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Project River Lord Dev Blog

A topic by l8rose created Nov 04, 2018 Views: 1,102 Replies: 23
Viewing posts 1 to 15
(1 edit) (+2)

Play Now!

Genre: RPG 
Engine: RPG Maker MV 

Brief Synopsis: River Lord is a Fantasy RPG set on a chain of islands. Take on the role of Koi, a young orphan on the cup of adulthood, as they discover secrets of their past and journey into an uncertain future. Starting out, they are accompanied by a set of twins but their party may grow depending on their choices.


Characters

Koi [Gender and Name changeable] *This was disabled due to time constraints, but will be reactivated on a later version of the game.


The Twins

Features

Already Implemented

Tutorial mode  which can be Enabled or Disabled at the start of the game. Tutorial mode provides further information to players when encountering something new in the game (First Quest, First Treasure Chest, etc).

Several plugins via Yanfly for some nifty features as well as a better screen resolution and message system.


To Do List

Finish character images and draw title image. Also some River Lord specific monsters.

Decide whether to stick with default RTP sprites or create new ones or edit them.

Finish Maps 

Tweak combat system

(+1)

Half Week Update:

Tweaked one of the maps to suit my liking. 
Completed the Merchant's House.
Done lineart for several busts (added flat color to one).
Started River map.
Completed dialogue for the first portion of quests.


Video is a bit massive but can be found here, mainly shows off some of the pre-existing maps (and the current one I'm working on) and some brief interaction with the other villagers.

(+1)

Bit of a story lore update. Writing individual entries for books and notes in the game with the potential for a "home" library for the character if the player chooses to re-read all the bits of lore they've discovered. While there will be lore presented to the player as they progress through the main Quest Line, a lot of background for the world is going to be uncovered through interactions or reading objects.


Some lore examples:

Pre-History
Long ago, our ancestors came to the Islands from a land rocked by war. They struggled at first as they landed on one of the smaller islands with little food. They quickly travelled to a new island where they founded Kimora, the first village.
The First Village
The location of the first village has been lost to time but it was the first home of the people on the Islands. Many villages have claimed to be Kimora over the years but it has never been confirmed.
The Islands
The Islands are our home and are comprised of three main ones; Pele, Breta and Srano. There are other smaller islands but most are inhabited only by a few people.

The River Lords
The River Lords are legendary among the people of the Islands. Blessed with a unique ability to control water around them, they are powerful magic users. Most of the River Lords live on Pele Island but there are a few smaller villages scattered throughout the Islands.
(1 edit) (+1)

Nov 8th Update:
Some sketchy updates of character art.  The Blacksmith, Elder, Merchant and Astor. 

Also started working on several more maps to continue the storyline as well as began inputting the quests I have written up.

Hoping to get a lot more done this weekend as it's a 4 day weekend for me so we'll see how that goes.


(+1)

Started adding the changes in dialogue based on who is in the party and what gender was selected at the first of the game.

Also implemented buttons to turn the flashlight on and off inside the darker areas of the game instead of it being always on.

Currently toying with the quest system as I'm disliking the way my current plugin looks and debating on just going with the traditional RPG version of Questing without a log.



And final update for today, just an example of how I'm using the Quest system in the game.

Certain quests will require "fetching" but if the items aren't unique then they can be held before hand (as evidenced by the Morin Cap quest).  Also providing multiple quests that can be completed but not requiring all of them in order to continue the initial main quest to help villagers.

Gotta fix the message width or adjust font size but definitely need to trim down the massive amount of rows for a simple "Quest Objective Complete" notification.

Spent entirely too long on the West Forest Map today but at least I have it done and pretty. This puts the total completed maps up to 9. 

The new map also includes a  cloud moving over head to make it more... mysterious? Was kind of going for an old Legend of Zelda forest feel, the one where you find the master sword. Going to add some critters running about but I think tomorrow is when I'm going to do the actual monster/battle mechanics.

Some morning writing  focusing on the Villager Character Profiles.  There are more characters that Koi will interact with but these are the characters at the start of the game. 

These characters will have their own unique busts (currently in the process of lining and colouring each one) and have their roles (Vendor, Recruitable, Quest Giver, etc) listed.  I may add in quests related to the children at a later date but as of now, they're just NPCs.


