Roman Candle
Member
Strategy Revolution
Just A Game
This game is going to be the first to star my up and coming Strategy Battle System. It's currently under heavy development, but I don't plan on giving up on it. It's going to be, if not exactly non-linear, fairly laid back in terms to pushing the story forwards. There'll be plenty of time for developing characters and the atmosphere of the world, exploring subplots, (all that kind of crap). Playing some of the completed games on RMXP, I felt like they rushed through at a fairly driven pace, and didn't leave enough time to amble through side-quests and explore locations. I might release mine in episodes, if I could cook up a script for it. But then again, I might not. Who knows?
Current status:
I havn't started work on mapping or anything yet, or more than the basic concepts of the story. It's all been around the battle system so far, although I had to take more than a few months off to do exams. At the moments you can place and move your battlers. You can have them attack eachother and enemies. A fighter is 'downed' when they run out of HP, but still exists on the map. They can be revived or, by further attacking them, they can be 'finished', removing them from battle permenantly. You can win, with the victory conditions scripted in so they are completely flexible :lol: However, the enemies don't fight back at the moment :P I'm also working on some pathfinding, which will be the next thing to finish and then implement (A* if you were wondering).
Demo:
I do have a working demo ready, but I've decided to hold it back for a while. For a start the scenario has absolutely nothing to do with the project. I also need to fix up a couple of things related to the message system.
Recruiting:
At the moment, I'm not. I don't need to right now, as all that's being done is scripting. However, at some point I would like to have some custom graphics. Any music other than RTP I use will probably be my own made with some kind of midi software or recorded (that's providing I can raise a couple of hundred pounds to get a preamp, interface, microphone, and then get hold of a pirated copy of ProTools ':|). Scripting I can do, as well as writing. I suppose a good mapper might come into it, but nothing till much later. When I want to put a team together, I'll advertise it in my sig.
Just A Game
This game is going to be the first to star my up and coming Strategy Battle System. It's currently under heavy development, but I don't plan on giving up on it. It's going to be, if not exactly non-linear, fairly laid back in terms to pushing the story forwards. There'll be plenty of time for developing characters and the atmosphere of the world, exploring subplots, (all that kind of crap). Playing some of the completed games on RMXP, I felt like they rushed through at a fairly driven pace, and didn't leave enough time to amble through side-quests and explore locations. I might release mine in episodes, if I could cook up a script for it. But then again, I might not. Who knows?
Hallucinations
The world is full of heroes; in every village, city and town, there is someone who shines out as a warrior. They have their own desires, goals, and ambitions, but the most accomplished of them are being gathered together by the strange Hallucinations. Phantom reasons are found for them to be at certain places at certain times, from which they are transported to the Grounds. Here they, and those people that were with them at the time of their calling, fight monsters or one another, before being returned unharmed to the real world. It seems to them as if they fight of their own free will, but when some of them meet in the real world and begin to discus their experiences, they realise that there are forces at work guiding them. But towards what? There is Sophia, a seasoned warrior who picks off the strongest comers to the Grounds, and seems to have a deeper understanding of the battles that any of the others. But if she is in charge, who are the people who hunt her? There is the Old Man, a god who preys on lone travellers and steals their powers, but who is it that he runs from? There is the Lady At The Crossroads, a goddess who is glimpsed only when travelling between the real world and the Grounds, but who walks with her? What is it that the gods worship? It seems that you and your fellow battlers are drawn on an inexorable path to find out.
The Grounds
When warriors are called into the Hallucinations, they are actually transported to a place called Temple Grounds. This is the land surrounding Temple. There are many kinds of terrain around there, including a vast and sprawling, but abandoned. city. Most of these places are marked out as the territory of a particular god. The city is somewhat neutral. Sophia always seems to be present there or nearby, but there are other warriors who have staked claims around the town. For instance, there is often a vampire in the bell-tower at night. The Old Man also wanders freely throughout all areas, although it seems that he avoids meeting with other gods. The Hunters chase wherever Sophia leads. Temple, at the heart of the city, is a huge structure which seems totally impregnable to would-be entrants. Every surface is tightly sealed and impervious to damage.
