Well, hello there, folks. First: I suck a presenting something. It`s a curse.
I recently acquired the RPG Maker VX Ace and became enarmored with the many possibilities it offers. It`s surely a software with some limitations, but still very nice and powerful.
After some testing and even the creation of some small sample games i started working on a real project.
Or at least to plan it. Currently i`m working on the specific story outline, assembling the necessary tilesets, adding necessary scripts etc. etc. Groundwork mostly for now.
I felt like sharing it- Because it`s much work. Like, a lot. And i quite frankly wondered whether one could find some people on here who would be interested to work on the project with me. I know that it`s quite hard to interest people in a fledgling project; But as you will see there are many possibilities to add the stuff you like and you want to play with to the game, without twisting it into something different.
So, let`s show of the basic premise, eh?
The working title is
\Mix. Which will make sense after reading the premise.
Background StoryThe RPG is set in the modern world, in some western nation. The twist is, that suddenly, in some semi-cataclysmic event, myths and legends and magic became alive. Big parts of the world simply phased out and became replaced or twisted by alternate realties. But not only the land was changed; No, some inhabitants of the other worlds were thrown into our modern world. In the ensuing chaos many people, from all kinds of realities, were killed, much destruction was caused, and everyone had to learn how to cope with their new situation.
The game starts roughly one year after this cataclysmic event. By now an very uneasy truce has been established between the various factions.
The player is a member of an unnamed school- Which survived the cataclysm pretty well, since the students were quick to act- They were able to react faster to the situation than others and established an neutral zone on their school ground.
Here the various factions can meet and trade without danger- And the school also offers them basic education, which they might lack- Mathematics, writing, courses on modern technology etc. In return some of the newcomers agreed to offer courses on stuff like magic, swordplay and such.
It is an good system. And it`s about to break down, as the various factions begin to break the truce that has been established.
And you, a member of the students, are tasked to stop this.
GameplayStyleThe game will be more an western than eastern RPG. There will be a main plot, but the player is free to wander the world. (If he can survive it, that`s it.) the player will also be a blank slate and can act according to the will of the player. The world around you should feel quite lively- You aren`t the sole actor on which anything hinges.
AlliesThere will be many different allies to choose from. Each of them has their own goals, opinions and abilities. Each companion might also react differently in the same situation; Some might offer invaluable advice, others can clear obstacles easier than others and so on. Each character will also have an personal quest. Allies not chosen during the initial stage of the game might be encountered later, as npcs, as situational allies, or even as enemies.
FactionsThe factions will play an huge role. The player can befriend them, or become their mortal enemy- It`s up to him. Various quests pit two or more factions against each other, and helping one means alienating the other. Parts of the mainquest might even play out vastly different, depending on your relations with the different factions. Befriending a faction gets you unique equipment, unlocks more quests and get`s you information which might aid you on your mainquest.
CombatCombat will be dangerous and varied and even somewhat realistic. Magic, antique weapons and guns exist at the same time. Each weapon has it`s own pro and cons- Maces can stun your enemies, swords might cause bleeding, spears allow you to keep your distance, etc. Guns are powerful, but require ammo to work etc.
In order to defeat your enemies you have to know which weapon to use. Knights in heavy plate, for example, can resist swords quite well, but maces are pretty effective against them. Modern soldiers use kevlar wests and equipment designed to withstand bullets, but can be roughed up pretty easily with melee weapons. And so on.
Current goalI know that the scope of the game is ambitious, to say the least, and that`s why, for the initial release, the scope of the game will be limited. At the moment my current goal is to create a small demo, which could be used to show it off to the RPG-Maker Communities out there.
The plans for this demo are outlined already, and are supposed to show off how the final game might look and play.
For now 5 Factions are planned to appear in the demo. They won`t be included completely; One can just visit some of their outposts, solve one or two quests for each and such stuff.
5 Heroes are planned to appear in the first release; Of which 3 can be chosen during each playtrough.
The five factions are, currently:
The Valhallans
Savage raiders and resourceful traders. Vikings which brought along their Einherjars, Valkyries and their old gods. Their raids put them at odds with other factions, but they are also good and respected traders.
The Sidhe
Secretive elves, a conglomerate of the various myths associated with them- With some influence by our modern myths. They are divided into the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court, both of which are one faction, though. They keep mostly to themselves but strive to protect the wild and magical places of this new world. Some of them are michievious, some outright dangerous.
The Remnant
Survivors of the cataclysm, who try to preserve their old way of life and state. They employ modern day soldiers and weaponry and are led by the remnants of their old government. They want to restore things back to normal.
Gehenna
Demons and cultists, basically. The faction consists of various fractured cults. The human followers mostly want to acquire more personal power, while the demons plot to win the war against the heavens.
Perhaps the most outright "Evil" faction, altough there will be quite some shades of grey.
The Empire
Basically a medieval society thrown into the modern world. They worship god and the heavenly hosts and employ knights, priests and angelic warriors. The humans want to expand their empire, while the angels desire to win the war against Gehenna. While there are genuine good guys in this factions, others are ruthless witch hunters and knight templars.
So, that`s the most basic explanation of the core game, for now. As i said- I`m currently assembling everything required for it.
And i would be grateful for your help. Everyone can contribute to it- Your ideas and opinions are welcome! You can offer suggestions on factions, on npcs, everything.
And if you also possess the RPG maker ace you can join the team- Which only consists of me at the moment. Whether you like to create maps, whether you like to create tiles, whether you like to write dialogue or quests-
Everything is currently needed.Everyone who helps with ideas and stuff will be properly credited.
It`s a side project of mine, my real project is obviously living my life. So progress will be dictated by how much time i find. On the flipside this means that i won`t demand constant results from potential team members. It`s supposed to be a nice project to get our creative juice flowing.