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IMPORTANT - 9/23/2014
Tales of Arcadia has gone through many changes and years of development since its initial upload in 2010. The original game concept is one that I still hold close to my heart, so I'm going to be rebuilding the project from the ground up using that concept. For those of you who have stuck with me through four long years of production, know that you're greatly appreciated and have always kept me motivated to continue work on Tales of Arcadia some day. For those of you who are just now subscribing, thanks for proving to me that this project is still interesting.

STORY:
Tales of Arcadia is a game about love, war, and betrayal. Follow Lance and Marty on an emotional journey that will take them far from home, as they desperately try to stop a plot that threatens to consume the world in war. Although lighthearted in its presentation, Tales of Arcadia deals with mature themes like murder, incest, and prostitution.

The year is 2E433, and Arcadia is at war with its greatest rival, the kingdom of Nimrod. On top of the already diminishing forces of both kingdoms, a deathly plague is sweeping the land, claiming thousands slowly. Amid this chaos, a tyrant rises in the east and is plotting to reclaim an artifact of unbelievable power. This mysterious figure hopes to destroy whatever is left of Arcadia after the war. Realizing this, the ill king of Arcadia has ordered the various guilds within his kingdom to lend their support to the war with Nimrod, in hopes that it'll end sooner. As war and sickness continues to kill thousands, two weary adventurers, Lance and Martin, return home and are soon swept up into a plot of deceit, betrayal, and death...

FEATURES:
- An engaging, emotional story that spans approx. 10 hours.
- A lively cast of characters with real feelings, motives, and ambitions.
- Interactive cutscenes offer multiple dialogue paths.
- Mini-games.
- Thought-provoking puzzles.
- Custom music (thanks to the RMN music pack).
- Yanfly scripts.

CREDITS:
Engine - Enterbrain
Graphics - Enterbrain
Music - RMN Music Pack
Scripts - Yanfly, Archeia, LoneWolf, Mezzolan, V.M.

Special thanks to rabitZ for all that he did when I was just a newbie.

Latest Blog

Tales of Arcadia is back!

For reals this time. I mean it. I am finishing this damn game if it kills me, which it might. Having recently bought the latest RPG Maker, I have decided to revisit this five-year old project that I first started way back when VX was all the hype. Utilizing the new engine, I'll be making drastic changes to the core mechanics and features of Tales of Arcadia but will be keeping with what was, hopefully, its most promising point: the story. I'm absolutely in love with the story, the way it plays out in my head, the dynamic between the two leads, and everything else. Anyway, to wrap this up, I just wanted to let all of my subscribers know that this really is happening this time. I'll have more news in the coming weeks, along with some screenshots and an updated About page.
  • Production
  • Carvonica
  • rabitZ
  • RPG Maker VX Ace
  • RPG
  • 10/02/2010 01:24 AM
  • 05/23/2023 08:13 PM
  • N/A
  • 164325
  • 57
  • 1295

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Posts

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author=Red_Nova
Woah. This is an older gamepage! I'm definitely interested in this. If the old project folder is gone, is this game going to be rebuilt again from the ground up?

Still though, this is perseverance personified! I'll be watching this project!


Yup! The project is going to be rebuilt from the ground up. I'm going to do my best to preserve the old material, but some things are probably going to change. Plus I'll be using RPG Maker VX Ace! Thanks for subscribing. :)
I found this project some time ago and I'm glad to see it isn't dead. I also have experience from losing games: my first game actually got corrupted a little before the release. Just make sure you back your game up on an USB or external hard drive every now and then!

Also, is this game possibly inspired by Skies of Arcadia somehow? I'm mostly thinking about these moonstones you've mentioned.
author=luiishu535
I found this project some time ago and I'm glad to see it isn't dead. I also have experience from losing games: my first game actually got corrupted a little before the release. Just make sure you back your game up on an USB or external hard drive every now and then!

Also, is this game possibly inspired by Skies of Arcadia somehow? I'm mostly thinking about these moonstones you've mentioned.