The World
This world is special; there are only a few others like it. It is part of a Triad Solar System – a world that orbits around three suns. Of all worlds, these seem always to be the most resilient to magic. Mankind represents a perfect duality; they contain infinite potential for both creation and destruction. The secret of humanity is to be able to create and destroy simultaneously; in this way they die and live again, in a dynamic chain of rebirth. But humanity has many flaws, the greatest of which is pride. For when a man reaches up and sees that he is more powerful than the world from which he has been born, he becomes so enamoured with himself that his powers become and end in themselves. Soon, he loses the balance of his soul; he tries to destroy all, or to end all destruction. He loses his humanity, and he shifts his world out of the ever-swirling balance of existence. Perhaps it collides in its heavenly dance with a sun; perhaps in upheaval it covers its whole surface with miles of lava, leaving a hollow and barren shell to slowly cool between the stars. So with unlimited potential, the most dangerous thing mankind could posses is infinite power to express that potential. Magic. So often a man takes the seed of a sun and sets the lakes alight, or weaves the magnetic shields in the skies into a dress for a beloved, leaving the world to be incinerated by its sun. But of the few Triad worlds, none have ever been destroyed. They follow different rules.
Magic: Infinite power to fulfil infinite potential
When a man is born, he takes a little of the world into himself, and he may have some power over that part of the world. He may take the spirit of water, or wood, or iron, or a rose. His fate is assembled entirely in that moment, when the nature of his world is imprinted on him. If his dominion is over steel, he will have little strength to command the water, and when he crosses over the seas his power lessens a little. But all people are connected to all of the world where they are born. The child of two human beings has at least some ability to read the minds of any human. He has a little power over the whole of the land of his birth. He even has some power, very diluted, over his whole world, for that is equally part of the signature of his soul, and his birthright. But that is where the line is drawn. Beyond the earth, no notice is taken of men’s magic. The celestial bodies of a Triad world are therefore very important. Astrolore is a science of certainty. The stars are immutable, unaffected, indifferent to the motions of people who live down on the earth. By watching their courses, by calculating the delicate balances they affect on earth, a master may take from them the future, with accuracy no less than that with which he can measure their steps. It is well, then, that no one can touch the stars, for such a person would be able to control the fate of all men.
The world is full of heroes; in every village, city and town, there is someone who shines out as a warrior. They have their own desires, goals, and ambitions, but the most accomplished of them are being gathered together by the strange Hallucinations. Phantom reasons are found for them to be at certain places at certain times, from which they are transported to the Grounds. Here they, and those people that were with them at the time of their calling, fight monsters or one another, before being returned unharmed to the real world. It seems to them as if they fight of their own free will, but when some of them meet in the real world and begin to discus their experiences, they realise that there are forces at work guiding them. But towards what? There is Sophia, a seasoned warrior who picks off the strongest comers to the Grounds, and seems to have a deeper understanding of the battles that any of the others. But if she is in charge, who are the people who hunt her? There is the Old Man, a god who preys on lone travellers and steals their powers, but who is it that he runs from? There is the Lady At The Crossroads, a goddess who is glimpsed only when travelling between the real world and the Grounds, but who walks with her? What is it that the gods worship? It seems that you and your fellow battlers are drawn on an inexorable path to find out.
The Grounds
When warriors are called into the Hallucinations, they are actually transported to a place called Temple Grounds. This is the land surrounding Temple. There are many kinds of terrain around there, including a vast and sprawling, but abandoned. city. Most of these places are marked out as the territory of a particular god. The city is somewhat neutral. Sophia always seems to be present there or nearby, but there are other warriors who have staked claims around the town. For instance, there is often a vampire in the bell-tower at night. The Old Man also wanders freely throughout all areas, although it seems that he avoids meeting with other gods. The Hunters chase wherever Sophia leads. Temple, at the heart of the city, is a huge structure which seems totally impregnable to would-be entrants. Every surface is tightly sealed and impervious to damage.
