RMMZ Haven: Secret of Caledria | Demo Available

[Adam1013]

Can’t wait for the stream today with all these updates!

 

[Neo Soul Gamer]

Another Let's Play video has been added. This is of the latest version to date and has quite a few updates. This played by Hard_Reset, who decided to do a Twitch livestream. Click HERE to check out his channel.

 

[ZexisStryfe]

I just wanted to say I am a big fan of this game. I have loved every version of it so far. I do (selfishly) hope that your "small" game isn't too small though... I enjoy playing it too much for that!

 

[Neo Soul Gamer]

@ZexisStryfe

Thank you so much for the kind words! It's always so motivating to see comments like these on the project thread. Always puts more fuel in the tank so I can keep trucking along with development. I'll be sure not to disappoint with the finished product.

 

[Neo Soul Gamer]

Hey everyone!

I've just updated the demo with some pretty significant changes. I'm very close to reaching a stable point in development. It'll be nice when I don't have to worry about the small details that go into polishing all these systems and mechanics. Things are fleshed out pretty well and I'm happy with the way everything is going.

There is one thing I'm considering though... I was thinking about adding a One-on-one battle system of some sort. As it stands, I'll be presenting these kind of battles as a quick Mini-game. But I think transitioning to an alternate battle system JUST for these battles might not be a bad idea. I spent this morning testing out a system similar to Legend of Legaia. If you've played it, you'll know that the Battle System was pretty damn unique back in the day. It was very enjoyable. Now, if I can bring that concept to RPG Maker (which I pretty much already have after hours of experimenting), then I may take this more seriously. Anyway, it's just a thought for now.

Now... The Change Log. I'll list everything below, but you should know that the most notable change is the extension to the demo. A lot of people were saying that the demo was pretty short and/or people just wanted more. I now have some new monsters, a new boss, a new area to explore, and a new cutscene that introduces a new character. However, this portion of the demo is experimental at the moment. If you'd like to play the game with the extended demo, please reach out to me to find out how to activate it in-game.

Newly Added

• Party Chat has been replaced with "Camp". Now you can set up Camp on the world map and interact with your party members as if they were NPCs.
• Option for Keyboard and Gamepad configurations.
• Option for Battle Speed configurations.
• New Battle Transition visuals.
• New item that allows for battles to be skipped while still earning EXP and AP. (Item is not available in the demo)
• New Targeting mechanic that allows you to toggle between single and multiple targets when using single targeting spells.
• Solving puzzles now provides additional bonuses such as EXP and AP.
• You can now choose to solve Puzzles instantly and skip Mini-games at the cost of losing the rewards you would have obtained.

Modifications

• More citizen shops have been placed.
• Several changes to item and equipment costs for better balancing.
• Increased the probability of enemy drops.
• Changes to EP costs of some skills.
• Swapped some sprites for some added ethnic and gender diversity.
• Decreased the requirements for Skill Level ups
• Decreased the requirements for Crafting items.

Bug fixes

• Fixed "Rapid fire" bug that allowed you to spam the use of tools without any delay between uses.
• Fixed "Item" bug that caused items to be randomly disabled in battle.
• Fixed "Approach" bug where enemies still approached the player during battle transitions.
• Fixed "Line of Sight" bug where enemies could see the player through large objects like trees and walls.

Annnnd I think that's it? Maybe? Geez... This took a lot of work. I might take a break from this for a little while after this update. Hope you guys enjoy it! Again, if you want to play the extended demo, please reach out to me for the in-game code.

Thanks for all the support everyone! All the best!

 

[Eldaym]

If you'd like to play the game with the extended demo, please reach out to me to find out how to activate it in-game.

Yes please

 

[Ihavenoskin]

I just rewatched the Drity playthrough and I gotta say it’s a beautiful game! Can’t wait to play through myself!

 

[Downy]

I watched Drifty's playthrough a few times and I loved it every single time. It is indeed an awesome looking game. The art style, the feeling, everything fits nice in place. I will play it myself later on. Keep up the good work!

 

[Neo Soul Gamer]

How's it going everyone!

These past few weeks, I've been taking time off work to recover from surgery. Personally, I hate "not" working. I was supposed to take six weeks off, but I ended up working a couple of shifts just a week later. Needless to say, that was dumb. So here I am actually taking the time to rest and recover properly. The question is... What do I do with all this free time? Easy answer, right? Work on my game.

