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Announcement

Update ( 7/31/2012) - Completion

I'm marking this as being the 31st instead of the 1st, since I've been uploading since "yesterday".

Ill Will is complete. You can finish the story, choose either a normal New Game Plus (basically starting over) or a Strong New Game Plus (keep Traces, learned skills, and level, and re-allocate stats). Either way, you'll have access to additional story scenes, additions to existing scenes, and a very special something.

I might have a prize for the first person to beat the optional NG+ content. Of course, I might not.

Progress Report

Update ( 7/24/2012 ) - Progress

I'll post one of these at the end of each day where I work on Ill Will. That is, don't expect one tomorrow (though there may be one), and there will definitely not be one the day after that.

  • The experience system was taken out back and shot. Experience is now modified for the party's level, and a sharper, more exponential curve has been implemented.
  • A specific skill, Endure, now will trigger repeatedly if the player climbs back above 1 HP in a battle. The increase in enemy's actions rendered the previous version nigh useless.
  • Further enemy moveset and stat tweaks. This was the bulk of today's work, actually.
  • Corrected a possible point of stranding with pre-boss save event.

Progress Report

Update ( 7/23/2012 ) - Upkeep

A peculiar thing I've noticed about Ill Will, in most of my testing, is that the game is probably ideally played twice. That is, both the cutscenes and the gameplay come in two layers.

Cutscenes have a good bit of background activity going on (especially now), and there's a lot of information that seems to be fluff until you read it with proper context in the plot. That was one of the intended goals at the project outset—using dialogue branches to ratchet up replay value—but the nature of the plot eventually evolved into something that invites replaying naturally, if only to get the better handle on the setting and perspective on events that comes with knowing what happens next.

Gameplay-wise, Ill Will was always intended to have a slight New Game Plus feature, for the purpose of making that second playthrough a breeze and letting players pick up missed scenes, Traces, Skills, and other miscellania. The ability to bump up to a higher (or lower!) difficulty on a New Game Plus was a notable incentive, as well. With the realization that the player will take New Game Plus around half the time (for added plot incentive), I began to wonder if I should more fully embrace New Game Plus and litter it with some exclusive content.

If I did so, this would mean a light sprinkle of NGP-only scenes throughout the main narrative, that were originally excluded due to the potential they had to spoil a great deal of the plot. The second time through, a player would be privy to seeing story-critical acts being performed in chronological order, in addition to being told that something had happened or been done during the first playthrough. Of course, this also gives me leeway to add a smattering of superbosses, and everyone loves superbosses.

So, I invite feedback on New Game Plus content. On to the changelist:

  • The Guard command has received a strong nerf, but only when it's used successively. The first use still reduces damage taken to 1/10. Subsequent uses in a row, however, now "only" reduce damage by 1/2, which isn't sufficient to buffer the sorts of charged blows Guard is used to buffer. This makes Guard timing a measurable skill, and allows players to abuse the mistimed guards of their foes.
  • Most (as in 2/3) bosses have had their HP halved or more, but have had their moveset correspondingly widened. The main boss of Tier II is a particularly egregeous example. Generally, expect bosses to kill faster and die faster, although they (usually) don't do either too fast.
  • Several menus have received updates that I never did before, for some reason. (Laziness?) For example, the Trace equipping scene displays the party's level.
  • Lots of dialogue has been shorted or streamlined. Not that cutscenes are anywhere near as short as, say, Demon Tower (♥). Generally, the trimmed lines were simply one character restating what another had said, or lines that needed adjustment in order to sound like natural, spoken English.
  • Exactly two songs have been excised, and four songs have been added.


Basically, I've gotten more done this night and morning than I have in months.

Miscellaneous

Update ( 4/19/2011 ) - Testing Period Begins

Testers are Archeia_Nessiah, Ark, jericho, Pokemaniac, Rei-, Rhyme, tardis, and Tonfa.

Archeia_Nessiah - Normal - Hasn't checked in.
Ark - Bullshit - Hasn't checked in.
Jericho - Hard - Hasn't checked in.
Pokémaniac - Easy - Hasn't checked in.
Rei- - Normal - Hasn't checked in.
Rhyme - Bullshit - Hasn't checked in.
tardis - Hard - Hasn't checked in.
Tonfa - Hard - Hasn't checked in.


