Age of Monsters and Magic

This post last updated with new information on July 14

^Can you tell what game this image pays homage to?^

Overview
AoMaM is an incredible RPG adventure game made with RMVX. I skillfully have merged all of my most innovative, creative, and pleasurable game concepts into this project, which will result in its being a fantastic game to play once it is finished. This project is inspired by board games, card games, and choose-your-own-adventure books. It is further inspired by a large sum of video games that I have enjoyed.

World
The land of Teragard is a wondrous one; it is largely peaceful, is ruled by a beloved king and queen, and is an enormous land to explore and discover. Many monsters and thieves have conquered the wilds, but fortunately there are just as many adventurers ready to combat them and protect the land. Teragard is populated by many cities of all sizes, all kinds of people, lush forests, vibrant fields, tall mountains, and pleasant dirt roads. People describe it as beautiful.

There is a lot of lore for every individual location you come across in the game. The entire world is for you to explore.

Story
There are 30 storylines in the game. Each one has depth and is epic in scale. Each of the six characters have 5 different storylines to follow. You will only complete one story per playthrough. The first time you select a character, his or her story will randomly be selected for you. But the next time you select that character, you may choose which story you would like to play through. The story does not end there, though; the decisions you make on your journey will grant you 1 of 3 endings per storyline.

Characters
There are many supporting characters in each storyline, but these six are the main characters. You select one, and your journey begins. Each character has different strengths and weaknesses, and some are more balanced than others.
Amazon: A strong female warrior. The Amazon is a member of an elite guard unit that protects a city high up in the mountains.

Knight: The Knight is a member of a the castle guard, protecting the king and queen and defending the land.

Pirate: A swashbuckler of the high seas, the Pirate sometimes resorts to crime or vigilante methods, but is generally well-intentioned.

Sorcerer: A seeker of arcane knowledge who uses his wisdom to overcome any challenges he may come across.

Thief: A young woman who is unfortunately required to be on the wrong side of the law. She does the best she can to get by, and is always braced for unexpected challenges.

Witch: A spellcaster who uses her insight to solve the problems bestowed upon her.

Gameplay/Features
This is the heat of the meat. AoMaM is a visual, text-based, RPG adventure. Here are the things you can expect, in no particular order:
-Novel Mode and Arcade Mode. In Novel Mode, everything that happens in the game is explained in detail, completely immersing you in the world. In Arcade Mode, these descriptions are left out, saving you the time to have to read everything.
-The adventure is never the same twice. The encounter "cards" that you "draw" from an incorporeal "deck" dictate what you come across on your journey.
-Great music
-Original, and very awesome, artwork of everything in the game. The artist I've hired is amazing. The many images in the game help to enhance the visual value and enable you to feel even more like you are in a fantasy world.
-A secret character with an extraordinary storyline that ties together everything else that happened in the game.
-An in-game art gallery and sound test
-A records system, keeping track of your high scores of things like highest amount of gold held, most monsters defeated in one playthrough, etc.
-Awesome combat system that requires you to use only your relevant traits. If your character has a lot of Strength, but has come across some kind of magical apparatus, your strength won't help. A character with a high Wisdom score would take care of that situation in a breeze, though. On the other hand, when fighting a monster, a high strength value is a must.
-Upon clearing any obstacle, which are called "Trait Checks," you may increase one of your statistics by 1 point. Customize your character's trait values any way you want! If you fail a trait check, though, you will lose 1 hp and get no rewards!
-New equipment augments your individual traits. Weapons improve STR, Toolkits improve DEX, and Artifacts improve WIS.
-You will be able to make a choice in every single encounter you come across. If you see a burning village, you can risk your life to help its inhabitants, or you can make sure not to endanger yourself and go around! Everything is highly interactive.

Screenshots
A WIP image of the character select screen:


Bombshell
This will be a commercial game. The price will be $10.00. There will of course be a free demo. However, this game's free demo is far more expansive than most other demos you may have played. In this, you will be able to play through the entire game as many times as you want. The limitations are apparent, though, as you will not have access to the artwork, sound test, records, and will only be able to select 1 character, and will always have the same one storyline. Even with those limitations, the game can be played from beginning to end and be very enjoyable, as well as very replayable. It's just that the game is even more enjoyable and replayable if you buy the full version.

