Astralon - Fall of Order [Demo available!]

[Shadowfrost Zenbiniar]

No worries! I will never abandon Astralon, I would never forgive myself, haha x) 

It's just that Astralon was planned as a simple, RTP - Game, that should have solid balancing and a nice story, with some additional interesting twists to the genre with the revelations. However, now, that I use Parallax Mapping, it's a process so extremely tedious, that I loose motivation the moment I think about working on it. I will complete it, and if it kills me, but I won't ruin something that started off so good by working on it, when I don't feel like doing something.

Thanks for your support! I really appreciate it. If there's anything you'd like to see in Astralon, just post it here! ^-^

Nice! I hope all goes well, bruh.

Thanks! When will the next version be out?

 

[Faye Valentine]

Neat. Now downloading, i'll edit my post after playing it.

 

[Pumamori]

The next version, eh?

I admit, I am currently not much further than I am in the main post right now, HOWEVER, I finally made my mind up. I will shrink the plans I had for the game down a tiny bit, and work full-steam on the next version. I know about everything I need to know, and commissioned another piece of art for an important part of the game. This being said, I did announce that the english version will take a long time before release, because I'm doing the whole thing in german first, then translate everything afterwards. If I were to do that for every single update, I will make no progress whatsoever, so I am going to finish the basic german version, with the full story line now, then proceed to translate it, releasing more and more translated parts here as I finish them.

I hope that's understandable, if you have any questions feel free to ask, I might have worded that a bit confusing.

As for InvariableZ, I'm pumped to see what you think about it! A lot of hard work went into polishing this demo ^-^

 

[Kes]

Having played through the demo, I have to say that with a bit of juggling there is almost nothing in your parallax maps which couldn't be done in the editor.  If you find parallaxing demotivating, perhaps you could rethink that, rather than struggle to complete it the way you had originally thought of doing it.

 

[Pumamori]

Hm, I believe there are quite a few things, actually. I mean, I suppose I could create a new tileset for every single map there, but that sounds just as exhausting, haha  

Except for the indoor mapping of course, I did nothing there that I couldn't do in the editor, but for that, it really feels better to do the parallax mapping.

 

[Faye Valentine]

Had troubles with my internet, so that's why it took me too long to finally play your game, but i did anyways.

Ok, so it was quite short, it kinda surprised me, i expected more but anyways xD overall looks cool, though that "ancient magical artifact" thing is kinda cliché so i hope you make the plot interesting  

Btw, i really LOVED the revelations part, it remembered me alot to Ace Attorney, it had that vibe. I hope you make more of that trough the game it's original (at least i haven't seen it in other RPG Maker games) and it's well made. 

Nice project, keep the good work.

 

[Pumamori]

Thank you so much! 

Yes, as of now, it is kinda short, but it's but a demo anyway. About the "ancient magical artifact", first of all, it is not ancient. ^-^

Spoiler

Let's see, it's about two to three years old.

No worries, it will be interesting.
Glad you liked the revelations! There will be a few more variations as well, that you might like ^-^

 

[Pumamori]

I.. I can't..

Developement on Astralon is paused for now. I lost everything. New computer, and the backup I made crashed on me, everything gone... So many hours gone to waste..

 

[Faye Valentine]

So sorry to hear that :/ It has happened to me, so i feel you.

 

[Kyuukon]

I.. I can't..

Developement on Astralon is paused for now. I lost everything. New computer, and the backup I made crashed on me, everything gone... So many hours gone to waste..

Are you serious?

Isn't there a way to recover your 'crashed' data? DAMN, it must suck. Always backup your stuff :/ (Dropbox helps).

 

[Shadowfrost Zenbiniar]

I.. I can't..

Developement on Astralon is paused for now. I lost everything. New computer, and the backup I made crashed on me, everything gone... So many hours gone to waste..

Wow, sorry dude. That really blows. Don't worry, we'll be here to support you though. :/

 

[Pumamori]

I'll do my best to recover from this. And yes, I had a backup, but the backup is the thing that crashed on me, when I received a new computer. The old one is wiped, so no luck there. I have uploaded a few things to google drive, but nothing that is worth recovering. I might just have to start from scratch again.

But I won't abandon Astralon, even if it takes a little longer than expected now. ^-^

 

[Matseb2611]

Hey there. Tried out the demo last night and have some thoughts to share, if you'd like to hear.

