Viginette: A Song of Friendship

Miresa meets Dorian in the Forest of Dawn, done in dialogue:

"Odd...who would be playing a harp all the way out here?"

"Good morrow, young lady...what brings you here to the Forest of Dawn?"

"I was going to meet a friend here to pick berries...likewise, what are you doing here, Sir Minstrel?"

"This clearing is my secret hideaway when I need some quiet time for reflecting on the day, or when I have a flash of inspiration....ah, listen to me ramble without properly introducing myself! I am Dorian LaMaire, of the Fellowship of Singers."

"Pleased to meet you, Dorian--I am Miresa Selvan, of the Blademages of Telrain."

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Miresa--can you play any instrument at all?"

"I can play a number of flutes and whistles...in fact, I have a whistle with me."

"Would like to join me for a tune or two as a sign of our friendship?"

"Of course! I would be honored to play with you, Sir Dorian."

"Very well--we will begin with the "Prayer to the Emerald'"

The Demo Reviewed

After three years in the making, the first demo of The Gemsinger Chronicles: The Video Game is finally here.

All I can say is...wow!

It brought a tear to my eye to see some of the places I've imagined finally coming to life--aside from a few grammar errors here and there (and a hiccup when the infamous RPG Maker arrow key glitch reared its ugly head on the first attempt), the game so far looks very well done. Battles are fast paced, and the difficulty isn't throw-the-controller-at-the-wall hard, but not too easy either.

I am very pleased so far, and can only imagine what the final game will look like when it's done.

The First Demo is Coming!

From my partner:

I will be releasing a demo of The Gemsinger Chronicles: The Video Game soon! No release date yet, but it will be ready within the next few days. (Or a week, depending on how busy I am.)

So, here's what I have on my to-do list before I release the demo.

- I need to finish the town of Neras. (The shops, and other buildings)

- I need to add more townsfolk to Gemsinger's Point.

- The Forest of Dawn needs to be finished.

- I also need to finish the Watch Post.

Outline update

The spell in the kitchen incident is cut, and Halliwen has a reduced role because of that. Whether I cut her out completely is up in the air at this point.

I'm also considering reducing the quest from twelve stones to eight to make it consistent with the digital version of Shokiyu.

Artist Wanted!

So I'm thinking about turning the initial story into a comic (making it a lot easier for me to tell the story) Problem is, I can't draw to save my life.

So if you're an aspiring comic artist that knows how to draw fairly well, let me know!

Demons and Watchmen and a New Location, Oh My!

Our latest video unveils Gemsinger's Point, an eastern watchpost (where you can potentially earn hundreds of pearls), and the city of Neras

Check it out!

New video!

Here's some more of The Video game's beginning: The game begins...

This includes getting Arune and Bradlin in the party

The Hero's Journey, as found in The Legend of Zelda

And now for something completely different...

Extra Credits (a really interesting show on Penny Arcade TV that examines aspects of games and issues in the gaming community) did a two part series on the hero's journey as applied to video games. If you're interested, you can watch both episodes on the topic here and here.

Both episodes also got me thinking about how many other games use aspects of it, so I decided to examine my all time favorite game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Consider:

1. The Call to Adventure--The Deku Tree summoning Link

2. Refusal of the Call--I could argue that Mido refusing Link access to the Deku Tree is an example of this because Mido never accepts Link as a true Kokiri

3. Supernatural Aid--Zelda has this in spades, but the most literal interpretation is Navi, for better or worse

4. Crossing the First Threshold--Stepping into Hyrule Field for the first time

5. Belly of the Whale--While Link literally does this by going through Jabu-Jabu's Belly, the best example I remember is when Link pulls the Master Sword

6. The Road of Trials--Awakening the six Sages

7. The Meeting with the Goddess--This happens twice--Link and Zelda meet as kids, and the more literal encounter as adults

8. Woman as Temptress--The whole bit with Ruto would probably count as this

9. Atonement with the Father--Meeting the Deku Sprout after clearing the Forest Temple

10. Apotheosis--resting and running around doing sidequests?

11. The Ultimate Boon--The Master Sword

12. Refusal of the Return--This one's hard--Link looking for Navi (or what we assume is Navi) during the beginning of Majora's Mask

13. The Magic Flight--Fleeing Ganon's Castle

14. Rescue From Without--Hm...not sure if Zelda has any moment that would fit this

15. Crossing the Return Threshold--Returning the Master Sword and sealing the Door of Time at the end of the game.

16. Master of Two Worlds--Traveling in time between a child and an adult

17. Freedom to Live--Link is forever known as the Hero of Time.

As you can see, Zelda follows the hero's journey very closely (some steps are out of order).

