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Progress Report

Apologizing for the negligence

I seriously have to apologize to all of my subscribers here on RMN for neglecting to keep everyone in the loop regarding Venaitura's progress. These days I've been focusing on making quick posts to twitter or revealing a screenshot along with a small snippet of progress over on our Discord channel; oftentimes I just don't feel like I've got enough to warrant a large blog post or a substantial information dump on here.

Now? Well... let's just say that—with it being so long since I've actually posted something—I can now say with utmost certainty that 90% of the game has been completed! We're so very close to releasing the game. All that's truly left to work on is implementing the last handful of post-game dungeons, obtaining the final bits of commissioned art and music, then finally testing everything into oblivion. I truly want Venaitura to be my greatest project by far—by leaps and bounds; something to blow Chronicles of Tsufanubra and Heroes of Tsuana out of the water! And I have faith that we're going to do just that.

I'm hoping to get the steam page up and running in the next two months or so, and when that becomes a reality you can be certain that I'll let you all know! So fingers crossed.

Progress Report

It's been a while, but we're getting there!

Considerable progress has been made on Venaitura's production in the last few months—relatively speaking, we're mere steps away from reaching the second floor, AKA: getting this bad boy out on Steam!

You may have noticed that Venaitura is now listed as a being “Commercial” on the information section of its main Game Page. It's true, it'll be my first (or last? Perhaps only the beginning...?) foray into the world of commercial games. If anything, I want to put it out there to say THAT I DID. Do I expect it to be a phenomenal success and to pull in thousands of dollars? I'D LOVE THAT! But it's a tad unrealistic. If it can make back enough to pay for what I put into its resources during its development I'll be satisfied. Above all I want to see people playing it, having fun, discussing the story and their party combinations, etc. Basically everything I've ALWAYS gotten pleasure from when it came to releasing something to the public.

Currently I'm implementing the NPCs for the last continent the player will visit before heading off to the titular tower to conquer the big bad and finish their quest to bring peace to the world! ... Which translates to roughly 80%. I'm expecting to put substantial effort into constructing the game's final dungeon (Venaitura), as I want to end this epic adventure off with a BANG! So I have to give it my all, and put all of the incredible resources some amazingly talented people have provided me with during this game's production to proper use.

Going back and creating dialogue for old NPCs to reflect changes in the world and story, as well as crafting a sizable chunk of optional/bonus dungeons are things still on my “to do” list. The former is likely to be completed as I run through the game yet again once its main scenario is competed, and the latter will take place after ALL OF THAT! Then EXTENSIVE testing will have to take place to squash every bug we can possibly find and craft Venaitura into the absolute zenith of my work thus far regarding game development. I know that RPG Maker 2000 is a dated engine, but I believe it lends its self particularly well to Venaitura's overall atmosphere as an incredible blend of multiple retro experiences all coalescing into one.

Oh, and one more thing: Take a look at the front page! Featured is an incredible piece of promotional art I'd recently commissioned from a wonderfully talented artist that was recommended to me on Twitter.

Announcement

Updated Demo VOL. 2 (EVEN MORE QOL Improvements )

That's right, folks! We're back again with another update!

I've made so many additions and revisions to the game since the initial uploading of its demo that I simply HAD to go back and give you good people a proper taste of how this game is shaping up! And while I've made significant progress with its story since moving on from the second major location (Land-Ho), this updated version will still only allow players to complete Land-Ho. Everything following has been deleted from this version to prevent players from getting familiar with too much of the game.

What's been changed?
Oh boy... WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?

I'm just gonna say that most of the weapons have been rebalanced, as have the stats of all the classes. Speaking of classes: THREE ADDITIONAL CLASSES HAVE BEEN ADDED! This demo now includes the Minstrel, Druid, and Champion classes to add to your entourage.

(If you want a slightly more in-depth look at the 12 unique classes available to you to assemble your party from, check out our newly-revised Character Class Page!)

New music has been added, dialogue has been rewritten, new helpful NPCs have been placed, and a literal TON of small changes have been made that just make the overall experience SO MUCH BETTER than it was. This game's shaping up to be my best one yet, and it's all thanks to the incredible assistance I've been receiving from those involved with creating (98% of) Venaitura's assets!

Request

Searching for Test Players!

We're encroaching upon that time of the, uh... development cycle again, and you know what that means.

... It's time to ROUND UP SOME TEST-PLAYERS!

I've almost completed work on Ragna Rock, and that will mark the beginning of the second-half of the game (wherein the player has access to the ship to traverse the world's seas and pillage every random town and cave they come across. Dying to all of the incredibly powerful baddies is also on that list, but nobody likes to talk about that part of the adventure :P

To quote my earlier blog entry regarding the same topic at the beginning of this year:


author=Me
I'm seeking volunteers who wouldn't mind doing a little play-testing! I only need about 3. But please be sure that you're willing to complete the 2 hour (or so) adventure before signing up! I don't want to have to wait for people who may only want or be able to play 5 or 10 minutes a day.

Announcement

Additional Character Classes!

If you've been keeping up with the project, or have even been poking around the Game Page if you're someone who has only recently stumbled upon it, you'll know that this game currently features 9 Character Classes in total. Well that's about to change! For the better? We hope so!

Truthharbinger, our pixel artist, brought up a good point: with only 9 classes, players would only be able to complete 2 playthroughs without featuring a class in their party they'd already utilized in the past. With the addition of three new classes, we're bumping that number up to 3! And what's a little more variety, anyway?

Once everything's said and done, players will now be able to form a party from a total of 12 Classes! And yes, there can be duplicates of each class in your party. Want 4 Dancers? Go wild! 2 Companions and 2 Hunters? What's stopping you? Go go go!

