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“I died once.”
Vacant Sky is an RPG released in three episodes following the death and rebirth of Auria Edith, a small-town girl whose violent and unexpected death turns her world upside down. After her equally unexpected resurrection, Auria finds herself drawn into the heart of a mystery involving a cult of masked cultists who will stop at nothing to make her their goddess.
Features:
-Branching story and characterization
-Significantly alter the course of the story with your choices - including six endings
-Original soundtrack composed by Tarranon, featuring vocal tracks by Melody Yoo and Melanie Ehrlich
-8 playable characters (along with up to 6 guests)
-Customize Auria's stats and growth
-Select your own progression of skills to learn
-Interact with your party members to strengthen your relationship with them
-Unlock guest art title screens through sidequests
The game is split up into three releases.
Original version
Act I - Shadow and Ashes: Released March 16, 2009
Act II - Halo Locks: Released January 5, 2010
Act III - Angel of Justice: Released October 18, 2010
Complete Edition
Act I+ - Death & Rebirth: Released August 31, 2012
Act II+ - Night Zero: Released December 18, 2012
Act III - Angel of Justice: Coming soon!
Act III' - Our Eternity: Coming soon!
Vacant Sky is an RPG released in three episodes following the death and rebirth of Auria Edith, a small-town girl whose violent and unexpected death turns her world upside down. After her equally unexpected resurrection, Auria finds herself drawn into the heart of a mystery involving a cult of masked cultists who will stop at nothing to make her their goddess.
Features:
-Branching story and characterization
-Significantly alter the course of the story with your choices - including six endings
-Original soundtrack composed by Tarranon, featuring vocal tracks by Melody Yoo and Melanie Ehrlich
-8 playable characters (along with up to 6 guests)
-Customize Auria's stats and growth
-Select your own progression of skills to learn
-Interact with your party members to strengthen your relationship with them
-Unlock guest art title screens through sidequests
The game is split up into three releases.
Original version
Act I - Shadow and Ashes: Released March 16, 2009
Act II - Halo Locks: Released January 5, 2010
Act III - Angel of Justice: Released October 18, 2010
Complete Edition
Act I+ - Death & Rebirth: Released August 31, 2012
Act II+ - Night Zero: Released December 18, 2012
Act III - Angel of Justice: Coming soon!
Act III' - Our Eternity: Coming soon!
Latest Blog
Day of Contention 2013
SaileriusOn this day, four years ago, the original version of Vacant Sky Act I was released. In those four years, we've come a long way, with the subsequent releases of Acts II and III as well as the recent Complete Edition releases of Acts I+ and II+. 2012 was a good year for us, with two major releases and the release of our first (small) commercial game, Encarmine. In this past year, we brought the community together with the launch and wild success of the Vacant Sky: Awakening Kickstarter.
But 2013 is going to be our best year yet. Let's take a look at what's in store.
Metis2D
To facilitate the development of Vacant Sky: Awakening, we've been hard at work on developing our own game engine, (tentatively) called Metis2D. As we near completion of the engine's core features and continue our testing of it, we're happy to announce the first game to be released with the new engine.
One of our earlier microgames, The Vestibule, has been successfully ported to Metis and runs like a charm. We expect to rerelease The Vestibule on new platforms, namely the Ouya. The Vestibule will be available for free as one of the Ouya's launch titles.
Vacant Sky: Awakening
Unsurprisingly, the majority of our efforts right now are concentrated on VSA. Work has been coming along at a steady pace. It's still a little early to show anything new from the game yet, but we're still hoping to manage a release before the summer. But although there's nothing to see, there is plenty to listen to:
http://vacantsky.bandcamp.com/album/vacant-sky-awakening
The soundtrack for episodes 1 and 2 of Vacant Sky: Awakening is now available for purchase! Kickstarter backers who pledged at least $25 will shortly be receiving download codes via email.
Thanks for being patient with us as we go through the roughest part of the development cycle. Please look forward to a release of Episode 1: Journey of the Black Knight in the coming months.
