[VX] Final Fantasy IV-II: Skill Demo Here!

Added Game Features section to main post. These are already in, tested and working!

Much of the "game engine" scripting is in, but needs configuring. Still, I feel that the game is taking shape. New to the main post are three screens, one of which shows an in-game cutscene, and another showing the party selection menu- nothing new to many of you, I'm sure, but it shows all of the characters. Please note that a few of the sprites will change as time goes by.

Once the engine is properly configured, mapping (and in some cases, re-mapping) can take place, with cutscenes being put in simultaneously.

The next task is to post something more to look at with the game features, to give an idea of how those things will look and work. Alternate windowskins will be shown occasionally, as will alternate text fonts.

I am also fiddling with Tileset E to get a more customised look to the maps.

This looks fantastic! Darn! I wish I could get my game up 

This is looking really good, Jack. When will we get a demo?

Well, my first task is to finish the scripting and common events- you know, the stuff that makes it work like it's supposed to. Once that's done, it shouldn't be long. I am trying very hard to get to that stage! I would estimate another 3 weeks, if I'm lucky.

And thanks for the good mojo!

I have decided to use a different sprite for Rydia; the one I modified just looked... odd to me. Here is the heroine herself, in what may be her final form. Thanks to the Famitsu character generator and the free Gimp program!

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I'm pretty content with the other character chips I have, too. You can see some of the characters in the party select screenshot.

A loot screen with an alternate font is now shown on the main post, and there are two music clips there, as well. I'm finally happy with my tile E, but some of the icons (particularly those used for Yanfly's Bestiary and Skill Query[screenshot pending]) I wanted to redraw. At the time of this writing I have finished the icons for said scripts and will continue work on custom skill icons.

Tasks are being crossed off my "to do" list fairly quickly now, it shouldn't be long untill I can tackle the SBS and some minor configs in the scripts and database. I project that a demo will be available by Thanksgiving, at the latest. The demo will take the player through the first two dungeon areas and the first three towns. It's not going to stick to the exact storyline because I will have you meet all ten storyline characters at levels that show some of their skills.

But enough of all that, back to work for me.

A bestiary screen with new icons is up, as is a menu screen. I just saw a few errors I will need to correct in the shots, like Lazarus' class being absent. Oh well. Bintel Dungeon is now from an in-game perspective rather than the map drawing screen.

I have put in all the scripts I need to complete the engine except for two; the SBS and the battle backdrop script. I'm having trouble with the latter, the one I got here does not seem to work so I'll try some script-fu to fix it. Either way, still a ton of config I need to do. On the other hand, the "to-do" list is getting shorter and shorter untill I have a playable demo. I want to give you something good, so I'm gonna take my time.

The amount of time I am able to invest in game making is averaging out to an hour each day- usually I'll get three hours here, skip a few days, so forth and so on. Makes it tough to stay on task sometimes. The other major frustration is that I spend so much time at work with a better computer than I have at home, but I can't use RMVX due to internet restrictions. Bleah.

Happy!

I have all the major components of the game engine in. All I need to do now is insert some plug 'n' play scripts for minor functions and configure all the new script functions to my liking, such as the alchemy and bestiary, and get a few common animations up and running. Actually, it's a pretty big job, but it's one that I can do with relative ease. I cleaned up the database so that skillsets are all together and the order of skills matches the order of classes and actors who play them. In other words, when you look at actors, it says Jim, Laz, Tiv, etc.; classes are Monk, Holy Knight, Divine Knight; skillsets appear as Tae, Holy Sword, Mighty Sword. On that note, if any new game designers are reading this, do yourself a favor and keep that DB organized!

Here are the tasks I will be tackling next

Spoiler for:

*Put in a cred screen, Different ways to Die, Extra Drops, and a Battleback script. If anyone can help with the latter, please PM me.
*A few tweaks to the Bestiary, Scan spells, monster descriptions and monster config in the DB.
*Input recipies (called "grimoires") and reagents in the DB for use with Item Synth (or "alchemy")
*Configure some skills that cost HP rather than MP
*Start work on some custom animations for custom skills. Back to the spriting board...

       
The biggest deal, the SBS, proved to be not so scary after I read the instructions and the relevant parts of the script a few times. Now that the SBS bugbear is whipped, so to speak, I feel that a demo is not far away. To do that, I will get some of the lower-level skills, items, weapons, etc. in proper working order and revamp some of the dungeon areas. Looking back on what I had originally mapped, I'm kind of embarassed... but I will redeem myself, thanks to the guidance I have recieved at this forum.

With that said, I'm always looking ahead to other tasks, and I have assembled some pictures of some monsters I want to have as Rydia's eidolons.

Bomb

Spoiler for:

King Tonberry

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Ifrit

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The above images are not even close to final renditions, resolutions, or anything else- just ideas.
More music and a battle screen have been added to the main post. I'm gonna be busy in the next week, but I'll try to get something up worth looking at by the 11th. Peace and hair grease!

I have implemented battle backgrounds into the system. The reason why they didn't work for me is because I am a script idiot and failed to understand the directions properly, but once I did, it worked just fine. I didn't like it so I went with a different script. Kinda funny that the new script is more complex but I got it running in no time at all.

The configuring of existing scripts is giong well, most script-dependant skills are working properly, as are the goodies in the I/W/A database. The entire DB is cleaned up and easy to use, so development should go smoother. The credit screen is in and will be seen at the end of the demo and game.

There should be a demo in the next two weeks. Lots of real life stuff to do this week, but I get Friday through Sunday off of work. You may get a demo as early as Monday, November 16th...

