Hey everyone,

In celebration of the upcoming release of my newest game, NIRAVASI, I'll be hosting a Developer Stream on my Twitch.tv channel. For those of you that are interested in the game, or have already played it and just wanted a different look into it, I'll be speaking about some of the design challenges/hurdles that I faced while working on the game. You can find a link to my Twitch Channel here:

https://www.twitch.tv/kingsangos

Now this is my first time doing anything like this, so expect some technical difficulties to pop up as it goes along. Nevertheless, I hope it'll be a cool way to see the behind-the-scenes of my very first game!

Sangos

Hey everyone!

It’s been over a month since I last talked about Patch 1.3 for BLANK and the numerous changes it’ll bring to the base game experience, more specifically, the Battle and Menu Systems. Oh and there’s some nonsense about a Rework and more Spirits, but they’re not important for this stage.

What is is important however is that I am not quite yet ready to release the entire patch publicly yet. Right now, I am worried that there may still be some small errors like grammar and punctuation mistakes, as well as visual bugs. Additionally if the extreme became true, I’m worried that there may still be a potential crash bug in the game, due to missing Battle Backgrounds (The files for these were rearranged).

So that’s why this update is more of a roll call than an actual release update. Right now, I need playtesters for Patch 1.3. and I’d be more than happy to let you guys go wild with the game. All that I ask from you is your feedback on those pesky bugs, and potentially feedback on the game’s functionality and story.

Here’s some Software Requirements you need to know:

Software Requirements

• You must have a Windows Operating System (Windows Vista, 7 & 10). BLANK is developed using RPG Maker VX Ace and will not run on Apple or Mobile Devices.

• If you have not played an RPG Maker VX Ace Game before and do not have the Engine installed, you will need to download the RTP Included version of the game when you ask me for it.

• If you already downloaded the VX Ace RTP before and/or have RPG Maker VX Ace installed on your system, you will only need to download the No RTP version when you ask me for it.

That’s about it. If you’re interested in testing the game out for yourself, just leave a comment response below or message me through my personal E-Mail: angus.mccallum1@btinternet.com.

Thank you for hearing me out and I look forward to hearing you responses. Hopefully Patch 1.3. can get released sooner than you’d like.

Love from,
King Sangos

Hi everyone!

So as you're already most likely aware about the process of these things, I am currently in a very deep development cycle for BLANK: The Spirits Within. These include details such as sprite work, gameplay mechanics, items, scripts and other glorious things.

Now I wouldn't be lying when I say that development hasn't had its fair share of delays and such. The biggest hiccup in The Spirits Within's development is that I am currently moving homes. In fact, tonight is my last night here in this home and I will be kickstarting a new life in a new home tomorrow morning. I also won't have home access to the Internet until the 22nd, so that should give me some good time to work on the expansion (If my Uni work and part-time job don't take too much time).

But yeah, I wanted to let you know that I am still working on the expansion. Don't believe me? Here, have some juicy sprites for some new (and familiar enemies) you'll meet in the island of Sanctaros.



"Yuck..."



"Big nasty!"



"Protect and Serve!"



"1001 eyes..."



"Buddies. :D"



"Scary Lava Monster! :<<"

So yeah, enjoy the sprites while I continue to conjure and craft more hideous creations for the land of Sanctaros. But wait, before I go, let me tease you all with this image of a very, VERY important character for the expansion. A young girl who goes by the name... Verona.



"Pretty..."

See you later this year!

Hey everyone!



Oh boy, I've really been gone for a long time, haven't I?

Yeah, this is really my fault. I mean sure, I've just started a new Master's course at University, but that's not enough to excuse my mysterious leave of absence. What I've also found myself doing is binge-playing the newest expansion to one of my favourite casual games, Destiny: Rise of Iron,

But fear not, my corrupted disciples, for this is not all I have to share with you. In fact what I have to show tonight in this Devlog post will not only send shivers down your spine, it'll also take those spines and go skipping with them!

Okay no, it won't really do that, but this update is still pretty important. Why? Because this post will address what the future of BLANK will hold. And what better way to kickstart this post off than by announcing a brand new expansion!



Yep, that's right people, you didn't read the wrong. I didn't say a new patch...

I said a new EXPANSION...

Okay, so what does that mean exactly? Well if you look at a game like World of Warcraft or Destiny, you'll get a good idea as for what an Expansion is. If a Patch is considered to be a small update to the game with new features, an Expansion would be like a Patch on crack (at least in my terms).

Alright, so there's a few things I'd like to talk about here, so let's get straight into the news and what exactly you'll be finding in this brand new expansion for BLANK.

NEW STORY:

So you may have played through the story of BLANK and wondered just what relevance spirits have in the overall narrative of the game and the world of Transech:

You have the Ring Spirits (Desolun, Furajinn and Contasma) who help Veta along her journey.

