DARK GAIA'S PROFILE

I develop games and I write. I have a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing and journalism. I like writing speculative fiction, horror and literary fiction, sometimes all blended together. You can find elements of my writing in my games, because I consider my games to be stories just that happen to have gameplay.

I post updates on my Facebook and Twitter:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Gaia-Studios/365139189465
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/DRobertGrixti
Legionwood 2: Rise of th...
A sprawling J-RPG game and direct sequel to Legionwood: Tale of the Two Swords.

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Upload Speeds

Hi.

I just finished waiting 5 hours on a 10kb/s connection to upload a 56MB file to RMN. I know upload speed is largely dependant on your internet speed but are there any tricks anyone knows of to make your files upload just a tad faster? Is it faster in a particular browser or at a certain time of day etc...?

Re: Game URL Changes (Again?)

Hi.

I'm not quite sure if this was covered in a previous topic, so sorry if I'm bringing up an issue that's already been resolved, but what's with the game URL changes?

You had them changed to display the game name in them and now you've changed them back to the standard old "games/numberxx" style.

I've had to run around all day changing my game threads on other forums as I link to my RMN pages.

Why did you change it like this and will it be changed again? I'm going to go away for a while very soon and I want to be sure my game download links will be intact for a relatively long time.

Right now, I'm just linking people to my profile page and they select the game to download from there. Is that URL going to remain the same for a month or two until I can find mirrors?

In short (with no offense meant): You screwed up my game threads twice. Can I expect it to happen again relatively soon?

Also, sorry if this message seems overly abrupt. I'm not trying to bitch or fight or anything, I just can think of no other way to phrase my qualms.

What do *you* want improved in Legionwood?

Hey everyone!

I need your help and I want to know your honest opinions. If you've opened this thread, then I know you're already familiar with Legionwood and know that it is my ongoing project.
I realise also that there are a lot of aspects of the game which (although the game does have its fans) you aren't too happy about and that there are some parts which you dislike with a passion.

I recently decided that as Legionwood is my main project that I work so hard on that I want people to like it, so in order for that to happen, I want to find out once and for all what you think needs to be changed so that I can make the game more fun for you to play. I want my main project that I spend so much time on to above all be a fun game which people enjoy.

I'm sincere about this and will make an honest effort to take your opinions on board.

So, tell me. What do you hate about Legionwood? How can I make it better? What would you like to see in it? Are the battles balanced improperly? Is there too much dialogue? Are the characters bland? Is the lag too much?

I want to hear your opinions. With that said, please don't flame me, just say what you think would make the game better for you. Also, keep in mind that Legionwood is already in a late stage of development. Know that I am not going to redo the tilesets/charsets etc at this point.

Goodbye RMN!

Hello RMN.

Quite simply, I'm fed up of how I'm treated here, and I'm leaving. People constantly criticising what I say and insulting me and my games (http://rpgmaker.net/games/1144/blog/1589/) without even playing them first is not the reason I got into game making. Now I accept constructive criticism (yes even the negative stuff) but you don't give that to me here, you turn my shortcomings into insults and specifically try to hurt me with them.

This is not a review (http://rpgmaker.net/games/1144/reviews/454/) for example, this is simply a long string of insults and jokes that make light of my game. I accept that Darken didn't like my game, but he/she could just write a normal, well put together review saying why he/she didn't and offering helpful suggestions, but no, that is a bunch of jokes and insults. Everyone in the RM community whom I have shown that review to agrees; it's just a bunch of insults.

This is not all, though i can't be bothered finding more links. And I don't mean to target Darken specifically either, he just happens to be in the first two links I could quickly dig up.

I try to put up with RMN, there are a few good members and the site is set out well, but the overall attitude of "figureheads" here such as Craze (actually, Craze hasn't been so bad lately, just stuff in the past he's done), Darken and Max Mcgee towards me (which is overly hostile) has forced me to decide to take my stuff elsewhere. I admit I can be a jerk sometimes and I like to talk my games up, but I can be a good person if you give me the chance and I actually have some decent contributions to the community if you'd just take two seconds to realise this instead of instantly insulting me.

