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[WGCorndog]

Character of the Week


Jack the Pirate:
Dashing, brave, and a bit underhanded, Jack fights with both his gun and trusty sabre.

Sample Skills
Jack is an agile fighter with both melee and
ranged attacks. Oh, and Rum.

Fire Shot Deals Physical and Fire damage to an enemy	Acrobatics      Passive: Gain a Free Turn when    you dodge an attack
Disarm Deals Physical damage and lowers Attack damage for a turn	Rum     Gain Toughness and become harder to hit,     but occasionally lose self control.

Pirate's Guile (Relic) - Gain Speed and Agility the closer you are to death.

[randomThrowAway]

This looks great, will definitely check it out! I'm doing something similar for my first real game right now, so I was reading this thread with one laughing and one crying eye. That's especially true for the skills; on one hand, it's a great inspiration but otoh, once I see a skill you posted that I like but haven't thought off myself, yet, it immediately feels spoiled since I don't want to steal anything. But how much of that is pride?

Let's take the Angel's Ascension. I didn't have this skill in my game yet, but I do have some others triggered by death, so I'd like to think it being somewhat likely I'd have come up with something similar along the way, and it would be a good fit. I'd feel pretty dirty to use it (or, more realistically, something very similar to it) now, after having it seen here, first, though.

Maybe it's best if I just unsubscribe from this thread 

[Bakuda]

This game looks great!  It seems very well done and really takes me back to my NES days.  Will definitely keep my eye on this. 

[sbeast]

Hey, the game looks pretty interesting. Will you be needing any music for it? You can check out my portfolio here if you do: http://sbeastmusic.com/portfolio/

[Pixel Noise]

Ok wow, just found this. This looks pretty addicting! Hahaha, seriously though, very cool idea. Following!

P.S. As composers - we just wanted to provide some perspective on the "why not do a unique musical idea for each character". You guys who are suggesting this don't realize what a monumental task that is. At least, if you want any of it to be good or recognizable. Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI did this, but we're talking 7 and 14 playable character themes there. It's just not practical. It makes much more sense to go with location themes, or some other manner of determining the music, instead.

That said - any audio samples? 

[WGCorndog]

This looks great, will definitely check it out! I'm doing something similar for my first real game right now, so I was reading this thread with one laughing and one crying eye. That's especially true for the skills; on one hand, it's a great inspiration but otoh, once I see a skill you posted that I like but haven't thought off myself, yet, it immediately feels spoiled since I don't want to steal anything. But how much of that is pride?

Let's take the Angel's Ascension. I didn't have this skill in my game yet, but I do have some others triggered by death, so I'd like to think it being somewhat likely I'd have come up with something similar along the way, and it would be a good fit. I'd feel pretty dirty to use it (or, more realistically, something very similar to it) now, after having it seen here, first, though.

Maybe it's best if I just unsubscribe from this thread  

Thanks  

Yeah, it's been a lot of fun making the skills so far. It's kind of a game in it's own right, figuring out new and inventive ways to use hooks and triggers I've previously written. Every time I add a new mechanic, it's an avalanche of new ideas and uses. On Death handlers, for instance...it took awhile to add them, but once I finally did, tons of new ideas came up. From skills that scavenge from enemy deaths, to automatically resurrecting, to things like the Angel's Ascension skill.

Don't feel bad about getting inspiration, I've taken inspiration from many different games and many different genres. A lot of the skills I like the most were adapted and modified from skills in other games that I've enjoyed. It's all just kind of a part of the cultural zeitgeist of gaming. Making them fit within the theme and mechanics of your own game is just as important, if not more so, than the idea itself.

[WarriorGeneral]

Here are a couple of new skill animations from recent Screenshot Saturdays!

The Fire Mage blasting a couple of poor wolves:


The Dark Knight draining some life away:

That said - any audio samples? 

Sorry, I don't have any music/sound I am able to share as of yet. We'll post some youtube gameplay videos down the line which will include some music/SFX for sure. We do have a composer we work with frequently, but I'll definitely keep in mind any portfolios you audio guys post, if we find we need some more music or sound work in the future! I'm glad to see this is the sort of thing you'd be interested in working on.

[Pixel Noise]

So are the characters a mix between "original" ideas and cameos/shout-outs/nods to other characters in other games, media, etc? It's almost impossible to avoid "borrowing" some other game's character, given the graphic style, and # of characters you will have. What I'm getting at is - even if you try to make 100+ completely original characters, people will still draw links to other characters in other games - so are you guys embracing that, and designing most of the characters with some other character in mind? You might as well cash in on that extra bit of nostalgia and recognition

[Gazillion]

So is this taking inspiration from Suikoden or Final Fantasy V? Are the different characters classes or unique characters with their own story and role in your party? Will the game require you to gather all the characters or are most of them optional and you can go through the story with a select few?

Very interesting premise. Huge JRPG fan here so I can't wait to see how it evolves!

[WGCorndog]

So are the characters a mix between "original" ideas and cameos/shout-outs/nods to other characters in other games, media, etc? It's almost impossible to avoid "borrowing" some other game's character, given the graphic style, and # of characters you will have. What I'm getting at is - even if you try to make 100+ completely original characters, people will still draw links to other characters in other games - so are you guys embracing that, and designing most of the characters with some other character in mind? You might as well cash in on that extra bit of nostalgia and recognition

I think we are more aiming to hit on gaming tropes rather than straight up "borrowing" character designs. For instance, the Paladin is a common theme in many games across many different genres. We're hitting on that trope with, hopefully, our own unique touch to the class.

