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Strictly For Commercial

  • kentona
  • 07/12/2016 06:21 PM
  • 22086 views
I have embarked on a new journey...



Approximately one month ago I was approached by an angel investor to explore the possibility of flipping Hero's Realm into a commercial project. Like naive fool that I am who believes he has more time than ever, I tentatively agreed. (Details are still being hashed out).

While the month of June was hectic, July has slowed down and I have earnestly begun my work on cleaning up the game and getting it into a state such that custom resources can be created as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Hero's Realm is a large game that made very liberal use of Final Fantasy IV, V and VI rips, a ton of MIDIs for every possible mood and locale, and RTP resources. Minimizing this into a smaller more cohesive set while still maintaining the "feel" will be a tedious process, but it must be done.



A few weeks ago I compiled a list of all of the pertinent feedback that the game had garnered over the past 7 years since its release. I noted all of the major and minor bugs, suggestions on class balance and features, and general impressions left by the various facets of the game.

I also have a laundry list of small enhancements. Things like amplifying magic damage (spellcasters are underpowered), rebalancing classes, and rebalancing skills are all on the table. The Master classes will be toned down, weaker classes tweaked, some overpowered skills nerfed. I will also be adding 3 new Elite classes (Death Knight, Freelancer, and Assassin) to make greater use of the class change mechanic.

The numerous overt references to popular media will be changed to be more subtle. Dialog will be reviewed. The story, such as it is, will remain as is. If I have the wherewithal I would add a new final dungeon (something people identified as a weakness), but I am not certain yet.



This is all in the early stages. I don't have a timeline estimated yet (but I hope to get my initial work done within the next couple of months). The tentative plan is to NOT do a Kickstarter (too much hassle), but to do a Steam Greenlight, and then explore other avenues like itch.io. Stay tuned for notices about the Greenlight drive!

I am adamant about leaving up the original Hero's Realm for RM2k3 v1.5 up here on RMN. (It's already out there in droves so it's not like I have a realistic chance of scrubbing it out anyway). I hope that the enhancements, fixes, changes, and custom resources will be sufficient enough to encourage people to buy it over the original free version. And if it gets on Steam, the market is distinct enough that the free version wouldn't even be known. Plus, I couldn't give up the Makerscore.



If you guys are interested, I can post frequent blogs detailing my progress in my prep work. Otherwise I will just post announcements when major milestones have been achieved.

Wish me luck!



tl;dr - HR is going commercial


Posts

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NeverSilent
Got any Dexreth amulets?
6280
Good luck, kentona! You can be a hero!
author=NeverSilent
Good luck, kentona! You can be a hero!

I am a fucking hero!
Cap_H
DIGITAL IDENTITY CRISIS
6625
Nice!
I wish you luck (for real).
I'm just working on a review of Hellion which focuses on its commercial appeal.
Also, I'm using this announcement of yours as an excuse for not finishing Hero's Realm as I'm now eager for a proper release.

Edit: Your mom is a hero.
NeverSilent
Got any Dexreth amulets?
6280
Your mom is a hero.

But seriously, I have huge respect for your decision to leave the free version (which I just downloaded) avaliable here, while still pursuing your commercial endeavour. So I really wish you all the success that is physically possible. And I'm pretty sure the entire community of RMN is standing behind you.
author=Cap_H
Nice!
Also, I'm using this announcement of yours as an excuse for not finishing Hero's Realm as I'm now eager for a proper release.

Curses! Foiled again!
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
I am SUPER excited about this and will purchase it the second it's available ^_^
Cap_H
DIGITAL IDENTITY CRISIS
6625
author=unity
I am SUPER excited about this and will purchase it the second it's available ^_^


Yeah, I want pre-orders and an OUYA bundle. That would be a proper reason to buy it.
Actually a bundle with Pi could be a great Kickstarter lurk.
author=Cap_H
Nice!
I wish you luck (for real).
I'm just working on a review of Hellion which focuses on its commercial appeal.

Funny you should mention this, because this has been brought up, pending the success of the HR flip. If it does well enough, we'd probably do Hellion, too. We even tossed about the idea of doing it first, since the scope of the game is so much smaller.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Holy crap kentona's leaping back into the gamedev fray with even bigger boxing gloves! Good luck, man! I'll definitely buy this when it comes out!

Yeah, I'd be interested in more frequent blog updates detailing progress. That way we'll catch you if you try slacking off on us!
author=Red_Nova
Yeah, I'd be interested in more frequent blog updates detailing progress. That way we'll catch you if you try slacking off on us!

Curses! Foiled again!
Will purchase. I haven't played original yet, so now I'm going to wait until it comes out. I expect great things.

Also, you have the best avatar on the site.
Tau
RMN sex symbol
3293
Damn Kentona you've already made like $30 bucks from blog post alone! Can't fucking wait... I'll have to though obviously.
Sweet; Hero's Realm and Hellion were both pretty rad. What's your plan on the graphical assets?
author=Housekeeping
Sweet; Hero's Realm and Hellion were both pretty rad. What's your plan on the graphical assets?
The producer has a few people lined up. Nothing set in stone yet. It's still early.
*gasps* does this mean that... coin toss will become useful?
You've got a purchase in me. Glad to see this as finally a thing. >.<)b
"An angel investor" ..lol. He must be a swell guy.

XD This is great news though. The more momentum we can achieve for 2k3 (or any RM) projects, the better off we all are. Hero's Realm definitely has the large fanbase for an undertaking like this, much like Ara Fell.
author=Blindmind
"An angel investor" ..lol. He must be a swell guy.

It would be bad luck to speak of whom it is prematurely...


author=kalledemos
*gasps* does this mean that... coin toss will become useful?
fuck yes.
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