[VX] Sermon: Tales of Tides

Features

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CTB with unique skills implemented for each character (Sort of like the limits in FFX).
Spirit Guage system restricts the usage of inhuman techniques (No shooting fireballs all willy nilly without a price)
Factions allow you to shimmy your way onto everyone's good side (Religions as a whole, tribes, villages, etc)
Mini-Games to play through, so the game isn't all serious and stern-faced the entire time (Slots, treasure hunting, chasing animals and anything else I can think of that I didn't put here)
Questing allows you to raise your faction ranks without having to to progress the story (Personal Quests, Character Quests and Hired Quests)

The Current World

Human Nature

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The year is unknown. From the current date, it is possibly hundreds of thousands of decades away. What is known is that humans have been around a long time, the ruins of the planet being testament to many great tragedies, as well as mysteries. Great wars were had in the times passed, but the only thing for certain is that humanity was not lost. Through thick and thin, everyone has managed to persevere and pull together in the most anxious times of need. However, the nature of humans is unchanging, thus repeating what it has not known.

Ubiquitous Belief

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Within the current state of affairs amongst human co-existence, there is still much quarrel. Outside of greater civilization, anarchy is maintained lawlessly and seemingly endlessly. However, a universal fact is that more and more people are beginning to turn to their faith for the answer. It is within the teachings of many religions to share the gift of what you've gained through your faith. Though many can convolute what they perceive as truth.

Eventually, the followers of the Virgin Faith had grown fearful of those who practice Spiritualism. A rumor was started when a woman returned to town in a panic after having seen a Psychopomp Shaman give form to a spirit. Whatever the Psychopomp's reasoning for having done such a thing was inexcusable, and unrelated to the dilemma. Those of the Virgin Faith within the town began to speak of heresy amongst the other beliefs and eventually took up arms, in order to protect themselves, their young ones and their beliefs. The Elder of the tribe with whom the accused Psychopomp was housed with opted to resolve their quarrels peacefully, but the town's people were entirely too frightened. Their mayor wished to ban their practice, or to have them burned at the stake for heresy of their beliefs. Opposed to the abandoning of their way of life, the tribe fought for their lives. And thus was the start of the Religious Campaigns.

Unruly Sights

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The greater continent of Celestré was chosen for the Religious Campaigns. With population as a main factor, it seemed a logical starting point for the opposing parties. As Crusaders ventured forth to preach the words of the Virgin Faith, Psychopomps spread word of their miraculous work. Rumors spread quickly over those of the Spiritualist faith, their abilities to heal and contact the dead giving hope to those mourn-stricken and broken by the death of loved ones. The Virgin Faith was losing the race, it seemed.

Felix Aloysius was the first crusader to raise his sword unjustly to a Shaman during talks of rallying events. Protesting their blatant debauchery of not only their own beliefs, but that of the Virgin Faith's as well, he cut down a Shaman in cold blood. This, for those of the Virgin Faith, officially marked both a tragic happening... And the beginnings of a war.

Characters

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You
Age: 18
Gender: Male or Female
Skill: Ring
You happen to have no name. An orphaned child as a result of the war, you are simply lost amongst the wilderness of the untamed world. While wandering the desecrated paths, you stop at a crossroads. There are four directions for you to travel, and one of them is NOT an option.

The path you take is the religion you chose, the towns being of an obvious association to it's own respectable religion.

Delita Thorn
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Skill: TBD
Delita poses as a male in order to become part of the crusaders. Her goal since the beginning of the war was to speak peacefully on the idiocies that have taken the people in, and that the focus of religion and the preservation of the young have been completely trampled upon. However, Delita seems to have frequent trouble hiding herself from the other men.

When she is found, she runs from the crusaders, in order to seek another way in which to end the war as bloodlessly as possible.

Awmna T'halsur
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Skill: Guage
Awmna is a Psychopomp by obligation, thrown into the midst of the war in the middle of the Religious Campaigns. His orders to spread his beliefs were both ill-given and completely against what he'd grown up practicing. Though he never wanted to become a Psychopomp, he believes in what he practices, deviating from his tribe quickly at the start of war.

Awmna escapes to a temple at the east of Celestré, where he is treated as a refugee and not forced to relinquish his practice.

Kana Tsuchimikado
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Skill: Sequence
Heiress to the scriptures handed down over times passed, Kana is forced into the wars when a rebellious faction of Crusaders attacks her temple. Using their In'y?d?, they protect themselves as long as possible, but the temple eventually falls. Kana runs with the scriptures, feeling that their humble faith would be dragged into the war as well. Frantically seeking help, she travels southward, to a nearby temple, where she takes refuge, and safeguards the scriptures.

A weak-willed monk attempts to sell the scriptures to obstinate Shaman, forcing Kana to run once again, as well as begin to question her faith as well.

Classes

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Onmyouji - Practitioners of In'y?d?. In'y?d? is the study of natural science and occultism. Onmyouji attend Sunday Sanzenkai and recite sutras regularly in order to maintain their faith. In'y?d? is used in the form of a martial art, in order to maintain discipline. All Onmyouji can contract a single familiar with which to perform their biding.

Crusader - Protectors of the Virgin Faith. The Virgin Faith is a degenerative religion based off of Christianity. Crusaders attend mass with all of their respective town's believers, in order to maintain their faith. Crusaders practice chivalry and the arts as a form of discipline, the way of the sword only being one of the few. Crusaders are made to maintain a horse, both for companionship and loyalty amongst living beings.