A lot of other characters are just silly or mundane type of characters that you wouldn't see in most high fantasy settings. Like a Clown, or a Firefighter. After all, with time crashing in on itself, all kinds of people will be stuck in the fragments. They may or may not be as useful in combat as a Knight or Space Marine, but we're definitely trying to give them their own quirks. Besides, when venturing through fractured time, you need all the help you can get!

[WGCorndog]

So is this taking inspiration from Suikoden or Final Fantasy V? Are the different characters classes or unique characters with their own story and role in your party? Will the game require you to gather all the characters or are most of them optional and you can go through the story with a select few?

Very interesting premise. Huge JRPG fan here so I can't wait to see how it evolves!

Oh yes, definitely, we loved the old JRPGs of the 90s. Though, I think what we're trying to do with this is do to JRPGs as Binding of Isaac did to Legend of Zelda.

We're trying to keep each adventure relatively short (an hour or two), but make it diverse enough where no two adventures are the same. On top of that, making it so each trip through the rift will add up into the greater game itself. Each character you rescue will help build up your sanctuary, allowing more diverse options for future adventures.

[Pixelologist]

Looks too much like a Final Fantasy Clone with nothing new to offer.

[Gazillion]

Oh yes, definitely, we loved the old JRPGs of the 90s. Though, I think what we're trying to do with this is do to JRPGs as Binding of Isaac did to Legend of Zelda.

We're trying to keep each adventure relatively short (an hour or two), but make it diverse enough where no two adventures are the same. On top of that, making it so each trip through the rift will add up into the greater game itself. Each character you rescue will help build up your sanctuary, allowing more diverse options for future adventures.

This sounds really bad ass. I can't wait!

I skimmed through your OP but I didn't see how far along in development you guys are. What's your rough timeline look like?

Looks too much like a Final Fantasy Clone with nothing new to offer.

Have you looked at anything aside from the pictures?

[WGCorndog]

Character of the Week


Jacques the Chef:
Skilled with the culinary arts, Jacques supports his allies with the power of food.

Sample Skills
Jacques is not the greatest in combat, but his
food can provide various buffs.

Snack Heals an ally and increases their Endurance.	Pot Roast Passive: Heals allies after every battle.
Throw Knife      Deals Physical damage    to an enemy.	Soulflay     Deals Physical and MP    damage to an enemy.

Chef's Hat (Relic) - Occasionally negates ranged attack damage.

[WGCorndog]

Character of the Week


Seth the Lizardman:
The result of a genetic experiment gone horribly wrong, Seth has extraordinary regenerative abilities.

Sample Skills
Seth is very difficult to take down because
of his multiple ways of regenerating health.

Hibernate Spend several turns to restore HP.	Regeneration Passive: Regenerates HP over time.
Venom Bite      Deals Physical damage    and Poisons an enemy.	Ambush     Deals bonus damage after    not taking damage.

Lizard Scale (Relic) - Increases healing received. Grants Regeneration skill.

[randomThrowAway]

Do you do the thing where there are a set number of status ailments (poison, sleep, haste, mirror etc) and your skills apply them?

Or are your skills not bound to that and every skill can basically apply its own, unique status?

[WGCorndog]

Do you do the thing where there are a set number of status ailments (poison, sleep, haste, mirror etc) and your skills apply them?

Or are your skills not bound to that and every skill can basically apply its own, unique status?

Every skill, generally, has it's own unique status. That's not to say that a lot of them aren't similar, most poison effects for example cause damage time, but on top of that, they can also decrease attributes, decrease healing, or lower MP, or any other effect that's fitting.

[WGCorndog]

Character of the Week


Buzzard the Raider:
From the harsh life of the wastelands, Buzzard pillages from defeated enemies.

Sample Skills
Buzzard comes with a large array of limited use
Gadgets, which he can replenish whenever enemies die.

Molotov Deals Fire damage over time to nearby enemies. One use.	Chainsaw Deals large Physical damage to an enemy. Three uses.
Scavenge      Passive: Defeated enemies    restore uses for Gadgets.	Erratic     Passive: Every turn, gain    random bonuses to attributes.

Raider's Vigor (Relic) - Recover HP after defeating an enemy.

[EvilDingo]

We're trying to keep each adventure relatively short (an hour or two), but make it diverse enough where no two adventures are the same. On top of that, making it so each trip through the rift will add up into the greater game itself. Each character you rescue will help build up your sanctuary, allowing more diverse options for future adventures.

That's an interesting idea. Binding of Issac has an important element in that some things are persistent and not everything resets between playthroughs. So even if you have a bad run, you still might make an enduring change so the player doesn't feel like the time was wasted.

[WarriorGeneral]

Sorry for the lack of updates; we've been a bit busy working on the recent Ludum Dare and some patches on our other games. However, I've got some more recent Screenshot Saturday stuff to show some of the environments I've been working on for our characters to explore, including a battle vs one of the minor bosses: