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- Jul 23, 2013
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There's some artwork to get your attention. :3
Hello and welcome!
I first bought RPG Maker VX Ace last summer, during the Steam Summer sale. I went crazy with it and started on a big project, and I even posted it on this forum in the Early Project section. Several users here helped me out with some things and made the game a much higher quality product, and I thank them for that. Then I got tired of making it and quit.
Fast forward one year later!
I got back to it, and I’ve now created a lot more of the game. It’s not completely done, but I would estimate it’s halfway finished. However, due to my style of game-making, the stuff that IS done is completely done and playable, which means I can post it here for you amazing people to play and break it, and let me know all the improvements that need to be made!
As for the game itself, my goal here is to create something that’s more story-focused. Also I should note that there are mature subject matters and whatnot, lots of gore descriptions, and a bit of sex, so that’s the official warning for that mess. I’ll go on to the story synopsis now, and yeah it’s all total spoilers and it’ll probably make the game less enjoyable if you read all this.
Story Synopsis:
The setting is a traditional medieval fantasy setting, but more realistic, meaning no magic or magical beings and whatnot. The game opens with the main character, a woman who you name, who we’ll call “Recruit”, traveling through a forest in a thunderstorm. She’s joining up with a mercenary band called Bartram’s Maw. Currently, this band is being employed to help fight against an up-jumped warmonger who goes by the name “Goddess”. It’s just a name, as there’s no evidence of any kind of divine powers or anything.
If all of this sounds dreadfully cliché to you, good. It’s a backdrop designed to lull the player into getting comfortable. What I’m aiming here with the narrative is a story within a story. Eventually, the main character, Recruit, meets another member of Bartram’s Maw: “Red”, a mysterious and sadistic woman who instills fear into everyone she comes across. The main character becomes fascinated and enthralled with this woman, to the point of obsession, and decides to seek her out, and ask about her life, and how she became who she is today. In reality, the Recruit character desperately wants to make a name for herself, and she sees in Red someone who she just might want to be, even if she doesn’t know what she’s really asking for. Eventually, Red decides to go ahead with her life story, and that’s when the narrative completely changes. We go into a backflash, and the player then realizes that the person they named isn’t the main character at all, but rather, a fellow observer in the real main character’s story, who is Red. The main game actually IS Red telling her story, as in, it’s one big backflash. The Recruit character that you name only serves as an introduction to the story.
And as for Red’s story, well, it’s a series of horrible tragedies that have psychologically and physically scarred her for life, and throughout the game, she slowly turns into the monster that Recruit first comes across in the beginning of the game. At a focal point in her life is a younger girl who was born crippled and deformed, who Red has sworn to always protect and care for through her journeys. Red comes across several allies in her journeys, who all have dynamic personalities and often clash.
If all of this sounds dreadfully cliché to you, good. It’s a backdrop designed to lull the player into getting comfortable. What I’m aiming here with the narrative is a story within a story. Eventually, the main character, Recruit, meets another member of Bartram’s Maw: “Red”, a mysterious and sadistic woman who instills fear into everyone she comes across. The main character becomes fascinated and enthralled with this woman, to the point of obsession, and decides to seek her out, and ask about her life, and how she became who she is today. In reality, the Recruit character desperately wants to make a name for herself, and she sees in Red someone who she just might want to be, even if she doesn’t know what she’s really asking for. Eventually, Red decides to go ahead with her life story, and that’s when the narrative completely changes. We go into a backflash, and the player then realizes that the person they named isn’t the main character at all, but rather, a fellow observer in the real main character’s story, who is Red. The main game actually IS Red telling her story, as in, it’s one big backflash. The Recruit character that you name only serves as an introduction to the story.
And as for Red’s story, well, it’s a series of horrible tragedies that have psychologically and physically scarred her for life, and throughout the game, she slowly turns into the monster that Recruit first comes across in the beginning of the game. At a focal point in her life is a younger girl who was born crippled and deformed, who Red has sworn to always protect and care for through her journeys. Red comes across several allies in her journeys, who all have dynamic personalities and often clash.
World Development:
The characters, story, and atmosphere are more important than world building in this story. That said, the world is a traditional medieval fantasy world, but without obvious magic and whatnot, similar to maybe Game of Thrones (okay, maybe there’s a few monsters, like ogres and trolls and snake monsters.) There are two primary kingdoms, Fauthien and Craelle. And then to the north is snowy expanses and wilderness, owned by nobody in particular, but is divided up into several tracts of land run by Viking style Jarls from their cozy, warm mead-halls. In the center of the map is where a tower is located, where the Goddess resides. However, in the backflash, or main game, this tower is not built yet. The land is considered the “neutral lands”, and is occupied by free people. The introduction to the game with Recruit in the future would take place near here, and Red’s story in the past would begin far to the north.
