found his deviant art, and looked it over in attempt to figure out why, exactly, the character art he made for this game is clearly below par, when the magazine page showed that he's more than capable. Unfortunately, the answer turned out to be almost disappointingly simple. He's a wonderful Photoshop painter, but he can't draw people to save his life. XD Almost anything he's drawn with a human in it is actually just lineart made by another artist, or traced.
Perhaps you should consider getting a new line artist, and have Mathijis do the coloring? He certainly has his talents. They just don't lie in drawing human anatomy.
Perhaps you should consider getting a new line artist, and have Mathijis do the coloring? He certainly has his talents. They just don't lie in drawing human anatomy.
To be honest GRaViJa thats why I asked if you were looking for an artist I'd hate to see your game nd effort go to waste for lack of an artist nt sayin theres anything wrong with your current one but his character design are a bit "weak" so to say..
bt yeah my offer still remains jst incase I wldnt mind doing lineart for Mathijis to color because his colorin isnt bad..nd if he wants I can send him a few tips on anatomy or give em a few links that i used..w.e's gd really
bt yeah my offer still remains jst incase I wldnt mind doing lineart for Mathijis to color because his colorin isnt bad..nd if he wants I can send him a few tips on anatomy or give em a few links that i used..w.e's gd really