Ars Harmonia
Those of you who were following the Vacant Sky companion story, Ars Harmonia, have probably been wondering about the status and future of the series. For the foreseeable future, our efforts remain primarily concerned with the development of Awakening, which resulted in it being pushed to the backburner.
However, a chance encounter with some old friends has brought about a change in fortune for Ars Harmonia. Ardent Blue Productions expressed interest in doing a game adaptation of the story and I'm excited to say that we've entrusted it into their capable hands. Although we're not directly involved in the game's production, I'm confident in their ability to bring the story to life.
It's still too early to estimate a release, but look forward to more news in the latter half of the year. You can check out the RMN profile for the game here: http://rpgmaker.net/games/4926/
***
Thanks for sticking with us for another year! We're hoping to make this the best yet and we hope you're as excited about it as we are!
But 2013 is going to be our best year yet. Let's take a look at what's in store.
Metis2D
To facilitate the development of Vacant Sky: Awakening, we've been hard at work on developing our own game engine, (tentatively) called Metis2D. As we near completion of the engine's core features and continue our testing of it, we're happy to announce the first game to be released with the new engine.
One of our earlier microgames, The Vestibule, has been successfully ported to Metis and runs like a charm. We expect to rerelease The Vestibule on new platforms, namely the Ouya. The Vestibule will be available for free as one of the Ouya's launch titles.
Vacant Sky: Awakening
Unsurprisingly, the majority of our efforts right now are concentrated on VSA. Work has been coming along at a steady pace. It's still a little early to show anything new from the game yet, but we're still hoping to manage a release before the summer. But although there's nothing to see, there is plenty to listen to:
http://vacantsky.bandcamp.com/album/vacant-sky-awakening
The soundtrack for episodes 1 and 2 of Vacant Sky: Awakening is now available for purchase! Kickstarter backers who pledged at least $25 will shortly be receiving download codes via email.
Thanks for being patient with us as we go through the roughest part of the development cycle. Please look forward to a release of Episode 1: Journey of the Black Knight in the coming months.
Ars Harmonia
Those of you who were following the Vacant Sky companion story, Ars Harmonia, have probably been wondering about the status and future of the series. For the foreseeable future, our efforts remain primarily concerned with the development of Awakening, which resulted in it being pushed to the backburner.
However, a chance encounter with some old friends has brought about a change in fortune for Ars Harmonia. Ardent Blue Productions expressed interest in doing a game adaptation of the story and I'm excited to say that we've entrusted it into their capable hands. Although we're not directly involved in the game's production, I'm confident in their ability to bring the story to life.
It's still too early to estimate a release, but look forward to more news in the latter half of the year. You can check out the RMN profile for the game here: http://rpgmaker.net/games/4926/
***
Thanks for sticking with us for another year! We're hoping to make this the best yet and we hope you're as excited about it as we are!
- Production
- 2 of 3 episodes complete
- Sailerius
- ganonfrog
Tarranon - Cocassu
outcry312
Einander 
RPG Maker XP- Strategy RPG
- 03/18/2009 04:57 PM
- 04/15/2013 04:40 AM
- 03/20/2009
- 384648
- 146
- 10729
Posts 
CloseI restarted the game and I found that it occurs even in the first battle so it might be something very early that triggers it.
author=montypython
I restarted the game and I found that it occurs even in the first battle so it might be something very early that triggers it.
That's very interesting. Thanks again for the report. I'll see what I can dig up. The weird thing is that I have the exact same battle script in Act II (I even copy-pasted it back in to be sure) and the bug doesn't show up in Act II.
Cozzer
0
Hi! I'm playing Act1+ and I'm loving it, but I have a little nitpicking.
Starting the game after Auria's "death" and narrating the first part in a flashback is a really good idea, but... why do I get items and money in the flashback, and why do I still have things I'll only get in the future?