So I've made quite a few changes, and boy did it take long to do. Here is a quick changelog of the more notable changes.

• Fixed Bug with skipping puzzles.
• Fixed Bug with a few skills not leveling up.
• Fixed Bug with Shooting Gallery Mini-game target calculations.
• Fixed Bug with Battle Animations Speed option.
• Countless optimizations made for events.
• Small adjustments made for better battle balancing.
• Mapping and Battle background perspective fixes.
• Increased Save File slots.
• Streamlined Citizen Shops so that the shop menu defaults and locks to "sell only".
• Combos are now provided immediately and no longer require accessing dialogue in the Camp scenes.
• Spells now have proficiency levels, though do not evolve into more powerful spells like unique skills do. They'll only do more damage.
• Terms changed to help give the game its own identity and suit the world lore.
• Help window added to select menus to let the player know that more information can be seen using the arrow keys.
• Weapon and Armor attachment system has been removed to avoid feature bloat. The same enhancements are now in the form of basic accessories.
• Text-based tutorials have been drastically minimized. They have been replaced with events integrated into the story that "guide" the player into properly taking advantage of the game's systems. In others words, I've taken on more of a "show, don't tell" approach.
• Streamlined the notification process for Tasks so that there are less popup notifications.
• Demo has been extended for all players. I've added more enemies, puzzles, and a cutscene that introduces a new character and an important part of the overall plot.

Hopefully this creates a more enjoyable experience for anyone willing to check this game out.

 

[Neo Soul Gamer]

What's going on everyone! Today I'm INCREDIBLY excited to upload what I believe will be the last major update to the demo. Bugfixes are inevitable, but I can't see myself adding any new content to future Demo releases. I can finally move on from this and shift my focus to finishing the game.

This demo now features something I've been wanting to make since before I even got into game development; a Card-based battle system.



Initially, I was waiting for a Triple Triad mini-game plugin to be developed for RPG Maker. Then I realized that using this would make my game a lot less original since pretty much everyone would want to put it in their game. (can't blame them either)

So... I decided to go through the painstaking effort of making my own! I almost gave up on it half way through. But after working around the limits of the engine, I finally have something that's fully functional.

In addition to this huge update, I've also made several other bugfixes and some optimizations to give the game that extra bit of polish. If you haven't played the demo yet, now's the time to try it out!

Thanks for all your support!

Changelog:

• Fixed tileset/passability bugs.
  
• Fixed battle animation positioning bug.
• Streamlined a few cutscenes by removing excess dialogue.
• Added a new character: Percival. The in-game creator of the card game.
• Removed "Always Dash" from the options menu. Player now moves at the speed of dashing be default, but can move slower using the shift key.
• Added labels to the tutorial keys when shown.
• Added the "Art of War" Card Battle system.
• Added new "Token" currency that handles purchases pertaining to Cards.
• Added new Card shop.
• Added one-time healing to Save Points.
• Added NPC possessions for "Tokens".
• Added new "E" key functionality to challenge NPC's to card games
• Countless other changes not worth mentioning.

 

[LoganX87]

Congrats on this update!! can't wait to see this card system in action!

 

[Manel]

Hey, I don't know if you gonna see this because i'm really late, but I want to ask about your old battle system (the one with the wheel), I loved it
but I didn't found any information about it. Could you tell me how to do it or if there is a plugin?
(Sorry for my bad english if that's the case)

 

[Neo Soul Gamer]

When you say my old battle "system", what exactly do you mean? If you want the wheel command menu, it's here:
https://atelierrgss.wordpress.com/rmv-battle-commands/

Not too sure what else you might be referring to though. Is that what you're looking for?

 

[Manel]

Yes, I was talking about that. Sorry for saying battle system, I didn't wanted to confuse you.
Anyway, thank you so much

 

[Dankovsky]

Just wanted to bump this as it's one of my favorite RPGMaker games in development, and quite an inspiration in my own designs
I hope you're doing great Neo!

 

[Neo Soul Gamer]

Half a year since my last post... Man, time flies.

So! I thought I should explain my absence for anyone who's interested in the game.

When I started this project, I didn't know what I was getting into. I didn't know how much there was to learn about game design, or how to overcome MV's annoying little obstacles. The result was a messy project full of nasty code, long-winded eventing processes, and fragments of systems I failed to create. It made for a horrible work flow, and it ultimately had an effect on the product.

