1st Demo - 9/8

It took a lot longer than I expected due to a simple solution to an annoying problem.

• Sometimes slogs on my AMD machine but has no issues on Nvidia.
• Game hasn't been balanced yet, so some classes maybe overpowered.
• There will be issues, please report them.
• None of what you see in the demo is finalized, it's near final, but changes depending on those who play the demo will probably change things.

 Filsize: 273 MB

http://tinyurl.com/owtcpl2

Please either give me feedback here on my blog or go to: http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/topic/39880-the-border-demo-out-now-98/

Topics to give feedback on:

1. Writing

2. Level Design

3. Structure

4. Enemies

5. Balance

Any one of these!

Title Screen

Here's my new title screen! Using scripts from Yami and Acezon, I have used a map from the game in place of having a still image. I hope you enjoy it!

Alternate link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf_vvhzVPlg&feature=youtu.be

Meili Rong, Mouse Controls/Resolution, Class Sprites/Updated Male.

 

Name: Meili Rong

Age: 21

Gender: Female – Male Romance Only

Class: Samurai (Exclusive)

Personality:

Meili can be rough at times and even pushy when she wants someone to do something. Other times she can be air headed and not pick up on things as quickly as others. However Meili means well and she is an excellent fighter.

Biograph:

Meili is the fifth daughter of the Rong family in Ne-ina, a long lineage that goes far into historical obscurity. Similar to her sisters, Meili is a Samurai, unlike them however she is a near prodigy-level. This has caused issues in her family, with her father showing favoritism towards her which caused her older sisters to bully her.

For five years she refused to even touch a sword out of fear of her older sisters. This was when during a stroll in the woods that she came across Yan who had been meditating near a still pond. She approached the mage and she and he delved into conversation where they quickly became friends and to her, Yan became the older brother she never had.

After explaining her situation, Yan decided to bring a wooden Katana to the pond where she could train without the prying eyes of her sisters. This has continued even after Yan became to disappear regularly to check up on his special person. 

Mouse Controls

Yes! Instead of using the arrow keys, you can now move interact with, and even use the menu purely using mouse cursor. Though some aspects of the options menu requires arrow keys, but it is very small.

Check out, Ezsmash's blog for the script and more!

http://ezmash.net/devblog/?p=49

Resolution

So the game is now 640 x 480, however as typical with RPG Maker, this is the max resolution and when you go into full screen it stretches it out. While I have now gained the script: Fullscreen++ by Zues81, this allows for you to press f6 to change the size of the window in window and in full screen. This also makes it so it adds black bars to full screen on the sides so while it does stretch a bit when it gets bigger- it allows you to play in full screen without worrying about your resolution of your desktop to change with it. 

Check out this album full of examples: http://imgur.com/a/qFXB4#0

You will also notice that in the text box, the character sprite appears. This will be the case for all major characters and even the player character!

Class Sprites

So yeah, this was a decision I was entertaining for a while. However I finally decided on it and so here is the chart. Currently I have it just for the male, which you will notice that he his hair is now missing his bandana and also his red hair is dulled. Yes, this is a change to make them better fit with other sprites in the game. Eventually I will show what both male and female look like afterwards once I finalize all of the changes.

Note: There is one change not reflected on this sheet, basically when you become Paladin you will get facial markings on your character. I will explore why, when I get to the character known as Duncan Isen. 

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That's it for now! I hope you like this update! :) 

Lore Part 1

Enderia.

Enderia is the world you inhabit. You begin your journey on the border between the two sides, to the west, the Empire of Ne-ina, and to the east, the Kingdom of Rygoul.

Kingdom of Rygoul

Founded well over a thousand years ago, the Kingdom of Rygoul has always been ruled by the Gabrian Royal family. Before it's founding, the area known as Rygoul had been filled with nomads and no central government. Instead people wondered the land doing which ever they pleased. This changed when various nomadic groups began to settle down and lay down boundaries. Thus the land that typically would be filled with wondering nomads, began to be restricted and their free lands limited.

Eventually conflict rose between the nomads, one of which was led by the Gabrian family. While unknown to this day, the Gabrian family managed to gain a large almost cult following to aid them in the following wars. Their influence continued to spread until eventually the wars ended and all other groups began to follow under the Gabrian banner.

Thus the Kingdom of Rygoul had been founded.