You have the Lost Spirits in the Finima Wilds that you can battle.

You have the Black Spirit, a strange and abnormal entity.

You have the Astral Plane, which is a place where Spirits live.

And you have those corrupted spirits, that you can find in the ruins of Decillia.

Now most of you may already know how the story of BLANK ends, but you may have found it odd that Spirits played little-to-no role in the world of Transech. Like magic, they were just entities that were just... THERE. They served no greater purpose, no greater role and didn't have any sign of history or explanation to them.

... But what if I told you that this was about to change? What if I told you that the very story of this new expansion focused on their story? Would you be satisfied?

If so, good. If not, too bad, I'm telling the story anyway. So the story of the Spirits Within is set just after defeating Umbrus in Chapter VI: Sorrow. The corruption within Veta has started to get a little out of hand, but she still finds herself seeking help from the great guardian, Sonuvox the Songweaver.

That is until, you meet up with an old friend from Patch 1.2:



"Uh-oh, he's back!"

Now this little buddy of yours who helped you out in regards to the Hall of Memories has now returned to tell you tales of another possible solution to help soothe the corruption plaguing Transech. How does he do this, you may ask? Well he does this by offering you transport to a brand-new, unseen location in the world of Transech.

NEW LOCATION: The Isles of Sanctaros

"No fancy image for you here, sorry guys. :<"

So a little backstory about the land of Sanctaros. It is a large archipelago of islands just south of Decillia, untouched in years by the Guardians of Transech. And while the Deman residents of these islands still believe in their creators, Lumenax and Sonuvox, they instead focus their zealous beliefs on another entity entirely, the Spirits.

Yep, these Demans are quite the spiritualists. They believe that the spirits are the key to achieving an everlasting peace and seek to appease them. The concept of Ring Spirits and Corrupted Spirits are actually a subject of blasphemy for these Demans. In fact, Veta would've been chased out of the islands the first second she arrived, were it not for the foul misdeeds of this new character...

NEW VILLAIN: Vikul



"Hiss..."

Now who's this disgusting looking beast you ask? Well, this is Vikul. He is the newest addition to BLANK's colourful palette of villains and the one responsible for all the bad things happening on the Islands of Sanctaros as of this moment. Additionally, a few of you may have also noticed he bares a striking resemblance to Vash the Defiler, the mini-boss of Chapter V: Infinite.

Well that's not coincidence. Vash is actually a member of the Cult of the Void, that organisation of shady characters led by Umbrus. Now what's interesting is that Vikul's purpose here on Sanctaros is actually an act of defiance to the cult's interests. You see, Vikul was sent here to unearth rare treasures and magical artefacts that could be used to further empower the cult. Vikul achieved this task, but also found more than just a few handy trinkets and books. While I can't explain what he did exactly, all you need to know is that Vikul has somehow managed to gain the ability to corrupt the spirits of Transech themselves, turning them into vile monstrosities.

Case and point...



*Yuck...*

Yeah, I wasn't kidding. Here are two new enemies that you'll find within some of the darker recesses of the islands of Sanctaros, the Vul'Sha and the Kathdrassil. It appears that you'll need everything you can muster to defeat the hordes of Vikul and more. So what better way to do that than to empower the very spirits you have in your party?

NEW CONTASMA REWORK



*Hello, my old friend...*

Yes my children, I have heard your pleas and cries for change. It is time for at long last for the Spirit of Cupidity to get her fair share of love. But before I do that, I first feel the need to explain the initial design approach I took with her.

So way back last year when I was developing BLANK, I was beginning to worry that the current party members of Veta's gang were going to feel a little too repetitive to play. Cast "A" on Veta to increase her attack, Cast "B" to attack the boss, rinse and repeat. So in an attempt to tackle this possible monotony, I decided to create a character who adopted a high-risk, high-reward mechanic. This was Contasma. The intended idea for Contasma was to help assist the other members of the party with dealing high damage to enemies, but at the cost of his own well-being. This could either be done through applying nasty debuffs to allies, or applying useful buffs to enemies. Now on paper, this seemed like a very good idea.

In game, not so much...

So almost a year after BLANK's initial release, I have seen how people have been playing the Spirit of Cupidity. Three words... Silence the Sky.

No matter how many abilities I tried to add to her, at the end of the day, the players would ALWAYS use the Silence the Sky ability (the move that deals 7% of an enemy's MHP in damage, but silences him afterwards for three turns). Usually I wouldn't be so concerned about this, if it weren't for the fact that this was all players were using Contasma for. And if Silence the Sky wasn't up, the player would either use her turns for item usage, or just tickle the bosses feet with her terrible base damage.

As of Patch 1.2, Contasma still feels like half a party member. She can't bring to the table what Desolun and Furajinn can bring, and that's because of her high-risk, high-reward mechanics being too risky.

