Tristian: Lady of the Lion

[blueperiod]

^That kind of makes it sound as though Enelysion was a terrible, horrible game, which it wasn't at all IMO. I mean, I'd be happy if this game was the same quality as Enelysion, which I found to be of very good despite some issues,

 

[Dalph]

^That kind of makes it sound as though Enelysion was a terrible, horrible game, which it wasn't at all IMO. I mean, I'd be happy if this game was the same quality as Enelysion, which I found to be of very good despite some issues,

Nono...Enelysion is great, I like it, although it's not perfect.

 

[PixelLuchi]

@Dalph: I want to make LoTL my... magnum opus. =) And its supposed to be better, shows I've learned and improved, right?

The problem with EHD now is because I've set the bar so high for myself on that game, is that every other game I make now and in the near future will have to be of a similar standard or better. Four years working with the RM engines hasn't taught me everything there is to know, after all. But the bar has been set, and I will have to surpass it...

Anyway, here's a planned character roster I hijacked from RMN.

Spoiler

 

Tristian - The Proud Patriot

 

Age: 26

Hair colour: Brown

Eye colour:  Blue

Height: 177 cm

Weight: 65 kg

 

Weapon usage: Bows, Swords and Lances

Class: Master Knight

Promotes into: Duchess

 

A powerful knight in service to Genoa's Royal Family and Ianna's sworn protector, Tristian has a fantastic amount of pride for her country and will do anything to protect its last heir. Because of the blood ties that binds her to the Dubhan bloodline, her survival literally means Ianna's safety, and even after she is affected with a curse that will no doubt end her life, she swears to return Ianna to the throne. However, Tristian's resilience does give way to her stubbornness and her pride may cause her to underestimate her quarry, the Ebony Hand, on whom she

swears vengeance after they decimated the Silver Order.

 

Role in battle: Buffer/Damage dealer/Uses weapon-specific skills.

 

 

Ianna - The Gentle Heir

 

Age: 22

Hair colour: Blue

Eye colour:  Green

Height: 159 cm

Weight: ?? kg

 

Weapon usage: Tomes and Crossbows

Class: Princess

Promotes into: N/A

 

A gentle soul whose kind demeanour belies her powerful heritage, Ianna is the last of the Genoan Royal Family's bloodline and despite the Dark Crusader's blood running through her veins, she is a practioner of Light magic. The resurfaced Ebony Hand no doubt has dark plans for her, but to do so, they need to eliminate her bodyguard, Lady Liangale, which terrifies her to no end. Although traumatised by the events at Castle Genoa, she vows to fight on and topple the powerful Empire in one stroke.

 

Role in battle: Healer/Nuker

 

 

Dante - The Dashing Sage

 

Age: 26

Hair colour: Blonde

Eye colour:  Blue

Height: 176 cm

Weight: 75 kg

 

Weapon usage: Tomes and Lances

Class: Mage Lord

Promotes into: Mage General

 

The charasmatic and dashingly handsome Lord of Connaught, also known as the Mage General, Dante is a master of black magic and his knowledge over all things esoteric is extensive. He seems worried over the recent practioners of Elder magic, a practice banned more than three centuries ago and it causes him deep concern for Tristian, for whom he has always nursed a soft spot. He is determined to get to the root cause of why the sect has surfaced in the first place.

 

Role in battle: BAMF Nuker

 

Not in the demo:

 

 

Darcy Minnow - The Lightning Rogue

 

Age: 15

Hair colour: Green

Eye colour:  Grey

Height: REAL short

Weight: Don't even ask

 

Weapon usage: Light blades, daggers

Class: Rogue

Promotes into: Either a Kensai or an Assassin

 

A seemingly cheerful girl on the surface, Darcy claims being stuck in a prison cell is a better life for most of Valthorme's oppressed citizens, claiming that the "food is better and we at least don't need to sleep under rubble." Her seemingly exuberant exterior however, hides a street-sharp logic and she has been rumoured to be recruiting a small group of similar-minded rogues to free Valthorme's slaves. She treats Uther like an older brother and aspires to be as skilled as him with the blade. At Uther's request, she sniffs around for any useful information that could help them.

 

Role in battle: Mainly debuffing enemy stats.

 

 

Uther Runcorn - The Rebellion Leader

 

Age:   29

Hair colour:  Black

Eye colour:   Green

Height:  172 cm

Weight:  74 kg

 

Weapon usage: Swords

Class: Swordsman

Promotes into: Kensai

 

A stocky and skilled swordsman, Uther is a former tutor to the Valthorme Army's Sixth Division, a group of knights known for their deadly swordplay. Disgruntled with the complete lack of disrespect in the legions, he left the Division three years ago without warning and is still at large. While his dress sense leaves a lot to be desired, he is a cool and calm individual who is the main spearheader of the Blue Order, a group of rebels determined to squash Valthorme's despotic regime. Darcy is his most useful sidekick for achieving this and her protects her much like an older brother would.

