Farewell -- Back!

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IS RECRUITINGhttp://www.arpgmaker.com/viewtopic.php?f=220&t=74978


OVERVIEW
This is the Development page for my 4th attempt at this game.
This is my 3rd attempt at making this game, which has changed stories 5 times, and had 3 names. It's hardly worth calling it the same game, but overall the games have kept a similar theme: corruption, a natural darkness, and the characters own psych.


STORY
Version 5
It's year 614, in Hitrea, island large enough only to fit a city, and 2 small suburbs. The island is the center of religion for the surrounding islands.
Asea, the main character of the story, is living day by day without much content. He has lived in comfort for all his life - his father a prominent church figure, going to a good school, food and shelter plenty. He was brought up a follower of the church by his father, and does not question his father's beliefs.
But when he meets a girl named Saika, who has a complete opposite view of the church, he finds himself following her into activism and eventually crime.
As the church's true colors are revealed, Asea digs deeper into the grounds of a plot that if not stopped, will destroy the world.



CHARACTERS

Asea Lylle
Male
Playable Character
Personality: Unsure and in the middle between extra- and intro-vert; he is not very talkative, but does not shy out of a opinionated conversation.
Background: Brought up in comfort by his father alone. He has been taught to follow the church, his father being a prominent church figure. He has had no significant interests in his life, and is looking for something to do.
Abilities: Quick Learner

Saika Müssen
Female
Party Member
Personality: Kindhearted, easily depressed, and attached. When she has an opinion, she does not back down on it.
Background: Saika has grown up supporting her own family, by working at the local pubb. She has always had a negative view of the church.
Abilities: Healer

Brian Linger
Male
Party Member
Personality: Clever and smart mouthed. He's quick to talk, but not one to think. Often he is absent minded.
Background: Similar to Asea, he was brought up in a rich family. Asea and him were friends from an early age. He dreams of escaping his family and starting an entirely new life in another country.
Abilities: Trickster


Activist Characters
Leader(no name yet)
Male
Non-playable character, secondary
Personality: Leader of the underground activists group, he acts brave and tries to be a good leader in all ways...
but his inside personality contradicts. He is alone, feels no one understands him, and has no idea what to do at the time that is counts.
Background: Has been participating in underground activities even before the rise of the church, ever since he made the choice to leave his family,
which had abused him from a young age and did not want him in the first place.

Grunt(no name yet)
Female
Non playable character, secondary
Personality: Doesn't care for anything but her own opinions, but is a follower, because she is short of making good decisions.
Background: Not quite mysterious, she just avoids her past, not because it has been horrible though... She is good with the sword, and has a past in the sewers.


FEATURES
-CMS
-CBS
-Rewritten scenes
-Original Score
-Original Graphics
-10+ chapters
-5 islands, each with their own stories and subplots
-Custom skills
-Element Counters:
When you have one element that has more counters than the rest, it becomes your elemental. This effects your status in different ways such as:
Fire: Strength
Water: Health
ect
The effect depends upon the character, and what counters you have on. It also has the effect of the number of counters you have of the element, therefore:
3 fire counters = 3 times damage on ice, plus 1 elemental = 6 times damage on ice.
It will also effect different events, and unlock several puzzles.
-Skill Melee - Attack has been replaced with several skills, which can be learned, such as: Slash, stab, Multi-cut, punch ect. Basically a new Skill window to overwrite the basic Attack command in the battle system.


SCREENSHOTS

Spoiler: barebone menu

OST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FBXJw-4rx4

HELP?
Help is need in the following areas:
-Pixel art: Preferably someone good with larger stuff, like my sprites, or busts.
-Minimal Scripter: Small tasks, such as editing the CMS, CBS, and adding some functions to gameplay.
-Mapper: This is the most important job in this game - there are alot of places to go in the game, and I really really suck at mapping. I plan on getting better, but I still won't be able to do all the maps.
-Anyone who enjoys this game: All you need to do is reply with your thoughts or criticism, or add the userbar and link to your siggy if you like it. It's not an obligation, but it would be nice.

