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[CorazonAzul]

Game: Soul Compass, Turn-based RPG
Author, Art, Music: Jesse Shepherd
Additional Help: Adrian Solis, Chris Emirzian, Kramlack
Language: C
OS: Windows
Resolution: Windowed 160x144, 320x288(Default), 480x432, or 640x576

Description
Soul Compass will be a combat-driven, difficult, short, turn-based RPG with no grind or random elements. The game features an engaging story, linear progression, 15 fixed normal encounters, 6 bosses, and possibly bonus challenge levels.

VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhGMsyNBnXM



Combat
Characters formulate grid-based attacks on enemies populating a 3x2 grid. Characters may target a single space, or several using a shape acquired in the game such as rows and columns. Enemies target characters freely. Around this key feature, several traditional and new mechanics will complicate strategy. All characters, bosses, and normal encounters will throw unique mechanics at you and are generally high difficulty

Art & Music
Gameboy and NES' limitations in mind. Music and sfx composed in famitracker

Background
Not my first C project, but most complex and first in this limited style. Coded with Allegro 4.2.2 gaming library. Inspired by the handful of RPGs on the Gameboy

Constructive questions/comments welcome!!

[Udderdude]

Booger art, man.  It's the past future's future past future.

Looking good so far :3

[SirNiko]

I like that you're bucking the trend of RPGs that insist on being long and relatively simple.

The art looks good. The phoenix in the screenshot in particular shows a lot of attention to detail.

Your overworld screenshot looks a little bland, though. I feel like you'd do better if you made the forest and mountain ranges form continuous features, instead of being a lump of single trees and mountains. Then you can add some little graphical flourishes like bigger snow capped peaks, or little clusters of denser forest to break up the terrain.

[CorazonAzul]

I like that you're bucking the trend of RPGs that insist on being long and relatively simple.

The art looks good. The phoenix in the screenshot in particular shows a lot of attention to detail.

Your overworld screenshot looks a little bland, though. I feel like you'd do better if you made the forest and mountain ranges form continuous features, instead of being a lump of single trees and mountains. Then you can add some little graphical flourishes like bigger snow capped peaks, or little clusters of denser forest to break up the terrain.

Thanks for looking and I agree. In addition I don't expect new players to have to sit through tons of story/etc wondering whether my game's worth the time and effort. Therefore it should be getting to the point and offering what it's got fairly quickly

Thanks for the feedback on the world map. It could use the extra polish as right now it's looking rather DQ1-ish, and it may happen depending on the manpower left nearing the end of it all

[dafthero]

Just a couple of drawings showing the design for the characters.






The direction was to do a sort of "east meets west" character design. I wanted to stray from something too anime, but I wanted to keep it simple.

[eclectocrat]

Looks great! I love a challenging game, the overall description sounds like something I'd really enjoy.

Good luck, keep us posted!

[dafthero]

Designing the dungeons on graph paper. I'd like to see some of the puzzles in action. Is there a free program out there that might have some tools available to me so I can do that?

It would be much appreciated 

[CorazonAzul]

Looks great! I love a challenging game, the overall description sounds like something I'd really enjoy.

Good luck, keep us posted!

Thanks very much! Challenge is a huge focus in the game, and I realize not everyone's up for that. I hope your brain will be delightfully rattled if you play

Life hit me this December with the deaths of two close people in the same week, and then the coming holidays. Nonetheless some work was done, so here are fresh mock-ups bringing the graphics closer together. The dialogue can be ignored. Except the trees in the combat scene, the art is close to final. During combat, the stat windows display via held toggle key, viewable at any time to honor strategic depth. These are blown up x2, the default scale

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/corazonazulxx/design26_tigpreviews.png

[Ashkin]

Oh wow!
Also, my condolences for the deaths of those close to you. Post in the Human Hugs thread if you want to talk about it, there's lots of support there.

[dafthero]

I talked to JAMR tonight about it.

We'll get back no track and finish this thing.

[CorazonAzul]

Lots of programming work was done, laying down the foundation work and pouring into the combat system in preparation of balancing the fights that have been designed. A title, subtitle and development team name were chosen. Below are some fresh mock-ups showing more of the art, and once again the dialogue can be ignored. Matching the programming with the mock-ups has been challenging but virtually seamless

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/corazonazulxx/design32_tigpreviews2.png



  

[st33d]

Solid graphical style you've got going there 

Hoping the gameplay will be on an equally excellent footing. Good luck with this.

[CorazonAzul]

Solid graphical style you've got going there  

Hoping the gameplay will be on an equally excellent footing. Good luck with this.

Thank you very much for looking. I can only hope

Been very hard at work on this. Actual screenshot below and on the original post, video demo soon, and actual demo not long after that. The battle interface has evolved to contain all the mechanics in the game. The puzzle dungeons were scrapped for a mostly combat-driven game. Lots and lots of programming and headaches

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/corazonazulxx/design35_tigpreview.png

The original post going forward will be updated to contain the latest screen/vid/demo

[CorazonAzul]

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWUNlJjkc30

Just wanted to show what combat is looking like so far. You can ignore all the numbers, as they are in no way balanced. Features some original (unfinished) 20A3 music and sound fx crafted by me in famitracker. Additionally I plan on writing in percussion tracks to the "noise channel" that will cut out when a sound effect plays, just as a real NES or GB would do. Granted I am still breaking lots of the GB rules... but it's believable, right?

Lots of enemies, characters and commands to write, lots of polish. But there's a rough idea

[Ichigo Jam]

This is looking really nice, and I like the sound of "All characters, bosses, and normal encounters feature unique mechanics and high difficulty".

One small suggestion: speed up the animation on the turn sequence bar at the bottom - it feels a bit slow at the moment.

Keep up the good work!