In a far corner of the world, nestled between the sea and mountains, lies the small country of Ibiese, a peaceful place that enjoyed fair fields and clean water. The country was lead by the Royal Family, whose pure bloodline had purportedly survived for over a hundred generations. While the King was a strong ruler who acted with his people in mind, he favored organization above all else. The people often referred to their leader as the "Bureaucrat King" for his love of all things tedious. He issued decree after decree mandating paperwork for even the most menial task. Dangerous things like weapons and magic were especially regulated. Soon it became almost impossible to own a weapon legally without years worth of paperwork. While he was not a bad man, the King's misguided attempts at organization caused needless struggle in his people's lives, especially those who lived in the country side, where the threat of a monster attack was a very real danger. One such town was South Stuat, where our story begins....
Working logo, may change later
Hi, everyone! I think it's about time I posted this puppy up here. This project will be worked on during my spare time (which I have a lot of, so that doesn't mean much.) Because I plan on making almost all of the resources myself and will not be paying myself for my hobby, the game will not be commercial! That's right! Free!Working logo, may change later
So let's stop with the banter and look at the game.
Story
Emmalyn was born into a family of craftsmen. For generations, her ancestors have created beautiful pieces of art, specializing in jewelry and other accessories. However, one trait separated their work from any other; Fabrons have the natural talent of enchanting their wares with magic. In the past decade, it has become close to impossible to obtain a weapon by any legal means, due to the heavy amount of regulations that surround buying and owning one. Monsters run rampant across the world, making it dangerous to travel without protection. Thus, Emmalyn's grandparents opened an accessory store in South Stuat, a small town in the country side, to sell their magical talismans. Using their enchanted arts, they created accessories that could turn into weapons, avoiding the regulations about owning personal arms. The three generations of Fabrons, including Emmalyn, her parents and grandparents, made a decent living off of their new niche business. However, three years ago, Emmalyn's parents went missing while out foraging for materials, leaving her and her grandfather alone to man the shop.
While training under her grandfather to become an accessory maker, a young man named Louis enters the shop, claiming to be sent by the Bureaucrat King himself. Word has reached the capital of a shop that sells jewelry which can turn into weapons, and by means of proxy, is operating illegally. The King offers a deal: create a mirror with the ability to see far into space and time, and the shop may remain open; if the deed is not done, the shop will be closed. Emmalyn's grandfather accepts, and sets to work to create the piece, while at the same time training Emmalyn. However, a sudden heart attack sends the elderly man tragically to his grave, leaving Emmalyn alone to complete the task...
Players will take control of Emmalyn, the protagonist of the game.
Game Play
Craft loads of different kinds of accessories in your grandfather's workshop!
Buy different outfits for Emmalyn to wear!
Go out in to the unexplored wilderness with an adventurer to collect materials to craft with!
Meet five different and unique adventurers, each with their own fighting style and personality!
Turn based battle system. Can you fight off a Reeking Baorc?
Fall in love and complete a romantic side quest with your favorite adventurer!
Can you help Emmalyn finish the fabled mirror in time? Or will her inexperience prove too much? Only you can decide!
This Week's Progress
Writing: 75% Most things are on paper, save for a few random scenes
Art: 20% Half of major character talk sprites done, currently focusing on BGs and character sprites
Programming: 60% Inventory, creation process, town map are finished
Music: .1% A personal friend of mine has offered to compose most, if not all, of the music, but so far we only have one basic melody.
Next Week's Goal
Finish writing all scenes
Finish the Farm, Clock Tower and begin Breezy Plains (1st dungeon)
Begin polishing of fighting system
Finish Volenheim, Polly and Esther's talk sprites
Finish Cadence's battle sprite
Question of the Week: 1
How does everyone feel about voice acting? Not full, just some battle cries and greetings, and the like. I'm not able to pay for it, so I'm sure the quality would be below par. Should I forget about it or put my trust in free voice actors?
Question of the Week: 2
How do you like your romance? Saucy and drama-filled? Sweet and slow? Please share your thoughts!
Characters
Name: Emmalyn Fabron
Age: 19
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 135 lbs.
Hair Color: Ash Brown
Eye Color: Emerald
Occupation: Apprentice Accessory Maker
Emmalyn is very laid-back, even to the point of sheer laziness. Her motivation is not the strongest, but her fair temper and kind disposition make it hard to get angry with her. She's easily distracted, but is eager to become a master accessory maker like the generations before her.
Name: Cadence Travert
Age: 24
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Hair Color: Jet Black
Eye Color: Violet (Naturally blue)
Occupation: Monster researcher
Headstrong and somewhat aloof, Cadence always gets what she wants, or at least tries her hardest. She has a one track mind, often forgetting to eat or sleep while studying something. Don't bother arguing with her; once she's made up her mind, it's very hard to dissuade her.