Admins, I don't blame you, your members can speak their own minds. Yet, it's obvious that most here don't like me and don't want me, so I'll be going, and I'm certainly not the first "hotshot VX user" you've scared away either; I know for a fact that l33tpie 6 left because of the unwarranted negative attitude towards his game.

Anyway, I'm out of here. Learn to be a bit less elitist and you might become a bit more of a welcoming site for unfamiliars and RM newbies to hang around on. You can't decide to hate someone because they made one bad game or said one wrong thing in a post.

Goodbye.

P.S Don't worry about me trashtalking your site. I'll allow others the chance to try and fit in here before they too see that they're not wanted either. You've made me upset, I really had a better opinion of RMN before I started posting here.

The Emulation Debate

So... I actually got thinking about this just now after asking a friend about emulators.

Do you think it's "bad" to use emulators? And is it wrong to make them in the first place?

I've heard many arguments saying that "emulators are made to be used only by those with the actual console". Now forgive me for saying this, but that is by and large, bull****. xD

If you get an emulator, yes, you may have the console, but the large majority of people won't. They choose the free emulator over paying for consoles. And that's what leads me to this question.

Things like the SNES, Dreamcast, or even the PS1 aren't shipped new anymore. You can only get second hand ones, so the companies that make them don't get profit from them anymore. Therefore, is it still considered stealing by using emulators?

The same goes for ISOs and ROMs of games on these consoles. The games aren't made new anymore, so there's no profit for the respective production companies, so would you still consider it theft?

Me... I'm not sure. That's why I made this topic. I thought it might lead to some healthy debate.

An Apology???

First of all, sorry if this is not in the right forum. I'm actually not sure where a topic like this would go. Feel free to move this topic if you wish.

Dear everyone on RMN,

I'm not quite sure how to start this post at all... I've never done a post like this before, so bear with me as I try to wing it and say what I need to say.

First and foremost, getting right to the point, I'm concerned that on RMN there seems to be some negative stigma attached to my name and my games, and it's gotten to the point where I want to know why and how I could possibly fix it.

The problem is that people on RMN do not seem overly friendly to me. I came here to this very well designed site which promised a creative community and a friendly feedback system where I could talk to others who enjoy doing what I do. Unfortunately, I have found that in my opinion, RMN doesn't want to be that to me.

The main source of this impression of mine is the constant belittling and percieved insults I recieve from RMN members. Examples include Craze's comments towards me and this quote from Darken:

Way to take my asshole remark to Dark Gaia's games too seriously.

There are others but I think I've got the point across. I feel quite upset that people take this attitude to me when I have done nothing to intentionally offend or hurt RMN or it's members. If I have unintentionally, I'm sorry and didn't mean to do so, but I feel that comments like those above are not making me feel as if RMN is a community worth staying at.
People always dispute what I say or through it back at me, or belittle me through what I am saying, or else just openly insult me and my games. Nobody on RMN save for Fallen Griever even plays my games anyway (is there some reason why, when in reality there are much worse ones out there and I have a good fan base, I have YouTube Let's Play videos made of my games) and then they insult them and me at the same time.

I want to know what I've done to deserve such treatment. I just want to be treated as a friend and a part of the community and I want to apologize for anything I may have done. I don't want to cause trouble with this topic but I would assume it's inevitable that some argument will come of this and I just want to say I'm sick of it. I'll apologize for whatever I've done to you, but stop insulting me and treat me like a real person. Don't just downtrod and attack everything I do!

Dark Gaia

The Beyond *Full Horror Game*

Important! This game is completely standalone. No RPG Maker VX RTP is required to play.



Introduction

The Beyond is a freeware survival horror/adventure game created with RPG Maker VX. It is a psuedo sequel to the game One Night, however the story and locations are unrelated to the previous game and this game serves as a stand alone game.
The Beyond is not a normal RPG Maker game. In The Beyond, you find yourself trapped in a "haunted" mansion known as The Beyond, and are soon under attack by a strange, and evil power. Using your brain and your reflexes, you must think and fight your way to safety, solving puzzles and defeating horrifying enemies to make your escape.
In order to escape the terror, you'll first need to understand the cause of the nightmare. Make sure you collect all the clues so that you can understand the fate that has befallen the mansion. But, be careful. You are always in danger, and it is easy to let the fear overwhelm you. Don't give in to the evil.

