RMMZ Haven: Secret of Caledria | Demo Available

[Arcmagik]

Awesome. Excited to see the new stuff!

 

[Lonewulf123]

Glad to see this project is still alive and well.

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

It's finally released! Download link has been updated in the OP (Also grab it here).

You can refer to my last post in this thread for a list of changes. Thanks to everyone who's still following the project!

 

[padr81]

Fantastic game from a fantastic dev, download and play, you won't be disappointed. A lesson in how to keep your rpg on point and super focused.

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

Thanks Padr!

Also, Demo has been updated to v1.1.

- Forced Monitor Synch by default.
- Small dialogue changes and typo fixes.
- Fixed Skip Animation bug.
- Fixed Spell bug where damage was too high.
- Fixed Escape Motion.
- Added varied On-Map enemy stun length.

To those who played the first version, thanks for the quick feedback!

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

Demo has been updated to v1.2.

- Bug fixes for Menu/UI.
- Bug fixes for Duel battles.
- Added Retry function for Duel Battles.
- Added Special Skill for Angus.
- Added Autosave notification.
- Removed Party Chat (Didn't like the implementation. I may bring it back.)

 

[HalcyanStudio]

Where exactly can i find the demo? It's not in the first post and there's also no link on your rpgmaker.net page

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

@gRaViJa Really sorry about that. Links have been updated on the main page. It's also here:

Asylum: Secret of Caledria has moved! by NeoSoulGamer

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

Demo updated to 1.3

- Gamepad Config scene updated to fit UI theme for consistency.
- Window Color option added. (Seven colors)
- Changed specific item descriptions for clarification.
- Fixed Party Switching Bug.
- Added Status Menu.
- Luck can now be viewed as a parameter.
- Small mapping changes to allow for better player navigation.

From this point on, I'm hoping to make only incremental changes. Thanks again for the ideas and feedback!

P.S.
The thread has been updated with a Developer's Note.

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

Demo updated to 2.0 (So much for making only incremental changes...)

Aside from a few bug fixes, battle balancing, and other visual tweaks, here are the major changes for this release:

• New and improved Battle HUD. Simplified layout with better arrangement of HUD elements.
• Monster Capture system. Different Monster Spirits can be activated for additional effects when attacking and using spells.
• "Stone Shop" will now be treated as a "Rare Finds Shop". These shops will sell items purchased with alternate currencies, and have limited stock available.
• Changes to AoE attacks/spells and Enemy Positions in battle, which will be more consistent. Positions will sometimes be randomized.
• Party Members now have exclusive access to elemental spells based on their affinities.
• Changes to the Main Menu. Updated layout, and added "Monster Spirit" information.

As always, feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

Announcement!

The name Asylum: Secret of Caledria is no more!

Why the name change? "Asylum", by definition, can mean a "secure retreat". And that's basically what Caledria is, in a nutshell. The title seemed fitting at the time I chose it. The problem is, Asylum is a word commonly used in horror games. So people were confused when it came to the genre of the game. Not only that, but searching the word "Asylum" in relation to any game brought up so many different results. It became a nuissance trying to find my game using search engines.

Going forward, the game will now be called "Haven: Secret of Caledria". Hope you guys approve of the change!

Also, any current downloads will be removed until I released another update with the proper titles. I'll have those up within the next couple of days.

The OP has been updated to reflect the changes as well. Thanks!

 

[mf_Will_Black]

And what better way to celebrate your new title, than to be recognized among "The Best RPGs of 2020"!

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

Demo links are back up. Screenshots in OP are updated as well.

Version 4.0.1 has just a few typo/bug fixes.

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

It's been almost 5 months since my last update. A few life changes and a foolish commitment to porting to MZ slowed my progress. But I'm back on track, and staying with MV. Here's a changelog highlighting the notable updates:

New:

• Face art added for main characters in Menu and Victory Screen.
• Battle Motions/Poses for things like Spell Casting. Item Use, Guarding, and more.
• New sprite for Mystery character found in Thrall Woods.
• New sprite for Angus, with updated speech to fit the character and his motivations.
• Enemy HP Window added to Battle Status.