History
Cadence hails from a middle class family, born and raised in the Capital. She has always had a passion for the unknown, chasing down mysteries and playing detective as a child. As a teenager, she was accepted into the prestigious Amaryllis University of Research and Development where she met her first true love: Buster, a captive Raptor. Since then, she's been fascinated with monsters. How do they work? What do they do? Why did they develop to be so aggressive? Unfortunately, the University did not have a specific major for monster research, and instead offered Cadence work as a biologist, but she would not be swayed. She left the Capital, despite her parents wishes, to study monsters in the field. Convincing a distant relative to let her use his summer home in South Stuat as a base of operations, she set out to study the monsters she adores. Because she never declared a major, her coat retains the white stripes of an apprentice scientist, something she feels somewhat ashamed about.
Accessory
Once she settled into Stuat, a realization dawned upon Cadence; monsters are dangerous. If she wished to get up close and personal with her study subjects, she would need a means to defend herself. With this in mind, she hired Emmalyn to create an accessory. The result was Minerva, a pin which turns into a rapier. Because Emmalyn needs to venture into monster filled areas to obtain materials, Cadence comes as protection and to study her precious subjects.
Name: Louis Arthur III
Age: 21
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 158 lbs
Hair Color: Platinum blonde
Eye Color: Baby blue
Occupation: Royal Delegate
Very polite and reserved, Louis' years of training to be a polite young gentleman have obviously paid off. He chooses his words wisely and is careful in his mannerisms. While not as prude as his father, he is somewhat naive, but is quick to learn and is eager to help in his new surroundings.
History
Born as the single heir to the throne, Prince Louis (pronounced LEW-is) is the sole son of the Bureaucrat King. He grew up rather sheltered and pampered, and idolized his father, not only as a parent, but as a king. He was also very fond of his mother, the Queen Sophia Verena, and did his best to please them as a child. However, when Louis was ten, his mother grew gravely ill, and became bed ridden. The King called for a doctor, but because of his authoritative and perfectionist nature, he questioned the physicians credentials, not allowing him to see the Queen until his status was proven by providing the correct paperwork. The Queen passed on during this period, which sent Louis into shock. Throughout his teenage years, he blamed the Queen's death on his father and was bitter under his complacent expression. The King, grieving the loss of his beloved wife, passed many laws that mandated paperwork for everything, from food purchases to travel. As time passed, Louis has come to realize his father is not a bad man, simply misguided, and does his best to try and restrain his father's neurotic tendencies.
When the Bureaucrat King becomes wary of his southern neighbors, he sends Louis to an accessory shop rumored to create magical talismans to fashion a mirror that can predict other's movements. Louis sets off, claiming to be a royal delegate, rather than royalty.
Accessory
To test Emmalyn's competence in accessory making, he asks her to make him a personal piece. He specifically requests the initials "SV" be somewhere on the accessory. She completes the task, creating Clockwork, a pocket watch with the ability to transform into a partisan. Because of the difficulties that come with his father's request, he is willing to help Emmalyn in any way necessary, such as acting as her guard while foraging materials.
Name: Polly McAuffin
Age: 17
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 101 lbs.
Hair Color: Mahogany
Eye Color: Chestnut
Occupation: Tailor
Spunky and full of energy, Polly is much more outgoing than her sister, who tends to be the more stand-offish half of the pair. Polly is a huge gossip, and loves running around town on her time off, socializing and day dreaming. She collects stories and is secretly claustrophobic.
History
Two young traveling merchants fell in love and out came twin sisters, Polly and Esther. The newly married couple decided to settle down in a small town called South Stuat. However, they quickly found that a quiet life didn't suit them, and opted to once again go into the merchant business. They opened up a store front in Stuat to sell their wares, but eighty percent of the time, they're roaming far and wide, collecting treasure and finding adventure. As they grew older, the twins often stayed home, managing the store while their parents traveled. Both girls found they had a passion for fashion, and decided to open PollyEsther's, a tailor's next door to their parents' shop. Ever since they were small, both girls have found a friend in Emmalyn, but Polly is much closer to her. The three would often play together as children, and their respected stores thrive off of each other today, for what is an accessory without an outfit to match?
Accessory
While counting inventory one day, Polly was extremely dismayed to see monsters had broken into their stock room and looted many of their goods. After that, the raids became more and more frequent until she couldn't take it anymore. She asked her best friend Emmalyn to create an accessory for her, and so was born Pins, a ring that transforms into a bow. While years of threading needles has given her a knack for archery, she has a bad habit of misplacing her arrows.
