My game: Karthen

[BlackBoxx]

I posted the first details on my game on the Agetec forum many months ago. Since then, I have changed many details. I am open to any feedback.

My game takes place on a planet called Karthen, which is nicknamed the Chromosphere. This is because every creature on the planet has something called a Chrome (basically, its a fancy name for elemental affiliation). There are eight Chromes named after a color, and associated with an element

Blue-> water
Red-> fire
Purple-> wind
Green-> earth/nature
Yellow-> Lightning
Silver-> metal (more of an ethereal metal, not like physical swrods and the like)
White-> light
Black-> shadow

The elemental system is a giant, eight member rock-paper-scissors game. Water beats fire, fire beats wind, wind beats earth, and so on down the line. When a character uses Chrome skills that match their inate Chrome, they deal bonus damage.

Chrome plays a crucial role in the story of my game. You play as a human who is the host body of Loranis, a being believed to be a god, but is actually a symbiotic being (this is revealed early in the game, so it's not a spoiler), that acts as the guardian of Chrome. He gives special, semi-divine powers to his host body (main character). Your character awakens in Loranis' temple (I know the whole wake-up scene is cliche, but it fits with the rest of the story), and is surprised to see it, and the rest of the planet falling into ruins. The main character is sent to recover a relic called the Pillar of Chrome, which is beleived to be the source of all Chrome on the planet. Again, I know this sounds cliche, but the story quickly veers from being a fetch quest. The long, and short of the intro: the Pillar is missing from its spot in the Temple. You set out to discover what happened, and how to fix the world now that Chrome is disappearing.

When your character leaves the Temple, he soon arrives in the city of Ragol, where he learns that all civilizations on the planet are threatened by a strange horde of monsters. Many cities have been destroyed, others evacuated. The only city that has sucessfully withstood all advances is Ragol. As a result, all sorts of people have travelled there to seek refuge. The once prosperous city, is now functioning like a military base, and hospice.

Since almost everyone is gathered in one city, yuor character has an easy time getting others to join him. At any time during gameplay, the main character can return to Ragol, and change the party.

Like I said, I know this sounds cliche. I am open for any suggestions on ways to reduce the amount of cliches.

I have decided ( and have implemented) a stat building system where your characters get stronger based on the actions taken in battle. Attacking builds strength, and dexterity. Getting hit builds endurance and hp. Dodging, and almost every action a character makes, will build agility.
The biggest complaint I received with this system was that characters couldn't build evenly. In response to that, I have added custom status effects to classes that will cause growth in a few stats. This way, even if you want your wizard (called Chromists in this game) to conserve their Chrome points, they can still build their intelligence, or defense, or whatever you want them to work on. They will still receive the same growth depending on their actions. These just cause additional growth that the player can control.
Another quirk in my stats, is the use of remaining CP as a magic defense stat. As a character uses their Chrome based skills, their magic defense decreases. This was another thing people seemed to dislike. So, I added the Chrome Fatigue status effect. When a character uses their CP, RPGM 2 still allows you to choose abilities that require CP to use. I added a line in the script that checks if a skill can be used that adds this status effect whenever a character doesn't have enough CP. The result is that they are immobillized for 2 rounds, including the round they are affected, but when they recover, all CP is restored. This means you have an unlimited supply of CP, but there is still a reason to watch your usage.
One thing to note about my stat system: each character has a different aptitude for each stat. Some grow faster in STR, while others are better with AGI, and so on. I'm debating whether this info should be revealed to the player or not. If anyone has an opinion/suggestion, I'm all ears.

[BlackBoxx]

Sorry... My post was too long, so I had to split it up.


What fun is an RPG without party members? Here is a list, along with a personality description of the charactersin the game. Each one has a special battle command in place of "Defend". These are not meant to be the sole attraction of the character, nor are they meant to be their ultimate techniques. They are simply abilities that can be used even if they are Chrome Locked (silenced), or Rusted (technique selaed).

(Avatar)- This is the main character. He will be named by the player. He wakes up with little knowledge of anything around him. All he knows, is that he hears Loranis talking to him, attempting to explain the situation. Avatar is skeptical the entire time, and throughtout the course of the game, his personality can change, depending on some condition meet by the player. His special ability, Purify, lets him remove all negative status effects on himself.

