I have removed the old downloads from this site for now, since I am prepping a new once for release in a few weeks. Quite a lot has changed since the old version, so I'll be putting out a 2.5 hour long improved 'demo', so I can get some feedback on how you guys are liking the new version, so I can add this to the list of final improvements for Vol. One's final release.

Carried over from my game thread at RMW ( I'm far more active over there ^^ ).

All righty then. Progress, even if it is tiny.
 

That charming little abode is where you will meet ERD's latest NPC, Clannad ( I like Celtic/Welsh names, and it goes with the game's overall Celtic influence ^^ ). Laine can find out all sorts of valuable information from here, since I don't like dumping manuals on players and forcing them to read it.
 
Of course, the player can still access the guides ( after speaking to Clannad about various topics ) from the main menu, leaving you to view them at your leisure.
 
The battles are going fine but required a bit of balancing.( Pat was wrecking the game with his Donar II so I had to tone it down. Didn't want that little Woobie Stunning everything he came across, now did I? XD He is more powerful than Laine in the beginning, but he can't survive without her. <3 They work as a seamless team. Hehe, frail, soft-spoken ( male )healer who kicks arse. Break that stereotype Pat, break it. You should still shack up with Laine, celibate or not.)


Cillian does not look amused. Basic, what do you mean, basic?!
 
Some little mechanics related to elements in the game:

- Fire magic Burns you and lowers your DEF stat. You can't cure it normally. As most you know, Laine is SUPER vulnerable against this element. It also negates the Freeze status effect. But Cillian can learn PyroShield, which cuts down Fire damage by a considerable amount.

- Ice magic... see above. It freezes an opponent. Depending on how powerful the spell is, it can last from one turn to up to three.

- Earth magic grounds thunder based attacks ( so earth-based weapons are effective against Donar-using fiends, who are prevalent in the last area of the full game ). Earth-based attacks negate defensive buffs ( this includes the Earth-based scrolls  like Teliaraga ( a new type of scroll). TellanShield ( a new ability of Laine's; she specialises in Ice and Earth techs ) also negates thunder based damage.

- Thunder obviously stuns you. Super effective against poor Siggy and Cillian, since they wear armour. Fried knights, anyone?
 
And that's all I have for now. Expect a demo in a few weeks. :) Oh, and I'm reformatting all the message boxes to look like the one above. Yes, all of them.

Behind all the new games now appearing. :] It's been on a bit of a hiatus because RL always gets in the way. Didn't even know I got an achievement for this game. XD That and some writer's block getting the better of me. Always has to happen around the halfway mark ( game is around 7 hours in length now ), but I haven't worked on it ( as in really worked on it ) in over two months, which is long for me. Anyhoo, I'll drop in some screens that I'm sure I haven't posted here yet.


Small numbers now make it easier to balance battles. Almost FE-ish.



I ovehauled the battle system completely as well. I got rid of the overused side-used Tankentai battle system and replaced it with Battle Engine Melody. It allows for much more challenging, fun battles. And front view is amazing.


From this...


To this. I did the custom battle background and the plant-type enemy as well.

I can't promise any release dates now. I need more inspiration to fully get into this project again.

Progress has been a bit slow as of late ( due to a side project that I'm working on as well: A humorous parady of Fire Emblem, dungeon crawler style. ),but I finished up my 201th map a while ago ( everyone does 200, I go one better ) and I'm working on some custom ( read, edited ) RTP tiles.It goes a long way into making a game look more unique.



And part of a valley that totals over 100x100 if all the areas are added together.
Think it's 130x130. Not that big, but still...





And just a regular interior map.


It's part of a side-quest, btw.

I'm still aiming for that March 16 release date, but we'll see how it goes.

Progress so far:

- Finished up the lumber town of Lidgetton ( I started on it a while ago ). General layout is finished, all I need to do is the NPCs and events.



Sketched some concept art ( again ), this time of Laine's promoted outfit.



And made a few maps.




This area is known as the Sidhe or the Otherworld. It is located behind a gate bound by magic, and the area beyond is rumoured to house the spirits of departed souls. It won't be avaliable until Volume Two, though. I was just testing out a concept design.

So, I've been working bit by bit on ERD over the last few days, and I've started to work on one of the four major cities in the game ( However, you will only be able to start visiting them in Volume II of the game ).



I've also been doing some research into Celtic mythology and I'm starting to incoporate the lore that will make up Enelysion's world.

Tales of the Sidhe ( the Celtic Otherworld ) will take the form of a grotto where Laine will be able to talk to spirits from the past. But only once she locates someone who can open the gate leading to it ( if some of you remembered, there was a cave in the Temple of Fonteini that had a huge gate which looked very out of place ), since it it sealed with strong Geis magic ( a certain character later in the game has this ability ). More on this at a later date as well.


That blue flame that you see there is called the Belenus Flame, and it is said to have been blessed by Fonteini himself and said to burn for all eternity as long as
his practices are observed. I'm going to incorporate all this lore ( and more Celtic-related myth ) into the main storyline as well. It's seriously interesting.

Slowly, but surely building up the game world to hopefully Tolkien-esque proportions ( now wouldn't that be something ).