The World
This world is special; there are only a few others like it. It is part of a Triad Solar System – a world that orbits around three suns. Of all worlds, these seem always to be the most resilient to magic. Mankind represents a perfect duality; they contain infinite potential for both creation and destruction. The secret of humanity is to be able to create and destroy simultaneously; in this way they die and live again, in a dynamic chain of rebirth. But humanity has many flaws, the greatest of which is pride. For when a man reaches up and sees that he is more powerful than the world from which he has been born, he becomes so enamoured with himself that his powers become and end in themselves. Soon, he loses the balance of his soul; he tries to destroy all, or to end all destruction. He loses his humanity, and he shifts his world out of the ever-swirling balance of existence. Perhaps it collides in its heavenly dance with a sun; perhaps in upheaval it covers its whole surface with miles of lava, leaving a hollow and barren shell to slowly cool between the stars. So with unlimited potential, the most dangerous thing mankind could posses is infinite power to express that potential. Magic. So often a man takes the seed of a sun and sets the lakes alight, or weaves the magnetic shields in the skies into a dress for a beloved, leaving the world to be incinerated by its sun. But of the few Triad worlds, none have ever been destroyed. They follow different rules.
Magic: Infinite power to fulfil infinite potential
When a man is born, he takes a little of the world into himself, and he may have some power over that part of the world. He may take the spirit of water, or wood, or iron, or a rose. His fate is assembled entirely in that moment, when the nature of his world is imprinted on him. If his dominion is over steel, he will have little strength to command the water, and when he crosses over the seas his power lessens a little. But all people are connected to all of the world where they are born. The child of two human beings has at least some ability to read the minds of any human. He has a little power over the whole of the land of his birth. He even has some power, very diluted, over his whole world, for that is equally part of the signature of his soul, and his birthright. But that is where the line is drawn. Beyond the earth, no notice is taken of men’s magic. The celestial bodies of a Triad world are therefore very important. Astrolore is a science of certainty. The stars are immutable, unaffected, indifferent to the motions of people who live down on the earth. By watching their courses, by calculating the delicate balances they affect on earth, a master may take from them the future, with accuracy no less than that with which he can measure their steps. It is well, then, that no one can touch the stars, for such a person would be able to control the fate of all men.
Francois Beauregard:
The young leader of a band of mercenaries. He is always eager for the hunt, a keen and talented young slayer. He was born an outcast, as the son of a murderer madman. He arrived at a village one day with Francois, and left the boy with a witch. He told her that he had been harboured by a goddess for a year, who had conceived his child. He then walked into the mountains and was never seen again. Francois is ambitious beyond his years, and dreams of travelling to the capital, Kingston, to join one of the orders of knights of the Kingdom. He fights with a rapier. He holds people at a distance and is often stand-offish with strangers. Often he picks fights, or takes dislikes, to people for no reason at all. Given the admiration that he draws from people around him, this can often cause problems.
Joy:
One of Francois’ only real friends from the village of his birth. She left with him to travel with their band of mercenaries towards more central territories, where they would have more chance of finding fame. She is ambitious, like Francois, but is a deal kinder to people around her. She is perhaps the only person who can keep him in check, in fact. Often she will have to stop him from picking on people or starting fights. She is well known as a magician and witch in her own rights, as well as being part of Francois’ group of fighters.
Lucian:
A boy from Francois’ village who left with him and Beatrice to travel the world. He is quiet and introspected, and easily intimidated. As such he is often irritated by Francois’ posturing and pig-headedness. He works with them because he wants to help the world, he says. As such he does not partake in battles for prestige or fame; only with criminals and monsters. He uses a mixture of offensive and healing magic to suit and is also hyper-empathic. He has, though, another motive for tagging along. Although he would never admit it to anyone, he could not bear to part from Beatrice, for whom he has long been fond of. However, he long ago picked up on the fact that she looks only to Francois, for all she tells him off. He sometimes irritates people by acting a little tragic, for no obvious reason.
Ferdinand:
The head of the Knights At Dusk, he is Francois’ most competitive rival – outside the Grounds, that is. He has achieved fame and success in his own neighbouring province and has now come into yours to expand his enterprise. He is a perfect match for Francois – strong, arrogant, and quick to mock his rival. However, his potential is limited and he has never entered a Hallucination. Francois uses this as a secret justification to act completely superior to him, and it causes even more aggravation between the two of them.