Skial Fordstat- He is a young man from Ragol. He is, as his friends say, a combat-crazy-tournament-junkie. He practically lives for combat. It's no surprise that he often participates in the Ragol arena events (yes, Karthen is in decline, but life goeson). The only reason he agrees to join Avatar is to get more practice for his next tournament. He is a powerful fighter, but lacks common sense. While he is kind, he is sometimes rather blunt, racist (not in the "I hate those guys for no reason" sense, but the "I think all of them are the same" sense), and downright stupid.

Ramere Aldaren- Another Ragol citizen. She is practically a goody-twoshoes (sp?). She is more than willing to help anyone who needs it, whether they want it or not. Naturally, she enlisted in the Ragol militia (even before the current monster invasion) as a means to accomplish this goal. She really doesn't like fighting, even when her own life is in danger. As such, she isn't very skilled with any weapons. She can't hit worth beans, and tries not to hit too hard, even when she does land a blow. She is very loyal, and trustworthy, but extremely judgemental. Her special command, Shield, allows Ramere to block all focused attacks that target the party. Before anyone says this is a useless skill, keep in mind that she isn't a good fighter, but she is very durable. She can protect the weaker members of the party, while taking minimal damage herself.

Matteo Drakken- This young man is from a tribe of nomads called Shaemalotai. They generally live in the northern part of Karthen, a large, snowy continent. Not many people travel up north, so the tribe has little knowlegde of any language other than their own. While Avatar doesn't undersatnd much of what Matteo says, he gets the impression that something is bothering Matteo. There will be a way for players to translate what Matteo is saying during them game, but I won't say what that will be. When the player can understand him, he remains distant. He tries to keep things to himself, and does not seem comfortable travelling with poeple other than fellow tribesmen. Despite that, he will face any threat that approaches him, and keep all promises he makes. His special command, Warning, lets Matteo fire a warning shot at the ground beneath a target's feet, in an attempt to intimidate them (end turn).

Tyril Dirato- Tyril hails from a remote village called Kepeita. He is a very calm person who never lets things get to him. That doesn't mean he's not serious. On the contrary, he is a very level-headed individual. This makes him almost boring to some people. I say almost because his facial expression give one the impression that Tyril is always assesingg the situiation, and is always two steps ahead. He is a skilled samurai that has mastered many sword techniques. In battle, he can use his Switch ability to draw or sheathe his kitana. This serves to change the attacks he has available to him. The key to his fighting style is versatility. By switching between sword dranw, and sheathed, he can keep his opponents off-guard, ensuring that his attacks acheive maximum efficiency.

[BlackBoxx]

Again, I'm sorry. I'll cut back on future posts.

Here are the rest of the characters.

Kaelie Erbrinks- Kaelie is a student at the Norinian University, reknowned for its excellent program in medicine and Chrome arts. Kaelie has achieved the top rank in her class, and would have graduated, had the university not evacuated all students to Ragol. The fleeing students were instructed to put their studies to use by healing the injured at anytime possible. Kaelie has shown an amazing ability to heal, even combining Chrome arts with her training as a medic. This is unusual, because there are no known Chrome arts that are meant for healing. With this strange ability, Kaelie has developed a high opinion of herself to the point of arrogance. She isn't shy about it either. She does try to be nice, even when she wants to tell someone off. Lucky is the person who sees Kaelie actually acheive this. Kaelie's battle command is Barrier, which allows her to shield herself from Chrome damage.

Vadigo Grythe- Vadigo is part of a race called Eihara. The defining features are pale-colored hair, and red-toned skin in adults. Eihara children, however, look very much like humans. During adolescence, their bodies begin to produce the red pigment, that enhances their skins ability to fight germs. Vadigo fits in very well with Eihara society: he never speaks unless it is necessary, and tries not to draw attention to himself. This behavior amonst the Eihara has caused humans to feel uncomfortable around them. It has even led to minor forms of racism. Vadigo is incredibly straightforward, even if what he has to say will only make things worse. The Eihara live in the Jeethan Desert. this land is a vast barren wasteland, where almost nothing grows. It is one region that the monster army has not invaded. One can only assume that it's because there is nothing to gain by conquerring a desert. For this reason, Vadigo's presence in Ragol is unusual. there is no reason to flee the desert. In battle, Vadigo can use his Deciet ability to perform a special counter-attack that completely removes the attackers defenses for the rest of the battle.

