To Arms!

WEEKLY UPDATE

Beta testing is going much slower than anticipated. While I have had some positive reports and some not-so-positive reports from a couple of testers, and my lead tester has played the game through at least ten times now, I still need more feedback to fine tune the game before making a public release.

Right now I have made a few changes to make the game a little easier based on beta reports, and the version of the beta currently being tested is Version 0.4.



But beta testing has only been going on for a week. And that week was the final week of Game Gale. So I am not entirely surprised I am not drowning in bug reports yet.

Work on To Arms! Episode Two will wait until the first one has been released and had time to gather feedback.

OST Preview

You might have heard me bragging about the second draft of the world map track a few weeks ago. Well, this is the tenth draft and it is proportionately better. But don't tell Sir_Subtle I said that or he'll rewrite EVERY track seven times and we won't have the OST done until December. : P

Sir_Subtle would presumably welcome some C&C on these of course he is welcome to post here of his own accord.

To Arms! World Map Theme
The Mist (WIP)

The End of a (Brief) Era

Without further ado, here is the tenth and final class in To Arms!...the Recruit. First, but still least. That will wrap up the class blog posts. They never really got the level of attention I wanted but fortunately I will be able to roll the data from them into something practical and useful: the game's manual.



When the children of nobles enter their early adolescence, there are only a few short years before they must lead men in battle, and much to learn in that time. (They begin basic combat training from a much younger age than that, as young as seven or eight.) For that dire reason, they are made into squires for a period of at least a few years between thirteen and when they are deemed a man grown. For them, this is a step down from the power and privilege they are used to. They must serve and support a knight, perhaps one of lower rank than themselves, obey him and learn from him, and take his punishment when they have erred. But in learning to serve, they learn to lead. One cannot learn to run before one learns to crawl, and one cannot be a Knight without being a squire first.

For the common folk, the taking of one of their children as the squire of some Knight-- even one of low rank, indeed even the lowliest hedge knight-- is an auspicious omen indeed. A commoner working on a farm field can never advance in society, but a squire who acquits himself honorably can earn a battlefield promotion and one day become a knight or even a Lord himself. Peasant youths of fighting age join infantry units as Recruits in hopes of earning the same rewards...and die by the score.

Both the squires of Knights (great and small) and the fresh-faced enlistees of fighting units from town and castle guards to mercenary bands are considered Recruits, in terms of game mechanics. A Recruit represents raw potential tempered by inexperience. A Recruit can become anything...if they survive.

VITAL STATISTICS
TYPE: None .
Recruits don't excel at tanking, dealing damage over a distance, or healing. They can however do a little bit of everything. Every generic unit STARTS as a recruit, allowing players to learn the ropes of basic, no-frills gameplay before they begin to specialize their units and get into the fancy stuff. This means it remains to be seen how much the Recruit will be seen outside of Episode One.
ATTRIBUTES:
Hit Points: Normal (1x)
Power Points: Mundane (0x)
Strength: Normal (1x)
Constitution: Normal (1x)
Intelligence: Normal (1x)
Dexterity: Normal (1x)
EXAMPLE SKILLS
Recruits have less skills than other classes, and they cover a very wide base.
Squire: Support another character, increasing their Strength/Constitution/Dexterity/Intelligence by 25% for around five turns. Can only be used once per battle. <Free Starting Skill>
Basic Aid: Cures one ally of poison, blindness, and bleeding. Three turn cooldown. <Cost: 150 JP>
Over Extend: Exhaust yourself (100 HP) to increase your attack by 50% for a short time. <Cost: 500 JP>
Fast Learner: Passive skill that doubles your EXP gain as long as you remain a Recruit. <Cost: 2000 JP>

PROFICIENCIES:
Weapons: Shortblades, Swords, Spears and Axes.
Armor: Leather and Chain. Hats and light helms. Bucklers and light shields.

That's all for now. Tune in next week!