Sandro:
Ferdinand’s right hand man. His speciality is annoying Lucien by being loud and boorish, and the two frequently get into arguments. Not very bright, but big, he is a bulldog of a fighter.
Sophia:
A brilliant fencer who challenges the strongest of the warriors who come to the Grounds. She always seems to know when and where people are due to arrive. Perhaps she is the one manipulating all their movements... But if that is the case, what of the mysterious hunters she is running from? No matter what the time, Sophia is always to be found in the Grounds, primarily in the abandoned central city which has been made her base of operations.
Erasmus:
A magus from the Academy at Kingston. He has staked a claim over part of the city, but as he has not yet managed to find a way to reach the Grounds in real life, he is not always present to fight over it. He knows more about the Sky Tower and the Grounds than any other of the warriors, except Sophia. He keeps the Hallucinations secret, except from a brilliant student of the Academy, Arnaud, who is also called to the Grounds. However, they are not allied – they consider themselves rivals.
Arnaud:
A student of the Royal Academy where Erasmus is a master. He has a streak of brilliance - and pride - which lead him to extraordinary feats of magic. He is a force to be reckoned with at the Grounds, for his power and fierce ambition. He knows of both Erasmus and Nicholas’ trips to the Grounds.
Nicholas:
Unbeknownst to Erasmus, another student at the Academy also visits the Grounds. Although quite as – if not more – clever and powerful as Arnaud, he is quiet and does not conduct himself with the same flair that Arnaud does. He is therefore not considered a rival to the Academy’s star pupil. He has encountered Arnaud in the Grounds, but did not fight with him. He spends most of his time by the streams that run across the Plains in the Hallucinations, conversing with the River Man – a god of water. He is the least aggressive of all the called warriors, although is perfectly capable of defending himself if he is forced to it. When roused to anger he is invincible in strength, but he does not like to lose control and maintains a mellow outlook.
Alex:
An odd character. An officer in the army of the King, and highly androgynous. No one is actually sure whether or not he – or she – is a boy or a girl. Francois, however, is convinced that she’s a girl. She is an expert warrior and accomplished spell-weaver. She has developed her own bizarre style of fighting combining her sword and magic. For this reason, her swords have to be specially constructed without using iron or steel. A general oddball and wildcard.
The Old Man:
His back bent by age and his eyes grey, this mysterious god drains the powers from warriors at the Grounds and takes them for his own, leaving his victims drained and weak in the real world. He is a parasite of magic, always feeding off the weak. However, when fighters stronger than himself confront him, he will flee.
The Lady At The Crossroads:
A goddess who does not appear either in the Grounds or in the real world, but in the brief periods while warriors are in between. She seems to hold the key to transporting people back and forth, but there is little known about her. There are sometimes figures seen with her, but even less is known about them than her.
The other gods:
The Old Man and the Lady are only two of the most prominent gods connected with the Hallucinations. There are many others: The Carrion Swan, the Bloodied Rock, the Stick Man, the Wicker Man, and many others. They roam about the Grounds attacking warriors, for no given reason. They also command most of the swarms of beasts that run amok in the Grounds. While they do not fight between each other, neither do they ever cooperate. Each holds dominion over a different part of the Grounds.
The hunters:
A mysterious group of people who chase Sophia through the Grounds. Highly skilled and powerful, they do not deal with any of the new-comers to the Grounds.
The Red Dawn:
Years ago Francois left his home village with Beatrice and Lucien to create his own band of mercenaries. With their natural talents both in battle and in securing work, they quickly expanded and became known as the best in the region. Now there are roughly thirty of them, organised into groups, and dispatched all through the province.
The Knights At Dusk:
A band of mercenaries from the nearby flatlands who have come into the mountains. They are rivals to the Red Dawn, constantly competing for work. While they have the advantage of being more mature and better organised, the Red Dawn are better known in their own province and familiar to the people.