Name: Volenheim (Original name unknown)
Age: 27
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 232 lbs.
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Eye Color: Honey
Occupation: Monster Hunter
A man of few words and even fewer facial expressions, Volenheim comes off as cold and distant. However, sitting down with him and a pint reveals that he has many a story from his adventuring days, and is willing to share all but one. He has a rather nasty temper when annoyed, but rumor has it he's very charitable.
History
Being born in the slums to a single mother taught Volenheim early on that life was rough. His childhood was not a happy one, often having to steal and fight just to survive. At fifteen, he left home and joined a ragtag group of delinquents and thugs. The band would wander the country side, fighting off pest monsters by day and terrorizing taverns by night. While he became proficient at sword play, he always preferred fighting with his fists, winning many bare knuckle brawls. Taking down an entire rival band in a single night with only his fists earned him his trademark forehead scar and the moniker "King Brawler of Volenheim," after the region in which the brawl took place. The title was eventually shortened to Volenheim, which is what he now goes by completely. High on booze and praise, the gang of brigands decided to battle a fierce dragon which had made its lair in a nearby cave. Only Volenheim returned. He refuses to reveal what happened that night, and now wears the beast's scales as his armor.
Accessory
While traveling as a mercenary for hire, Volenheim stopped to rest in the small village of South Stuat. During his stay, the town was attacked by a large band of orcs, which Volenheim stopped almost single-handed. However, during the fight, his fighting gauntlets were lost. The local accessory maker, Emmalyn, offered to give him new ones as a token of gratitude. The result were a pair of bracelets, DerGeben, which transform into battle gauntlets. A local farmer offered to hire him to keep pest monsters away from the town's livestock, and now Volenheim spends his days fighting the monsters that live near South Stuat.
Name: Sung San Ui Bimil Ui Hyeonmyeonghan Bohoja (Call him Sung)
Age: 24
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hair Color: Soft Black
Eye Color: Smokey Brown
Occupation: Traveler
Years of verbal abuse from his older brothers has made Sung a pushover. He can come off as antisocial and rather self-centered, but he easily caves in under pressure and is very easily persuaded to do someone else's bidding. He dislikes loud, crowded places, and prefers reading alone. His self confidence is very low, so he gets excited when people acknowledge his talents.
History
The third child out of seven, Sung belongs to an old and distinguished family of the Yeong-Wonhan Empire, whose surnames mean "wise guardians of the mountain's secret." In the distant east, magic and science are considered two sides of the same coin, rather than separate entities. From an early age, Sung was conditioned to become a great mage and inventor, a highly prestigious position. His magical abilities are above par, and he finished his training with many honors. However, Sung was overshadowed by his two older brothers, who were both equally gifted. His accomplishments were often overlooked, causing him to look for a great accomplishment that he would be remembered for. He eventually heard rumors of a western technique that could cause small trinkets to shape shift, and thus decided to travel to the town of South Stuat to find the masters of this craft so that he could bring the knowledge back home and gain the credit he deserved.
Accessory
When he arrived at South Stuat, he was dismayed to find the accessory maker had recently died, leaving only his apprentice. Sung was wary of the younger girl, as she did not seem experienced or overly capable. However, his mind was changed once she created a pendant capable of transforming into a staff, named Starchip for him. He then decided to stay at the town's abandoned clock tower, which doubled as a forgotten library, learning all he can from the new maker Emmalyn. He tidied up the old tower and found that there were many books concerning western ideas on magic, which delighted him.
Name: Vyorn Fabron
Age: 71
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 135 lbs.
Hair Color: Ashen
Eye Color: Rust
Occupation: Accessory Maker
The small but energetic owner of the accessory shop located in South Stuat. He's always smiling or chuckling to himself, and brightens any room he steps in to. He has very high confidence in his granddaughter, Emmalyn, but is worried she may get distracted from the family business.
Feedback
So, general opinions? Questions, comments, concerns? There are a few things I'd like some immediate feedback on...
1. How do you feel about GxG options in the game? I originally planned to include both Cadence and Polly as potential love interests, but after hearing some negative feedback about it, I'm not sure what course of action to take. Please keep in mind that this game will be AT THE VERY MOST PG-13. The most intimate you'll ever get is some batted eyelashes and a kiss.
2. Which characters are you most interested in learning more about? Even if you don't pursue them romantically, there are still many events in-game which reveal each character's personality.
3. How difficult do you like your game, on a scale of 1 to Etrian Odyssey?
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As always, I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to read all of this. You can see some progress shots below.
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