Genesis (Lite)

Storyline: Atrak is an indecisive man who is mysteriously transported to a small island inhabited by wild animals, undead, sahuagin, drow, and an orc. He will try to help out as best he can, while attempting to figure out how he arrived, and battling with his own indecision.

When you begin, you are an Unknown, someone who hasn't done enough to be recognized. The decisions you make impact what path you start to walk down. In this Lite version, the only paths you can take are Hero, Sage, and Lover. There are various gradations of each path, which represent how much of your potential you actually realize. Your path is not set, however. If your outlook on life takes a sudden sharp turn, so too shall your path. If you are constantly inconsistent, however, it is the oxymoronic equivalent of walking around in circles, and you won't make it far. So decide what you want to be in life, and try your best to make it as far as you can. Indecision is the death of potential.

Gameplay: This game was originally planned to be a prologue with several hours worth of content. However, when I found out about the 2014 Indie Game Maker Contest, I scaled back. A lot. It is now a Lite version which, while too small for me to comfortably call a prologue, is a sort of preview of features and storyline to come. While technically complete in its own right, I consider it the beginning of the beginning. Completion time: < 1 hour.

Features: A traditional JRPG with some non-traditional elements.
-Diet: Carnivorous, Omnivorous, Herbivorous. Changing with how you eat, each comes with their own pros and cons.
-Difficulty: Easy, Medium, Hard. Changing how tough the monsters are, and what skills you receive as you level.
-Equipment: All you have are your weapon and the clothes on your back. Physically. Your belief and mindset are not so easily changed.
-Fighting Styles: As you use a weapon, you become more experienced with that type. This allows you to become deadlier with that weapon, and learn new special skills.
-Help Manual: Look in your key items!
-Paths: Hero, Sage, Lover. It's not just the big choices that affect how your life unfolds. How you live day-to-day, the small choices you make, changes what larger choices you have available. Your path is not set, and indecision will slow you down.

Goal: The intent behind this game was to learn about the RPG VX Ace engine. This is my first attempt at an RPG, my first time using this engine, and the first game I have made that was more than a flash game. As such, I decided to forgo the use of any scripts, meaning that all of the features in this game were made strictly with event calling and the database. Result: A whole lot of conditional branches and common events. If you take out all the seasoning, you get to the real flavor.

The title, while meant for the protagonist, also unintentionally serves as a suitable title for my entrance onto the game developer scene. I sincerely hope that it is an enjoyable one for all of you.

A posse ad esse.