I'm going to assume that your character sheet's file name has a ! in it... Do not use the ! with actual characters. That's only used for objects. In your first screenshot in the castle dungeon, it's obvious. When you use !, it brings your character's position on screen down to the grid line which makes your character look like it's walking on top of the tile below it rather than walking on a floor. With no !, your character is automatically raised a couple pixels off the base gridline. It looks like you need to undo this with all your non-RTP characters.
In your Wayland Town screenshot, try to fix the yellow roofed building's roof. It should be 2 tiles tall instead of 1. Also, I don't particularly prefer the use of those stone tiles as a path since it's the same tile and obviously repeated. It gets monotonous. If there were many different variations of a stone path and you used them in a random combination, I'd say that's awesome. I would prefer the use of the stone autotile or even just the dirt autotile. Your mapping has really improved otherwise.

Your mapping has really improved otherwise.

Coming from you, that means a lot to me! Thank you so much.

And yep, you guessed right. I wondered what was going on with the "sunk" look to the sprites. I'll fix that ASAP.

No demo today.  Sorry. Real life stuff took precedence yet again, and I could not finish work on the demo. As it was, I sacrificed some sleep to put together what I did. However, I made a helluva good start. The character sheets have had the ! removed so they are in the middle of the tiles as opposed to on top of the grid line, and the introductory scenes are working properly... I think. I'm using parallel processes to drive the scenes, but I'm not sure if I programmed it so they will not be there the next time you visit the area. The plan is to take the player through Bintel Dungeon, the world map to Wayland, and through the Goblin Cave where Rydia will relearn the Goblin call. Then you go to Spinnaker, where the scene changes to Tresserhorn. There you will guide Mornay to Matilda, and then go to Wayland again.

The demo will hopefully showcase the battle system, battle backs, various skills, the Alchemy function, the bestiary and the menu functions. I hope to have it complete by 11/19 at the latest.

Still no demo. I suppose I could throw what I have at you, but its almost unplayable. Lots of bugs, mainly because I get distracted a lot at home. Oh, well. Just a few more days... its so close I can taste it.

The skeleton is there, it just needs some more flesh. Here's to hoping for a Thanksgiving demo.

Eech. The demo is on the main page. I wanted to put more work into it; as it stands it's kinda boring but it gives you a glimpse of what the game is about- I guess that's what a demo is. Still, even with all the distractions, I had hoped to put out something better with more features and thing to do. Give me to after Thanksgiving and I'll have it, I promise. That having been said...

I hope at least the demo gives you a sense of what the game will be. I chose not to include several characters, I want them to be surprises. Many graphical improvements are coming, better sound, and a more organized line of play with more background information as well. What I'd like in the way of feedback is technical stuff I may have missed. Make sure to install the included font. I hope it can at least be said that it could be entertaining once it's more polished.

Now it's off to deal with some of those distractions...

Couple things

1 - You are missing a couple music pieces. The one you need to start is missing. (13 - The Emperor Gestahl)
2 - MP3s get bad quality with VX. Try and convert them to oggs, which will also help with the size of the demo.

So....thats all for now

I can't believe I did that... okay, try this one.

I think the file size had something to do with all the garbage in it; I fixed that, too.

How can I convert my mp3's to oog? It sounds complicated... but I'd love to if it will save space.

Here's a link, in case you don't wanna go back to page 1.
Here ya go.

edited to reflect 2.1 changes

Version 1.4 out, all links fixed. Added Goblin Cave, put encounters back into Bintel dungeon.

I got RMVX to get past the 'net filters at work, so I've had a bunch more time to play around with the game. Thus do I give you FF IV II v1.6. This is the product I wanted to give you by Thanksgiving. This is what I wanted you to play. After you're done, tell me if you would go back and re-map the town of Wayland. Compared to Spinnaker, I feel it is kinda primitive; it was the first map I made. I'm probably going to change the Inn layout at any rate.

Get it here.
I hope you have fun, and please tell me what you think.


EDIT: Whoops. Wrong file, fix'd now.
Edited to reflect 2.1 changes

Just thought I'd post an update. Eventing is not my strong point, so it's going a bit slower than I want, but progress is being made. Spinnaker Castle is my next big task and it's going pretty well. The story has taken its next big step from the end of the demo, and sometime next month I'll release another, longer, less buggy demo.

I saw that the 1.6 demo has been DL'd 6 times, thanks for taking interest!

Merry Christmas, y'all. 14 downloads, wow! Still working on the game as much as I can between work and the Brute Squad.

Long time since last post. Work is slow, mainly due to Brute Squad work. Oh, and I injured my hands at work last week. Don't worry, though- the game is still progressing.  26 downloads? Wow! But still no feedback, hmmm...

I promise to download and give you some feedback

Aww, thanks Skanks!

Some comments I recieved from my playtesters involved some weather effect bugs and spelling errors, but other than that reviews are positive. Now that my hands are in better shape, its time to get back on the stick, so to speak and get the game development back on schedule.

I added a lottery mini-game, designed by grafikal, into an optional area just north of Spinnaker Castle. I intend to finish the progression up to traveling to the elf city of Oakhaven before releasing another demo update. The forthcoming update, version2.0, will have numerous bugs fixed and will incorporate more characters, new skills and more alchemy and cooking recipies. The grocery store in Spinnaker will be open for Matilda's cooking (a new alchemy-like addon) and there will be more enemies in the general overworld than just Flan Sucre.

Some confusion ensued with my playtesters as to how to get the game to run in the first place, so to clarify: you will need to install the RMVX RTP to play. You will also need to copy the enclosed font (its in the root directory after you install the demo) into your fonts folder under WINDOWS for PC users. I'm sure there is something similar for Apple users.

Since joining Brute Squad, work has all but halted on this project, but I still tinker with it every day. In a month or so, I'd like to have a demo 2.0 available which will take the player all the way to Oakhaven. What does that mean, you ask? Wait and see, my little friend...