Beyond Reality HD [Development Topic]

[EternalShadow]

 

 
After working on Beyond Reality for the IGMC and getting feedback on it (I didn't make the top three, as I expected! ) I then decided that upon the release of Archeia's High-Resolution .DLL, I would remake Beyond Reality and update it to be more than just a simple hour-long roleplaying game.
 
Thoughout the IGMC, I was always conscious about the hour-long 'soft time limit' of the game. Sure, the judges would've probably continued playing if they liked the game but there was no guarantee of this and I wanted them to at least see the ending. As a result, I feel the game was impacted heavily by this in its development. I wasn't able to flesh out the characters properly, and some people felt that the ending was a little bit rushed, and the game didn't offer enough exploration at the beginning - there was one stupidly long cutscene, looking back at it...
 
But now - I can release the game in an HD version, fixed up according to the feedback I've obtained from the IGMC and post-IGMC players! Come and see what's changed, and how the remake is being made!
 
 

 
The leader of the Alpha Omega company - La'lele - quickly discovers that the world is not what it seems. Every principle she has learnt and based her life upon up to this point has been a lie. Despite her belief to the contrary, the Alpha Omega company is not merely a research base for good - its true intentions are much more sinister, but will a trip to the past and an Earth-shattering revelation of what La'lele once held dear will convince her of this?!
 
Join La'lele in her journey from her modern world to that of two-thousand years ago! 
Can her employees be trusted? Can their friendships - professional or not - stand strong?
Of all the aspirations and goals of everyone in the Alpha Omega company, which ones will prevail?
Can you uncover the secrets behind the governments of the past and future?
Who - or what - is the true evil?
 
Find out in Beyond Reality HD!!
 
 

[Please note: These images are from various stages of development. The final product will differ.]​

Spoiler

 

 
 

 
*High-Definition Support*
*Brand-New, Larger Maps*
*A Longer Storyline*
*New Plot Twists*
*A Never-Seen Before Ending*
*Fleshed-Out, Emotive Characters*
*Improved Combat*
*Even More Dungeons*
*A Greater Diversity of Puzzles*
 
And more!
 
 

 
Coming Soon!
 
 

[up-to-date as of Beyond Reality IGMC]​

Spoiler

Game Engine:
RPG Maker VX Ace - Enterbrain


Game Design:
Characters - HotfireLegend
Story - HotfireLegend
Mapping - HotfireLegend


Music:
Aaron Krogh
Kevin Macleod
Ms Littlefish
Scythuz
Kairi Sawler
Joel Steudler
Jasprelao
Subaru
Snowy Fox


Tilesets:
Royal
Futuristic
Modern
Mack
Celianna
COAD/Benben/Hanzo
XP RTP
Ace RTP


Other Graphics:
Futuristic Hero busts - Degica,
Frontier Works
Fantasy Busts - Katakura Hibiki
Light Overlay - Stripe103
Battlers - Chaos Avian, Frontier Works,
Katakura Hibiki
Battle Transition - XP RTP


Scripts:
Busts - Galv
Word Wrap - KilloZapit
Battle System - Neon Black
Party Menu - Yanfly
Save Engine - Yanfly
Save Engine Add-on - Galv
Smooth Camera - Raizen
Splash Screen - Dekita
Smooth Cursor - Zane
State Battlers - Neon Black


Special Thanks:
Alkorri
Ms Littlefish
Scythuz


Beta Testers:
Angel Aburame
Bar Hyuuga
Green Akari
Scythuz
Ms Littlefish
Alkorri
Matseb2611
Frrrosty

 

[JacobM]

Looks great so far man! I wanna stream this when you're done with it! 

 

[EternalShadow]

Hiya again guys! I'm sure you all want to know what'd taking so long with this HD remake! Well, to put it simply, the IGMC version would only contain about a quarter to a fifth of the final package - maybe even amount to less, if everything planned for the HD version is implemented.

As such, see this world map (draft) of the region in Sulada's timeline:

Spoiler

My iPad's camera is a bit derpy so the writing may be almost impossible to read

Anyway, this is also what I have planned in terms of dungeons and other explorable areas - two sample maps:

Spoiler

In any case, these maps won't be 100% accurate to their final version, but probably gives a sense of the scale I'm going for. 