Story Outline

Mairstone Manor

Also known as The Beyond, this mansion was built in the early 1950's by renowned ex military general and historian Thomas Mairstone.
It is situated in the rural coal mining town of Black Valley in the isolated midwest. The entire town is isolated, being situated in a remote valley, and sorrounded by acres of dense forest. The locals fear The Beyond, and blame it for several disapearances of townspeople, including the mansion's owners, and bizarre phenomena that has been recently occuring in town.

Black Valley

An isolated midwestern mining town founded in the mid 1800's. The town's mining industry has been inactive since the 1920's due to the mines being closed for an undisclosed reason. Black Valley has a population of only 300, only a small fraction of the 1200 people it housed during the mining era.
Reportedly, Black Valley is a center for paranormal activity, with many bizarre incidents being reported each month.

Characters

Two playable characters are featured in The Beyond, each one playing in a different way and having their own unique reasons for being drawn into the mansion. Each character also has their own unique endings. To see all of the game's endings, you'll need to play through as both characters!

John Faraday

An ex police officer turned private detective. John has been hired to investigate the mysterious disapearance of a group of journalists conducting research on the mansion. John has decided to search for clues in the last place the group were known to have visited, and so heads for The Beyond itself.

Sara Wickson

A horror fiction writer seeking inspiration. It's been a while since Sara wrote a big top seller, so in order to gather material to write her next novel, Sara has decided to spend a night in the infamous mansion known as The Beyond.

Game Features

> True fear will take over as you explore the mansion, uncovering the many secrets it holds. Atmospheric graphics and sounds, combined with some genuine psychological engineering will make you feel the ultimate terror.

> A fantastic challenge awaits you, with fiendish puzzles to solve, horrifying enemies to defeat, and two different characters and four endings to experience.

> Streamlined systems such as a health indicator and custom item usage system help you keep track of notes, clues and items.

> Rivetting, tense combat, using the completely customized Decision Proximity Semi Active Battle system (DPSAB) which allows enemies to deal damage based on the direction they strike from, and allows actions performed outside of battle to affect your battle performance.

Screenshots















Download

Latest Version: 3.1 Full (Approx 58MB, 1 - 3 hours of gameplay)

The download includes the complete game and all the files required to run the game, plus a game strategy guide including game instructions, tips and puzzle answers.

The game can be downloaded from here: http://www.mediafire.com/?bexc9zi2tog

Or here: http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/puzzle/the-beyond/184/
At the time of writing, the above mirror is still serving an old version of the game, however as of 10/6/2009, it should have an updated file.

(Other mirrors coming soon)

System Requirements

Reccomended System Setting

Windows XP/Vista (Windows 7 untested)

1GB of RAM or higher reccomended

1.5GhZ CPU or faster reccomended

100MB free hard drive space required

DirectDraw compatible graphics card required

MP3 compatible sound card required

Minimum System Setting

Windows 2000/XP/Vista

512MB of RAM or higher

1.2GhZ CPU or faster

100MB free hard drive space required

DirectDraw compatible graphics card required

MP3 compatible sound card required

Final Words

I would like to thank all the fans of my games who have spurred me to create this, as well as all the people who helped me create it in various games, the game would not be the same without you.

If you enjoyed The Beyond or have a question or comment, please post back with some feedback! I love to see feedback, good or bad, so don't feel afraid to share your thoughts on my game. Enjoy!

What do YOU like in an RM game?

The RPG Maker community is very vast and very diverse. Over the years, we have seen many different games be born and of course, many different styles of games too. Some do better than others, and some are ignored and fall by the wayside.

Thinking about this makes me wonder... What type of RM games do you feel are your favorite?