Torin Swift- Torin grew up an orphan in the Ragol Slums. One would think that this would have broken his spirit, but anyone who meets him, is in for a surprise. He is a happy-go-lucky person, who never seems to take anything seriously, not even the rough hand life has delat him. Living on the streets, he has learned how to survive. He sometimes steals clothing (that no one wants to wear, like his yellow trench coat), stealing food when necessary, and even some tools to make life easier, like a pocket knife. Aside from that, he never truly steals anything, despite labelling himself a theif. He usually just finds what people value the most, sneaks in, grabs it, "conveniently" gets caught, and flees. During the process, he will leave the "stolen" item somewhere on the owner's property, but hidden. Why does he do this? Because he merely seeks a challenge. While he is a wiseguy, he hides a more logical, insightful, and extremely intelligent side of himself. In battle, he can check what (if any) a monster is carrying in their pockets. If he likes what he sees, he can attempt to steal it later. Not all monsters will be carying anything. In fact, only monster modles that wear clothing will ever have items to steal. In addition, stealing will disable the monster's ability to use that item. In contrast, if the monster uses a consumable item, Torin cannot steal it.

Edeen Kineade- Edeen comes from the town of Dargha. It was previously a boot camp style town where people from all over Karthen came to train as a Brazen. A Brazen is a type of fighter that forcuses on quick, fluid motions. Sometime, their style is referred to as a dance. In combat, a Brazen puts to use various projectile weapons like knives and throwing stars. Edeen has spent almost every waking moment in his training. He strives to be the best of the best. While he doesn't like to admit it (nor is he ashamed to), he is what is called a Chromeless. This means just what it sounds like. He has no inate Chrome. This doesn't mean he can't use Chrome arts, but that he receives no bonus from any color. Not that he cares. He isn't very good with Chrome arts anyway. He makes up for it with his physical attributes. however, he can't escape the taunts of those who call him a Chromeless (in my game, it will be referred to as something else, but I don't wish to post any profanity. Chromeless is the more polite way to say it). He has innner doubts about his own worth, and has developed an inferiority complex. To try and eliminate the pain, he acts tough, and cruel, but remains a bitter person. In battle, Edeen is very agile, and can use his special command, Dodge to increase his dodge rate of physical attacks, and even lets him dodge Chrome arts, somthing no one else can do.

Marin Faust- Marin is the school master of a medium-sized village called Hyale. Most people have heard of him, but are surprised when the meet him. He is actually a very young man. Only 23 years old, he has a profound knowledge of math, scince, and Chrome. He is a bookworm, but he also is in tune with other people. As such, he is often called upon as an arbiter in disputes. Despite all of his accomplishments, he is humble. He even prefers that poeple drop the title of professor from his name when addressing him. In battle, Marin can use his special command, Observe, to determine a targets Chrome. This is extremely helpful, as he is an expert Chromist.

Braye Rolane- Braye is a member of the Order of Gotaskan Monks. He is dedicated to following the principles of the founder, Gotaska: 1) Talents are a message from Loranis. Use them to better the world. 2) Order. Remember that you are last. 3) Calm yourself. Anger never solved a problem in the best manner. 4) In all things, there is art. Practice until all that you do can be seen as a beautiful exhibit.
These principles have become Braye's lifeblood. Even members of the Order say that he takes them too seriously. He is a perfectionist, he always offers his opinion, and he will wait by his friends' side even to the point of invading privacy. Nevertheless, his friends can forgive his faults, and trust him with their lives. Not that there's anything to worry about if he's ever in a fight. He has mastered the art of counter-attacking his opponents. The moment they expose themself, Braye moves in for a deadly strike, whether he takes a hit or not.


That's all of the characters available to the player. Of course, Avatar will always be in the party. All of these will be available from the moment the player reaches Ragol, but there are conditions to be met before some of them will join the party.