 

[Kes]

This looks like it could be really interesting.  One of the things which I find appealing in the screen shots you've put up is the fact that you can have the dialogue and character without them obscuring a big chunk of the map.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this shapes up.  good luck with it.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Oh, wow. HFL. Your hand drawn maps look great. I really want to draw one myself, now. XD

The screen shots looks pretty good. A lot different than what I remember from playing various IGMC versions. I'll keep an eye on this and let me know if I can help out again like last time!

 

[Horrow]

Hiya again guys! I'm sure you all want to know what'd taking so long with this HD remake! Well, to put it simply, the IGMC version would only contain about a quarter to a fifth of the final package - maybe even amount to less, if everything planned for the HD version is implemented.

As such, see this world map (draft) of the region in Sulada's timeline:

Spoiler

Spoiler

My iPad's camera is a bit derpy so the writing may be almost impossible to read

Anyway, this is also what I have planned in terms of dungeons and other explorable areas - two sample maps:

In any case, these maps won't be 100% accurate to their final version, but probably gives a sense of the scale I'm going for. 

Look interesting...need help to convert it to something more...?

 

[EternalShadow]

Look interesting...need help to convert it to something more...?

I'll let you know, once the maps are finalized (these are just drafts at the moment) - Thank you ^_^

I'm thinking though - I might actually go ahead and make this a commercial game. It means I'll have to check all my credits again and of course their TOS, but it means I can at least get something back for the inevitably long development time that this game will require. If I can also get the game on Greenlight and publicize it properly, it also means I can actually get off the ground as a game dev. The IGMC version will always be free, as per usual. Of course, there will be some expenditure required (Celi's tileset) and re-obtaining permissions (Neonblack's CP Battle System, Dekita's Splash Screen) but for the most part, I shoooould be fine. 

The reason I'm thinking this is that due to new EU legislation (VATMOSS) this means I am physically unable to sell anything digital online such as photos, games, etc unless I use a third party. The alternative is storing the personal details of everyone I deal with for 10 years and paying 20% VAT to those who buy from abroad -.-

This means my only real route in freelancing at the moment (until they repeal VATMOSS, which I'm thinking will happen due to heavy opposition, but that won't be for a while) is game dev through a third party. Sure, I could sell photos and framed stuff, but that's another level of complexity I've not delved into yet. I could learn it pretty quickly I'm sure, but I do not even know of third-party sites where you can sell your photos. I imagine it's not a very popular venture anyway, considering I've never even heard of one - besides the stock photo sites like Shutterstock, but I'm not selling stocks!)

In any case, I suppose one has to start somewhere anyway - may as well do it with this game.

 

[EternalShadow]

I will almost certainly be making the game commercial

Now, I've got a lot of the new maps done - but there are many more still to come.

However, I have to ask: When you explore dungeons/caves/etc, do you prefer them to be in a nonlinear fashion, like the below UNFINISHED screenshot:

Or would you rather follow the cave linearly, with traps and puzzles along the way, like a later one has? 

Or would you like a mix of the two?

 

[Mukar]

Wait, you're using the experimental DLL? Isn't it still buggy?

On note of the game, it looks nice. After playing the original, I'm looking forward to seeing how you change it in HD.

 

[EternalShadow]

Wait, you're using the experimental DLL? Isn't it still buggy?


On note of the game, it looks nice. After playing the original, I'm looking forward to seeing how you change it in HD.

It should be stable by the time I release this, and I'm working around the bugs or simply not using features that there could be bugs with. As of now, there aren't really any issues. No crashes, etc. The most I've run into are some graphical things but all of them have been fixed with small script snippets. Slowdown is an issue, but others are working on this as well since it is also a problem with RM in general.


Worst-case scenario, I can -easily- jump down to the 640 res, non-high-res .dll. I'm trying to avoid that though!


And thanks for your support

 

[Mukar]

I've tried using the DLL myself but I get framerate drops...and I have a good computer. For example, I've noticed it takes longer for the pause menu to show up, etc. Do you know how to fix that?

 

[EternalShadow]

I've tried using the DLL myself but I get framerate drops...and I have a good computer. For example, I've noticed it takes longer for the pause menu to show up, etc. Do you know how to fix that?

The first link in my signature has a guide and a lot of suggestions - try as many of them as possible. Other than that, I am waiting for performance improvement scripts. Once they're available, I'll post them in the guide.

 

[rondchild]

Wow so HD resolution O_Oa

Is this free from lag ?

look from screenshots, i think sprite and map must be HD too.

anyway good luck guys !

 

[EternalShadow]

Wow so HD resolution O_Oa


Is this free from lag ?


look from screenshots, i think sprite and map must be HD too.


anyway good luck guys !