Psychopomp - Practitioners of Spritualism. Spiritualism is the practice of the interaction of spirits and their respective realms. Psychopomps practice their art alone, unlike normal Shaman of the Spiritualism faith. Spiritualism is used among Psychopomps to protect and guide people and spirits alike. Unlike the other two major religions, Spiritualism allows Psychopomps to practice and interact freely, as a form of respect to their particular class.

The Battle System

The battle system is a simplified CTB (Conditional Turn Based) with everything very dumbed down. The main purpose of the game isn't to impress with large numbers, after all. The battle system is meant to be something fun, but challenging.

The numbers

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The largest number you will see at one time is 999. I kept it down to three digits in order to keep the battle system of the game simplified. Here are the caps on the various character aspects:

Level: 20
HP: 999
AP: 99
SP: 99
STR: 255
DEF: 255
SPI: 255
AGI: 255

ACU: 95
EVA: 50
CRI: 50

The amount of experience to the next level will always be 100.

Character Skills

For the sake of ease of explanation, the individual character skills will be referred to as executions. This term will also be used in game. Mock up images (of poor quality) will be used to demonstrate certain explanations.

Ring

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The ring execution Is something similar to that of the Shadow Hearts series. If you've never seen/heard of/played Shadow Hearts 1, 2 or 3, here is a video to help you get the gist of it: Shadow Hearts 1: Random Battle

The main character's ring execution is different, in that it is something a bit more complicated. An individual Spirit Attack will have a different ring setup, in which there are different areas to match. The main character's first move, no matter what class you choose, will always be the setup in the following illustration:



The area pointed out above is the Match Area. When the execution appears on-screen, you initiate it using the confirm button. This will send a marker around the ring. The marker is simply a line that circles the ring. Inside of the match area, you'll need to press the confirmation button once. If it is pressed outside of a Match Area or more then once within a Match Area, the skill will fail, and your turn will be forfeited.

After confirming the marker within the Match Area, the marker will circle the ring, coming back around. When the marker arrives once again to the Match Area, press the confirmation button again to confirm the skill. If the marker is confirmed over the same spot in which you confirmed it the first time, your skill will have full effect. If not, the skill will have -20% effect.

This is an example as best as I could animate it, using black and white:



And here are two examples of missing:



In ring with multiple Match Areas, there will never be more then three. You'll have to execute this same maneuver said amount of times over, for each Match Area. The same rules still apply.

Guage

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Awmna's Guage execution works like Tidus' overdrive in FFX. For those who've never seen this, here is a video: Tidus Overdrives
I do apologize for the terrible quality of the video. It was simply the best one I could find.

Well then. Here are the differences. The guage is different from the ring, in that areas do not need to be matched. The Strike Zones within the guage only need to be hit once. However, upon initiating the guage, the speed will vary depending on the skill used. If the Strike Zone is missed, or the confirmation button is hit before or after the Strike Zone, Awmna's turn will be forfeited.

Here is the basic layout of the guage:



The closer to the center of the guage you confirm, the closer to it's original effect the skill will perform. If confirmed closer to the edges, skill will be performed at -20 percent effectiveness. As well as with the ring, there are skills that will require multiple Strike Zones to be confirmed.

Sequence

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The sequence is something I thought would be perfect for this sort of thing. Using the system of prayer as a basis, a sequence of directions needs to be inputed in order to perform anything with Kana's Shikigami. There are only four basic directions to remember (UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT), but it is up to YOU, the player, to memorize the various directions for her skills. In game, Kana will have a scroll in which she lists all of the skills her Shikigami can perform.

The sequences are timed, so you cannot sit there and try to remember. You need to dish them out on the spot. You cannot guess the sequences either, as they need to be learned and memorized in game.

This is the basic layout of the sequence input screen:



If time runs out, Kana's turn will be forfeited. If a skill is inputed before the timer is below fifty percent, then the skill will have it's full effect. If finished while the timer is below fifty percent, the move will be -20 percent effective.

AP and SP

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There are various skills rationed out through the game. Some can only be learned by certain characters, and others can be learned by everyone. The main difference is Physical and Spiritual.

Physical skills take up AP (Ability Points). AP can be restored with the usage of items and rest, and determines the character's will to perform.

Spiritual skills take up SP (Spirit Points). SP cannot be restored withe the usage of items, but is restored at the beginning of each battle, and determines the character's spiritual fortitude.

There are variations on skills that consume both AP and SP. These skills will require for you to use the corresponding character's execution method.

Screenshots

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The title, so far:

The initial setup of the battle layout. The bar behind the name is the SP bar:

Targetting the enemy displays it's status

Credits
(So Far)

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Scripting:
Moghunter: http://www.atelier-rgss.com
•Scene_Title_Miria
Mithran
•Static EXP
Yanfly: http://www.pockethouse.com/
•Interface Fix
•Party Display
•Enemy Data Display
Puppeto04: http://quiet-labs.net/
•CTB Battle System
Omegazion
•Two MP System
Diakonos
•Battle Background by Area

Graphics:
MG Shell
•Title Screen
•Fogs
Hanzo Kimura
•Game Logo

Concluding

Further progress is to be made upon this project, and this will only be completed with the passing of time. With an increasingly busy lifestyle, RPG Making is becoming more and more of a hobby rather then something I MUST do. With some critique and steady inspiration, this could become a masterpiece (hopefully).

This game looks pretty cool. Good luck!

You have a few formatting errors in your post though, and I don't like that all the text is centred. That's just post format though.

Gack. Hopefully, I took care of all of that with this update.