Empire of Ne-ina

In the mountainous and bamboo-filled lands of Ne-ina, named after the Goddess of Harvest, various provinces existed, each an extension of the Queendom. For a long time, this Queendom had peace between the two factions of the Lotus Warriors, and the Priests of Hanuha. However as history repeats, after an incident involving the Priests which lead to numerous of them dying at the hands of the Warriors, a conflict began to brew.

Despite attempts by the Queen, Yuen Hwei-ru, the first war in a long time between the two factions begun. The provinces began to burn, the fires of the war stretched out over all Ne-ina. It was quickly looking as though the Priests, with their Defenders would be victorious. But then at the battle of Tianbian, the Lotus Warriors seemingly gained a large advantage over the Priests and they began to push out and retaking any lost territory. It was said a mysterious person began to aid the leader of the Lotus Warriors, however this person had never been seen by any accounts.

Eventually the Lotus Warriors stormed their way through the Capitol, which the Priests had taken previously, bringing down the Queen. With their new found might, the Lotus Warriors took the Capitol and thus soon after, all of Ne-ina.

Thus the Empire of Ne-ina was born.

The Border

A small stretch of village of Irota, where the player begins. While neither side fights in the Forest of Irota- in the Northern Region, a wasteland of ice, the two sides fight. Irota being on the border along with other villages, stays neutral, but still trades with both sides.

Irota

Irota is a village in the forest it's named after. It is said that Irota has existed even before Rygoul and Ne-ina and that at one point that even the Gods and Goddess inhabited the small village. It is also said that back than that the forest was just a few trees but that due to the blessing from above, a strong and healthy forest arose. Due to the mythology of the village, people from around come and visit it, however the village stressed that only a few may come as they still wish to stay a small and quiet community.

However while Rygoul and Ne-ina have changed much over the past thousand years, Irota stays the same. They say this is because they still have the blessing of Luna to this day, despite the Heavens exodus.

Let'ell Castle

Within the Forest of Irota, lies a castle- but no government houses it. Instead, by tradition of Irota, when the villages children become of age, they're sent to Let'ell Castle where they're tested to become adventurers. Below the castle a dungeon was crafted and even filled with monsters. Once they succeed in clearing this challenge, the adventurers are set upon their way to help others in the world. It is then said that those adventurers train the next one's in line when they reach an older age.

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Hope you enjoy this post! Just a reminder however, while I will be posting lore, their is only so much I will reveal. :)

Yan Lu, Window Design/Resolution, and Crafting.

Name: Yan Lu
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Personality: 

Yan can be a outgoing and caring man, though at the same time can sometimes be hesitant to grow attached to people- though his caring nature has betrayed this on numerous occasions. He also is willing to vanish for long periods of time, traveling to unknown locations and without a word to others.

Biograph:

Yan's history is a strange one, having met many people, Yan always' changes what his history is. However as some has noted, their have been some consistencies in his stories. Such as growing up in a small village, having lived a life of bad choices, and eventually meeting and romancing a female adventurer from Rygoul. But everything around these always seems to change- making the trust others have with him having become wavering.

Another mysterious thing about Yan is his age, while he claims he is in his 20's, some have sworn seeing him many years ago having looked exactly the same. Though Yan denies these accusations and claims they're mistaken.

Window Designs/Resolution

The window design of the game has gone through some phases, but I believe I have nailed down the final design. A simple gradient design that color can be changed by the user in the options.

I have also changed the resolution of the game from 544 x 416 to 640 x 480. I tried to go higher but couldn't get it to work. Anyway, the new screenshots below are 640 x 480 but the original window design is not the new resolution. This change actually required me to change with my Khas Awesome Lights script and also my maps. Since if your map is small enough, then you see where the map ends.

Menu

Dialogue

Battle UI

Crafting

You will be able to craft at various spots in the world, however you can check at any point in the menu for your recipes and what is required to craft something. The menu will look mostly like how it does below, however the current weapon is merely a stand in, along with the names of the categories as Armorsmithing and Weaponsmithing will most likely be different categories, or maybe not. It's undecided. Anyway- to further craft you will obtain recipes through quests and vendors through out the game's worlds.

Each category has it's own level attached to it, so the more you craft the higher level it will become and thus you can craft stronger recipes. This has been done through Venka's Crafting Script.