$10 for a VX game? That's ridiculously stupid. Also, I hope all of the content within your game has been created by you or hello lawsuit. Hell, I'm not even sure if using a pre-made game making tool (in this case VX) to make a game for profit is legal.

You're sounded pretty cocky, and for it to be $10, (I won't be buying it) it better be as amazing as you say it is. I shall be awaiting your demo.

If the content of the game uses the default RTP (or extra RTP provided by Enterbrain) or has graphics, scripts and audio which are royalty free ... then it's perfectly fine to charge for the game that is created. The author really needs to check up on the licenses for any graphics, scripts and audio that are not custom-made, though.

That said, ten dollars is simply far too high. I would say two or four dollars at the absolute most.

I've downloaded and previewed your other games and for ten dollars the graphics and design would need to far exceed that of your other works.

judging by the very poor title image with the shitty overused font I'd say it isn't worth $10 at all.

30 in-depth storylines. 5 stories per character.
You post a topic claiming that that's what will be in this game of yours, and your only screenshot is a HUD with nothing on it?
Games aspiring to be this epic have to have had MUCH more progress before they can be posted and not mocked.

Dark Age of Messiah and Might and Monsters of Magic

$10 for a VX game? That's ridiculously stupid. Also, I hope all of the content within your game has been created by you or hello lawsuit. Hell, I'm not even sure if using a pre-made game making tool (in this case VX) to make a game for profit is legal.

If you legally purchased VX yes. I know it's fine in Japan.

As for the game itself, well, you definitely need to show mor, even $5 is too much for a VX game at times.

Wow, I wasn't expecting all these visceral reactions!

Hopefully some of you will calm down with this information:

-It is legal to sell games made with RMVX.

-$10.00 is a fantastic price for a game, seeing as how many commercial games go for $30.00-$60.00 these days. Even very basic games, such as Angry Birds, are sold for money, though the price for them is very low.

-All content in the game is 100% original.

-I have been a game designer for over 5 years and have a load of programming experience with multiple game-making programs, as well as the leadership skills necessary to make an ambitious project like this come to fruition.

-Other games I have made are merely stepping stones I have taken to fully understand the limits of RPG Maker and my capabilities as a developer.

-I will be selling this game because it will be a commercial-quality game.

-This game probably won't be complete for another year. It has been in development for several months so far. Due to the high level of innovation, programming, artwork, writing, and more that has to be done for the game, it should be pretty clear why there is not much actually shown about it.

-@Pacman, I see that you're right about needing to be able to show more progress to avoid being mocked! Wish I had the chance to hear that from you or someone else before making this topic here! 

-Neither of the images I showed are finalized, and there is no guarantee that either of them will be used in the game. That's especially the case with the title screen-looking image.

On a less relevant note, there are a number of games that have been made with RPG Maker that have been sold. And for higher prices. For example, Deadly Sin 2 was made with RMVX, sells for $25.00, AND used a number of RTP graphics, including battlers and tilesets.

In my own personal opinion, I really think that the reactions to my statement about the game being commercial are completely over the top and unnecessary. I wish that instead of freaking out about selling a game for money, some of you would actually comment on the game itself- does it sound like something you would play? Are you interested in a game that is very immersive? Do you love seeing loads of new, original, fantasy art? Those kinds of questions are the ones meant to be posed when making a topic about a game like this. Feel free to comment on whatever you want, but my decision to sell the game is pretty final. Only in extreme circumstances would I instead consider not selling it, and complaints from the community of this site is not an extreme circumstance.

I am an adult, and I do have to make a living. Why not turn my longtime hobby into a part-time profession? I just can't understand why everyone hates the idea of spending money. If you think the game sucks, don't buy it. If a demo in which you can play through the entire game, with it being different each time, doesn't sound good enough for you, then don't even download the demo, and remove this game from your thoughts as it clearly is uninteresting to you.

I doubt I'll be returning to this site until I can post that the game is finished (as I said, I estimate in maybe a year, though that length of time is pure guesswork), unless of course some members of this community actually take an interest in the game and comment on something besides the fact that it will cost money.

