Ballad of Lost Adventurers [fantasy][BxG] [GxG]

[Boha]

Glad to see there is some interest in it. The writer will be thrilled and we'll start working on a way to implement it.

I see you are talking about the point of view being from either Lora or Hannah, that will be a tough decision, at least it seems that way looking at the outline, being 45,000 words in you probably have a much clearer picture than I

Both of them could work well. Hannah has the perk of being actively involved from the plot within the first thirty minutes and gives a good opposite to Noah (being more optimistic and native to the world). Lora doesn't enter the plot actively until a couple hours in (more depending on gameplay), but I'm personally more fond of her.

Heres another vote for GxG.

Alot of RPG projects seem to do 2 versions; maybe do a GxG version along with the BxG? I'd much prefer a full GxG game personally.

The writer isn't fond of that idea. All of the characters are very developed and interact with each other/the world in a specific way. It wouldn't be possible to genderbend Noah and swap pronouns around. We could make an entire version that follows from Noah's perspective and another that follows from Hannah/Lora's, that's true. However, the incredible length of the game is already going to result in the mental breakdown of our writer. If we had to essentially double it, we'd never get done. It would also strain our dwindling funding. The only possible exception that might allow this is if we could raise up some money to fund a full GxG version (and a second writer). We were planning on a kickstarter to help us stop bleeding our single investor dry, so I suppose the success of that will determine how much more beyond the Hannah/Lora sections we add.

[Boha]

Time for an update!

Writing: Things are progressing well. The writer is having fun writing some sidequests involving sorceresses with mind control magic as well as some heartbreaking scenes involving Sylleane. It wouldn't be much of an adventure if there wasn't some exciting quests to train up, would it?

Sprites: 5 of the 6 major characters are all done. All that remains is Noah.

Backgrounds: Right now we are still using temporary backgrounds from various sources, but we are still in need of a background artist.

GUI: Same thing with GUI. We're using temp things, but we are in high need of a GUI artist.

As a little bit of promotion, here are some of the later outfits/other poses of our two heroines from the modern day, Naera and Lora. Please tell us what you think!

[Boha]

It's time for another update!

-We're cancelled. It's my sad duty to report that the project is being... okay, I can't keep saying that seriously. We're still moving along, albeit not as fast as I'm sure you all want us to go.

-We really, really, really need someone with programming experience to help us develop the RPG framework of the game. As with every other update, I am still in desperate need of someone who knows this system more than I do.

-Writing: Writer is still hard at work. He'll be sending me a special update soon to share with you. I think he wants to talk about the world and its inhabitants a bit.

-Backgrounds: Still using temp backgrounds. Until we run the kickstarter, there really isn't much we can do about this being poor and broke.

-Sprites: All of the main characters are done, so work has begun on the minor characters. As always, you can see some of our art (plus some other amazing art) on Geckos's tumblr. Today we are going to show of Lady Kerrigan, Noah's "benefactor" and leader of a sect of the rebellion. Mr. Writer is going to be talking about her species later. It wouldn't be a fantasy universe without some diverse characters.

[Boha]

Is there anything people would like us to talk about? Any questions or comments? Mr. Writer wants to know what people want to learn about and I'm curious if there is any point to these updates.

We're also thinking about breaking things up a bit. Having 50+ hr game might be a bit too much, especially since people might throw a fit when you ask for more than a few dollars on the price tag.

[JimG]

Is there anything people would like us to talk about? Any questions or comments? Mr. Writer wants to know what people want to learn about and I'm curious if there is any point to these updates.

We're also thinking about breaking things up a bit. Having 50+ hr game might be a bit too much, especially since people might throw a fit when you ask for more than a few dollars on the price tag.

I think you need to give more information before you can expect a lot of questions. The updates are important because you need to build a following. There might not be a lot of comments but you have over 1500 views. A fifty hour game may be too long. Check out Sunrider, I think they list it as a 12 hour game, although it is the first of three parts, it is really well done and may need some fleshing out after the three parts are complete, but it probably won't be 50 hours when all three parts are done. It is my opinion that you will bury yourself trying to do a fifty hour game. IMHO it would be better to do a quality shorter game and then do a sequel than attempt so much that the execution of the game becomes an impossible task.

Best Regards
Jim

[Boha]

Back from the dead, it's Ballad of Lost Adventurers! Just dropping a small update that we are still hard at work.

-Our writer has been wrapped up with other projects, but he has finally returned to us!

-Coding for the battle system has also begun. It's pretty simple at the moment, but we hope to spice things up as I learn more and more about the inner workings of Ren'py.

-Sprites are looking awesome. Here's is one of your reoccurring enemies in the story, the fierce barbarian leader of the dark plains, U'lini.

[Boha]

It has been a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it, LSF?

There are several features that we are either in the process of or have already added to the game that I am very excited about.
-When we were working out the combat system, we wanted to try something a little different. A lot of games have the gameplay and the visual novel aspects in completely opposite corners. Another thing that haunts RPGs is the grind. I'm not a fan of grinding levels out, and I don't know too many people who are. To combat this, our programmer has been working on a system to help merge things together. In Ballad of Lost Adventurers, you won't unlock new abilities by killing monsters on your quests. They'll drop some loot to help augment weapons, but you won't be playing the number crunching game with them.

Instead, to unlock character abilities for both Noah and his party, you will be able to take side quests. These side quests will tell the stories of the characters on their adventures, merging the story with the gameplay. Some quests will have different options in how you complete them. These different routes will offer different rewards to the player, to include new merchants, abilities, and weapon augments. While the main story will follow Noah, several of these side quests will take place with different party members taking the lead role.

-Another major thing we have added to the gameplay is weaponry will not be a constant drop. While armor and clothing will change throughout the game (tied to story), the weaponry will stay the same. Instead, you will be able to augment your weapons with stat changing crystals. With these crystals, augments, and other enchantments from merchants you can help, your characters will be customizable to fit your preferred strategy.

-One thing we are thinking about is limiting the number of abilities that a character can have equipped at a time, similar to Diablo 3.

-Originally, we were going to see if we could make it real time, similar to Final Fantasy 7. While the programmer is still tinkering with the idea, we've decided to stick with the more traditional Final Fantasy 1 turn-based strategy for now.

-We are always up for new ideas about things to add to the gameplay. We have some limitations, but we've found some interesting ways to get things done in the ren'py engine.

-I have no idea how long the game is going to be now. Our writer keeps outlining more side quests and then, after putting on his programmer hat, codes them out. He's having way too much fun with this.

-One of the biggest problems we have right now is the lack of a GUI artist. Without the artist, the code is nothing more than an ugly mess of whatever the writer can design. He might be doing an amazing job with the writing, programming, music, SFX, and whatever he can gets his hands on, but his GUI art... I can't show it. It would offend the eyes.

-No idea when we will have a demo for testing. Gotta fix the GUI problem first. Until then, a shiny new battle sprite for you all to enjoy!

[Geckos]

I'm excited about the abilities coming from side stories. That and meaning more about all of the characters in the process. And drawing CGs!

[Boha]

I'm excited about the abilities coming from side stories. That and meaning more about all of the characters in the process. And drawing CGs!

It wouldn't be nearly as exciting if we limited ourselves to Noah's perspective only. The world doesn't completely revolve around him.