The way characters learn abilities is through the class system, but they are called Foci (or Focus). This is because they are areas of study. It seems dumb to say "I'm of the Blue class", os I had to change the name. It functions just the same as you would expect. Win battles, learn more skills. All eight Chromes are available for all characters to study. In addition, each character has two Foci that are unique to them. This means that with 8 Chromes, plus 2 unique Foci for 11 characters, with 7 skills in each Focus, that there are over 200 different skills in the game (some are unique to monsters). These Foci, as mentioned earlier, also cause characters to grow in some of their stats, depending on which one is set.
Each Chrome set has some spells that damage just one enemy. These spells also have a special effect based on the Chrome it is attatched to. When used against an enemy, these spells deal damage, but also reduce a stat for the enemy down to a low level. This, I hope, opens some more strategies for spell casting. For example, you may still want to use a Black art on a Black-Chromed enemy, even thought the damage will be resisted, because it will reduce its intelligence.


I can't remember what else I've changed since I posted this on the Agetec forum. Also, I may have left out details. If anything is confusing, please say so, and I will try to fill in any holes. Also, I am open to criticism. If you see something that needs to be changed, feel free to say so. If you hate an idea, let me know, but please try and say WHY you hate it (anyone who posted on my last topic will let you know that I won't take it personally).

A big thank you to anyone who managed to read through all of that. I know it gets boring to read long posts.

[Deleted]

Telling the intro story part in more detail'd probably help to make it sound better. Take mine ( williampaladin.tripod.com/id1.html ) for example, it could be summarized into 'wakes up from a dream', 'flashback sequence of some important event', 'learns of some mysterious thing', 'leaves on adventure'. Though, mine is probably a little too thorough for most everyone but myself.

Skial's missing his special ability (just lettin' you know).

The characters are v e r y impressive and well thought-out, and believable because you explain why they are the way they are and we see both the good things about them as well as their faults. The characters are the most impressive for sure. Very good most definitely, and great examples for others to try to learn from.

Some of the abilities sound a good deal more important than others (like the stealing and seeing the enemy's chrome). Do they learn other abilities too? That would be quite cool.

I can't really see purple being wind, but that's just me of course. If the Earth is more rock-dirt kind of earth instead of forest-plant kind of earth perhaps you could use green for wind and brown for earth (Legend of Dragoon). This isn't important at all though.

Me-
"And, with the title, I would say make it somehow related to one or more major themes/messages/meanings/morals of the game. You can also make it have a literal meaning to the game. This is what I've done with Paladin. This leaves the player with a lasting reminder of what you wanted them to get from the game. (so in other words just wait till later in your game development to name it)"
It's up to you of course though.

It will be tough for the player to remember all of these. What one game (Saiyuki: Journey to the West) did was this, (they had 5 elements that behaved the same way (rock, paper, scissors), actually were the same 5 Chi elements Kumo Shinagi's using! ;D) (it was a tactical system) whenever the player was looking at a unit's status screen they saw a circle with the 5 elements on it so that the player could look at someone's status screen and be reminded which element beat what (it was in a clockwise circle pattern). Perhaps during battle you could leave a text box open or VFX displayed the whole time that had the colors in a line or circle of blue, red, purple, green, yellow, silver, white, black so that the player wouldn't have to remember them. I'm quite sure it'd be possible. Gl

You can easily make switching party members in the default menu or square menu (incase you didn't know). Gl, it sounds very good (the characters are the most impressive).

For some more advice (if you can ) read through the quotes I posted in this topic: doansdomain.proboards27.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Games&thread=1111202861&start=0

[BlackBoxx]

Oh, hey! Nice to hear from you again, Jimmy.

Ok. When the player wakes up in the intro, he will be having some sort of dream where he sees things that happened to him in the past. They will all seem foreign to him, as he has no memory of it, which will be explained.

Thanks for the input on the characters. Sorry about Skial. Can't believe I forgot to mention his ability. It's Regen (I think that's what it's called), and it lets him restore 25% of his hp. The reason he has this is because he's so popular at the tournaments. It's a showmanship thing. Fight your heart out, take a beating, come within an inch of defeat, then wow the crowd and get a second wind that takes you to victory.