I have spoken!

No RM game is worth money.

No RM game is worth money.

Even ones that have been completely coded to the point where one can't even tell it was made with RPG Maker?

And as I said, if you don't want to buy it, and don't even want to play the demo, there is nothing forcing you to do anything.

I'm going out on a limb here, but I would say that the majority of the posts here are more about your presentation than your actual game. First, its never a good idea to overpraise yourself in your topic. Saying things like, "I'm back with a really impressive game," means nothing. Nickelback probably thinks all of their music is really impressive, but it just sucks ass. Now, if you had other people saying that it was impressive, that would be more legitimate. Charging money is also presumptuous, particularly because you're set on a pricing when the game isn't even finished yet. This makes it sound like you're more concerned about making money than finishing the game itself. Looking at the other games you've made makes it clear that you specialize in sub-par flash-type games, with blasted jpegs in lieu of custom images. Oh, and I had to manually change your broken links in my address bar. If you can't code a link, how can you code a game?

*claps slowly, speeding up with everyone joining*

I'm going out on a limb here, but I would say that the majority of the posts here are more about your presentation than your actual game. First, its never a good idea to overpraise yourself in your topic. Saying things like, "I'm back with a really impressive game," means nothing. Nickelback probably thinks all of their music is really impressive, but it just sucks ass. Now, if you had other people saying that it was impressive, that would be more legitimate. Charging money is also presumptuous, particularly because you're set on a pricing when the game isn't even finished yet. This makes it sound like you're more concerned about making money than finishing the game itself. Looking at the other games you've made makes it clear that you specialize in sub-par flash-type games, with blasted jpegs in lieu of custom images. Oh, and I had to manually change your broken links in my address bar. If you can't code a link, how can you code a game?

Boy oh boy, I sure do have to earn my respect around these parts! Please allow me to pleasantly address everything you've mentioned in this post, as most of it is pretty valid.

-Good point in how my very opening statement means nothing. Even though I was active here 3 years ago, it is very apparent that no one here remembers me now. So I'll just take that out because, as you imply, it does worsen the presentation.

-I disagree that it seems like I am making this game to make money. As an entertainer, my main goal is to entertain people, and I think I have made that evident enough by saying multiple times how playable and replayable even just the demo will be. Also, the reason that I mentioned price at the very end of my post, amounting to 10% of the content of that post, should be enough to demonstrate that I emphasize other aspects of the game more greatly.

-Looking at other games I have made will tell you absolutely nothing about this game. I really like the Nintendo game Pokemon, but I hated Nintendogs. Those are both games by the same company. They are different, and not comparable. I can't say Nintendo specializes in one thing or another by comparing two games they have made to one that has not even been released yet.

-I copied my signature from a different forum that I'm more active on, where the coding is slightly different. I hadn't tested the sig after copying it, and so I wasn't even aware the links were broken! I will fix them right away.


As I've been saying, you don't have to buy this game or even care about this game. If you really hate it, for whatever reasons you may have, then leave it alone. But if you keep arguing, then be asssured that I will respond to your concerns, because I like to be a nice guy-- That's why I haven't used any harsh language or made any assumptions about you or anyone else here!

Nintendogs and Pokemon were made by two different developers. Nintendo and GameFreak/Creatures Inc, respectively. Just because they were published by the same company, that doesn't mean they were made by the same company. You, on the other hand, have developed all three of these games. You are also just one person, as opposed to a group of people. Thus, it is possible to use your old games as a barometer for your new one.

Oh, and you're not Nintendo. FYI.

I hope you understand I wasn't comparing myself to Nintendo, and also never will. Because I am not them, that would be a bad comparison to make. I can only ever compare myself to myself, if I want to be accurate.

While your point is true that Nintendogs and Pokemon actually were developed by different companies, you do not disprove my point that all games made by the same company are not the same game. "I can't say Nintendo specializes in one thing or another by comparing two games they have made to one that has not even been released yet." In this same sense, you cannot say that I specialize in one thing or another by looking at two of my other games, which, again, I have called "stepping stones" in my experience with game development.