You could for example prefer the typical jRPG clones such as Legionwood that make up most RM communities, or perhaps you prefer the adventure and horror style RM games that are also popular, such as Ravenwood Horror or One Night.
Another type of RM game that some people enjoy may be a dungeon crawler such as Demon Tower, or else a nostalgic game that tries to emulate the old days, like Dragon Fantasy.

What do YOU like to see when you play an RM game?

Review Mine, I'll Review Yours!

I noticed that there are a lot of games on RMN that don't have reviews, but probably deserve some, so I'm initiating a small challenge I hope will increase the flow of reviews around here.

It's very simple... I'll play a game of YOUR choice (including yours) and write a fully featured review for it but you first have to play and review one of my games, either Legionwood or One Night. If you play and review either one of those two games, and mind you it doesn't have to be a positive review, just a good, honest review, I'll hold up on my end of the bargain.

So, any takers?

Released! - Legionwood

This is my Release Something VI title, unfortunately had to be released four days early... Anyway, take a look and tell me what you think!



Overview:

It's me, Dark Gaia, and I'm back with my latest and by far my best independant RPG effort, Legionwood. Legionwood is a 2D, J-RPG style freeware role playing game with a nostalgic feel right back from the 80's and 90's. If you love Final Fantasy or Breath Of Fire, you'll love Legionwood!
Legionwood is currently under development. This means that the game as of yet is still incomplete, and only the first two chapters are present. However, my release schedule is set out in the same way as Quintessense: The Blighted Venom, in that new chapters will be added on bi-monthly. A special mechanism will be included to transfer your old save files over to new versions and continue where you left off.

Some of you may remember my last game, Tales Of Worlds.

This is not like Tales Of Worlds in any way. That was my first project and as such is not at a calibre you can expect this game to be. In short, this game contains none of Tales Of Worlds's faults and I strongly urge you to play!

Introduction:

Legionwood is a new RPG Maker VX project from the creator of the RPG Maker 2003 game Tales Of Worlds. Legionwood is the product of over two year's extensive planning, writing, testing and development. It is the first ever high tier project for the RPG Maker VX system and it is truly a journey you must experience to believe.
Legionwood has been released on seven different gaming sites across the internet to rave reviews and a wonderful reception, and now you too can experience the game that truly defines the definition of the word "epic". Legionwood features an emotional, personally involving storyline, a fantastic custom soundtrack, and some of the best graphics yet seen in an RPG Maker VX game, which all combine together to create a game world vibrant with life, trials, challenges, and adventures.

Come and experience Legionwood today, and set out on a journey that will remain with you long after it's conclusion.

Story:

Legionwood. A bustling, seemingly peaceful world, filled with trade routes, treaties, and royal feasts. But it was not always so. Unfortunately, like all worlds that harbor human life, Legionwood has it's own history of violence and war. Civilizations have grown, fought and died throughout Legionwood's history, and the many ruins and necropolises that dot the fields and forests serve as sad reminders of the blazing conflicts that once raged throughout the lands.
But for now, partly because of the fear of what weapons it's rival nations may wield, each empire tries to promote sanctity, and a makeshift peace reigns supreme. It has now been centuries since the last bitter war came to it's violent end.
Treaties have been signed, and trade routes have been established, in some effort to retain a state of world peace, but depsite this, each wary king and emperor readies his forces for an attack from his former enemies that may never come. Although some form of peace is existant now, hysteria grows, and each government becomes more fearful, and it is only a matter of time before a spark turns this stale cold war into something worse, and conflict comes to Legionwood again.
And just like ages past, greed is about to resurface, and cause the greatest war Legionwood has yet seen. An unimaginable hunger for power, left unslated for millenia, an ancient pact, a being of terrible evil... All are about to come together again to try and bring unmeasurable chaos to the world.
But, there are always those who will stand against the evil. Humanity's good will managed to avert anilhilation last time, but can they come together and do it once again?
Life is a very fickle thing. And sometimes, those who create and control it are the ones who cannot remain at peace. Therefore, how can those subjects these gods control be expected to be without their own conflict? A dark age looms...


