RMMV The Bell Phantoms

[RedLily1104]

The Bell Phantoms
Red Lily | February 2, 2019 | v1.0.0
​

Fair warning, I'm more of a story-oriented dev than I am into game mechanics. With that, here we go:

SECTION A: Gameplay

Spoiler

The mechanics are quite simple: head out into the different planes of the Underworld, complete the task given to you, and return. At different times, you will be able to fight or sneak past enemies.

SECTION B: Characters

Spoiler

Lacey Headley (Player character)

A girl of 14 summers, Lacey is imaginative and intelligent, but would rather not make herself stand out too much. The loss of a dear friend two years ago has left an impact on her, severely damaging her desire to paint and create beautiful imagery. When a freak accident sends her to Limbo, she shows a brave and courageous side that not even she was aware of. She hopes to see her family again once she completes the task.

* * *​

Abraxas

The Gatekeeper of the Nexus, a place where the world of the living and the world of the dead meet. His duty is to keep the Nightmares from breaching the boundaries. A rather grumpy old man, he dearly misses his home in ancient Greece. Nonetheless, he swears to help Lacey in order to maintain stability.

* * *​

Carbuncle

A strange creature that Lacey befriends on her first task. It accompanies her throughout her journey.

* * *​

Nightmares

Dark spirits of pure evil who wish to wreck havoc into the living world. Their only obstacle is Abraxas, the Gatekeeper.

SECTION C: Story

Spoiler

England, 1907

In the summer of 1907, Lacey Headley and her family are on their way home from a nice picnic out in a sunny meadow. A small accident on a forest road forces the family to stop and retrieve their belongings before they can be claimed by the local forest animals. Chasing the last of their items, Lacey is shot dead by a passing hunter.

Waking up in an unfamiliar location, populated by strange (and rotting) creatures, Lacey is saved by a man of Greek origin, named Abraxas. Learning that she is stuck in a state of Limbo, Abraxas provides Lacey with vital information. Since she had died before her time came, she will be assigned three tasks to complete, instead of passing on into the afterlife. Once the tasks are accomplished, Lacey will be allowed to return to the land of the living.

Thus begins her journey…​

SECTION D: Setting

Spoiler

The Nexus is the point in the universe where the planes of the afterlife and the world of the living meet. It is here that the creatures known as Nightmares try to cross into the living world. This also serves as the hub world for the game.

Past the point of The Nexus is the afterlife, modeled after the Greek Underworld. Good people are sent to Elysium, neutral people are sent to Asphodel, and evil people are sent to the Fields of Punishment. Exceptionally good people are sent to the
Isles of the Blessed.

IMAGES/SCREENSHOTS

Disclaimer: art style is liable to change in the final demo and game.

Spoiler

An overview of the hub layout.

* * *​

Rough view of the field HUD. HUD Asset is by MogHunter

* * *​

A little hint of the horror you will encounter. Sprites and maps in the final product will be 100% made by me.

KNOWN ISSUES:

• Currently working on getting QPlugins to work with Event Chase Player.

DOWNLOAD LINK:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EuXUIhAMAFNJ9uy4K0AfsWpSo6ygtp4G

PLUGINS BY:

• Moghunter
• Quxios
• HimeWorks
• Yanfly

That's about all I have. I have a second RPG prototype/idea to show if anyone's interested. All the art, minus the built-in RPG Maker assets, is by me.

Critiques, feedback, comments are welcome.

 

[Sharq]

This sounds really interesting. I really like how your story starts and I like the concept art. I'm anticipating seeing the custom in-game sprites and art! You said at one point you'll be able to fight or sneak past enemies. How does combat work? Is it standard turn-based combat?

 

[RedLily1104]

Combat in this game won't be turn-based. Rather, it'll be an ABS combat system.

I've been having trouble using both QPlugins and Yanfly plugins (come to find out, a lot that I want to use aren't compatible with one another). So I've been looking into alternate solutions. Haven't found many yet, though I did find some alternatives.

As for sprites, I utterly despise doing pixel art. So I've been looking at other ways, such as 3D models or vector sprites. Still have yet to come up with a solution I like, though fingers crossed I find one.

 

[RedLily1104]

Update! February 11, 2019

The world and themes have been developed some more, courtesy of brainstorming for a certain level of the game.

Spoiler: Lore and inhabitants

There is a level early in the game that serves as foreshadowing for the main narrative. The main themes, I am discovering, for this game are loss and healing. Which are a reflection of Lacey herself.

As for the native inhabitants of the Underworld, they are called Daemones. They are not the traditional demons we think of, but rather closer to their Greek interpretation as personifications of nature and the human condition. They will be used to their full advantage in this game.

The Underworld itself is being inspired by Silent Hill. Not outright malicious, as the Underworld has no real form, of which it is only seen by The Gatekeeper. Rather, what we see of the Underworld is through Lacey's eyes. By itself, it is a void with no real solid form.

I've also begun filling out a bestiary for the game, seeing how they will be important to the narrative and serve a game purpose later on. I am also considering making some changes to the cast, as it has begun taking a life of its own.

For the visuals, through testing, I've found that I favor the more realistic style rather than the cartoony style. (Screenshot included)

Spoiler: Screenshot Below

In-game screenshot of the demo in development. The level you see here is still in the living world, before Lacey is sent to the Underworld.

For those who saw my introductory thread, this was kinda sorta the reason why I was asking about stealth systems.

I've already begun developing the visual style, which will be like playing through a 2D movie.

Before I forget, the story in the prototype is, in fact, outdated. Since the making of this prototype to test out functions, I've been making edits and cuts to the story as I see fit for it. The story has been streamlined to one ghost you meet, but still keeps the three worlds.

That said, questions? Comments? Critiques? Criticisms?

 

[Xris]

Well I love the art (the three characters) and it's my kind of story (so far). I love everything that's linked to ancient greece and death... and inspired by Silent Hill! Since the story is in development I won't say much but it's promising.

Glad you changed the graphics, I like the default RMMV but for a game like yours it's probably best if it's more realistic and less "cartooney" and colourful.... Music is very important as well!

I'm sure it'll be a lot of work but I'll try to remember your project and play your game once it's done.

The only actual "critique/question" I'd have is about the term "daemones". It's a bit too close to latin, no? Since you're referencing greek culture and stuff I would have expected something closer to the greek word (=daimonas) and not the latin one. Same for "nexus" (=desmos) or elysium (=elysion) Or maybe it was your intention (to use latin instead of greek, maybe to oppose them or just because it sounds better) ? Sorry, I know it's just a detail but I was wondering...

 

[RedLily1104]

Well I love the art (the three characters) and it's my kind of story (so far). I love everything that's linked to ancient greece and death... and inspired by Silent Hill! Since the story is in development I won't say much but it's promising.

Glad you changed the graphics, I like the default RMMV but for a game like yours it's probably best if it's more realistic and less "cartooney" and colourful.... Music is very important as well!

I'm sure it'll be a lot of work but I'll try to remember your project and play your game once it's done.

The only actual "critique/question" I'd have is about the term "daemones". It's a bit too close to latin, no? Since you're referencing greek culture and stuff I would have expected something closer to the greek word (=daimonas) and not the latin one. Same for "nexus" (=desmos) or elysium (=elysion) Or maybe it was your intention (to use latin instead of greek, maybe to oppose them or just because it sounds better) ? Sorry, I know it's just a detail but I was wondering...

Many thanks for the interest in the game ^^

I'll admit, it was something of a research goof/oversight when I thought of those names. But at the same time, the majority of people today don't know the real Greek names to some things (which is unfortunate, 'cause they're super cool names). Gotta keep some familiarity so I don't lose the audience. I'll definitely keep those in mind, though ^^

Lastly, believe it or not, but I've already put together a little soundtrack for the game. None of the music is mine, it's the one thing I can't make well. The majority of the soundtrack is from Presence of Music, with one or two songs from Free Music Archive.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask ^^

 

[RedLily1104]

Update! 2/19/2019

Not much in the way of actual game development so much as it is brainstorming, but here goes:

The bestiary has been filled out. Now all that needs to be done is to actually design them and build the sprites.

Pretty much the brainstorming phase is near complete, now I just need to do the actual design and implementation work.

I've added two new characters, who have yet to receive designs but are named, to be Lacey's helpers.

Abraxas has been replaced with a new character named Alkaios, who will better represent the nature of the setting Lacey finds herself in.

Carbuncle will still be in the game, but will now serve a different narrative purpose.

The two new characters are named Pistis (Trust) and Sophia (Wisdom). They're in the early design phases, so time will tell how soon you'll get to see them, and Alkaios's new design.

The daemones have been renamed Daimonas, as per suggestion.

I'll still be keeping names such as Elysium and Nexus so as to not alienate the audience too much.

That's about all. If you have any questions, feel free to ask ^^

 

[Finnuval]

This seems interesting I Also like the art and if you ever find the need to bounce around some ideas conceptualinsig some daimona designs you van PM if you want

 

[RedLily1104]

This seems interesting I Also like the art and if you ever find the need to bounce around some ideas conceptualinsig some daimona designs you van PM if you want

I'll definitely keep that in mind. I've got lots ^^'

I'm already brainstorming the appearances for Pistis and Sophia, in fact ^^

 

[RedLily1104]

Phew! Sorry for the absence. I've been doing some testing for the visual style of the game.

I would like to avoid doing pixel art if possible, so I've been experimenting with how to make the sprites. At the current time, I'm using 3D renders of a dummy model I made.

Spoiler: Sample 1

Spoiler: Sample 1

Experiment 1

I used a model I made for another project to first see how a 3D render would look in RPG Maker. This one was done with a lineless cel-shaded style, just to see if it could be done.

Spoiler: Sample 2

Spoiler: Sample 2

Example 2

This is a dummy model that I made a while back. In this test, I rendered out the image with a contour line to see how it looks.

What do you guys think?​

 

[MagicPizzaGuy]

I don't know why but your game reminded me a bit of Fran Bow

I liked the concept and your art style and I love story driven games

I will keep looking for more updates, especially if you make new arts, I wish you good luck!

 

[RedLily1104]

I don't know why but your game reminded me a bit of Fran Bow

I liked the concept and your art style and I love story driven games

I will keep looking for more updates, especially if you make new arts, I wish you good luck!

Many thanks

I love story-driven games as well. It's one of the reasons I'm developing this one ^^

Out of curiosity, what about my game that reminds you of Fran Bow?

 

[MagicPizzaGuy]

Many thanks

I love story-driven games as well. It's one of the reasons I'm developing this one ^^

Out of curiosity, what about my game that reminds you of Fran Bow?

It's more like a feeling I got when I saw the female protagonist, her being dead and stuck in the limbo, I know it will not be like it since you want it related to greek culture

But I really liked the concept

 

[RedLily1104]

It's more like a feeling I got when I saw the female protagonist, her being dead and stuck in the limbo, I know it will not be like it since you want it related to greek culture

But I really liked the concept

Ahh, I see. I can see how that would be similar. Many thanks, though