Additionally, there actually is a group of people working on AoMaM. They have all been or are being compensated. I am the game's lead designer and producer, as well as many other things. Our team is small.

Lastly, even though I really am having fun debating you (not sarcasm), please try to direct our debate towards an on-topic subject. I don't want this to turn into some conversation about Nintendo or another game company, or something someone is doing or has done. I want this topic to be about my game only. Please and thank you.

I doubt I'll be returning to this site until I can post that the game is finished

Without a demo? Screenshots or anything? You will be forgotten.

I doubt I'll be returning to this site until I can post that the game is finished

Without a demo? Screenshots or anything? You will be forgotten.

Exactly. As Pacman pointed out earlier in the topic, a topic shouldn't be made without there being substantial content to show off, or else it will be mocked, which has clearly been demonstrated so far. Why reveal everything about the game bit by bit, only to be mocked and insulted for it until I have the substantial content I need?

Keep in mind that I also said right after that statement that I will definitely stay active with this topic if the community here actually takes an interest in the game. So if all the irrational and fevered complaints about money are replaced by interest and curiosity and perhaps feedback regarding the game itself, I will happily stay and post updates and answer questions and be involved here!
But unless that change occurs, I'll keep away for a while. Being exposed to all this complaining about me giving you a fun game to play can't be healthy for me!

The issues that have been raised about charging for the game can be traced back to the lack of visual information and general progress of the design (and possibly in part to the fluffy wording of your original post). As a potential player, being provided with what scant information is available, I have to ask myself the following questions : "What do I have to become excited about? Does the game creator have a track record of making great games? Have I liked the games the creator made in the past?"

Since I had never played any of your games before, I went to your website and downloaded each one. After having played all of them, I formed an opinion that your skills would have had to improve greatly to maintain my interest in 'Age of Monsters and Magic'. You have said that your past games were 'stepping stones', but at this time it is all that I have to base my opinion on.

If you went to a bank and asked for a fifty-thousand dollar loan whilst having a nearly vacant credit score, you would most likely not get what you wanted. This is what I feel like you are asking of me. You would like me to be excited and supportive of your game, but your past history has not shown what I believe to be commercial quality work. This is, again, my opinion based on having played your past games as this is all that I have available to help me make my decision.

Future screen shots and additional information that you provide very well may be sufficient to change my original opinion, but until then I really have nothing else to go on.

The issues that have been raised about charging for the game can be traced back to the lack of visual information and general progress of the design (and possibly in part to the fluffy wording of your original post). As a potential player, being provided with what scant information is available, I have to ask myself the following questions : "What do I have to become excited about? Does the game creator have a track record of making great games? Have I liked the games the creator made in the past?"

Since I had never played any of your games before, I went to your website and downloaded each one. After having played all of them, I formed an opinion that your skills would have had to improve greatly to maintain my interest in 'Age of Monsters and Magic'. You have said that your past games were 'stepping stones', but at this time it is all that I have to base my opinion on.

If you went to a bank and asked for a fifty-thousand dollar loan whilst having a nearly vacant credit score, you would most likely not get what you wanted. This is what I feel like you are asking of me. You would like me to be excited and supportive of your game, but your past history has not shown what I believe to be commercial quality work. This is, again, my opinion based on having played your past games as this is all that I have available to help me make my decision.

Future screen shots and additional information that you provide very well may be sufficient to change my original opinion, but until then I really have nothing else to go on.

Thank you so much for this fair assessment! You raise good points and are respectful. The only thing I'm unsure of is what you mean by the "fluffy wording" of my original post.

If I get more posts like this, I would gladly update this site regularly.

However, you said that my skills would need to be improved greatly for you to be "interested" in AoMaM. So you aren't interested in this project at all? Or are you just not interested in buying it? If the latter is the case, then please correct yourself. Because if the former is true, meaning you aren't interested in the game at all, then your expectations for every RM game made are absurdly high, especially considering that RM's userbase is populated mostly by beginners.

I would be amazed if anyone was ready and willing to buy a game that belongs in the "New Projects" forum; there isn't that much to go by. When the game is finished, it will cost money, but also be worth spending money to play.
Instead of fearing that eventual time, why not be interested in the game, and at least play the demo when it comes?