Out in the world you will find various resource nodes (examples below), they will spawn again after 5 minutes real time, however they will be plentiful enough. Their will also be some vendors which will sell a limited number of them and enemies will also drop time to time their own crafting minerals. Also been achieved through Shaz's Extended Timer Script.

Crafting will be the main way for getting the best of the best gear in the game. 

Currently some parts of crafting has been undecided, such things like crafting potions and other similar items. It is possible these maybe craftable but it is possible they will stick to vendors instead. 

 Thanks for reading! Comment if you have any questions or just general comments.

Combat

Combat

Up to 4 companions, including the player themselves are able to take part in the turn-based combat system. It should be noted that you cannot take the player character out of the party.

Each turn you will choose the actions of your party, and who goes in what order depends on both the characters agility (AGI) and the speed of the skill. For example a Paladin using cover, even though the Paladin doesn't have a high AGI, would still cover an ally quicker than any high AGI Rogue.

Battle UI

Battles are found across the world in random encounters on the map, so you will not see the enemies wondering about. However their will be ways to ensure less encounters if you need to make a quick escape. This also leads to being able farm if the player decides to do so. However special encounters for story quests or even side-quests will be shown on the field so you know where to go.

Boss encounters will be the meat of the game and their will be a bunch of them. You will not find them to be merely damage sponges. Instead you will have to learn their mechanics to defeat them, this can be as simple as destroying a crystal that is giving the boss high defense to having to destroy something before it explodes dealing massive damage to the party. Their will even be a rage timer on certain bosses, so you will have to act quick.

That is all for now, next post will be about crafting, and how you will find materials.

Player Character and Other details!

Player Character

This is you, the player character. You have two options of skin colors and you can choose between male or female. Currently due to the amount of options, there is no choice for body changes. Though it is possible later down the line if I can figure out something that when you change to your advanced class, your body does change to reflect your choice. (Example: If you choose to be a Warrior, your body would change to heavy armor.)

Also your gender choice will be reflected in how other characters refer to you (she, he, her, him), but your dialogue is the same between the two.

Name: Player Determined
Age: 20
Gender: Player Determined
Personality: 

The Player is an outgoing individual who has always shown a great passion for whatever they were doing. However the Player has never been the leader, always preferring to stay behind allies and help them from there. Though this role has been thrusted upon them.

Biograph:

Born in the Capitol of the Kingdom of Rygoul, the player was moved to the border village of Irota after their parent's untimely death. However once they were in Irota they live a fairly average life, becoming friends with many of the locals and eventually living in their own home. Over the years the Player picked up the art of fighting, knowing that eventually on their 20th birthday that they and her friends in the village would be sent out in the world to become adventurers.

While maybe not all, their will be posts showing off other companions as time goes on. Next one being the Mystic known as Yan Lu, a very important character. 

Quests

Throughout the world you will come across NPC's with Quest markers above their heads, unlike other NPC's they will not move from their position. Quests can range from simply killing or collecting. However once you progress through the game, you will begin to get quests with their own storylines eventually even forming chain quests. These will bring you across the world and seeking new areas and even unlocking secret zones and dungeons. 

Once you compete the main storyline, various side quests will open up and present you with the game's post-game content. While not determined yet, it is possible depending on what the quest is, the quest marker may be different. Their will be a variety of locations to get quests from, some out in the wilds and others in towns. Quests can be a good way to earn exp, loot, and a variety of other goods. 

You have a quest journal which will show both your side quests and your main story quests. It is good to check on it often if you get lost. Red is for main story, Blue is for side. However similar to how I mention the possibility of different quest markers depending on the type of quest, their maybe more colors added.

Saving

Similar to other RPG's, their will be save points sprinkled through out the world. So it is always wise to save at any chance you can get since as you progress their will be more instances of save points being spread out further apart. You will also be able to heal at a save point, though for a price. Though this maybe changed. 

Class System

Class system

Originally the Class System simply had the player choose from one of the 7 playable classes of Warrior, Monk, Paladin, Rogue, Archer, Mage, and Spell Blade. However this has since been changed.

Now there are 4 base classes of Adventurer, Mystic, Thief, and Medic, with the Medic being for companions only (for gameplay purposes.) Also originally you choose your class very early in the game, however now you will pick one of the base classes at the very start of the game during character creation. With advancement coming much later on.

It goes like this.

