RPG Maker Forums

The idea of this project is to get some skills with RPG Maker, as well as pay homage to the old school RPGs. I'd like to use just the original resources available to Ace, and maybe update to MV when it comes out, if compatibility is there. I'd like to see how successful of a project I can make with only the original assets. I'm a believer in the story and the execution of it, carries a game. I'd like to see what can be done with what we have available.
 
I have the first areas complete, and the first stretch of the story. Estimated gameplay time so far - 30 minutes to 1 hour. I'm looking for feedback on:
 

Battle Balance and Progression - I will update item names and skill names as we go on. I'm looking for the balance of progression from area to area. Basically, you don't have to spend too much time or too little time leveling to move to the next area. Do you get overpowered too quickly? Are there too few encounters or too many?

Mapping Detail and Overall Presentation - Does it create rich environments? Do the music and mapping match up to create a "feel" for each area? What would you improve on for mapping/ambience? Are there any event bugs that you see so far? Are there enough non-story interactions - town people, events attached to town characters, that also enrich the gaming experience?

Storyline and Characters - Feedback on the speech, character development so far. Is there good breaking in speech/text to give it good flow and thought breaks? Are you getting a feel for who the characters are/think/feel? Does it make you want to play on more? Where would you add/take away from to enhance the understanding of our characters?

Brief Overview -

The Valley of Ashe has seen an increase in the number of monsters lately. Valen, a ranger from the town of Ashe, hunts and gathers for the town's survival. Although he is known as "The Lone Wolf", his fiery sister Sylvyth insists on helping him gather food for the coming winter. The Village of Ashe may be on the brink of starvation, but Valen swears to the Faeries to only take what they need to survive. Both he and the Faeries understand that the balance must be kept...

After finding out that the horde is led by a certain Lord Tyrak and the recent monster attacks are an effort to starve out the town of Ashe, Valen and Sylvyth volunteer to leave the valley and seek out allies as well as gather any other information they can find about Lord Tyrak and why he wishes to invade the Valley of Ashe.

Upon their return, Valen and Sylvyth find the King of Ashe has passed away, and a new king has been installed. The new king does not believe in the balance Valen seeks and tensions mount. After tragedy strikes, how will Valen set the wrong deeds right? Will he learn to lead, instead of always being "The Lone Wolf"? Will Lord Tyrak triumph over the people of the Valley?

I invite you to take this journey and help Valen become the hero he is destined to be. With over (planning on..) 25 hours of gameplay, multiple characters and realms to visit, we watch our Lone Wolf become a hero, leader, and lord of his own kingdom to help take back the Valley of Ashe and restore balance to the kingdom.

Thank you for any feedback - and I'm glad to finally have some content to share with the community. I'm looking forward to completing more of the project, and I hope you enjoy it!
 
Dropbox to .exe file (336M:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ek6cs861e7csi0g/The%20Valley%20of%20Ashe%20-%20Full%20Demo.exe?dl=0


Updated: 10/16/2015

I am done with the first branch of the storyline. After this, the game will start to open up quite a bit, so my next updates will take a lot more time in between. This gives you about 2 - 3 hours of gameplay so far, and any feedback would be greatly appreciated! This might be far enough along to be considered a playable demo. It gives you enough feel for the gameplay, for the environment, and for storyline. From here, there will still be many twists and turns, but it is a decent start. Hope you enjoy!
 
Updated: 10/19/2015
 

Updates: 10/22/2015