Memoirs of an Angel: Legends [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

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broken_angel
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Memoirs of an Angel: Legends [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#1 Post by broken_angel »

Image

Enter Tyraca, a mythical land devastated by war.
As the nation's former princess, Zuleika, it's up to you to take back your throne from an evil tyrant,
restore peace and prosperity to your people, and find love with your "Prince Charming."


*****
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Game Features:
  • 5 GxB Romances (including one with the villain himself)
  • 4 different character types that impact starting stats and class
  • Determine the moral alignment of your character with a variety of choices
  • Customize your character with different hair, eye, and outfit colors
  • Upgrade your weapons and armor and test them out with an interactive battle system
  • Animated sprites and backgrounds that change with the seasons
Although it's listed as a "fantasy RPG", Memoirs is more visual novel than RPG.

Rating: 17+
(for blood and violence, strong language, sexual situations)


Story

Upon being framed for the murder of the mighty Emperor Osirus, the princess Zuleika is forced to rely on the help of a mysterious elven assassin to escape her doom and find the real culprit. All the while, she watches as her precious nation is taken over by Osrius' sadistic younger brother, Nefferon, who seems intent on watching the empire crumble beneath him. Tensions mount as more people become dissatisfied with the new regime and call for Osrius' "true heir" to return to the throne, sparking rebellion and pitting the provinces of the east against those of the west.

As the empire succumbs to a bloody revolution, both sides seek the former princess to lead them to glory... but which side will she choose?

On her quest, she'll meet and befriend Chael, a mysterious former assassin from the elven nation; Kirile, a playful, light-hearted thief from the demon nation; Nefferon, the newly ascended emperor and the man everyone loves to hate; Duren, the well-mannered young man who serves as the emperor's right hand; Ahzi, the spunky, self-proclaimed "Keeper of the Forest;" and a host of other characters.

More specifically...
First half of the game will focus on going around to the different provinces and recruiting allies, solving problems and accumulating fame, gathering information, and finding out who killed Osirus. At this point, she's only concerned with what directly impacts her; she hears rumors about a possible rebellion, but doesn't want to get involved.

Second half of the game will focus on the aforementioned rebellion, which is then in full-swing. Knowing what she does after the first big confrontation with Nefferon, she can no longer remain on the sidelines; there's no way she can avoid the upcoming battle and must instead prepare for what is to come.


Battle System
Here's a basic run-down:
- Battles will take place at pre-determined places within the story, and will consist of two parties battling against each other in a 4x3 grid (each party has six slots). The position of party members is meant to be strategic since attacks will have specific ranges.
- New attacks are learned by leveling up or by buying scrolls from different shops. However, only six attacks can be made available for battle at any one time.
- The angels in your party (Zuleika, Chael, Kirile, Duren) can transform into their "beast forms" when their "rage meters" are full. Rage accumulates every time an angel is attacked and takes damage, but dissipates when the danger has passed (so it starts over each battle). This "beast form" gives a whole new set of powerful special attacks that can turn the tide in desperate situations.
- Throughout the game, you'll have five "permanent" party members (once you recruit them): Zuleika, Chael, Kirile, Duren, and Ahzi. These party members will, when leveled up enough, change classes according to your alignment (see below). Depending on where you are and what part of the plot you're doing, you may also have additional party members at your disposal. Within your battle formation, you can use as few or as many of these available party members as you like.
- Battles can be turned off following the initial tutorial or at any time from the Preferences menu.
So if you don't want to bother with all this and just want to play for the story, you can do that, too. ;D

Alignment
- There are two main forces in Egea (the continent this all happens on): Order and Chaos. While these two forces are generally related to light and darkness, they don't necessarily denote good or evil.
- The elves of Nalan are highly attuned to Order and, as such, are nearly colorless in their appearance (pale eyes, pale skin, pale hair, wear all white or light blue). They are a very strict, stoic people who communicate with thoughts rather than words, because words are inefficient and can be misinterpreted.
- The demons of Pyralis, on the other hand, are highly attuned to Chaos and, as such, vary widely in appearance and personality. There is very little order or hierarchy among them, except that the strong are respected while the weak are thrown out or killed (or eaten, in some tribes...).
- The humans of Tyraca, then, are somewhere in the middle and are the most varied in that regard. Some humans, such as priests and scholars, are more attuned to Order; others, specifically fighters, are more attuned to Chaos.
- Generally, a person's alignment is relatively stable throughout their life, but may change after a dramatically life-altering event. This is what has happened to Zuleika, which gives the player the opportunity to shape what her new alignment will be in a way similar to the "Paragon-Renegade" system from Mass Effect, but on a single linear scale. Either way, she's still a "hero" with fairly good intentions, but her methods and priorities will change depending on the player's choices.
- Your alignment will also affect your party members. When they change classes, for instance, your alignment will determine whether they change to a "light" class or a "dark" class.


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Screenshots

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Characters

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The three major allies: Rothkin, Ustyz, and Honhelm

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Random Goodies

These are just some WIPs and previews of art and other things, for those who are curious.