 

Role in battle: Status inflicter with a number of Sword-based skills.

 

 

Trabant - The Pirate King ( locked character )

 

Age:   35

Hair colour:  Black

Eye colour:   Hazel

Height:   203 cm

Weight:   105 kg

 

Weapon usage: Axes

Class: Berserker

Promotes into: Already promoted

 

Known as the lord of the seas of the southern Isles of Concordia, Trabant rules his territory with an iron fist and prizes physical brawn above all else. He is a fearsome specimen and his strength and temper knows no bounds. But when he realises that a certain group may help him to exact revenge on a sworn enemy, he offers his services... for a hefty fee, and to get his own back as well.

 

Role in battle: BAMF damage dealer with low defenses.

 

More to come.

Did I mention the game might have a... yuri romance? 0_o

 

[Kes]

These look like some interesting characters.

I've only played the demo as far as getting through the forest, but found it enjoyable.  And yes, the battles are much better balanced than in EHD for which I, for one, am extremely grateful.

 

[Dalph]

@Luchino:

Definitely yes, the only thing you can't improve anymore is the mapping, because in Enelysion it was already close to perfection.

The new character is awesome, and freakin' tall!

About the yuri's romance, do you believe me if I say that I already sensed something in the air? ...ahah
I find it a little strange in a game but very original, there aren't a lot of games with gay romances (besides Indrah's games).XD

 

[Kes]

Okay, didn't realise about the Guardian spell first time round, but that does suggest something to me.

When there is a strong chance of game over because of a forced battle, and that forced battle takes place after a long cut scene, I think there is a very good case for being merciful to the player and giving them the chance to save, rather than having to sit through the cut scene again (and, if they blow it, again and ...).

 

[PixelLuchi]

Updated the OP.

 

[PixelLuchi]

A little update as to what I've been doing so far:

After the demo, the game will shift to the perspective of another character, a four-foot-ten Thief named Darcy, who has been eavesdropping on some guards and she overhears them talking about having sent several of the more troublesome rebels to Silo Eight, one of the Empire's many holding cells for anyone who dares to defy them. However, it is off the coast of Concordia ( Trabant's realm... ) and Darcy is off to report her findings to Ronin ( formerly Uther, I changed his name )... But first she needs to sneak past the many guards...

The slums are full of guards, which Darcy refers to as the 'mook patrol'.

- Mapped the 'slum' area of the capital of Valthorme; Charon, where a rebellion is slowly gathering in

the bowels of the underground 'city' known as Underfall.

The entrance to the 'underground' city, Underfall.

- Implemented the Trace Stealth System script by Prof. Meow Meow, which will play a huge role in one of Darcy's ( the 2nd main character, since the game has 2 routes ) many undercover missions. Sneaking past guards without making any noise, conking them at the back of the head, distracting them, that sort of thing. Its a lot of fun. If you run too close to a guard, they'll be able to hear you.

Don't ever kid her about her height or else. She's very spunky.

You guys can expect this and more in the next release, scheduled for late December-early Jan. This however, will be the demo that needs to put this game on the map, since it will be pretty lengthy ( 3-5 hours ).

 

[Dalph]

Awesome stuff Luchino, keep up the good work, this will be a truly fantastic game^^

 

[JacobM]

Sounds cool! I really like your mapping too. Good job!

 

[PixelLuchi]

I'm on a bit of a roll, if I may say so myself. I've ( finally ) decided to make  development sheet outlining what I want to do for the day's development ( if I want to finish this game in less than a year, I have to spark. That's my goal, in any case ). So I:
 
- Did a visual update on all the menus for the game using that simple but elegant FF13-styled menu ( I used it ages ago for Enelysion, but because I don't want the menu style to be the same for this, I've decided to use this script for good ).
 

 

 
- Finished up the Underfall Sewer, and added three more foes to the database, along with making a new battleback. And I changed the Messageback image because the dark blue version makes the text easier to read.
 

I need no ATS. ^^
 
I'm quite happy with the way my edits are coming out as well.
 

Spoiler

 

Less than half of the main cast done so far...
 

The large general with the Hitler-ish mustache is going to be my Large Ham. I just looked at him and laughed. Such a smug snake.
 

 
Estimated gameplay time should be approaching the two-hour mark now.

 

[PixelLuchi]

Medium-sized Update:

I've managed to get the game past the 2 hour mark now ( but that's just story-based progression ) and I want this demo to have replay value as well. So I'm going to work on the unlockable scenes that can be viewed from the main menu. Currently, I'm working on two towns and a temple, and I'll probably end up adding side-quests to those areas ( meaningful SQs, mind you. I don't like filler ). I have some ideas lying around for actual game mechanics, but its all to vague to give any descriptions now ( I have the Skill Scrolls/Weapon Equips and stat-boosting orbs for now ) .