The introduction features a large inn that’s has a lot of effort put into it. It’s called The Rushlight, and I wanted it to be a playground of sorts, with several features to interact with. There’s the patrons to talk to, drunken buffoons, dancers, ladies of the night, old men telling stories, oddball merc members, secret doors and passageways, hidden treasures, rats in basements (lol), and plenty more. I didn’t want it to be a quick in and out inn like you would traditionally see, but rather a living area with plenty to do (in fact, in order to progress, there’s a little money hunt you have to do in order to purchase an important item, so you’ve got to explore the inn).
And then when you get to Red’s story, you open up an enormous map, and travel from town to town, settlement to settlement, dungeons levels as well, and come across different adventures and tragedies.
But the world is largely expandable as I continue the story. There’s room for plenty more world building.
The introduction features a large inn that’s has a lot of effort put into it. It’s called The Rushlight, and I wanted it to be a playground of sorts, with several features to interact with. There’s the patrons to talk to, drunken buffoons, dancers, ladies of the night, old men telling stories, oddball merc members, secret doors and passageways, hidden treasures, rats in basements (lol), and plenty more. I didn’t want it to be a quick in and out inn like you would traditionally see, but rather a living area with plenty to do (in fact, in order to progress, there’s a little money hunt you have to do in order to purchase an important item, so you’ve got to explore the inn).
And then when you get to Red’s story, you open up an enormous map, and travel from town to town, settlement to settlement, dungeons levels as well, and come across different adventures and tragedies.
But the world is largely expandable as I continue the story. There’s room for plenty more world building.
Screenshots:
This is all massive spoiler stuff, so look at it with one eye closed if you plan on playing!
First, some mapping. Here's the overworld map, as well as several random maps of areas in the game:
Here's some general pictures. I like to include a lot of dialogue choices:
Entice ladies of the night! vvv
Major spoilers here, but you get your own wolf, and you can name it:
There are non-violent solutions to some problems. They may lead you into very interesting devlopements as well! vvv
And here we are, possibly the most terrifying video game sequence in all of video history, the Night of the Fish-People:
I have a lot more pics, but I think I've already posted too many.
I wonder if there's a pic posting limit rule on this forum. <_>
First, some mapping. Here's the overworld map, as well as several random maps of areas in the game:
Here's some general pictures. I like to include a lot of dialogue choices:
Entice ladies of the night! vvv
Major spoilers here, but you get your own wolf, and you can name it:
There are non-violent solutions to some problems. They may lead you into very interesting devlopements as well! vvv
And here we are, possibly the most terrifying video game sequence in all of video history, the Night of the Fish-People:
I have a lot more pics, but I think I've already posted too many.
I wonder if there's a pic posting limit rule on this forum. <_>So that’s the basics. A few notes. The game as is, should take maybe three hours? That’s a really wild guess. Could be less if you rush, could be a lot more if you like to take your time and explore, or grind for levels and money.
I’ve given the MP and TP bars a new coat of paint, and are now called Tools and Willpower, respectively. So no magic. Tools is a catch-all term that represents anything you have on hand and can “Macgyver” a special move out of. Examples would be bandages for healing, throwing knives, or arrows, or bombs, or things like that. Using a knife throw move at an enemy would use up 5 Tool resources, for instance. Basically the end result is the same as magic and spells, it’s just a different flavor. Willpower is just for traditional physical special moves, like charging an enemy or whatever. Also, one other little thing I’m changing up is you don’t get any money from defeated enemies. Instead, there’s a random chance of them dropping resources. For instance, you could get wings from a bat or whatever. Then, when you go back to town, you can sell them all, and that’s how you get your money. I think this is interesting for a couple reasons. One, it’s more realistic. Money isn’t exploding out of rats anymore. Also, in Red’s story, she’s a hunter and trapper that lives in the wild, so it fits, aesthetically. She’ll be skinning hides and selling them to vendors. Also, I think it might provide a pleasing sensation, coming back from a dungeon or whatever, with no money to show for it, but then bam, you sell all your materials at once, and you suddenly see that gold number shoot up. Again, end result is the same, it’s just a different flavor of doing it.
Another feature that is included and will be expanded on is Red’s “Journal” item. You get this item once you collect your full, four-member party. When you use the item, you can view your current relationship status with your party members. The higher the number, the more they like you. Like Dragon Age. The beginning of this system is introduced here, and in the full game, I hope to develop romances and whatnot, making you choose between your party members.
Play the whole thing, give comments, note bugs, and get a spot in the credits as game tester!
Oh, one last thing. There are a few people who played the original demo build, which just includes the introduction. To accommodate these people, I’ve put a prompt at the beginning asking if you want to skip the introduction. If you’ve already played it, then go ahead and do so. But if you’ve never played this before, make sure to start from the beginning! You’ll just be confused if you don’t!
Here's the download link with NO RTP:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-VVrxJYHz50VGJVWXNvSmhPNTg/edit?usp=sharing
And the download link WITH RTP:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-VVrxJYHz50dGFSS0RhSHFCRFE/edit?usp=sharing
Topic header big sword lady artwork by the talented MrVagary. Other credits found in game. =D
Here's a new Let's Play of the game:
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