(Click to see larger versions)
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Awesome art previews:
Image Image Image Image
Image Image Image Image

Artists

Main Character Sprites by Niecle @ DeviantArt
Animal Forms by SophieDragon @ DeviantArt and colored by me
Other Art (CGs) by Narukamei @ DeviantArt
Ending Couple Art by Helloheath @ DeviantArt and colored by me
Chibis by Moe-love-chu @ DeviantArt and Xenary @ DeviantArt


------------------------------

Click Here for Download
Version 2.2 - Windows, Mac, and Linux

I called it a beta before, but apparently, that's not the right terminology...so it's not even a demo or a beta, just a "download."

It's the first 5-10 minutes or so of the game, leading up to the battle tutorial that I haven't made yet.
There are still some issues, but it shows what the game will generally look like.


------------------------------

Purpose of this thread...?

For those who don't know, this is a remake of my first game (or should I say only, since it's the only one I ever actually finished). I took to heart many of the comments about it feeling rushed and not feeling like you were actually doing anything, and have come up with this monster in response. However, while I call it a remake, this game is completely different from the original. It starts out relatively the same, but past that, it's a whole new story.

I've been working on it for a long time now, with still very little to show for it, unfortunately. I have most of the graphics done, the programming framework built, and a fairly thorough outline of the story, but very little of the actual writing done because I'm not confident in my writing at all and keep going back and redoing it.
...So...anyone want to be my writing slave and help me finish this faster? ;D Just kidding........or am I? :twisted:

Despite the lack of showable progress, I am still working on this, and damn it, I will finish this thing, even if it kills me.

Anyway, I probably won't post many updates here. If you're interested in keeping up with what I'm doing for this project, I'll continue to post in-depth updates on my development blog (when I remember to), but be warned that I don't always hold back with spoilers there, so view at your own risk.

The purpose of this thread is mainly to get feedback and suggestions.


Possible topics for discussion:

About the demo...
  • I know there's not much to go on from the "download," but how is the pacing so far? Too slow, too fast, just right?
  • The menus are way too dark and I need to lighten the font, I know, but do they otherwise look okay? Do they make sense, are they easy to follow?
  • Any bugs or errors I missed?
Backgrounds are a bit of a sore spot for me... I hate using the free resources I am now because 1) they're totally inconsistent and 2) they're so overused. But I also don't really want to hire an artist, either, because I've had such bad luck in the past and I simply can't afford it right now, so I need something that I can do myself. I've tried using filtered photographs, but that turned out pretty horrible...
  • I'm sure this question has been asked a lot and I have looked around, but is there some way to make decent-looking backgrounds without any artistic skill?
As far as characterization, I've really tried to flesh out the main characters and romances this time around.
  • Are the characters believable?
  • Are they interesting, or are they too cliche?
I know it's kind of lame that they all have some sort of tragic past (or, in some cases, future), but hey, you don't join up with a convicted murderer on a journey you might never return from if your life has been all happy rainbows and unicorns.
On the same topic, I also want to know...
  • Are the romances interesting and believable?
  • I've clearly established "this is why Zuleika might return this guy's affections," but would it be better to leave that up to the player instead?
Any other comments, questions, or suggestions are, of course, welcome. C:
Last edited by broken_angel on Fri May 11, 2018 9:01 pm, edited 6 times in total.

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#2 Post by Fawn »

The download seems to be 404'd, uh oh. D: I remember playing the demo for this about a year or so ago though... I love the atmosphere, though sometimes things did seem rushed.

That new artwork is stunning! Are you going to get sprites to match? It's nice to see some more realistic art in games.

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#3 Post by broken_angel »

Woops! Thanks for letting me know. It's fixed now. C:
Serves me right for trying to write out the URL instead of just copying and pasting like a smart person.

And no, sprites will be the same as they were, with some adjustments here and there. For instance, I fixed up Neffy's sprite so he looks less clowny. Also, added more sprites (and will add even more) for new side characters and such.

But I'm glad you like the new art style. It definitely helps to create a darker, more mature atmosphere than what the original had.

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#4 Post by try10 »

OMG! OMG! OMG! I'm so impressed with the art's quality! It's gorgeous! :shock: :o
I like all the boys and I can't seem to find a favourite one. :D
Too bad that the demo was too short but I loved every minute of it! :)
I can't wait for this game to be finished!!!

YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE THE BEST! :D

GOOD LUCK IN FINISHING THIS AWSOME GAME! :)

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#5 Post by Princess Akina »

Ohmygosh, your art is so amazing and beautiful. Definitely going to play this game when it comes out!
I wish you good luck on making this game :)
My DA Account: http://xprincess-akina.deviantart.com It is very, very outdated and on hiatus, so don't expect much from there.
My Blog: http://xsakurahime.wordpress.com Somewhat on hiatus, because I'm super busy at the moment.

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#6 Post by applegirl »

Very eagerly awaiting this, it looks fantastic :) I love everything about it: the writing/art/gameplay...wow.I really cannot wait!

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#7 Post by ririruetoo »

I just finished playing the download, and I have to say that so far, this game is a vast improvement compared to the last version. I really can't wait until you release a full demo ( or game for that matter!)
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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#8 Post by AERenoir »

This is WAY COOL!!! Battles in VNs are always awesome. Did you use the battle engine that was floating somewhere around here or did you make your own system? Is it hard to learn/make the battles? I want to make battle systems too, but I can't even begin to understand how to make it.

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#9 Post by broken_angel »

try10 - Team? *looks around* What team? :lol:
I'm doing this by myself, with the exception of the art, which I pay for per piece...and even then, I'm doing a lot of the sprites and stuff myself because I'm cheap.
Hence why progress is so slooooooowwww.

Princess Akina and applegirl - Thank you very much. C:

ririruetoo - I'm glad you think so! I really thought the original had a lot of potential that I failed to explore, so that's why I thought I'd remake it. It's good to know that it's not being done in vain.

AERenoir - I haven't finished the programming for the current battle system yet, so I may end up using bits of the "Battle Engine" for the AI part of it (i.e. how the enemy decides what move to make), but it'll be mostly my own code.

I coded a one-on-one Pokemon-styled battle system before from scratch and it wasn't too hard (though it was definitely time-consuming). Just lots and lots of variables and if statements; since I don't know Python or anything, I stayed away from complex code. It's doable even if you aren't an expert programmer.

Before that, I had a Soul Caliber-esque system (in appearance, anyway) where you chose from three actions (Attack, Defend, or Retreat) with randomized chances of success or failure, and that was really easy to make. So it all just depends on how complex you want your system to be.

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#10 Post by Arisu »

The demo was short, but gorgeous. While I did enjoy the original version of this game, this new one seems very promising. It's got a feeling of depth and a darker atmosphere, which I love.

Am stupidly excited about this game ^^;

And the "approval" things made my inner Dragon Age fangirl squee.

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#11 Post by Asterisk »

This looks amazing! I'm loving the character designs~
The fact you can customize the look of the character is really cool!
Looking forward to this, keep it up!
Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat.

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#12 Post by AERenoir »

@broken_angel: I see. I wanted to have an RPG-esque battle where your stats affect hit points and stuff, but again, I can't even begin to understand WHERE to start. I'm just completely blank about scripts and what little I know about ren'py scripts don't really help much.

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#13 Post by try10 »

By yourself????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:shock: :shock: :shock:
OMG!!! You really are awesome!!! :D :D :D

I thought that there were lots of ppl working for this game since it looks so great. :oops:

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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#14 Post by Nellie »

I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw Zuleika(?) blinking... I had to stare at it for a while to make sure I wasn't seeing things! XD

Pretty excited at the remake! (No thanks to my new ultra slow and stupid internet connection, I'm going to leave the download on and play it the next morning... and then I'll edit my post with comments xD)
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Re: Memoirs of an Angel [GxB] [Fantasy RPG]

#15 Post by broken_angel »

Arisu - Thank you, thank you. C:
And I'm a big Dragon Age fangirl myself, so you may end up seeing some other similarities.

Asterisk - To be honest, I really wish I could have added a lot more customization to the mix. As it is, you can only change colors and, during the second half, can choose between two outfits. I wish it were possible to have different hair styles, eye styles, more outfits... basically, the ability to really form your own character. But alas, that's impossible this time around. ):

AERenoir - Then you may really want to check out Jake's Battle Engine after all. It takes care of...well...just about everything you could possibly want in an RPG, including items and equipment. You just copy the "engine" folder into your own game folder, then copy the code from the whichever demo you liked into a .rpy of your own. Granted, it can be a bit confusing and overwhelming to try to customize, but it may be better than starting from scratch.

Personally, I did the stats thing by coming up with a few basic formulas based on the character's current level. I defined them at "label start" as well as at the start of battle. Below is a simplified example of Zuleika's, where "Z" represents Zuleika and "E" represents the enemy.

Code: Select all

label battle_start:
    ## The "attack score" just creates some variable based on Zuleika's current level.
    $ ZATKScore = ZLevel * 6
    ## This adds the base "ATK" stat to the attack score:
    $ ZATK = 10 + ZATKScore
    ## Repeat for defense...
    $ ZDEFScore = ZLevel * 5
    $ ZDEF = 30 + ZDEFScore

    ## Here are the enemy's:
    $ EATKScore = ELevel * 5
    $ EATK = 10 + EATKScore
    $ EDEFScore = ELevel * 5
    $ EDEF = 10 + EDEFScore

label player_attack:
    show attackanimation
    ## This is a calculation of the damage done by the attack. The +10 is the strength of the specific attack chosen
    ## (since I had multiple skills available). A percentage of the enemy's defense is then subtracted from the damage.
    $ EDMG = (ZATK + 10) - (EDEF / 10)
    $ EHP -= EDMG
Sorry, that may have just confused you more. ^^;;

try10 - Haha, well, I'm flattered that you think so. C:

Nellie - Sorry about the download size. I tried to cut out everything that wasn't directly included in the "demo," but there's still a lot of stuff.

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