Updated Package
Click Here
Thanks a ton for the support guys!
Status update:
1. 1/3rd of Saga 7 is mapped! Saga 7 is one big descent into the depths of hell, so expect lots of cool environments. I've modeled the first dungeon after a bunch of Everquest zones called the 'Lost Dungeons of Norrath'. So I don't take any credit for the level design but I really wanted that in my game.
2. Edited some conversations from earlier sagas that just weren't flowing properly. Most notably the 'love scene'.
3. One of the bosses in Saga 6 got changed from a generic placeholder to an actual boss (I forgot to do this before the Saga 6 release post)
4. Recreated the 'Culex' fight from Super Mario RPG. You'll be forced to fight him right before the final boss of the game.
5. I removed 4 mini-dungeons that I was planning on putting in Saga 7 because I think that would be too much for both me and the player.
6. Few minor BGM changes
7. Fixed a graphic bug that caused an unwanted afterimage effect on some maps.
Remaining Tasks (extensive detail):
1. Map the rest of the game. Includes:
- 4 'elemental planes'
- An area of hell called 'the sixth dimension'. Basically the 3rd to last dungeon.
- The final castle, which will be the longest and most complex dungeon in the game. I have 4 bosses planned for this dungeon alone. This is the 2nd to last dungeon, but will basically be perceived as the last dungeon, due to the relative length and complexity compared to the true last level:
- 'Judecca' aka the final short dungeon right before the final boss.
- Maps involved in the Ending sequence after you beat the final boss
- Patch up bad/bland maps. The following maps will need revision:The Green Tower (Saga 5) - lacks detail
- Triton building interiors (Saga 4) - broke some aesthetic standards. Hard to describe, but they're bad.
- Lydia buliding interiors (Saga 6) - I actually still haven't mapped the interiors to this town at all
- Levels with 'shiny tiles' - there is a graphical glitch possibly outside my control that I want to fix
- Myriar (Saga 2) - This dungeon was mapped before I really knew what I was doing
- Illumina (Sagas 2-7) - This is the most important city of the game and it looks kinda bland. Needs more objects on the streets.
- Heaven (Saga 3) - For being the dwelling place of God, it is a tad bland...
- Fanatics Town (Saga 3) - Town has slightly too much negative space
- Band Room (Saga 5) - More of a filler map, but it is currently just an empty building
- Ice Cave (Saga 1) - This is the first dungeon in the game and the first one I mapped. Because of this, it doesn't adhere to standards I set later on. But I may leave it as is.
- Mage Tower of Triton (Saga 4) - The area where Dalamar resides is not correct.
- Planet Bane (Saga 4) - This dungeon lacks detail
- First Dungeon of Saga 6 (Saga 6) - It's a good looking level, just a tad short. Needs about 1-2 extra screens to traverse through.
- Dark Triton (Saga 6) - Just a few areas that are bland that could use torches or statues.
- LDON (Saga 7) - This is newest set of maps I created, and while they're mostly complete they are lacking a few details
- 'Upper' Hell (Saga 4, 7) - The first place you arrive in Hell, starting in Saga 4. I want to change the design of it significantly to include less lava, and more mountains. I need to make the zone bigger too.
- Standardize Doorways - All maps that contain small doors should have a standardized presentation, so that you always know what doors are locked and which you can enter.
2. New Script - Enforce max item carry limit. You should only be able to carry ~10 of an item. This prevents cheesing through difficult parts by spamming senzu beans (which revive a fallen character with full health). Unfortunately once I add this script everyone will need to start a new save file. That's why I'm waiting until we are near the official beta release to add this script.
3. Animations. I want a LOT of custom animations to spice the game up because the defaults included with Ace, while great, simply are plentiful enough to constantly have new visual stimuli. Ideas include:
- Big Bang Attack for Vegeta
- A special physical attack for Goku
- A chi attack that is stronger than 'Chi Blast' but weaker than Kamehameha/Galick Gun
- Fire III, Ice III, Lightning III - Basically need to take the animations RPG Maker Ace includes for 'Fire II', 'Ice II' etc and improve upon them for an even higher tier of magic casting. Each school of magic should have at LEAST 3 variations.
- Variations of 'Nuclear'. I'd like to see the nuclear animation followed by a bunch of rapid fire smaller explosions.
- Better 'Darkness' animations. The purple just doesn't look dangerous enough for my taste.
- And many more boss-specific attack animations. I want the bosses to have techniques that the player can't use.
4. Program Saga 7 Cutscenes - This is going to take a long time, because naturally I want Saga 7 to have the best cutscenes. The ending sequence will need many many hours to program.
5. Text Edit - I value the storytelling aspect of the game above all else, so I will need to edit, re-edit, re-re-edit, and re-re-re-edit all the conversations before I feel comfortable releasing an official version of the game. Lots of conversations will change simply due to the fact that I've written the entire game at this point, and I know more specifically when and how I need to reveal certain facts. For example, I may have revealed things in Saga 2 that could have waited until Saga 6, had I know that the topic was going to be covered in Saga 6.
6. Create Final Enemy List - I need to add about 100 more 'regular' enemies to the game. And for the enemies I already have, I want to replace half of them with new enemies with different sprites. I am probably going to end up ripping a lot of enemy graphics from Final Fantasy 4, 5, and 6 because I really like that art style for RPG's.
7. Balance Enemies - A lot of this is going to depend on getting the Animations described above. The enemies NEED cool looking attacks in order for the game to entertain me fully. As for balancing the enemy strength, that is going to take a billion hours of guess and check. A bit overwhelming, but I'll get it.
8. Fancy up Boss Scripts - Each boss needs to have some cool mechanic to it, not just tank-and-spank. Many boss fights are currently tank-and-spank, but that will not be the case in the final version.
9. Add more skills for the non-saiyan player characters - Flora, Zerg, and the other (secret) person who will join your party don't have enough skills in their move list. This, again, is highly dependent on getting new Animations.
10. Add transformation mechanic for the aforementioned 'secret' party member. This character is not a saiyan, but it will have a transformation.
11. Add items and equipment - This will be one of the most time consuming parts of the remaining tasks. I need like 10-20 pieces of equipment for each available slot so that the player can frequently experience the joy of upgrading their equipment. Furthermore, I want all the top tier equipment to have a quest of some sort.
12. Add random encounters and treasure chests throughout Sagas 4-7.
13. Balance the shopkeepers - For all this new equipment I'm going to make, I'll have to charge the right price. Shopkeepers in Sagas 4-7 don't even sell anything at the moment.
14. Fix a graphic glitch in battles vs large enemy sprites wherein the player character will go behind the enemy sprite rather than in front of when approaching the enemy sprite to attack.
And there you have it. So close yet so ridiculously far lol. Once the maps are all done, the rest of the remaining tasks will seem much more manageable.
Stay tuned for further updates! It is taking forever to make this game but it is a pretty freaking big game, and will be worth the wait. At this point, I anticipate the complete game will take 20 hours to beat casually. The idea is for that to be 20 hours of exciting fun, though, so it has to be refined and refined again and again.