It begins as a normal day, but very abominable things are being discussed, and fear is being plotted. An assassin meets with his master, and an ancient secret society discusses armageddon with their master, an entity sealed away for millenia from civilization. They plot their combined efforts coming together in a plan of pure evil, to reignite an ancient enmity that has existed since the very dawn of time and the creation of the universe.
Meanwhile, celebrations are raging in the nation of Charn. The queen has just given birth to a new daughter, and in an effort to use the occasion to extend ties of peace with the nation's former rivals, the king has invited nobles from the empire of Trevelle to attend. There is an air of hate, and some enmity between the Charnians and their king's guests, but they are assured that all will be fine, and the occasion will be one of joy and peace.
Lann, and his younger sister Liara, both orphans, decide to attend the king's festival in order to bring some happiness into their otherwise mediocre lives, but then...
The crowd roars, and nobody notices a dark shadow accend into the overlooking tower. It all happens quickly. A twang of a bowstring, the sound of an arrow pounding into flesh, and then Charn is without a king, and Lann and Liara become the unwilling heroes in a rising conflict between god and evil that may decide the fate of Legionwood itself.

Characters:

Lann
The unwilling hero in this epic drama, Lann previously only sought to live his life in happiness, and to provide a future for he and his sister after fate dealt a terrible blow in their lives. He was never one to care about royal or international affairs, but now he and Liara are the only ones aware of the true killer of the king, and in an effort to stop escalating conflict and to make sure fate does not harm his beloved sister again, Lann must set out on a journey of attrition and revenge.

Liara
The sad, yet adventurous sister of Lann, Liara was never one for sitting around doing nothing. She is one who likes to fight against life's horrors, and wants nothing more than to strike back against fate for the sadness it brought to her life. Now her chance has come. Evil is rising, and there is a chance fate may touch the lives of millions, and now Liara is one of the only ones who can prevent sadness and depression coming to the people of Legionwood.

Ark
Once highly respected, and famed as one of the emperor's knights in Trevelle, the nobleman Ark is now marked as a traitor by the only nation that ever wanted to know him, and is hunted down for a crime he did not commit. Ark is good hearted, and it is in his nature to fight for what is right, but now revenge has taken hold of him, and he wants nothing more than to hunt down and destroy the evil ones who have placed him in this situation. His fantastic sword skills, strange mind powers, and his nickname of "The Man From Another World" may help him.

Alexis
The stubborn and hot headed Alexis was assigned as the squire to a reluctant Ark in effort by her superiors to make her more disciplined and more suited to Trevellian military life. At first, she despised having her whole life placed under the control of another, but after Ark saved her life in one fateful battle, she began to realize the importance of having friends, and having others to watch out for oneself. Now she respects Ark, and although she knows going against her emperor is wrong, Ark is her only friend and she will follow him to Hell itself.

Thyrra
The naive and kind natured princess of Hawkshire, Thyrra has no concept or understanding of the horrors the war always brings when it begins to ravage people's lives. However, Thyrra is clever minded, and she knows that a great conflict is on it's way to her country, and cannot understand why her father sees no alternative but to surrender when the time comes. When Lann and his band come to seek help from her father, she realizes the true nature of Legionwood's crisis and secretly joins them so that she may save her homeland.

Zanthus
Zanthus is the wise old friend of the king of Hawkshire, the chief of it's standing army, and the veteran of many wars. When Tyrra secretly leaves the kingdom, the king assigns the level headed and loyalty oriented Zanthus to bring her back to safety, though when Zanthus learns of the true nature of the coming conflict, he realizes Lann and his group are the only ones who can stop it, so he sympathizes with Thyrra, and instead of bringing her back, vows to eternally serve her and to protect her on her journey for peace.

Elwyn
Elwyn is a travelling mage whom nobody knows and whom shares no allegiance to any king. Despite being born in Hawkshire, Elwyn and his twin sister Laraline are free spirits, who seek nothing more than to go where they wish and do what they wish. Elwyn likes to keep to himself and would prefer to keep out of other's matters, but when Laraline joins Lann's group to preserve the future of her peaceloving lifestyle, he too comes along, for without her, he truly has nobody.