It's nothing big, but I thing a little "sinchronizing" of the game interface and the story would add to the atmosphere (it's not like by that point in the game you'll have many items or journal entries anyway, so I guess it wouldn't be a chore to remove them and put them back after the flashback ends).
You could also put a dummy level 1 Auria in the party instead of the normal one.
Also, I'd suggest putting a tutorial about reactions before the first "dungeon": I already played the old version so I had no problems, but thew would probably be the least intuitive feature for a new player.
(Unless the number of tutorials depends on difficulty level; I selected "veteran").
Well, back to playing. I'll keep my eyes open for the "2xdamage" bug and tell you anything.
(Also, I'm finding a lot of passability errors in the interiors of East Naven... I suggest you double-check those tilesets)
Starting the game after Auria's "death" and narrating the first part in a flashback is a really good idea, but... why do I get items and money in the flashback, and why do I still have things I'll only get in the future?
It's nothing big, but I thing a little "sinchronizing" of the game interface and the story would add to the atmosphere (it's not like by that point in the game you'll have many items or journal entries anyway, so I guess it wouldn't be a chore to remove them and put them back after the flashback ends).
You could also put a dummy level 1 Auria in the party instead of the normal one.
Also, I'd suggest putting a tutorial about reactions before the first "dungeon": I already played the old version so I had no problems, but thew would probably be the least intuitive feature for a new player.
(Unless the number of tutorials depends on difficulty level; I selected "veteran").
Well, back to playing. I'll keep my eyes open for the "2xdamage" bug and tell you anything.
(Also, I'm finding a lot of passability errors in the interiors of East Naven... I suggest you double-check those tilesets)
Thanks for playing and the comments!
You could also put a dummy level 1 Auria in the party instead of the normal one.That's a good idea. I'll probably do that.
(Also, I'm finding a lot of passability errors in the interiors of East Naven... I suggest you double-check those tilesetsD'oh! Well, it was bound to happen. I threw in the Act II tileset at the last minute and didn't think to check the passability again.
Holy smokes, the Act 1 beta 8D Will download it shortly! :3 For the meantime, I have to finish reading the Ars Harmonia chapters.
author=ashen_heavenWell, this must be your lucky week, because I'm presently putting the finishing touches on the next arc of Ars Harmonia. =P
Holy smokes, the Act 1 beta 8D Will download it shortly! :3 For the meantime, I have to finish reading the Ars Harmonia chapters.
Looking forward to your thoughts!
Alright, initial thoughts, sighted little critters and whatnot :3 I haven't finished the beta though, since I stopped after encountering a frustrating bug (described below) D:
*It's interesting that the 'slow' portion of the story (namely Auria's life in East Naven) is relegated to a flashback. It's a little strange that the tutorials (like the part where Zaqris tells you about Reactions) come after you've fought several battles.
*The passability issues can be distracting at times D:
*What's up with the Simon thing in East Naven? I did try to go to his house before I went to the train station, but I couldn't enter D:
*I (accidentally) skipped the cutscene following Rayonne's awakening. The sound effect of crackling fire can still be heard when I'm in East Naven
*The reward for the finished "Kasch's Lament" Journal entry shows 'broadsword', but I'm pretty sure that I received armor instead.
*Aw, every time I see pre-crazy Kasch, I feel a little bad. He was a decent guy before all of the hardships. :(
*Just a random musing: I noticed that when Ejaro was outside the Hall of Legends, the sparkly lights went out. Symbolic much? :3
*Aw, Seri and Auria are closer than before. You can really feel the friendship in their dialogue. Same goes for Rayonne.
*Then again, Rayonne's incompetence and naivety becomes more highlighted this time around. I mean...at least in the first game, he's first seen fighting bad guys (and it's a Blackguard too!). this time around, he was victimized (off-screen, to boot) by bandits.
*Zaqris' apparent jerkassery goes up a notch. XD
*Why is Ray's hair stark red in the journal? I understand that the colors are a little off for the journal sprites, but...wow.