I also forgot to mention what each character's unique Foci will be. This is just to let you know how each character will function.

Skial gets Combat, and Crippler. Combat teaches basic attack moves, while Crippler is meant to weaken some of the enemies' stats.

Ramere gets Guardian, and Paladin. Guardian is a set of defensive techniques, while Paladin is a sort of healer, and undead killer.

Matteo gets Archer, which is a set of bow skills, and Nomad, which focuses on party survival.

Tyril gets Drawn and Sheathed. These teach him techniques that can be used when his sword is in a certain position ( like drawn or sheathed... heh).

Kaelie gets Medic and Psychologist. Medic heals physical status effects while psychologist heals mental ones.

Vadigo gets Assassin, and Undertaker. Assassin teaches stealth based techniques, hile Undertaker focuses on chaotic means of damage dealing, like using Vadigo's HP to boost power.

Torin gts Theif (I think this speaks for itself), and Gambler, a skill set based on luck (not a stat, but REAL luck).

Edeen gets Brazen, a set of Brazen techniques that require Edeen to be in possession of a certain tool, and Idolarity. Like Brazen, Idolarity requires a certain object, but they are used as one round boosts for the party, instead of damage.

Marin gets Scholar (basic wizard-type skills), and Chromist, a set of Chrome manipulation abilities (as in he can control an enemiy's Chrome).

Braye gets Monk, a skill set based on strength and another stat for each technique. He also gets Mimicry which allows him to copy a stat from an enemy.

[Doan the Nado]

I remember reading about your system at the Agetec forum and liking it a lot. Like Will (jimmy) said, your characters are very well done. I'm looking forward to this game, and I like the sounds of your Chrome system.

[WarDragon]

I like how u got the colors as chromes very creative.

[Dungeon Warden]

It looks like you put a lot of work into the background of your game. Your characters are well though out and developed. But how far are you in actually getting the game done?

A lot of people talk about how great their game will be but they rarely get past the first town and a dungeon. Your game sounds impressive, but I want to play it not just read about it. Show me the demo.

[Neo Samurai]

Yes.

And I agree with jimmy (Will) and Doan. Your characters sound believable and well thought out. I like the idea of how the battles will run out. Very strategic. I especially liked Tyril's technique of sheathing and unsheathing his sword so you can use certain abilities.

Another game to add to my list.

When's the demo coming out?

[The Smurf]

wow, this sounds really interesting. need to get me a max drive one of these days.

your game has a lot of the concepts used in tales of symphonia for gamecube (like the guardian of chrome = the great kharlan tree, chrome pillar = mana links, etc.), and anyone who's played knows what i mean when i say it was the BEST rpg for that system. if you do make your game like it sounds, you may want to try to get it copyrighted and try to get someone to publish it (namco, activision, etc.) which is what i'm planning on doing with two games that i've already come up with (not on RPGM2, but all written down on paper).

anyway, to sum it up, make it happen, cause i'm looking forward to it.


-the smurf

[BlackBoxx]

Thanks for all the support guys (and girls maybe?). The demo shouldn't be too far away. I have finished with the intro dungeon. All events work how they're supposed to, although I'd like to modify some of them, like treasure chests staying open. Nothing too big. My next step is to actually create the city of Ragol. It will be large, but most of it will be for atmosphere. You won't be able to enter everyone's house, or talk to all the citizens who are going about their daily business. I plan to end the demo once your character reaches Ragol, but you will be given the opportunity to play around, try out a few characters, and see how the game works with a party.

Oh, and Smurf90, I completely agree about Tales of Symphonia. My favorite RPG on gamcube. And thanks for the compliment. Copyright my game? Wow. Never heard anyone say that before.

Now I have a dilemma on which I would like some feedback. Do you want me to reveal which characters have which inate Chrome? Or would you like to experiment and find out? What about their stat aptitude? Do you want to know what stats each character excels in, or again, do you want to discover it for yourself? By the way, I'm referring to in game, not on the forum, but I wouldn't be oppposed to that either.

In summary, I guess my demo will be out in a month or so (I hope). I just need to keep motivated, and figure out how to use my X-port, or whatever it's called.

[Doan the Nado]

I would have to say keep it hidden. I like strategy, and I think it would add a lot to have to figure some of those things out for yourself.

