[XP] Timefliers

Notes: This has been in works for so long, I figured I should put it here. Finally.


Summary

Name: Timefliers
Type: JRPG-type
Time spent on project so far: 7 years if you get technical. 1 month of actual in-game work.
Gameplay completed (from New Game): 30 minutes, not including battles.

This is my first time posting a real project, so I'm not going to pull punches selling it to you. 'Sell' being a loose term, since...y'know...free. Let's start with:

What makes Timefliers unique?

   As a JRPG-type, Timefliers is very story-driven. It takes the mold of your typical 'quest to save a world', and doesn't just break it—it goes back in time and breaks it. Just to make sure it's broken before it even starts, to ensure that the cliche has no chance of survival.

   Timefliers has a lot of subplots. For example, in the first case where you travel back through time to 'fix' the tampered events of the past, you have the option to rescue a certain someone, which ends up unlocking the first blacksmith of the game. If you choose to not save them, then you don't get to craft nice weapons or armor, and you'll be forced to use the average, not-as-nice stuff from the vendor. Plus you'll feel horrible.

   Some of the 'fixable' sub-plots in the past are obvious, and others will take more time and brainpower to unravel. Some of them span entire towns, and will unlock certain characters and items for use later on. There's even a subplot that (if you play it through to the end without making bad choices), will affect ending of the main story.

  Yes. There are a lot...lot...lot of complicated variable events and switches in this game.

   So worth it, though.

Story

Please don't automatically assume that the use of 'angels' means a boring, wooden, cliche RPG. I know that would be my first assumption (because I'm cynical), but if there is one thing I've come to despise over my 13 years of writing experience, it's cliches. Other than that...have fun!

Disclaimer: The story of Timefliers is not a religious shout-out. The use of the world 'Angel' and other 'afterworldly' themes and are strictly fantastical/mythological in nature. There are no real-world religious references, other than the inevitable rip-off of some ancient monster or location.

Spoiler for:

    There is a world of Angels, far above the mundane, war-torn lands of humans and humanoids. An Angel is a being who was once human, but has ascended into power as a reward for their noble sacrifices...or so it is said. It's a pretty big deal, actually. Afterlife as an Angel is utterly perfect, so nobody would ever want to leave Paradisium. Would they?

   Most don't, but North does.

   He's not the only one who wants to leave, either.  West, another deserter Angel, leaves alongside him. This duo wants nothing more to do with paradise, and in the face of millenia-old laws, they spring themselves from Paradisium. As opposite in nature as they could possibly be, these two guys now have to use their shaky partnership in order to accomplish their one, shared goal:

   Stop the war that would end the world. From ever starting.

   Stopping a war that can't actually be stopped means digging a tunnel under the roots of the problem. Under the 'guidance' of  a questionably senile Angel named Os, the North-West team descend to the mortal realm once more with only a fraction of their power intact. Pursued by vengeful Knights of Worth who seek to recapture them, they soon realize that there is far more depth and horror to the mortal war than they originally thought...
 

Main Characters (Angels)

Spoiler for:

North: North is a calm, analytical young man with the head of a soldier and the manners of a gentleman. His charming good looks and 'pure hearted' nature often work against him. When confronted with any issue, North would prefer diplomacy over brute strength, but will use force if necessary. He is also naive about the reality of war and evil, a fact that drives West insane.



West: West is a foil for North. He is impatient, sarcastic, selfish, a bit cowardly, sometimes witty, and has the manners of a ten-year-old raised by coyotes. He thinks North is a daydreaming overachiever. When confronted with an issue, West will first attempt to run away from it. Then he'll probably bribe his way out. Barring any success, he'll shoot the issue in the face and then hide behind North.



East: East is a woman whose first and eternal loyalties lie with the Knights of Worth. As a Knight Angel for the forces of Paradisium, it is her job to hunt down North and West and drag them back to their immortal domain against their will.  Despite her tough, strict codes of honor, East is a sympathetic type of character who cannot stand the sight of needless bloodshed. As the reality of Paradisium and Mortalian being unravel, so does she...


South: A twisted, canniving sort of beast in the clothes of a benevolent Angel, South is a Knight of Worth. He chases down North and West with an eager lust for blood. He does not hesitate to reveal himself as an Angel to guide the 'human sheep' to his cause and use them as fodder in his corrupt plots. His brutality isn't all random, however—there is meaning behind the acts of this madman.  Is he a fallen hero, or a devil in disguise?


Os (The Great and Powerful): Os. The Angel everyone knows exists, but no one wants to talk about...like a crazy uncle with a bad case of foot fungus. This old, egotistical geezer aids North and West by first giving them a means to escape Paradisium, then serves as their guide to the current events of the mortal world. He also gives them the power to travel through time.  Os is the only Angel who is known to roam freely outside of Paradisium, though this is most likely due to the fact that all attempts to capture him have failed, rather than out of respect.

Main Characters (Mortals)

Spoiler for:

Annalyne: Annalyne is the half-humaoid daughter of a martial artist (one whose career was ruined by booze). Mean-spirited and mischievous, she's grown up using the skills her father taught her to swindle and/or beat people up in order to make a living. She has no interest in the war, except for the potential to make a booming profit, but does feel the need to repay a certain debt to North and West...

(A full compliment of non-Angel characters are in the works.)

Additional Story Information

Here is an extended, spoiler-free knowledge bank of the Timefliers world. Read at your own risk—there's a good chunk of information. It's all explained in-game.