I've been asked this question more than once, and well, I've never played Skies of Arcadia, so I don't think it inspired this game. It has gone through so many story, cast, and gameplay changes over the years that two different stories for the game formed. For the re-relaunch of this game, I'm going to be using the original story idea, which doesn't include the Moonstones (those were from the second story idea).
Ah, alright xD It's a pretty good RPG though! Good luck with the new game anyway! Can't wait to see how this turns out, so I decided to sub!
author=luiishu535
Ah, alright xD It's a pretty good RPG though! Good luck with the new game anyway! Can't wait to see how this turns out, so I decided to sub!


Thanks! That demo is so old and I've learned a lot since then, so hopefully I'll do some things a lot better. :P

Thanks for subbing.
author=fharden
Why can't I get into the cave north of the Sargot sign post?

I looked into that cave issue you're having, and well, it's because I never designed the interiors of that cave. I'll do that in the re-relaunch of ToA, though. :D
author=Carvonica
author=luiishu535
Ah, alright xD It's a pretty good RPG though! Good luck with the new game anyway! Can't wait to see how this turns out, so I decided to sub!
Thanks! That demo is so old and I've learned a lot since then, so hopefully I'll do some things a lot better. :P

Thanks for subbing.


I just subscribed as well. Do you plan on releasing a new demo in the near future?
author=Aurora_Paradox
author=Carvonica
author=luiishu535
Ah, alright xD It's a pretty good RPG though! Good luck with the new game anyway! Can't wait to see how this turns out, so I decided to sub!
Thanks! That demo is so old and I've learned a lot since then, so hopefully I'll do some things a lot better. :P

Thanks for subbing.
I just subscribed as well. Do you plan on releasing a new demo in the near future?

Yes! I've been busy working on the maps and story to ensure that a more than playable demo is released in the near future. I don't want to mention a specific date, however, because I don't want to lock myself into a schedule like that. Also, thanks for subscribing. =)
Okay, I just finished playing through the new demo, or at least up to a point where I cannot go any further.

Bugs/Issues:
Gertrude's quest to slay the rats in her basement, when you go down into the basement nothing happens. I walked around to all the spots in it, checked everything and nothing happened.

In Lance and Martin's home, the shining spot on the bookcase can apparently be clicked infinitely and it will keep popping up that "HP Potion" was found and adding an item called "FOODS" to your inventory.

After Bearclaw says he'll join you, the screen fades to black and nothing else happens. This could be an issue or it could just be the end of the demo, I'm not sure.

-----

I'd say the game is okay at this point, there's nothing that has me hooked to it at this point as far as the story goes, nor do I really feel any deep attachment to the characters yet, but this isn't exactly all that far into the game I am guessing either. Good luck, I look forward to seeing this project continued.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
So I finished the demo. FleetingInfinity pointed out a game breaking bug, and that's caused by a move route error. I didn't have this bug the first time, so I had to go back and check to see what happened.Without spoiling anything for anyone playing the demo or have yet to play it, this can be fixed by talking to the mayor in between the two purple bushes after the first fight. Talk to him from any other angle and the game will break.

Alright, with that out of the way, here's my feedback:

Story:


- I like the setup, but the execution is flawed. Honestly, there wasn't much here so I couldn't even form an opinion of whether it was any good or not. You drop breadcrumbs of plot and character development, but don't expand on any of them. I'm sure that you'll flesh them out in the full game, but I can't really say I like the characters yet. Can't say I HATE them, but they just don't make that much of an impression.

- If I recall correctly, you said Bearclaw was a new addition to the game, correct? Well, he certainly FEELS like a new addition. He doesn't really have much reason to go with the party other than, "Fight strong enemies". He doesn't seem to have much of a place in the story unlike Lance and Martin. If he's supposed to be an enigma, then perhaps hint at some backstory that Bearclaw just won't tell. As it is, it looks like all his motivations are clear, and there's just not much to him.

- I find it interesting that you give 90% of all the NPC's unique names. What I really liked was how the party reacts to these people. This really does help with immersion, so good job on that! Just don't expect me to remember each one's names and where they live for some quest later on.

