My first publicity! (Sort of....)

I was on Youtube and just happened to come across a video of two guys doing commentary on my game...needless to say I got super excited :3

These guys are hilarious too btw.

Lucid Awakening 2 - Train sequence sneak peak

Hello everyone! It certainly has been a while....

Here is a little sneak peak video showing off some of my progress on Lucid Awakening 2. I hope you like it!

LA2: DEMO!!

 

It's about time. I would call this a "story demo" instead of an actual "demo-demo," because some of the technical elements aren't quite there yet, especially the battle system. I'm putting this up mostly for fans of Lucid Awakening who have probably given up on me because it's taken me so long to put out anything concrete since the release of the first game almost two years ago.

Notes about the demo:

• This is a PRE-ALPHA demo, which means it isn't even in Alpha stage yet...which means, not everything is fully functional. This demo was mostly made just as a STORY DEMO.

• You can report bugs if you want...but chances are, I already know about them (i.e. in Redstone all the locations are available from the start and Fountain and Bazaar don't even work).

• I DO want feedback, but please try to keep it to story, design, and content feedback. Like I said, most technical issues are going to be resolved later on.

• I'm trying as hard as possible to make this game understandable to newcomers to the series, but also have a LOT of stuff to please fans. As you may have guessed, this is a very hard thing to balance.

• This is pretty much exactly how the beginning of the full game will be. However, the end of the demo when the logo comes up is basically where the full game will REALLY begin.

• I apologize for not having the awesome job change system functional in this demo...but again, this is a STORY demo.

• Pay attention at the end of the demo in the last scene before the logo comes up, there are some pretty cool little details you will probably like if you played Lucid Awakening. Hint: returning character working with new character, and two transformations. 

I'm sorry for the large file size...I used MP3s instead of midis, which is actually where a good 80 - 90% of the bulk comes from. I really feel like having quality music in a game adds SO much. I think for the full game I will also release a "lite" version that will use all midis to cut down immensely on file size. Anyway, here it is:
Lucid Awakening 2 Demo

Also you will have to install this font (put into C:\\Program Files\Windows\Fonts):
Font

LA2: First continent of world map

 
Well, the title is pretty self-explanatory. This is the first continent of the world map for Lucid Awakening 2. It's nothing special, but it shows that I'm actually still [slowly] working on this game.

Of course there will be more to the finished world map than this, but for the first demo this will most likely be the only place you'll be.




And speaking of demos...I'm pretty sure I will be putting out a brief demo near the end of this week. Unfortunately it probably won't have a working job change system in it, which is disappointing because that is kind of the whole crux of this project. I just want to release something to let fans of Lucid Awakening know that there really is a sequel coming out; also, to prove to the RPG Maker forums that I'm not dead since I haven't been nearly as active as I used to be.


Well, the next time I post will probably be to post a demo! =]

Review: Sonic Colors (Wii)

 

Sonic Colors

Nintendo Wii

Sega

When Sega first released Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis in 1991, it was something totally unique and fresh. Instead of trying to make just another inferior Mario clone like most companies, they basically created their own sub-genre of platformers that hasn't been matched to this day.

In case you don't know what the Sonic games were about, here's a summary: run to the right really, really fast and don't die. Okay, so it was a little more than that, but that's the basic shell of the game. It wasn't as if you would just hold the right button on your controller and sometimes jump; at least half of each level required patience, accurate jumping skills, and good timing--not too far off from what you would expect from a Mario game. Looking back, the level design in Sonic games was incredible. If you didn't just blaze through the levels and took time to stop and look for different ways to go or secret areas, you would realize that the levels were actually gigantic and complex. Also, the music in the series was always fantastic.

Somewhere along the road Sega lost sight of what made Sonic so special. They tried to give it more storyline and add new playable characters; for a series that is all about speed, all this did was slow things down. I had heard good things about the latest Sonic game, Sonic Colors, so I thought I'd give it a chance and I added it to my Gamefly queue.

Finally it came, and I was ready to revive a dead passion for Sonic.

LA2: Towns

Towns in Lucid Awakening 2 are different than the ones in most RPGs. For me, towns are some of the most memorable parts of RPGs; I think of the ones from Final Fantasy 6 in particular. But there was always something about towns I didn't like--my OCD would kick in and I would have to talk to every NPC in the entire town and check every barrel, crate, and pot for treasures. While this is something exciting and memorable, there was still a feeling of anxiety that would come with visiting a new town--"Oh no, I'm going to have to spend 15 minutes doing everything I can in this new town...."

In Final Fantasy 12 towns were different. The cities were absolutely huge and the amount of people there was more than I'd ever seen before in an RPG, yet something made them much less stressful for me--not all NPCs had something to say; only ones with a mark above their head were ones you could talk to. I used this as inspiration as I started making my very first town today on LA2.


I've always had trouble with towns and NPCs when making RPGs, but I think I finally did what's just right for me as a developer and designer.

LA2: Sentries

Sentries are a new type of enemy in Lucid Awakening 2. They serve one purpose in battle, and that is to protect the other enemies. Sentries can greatly weaken the strength of your attacks, put debuffs on your party, constantly drain your HP, and all other kinds of nasty things that can make winning the battle almost impossible. Obviously, the only real way to win a battle with a Sentry involved is to do everything you can to destroy it before even attempting to defeat any other enemies.

Sentries also protect themselves, but each Sentry has a weak point. Most will require a specific type of ability to destroy it, fortunately you will be able to see what Sentries weak points are outside of battle so that you can properly equip your party before the fight.

For example, a Sentry's weak point may be its back. The way to take it out would be to have Zeke change to the Acrobat class and use his Leap attack. Once the Sentry is destroyed you can continue the battle as you normally would.

Battles in Lucid Awakening 2 can sometimes be like puzzles. A lot of times you really have to think about the battle instead of the "Attack-Attack-Attack-Heal-Repeat" cycle you see in many RPGs. Sometimes there can even be multiple kinds of Sentries in one battle. You may have a Sentry that guards against back attacks, and a Sentry who is weak against back attacks; the only way to solve this battle would be to take out the first Sentry with its weakness first so that you can attack the second Sentry in the back.