So I basically rebuilt my project from ground up. Of course, I reused some parts of the database and the graphics. But this time, I managed to recreate certain systems in a more efficient manner, while also commissioning a few plugins to complete my vision for a JRPG.

I've also delved into the many aspects of story structure and changed quite few parts of my plot in order to give it a better flow.

Long story short, the game is MUCH better than it was, and it has been well received by quite a few testers (all of whom were chosen randomly). A change log would be overkill, but here are some of the more notable changes to the game:

• Several UI/scene changes, including Battles, Main Menus, and a more streamlined Victory Aftermath.
  
• AoE battle mechanics have been added. Attack enemies in a column, a row, or a radius.
  
• Combo Skills have been changed, and are now named Dual Arts. They are learned automatically after the first battle is fought between the two party members that can learn a Dual Art skill.
• Puzzle Lore changed. I didn't like the idea of random crates sitting in a dungeon with pressure plates and levers. I've now managed to have puzzles be an integral part of the story and world lore, which explains their existence and why they function the way they do. In other words, the puzzles have a purpose beyond just being a feature.
• Battle System changes. Turn manipulation is much better, which has allowed me to create more balanced battles and simplified mechanics.
• Enemies now give "Base EXP" based on levels. If a party member is much weaker than the group enemies, the EXP they gain is increased. On the other hand, if the party member is much stronger than the group of enemies, then the EXP gained is drastically reduced.
• Mini-game changes. I've gotten rid of the previous card battle system in favor of something much simpler. The card game will be based on UNO/Crazy Eights, with expanded rules to add an element of strategy.
• Enemy Respawns have changed. Enemies will respawn based on the number of map transfers.

I'm still having my Alpha demo tested to ensure that it's ready for a public release. The OP has been updated with some content.

 

[Underserial]

hey there, great to hear, have any infos for an demo date?
If you like i can do an test too. (Yt or twitch)

 

[Neo Soul Gamer]

@Underserial

Thanks for your interest! I'm just waiting on some follow up from critics regarding the very recent changes I've made to the dialogue. Once I get that, it'll be a few more testing playthroughs to make sure everything works properly before I finally release the demo (again, lol).

I don't have a date set in mind. But I would say before the end of May, for sure.

 

[Underserial]

thanks ill wait for this =)

 

[Neo Soul Gamer]

Goodness... Almost a year since my last update on here. Coincidentally, my last post pretty much started out the same way; being surprised by my own lack of activity.

It's pretty obvious that I took a break from Game Development. I won't bore you with details of what I've been up to, but the break was needed. Now I'm back into the swing of things, and feeling refreshed. So if you're reading this, you're probably wondering how the game is doing.

Well, it's doing great. I made some significant changes to the game that has helped the development process run WAY more smooth. I'll list a few to give you an idea.

• The Godstone system is gone. I've replaced it with a new mechanic where spells are now drawn from monsters to be gained permanently. The process is similar to capturing pokemon. The weaker they are, the more likely you are to draw the spell.
  
  
• Story and dialogue has been revamped. I was getting feedback that Oswyn didn't have any agency and was hard to relate to. I've made quite a few changes to solve that issue.
  
  
• Added a Party Chat system that takes place on the world map.
  
  
• Tool system is pretty much gone. You can still interact with objects to open doors to secret areas, and there are still puzzles. But the idea of "acquiring" new tools throughout the game is no longer a thing. Instead, you'll have one tool that will react differently based on the objects it interacts with. So no more "swapping".
  
  
• Duel Arts are gone. Instead, each character has their own sort of "limit break" skill, but they all draw from the same resource. So it becomes a matter of choosing what skill is the most useful at the time based on the party members available and the circumstances.
  
  
• Completely new Menu Layout and Battle UI. I won't say it's better. But it's simplified and much more convenient to work with.
  
  
• New Autosave feature that saves at the end of every cutscene.

Those are just a few of the many changes that were made. I got rid of some things that, mechanically, didn't make sense to keep. They were complicating the development process too much. So I removed them for features that were much easier to implement, maintain, and balance, without compromising the player's enjoyment. In the end, I'm incredibly happy with the changes.

I'll have a demo ready soon. I just have some testers going through it to make sure there aren't any game breaking bugs. Once I'm confident in what I have, I'll have a download link ready for you guys. Stay tuned!