0.2.5: Development Screenshots 29

Afternoon, apothecaries!

I've been working on both the regular dungeons and the World Map Sample events. In particular, the underwater area is completely done, aside from the Dragon Statues at the end. Have a shot of the finished product!

The Grand Ring Bay is home to many powerful enemies. Thankfully, you don't have to take them on alone.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 28

Ho ho ho, apothecaries!

I hit a block last week, and didn't get to do an awful lot. However, I do have plans in place for the Dark Foundry, and the enemies are all ready save the boss.

Here's one of those enemies, in today's screenshot.

Never let your guard down around Leaden Golems. All their attacks inflict Poison!

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 27

Good day, apothecaries!

I've completed Mt. Gwylio, for the most part; all that I need to do is map the inside of a cabin and stat out a hat. In the meantime, I've started on the next dungeon. I can't say too much, but there's gonna be Golems. There's definitely gonna be Golems.

Here's an early picture of the place.

It's a cave! It's a factory! It's a cave factory!

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 26

Morning, everyone! I've got another short one today.

There's not a whole lot to say; I've just been working on Mt. Gwylio, which I expect to finish by Sunday. It can be tricky to make maps that use trees as walls without resorting to "I'll just spam trees in an even grid and call that a wall". Height also makes maps much more complex, as I learned when I was mapping the Grand Ring Bay, but these maps usually look much more interesting when they're done.

So here's a screenshot of a bit of Mt. Gwylio.

The big open area on the right is unfinished as of now, but it's going to be an alternative route around the suspiciously narrow road lined with bushes.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 25

Morning!

It's been a very stressful week, and I wasn't able to get much done on Ruphand. However, the coming weeks should be much easier, and I've done some important dungeon planning for 0.2.5.

So here's a screenshot of a thing.

 It seems so empty, yet there is more to it than there appears.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 24

Morning!

I actually had a bit more time than usual to work on Ruphand this past week. I've made some progress on Mt. Gwylio, in addition to doing a little more work on two other dungeons.

Here's a screenshot of some more enemies you'll find in 0.2.5.

Beware; the foliage on Mt. Gwylio will try and catch you by surprise!

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 23

Afternoon!

Work continues slowly on Ruphand. While I've got less time to work on it than before, I've also got a lot more focus; having nothing to do actually makes it a lot easier to get distracted, while downtime at a job is great for jotting down ideas for things like new items as they come up. (ONLY downtime, mind you; I would heavily advise against working on RPG Maker stuff while you have work to do!)

I've been coming up with a lot more of the new equipment you can get in the next update, the buyable Trinkets in Daltah in particular. Element Amp effects will start becoming more readily available, though you can only get so many of them, and I've also got some interesting items apart from that; for example, the Ring of Reprisal, which increases Attack by 1 point for every 10 HP you're missing, up to 15 points.

I've also done work on both an area I don't want to spoil and the village of Daltah I mentioned last week. Here's a picture of what Daltah looks like so far.

The mine's presently blocked off by a disagreement on who should claim a magical find in the mine, but maybe there's a way to get around them?

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 22

Morning!

While the new job's required a lot of my attention, I'll still have ample time to work on Ruphand, particularly on the weekends.

My main focus this week has been on something I'd rather not spoil, but I've also worked on some things in the Arkenvali desert. That Academy you saw in a few screenshots is one of the few places in Arkenvali that's not a desert; I'm putting together a village to its north, by a river.

But that's not the only thing you'll find in the desert...

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 21

Afternoon!

When I last said "I'm aiming to have this done by November 14," I wasn't accounting for a lot of things that came up in the last week, most notably a new job that will likely slow down development while I get acquainted with my schedule.

That said, development is still continuing; my main focus at the moment is finishing work on every enemy in the upcoming update, whether they're in World Map Sampling events or new dungeons. Here's a sneak preview of two of them!

The Dragr are undead roaming the Frozen Reach. It's recommended to bring plenty of Fire when you fight them.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 20

Afternoon!

I'm probably not going to finish within the month, but I have made progress. I'm going to make it my goal to finish 0.2.5 by November 14.

Some of the old maps I made were fairly dull, so I've added a bit to them. Have a look at a bit of Levitt's Landing that was changed!

More travelers from faraway lands really get the "port town" feeling across.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 19

Morning!

This week has mostly involved a lot of planning as well as some work on a few different dungeons. There's not a whole lot much else to say, so I'm just going to leave you with this:

Strange foes, with stranger powers, in a strange place.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 18

Morning!

Everything in Altolato is completely finished, many of the enemies are planned out, and development is starting to go a lot faster; the main thing left is mapping out the dungeons. I'm hoping to be done by the end of October, though that's a rough deadline as there are a lot of things to work on.

Winning an auction.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 17

Morning!

Most of the work this week was on the Auction House, and Altolato in general. Everything related to the city's almost completely done, and it's probably been the one thing that's taken me the longest to make.

Have some screenshots of it!

 This inn costs a hundred Sil to stay at, though there is one reason besides location that you might pick this inn in particular...

This is the southern section of the city. There's not as much to do there, but it's still worth a trip or two.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 16

Good morning!