*Ray's sprite is stuck on the bridge to Ciel when you take control of the party after the introductory Ciel cutscene (the bug did disappear after some time).
*Ooh, no more hopeless boss battle in Ciel.
*Argh, my biggest beef D: The Auria's Slash II animation appears to be bugged. I performed the action, the sprite jumped and...it didn't come back down. At one point, it began flickering 0__0 On both counts, the game just...stopped D: It's particularly irritating when you're in area without any save points. For the record, this happened after Ciel (in the area with many bandits) and...ugh. I wouldn't mind avoiding battles because I don't have supplies/in low health/speed run, but because I'm wary of a sprite bug...? :(
I'll try to finish it in a bit, and I hope the Slash II bug doesn't strike again XD Overall, it's still the game that turned me into a fan of the series. Keep it up! :D
*It's interesting that the 'slow' portion of the story (namely Auria's life in East Naven) is relegated to a flashback. It's a little strange that the tutorials (like the part where Zaqris tells you about Reactions) come after you've fought several battles.
*The passability issues can be distracting at times D:
*What's up with the Simon thing in East Naven? I did try to go to his house before I went to the train station, but I couldn't enter D:
*I (accidentally) skipped the cutscene following Rayonne's awakening. The sound effect of crackling fire can still be heard when I'm in East Naven
*The reward for the finished "Kasch's Lament" Journal entry shows 'broadsword', but I'm pretty sure that I received armor instead.
*Aw, every time I see pre-crazy Kasch, I feel a little bad. He was a decent guy before all of the hardships. :(
*Just a random musing: I noticed that when Ejaro was outside the Hall of Legends, the sparkly lights went out. Symbolic much? :3
*Aw, Seri and Auria are closer than before. You can really feel the friendship in their dialogue. Same goes for Rayonne.
*Then again, Rayonne's incompetence and naivety becomes more highlighted this time around. I mean...at least in the first game, he's first seen fighting bad guys (and it's a Blackguard too!). this time around, he was victimized (off-screen, to boot) by bandits.
*Zaqris' apparent jerkassery goes up a notch. XD
*Why is Ray's hair stark red in the journal? I understand that the colors are a little off for the journal sprites, but...wow.
*Ray's sprite is stuck on the bridge to Ciel when you take control of the party after the introductory Ciel cutscene (the bug did disappear after some time).
*Ooh, no more hopeless boss battle in Ciel.
*Argh, my biggest beef D: The Auria's Slash II animation appears to be bugged. I performed the action, the sprite jumped and...it didn't come back down. At one point, it began flickering 0__0 On both counts, the game just...stopped D: It's particularly irritating when you're in area without any save points. For the record, this happened after Ciel (in the area with many bandits) and...ugh. I wouldn't mind avoiding battles because I don't have supplies/in low health/speed run, but because I'm wary of a sprite bug...? :(
I'll try to finish it in a bit, and I hope the Slash II bug doesn't strike again XD Overall, it's still the game that turned me into a fan of the series. Keep it up! :D
Awesome! Thanks for the reports.
Really! That's weird. You should've been able to. Sorry 'bout that!
Oops. I forgot to account for background sound loops with cutscene skips. Good call!
Ah, good catch. The way you resolve the quest determines which item you get, and I probably forgot to have the journal check.
Glad you think so! I think by compressing the introductory scenes, I was able to convey their characterization better.
ahahaha, it turns out that I had him set to a test sprite and never changed it back. I think the same one is used when you first find him knocked out, too. Oops! >_>
That's really weird! Good catch.
Holy crap. I had no idea about this. I guess I never bothered to check Slash II because I never expected anyone would reach the required level for it in Act I. I'm very sorry about that. >_<
*What's up with the Simon thing in East Naven? I did try to go to his house before I went to the train station, but I couldn't enter D:
Really! That's weird. You should've been able to. Sorry 'bout that!