Thanks to:
Atoa for the great battle system!
Jonas Bredesen for composing a good amount of the OST
BlackMask for maps and map revising.
Tarranon for help with music composition

Special thanks to:
Samot - for supporting the topic, and my game! Thanks you so much!
Modesty (RRR) - For help with the original game, and for teaching me quite a bit about storytelling.

Spoiler: Extra Details - Government, stuff

Church Government-

• Bishop/Priest(?) - Highest. Figurehead of the Church and Government, and the
One closest to God. Everything must pass through him,
and he also comes up with new (religious) laws.

• Clergy/Council - Secondary. His royal men in waiting. Discussions with them
and His Holiness are held with each decision, and to
decide what follows the religion. They also help find
new discoveries in the bible to contribute to law.

• His desciples - Lowest. Members of the higher church by heir. No
governmental power. Only status.

The game is split into Books, then Chapters. It will be released chapter by chapter.

A darker atmosphere is applied through ME, BGM, SE, Fogs, and Screen tinting, as well as graphics.
This is not a horror game, but rather a dark fantasy - on the slower side of horror, with less screams, and more psychological fear.

-Action

 

[Luthur]

In order to have a topic here, you need at least two screenshots. Please read the rules.

 

[action]

There, two screenshots up for now. Sorry about that.

-Lonelyelf

 

[action]

Bump.
I've added a new screeny with the final message window system.
The menu is still under constrcution, but that'll be up soon.
I am hoping to have at least a 30 minute demo by the end of August.

System Feature Update:
Memory System. - All of your memories will go in a special inventory for later looks, like a diary. When you get a new, important memory, the memory window will slide in from the left and a message will say it is added. Screeny up soon.

Event Title - The logo slides in from transparent to opaque, and the Selections below it. A dark sky panorama is behind it with a quickly moving fog. Screeny will be up soon.

-Lonelyelf

 

[action]

New update. I've progressed a bit in maps and score, as well as a change in story.
Here are the main outside maps:
North(citizens residents)
Center(Church)
South(Market, stores)
East(Nobles residents)
West(Lake / Farms)
Northeast(School, Town hall, stores [citizens]
Southeast(Government/Castle)
Northwest(Mining)
Southwest(Farms, Peasants)
Ruins(South, North, and East)
Gates(Bridges to Floating Islands)
Floating Islands(Some are ruins, Some are nothing, one is important to the story [5, best places to sleep])

The inside maps are not going to be listed, but I will says that each building you can go in, and there is an underground, and a mine.

More updates soon. A demo is expected September 20th.

-Lonelyelf

 

[archerRin]

Persona fan i'm guessing? :D
The story is interesting, art and mapping could be better. Gl with it.

 

[Toams]

Custom Time System ( At a certain time, certain things will happen and are possible, and if you don't gt your character to a safe place to sleep [marked on the map by a symbol] he will faint, and wolves will attack, theives will steal from him, or he will be put in jail [minigame] depending on where he is.)

I really, REALLY like this. If you manage to pull this off I might just play the game just for this.. :thumb:

 

[action]

Thanks so much! I'm glad my game is getting some attention!
For now, it looks like I have about 32 citizens houses, a church, 10 or so shops, 10 or so Nobles, 3 Farms, 1 Cottages, 1 Hideout, 1 Castle, 1 School, and 1 City Hall. So Far those are the outside buildings.

Here's a map plan:

Oh, and a new update to the CBS:
It's half ABS, Half SBS.
Your character is a normal sprite, and attacks like in an ABS, but you control him like in the SBS, openning the command window using the space button. More later, help with that would be great.

As well, as the CBS, I have a new feature, Multiple Currencies. Later in the game, you go to other islands, and have different currencies. If you know something for this, it would help alot.

Thanks,
Lonelyelf

 

[action]

Buh-bump.

I've settled down on an CBS, Atoa's CBS, but it crosses out all the scripts that use the SDK or the MACL. If you know of a better CBS that uses Ccoa's custom battlers, and is SDK and MACL compatible, please let me know.

No significant mapping progress, aside from a new intro. The character design is changing a bit in visual, asea now has a pack, and a different outfit. Upload later.