The young leader of a band of mercenaries. He is always eager for the hunt, a keen and talented young slayer. He was born an outcast, as the son of a murderer madman. He arrived at a village one day with Francois, and left the boy with a witch. He told her that he had been harboured by a goddess for a year, who had conceived his child. He then walked into the mountains and was never seen again. Francois is ambitious beyond his years, and dreams of travelling to the capital, Kingston, to join one of the orders of knights of the Kingdom. He fights with a rapier. He holds people at a distance and is often stand-offish with strangers. Often he picks fights, or takes dislikes, to people for no reason at all. Given the admiration that he draws from people around him, this can often cause problems.
Joy:
One of Francois’ only real friends from the village of his birth. She left with him to travel with their band of mercenaries towards more central territories, where they would have more chance of finding fame. She is ambitious, like Francois, but is a deal kinder to people around her. She is perhaps the only person who can keep him in check, in fact. Often she will have to stop him from picking on people or starting fights. She is well known as a magician and witch in her own rights, as well as being part of Francois’ group of fighters.
Lucian:
A boy from Francois’ village who left with him and Beatrice to travel the world. He is quiet and introspected, and easily intimidated. As such he is often irritated by Francois’ posturing and pig-headedness. He works with them because he wants to help the world, he says. As such he does not partake in battles for prestige or fame; only with criminals and monsters. He uses a mixture of offensive and healing magic to suit and is also hyper-empathic. He has, though, another motive for tagging along. Although he would never admit it to anyone, he could not bear to part from Beatrice, for whom he has long been fond of. However, he long ago picked up on the fact that she looks only to Francois, for all she tells him off. He sometimes irritates people by acting a little tragic, for no obvious reason.
Ferdinand:
The head of the Knights At Dusk, he is Francois’ most competitive rival – outside the Grounds, that is. He has achieved fame and success in his own neighbouring province and has now come into yours to expand his enterprise. He is a perfect match for Francois – strong, arrogant, and quick to mock his rival. However, his potential is limited and he has never entered a Hallucination. Francois uses this as a secret justification to act completely superior to him, and it causes even more aggravation between the two of them.
Sandro:
Ferdinand’s right hand man. His speciality is annoying Lucien by being loud and boorish, and the two frequently get into arguments. Not very bright, but big, he is a bulldog of a fighter.
Sophia:
A brilliant fencer who challenges the strongest of the warriors who come to the Grounds. She always seems to know when and where people are due to arrive. Perhaps she is the one manipulating all their movements... But if that is the case, what of the mysterious hunters she is running from? No matter what the time, Sophia is always to be found in the Grounds, primarily in the abandoned central city which has been made her base of operations.
Erasmus:
A magus from the Academy at Kingston. He has staked a claim over part of the city, but as he has not yet managed to find a way to reach the Grounds in real life, he is not always present to fight over it. He knows more about the Sky Tower and the Grounds than any other of the warriors, except Sophia. He keeps the Hallucinations secret, except from a brilliant student of the Academy, Arnaud, who is also called to the Grounds. However, they are not allied – they consider themselves rivals.
Arnaud:
A student of the Royal Academy where Erasmus is a master. He has a streak of brilliance - and pride - which lead him to extraordinary feats of magic. He is a force to be reckoned with at the Grounds, for his power and fierce ambition. He knows of both Erasmus and Nicholas’ trips to the Grounds.
Nicholas:
Unbeknownst to Erasmus, another student at the Academy also visits the Grounds. Although quite as – if not more – clever and powerful as Arnaud, he is quiet and does not conduct himself with the same flair that Arnaud does. He is therefore not considered a rival to the Academy’s star pupil. He has encountered Arnaud in the Grounds, but did not fight with him. He spends most of his time by the streams that run across the Plains in the Hallucinations, conversing with the River Man – a god of water. He is the least aggressive of all the called warriors, although is perfectly capable of defending himself if he is forced to it. When roused to anger he is invincible in strength, but he does not like to lose control and maintains a mellow outlook.
Alex:
An odd character. An officer in the army of the King, and highly androgynous. No one is actually sure whether or not he – or she – is a boy or a girl. Francois, however, is convinced that she’s a girl. She is an expert warrior and accomplished spell-weaver. She has developed her own bizarre style of fighting combining her sword and magic. For this reason, her swords have to be specially constructed without using iron or steel. A general oddball and wildcard.