Laraline
Another travelling mage and the twin sister of Elwyn, Laraline too is a free spirit who enjoys keeping to herself and enjoying life the way she pleases. Initially, she looks down upon the group of heroes, for they are living their life bound to purpose, and she despises that, but soon she realizes that they are fighting to ensure the happiness of people such as her who just want to live their lives in peace, and she decides to become, for the first time, someone's ally for a good cause.

Game Features:

1. An epic, emotionally stirring story involving love, hate, war, peace, enmity, redemption and betrayal set in a massive, vibrant world featuring over 20 hours of traditional RPG gameplay, plus side quests, adventures and trials at every turn.

2. An involving repetoire of quests which are more than simply going to a dungeon and defeating a monster. Quests in Legionwood require forethought, planning and lots of effort, spanning entire nations, continents or the whole world.

3. 9 unique and complex characters, each with their own story and striking personality, each one able to utilize over 60 awesome abilities, wield over 80 fiersome weapons, and each with their own repetoire of unique and unimaginable powerful Frenzy attacks.

4. Riveting, tense, turn based combat utilizing the popular Turn Based Side View battle system in which emphasis is placed on tactics. Every enemy has it's own attack pattern, weaknesses and strong points, and you'll need to think at the beggining of each round rather than just clicking the attack command again.

5. An epic custom soundtrack composed entirely of non game music, and written by fantastic artists such as Ocean's Dream and Dragndude9, including some never before heard pieces by Dark Gaia exclusive to this game!

6. Fantastic mapping and graphical prowess utilizing both the VX RTP and some fantastic custom graphics by Mack and DM Dotto combined together to create a world that is visually striking and amazingly vibrant.

7. A huge array of 48 custom RGGS2 scripts, by renowned scripters such as KGC and Woratana, with innovative custom features such as custom menu system, item systems, equipment systems, party changers, anti lag systems, map enhancers and more!

8. Amazing potential for character development. Rather than assigning each of the characters a class, in Legionwood, the characters can wield whatever equipment and learn whatever skills they want to, so that you can mould each one to suit your own intended fighting style. Also, this is combined with the fantastic open ended AP Assignment stat moulding system by KGC.

AP Assignment Character Improvement System

Press the A key while on the status screen to access the system.
Now you can define each character's stats to truly make them the hero you want them to be!

While viewing a character's statistics in the character screen, you can press the A key to advance to the character advancement screen.
From here, you can access the AP assignment system, which is the main means of enhancing your characters in Legionwood. It allows you to spend attribute points (AP), gained upon levelling up, on additional stat boosts on top of your normal level up ones. You can choose which stats to raise, and which ones to excel in, allowing you to design the character to suit the fighting style you have in mind for them. You can create a tough warrior, a powerful sorcerer, or something else even more customized!

The attribute assignment system is utilized in this manor:

1. The character levels up, and in addition to gaining stat boosts, receives a small amount of AP.
2. You access the character advancement screen by pressing A while on the character screen.
3. You choose which stats you want to raise, and spend the acquired AP on them.

As you purchase a certain stat boost more often, it's AP cost begins to increase, but so does it's effect (the amount given in the boost), so if you begin to favor certain stats over others, the game will accommodate that by making that stat boost much more effective.

Screenshots:























Download:

Current Version: 2.3 (Chapters 1 and 2)



This is the most current version of Legionwood (Version 2.3) featuring the first 2 chapters of the game and roughly 4-5 hours of gameplay time. Download includes the game installer, plus font required to run the game. Please make sure you install the font BLACKCHA included in the download before you play.

Consecutive chapters will be released every two months, and you can simply transfer your save file from the current version to the next to continue playing!

System Requirments

* Windows 2000/XP/Vista
* 100 MB of Hard Disk Space
* DirectX v7.0 or later
* Pentium 200mhz equivalent or better, 1GB RAM, 4MB Video RAM
* DirectSound MP3 compatible sound card.

Website:
If you would like to talk about the finer aspects of Legionwood or keep up to date with the latest news, downloads and guides, visit the Legionwood Official Website at www.legionwood.tk.
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