Fixes:

• Fixed Ziedrick's equipment slots.
• Fixed game breaking bug with Nova Shot Mini-game where the timer would stop, but the mini-game would keep going.
• Small changes to provide better balancing during battle.
• Typo fixes.
• Lowered the required score for bonus item in Nova Shot mini-game.
  

Download link is available here:

Haven: Secret of Caledria by NeoSoulGamer

A JRPG inspired by SNES classics

neosoulgamer.itch.io

 

[Gallas]

A few life changes and a foolish commitment to porting to MZ slowed my progress.

I had the same experience. I'm curious what was the breaking point in MZ that forced you to stay with MV?

I will give your demo a try. Do you have any requests for the feedback? (certain things you want focused on, etc.?)

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

I had the same experience. I'm curious what was the breaking point in MZ that forced you to stay with MV?

I will give your demo a try. Do you have any requests for the feedback? (certain things you want focused on, etc.?)

Thanks for giving it a shot!

For the decision to stick with MV, there were a couple of things.

1. The Visustella team announced that a certain set of plugins that I desperately needed weren't likely to be ported.

2. It was becoming very difficult to commission coders for the extra plugins that aren't available in MZ.

3. I totally underestimated what porting to MZ actually entails. It's not as simple as just transferring some data with a little extra work. I have to comb through all of my events to change plugin commands, redo all of my action sequences, change some lunatic code because certain functions don't work in MZ anymore. Not to mention testing ALL of that to make sure the game is bug free... Brutal stuff. XD

So yeah. MV has its shortcomings, but I'll live with it.

As for feedback, I'm pretty much at a point where I'd like for people to just try and enjoy the game. I find if people go in with a critical eye, it can be a distraction from the little things that I rely on to make the game appealing to casual gamers.

I mean, if something stops you from enjoying the game that could easily be fixed, I'll probably implement whatever changes are suggested. Otherwise, I say just have fun. If the game isn't holding your interest after the first 10-15 minutes, don't waste your time finishing the demo.

 

[Switz]

Looking and sounding really good. Great work

 

[thenerdmansion]

Wonderful game, I recommend 100% !

​

 

[NeoSoulGamer]

Wonderful game, I recommend 100% !

Wow, thanks for the great rating!

Some response to the feedback:

• I'll switch to .zip for the file format for the reasons you mentioned. My game isn't large enough to benefit from better compression. That being said, you really should get something like WinRar or 7zip, since .RAR is a format that you've come across multiple times. People use it for larger games because it can offer better compression. Using an online converter every time is more hassle than it's worth, considering the alternatives.
  
  
• The reason for the restrictions on Full Screen options is because pixel art shows a lot of strange artifacts when it isn't scaled properly. Scaling it evenly works best, and 1.5x is tolerable. But once you get into weird scaling (like 1.7 for example), the game can look really bad. I should probably give the player a choice through the options menu with a warning of what can happen.
  
  
• Your confusion between the "OK" key and "Action" key is understandable. I'll probably change that.
  
  
• Using a mouse for the mini-game is not recommended. It's incredibly difficult to win that way. The advantage to using the directional keys is knowing how many grid spaces you have to move before you hit the Action key. It's much faster this way once you get the hang of it, because you can actually fire the projectile as the sprite is moving into position, instead of waiting for them to stop at the center of it.
  
  
• I think the "Oswyn joins the party" feedback is understandable, but I'll have to think about that. The purpose of those notifications is to communicate who joins the main character, not the other way around. By doing it based on your suggestion, I would have to say the opposite when Bayard leaves the party, and I think that would be more confusing.
  
  
• That bug at the end is a totally random bug that I can't reproduce. I'm willing to bet it's because of the compiler I used, which I'm probably going to stop using all together. It created more problems than it fixed.

Overall, I'm super happy that you enjoyed the game. I'll be implementing quite a few changes based on your feedback. So thank you very much for your time!

 

[thenerdmansion]

I'm always happy to serve / Also. your game is really, REALLY good but I was only able to find a demo of the game. Will there be a full release to the game any time soon? I'm interested in placing this game on the nerd mansion store but only the full version .