Because game mechanics happens to be my weak area, I don't want to focus on it too much, but I'll never be a competent game designer if I don't practice it. Maybe a crafting system or two if I can make an Alchemist and Blacksmith character. =) Then those systems would at least fit into the game, rather than just being there for the sake of adding a 'feature' to your game. I need a couple of quirky people as well, after all. There's Darcy ( Genki Girl ) and Trabant ( Large Ham ), and I tend to have a lot of fun writing those guys. Tristian and Darcy are meant to be foils to each other, after all.

I'm up to nine characters now ( another seven to go for my goal of sixteen ). So far I've got: a Master Knight, Mage Lord, Princess, Thief, Archer, Swordsman, Mercenary and a Berserker. I need more magic units...

Some screens for the next release:

That's it for now. =)

 

[gvduck10]

To help with magic classes; here are some basic concepts you typically see in fantasy games/stories:

MAGIC TANK - offensive magic, usually the Wizard (final fantasy Black Mage)

HEALER - healing, defensive magic, usually the Cleric, (final fantasy White Mage)

ENCHANTRESS - positive&negative status magic, disables enemies with charms/looks (final fantasy Oracle/Mystic)

ENCHANTER/WITCH - negative status magic/possibly offensive magic, curses and hexes enemies (final fantasy Oracle/Mystic)

TEMPLAR - magically embued physical class, uses party-helping magic, usually a Paladin (final fantasy special Knight classes)

SORCERER/SORCERESS - enchants objects, uses magical artifacts, commands spirits (final fantasy Sword Mage/Summoner)

CONJURER - can call up objects or creatures (FF Summoner)

DRUID - commands natural forces, may have familiars, be prophetic, and/or animorph (FF Geomancer/Tamer/Beserker)

-MANCER - controls some force through pyschic power, ie. Geomancer, Pyromancer, Aeromancy, Aquamancer (FF Geomancer/Black Mage)

SEER/PSYCHIC - can see into the future, can paralyze enemies mentally (FF ??)

MUSE/BARD - talented artistically, has magically embued skills, spells are innate (FF Dancer/Bard)

 

[PixelLuchi]

I'll look into those suggestions. =) I'll look into the Druid ( since there is a dark magic cult in the game ) and the Enchantress. Of course, these classes have to fit in with the context of the game as well.

Their characters shouldn't just exist for the sake of existing. =) Tristian already takes the role of a Templar-type character later in the game and Dante is my AoE Black Magic Nuker who can use spears as well. Ianna is the Healer/Light-magic user with a difference seeing as she can use crossbows as well and can equip various tomes.

Here's what you guys can expect for the alpha release scheduled ( depending on how fast I work ) either later this

month or mid-December.

4-5 hours of gameplay.

7 playable characters.

Several locations to explore including a sewer, a manor and a forest valley.

New equipment such as tomes ( grants certain skills ) and crossbows ( highly effective

against armoured units ) as well as several accessories.

Extended routes for both main characters ( Tristian and Darcy ).

New scenes and conversations.

 

A new area I'm working on. Even for those of you who have played through the 90 minute demo, you can expect larger caves and new areas too. I do love my world-building.

 

It should give a rough overview on what to expect for the full game as well. And then I shall ask the mods to move this to Project Dev.

 

[gvduck10]

I actually have an even more expanded list of magic classes here:

http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/topic/19740-trouble-picking-a-new-magic-class-look-here/

Hope that helps even a little... oh, and of course... I agree 100%, the class has to fit within the world's story

 

[PixelLuchi]

I passed the 100 map mark as well as the 2.5 hour mark. Just one more chapter ( should take the game past the three hour plus mark ) to wrap up and the alpha version will be avaliable for C&C ( and reviews ). I must say, I'm having a blast working on this and playing it. Darcy is a perfect foil to Tristian.

Worked on a new area yesterday ( a 60x60 valley plus another smaller area that took me a good 4 or so hours to map ._. ).

And I decided to make a battleback that matches the area ( nice for those of you using Mack's tiles ) and some elemental battlers as well. Both of the resources will be made available in my resource thread at a later date.

 

[Julius Lionheart]

Your maps are legendary! I wish I can map like that... Impressive! And nice story! Can't wait to play it... ^_^

 

[PixelLuchi]

3 hour Alpha available for release. Have fun. C&C welcome as usual. The game's final title is The Lady of the Lion, just so you know.

http://rpgmaker.net/games/5537/downloads/5153/

If you are interested in being a beta tester for later releases, let me know.

 

[Dalph]

uh? Now the game gets stuck in the cinematic with the red haired woman.

Anyway the changes until now are nice.

 

[PixelLuchi]

@Dalph: Fixes below. =) Will add it to the OP as well.

 

List of fixes/changes:

 

- Map 001 in the editor for VX users. There is a cultist that prevents a very early scene from progressing. Change the switch on the event to 127 ( the 'Get Parakeet' switch ). Or just download the maps and drop it and replace the maps in the Data/Maps folder. 

 

Links can be found below:

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67992534/New%20game/Map001.rvdata

 

Slight graphical fix for the village of Lester:

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67992534/New%20game/Map004.rvdata