Thoughts?

Time to get this rolling again...

Take a guess at where this location will appear in the game: The mystery location

Tentative Weapon list-Arune

As a paladin of the fairies, Arune wields rapiers. I felt it would be appropriat to give all her weapons French names

In order:

Epée Légendaire-legendary sword (starts with this)
Tuteur Rêve-dream guardian
Ange d'argent silver angel
Fleur du Soleil-sun flower
Flamme Rouge-red flame
glace bleue-ice blue
vent béni-blessed wind
ailes de diamant-diamond wings
étoile de l'espérance-star of hope
saint voyage-blessed journey
héroïne déesse-goddess' hero (ultimate weapon)

Tentative weapon list-Galia

Batting around the idea to have Galia wield an orb/crystal ball as her weapon--if the idea works, here's the list of orbs we'd use:

Mystic Orb (starts with this)
Glass Orb
Crystal Orb
Jade Orb
Ruby Orb
Sapphire Orb
Emerald Orb
Pearl Orb
Diamond Orb
Holy Orb
Rainbow Orb (ultimate weapon)

Tentative Weapon List-Miresa

Here's a tentative list of mageblades Miresa will be able to use in The Video Game

Enchanted Mageblade (starts with this)
Bronze Mageblade
Iron Mageblade
Steel Mageblade
Silver Mageblade
Gold Mageblade
Diamond Mageblade
Mythril Mageblade
Heroic Mageblade
Goddess' Mageblade (ultimate weapon

Getting Back in the Swing of Things...

After a bit of a hiatus, what would you like to see on the blog this summer? Building the world or writing in the world?

Battle testing

Sorry for the long wait in between updates, but to make up for it, here's a video of the new battle system and the first look at Losi fighting.

Full party battle and first Losi battle footage

Digital Viginette: Galia's Decision

Another digital viginette from my partner, done in script:

(Galia walks into the room, followed by Losi)

Losi: What did you want to speak to me about?

(Losi and Galia both take a chair at the table)

Galia: I'm going to be gone for a very long time.

(Losi has a slightly confused expression)

Galia: I've chosen to travel with Miresa on her Gemsinger quest.

(Losi's face turns shocked)

Losi: What!? You are?

Galia: Yes. And this is where you come in. I will need you to look after the temple in my absence.

Losi: I'm sorry, Lady Galia. I don't think I can bear such a huge responsibility.

Galia: I trust you, Losi. I knew that when I received you as an apprentice, you would be capable of great things. I know you can handle this.

Losi: Y-you do? (Losi's facial expression changes to a look of determination)

Losi: Then in that case. I accept all the responsibilities of this temple. I thank you for entrusting me with such a task.

(Galia nods, and a hint of pride for her apprentice shows)

Galia: Very good. I'm pleased to know the temple will be well looked after while I'm gone.

Losi: Please be safe on your journey. The Gemsinger quest is known to be one of the hardest quests anyone can ever go through.

(Galia gently walks up to the window to stare out at the nightly rain outside)

Galia: I know. However, my mother once told me something.

Galia: "Sometimes the greatest heroes are someone you least expected."

Quickie Viginette: The Initiate

Here's a sneak peek of the digital Shokiyu for you, done in dialogue...

"Losi Jiatan...the day has come for you to fledge into a full member of the Sapphire Clan."

"Name your task, Master, and I will do whatever it takes to see it through."

"You've learned that long ago, each clan had its own Great Sigil. But they were shattered and scattered throughout Shokiyu--I want you to find one of these sigils, and return it here to the clan hall. If you succeed, we will recognize you as a full clan member."

"I will go, and do whatever it takes to restore our clan to its rightful glory."

Sneak Peek: The Beginning

Today we have actual gameplay for you!

The prologue and the first minute or so of the game

First look at Ace Draft

First look at new character designs, new world map, and more!

First Look: The New Telrain

Here's a sneak peek of the new Telrain: A Walking Tour of Telrain

Be warned: it may change when the new version of RPG Maker comes out

New version coming!

...of RPG Maker, that is.

From my partner:


Reason? Well, there's a new version of RPG Maker coming out! It's called RPG Maker VX Ace! I'm really looking forward to working in this new engine. I'm not going to rename the draft though, since I can just transfer all my files to the new version. And, with this new RPG Maker coming out, I'm really inspired to make a video game again!