The additional three classes that are in the process of being added are:
Minstrel, Druid, and Champion.






The Minstrel focuses on buffing the party and removing status ailments, while also having a handful of wind and lighting-elemental abilities in their roster thanks to some of the magical instruments they carry on them at all times.


The Druid has a little bit of everything. Status ailments? Check. Elemental damage to a single or multiple enemies? Check. Healing? Check. But because they're such a jack of all trades, they certainly wouldn't be considered a master of any one of them.

And last but certainly not least, the Champion. Master of arms and hater of shields. The Champion is able to wield every weapon in the game, and can even dual-wield swords and daggers, but they've no fondness for shields and thus are unable to equip them. Champions also have a variety of different abilities available to them that are dependent on the type of weapon they're equipped with.





There's a little bit of progress being made every day, but if you want to keep up to date with EVERY LITTLE THING, I recommend joining our Discord. I'm constantly posting screenshots and giving a little bit of insight into what I or we may be working on at the moment.

Progress Report

Halfway There!

... Well, just about, anyway.

With the completion of the latest area, the sword-shaped continent of Ragna Rock, I've essentially reached the game's halfway point. There are a total of 7 major locations in the game:

Kammlot
Land-Ho
Ragna Rock
Montopia
Insidious Isle
Kingdom of Lispen
and
VENAITURA.

Although Venaitura is one massive dungeon, so I don't really count that towards being a main "area" that the player will be able to explore complete with optional caves, dungeons, towns and villages, etc.

My routine thus far is this:
  • Plan on what will happen in each major location and the key goals and objectives.

  • Create basic outline for area/continent on World Map.

  • Fill in said continent with detail such as mountains, tress, etc. As well as any optional areas I plan on implementing as I go along.

  • Create all major towns and dungeons for the area. Place a Treasure Chest graphic where I want to place future items/equipment.

  • Add important, story-related NPCs.

  • Add non-important NPCs and discoverable items and equipment.

  • Design the monsters for the area. First the World Map encounters, then for each dungeon the player should tackle (in the order I mean for them to complete them, as to maintain a balance in enemy difficulty).

  • Create and fight boss.

  • Create additional dialogue for NPCs reflecting on events that have transpired or the current state of the world.

  • Move on to the next area.


I find this approach keeps me tackling something new in decent intervals so I don't get bored creating a TON of maps, or writing endless NPC dialogue all in one go. It breaks up the monotony, and that's always a big plus!

So I'm getting there. I couldn't have gotten as far as I have without the incredible talents of TruthHarbinger or Mirak! So a BIG shout-out to these amazing people who have directed their talents towards this project. YOU GUYS ROCK! :D




Progress Report

Join Us! (Discord and Progress)

Hello everyone!

I'm glad to inform you that progress is steadily being made on this game. Each day I chip away at this behemoth, and make an attempt to complete at least a single map (no matter how small) every day.

Lately, due to this project's approach of roughly dividing each of the central locations into "Levels" of sorts (they're all separate continents), I create all of an area/continent's maps before moving on to adding in NPCs and the various events, treasures, and enemies. Because of how I've decided to tackle this process, updates are few and are between. So if you're looking to get a little more personal with my/our creative process, or just want to chat up a storm with some like-minded individuals, I implore you to hop on over to our Discord server!

I frequently post updates regarding Venaitura's progress, and the rest of the game's developers are all over on this side of the fence, too! There's always a discussion of some kind brewing, and lately we're all on a retro-RPG creating high!

Oh... And if we do bite, it's in the best way possible ;)





Announcement

DEMO UPDATE: Land-Ho Added!

So you've been itching to get your retro RPG fix, 'eh? Well, our 41 subscribers heard your plea, and because of them we're offering up ANOTHER area to the demo available here at RMN.

Land-Ho is the game's second major location (accessed through the warp pad under Merlin's Cottage), and is the final major update (in regards to playable content) the demo will receive. I hope all of you give the new content a go, and enjoy your journey across the soon-to-be-submerged and pirate-laden Land-Ho!

Announcement

(Potentially) More Content Incoming! Aiming for 40 SUBSCRIBERS!

That's right, folks! You did not misread that title: I'm considering adding the game's second major area, Land-Ho, to the free demo available to all of you here on RMN.

Why? Because there are 7 "major" locations in total, and allowing you to traverse two of those seems like a proper introduction to the world of Tsufana. I honestly do not believe allowing you access to Land-Ho is going to spoil the complete game in any way. If anything, it'll allow you to become more immersed in the game world and excited for what's to come.

There is only one condition: this project must reach 40 subscribers by the end of this month (JUNE). If it does, then I'll 100% add Land-Ho to the demo, along with all the additional content and fixes that come along with it.

Think that's possible? Let's find out! :D

Progress Report

Updated Demo (QOL Improvements)

After receiving our first review atop a handful of comments and various observations, I thought it best to go in and make several much-needed adjustments to the demo.

These are:

  • Dancer starts with a unique weapon for that Class.

  • Isabelle's Cottage has been added to the World Map.

  • Player Speed will decrease on the World Map, but increase in Dungeons and Towns.

  • Main Boss's DEF has been decreased slightly.

  • The "BUMP" sound effect (when you hit something) has been removed completely.

  • Several NPCs have had their named changed.

  • Addressed several instances wherein you obtained a different item than what the message displayed in the starting area.

  • Increased the effectiveness of some Weapon Types.

  • Several new pieces of equipment have been added.



Thanks for all the amazing and wonderful support so far, folks! The reception's been nothing short of fantastic. Happy adventuring!
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