As testing progresses, I'll be sharing progress with you guys through the blog. This way, testers can see where other testers are at, and subscribers can see how close Ill Will is to being fully tested.

Miscellaneous

Update ( 4/11/2011 ) - Culminating Checklist V: Call to Testers

Remaining Items

Test one remaining Tier VI dungeon.
Test the other remaining Tier VI dungeon.
Write and test the Tier VI major boss scene.

Populate Tier VII encounters.
Write and test the first Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the second Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the third Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the fourth Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the culminating boss scene.

Create NG+ scene additions.
Create Credits.
Test like hell.


Ill Will is, in technicality, complete.

I am going to need Ark and Craze for this, probably. Maybe GRS. Maybe some fresh meat too; but not too many testers. If you want to test, hit me up on AIM, MSN, IRC or facespace so that I know I know you, and so that I know you have a reliable and instant channel of communication with me.

Miscellaneous

Update ( 4/7/2011 ) - Culminating Checklist IV, Entire first playthrough completed!

Remaining Items

Test one remaining Tier VI dungeon.
Test the other remaining Tier VI dungeon.
Write and test the Tier VI major boss scene.

Populate Tier VII encounters.
Write and test the first Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the second Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the third Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the fourth Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the culminating boss scene.

Create NG+ scene additions.
Create Credits.
Test like hell.


Things are finally looking good for the completion of this game. That last boss was actually the biggest hurdle for the completion - every time I altered its skill list (read: took away a broken aspect of its skillset), it adapted whatever skills it had left. I might have to scale back the AI in whatever I make next...

Miscellaneous

Update ( 3/30/2011 ) - Culminating Checklist III, Return to Work after Abscence

I AM BACK AND HAVE A COMPUTER AGAIN. I AM DEFINITELY NOT DEAD.

Remaining Items

Test one remaining Tier VI dungeon.
Test the other remaining Tier VI dungeon.
Write and test the Tier VI major boss scene.

Populate Tier VII encounters.
Write and test the first Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the second Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the third Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the fourth Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the culminating boss scene.

Create NG+ scene additions.
Create Credits.
Test like hell.


Here's hoping that Craze, now that he knows I'm alive, will continue with his sublime testing. Maybe once the entire thing is polished I'll get the whole crew together and give it a thorough breaking in. I'm looking at Ark, GRS, and maybe one other...

Miscellaneous

Update ( 1/24/2011 ) - Culminating Checklist II

Remaining Items

Test one remaining Tier VI dungeon.
Test the other remaining Tier VI dungeon.
Write and test the Tier VI major boss scene.

Populate Tier VII encounters.
Write and test the first Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the second Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the third Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the fourthTier VII boss scene.
Write and test the culminating boss scene.

Create NG+ scene additions.
Create Credits.
Test like hell.


This week was pretty hectic, but I managed to at least crank out a good third of the checklist.

Miscellaneous

Update ( 1/18/2011 ) - Culminating Checklist I

Below you'll find all of my remaining ends that need wrapping up - once these are finalized Ill Will will be "complete". I'll still need the last few lightmaps from Despite and a single portrait from Nessy; along with a lot of testing and fixing; but it will be able to be played from start to finish.

About fucking time.

Remaining Items

Test one remaining Tier VI dungeon.
Test the other remaining Tier VI dungeon.
Write and test the Tier VI major boss scene.

Populate Tier VII encounters.
Write and test the first Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the second Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the third Tier VII boss scene.
Write and test the fourthTier VII boss scene.
Write and test the culminating boss scene.

Create NG+ scene additions.
Create Credits.
Test like hell.

Miscellaneous

Update ( 1/06/2011 ) - This game is older than my niece.

Working out the last two tiers' worth of scenes; all that really remains is the writing and the overlays - I'm waiting on Tardis and Despite for that. An unnamed tester is playing the first five tiers now - I'll be able to make changes rather rapidly with that as a reference. Other than that, there's not much to tell. Progress is occuring steadily.

yds shanghai'd me and stole my game's entire crew. including me.
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