Koi

Koi is the main character of the story. An individual on the cusp of adulthood, they have lived most of their life in the quiet village of Kelos. Ten years prior to the beginning of River Lord, Koi was found clinging to life on the banks of the Accades River. Koi does remember the life before but the memories have become distorted with time.
Koi’s personality is determined by the actions of the player.
Koi begins the game as a warrior class with a simple knife as their main weapon. Throughout the gameplay, Koi will unlock new abilities and powers.
Changeable Name and Gender

Nial

Nial is the elder brother of a set of twins. He has lived his entire life in Kelos Village with the occasional trip to one of the larger villages with this Father. He has taken up apprenticeship to Hunter Irgaz and is often found either in the forest or working with the older Villager.
Nial, with his twin sister Sorcha, have been friends with Koi since they were children. Nial is the more dependable twin, often doing what is expected of him instead of what he’d want to do. That being said, he tends to go along with whatever Koi suggests but will always be the friend advocating common sense.
Nial begins the game as a warrior class with a sword as their main weapon.
Recruitable & Quest Giver

Sorcha

Sorcha is the younger sister of a set of twins. She has lived her entire life in Kelos Village but dreams of one day moving to somewhere more exciting. Sorcha prefers to be sitting out on the mountain paths or in hard to reach places.
Sorcha, with her twin brother Nial, have been friends with Koi since they were children. Sorcha is the friend instigating trouble for the trio. If it’s against the rules then even better. Somehow, she manages to get them all out of trouble once she gets them in.
Sorcha begins the game as a warrior class with a bow as her main weapon.
Recruitable & Quest Giver

The Elder

The Elder was the villager who took in Koi when they were found by the river. He is the one whom most of the village looks to in times of need and general decision making. The Elder is the oldest villager, having been old when most of the adults were children.
Considered Wise, the Elder is a man of secrets and stories. Most villagers assume he has forgotten more then the rest of them would ever know.
Quest Giver

Blacksmith Asa

The Blacksmith, Asa, actually moved to the village a few years ago with his daughter. He prefers the quiet life despite not having as much work in Kelos as he had before. Still, he keeps busy with creating items to be sold to wandering merchants and in other towns.
Asa is easy going but can be a bit stern if people ignore him. Asa’s life revolves around his daughter, the man is willing to drop everything if something happens to her.
Quest Giver,  Vendor & Trainer

Merchant Isla

Isla, the merchant, inherited the merchant shop from her father within the last year. She did spend her childhood learning the ropes about how to run a shop and generally has a full shop thanks to the other villagers. She has also arranged for merchants to stop in occasionally.
Isla can be a bit flighty, and often forgets the unimportant things, but she is a friendly woman who enjoys working in her family’s shop.
Vendor & Quest Giver

Hunter Irgaz

Irgaz is a young man who has dedicated himself solely to the task of hunting for the village. He, and his brother, often stay outside the village in various camps or stay at the Town Hall during bad weather.
Adept in several weapons and snares, he is more at home tracking animals then he is with dealing with the villagers themselves. A no nonsense kind of man, he does not tolerate anyone tampering with his livelihood or the village proper.
Trainer & Quest Giver

Kaela

The mother of the twins and Faolan, she is a kind woman who lives in the northern part of the village. She often makes food for the other villagers, most particularly the Elder and Koi. Her husband is often away on trips to other islands so it is just her and her children.
Quest Giver

Faolan

The younger brother to the twins, Faolan is a cheerful and energetic young boy. It takes a lot to get him down. He almost hero worships Koi as an older “kid” who isn’t a sibling.

Asara

The daughter of the Blacksmith, Asara has lived in the village since she was a baby and has known no life other then the life in the village. While she is just as energetic as Faolan, she tends to keep to herself but is still well liked by the rest of the village.
(+1)

Great to have such lively character information.  Hopefully it comes out in the gameplay.  Good luck and there seem to be a lot of cool projects.  Even if people don't win, seems there is a great Indie Community.

Most of it should but we'll see how it goes. =] And you're quite right! There's a lot of cool and varied projects so far for this. It should be interesting to see all the different games that folks have come up with. Plus people are pretty supportive too.

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Didn't feel up to working on the database/battle system today so instead here is an art based update.

Generally for characters, I do an initial sketch which I then translate as close as I can into the standard MV style sprites before basing my color choices on what I get out of the MV generator.  Depending on some choices in the MV Generator, I've changed the character design further. 