You should be able to play this without any significant issues (lag in dialogue for example is basically unnoticeable since you're only reading text appearing next to a bust, for example) and there isn't enough lag to hamper anything I've got set up so far. However, the engine isn't very good at rendering constant movement with a lot of events onscreen, but a few upcoming scripts should fix that.


So generally, it is 'lag-free' in the essence that it -shouldn't- go below 30 fps (which is the minimum standard for a lot of games) or stutter at important bits.


If you want to replicate the visual effect, I have a guide in my sig.


And thanks

 

[EternalShadow]

Sorry about the delay in updates, guys!


Some more early Alpha screenshots for you all~

Spoiler

The mapping for this game takes absolute AGES, considering all the exterior maps are a minimum size of 42*24, and the entire thing is (most of the time) visible. Speaking of mapping, I've pretty much finished the outline for all of the maps(!) and only one 42*24 remains to be completely finished. Everything else that follows is likely to follow due to a storyline edit, alteration or otherwise lengthening. Most maps still need detailing, but it is at this point that I'm moving onto battlers and other various graphics.


Due to the lack of sprites (for on-map displays) available compared to the number of battlers out there, I'm thinking of using Thalzon's battlers, combined with red orbs to show bosses, purple orbs to show rare game and blue orbs to show common enemies.


If anyone has any input at this point about anything in the game, let me know!

 

[Stapleton]

The game is looking good. I prefer a dungeon that is semi-clear on where to go but offers other paths to encourage exploration. Otherwise I will get closed in and feel like there isnt anything else to it. Grab the curiousity of players without frustrating them.

 

[EternalShadow]

And here is Drassray's Let's Play of Beyond Reality IGMC!




To whet your appetites, I will soon produce a [prototype] comparative video that shows the differences between the IGMC and HD versions!


What you can expect for the first hour (full IGMC game vs first hour of the HD game) for example, is:


- A new intro


- Shorter cutscenes overall


- Less mandatory cutscenes (whoop!)


- Greater interactivity


- Deeper characterization


- Larger emphasis on gameplay


- Increased exploration possibilities


- Better battle visual cues


- And of course, a continuation of the story instead of the original ending!

 

[Kyuukon]

Game looks good, I was watching the stream yesterday xD but... are you sure it does good to your game that big resolution? I mean, I had to reduce mine from 620*480 to 544*416 because it made the characters get lost in the map (specially when working with 48*32 sprites. I understand the portraits and dialogs might look better in a higher resolution but maybe you should think about it twice. I'm not saying go back to 544*416 but maybe 620*480 will work fine in your case. Also you avoid other compatibility problems. Just a thought

Wish you good luck with your project xD!

 

[EternalShadow]

Game looks good, I was watching the stream yesterday xD but... are you sure it does good to your game that big resolution? I mean, I had to reduce mine from 620*480 to 544*416 because it made the characters get lost in the map (specially when working with 48*32 sprites. I understand the portraits and dialogs might look better in a higher resolution but maybe you should think about it twice. I'm not saying go back to 544*416 but maybe 620*480 will work fine in your case. Also you avoid other compatibility problems. Just a thought


Wish you good luck with your project xD!

The resolution is changeable in an options menu - just go with what you prefer


I'm just waiting on a fullscreen++ fix for a bug that seems to only occur for some people... (Basically, F++ stops the screen going below a certain res once it has been used on a higher res, leading me to believe that a wrong value is being stored somewhere - but some people don't seem to have this issue, meaning it may be linked to drivers, caches, etc. But it shouldn't be a problem once the HD has been updated anyway.)

 

[EternalShadow]

Long story short, this project is on hold.

I cannot afford Celi's tileset (It's on sale, but the price is still £100 which is really high for a non-exclusive tileset, if you account for taxes and currency conversions and currency conversion fees) - and that price goes up to nearly £300 in a couple of days.

And I made 19 maps (and tidbits of others) with Celi's tileset before I knew I had to make this project commercial.

And I don't have the heart to do redo 19 maps.

The vast majority of them are 42*24 (to accompany the 1344*768 resolution) and all 19 I estimate would take nearly two weeks to do, and that's at more than two a day! 

So I'm not going to be touching this project for quite a while, unless people want a very condensed game without those 19 maps -_-"

EDIT: Ought to mention: The game has about 80 playable maps. We're looking at 1/4 to 1/5th of the entire game here.