I need a pixel artist for Ccoa custom battlers!! Anyone who is willing to help with the making of this game and has some amount of pixel and spriting skills, please apply!

The menu system will probably fall back to a premade CMS like the One-Scene CMS, or the Ring Menu. One of the sort.

On the game story side of things, I have begun making a rough outline of the events that will take place. Asea will travel to several different floating cities, sometime after Chpt 5. There are thirteen chapters.

Lastly, I am sorting through my J-rock songs. Beware.

-Loenlyelf

 

[action]

Bump!
Jeez, that was a close one. Almost a month! Does everybody hate my game or what?
Well, only 6 days until I release my first demo, the Alpha Demo!!! It's an example of the gameplay, maps, and system. As well as the art, and a song or two.
I finally finished the new updated version of Asea, and am revising the story and plot - plus a new character! Yay!! *cough*
So, please help me out here, Kay? Don't give up on me. Post, reply, criticize, something. I don't care. You like my game - maybe LOVE it? - add the ad to your sig, or just a link will do. Sorry if I'm kind of demanding here...
My mapping sucks, as you will see in 6 days, so If there is a mapper with free time on their hands, could they revise my maps? That would be great!

I'm no longer sure about the Night/Day system, and I can't do the house system. So those features might be gone, but I've added the Atoa's CBS, with super-awesome battlers! ...
And the menu is the Sword of the Emperor III menu system.

That's all for now!
-Lonelyelf

 

[action]

Bump
Demo... uhh was released. Yay... I's just an Alpha, so really all it has is the menu, battle, story, graphics, maps, and a few system related things... Please check it out. Please...
I added a new character to the game... Saika... She's a part of the underground activists group, and Asea likes her. Of course, Michael, and the Mysterious Girl* interfere.

*The Mysterious girl joins your party for most of the game. I have no name or info really, so the character will unfold throughout the game. She's a demigod relieved of her position and powers.

-Lonelyelf

 

[Toams]

heave ho. :D
Sorry for this weird reply, but I kindof feel sorry for you.. :grin: Though I've pulled myself out of the game making scene (don't have any time for it) -i still visit this thread once in a while because it pops up in my 'my posts' log thingy. Just wanna say: keep on going!, because the best part of making a game is when it's done Also I might check that demo some time (whenever I got some spare minutes), and give you a heads up on that.

As you were.

 

[action]

Thanks! Glad someone cares! :smile:
I do have a mapper(pretty sure) so hopefully the maps won't suck so much anymore.
Other than that, I really have no updates. I would be glad if people posted a little here and there, but I guess I can live bumping till 2011... Well, the game will now include a bittersweet love story will murder!!! Yay! Hooray for lust!
In the game, you will later on vist the ruins of Earth the Holy Place - ahem - as part of the story progress, and explore the skies for floating cities. Yay for FF XII! Ahem... Pickpocketing does play a large role in this game, so I am looking for creative ways to include the system...

And for those of you who actually downloaded the Alpha, I'm so sorry! I understand that you are now depressed and crying yourself to sleep because I forgot to include random pictures of clouds! I feel so guilty. Lucky for you, I have a photobucket. Some pics will be up soon so you can indulge yourself in the beauty of cumulonimbus.

For now,
-Lonelyelf

 

[action]

I'm starting to see little point in updating and bumping.
Maybe they should give me an award or something, for the most bumps in a topic. Really, count.
Well, I do have an update or two:
-I have a new EXPO AD for my game (don't mind the title, it just popped up in my head):

A win on my case.
-I won't be updating anything for a month, so I'll just make a new topic to freshen things up, and clear out some junk. Right now I'm looking for inspiration, composing music, drawing, evning, scripting...
But really I'm just messaing around with my windows theme.
I have the desktop pic:
http://s592.photobucket.com/albums/tt5/lonelyelf/?action=view&current=desktop.jpg
It's the expo ad. Only bigger. Just make the desktop background white.

Please check out the Alpha, and support my game by adding the link or pic to your sig - or just by posting. Please, PLEASE, somebody post! Save me from this eternal pain, the dark space of my existence, the hollow face of my humanity, the little speck in our community I am.
Don't make me complete the poem. Reply.