I (accidentally) skipped the cutscene following Rayonne's awakening. The sound effect of crackling fire can still be heard when I'm in East Naven
Oops. I forgot to account for background sound loops with cutscene skips. Good call!
The reward for the finished "Kasch's Lament" Journal entry shows 'broadsword', but I'm pretty sure that I received armor instead.
Ah, good catch. The way you resolve the quest determines which item you get, and I probably forgot to have the journal check.
Aw, Seri and Auria are closer than before. You can really feel the friendship in their dialogue. Same goes for Rayonne.
Glad you think so! I think by compressing the introductory scenes, I was able to convey their characterization better.
Why is Ray's hair stark red in the journal? I understand that the colors are a little off for the journal sprites, but...wow.
ahahaha, it turns out that I had him set to a test sprite and never changed it back. I think the same one is used when you first find him knocked out, too. Oops! >_>
Ray's sprite is stuck on the bridge to Ciel when you take control of the party after the introductory Ciel cutscene (the bug did disappear after some time).
That's really weird! Good catch.
Argh, my biggest beef D: The Auria's Slash II animation appears to be bugged. I performed the action, the sprite jumped and...it didn't come back down. At one point, it began flickering 0__0 On both counts, the game just...stopped D: It's particularly irritating when you're in area without any save points. For the record, this happened after Ciel (in the area with many bandits) and...ugh. I wouldn't mind avoiding battles because I don't have supplies/in low health/speed run, but because I'm wary of a sprite bug...? :(
Holy crap. I had no idea about this. I guess I never bothered to check Slash II because I never expected anyone would reach the required level for it in Act I. I'm very sorry about that. >_<
Cozzer
0
author=Sailerius
That's a good idea. I'll probably do that.
If you do, remember to lock the "choose two weapons from ponds" thing (I did it during the flashback); I'd actually make the player do it during his first visit to the Hall, before the first dungeon, to avoid making new players who miss that start with an underpowered Auria.
I also finished the game... wow, that was short. °° Still, pretty much everything improved a lot from the old version. But... wasn't the fight in Ciel important to the plot?
Also, is the fight against Weapon unwinnable, or is it like the Darsinger one in ActIII, where if you redo it in a NewGame+ and win you change the story?
author=Cozzerauthor=SaileriusIf you do, remember to lock the "choose two weapons from ponds" thing (I did it during the flashback); I'd actually make the player do it during his first visit to the Hall, before the first dungeon, to avoid making new players who miss that start with an underpowered Auria.
That's a good idea. I'll probably do that.
I also finished the game... wow, that was short. °° Still, pretty much everything improved a lot from the old version. But... wasn't the fight in Ciel important to the plot?
Also, is the fight against Weapon unwinnable, or is it like the Darsinger one in ActIII, where if you redo it in a NewGame+ and win you change the story?
Yeah, it's quite short. I wanted to just cover the essentials and entice the player to continue playing into Act II. And the fight in Ciel used to be important to the plot, but the subplot it was important to has since been cut.
Weapon is an optional win now. You're most likely going to lose, but you get a good reward for winning. It doesn't really affect the story, though.
pikachu 2127
692
Ummm... I tried Act I+ as well. I did notice this though, at Ned's little restaraunt place, Ned and the other person are standing on the counters. It was funny untill I moved Auria behind the counters and found out that it's one of those things like roofs and stuff, although I had a roof problem in my project with feet instead of the whole body thing.
author=pikachu 2127
Ummm... I tried Act I+ as well. I did notice this though, at Ned's little restaraunt place, Ned and the other person are standing on the counters. It was funny untill I moved Auria behind the counters and found out that it's one of those things like roofs and stuff, although I had a roof problem in my project with feet instead of the whole body thing.
Yeah, I'm aware of the passability issues. I didn't double-check thoroughly before submitting for the event. It was kind of a last minute decision.
Cozzer
0
author=SaileriusAct1+ surely does well its work: it's fast paced, flashy and full of foreshadowing.