- Back to Bearclaw, it would really be nice if he was allowed some reaction to NPCs as well.

- The evil villain that the general reported to was so evil it got a bit cliche. This was the only scene with him, but it didn't establish much other than, "I'm evil. Don't fail me again."

- The scene at the end of the demo, however, was interesting. This Prince guy had an interesting introduction, and I could really get a handle on what he was dealing with. Great job on that!



Gameplay:

What I liked:

- Mapping. Even though this is pure RTP, the maps were varied and interesting. I really liked it.

- On screen encounters. I like that you took the effort to put the enemies on the map. However, I do have some problems with it that I'll detail later.

- The different playstyles of Lance and Martin. They feel like polar opposites, and that's a good thing. Because of the randomness of the TP pool Lance draws on in the beginning, battles feel a bit more dynamic. As for Bearclaw, I'm not too sure. He feels way too similar to Lance. Perhaps give him some more useful abilities.

- I appreciate that you put a block and ask if I'm willing to progress the story. This lets me move around at my own pace! Hopefully I'll see more of that in either the next demo or the final game.

- Clever hiding of the chests on trees. I like it!




Design problems:


- While there is a healthy variety of abilities for the 3 characters, you only need 1: their pure damage skills.

- The reason why is because battles are RIDICULOUSLY EASY. You are so overpowered in the beginning that, honestly, you could get away with mashing basic attack the entire game and get off fine. The slime enemies do NO DAMAGE to anyone unless I use Bearclaw's Rage ability, then they do about... 4 damage each. I think the most any enemy has ever done to me was 100 damage one turn. And when every character had about 500 HP by the end of the demo... yeah.

Keep in mind that I chose not to upgrade my equipment at all throughout the demo. So with starting equipment, I could blast through anyone. That is a pretty big problem.

- A sad lack of variety in the enemies. Just because the field sprite is a slime doesn't mean you have to fight the same slimes every time. Perhaps reduce all the enemy sprites to just the generic Ghost sprite, and mix up the enemy troops then? This wouldn't be so much of a problem if each enemy had their own strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, You just spam attack and they all go down the same way.

-



Bugs:

- Bearclaw's name in the Database is Rolf. So he's Rolf in battles and the menu, but still Bearclaw in cutscenes.

- You forgot to add a Direction Fix tag to Quinn's corpse.

- You forgot to add a Direction Fix tag to one of the soldiers in the pub.

- You forgot to add a Direction Fix tag to the orb in the ruins.




Overall Thoughts:

While this demo is highly unpolished, it does have a lot of potential. I'll be keeping an eye on this. I'd give this a tentative recommendation for anyone thinking about playing it.

What drew me in to this game was the fact that it's been around for so long! Carvonica's commitment to this project for at least 4 years tells me that this is a game he REALLY wants to see finished, and I have a lot of respect for that kind of perseverance.


Stream of consciousness:

These were notes I took while I was playing that were small enough that weren't worth developing in the previous sections. This is purely for the developer and WILL CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS FOR THOSE THAT HAVEN'T PLAYED THE ENTIRE DEMO YET!




- Don't like the font on the intro. Hard to read.

- Shouldn't the buckler have a description of Defense plus?

- if it was nine months later, how were they not aware of a war that's
going on for 2 years?

- We don't need a tutorial on how to move. We already figured that out by the
time we get there.

- Lol. When Persimmon talked about his dead brother, and Martin's first reaction is, "Did they get the ore?"

- I think the game should have started with returning to Yorkshire.

- Wait, they're adventurers? I thought they were war veterans?

- I appreciate that you put a block and ask if I'm willing to progress the story.
This lets me move around at my own pace!

- Oooooh! So they WERE successful? Even though they told everyone in town that they weren't?

- The music is too relaxing for having soldiers outside.

- Why does the mayor have a face during the scene with the soliders but not when you talk to him earlier?

- Nimrodian... You might want to change that.

- You would think there were more soldiers in the village other than those three that I killed.

- You forgot to add a Direction Fix tag to Quinn's corpse.

- Odd. It goes straight to daytime after that?