[Dungeon Warden]

As long as it is easy to figure out, keeping it a secert would be all right. A little trial and error never hurt anyone. However, if you are never sure if you made the right choice, it could be problematic. In this case, some hint of what Chrome or stat is best should be given.

[KingSpoom]

Yeah, I think I remember you from the agetec boards... did you change the order of the chrome effectiveness cycle (whatever you called it)? I thought it went differently. Oh well... welcome. Nice names in there.

[Neo Samurai]

I think I would like to find out by playing the game. I like getting surprised in RPGs.

Oh, and I agree with the guys who said Tales of Symphonia was a great game. I haven't seen much RPGs on the Gamecube, so I was happy to see this one. And the battle system was really fun (it was confusing at first, but once I figured it out, it was very fun). I also liked the storyline.

Certain moments toyed with my emotions (which I love to see in an RPG or any piece of literature). I won't mention them because I'd like people who haven't played or are currently playing to discover them on there on (I, myself, am still playing it. I think I'm almost done, though).

I recommend if you have a Gamecube, to get this game. You'll probably not regret it.

[BlackBoxx]

Ok. It seems unanimous. Aptitude and inate Chromes will be secrets. Of course now that means I have to change some of the colors on my characters (I had color-coded their attire). No problem though. Not like anyone would actually wear a lot of purple anyway. Heh.

[vespuleth]

id say to make the player figure them out, but give them subtle hints, like default equipment, moves, and magic.

[Deleted]

From your old topic:

"Fire feeds on wind-Wind erodes earth-Earth grounds thunder-Thunder disrupts metal-Metal reflects light-Light eradicates shadows-Shadows polute water."

I like this part, definitely helps for the player to remember.

[BlackBoxx]

Oh yeah. That little mneumonic device will be in there most definitely. I really don't think that remembering the weaknesses will be all that tough. Even if it gets confusing, you could just put Marin in the party. His special ability tells you what something's Chrome is, but he also follows up with "Use (insert color here) arts." so there's no guesswork when he's with you.

I also forgot to mention something about how the game plays. It will exploration based. There will be very few points where anyone tells you "Go here, go there". It wouldn't really work that way as most people are confined to a single city. Instead, players will explore on their own, and find objects that will give them access to new areas, like a grappling hook to cross large chasms (not sure if I'm actually going to use this, it's just an example). Think of it like Symphony of the Night in RPG format (please don't hate me. I know I can never do thta game enough justice). To accomplish this, I'm not using any "world maps". All areas will be connected directly to the next.

Plot will be revealed in short encounters with other NPC's, while character information will be revealed in Ragol if certain conditions are met.

[BlackBoxx]

Whew! It's been a long spring break, but it's almost over. I'm proud to say that I've done a lot of work on Karthen. All maps that make up Ragol are now completed, and events are set that connect them. As it is, the city is fully exploreable. I just need to fill it with events that let you meet characters, have them join you, and other such things. Then, I need to make another playable dungeon for you guys to play around in, but that's easy. In summary, the demo is well underway, and nearing completion.

[BlackBoxx]

Ok. Another update:

I've been tweaking the DBS interface so that it runs faster. It's going well. Instead of saying :
"X starts to attack..."
"Y was hit for
324 damage"

it will show the word ATTACK ( magic will read CHROME ART, and personal abilities will read their name) in a text box above the message screen, and the animations that apply will begin immediately. After the appropriate workframe, damage is displayed as follows:
"Y: 324 damage!"

Also, the text after a character's name wil be colored so that the player can easily tell what is happening to the character.
Yellow means regular damage. Orange is critical damage. Green is dodging. Teal is the amount healed. Red is failure of special abilities and Chrome arts. Just in case you think these are weird colors to use, my default message screen is a dark blueish-purple, so dark colors don't show up well. This text will linger, so long as less than three rows of text are filled out, then it waits a little bit so you can catch up, then clears it and continues.

I have also set the city up so that five characters are available to recruit, so long as the right conditions are met.

I'm sorry it's taking so long to get this demo out. I've been busy and just today found time to do some serious work on my RPG. If anyone has any comments or suggestions, I'm all ears.