"He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." - Proverbs 28:13
Carlsev Saga: Episode II was the intended sequel to Carlsev Saga. My obsession with mapping started around this time, and it shows in the sheer amount of large areas I made with this sophomore project. Development lasted for most of 2008 until it stopped sometime in early 2009; I haven't really touched it since. Most of the mapping is complete and can be viewed in the demo files. The demo itself has 3-4 hours of playable content. On the whole, it continues the exploration-driven nature of the second half of part one. In hindsight, this was a mistake: Carlsev was not intended to be an exploration RPG, so I should've spun off that urge into a different project.
The battle system retained the modified DBS style set forth in part one: players must still exploit elemental weaknesses and draw magic from enemies, but there are a ton of new features. Enemy carcasses can be rendered for additional items; these, in turn, are used to create tonics, magic stocks, etc. I am also adding a new set of physical weaknesses to complement the elemental system. Instead of regular equipment, characters wear Essence-charged necklaces called "Augments". Due to the greater depth of the alchemy system and the (relative) complexity of rendering and refinement, I may need help creating a custom menu system; we'll see.
The story begins about two days after part one. This episode doesn't feature as many radical plot twists as part one, but it is still far from dull and predictable. This episode is definitely more character-centered: if part one was all about a thorny, unpredictable plot, then part two is all about equally thorny conflicts between characters, as well as the consequences of a few difficult decisions. Needless to say, the shades of gray multiply in the second installment -- and I would have it no other way.