-Lonelyelf

 

[Lune de la Cruor]

I think the setting is cute. I like the floating city idea. I once played a game with a floating world on one of the older makers and it was quite nice, so I hope you can visualize some way nice too.
Right now you really need to improve your mapping. I checked out your demo and you have the typical open spaces syndrome! Waaaay too much space everywhere!
Try to shrink it together.
I think the corrupted church can be a nice idea, it's just a pitty you have the "all mighty object that grants phenominal powers" in your story. The story has potential and I don't know what it is, but I feel like there is something missing...
Maybe it's that your characters seem so seperated from the story.
One sentence is not enough information, especially when you have written 99.9% of the story already.
Oh, and don't give up on updating, just because no one posted! (People seem very lazy to post on project threads here, it's not you)
Good luck!

 

[friend]

I don't know about you, but having this project open in the public is risky, especially when your directly referring to "God" and "the Church", instead, use another replacement, like "The Man in the Sky" or whatever, God just makes it sound like the priests are going to sue you.

 

[action]

Yay! A post from me that isn't a bump!
@Luny (heh heh)
Thanks for checking out the demo. As I said in my second to last post, I have a mapper on the job. The cure is here, folks. I haven't seen his screenies yet, but considering he hates my mapping, he probably is better than me.
I usually update the main post with story that pops up in my head, not pre-made. I'm going to revise it, and put it up again. I don't know yet, but I need something that adds to the plot. I was think the church wants Michael, and that would work... But for some reason, I wanted to change it. I think I should have not stopped my Concept thread...
As well as the revisement, I am working on the characters in OneNote, so they'll have more background, and stuff.
The floating city idea doesn't really contribute to the story very much, though I do agree with you. It does, though, when I get to he chapter with it-if you read he story, you should know.
@Goody
I have gotten this comment in all 4 of my games' versions, at most boards. I understand the religous mocks this story underlines. I am Catholic myself, so this is not an Atheist who is making some game to make fun of gods. No. This game has a new setting, and a different place than ours - the god doesn't have to be the same as the one worshiped in Christian religions. It is actually Multiple gods - a polytheist religion - only one has the highest power. Like ToS, or FF X. I can get into much deeper discussion, but I'll end it there. It's just not the same as christian.

That's it for now! Thank you both for replying! I will continue to update.

-Lonelyelf

 

[Admiral David]

just thought i'd say that if you need any of characters done in rtp style sprites i wouldnt mind doing a few since i'm taking a break from music and doing the same with my game at the moment, i'll read more of your thread when i get a chance but just keep at it, you need any music for this game at the moment? check out my music thread if your interested and i'll help out, good luck

 

[Pokémaniac]

I downloaded the demo and quite frankly I was confused. It was all empty! It was just a heap of average maps with absolutely nothing to do. Did I download the wrong version?

 

[action]

@dsoulja
Sorry, I am not interested in your music. For now, I will continue with my own. I have decided to make this game Non-RTP, to exceed the limits of XP, so I won't need RTP sprites. Sorry.

@pokemaniac
You downloaded the right version. This is an Alpha Demo, mind everyone. This means all of the in game content is subject to change, little or no story is included, and only a concept is lay out. It's a walkaround demo, to be frank. Just to show the system, and maps. To try out the battle, go to the south, then more to the marketplace, then talk to the smaller girl towards the top. he bank is south of the center, one of the shops on the bottom, with a "G" sign. The menu is available, and if you're lost, mess around with the demo in RMXP. I dont care, since reall nothing will stay besides some system. Sorry if I confused you...

As I said before, this game is officially going Non-RTP!!!!!
That's right! Exciting, huh? It's not just gonna have some new crappy sprites on a ripped tileset. All art will be original, and more chibi syled ex:

They'll be a little smaller, though.
The resolution will change, the window size too. The tiles will stay the same size, but objects are bigger and much better detailed.
Hurray for Non-RTP!!!

Keep the posts acomin'!
Thanks,
Lonelyelf