The mapping is very nice. You've designed the environments really well and pretty much none of it seems to be RTP (not that I have anything against RTP). Conversely, most of the music seems to be RTP. Although RTP music is not terrible or anything, I think it's a lot better and would make your game feel more unique if you added more custom tracks to the game. The only one I recall that wasn't RTP was the one that played during the Revelation/Confrontation part.

One thing that really irked me from the very start was the fact I couldn't access the menu at all. Why is it disabled? I couldn't check up on what items I had and couldn't even save. Maybe you just forgot to re-enable it after the intro. There was also no chance to save the game right after the intro. I would highly suggest to let the player save just after the intro but before the first battle.

So I got to the first boss fight. I like how you're executing the cutscenes. The characters feel alive. Very good use of behaviour poses there especially. However, the battlers themselves look a bit off to me. One of them is an RTP battler and another one isn't, and they look a bit too different in art style and bodily proportions. My personal recommendation would be to have them both in the same style. Either both custom or both RTP. If you're short on battlers, I would highly suggest you check out Thalzon's battler collection. There are so many battlers there, you're bound to find the two that you need.

The 'Work Up' skill sounded like a buff from its description, but it targets the enemy rather than an ally.

I had the option to 'touch the stone' or to 'leave it'. Is there any reason at all to leaving it? If that option doesn't do anything to progress the plot, then this choice is kind of pointless.

I'd point out the saving again. After I've had the boss battle, I really wanted to save the game, but the game won't let me do that.

And now moving on to the Revelation/Confrontation mini-game. This was pretty awesome and so far the only thing that really stands out in this game. I really like how it's been put together - comparing the opponent's statements to the facts you've gathered. Some of the dialogue options during Confrontation could use some work I think. It's really not obvious what would happen with each, and so I ended up getting hit twice before picking the last option that ended up being correct.

So far not bad. There's potential. At the moment the Revelation/Confrontation mechanic seems to stand out the most, so my personal suggestion would be to make that the focus of the gameplay. I also just read a few posts above that you've lost all your data. Sorry to hear about that, but don't let it discourage you. The game is still in the early stages and there's a chance to make it even better. Don't give up.

 

[Pumamori]

Answers written normally. Thanks for the compliments ^-^

Conversely, most of the music seems to be RTP. Although RTP music is not terrible or anything, I think it's a lot better and would make your game feel more unique if you added more custom tracks to the game. The only one I recall that wasn't RTP was the one that played during the Revelation/Confrontation part.

I don't think RTP music is that bad of a choice. I've been introducing quite a few custom tracks, that are not yet present in that demo (well, now not at all, anyway), however, if the RTP music fits a scene nicely, why would I go around and change it? Unique, well, maybe, but that's something I consider doing in the end. Something like a refining or polishing process.

One thing that really irked me from the very start was the fact I couldn't access the menu at all. Why is it disabled? I couldn't check up on what items I had and couldn't even save. Maybe you just forgot to re-enable it after the intro. There was also no chance to save the game right after the intro. I would highly suggest to let the player save just after the intro but before the first battle. + I'd point out the saving again. After I've had the boss battle, I really wanted to save the game, but the game won't let me do that.

Well, that's because the intro isn't even finished yet. The Intro doesn't end with the Revelation, the menu gets unlocked later on and is even explained from a lore point of view. Sorry if that bothered you!

One of them is an RTP battler and another one isn't, and they look a bit too different in art style and bodily proportions.

I honestly don't think, that I will switch all battlers to something else entirely, because two look a little different, haha x) Don't get me wrong, I just don't really dig Thalzon's art style all that much and prefer to go the RTP-style kinda thing. I agree, that the battlers don't look alike too much, however, I couldn't find a better replacement (that doesn't look completely overpowered) and think he does just fine as a placeholder for the moment.   

The 'Work Up' skill sounded like a buff from its description, but it targets the enemy rather than an ally.

Exactly. Think of it as an adrenaline rush you get when engaging into battle. I didn't want a pure buff skill, it seemed boring, and not rewarding enough. It does raise your attack, but also damages the enemy.  

I had the option to 'touch the stone' or to 'leave it'. Is there any reason at all to leaving it? If that option doesn't do anything to progress the plot, then this choice is kind of pointless.

It's not pointless at all! You can still talk to everyone, if you skip these dialogues on accident, you still have a chance to go back.

Some of the dialogue options during Confrontation could use some work I think. It's really not obvious what would happen with each, and so I ended up getting hit twice before picking the last option that ended up being correct.

Could you please specify which ones you mean? It would help a lot.

