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Episode Two: What You Can Expect

  • NicoB
  • 10/23/2011 07:22 AM
  • 8382 views
Hey guys,

So it's been awhile since I've posted a real update. Don't worry, I'm still working away on the game. I figure by now I'm long overdue now for a real update of what I've been working on. So, without further ado, here's a list of stuff you can expect with the release of Episode Two.


Less Linearity = More Sidequests

I know one of the biggest complaints of Episode One was the linearity of the gameplay. Aside from monster capturing and a few other bonuses, there weren't many other side missions or places to visit that were outside the main story. My primary reason for doing this was to narrow the player's attention to the main story, at least for the earlier parts. I wanted to wait until all the party members came together before giving the player the freedom to go wherever they wanted. Well, with Episode Two, you will given just that: freedom.


Can't have an RPG without a tournament

A lot of the fun will come from simply revisiting previous locations after having acquired all of your party members. Going back to old locations may trigger special cutscenes that reveal more about certain characters, as well as opening up a number of side missions the player can participate in. For example, visiting Lee's destroyed village or going to visit Ziggy's mother will open up a number of related side stories. I want my sidequests to stand above the stupid fetch quests and irrelevant bullshit of other JPRGs. I want it to engage the players by not only rewarding them with items and gear, but also by providing some insight into the main protagonists and antagonists that they might otherwise not have seen.


Original Soundtrack

Some of you may remember me mentioning a few blog posts ago how I had hired composer Jose Moreno, aka CastorOnline, to create an OST for Forever's End. Well, in only a few short months, he has already completed over 25 killer songs for the game!! To say the man is a talented musician would be a huge understatement.


Say goodbye to Nobuo again

You can check out all of his completed songs for the game thus far by clicking HERE. I will continue to update the page with new songs as they are released. If you like the tunes, please show Jose some love and post a comment or send him a PM.


New Artist

So some of you may already know, but boobledeeboo won't be able to draw for this project anymore. Art school and real life are taking up most of her time these days. Although this is saddening, there's definitely no hard feelings, as she's already donated so much of her time to this game for absolutely nothing in return. She will, regardless, always remain a member of this project.

So rather than have the whole second half of the game go without any new cutscenes at all, I've gone ahead and hired another talented artist (for a price this time) to finish out the remaining scenes. This artist is in fact the older brother of our very own Nessiah-chan, everyone's favorite RM art prodigy. That in itself holds some serious bragging rights.


BOOM, baby!

Nessiah's nii-sama, aka helrious, has already completed a few scenes, like the one above. He is an extremely talented artist, and I can't wait for players to experience these cutscenes themselves in-game.

Also, make sure to check out his other works at his deviantart page HERE.


Character Exposition

I mentioned before that I would be adding sidequests that will reveal more about the main characters. One way I plan on doing this is through Party Breakdowns. This is essentially a spinoff of Star Ocean's "Private Actions," where pressing a certain key before entering a village or town will cause the party members to separate, giving the player a chance to walk around and talk to each one individually. This, in turn, will allows players to get a more detailed look into party members personalities, as well as opening the door to a plethora of sidequests that revolve around these characters.


So a mercenary walks into a bar...

There will still be a large amount of characterization and plot twists in the main story, of course. I know a number of you felt that Marcellus has been a tad too "generic evil" so far. Episode Two will shed more light on Marcellus' past as well as that of his hooded partner, revealing that there is much more to him than meets the eye.


The Grand City of Dorent

This goes hand-in-hand with more freedom and additional sidequests. However, there's a reason I've made this a separate tab: Dorent is HUGGGGGEEEEEE!!! Seriously, it will take the player quite awhile to explore this massive beast of a metropolis. The city itself is divided into three districts: the Residential, the Industrial, and the Upper-Class, each with its own set of buildings and civilians. Although any district can be traveled to directly by foot, a tram system is set up to allow players to conveniently hop between each one.


Dorent's Grand Central Station

There are plenty of things for players to do in Dorent, such as shopping, tournaments, mini-games, and sidequests. In addition, there is also Dorent's castle, which has a number of interesting sites, such as Farnstein's Monster Research Center, where players can fight with any monster they've already captured. A big thanks to the hard work of Ultima187, who single-handedly mapped this amazing city. He is truly a master mapper and will forever have my undying gratitude.


A Combined Party Front

So up to this point, most of the party members have been separated from each other for one reason or another. Well, it's only a matter of time before they all come together, and when they do, it should make for some very interesting battle combinations.


Gotta catch em' all!

I wanted to make character abilities different enough to where each character had his own "specialty," while at the same time, making no one character too powerful. Lee can easily absorb skills but is limited to only a certain number; Slade's spells are harder to acquire, but pack a greater punch; Elizabeth's beckons are extremely powerful, but consume both her MP and SR. When I start throwing complicated, tough bosses at the player in Episode Two, it will be interesting to see what characters they use to take them down.


Choose your killer four

I also plan to have all experience be shared among party members, even if they are not in the current active party. Ability points, however, will only be shared among active party members.


Conclusion

So that's some of the new stuff you all can expect from the upcoming episode. I'm not going to go into any new details about the main story here, as I'd rather keep most of it a mystery (although you may be able to gather bits of it yourself from the screenshots).

If you're excited about the new stuff or have any questions, please don't hesitate to comment below. It's always encouraging to hear from you guys. Oh, and if you were a big fan of Episode One, I'd really appreciate your nomination for the 2011 Misaos. Cheers!

Posts

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If you miss capturing some monsters early in the game is it possible to catch them later on I missed one or two and i see no way to encounter them again.
@CrazeGirl: Yeah, you will have a chance later on. I'll implement some system where you will either be able to fight those monsters or revisit those dungeons that were previously inaccessible. Don't worry. ; )
author=NicoB
@CrazeGirl: Yeah, you will have a chance later on. I'll implement some system where you will either be able to fight those monsters or revisit those dungeons that were previously inaccessible. Don't worry. ; )

Okay thanks, that's great to know.
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