- Slimes inflict no damage on Bearclaw and Martin and only 4 damage on Lance.

- Bearclaw's name in the database is Rolf.

- Appreciate the on-screen encounters.

- No enemy variety. Just because the field sprite is a slime doesn't mean you have to fight the
same slimes every time.

- And you won't, because you are so overpowered that the only way they can hurt you is by using Rolfs- sorry- Bearclaw's Rage ability.

- Shouldn't there just be a scene where you jump straight to Aldwind? Seems kinda weird.

- Erm... if the party were the only survivors, how did Blathnat and Aldwind already know?

- You just left camp! How do you need food and rest?

- Martin says he's no mercenary, but I'm pretty sure Rolf-er, Bearclaw is.

- Why are the guards marching in place?

- What's Diaspor talking about? He sounds like he's a shop owner, but he's just wandering around outside.

- You can just... buy stat boosting items?

- You forgot to add a Direction Fix tag to one of the soldiers in the pub.

- Forgot about the quest thing. Perhaps make a quest dialoge when deciding to go visit the king at the campsite.

- Looks like I can't buy weapons and armor. Not that I need it, but...

- After the cutscene, I'm taken back to the entrance of Aldwind.

- If you run away from enemies, they should take a step back, otherwise you immediately fight them again.

- Why do all the enemies have ice attack animations?

- No boss or miniboss music? Aw...

- You forgot to add a Direction Fix tag to the orb in the ruins.

- That was kind of heartless attacking the necromancer even knowing that the elf would be possessed. I thought Martin was the moral compass of the group?

- Clever hiding of the chests on trees. I like it!
@Red_Nova,
Thank you so much for taking the time to play the demo! Your feedback has already helped me to understand the many issues within this game. Your opinions on different areas of the game matter to me, and I do take them seriously.

@FleetingInfinity,
I'd also like to thank you for taking the time to play the demo. Your bug/glitch reports are taken very seriously as well, and I'll be sure to investigate each and every one.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
I'm glad to help!

One more thing I didn't notice until now. You said in one of your previous blogs that Bearclaw's rage ability was for him. But when I used it, the ability targeted all enemies. Was that intentional?
@Red_Nova,
No. Not at all. I had initially set it to target all enemies, yet it had a different effect. Later on I went back and changed it but forgot to change who it targeted. I'm working on a patch to fix all of the issues found within the demo. I really should have been more patient and not as anxious to get something out there. Quality over quantity.
Linkis
Don't hate me cause I'm Cute :)
1025
OH NO !!!!!

Downloaded this game and it sure looked like it was going to be fun :(

After the dastardly soldiers were destroyed and the old bearded warrior saved the Innkeeper then joined the goodguys.....the screen went BLACK.

Is that the end of the demo.... or just my end :)
author=Linkis
OH NO !!!!!

Downloaded this game and it sure looked like it was going to be fun :(

After the dastardly soldiers were destroyed and the old bearded warrior saved the Innkeeper then joined the goodguys.....the screen went BLACK.

Is that the end of the demo.... or just my end :)


The current version has more than a few bugs. Unfortunately, that's one. A simple oversight on my end made it where the screen never faded back in. Sadly Tales of Arcadia is now cancelled.
author=Carvonica
author=Linkis
OH NO !!!!!

Downloaded this game and it sure looked like it was going to be fun :(

After the dastardly soldiers were destroyed and the old bearded warrior saved the Innkeeper then joined the goodguys.....the screen went BLACK.

Is that the end of the demo.... or just my end :)
The current version has more than a few bugs. Unfortunately, that's one. A simple oversight on my end made it where the screen never faded back in. Sadly Tales of Arcadia is now cancelled.

I just read the blog post immediately after posting this comment and saw the answers to most of the questions I just asked. It's a shame that this was cancelled. Was looking forward to seeing what you were going to do with it. Good luck with your new game, and invest in some good virus protection, hahah. Definitely post a link to it here when you've made some progress, I'd like to check it out.
Downloaded it an will play it on the next days.
i have chees, but i cannot get the rats out of the hole
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