Spoiler for:

Places:

   Mortalian/Haebis:

   Mortalian is the mortal world, a name given by Angels of Paradisium. The mortals call it by another name—Haebis. It is both weak and chaotic compared to Paradisium. Though there are many small, peaceful nationalities, the world is overshadowed by the two strongest countries: Yevvia and Haldon. Currently, the leaders of both nations are missing, and all of Haebis straining under the impact of the resulting war.

   Paradisium:

   Paradisium is the realm where Angels reside. It is considered to be 'heaven', a place to which all time flows. According to ancient law, only those who have been righteous in their lifetimes are permitted to live in Paradisium as Angels, whereas those who don't meet the criteria are sent to Oblivion—literally not a place at all, but a state where your identity is completely erased.

   Paradisium is not just a place for powerful Angels, however; it is also a prison, for Angels cannot leave to return to Haebis. There are rare exceptions to this law, though the few who do manage to escape are branded as fugitives and hunted down by Paradisium's elite guardians, the Knights of Worth. A Knight Angel is given permission to leave Paradisium to pursue and capture escaped Angels.

   Yevvia:

   Yevvia is a country founded in the southern, dry kingdom ruled by a civil dual-monarchy. The kings (or queens) are a set of magic-touched twins. If one royal twin dies or is captured, the other immediately loses their power and becomes an ordinary citizen. For this reason, Yevvian culture is heavily on the ideology of duality—that good things come in (preferably matching) pairs. Being 'single' or part of an odd-numbered group is considered very unlucky. As one could imagine, twins born of any caste (noble or otherwise) are considered to be precious, lucky, and valuable assets, as any set of twins has the potential to succeed to the throne.

   Haldon:

   Haldon craggy and solid. The heavily mountainous and hilly regions of this country are ruled by four separate states, each with a Prime Minister who convene under the guidance of a single man, called the Seer. The identity of the Seer is always completely hidden, and all interaction with him goes through magical channels. The Seer is not a ruler, though his (or her) guidance is considered to be the will of Paradisium, and often those who act against his advice end up regretting it.

   Culture in Haldon is devoutly religious towards Paradisium. People believe that Angels exist to protect Haldon and that the Seer is their benevolant ambassador. Politics often becomes wrapped up in the idea of faith in Angels,

Story Features

-- Deep, dramatic and funny story with optional side-stories (with rewards).    
-- A cause/effect time-travel theme, where decisions you make in the past affect people/places in the future and present. Thinking Chrono Trigger? You're getting warm. There are more plot-affecting decisions to make than in Chrono Trigger. But if you want to compare to another JRPG, you'll get warmer over by Suikoden.
-- Journal/Quest system, for those who crave more.
-- Partial voice acting. I mean laughs, chuckles, sighs, grunts, curses, and the odd spoken word or phrase during cutscenes that match each character's personality.
-- Great character development and a wide cast of secondary playable characters.


Technical Features

-- Songs written/composed by me! The organ/choir title song is an example.
-- Dungeon puzzles. Game will come with a hints guide in case people get hopelessly stuck.
-- Overdrive system for special attacks.
-- Blacksmith and item creation system, providing better quality stuff than can be purchased.
-- Sideview battle system without battlers, with non-RTP monsters and bosses
-- Monsters on-screen (not random)....eventually.
-- Advanced message system (so we get various facesets and well-organized dialogue)

Screenshots

Spoiler for:

Original Song Samples

Here, you can listen to from the two original compositions I'm using in Timefliers. The first is the main title theme, and the second is the background of a special dungeon.
No, there's no demo yet. This game isn't long enough, nor is it polished enough for a demo. Perhaps in a few weeks!

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/wNMC3Eav/AngelsTitle.html
http://www.4shared.com/mp3/_QbevvQ8/AngelsSample.html


That's all I have for now. I'm concentrating on making a working demo, but I haven't implemented a lot of gameplay scripts, other than the battle system, message system, and journal. I'll be adding a credits section shortly, so each voice actor/script writer gets their name heard.

Leave feedback, if you'd like! Once I complete the first segment of the game (demonstrating how the cause/effect nature of time-travel works), I'll upload a short demo.

Fun fact: 'Timefliers' isn't pronounced 'Time Fly-ers', but 'Time-flee-ace' (quickly). As in the French pronunciation of 'iers'. It's a double-meaning word...title...well anyway, you can pronounce it however you want. It used to be called 'Ex-Angels', but that is no longer canonically correct.

Is there, at this moment, a demo somewhere?? I'd love to see what you have done with this Fallen Angel thing. I myself had an idea to create a game after a series of books I've read but I have no clue on how to do that. Though, this game of yours might just give me an idea...

Good job though on the story! And in your case, you are right about the "Angel" thing, it's nowhere near Catholic Angel things or whatever. You've explained on what an Angel is and that just made it clear to me!

Is there, at this moment, a demo somewhere?? I'd love to see what you have done with this Fallen Angel thing. I myself had an idea to create a game after a series of books I've read but I have no clue on how to do that. Though, this game of yours might just give me an idea...

Good job though on the story! And in your case, you are right about the "Angel" thing, it's nowhere near Catholic Angel things or whatever. You've explained on what an Angel is and that just made it clear to me!

Thank you for the feedback! Glad my game sparked an epiphany for you. There is no demo yet, sorry. I'm getting there; the first stage of the past/present story has a lot of layers, plus the multitude of mapping and eventing involved. So it might be days, even weeks before it's ready for release.

I'm working on it pretty much every day, so shouldn't be long. =)

First off, I think it sounds like an amazing game! "has the manners of a ten-year-old raised by coyotes", that's an amazing analogy, sounds like my little brother. Can't wait till it comes out, or at least demo. Well ya, great job.