But not any more. Once this newest expansion hits, players will be treated with a brand new Contasma. One that will no longer adopt the high-risk, high-reward gameplay and instead focus on helping the team out in any way she can, without having to worry about nasty debuffs.

And it's also not just him that'll be helping out Veta in this new expansion. It seems that the very world of Transech has sensed our protagonists newest dilemma and has offered to help in the form of new party members!

NEW RING SPIRITS



"*Nice!*"

Say hello to the newest additions to Veta's family. These are three brand new Ring Spirits that you'll be able to find in your adventure.

From Left to Right:

NEGATA - The Spirit of Rigidity
ACCELION - The Spirit of Nihility
BLIGHTANIS - The Spirit of Enormity

Now again, I can't explain in great detail just what these new spirits will offer to the player, but I can say that the player will be able to find them rather easily. Negata can be found be found just outside of Illune Manor, Accelion within Mount Orsus and Blightanis, just outside of Decillia.

And it's not just these three that you'll find. If you're lucky and are quite the little explorer, you may be able to find EVEN more spirits. Now don't worry about how these new additions will affect your party, what you'll find is that in the new expansion, the player can swap what Ring Spirits they choose. So if you wanted a team consisting of Veta, Blightanis, Furajinn and Contasma, you can.

NOTE: You can't remove Veta from the party. She is the ONLY party member that cannot be swapped!

So that's really I have to say about this new and exciting expansion, with the exception of one last little detail. So a few of you guys have expressed concerns with regards to how easy the game is to complete and that sometimes there isn't much of a challenge. Now while I have no plans to increase the difficulty of the base game, I can certainly try to appease your hunger for masochism by introducing a brand new end-game element.

NEW END-GAME DUNGEONS: Gauntlets



*You're going to die ALOT to this guy...*

Who's this disgusting creature, you may ask? Well I can't actually give you any details, but what I will say is that he is part of a new and completely optional experience in The Spirits Within called a "Gauntlet". What is a Gauntlet, you ask? Well to put it simply, it's a very, VERY hard dungeon.

A Gauntlet is a mega dungeon that doesn't hold one boss, but three/four. Not only that, but the puzzles that needed to complete these new dungeons will really test your skills. These won't be simple keypad puzzles like the one found in the Temple of the Displaced, these mega-dungeons will really make you tear your hair out.

And when you do complete the puzzle, you've gotta defeat the hard-as-nails bosses! Have fun! ;)

So yeah, that's basically all I have to give you guys/gals in regards for what the future of BLANK will hold. I'll try to update this Newslog as best as I can and if you have any questions or points you'd like to make, feel free to leave a response down below!

Take care everyone, and have a good night!

Hey everyone!

So you're probably most likely asking yourselves why Patch 1.2. for BLANK is taking so long to develop. I mean, I sort of announced that the patch would be coming out by the end of May and it's nearing the end of June at the time of me writing this message.

Well, a lot has happened in between...

Now I'm not gonna lie. A lot of the time has been spent playing a butt-ton of new game releases (Overwatch, Battleborn, Fallout 4: Far Habor, etc) and I've had trouble going back to RPG Maker VX Ace. But there's also more to it than that...

So first off, there was my grandmother's passing away. This was a really sudden event as the news about her sudden stroke of illness to her death was literally only a day apart. So naturally I had to cease all production on the game and join my family up north in Scotland to attend her funeral. While I still felt bad about this delay, the ceremony was a very good one and I've now come to terms with her passing away. What more could you really ask for?

Second, I'm actually working on another video game with someone else. I can't reveal anything as of yet, but I will say that it's an RPG similar to BLANK (but with a whole different setting and theme). I'm not the Lead Designer of this game, I'm actually the Lead Artist. So if you adored the strange artstyle of BLANK, you'll probably enjoy this game's artstyle. Now working on enemy battler sprites is time-consuming and this has taken a good chunk of focus away from development of BLANK 1.2. (Fun fact: Some enemy sprites such as Cariella and Vivizec can take over 2 hours for me to produce).

Then of course, we have the third and final reason for the delays. On July 3rd, I'll be departing for the USA and staying their with my girlfriend for a month. I've made arrangements with her to try and transfer the entire game project of BLANK over to her computer so that I may hopefully work on the game whenever she's away. I tried this last time in January and ended up corrupting all my files, so I think I'm gonna play it safe this time and use Dropbox. :P

Anyway, I do have some good news though. Aside from creating the abilities for the Vivizec's Lab bosses and adjusting enemy encounter rates in the lab, Patch 1.2. will essentially have been completed. All that will be left to add is the brand new musical tracks coming to the game.

So that's it really. I'm sorry for all the delays the patch has had this far and hope you look forward to Patch 1.2. when it comes.