So far not bad. There's potential. At the moment the Revelation/Confrontation mechanic seems to stand out the most, so my personal suggestion would be to make that the focus of the gameplay.

That was the plan, actually. As described in the start post, a classic rpg with a twist!  

I also just read a few posts above that you've lost all your data. Sorry to hear about that, but don't let it discourage you. The game is still in the early stages and there's a chance to make it even better. Don't give up.

I won't! In fact, I already started rebuilding, however, I didn't really want to announce that just yet without a good reason to do so, like, at least a demo that's longer than the one here. I changed the graphic style a bit, but overall, it should remain the way it was! I implemented a few much needed features that people requested on another forum, including but not limited to WSAD Input, a little graphical display that you can interact with the object in front of you, and the option to skip through messages a bit faster.

 

[Matseb2611]

Heya. It's all totally your choice, but not being able to save and access menu for the first 20 minutes of the game will annoy many players, especially if they die at any point or have to switch off the game, because then they'd be forced to watch the intro all over again. As a rule of thumb, there should always be an opportunity to save before the first battle.

And for the dialogue, I meant the one when the female villain asks you for your reasons and you had 3 options. It's not obvious at all I had to pick the last option. Because the last option is just "I have no reasons". It's essentially saying "I lost the argument". There's no way to tell that by fluke a random NPC will show up that changes the flow of the cutscene. The player has no way of knowing it.

Anyways, good luck.

 

[Pumamori]

Well, I see where you're getting at, but I think I placed that one save point well enough? It's not like you could loose any of the battles before, even if you were mindlessly hitting the attack button over and over. o-o But I could always adjust that! I believe a save after that fight may be a good idea. Thanks for the reply!

Also, thanks for the clarification. I know what you mean and honestly, I think when I wrote that part, I made it a bit more abstract on purpose. Don't think there are many people that really got it right the first time. I'll just go ahead and adjust this passage in the rebuild. Thanks! ^-^

 

[Pumamori]

Damn it, it's been a while since I've given an update. Mainly because of me spending time to rebuild what I had. But why rebuild stuff, when you can make it better?!

No matter what I said before, these are the plans I have for Astralon as of now:

• The Game will be released in English first now, as opposed to being a translation of the german version. It's basically the other way around now.
• The Game will not have parallax mapping, until after I'm done with it. I'm working alone and couldn't find anyone assisting me with these, so I figured that I would do better when I copied the demo's process. First RTP, then Parallax Mapping. I'm aware that it may not look as pretty for the moment, but it certainly will for the full release.
• The Battle System is no longer turn based. I've taken a completely different approach, and it's giving me more motivation to work on Astralon than anything else. Have a sneak peek:
  
  
• The "theme" of Astralon changed. While it has been "Truth" at first, the new theme will be "Chaos vs. Order". The story hasn't changed a lot despite that. 

Due to all of this, developement sped up a notch, so expect some more frequent updates! I will release a new "first" demo soon-ish. I completely changed the beginning, so it might still be interesting for those who played the original one already. That said, have a wonderful day!

 

[Miss Nile]

This is looking like a really interesting game, you know. ^^ And the battle system is looking quite interesting!

Btw, the RTP is good. Look for some custom free tiles to make it look even better, but don't listen to those who say it's bad! Personally, I don't believe that a good game is one with parallax mapping. A good game is a game with good gameplay and story. ^^ Graphics are important, of course, and the RTP is capable of making lovely, beautiful maps.

Good luck!

 

[Pumamori]

Thanks for the feedback!

I know, RTP doesn't look bad and you can most definitely create something worthwile with it, but I just prefer the looks of parallax mapping. I will do it eventually, when the game is done and I polished everything until I'm satisfied. I did think about asking for help in terms of mapping, so I could immediately have the parallax maps in place, but I'm not sure that Astralon deserves this kind of privilege, so I kinda just didn't... Also I'm afraid of turning people down because they might not meet my expectations and I'd feel like a complete dickhead afterwards. Problems over problems, haha x) 

 

[Pumamori]

Good day everyone. It's been quite a wait. 

The new Astralon - Fall of Order demo is here! I have no time to update the main post right now, so, have a link!

Click me for the new Demo!

I never announced working on it, because it would demotivate me if I pressured myself into completing it, but here it is! This demo's main purpose is to showcase gameplay mechanics of the main game, but I couldn't bring myself to upload a blunt tech demo, so I worked a little story into it too. (Everything in this demo is canon by the way.)

Have a wonderful day!

~Pumalarios