(+1)

Like the new character, keep up the great work! 

(+1)

Thank you!
The village just seemed a little too "Vendor NPCs" only so had to add him in.

Another Art update.

So spent the earlier part of the day pretty sick but messed around with the larger sprite size I was debating on using. Not sure if I will use them by the end but it's nice to see how they would fit inside the existing maps.


Yesterday I did manage to get some monsters sketched but managed to design a bit of a boss (who's an homage to the Queen of Zeal from Chrono Trigger). Fairly straight forward kind of "giant floating face" fight.


And today I did a few more River Lord specific monsters.  The gazer, chicken and rat are all based on the pre-existing monsters  in the RPG Maker MV resources. Still kind of iffy on the bubble girl but the slime-skeleton is one I'm working more on.


Hoping to have all my art done by the end of this weekend so I can expand on everything else I already have done (including spreading the story beyond the initial hour requirement).

(+1)

I am a big fan of slime.  Growing up with Venom as a character goopy symbiotes have a place in my heart.

Same here!  I love Venom and the other symbiotes (Carnage, Riot, Rife, Toxin... and I can't remember the other ones). I almost want to do a symbiote type thing in the game but it seems a little cheap with Venom just coming out in theatres. lol

(+1)

yeah I tried making a symbiote character/slime in one game wanted to have different forms, just didn't have the time.

Yeah, that kind of thing would take a lot of work. Would need several different sprites, recolors and... yeah, too much work with not enough time. Ah well, I'll just have slime monsters for now. =P

(+1)

Oh yeah was going to be the main mechanic of a weekend jam, changing colors might have been the easy way to do it.  Red you can shoot fire, green acid, ice for blue, white you walkthrough walls.  The other idea was a possession mechanic but also tough.

Colors would be easy, the abilities/sprite change would just be quite time consuming. Especially with a possession mechanic. Definitely something for more then a weekend jam.

(1 edit)

Haven't had the chance to update as the weekend (and the last few days) was super hectic. I did get some art updated and some more maps completed. I completed the main dialogue for the story line quest, only need to add it into the game at the appropriate parts.

Decided not to use a world map for this, instead going for a Secret of Mana kind of world with just travelling. Hoping to have a Home Teleport added in but that is an addon if I have time at the end of the necessary  stuff (technically, there isn't much travelling between areas right now anyway). If I have time, I also intend to add in corrupted/flooded versions of a few maps. That would be far more aesthetically pleasing but isn't 100% necessary.

I've also decided to add in at least one other villager in Kelos itself with the possibility of additional characters just to spruce up the amount of people there. As right now it's just the absolutely necessary people and that doesn't feel quite right.

That being said, I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. A lot done and still a bit to do but it's been quite the productive month.


Definite To do list:

  • Accades Village Map
  • River Heart Map
  • River Source Map
  • Cliff Map
  • Update Quests
  • Additional Kelos Villager
  • Clean up logo


To do list if I have time:

  • Corrupted/Flooded Maps
  • Extra Villagers
  • Miras Village [Chapter 2 area]
  • River Tower [Chapter 2 area]
  • Additional Side Quests 
  • Home Teleport [Via Item?]
  • Dialogue Tweaking (width/height, grammar, spellchecking)
  • Better window skin
  • Pretty up the UI

So didn't have much time today so I just played around in RPGMaker MV. Ended up going the route of the Home Teleport which turned out to be a lot easier to implement then I thought so that's now a definite in the game.

Just need to decide now whether to disable it in Dungeon like areas or to leave it as a get out of jail free card. Regardless, it was pretty fun to make a spinny vortex and teleport.

Steadily moving along and have an update video on one of the scenes/areas. Have to update some placeholders but otherwise, everything is looking good. Have to finish tweaking some scenes and further grammar/spellcheck as I go along. I have the battle system mostly working, tied into things running around the map which respawn after a few seconds.


Come check out River Lord, a little rough around the edges at parts but pretty proud of what I accomplished in a month for it.

Working now on re-adding gender based choices and scenes along with lengthening the Festival (and Festival-ing it a little more), fixing some passability errors that I did not notice and redoing one of the maps already in game.

So all in all, thank you to everyone who has looked at the game and to those that provided feedback.