In any case, I'd like to say thanks again for not posting a hostile or disrespectful comment!

I'm going to go and be off norm of myself and instead of criticism to just wish you luck and hope that you soon include some visual information about your game. Though I do agree with Holk that no RM game should cost money - just my opinion though.

Of course you can make an assessment of a developer's games by looking at what they've done before. Especially in the case of a solo developer. When I buy a Bioware developed game, I know what to expect: A thoroughly fleshed-out world, the priority of storyline placed over gameplay, and a good/evil compass somewhere within. Of course, not every game that they make has all of these, but these are what they're known for. So, in looking at your previous games, I know what to expect. If you don't believe that this is true, then you're lying to yourself.

In any case, what you've done here has worked, as I will play your demo when it comes out.

I'm going to go and be off norm of myself and instead of criticism to just wish you luck and hope that you soon include some visual information about your game. Though I do agree with Holk that no RM game should cost money - just my opinion though.

Thank you very much! That's a kind thing to say. If I looked at any RM game I've seen before, I too would think that RM games should not be sold. However, selling them is a practice that is already done, and I think the uniqueness and enjoyability of this particular game reach far beyond what most RM games achieve, to the level where I believe this game will be of a quality that deserves to be commercial-- and maybe when the game is finished, you will think the same. Thanks again for being nice!

Of course you can make an assessment of a developer's games by looking at what they've done before. Especially in the case of a solo developer. When I buy a Bioware developed game, I know what to expect: A thoroughly fleshed-out world, the priority of storyline placed over gameplay, and a good/evil compass somewhere within. Of course, not every game that they make has all of these, but these are what they're known for. So, in looking at your previous games, I know what to expect. If you don't believe that this is true, then you're lying to yourself.

In any case, what you've done here has worked, as I will play your demo when it comes out.

I think I mostly agree with this. Mostly, but not entirely. Watch the movie Following and then the movie Inception. Can you tell that the movies had the same person working as both writer and director? Would you expect the filmmaker of Following to eventually make a movie like Inception? I sure wouldn't! I think, to be totally accurate, you would be right in saying that you can somewhat know what to expect. As I gain experience and improve, and have come to believe this game is at least capable of being commercial quality, you certainly should not expect this game to be the same, quality-wise, as my past games.

And also, Professor Holkeye, please listen to my counterarguments!! As I already told you, I'm not developing this game entirely on my own. I am getting honest feedback from my team, who offer it voluntarily upon request. Each day improvements are being made because of their criticisms. In my past games, there was less teamwork and more "hey, can you do this one thing for me?" from a few collaborators.

Anyways, I think we're done arguing, unless you want to bring up something else!

In the event you want to keep arguing, please keep your concerns related to AoMaM, or send a PM. As I said in my last response to you,

Lastly, even though I really am having fun debating you (not sarcasm), please try to direct our debate towards an on-topic subject. I don't want this to turn into some conversation about Nintendo or another game company, or something someone is doing or has done. I want this topic to be about my game only. Please and thank you.

You directly brought up another game company and talked about things they do and blah blah. It's irrelevant. I think it's obvious to both of us that our opinions are unshifting, regardless of what evidence we use to back them up. I know I did the same thing with my example about those films, but come on, man... I'd love to hear you say something about AoMaM rather than something totally unrelated to AoMaM. Your arguments are more about me personally and my skills as a developer than the game.

Anyways, please just send me a PM if you want to keep this off-topic argument up! I'd prefer it, as our argument certainly isn't doing much to say anything about AoMaM.

I'll try to stay on topic so, I think what you've said about the game makes it sound great. And I do want to play the game (just because playing indie games is my thing), the choices and alternate outcomes sound cool (emphasis on sound) and I really love visual novel type games, and the fact you're adding combat makes it a whole lot better.

But, it would actually be in your best interest to keep the topic active even if we don't say good things because if you hold off on the demo, especially when we know you did, I doubt anyone (here) would buy it before trying it beforehand to decide whether or not they'd like to purchase it.

Just another RMRK user who is deaf to criticism. Good luck on your game.