Yeah, it's quite short. I wanted to just cover the essentials and entice the player to continue playing into Act II.
I hope ActII won't be shortened, though; I think it would be better if some new content were added to it, instead, to make up for the shorter time the player had to get to know the characters and the setting. (I had no problems because I had already played the first version, but I probably would have suffered from "names overload" otherwise)
Oh, another idea: you could restrict the player's access to the Hall of Heroes until after the flashback. He doesn't really need it for the first dungeon, and the scene of Auria's "rebirth" is less powerful if you already happened to go there to buy some skillz.
Another idea again: the transition from the prologue (where you use the Virad guys) to Auria arriving at the town is a bit too sudden. I understand you wanting to remove some of the first areas, but maybe putting a brief cutscene (scenes of Auria waking up to meet Seri&Zaqris, something like that) could help to estabilish the situation the player is in (who he is playing as, what he has to do, who are those two guys with him...)
I hope ActII won't be shortened, though; I think it would be better if some new content were added to it, instead, to make up for the shorter time the player had to get to know the characters and the setting. (I had no problems because I had already played the first version, but I probably would have suffered from "names overload" otherwise)
Don't worry. I've more than offset the cuts in Act I with new content in Acts II and III.
author=Cozzer
Oh, another idea: you could restrict the player's access to the Hall of Heroes until after the flashback. He doesn't really need it for the first dungeon, and the scene of Auria's "rebirth" is less powerful if you already happened to go there to buy some skillz.
I had considered that. I'm still unsure, though. I guess it's finding a balance between story and gameplay.
Another idea again: the transition from the prologue (where you use the Virad guys) to Auria arriving at the town is a bit too sudden. I understand you wanting to remove some of the first areas, but maybe putting a brief cutscene (scenes of Auria waking up to meet Seri&Zaqris, something like that) could help to estabilish the situation the player is in (who he is playing as, what he has to do, who are those two guys with him...)
That's possible, but I'm not sure the best way to go about it. No matter how I go about it, it would require fast forwarding, and adding another brief scene beforehand would just feel more jarring, I think.
Cozzer
0
author=Sailerius
I had considered that. I'm still unsure, though. I guess it's finding a balance between story and gameplay.
Well, having played the old version it wasn't a problem for me, but I guess a new player would be "Hall of Heroes? What's that? Why am I here? Why does this guy sell me skills?"...
Also, maybe it would be better even for the gameplay to give the player a glimpse of the battle system before letting him customize Auria (if he didn't fight a single battle yet, how is he supposed to know which skills he wants?)
author=Sailerius
No matter how I go about it, it would require fast forwarding, and adding another brief scene beforehand would just feel more jarring, I think.
Hm, that's true too. Maybe starting the scene during the boat trip with a little talk between Auria, Seri and Zaqris, or something like that? Oh well, I'll let you figure it out.
I also forgot to say that the "skill trees" seem way better now! In the old version I often bought skills just because and never used them (well, except for first aid ones, obiviously); now it was hard to decide which one to get because I wanted them all. (Though their actual usefulness will be seen only in Act2, I guess)
author=Cozzerauthor=SaileriusWell, having played the old version it wasn't a problem for me, but I guess a new player would be "Hall of Heroes? What's that? Why am I here? Why does this guy sell me skills?"...
I had considered that. I'm still unsure, though. I guess it's finding a balance between story and gameplay.
Also, maybe it would be better even for the gameplay to give the player a glimpse of the battle system before letting him customize Auria (if he didn't fight a single battle yet, how is he supposed to know which skills he wants?)
That's a good point. I'll have it explain the stats before it allows you to customize.
I also forgot to say that the "skill trees" seem way better now! In the old version I often bought skills just because and never used them (well, except for first aid ones, obiviously); now it was hard to decide which one to get because I wanted them all. (Though their actual usefulness will be seen only in Act2, I guess)
Glad you think so! This time, I focused on different party roles that Auria could fill and let you build based on the role you wanted her to play.
