Unusual edition today! Didn’t get much accomplished but took a master course in RPG design—in a sense—so this is in blog format below the jump. Lots to say!
Category Archives: Dreamblazers
Dreamblazers Devlog: Week of February 17, 2014
Last week’s achievements
* Fixed some issues with stat growth
* Set up character classes, stat growth, and starting equipment for Celty and Leaf
* Preliminarily finalized HP and EP regeneration rates
* Got gameplay functional and flavor text written for status effects: Last Stand, Asleep, Berserk, Bound – Arms/Legs/Full, Burning, Crystallized, Disoriented, Fatigued, Frozen, Oiled, Paralyzed, Sealed, Stunned, Watered, and one effect that’s too spoiler-y to mention here (note: not all of these effects may make it into the final game)
* Wrote flavor text for status effects: Confused, Flustered, Frozen, Poisoned, Spasming, Tempted, Tranquilized (these are not functional)
* Set up character classes and stat growth for Tango, Evelyn, Lucky, Telia, Cecille, Flute, Relany, Jig, Sakura, Astrid, Jelia, Kelly, Besarre, Jun, Ardis, Lash, Saga, and Spring
Current focus
I might not get much accomplished this week, actually, but if I do it’s gameplay as always. If art drafts come in, I’ll take care of those.
Weekly goals
See comments.
Comments
My need for a new computer is too apparent now; as one example, today I had to restart twice just so I could open any Internet browser. Last week I also had to redo about seventy minutes that were lost when I crashed Unity—and there was another time when I crashed my computer five seconds after making a backup in Unity. I spent the whole restart cycle praying I hadn’t lost anything and, as it turns out, I didn’t! Hey, I do believe prayer pans out, but all the same I believe it’s time to get some technology on my side too. =P So I’m looking into that and the transition from one computer to a new one is never as simple as I’d like it to be.
In addition, while I’ve thrown out all pretensions of ever creating a 140-minute video review of Tales of Symphonia because Dreamblazers is my focus, I figured I’d at least post the script since it’s already written—it only needs a little cleanup to make it sensible in a blog format. The PS3 re-release comes out in less than ten days now and this is my second favorite single-player RPG and a huge influence for me, so I wanted to do a little something for the tenth anniversary. =)
All that said, can’t imagine a week where I don’t get anything done on the game design front, so I’m sure I’ll have something here for the next devlog post.
Dreamblazers Devlog: Week of February 10, 2014
Last week’s achievements
* Art feedback round 1 sent for Autumn, Hikaru, Kylie
* Created structure for fashion style structure
* Finalized equipment stats and wrote flavor text for: Ribboned Hat, Swimline Single, Turmoil Tunic (?)**, Adamanvine Armlet, Sidelopped Skirt (?)**, Star Sneakers, Customized Coat, Kittyara, Swimline Split, Synergy Mail, Alternating Armwear, Songwoven Skirt, Silent Sandals, Mystery Manacle, Randomizing Polish
* Know how to set up all passive abilities involving changing stats, preventing status effects, or inflicting status effects
* Preliminarily finalized damage formula
* Set up stat growth formula (I’d already Excelled out what it was before last week, just hadn’t implemented)
* Wrote area flavor text for: Natsuki Crater Forest, Impini Mountain Base, Impedi Wooded Base, Winny Spring, Deltaru Tri-Port, Seaside Slime Cove, Den of Kobolds and the Unicorn, Unknown Village, Miharu Capital Palace, Boomerang Sanctuary, Forbidden Peak, Secret Sylvan Stage, Mermaids’ Getaway, Spring Lake Valley, Spring Lake Deep Glade, The Royal Tail Fin
**These are parts of the names
Current focus
If any more character design drafts come in, I’m very likely to pounce on them so that my artist Flora and I can “parallel process” since we do different things. Other than that, nailing battles will consume me for the foreseeable future.
Weekly goals
* Push ahead toward the current long-term goal of ironing out the basic balance of battles: how many attacks to end average battle, how many hits can squishy vs. tanky vs. squishy-but-regenerating playable characters survive, how much damage will status effects do, etc.
* In the here and now, that means finalizing various formulas and the relative strength of different techniques and magic
* Send art feedback for at least half of any next rounds of characters if they come in
* Might need to look into buying a new computer…
Comments
Last week was my first time trying out the magic of written goals. I overdelivered on art feedback and far overdelivered on flavor text, but only half-delivered on passive abilities and overestimated how much I could do in a week with battle balance. Not a problem, though! Because of what I decided to focus on, I did set up a few battle necessities, like stat growth and initial equipment. It also had a natural segue into implementing the first half of the style system since I was already setting up equipment.
And, anyway, I’d always intended to aim higher than I believe I can achieve, then adjust along the way. In this case, I know I can set higher expectations than before for what I can do with text and feedback, but with the battles it’s more of a long-term goal with several checkpoints. Definitely not gonna go all Twilight Sparkle here and create a checklist of things I need to create a checklist, though!
Dreamblazers Devlog: Week of February 3, 2014
Last week’s achievements
* Character profile and direction sent to Flora for Astrid, Autumn, Hikaru, Kylie
* Art feedback round 3 sent for Celty
Current focus
Gameplay, gameplay, gameplay.
And art and flavor text as I have time or desire.
Weekly goals
* Iron out basic balance of battles: how many attacks to end average battle, how many hits can squishy vs. tanky vs. squishy-but-regenerating playable characters survive, how much damage do status effects do, etc.
* Get at least ten passive battle abilities functioning properly
* Send art feedback for at least two characters out of Autumn, Hikaru, and Kylie
* Write descriptions for ten or more equipment pieces
Comments
Over 1000 hours in Pokémon X and Y is a clear sign that I value battles in an RPG. It’s no different for my own Dreamblazers! Even though exploration is right there in the title and is absolutely crucial, I still believe that if I can’t get battles right, nothing else matters. Not to me, anyway. =)