The Old Man:
His back bent by age and his eyes grey, this mysterious god drains the powers from warriors at the Grounds and takes them for his own, leaving his victims drained and weak in the real world. He is a parasite of magic, always feeding off the weak. However, when fighters stronger than himself confront him, he will flee.
The Lady At The Crossroads:
A goddess who does not appear either in the Grounds or in the real world, but in the brief periods while warriors are in between. She seems to hold the key to transporting people back and forth, but there is little known about her. There are sometimes figures seen with her, but even less is known about them than her.
The other gods:
The Old Man and the Lady are only two of the most prominent gods connected with the Hallucinations. There are many others: The Carrion Swan, the Bloodied Rock, the Stick Man, the Wicker Man, and many others. They roam about the Grounds attacking warriors, for no given reason. They also command most of the swarms of beasts that run amok in the Grounds. While they do not fight between each other, neither do they ever cooperate. Each holds dominion over a different part of the Grounds.
The hunters:
A mysterious group of people who chase Sophia through the Grounds. Highly skilled and powerful, they do not deal with any of the new-comers to the Grounds.
The Red Dawn:
Years ago Francois left his home village with Beatrice and Lucien to create his own band of mercenaries. With their natural talents both in battle and in securing work, they quickly expanded and became known as the best in the region. Now there are roughly thirty of them, organised into groups, and dispatched all through the province.
The Knights At Dusk:
A band of mercenaries from the nearby flatlands who have come into the mountains. They are rivals to the Red Dawn, constantly competing for work. While they have the advantage of being more mature and better organised, the Red Dawn are better known in their own province and familiar to the people.
This is the battle system I'm working on. It's going to be a fully operation strategy battle system by the time I'm done. All data is taken from the database and it's set up so as to be as easy as possible to arrange for non-scripters to use as well as to be easy for scripters to customise. All the data is taken from the database, and all the battle data done with specialised events. It's not perfect, but it's as good as I can get it at the moment. Eventually I plan to create a project with RGSS that acts as an alternate database, allowing you to write new classes and add easily editable variables to existing ones - for instance a 'Move Distance' variable for battlers. Well, that's all secondary really. Right now I'm aiming for a basic version with minimal features, which I will release. I'll then create an enhanced version which will be released with this project when it's finished.
"You know what? I am a mercenary. My job, my career is all about killing things. That's it for me. Just because I make jokes, and go on dates, and live a normal life, it doesn't make me any less of a killer. Just because the things I kill are monsters, and they hurt people, it doesn't make me a hero. Just because I save the day, it doesn't mean that I have redeeming features. So don't go expecting me to do things for free, don't think I'm going to save these people, and don't think I'll feel guilty if they die. Don't think that I'm a nice person. Because I really don't care. I really don't, not at all. Only about myself. All of this, it's just a game to me. And if you want to play by your own rules, go ahead, because I'm don't want to, and I'm not going to,"
Current status:
I havn't started work on mapping or anything yet, or more than the basic concepts of the story. It's all been around the battle system so far, although I had to take more than a few months off to do exams. At the moments you can place and move your battlers. You can have them attack eachother and enemies. A fighter is 'downed' when they run out of HP, but still exists on the map. They can be revived or, by further attacking them, they can be 'finished', removing them from battle permenantly. You can win, with the victory conditions scripted in so they are completely flexible :lol: However, the enemies don't fight back at the moment :P I'm also working on some pathfinding, which will be the next thing to finish and then implement (A* if you were wondering).
Demo:
I do have a working demo ready, but I've decided to hold it back for a while. For a start the scenario has absolutely nothing to do with the project. I also need to fix up a couple of things related to the message system.
Recruiting:
At the moment, I'm not. I don't need to right now, as all that's being done is scripting. However, at some point I would like to have some custom graphics. Any music other than RTP I use will probably be my own made with some kind of midi software or recorded (that's providing I can raise a couple of hundred pounds to get a preamp, interface, microphone, and then get hold of a pirated copy of ProTools ':|). Scripting I can do, as well as writing. I suppose a good mapper might come into it, but nothing till much later. When I want to put a team together, I'll advertise it in my sig.
lol