Adventurer

1. Warrior 
• Warrior's use a Greataxe to rip through their foes. While they do use heavier armor, the warrior is in no way a tanking class.
2. Monk
• Using dual claw weapons, the monk uses various mantra's (stances) to change how they play in a fight. Whether it's speed, defense, or strength, you can only choose one at a time.
3. Paladin
• Paladin's use a spear and shield to defend their allies and bring forth holy damage upon their foes. Even able to use various support magics.

Mystic

1. Spell Blade
• With a sword and wand in hand, the Spell Blade has access to elemental weapons and wind-based magic. They can even embue their allies with the elements.
2. Mage
• Wielding a staff, the mage is a glass-canon, able to dish out strong magic but cannot withstand much fighting. With their elements, Mages typically use ice, fire, and thunder and various other non-elemental magic.

Thief

1. Rogue
• Through the shadows the Rogue sneaks, using it's dual daggers to slice their foes. However some may find the Rogue is quite reliant on luck.
2. Archer
• Arrows pierce the Archer's foes, tearing their armor and removing weapons from hands. The Archer rains down arrows from the sky.

Medic

1. Healer
• Healing is their game, with a Mace in hand, the Healer does not dish out much damage, but instead will use various types of healing upon their allies.
2. Sage
• While the Sage uses a staff, they're more on support and debuff with some healing and attack spells to vary out their arsenal. 

There is then one companion specific class that is locked due to story reasons, this is Samurai.

• Samurai, uses a Katana, and is able to buff allies while striking heavy blows against their enemies. Similar to monk they too have stances.

Each of the base classes will have various spells and skills of their advance classes. These skills however require the weapon of their advance classes to be used. Thus you will get each of your advance classes weapons in your home at the start of the game.

Now onto Skills, this is still a WIP as I am still designing all of the skills but I am also still going over how exactly skills will be acquired. Currently you use Skill Points gained from killing enemies to buy the skills as they become available. 30 per kill, with 100 gained upon level and an unknown amount from bosses. Currently when you get to level 6 the skills cost 500 each. Without leveling you would need to kill 16 enemies to get that. Depending on how leveling goes, this may not be an issue, but if you level too fast it could be.

However this runs into an issue, namely with the class advancement system- currently I am unsure if you buy a skill on adventurer that if the advance class shares that skill that you keep it or need to buy it. If this is not an issue, this system is most likely going to stay in place.

Another system I am unsure of adding is TP Stances. These would allow you to gain TP to use skills in a variety of ways across characters instead of just using specific attacks. The only issue I have with this is that that seems sort of boring if that's all they do. If there is a way to make them not just specific to getting TP a variety of ways I may add them. If I do, you would gain these Stances from a vendor in your base. Which in that case you will need to advance that vendor (who sells other things as well) to gain more stances. 

That's it for now! Eventually I hope to put more up about the classes, maybe specific skills and such. Maybe even various demos that merely let you test the classes against enemies to see what seems OP and what doesn't. I will do this myself- though I am a one-man studio.

The Border Info

Welcome to my blog!

The Border is an RPG Maker VX Ace, RPG, developed by me.

Story

Born in the capitol of the Kingdom of Rygoul, you moved to a village on the border between Rygoul and the Empire of Ne-ina, following the death of your parents. Living in the village of Irota, the hero lived a fairly average life. Upon your 20th birthday, it is tradition for the young adults of the village to go out and become adventurers. However not everything is how ti seems, and at the end of the day- nothing would be the same.

Gameplay

The Border allows the player to create their own character through a basic character creation system. From there you will pick one of three of base classes (Adventurer, Thief, and Mystic.) You can also choose which class your companions evolve into, however it is impossible to have all classes in a single play through, so pick wisely. There are classes (Healer, Sage, Samurai) which are companion-bound for story and gameplay reasons.

The game will have you exploring a large world, doing story and side quests through a large variety of zones. Eventually you will reach a village which will introduce the base building concept, where you will pick what each of the village's houses are used for (crafting, vendors, and even factions.) There will even be post-game content. While the story is mostly pre-determined, there will be choices here and there that allow you to personalize your playthrough.

You will also be able to romance various companion's however it should be noted that your choices depend on your gender choice. Some are able to be romanced by one gender, but others by both. This will effect a little bit of the game's ending and have potential other buffs. It should be noted that this will also unlock a sort of "lovers" companion questline for the individual you choose to romance.

Test Gameplay

Note: Various elements of the video have been changed already, such as the class system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD8Ur00wEFs