I've mostly been working on Altolato; the Auction House in particular is likely to take quite a bit of time, but the side-quest in Altolato that takes you into that waterway from last week's screenshot is complete. The underwater area also got some more parts of it mapped, and the rest is planned out.

And there's this watchtower, too.

This is one of two watchtowers on the north coast of Kitaban. They were actually started very early into 0.2.5.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 15

Morning!

It's mostly behind-the-scenes work this week again.

Unfortunately, a few effects were too powerful- including an entire element. I've placed a limitation on Wind attacks' Deflect effect. They can only Deflect two attacks before the target becomes immune to Deflect effects until their next action; after the target takes any action (even one that cannot be Deflected, such as Blocking), this limit is reset. (Yes, you can still keep an enemy from Block-Attacking by hitting them with a Fresh Air or Wind Formula.)

Lower-level Catalytic formulas were also simply too fast for the damage their Catalysts dealt, especially the Catalytic Base; they are now only slightly faster than the Formulas of the equivalent tier. And the Angel Ring now gains a longer cooldown the more times it saves your last Hit Point in a single battle; without this, I found that some enemies would be completely unable to defeat Brill.

It's not all nerfs, though! The Jolt Potion's Block Buster value will be increased to 2/3, and its base damage increased to 4; it's simply too weak to be worth spending a Sun Stone and a Dynamo Stone on otherwise.

Other than balance issues, I've programmed in some enemy attacks- including a boss with a complicated AI and 13 different attacks available to him.

Apart from that, I did some mapping. Like this unfinished drain tunnel just under Altolato!

Yes, I technically just made a sewer level. But it's not too mazelike. And it's part ruins level. (And there aren't a billion fights against rats. Oh no, the enemies you fight here are much more dangerous.)

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 14

Good morning!

I've been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work, fixing bugs and planning out the encounter data for two of the upcoming dungeons. One bugfix I'm happy to report: in 0.2.5, you'll be able to save and reload the game without enemies respawning!

In the meantime, let's take a look at a castle.

Defia Castle has quite a few Golems in it.

THEY TALK LIKE THIS.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 13

Morning!

I've been doing quite a bit of work on one particular area: Highfort, in Kitaban. The place was originally a military base for Nortahn, and still has all the tents and a lot of guys in red armor training or guarding things.

 The northern entrance. There's also an entrance to the south.

 As shown here. The Inn is obvious. The large tent is shown in the below screenshot.

Nortahn is home to many disciplined and competent warriors. And then there's this guy.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 12

Morning!

Work has been a bit slow this week, but I have statted out a lot of new equipment (mostly hats, like the Rock Wall-piercing Potter's Cap), and done a fair bit of mapping as well. Here's a picture of one of the new areas.

Now they just need "Conjure Wet Floor Sign III" and they're golden.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 11

Morning!

I've been working on the Auction House, as well as the next stage of gear that you'll be able to build. That stuff will be the baseline for a lot of gear found around Kitaban, and it'll be what I balance monsters in later areas around.

I've also been doing some mapping of a castle, and of one of the areas you'll find said monsters in.

An early look at the ocean floor, complete with blue filter and loads of coral.

See those cliffs? You can jump up AND down here. (Someone will let you know, no worries.)

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 10

Morning!

This week, I've mostly been working on maps and new items, and trying to figure out issues with the Auction House minigame. I've also been doing some "behind the scenes" work that you can't really capture in a screenshot (without excessive spoilers, anyway).

I'd like to finish some dungeons over the next week, so I can drop some previews of them. In the meantime, here's another screenshot!

Orcs are tough. They might be tough enough to justify using this new Tonic variant, which heals the target again after a number of ticks instead of after they attack. (This stacks with Regen Formulas!)

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 9

Afternoon!

I've been making a lot of enemy data and putting together encounters for World Map sampling, but I've also been working on maps for the new dungeons in Kitaban.

Here's a few screenshots from Mt. Gwylio, near the capital city of the eastern province of Defia.

Mt. Gwylio, like a lot of Defia, has many pine trees, and if you go higher up the mountain you'll start running into some monsters.

There's also a few elves here. Like that guy over there.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 8

Morning! I've been working on a number of things lately. Mostly, it's been the new World Map sampling system. I sunk a bit more time into enemy encounters while Sampling than I expected, and also did a little mapping, mostly of a new town.

I was hoping to have 0.2.5 out within two months at first, but I vastly underestimated how much work it would be and how much I'd be delayed by various issues. However, with the sampling system implemented for one region, it's going to be much easier to implement it in other regions. One of the trickiest parts has actually been coming up with unique items that are worth getting, yet not blatantly overpowered, as rewards.

Fighting these guys will certainly be no picnic.

The Compass Fountain at the entrance to the Academy in Arkenvali, the southernmost province of Kitaban.

0.2.5: Development "Screenshots" 7

Morning!

So, I have a confession to make. I actually don't have any screenshots to show you.




In my defense, I have a video instead. That technically counts, right? You can stop it and take your own screenshots! I won't always do this, but every so often, I might make a video.

This video introduces the World Map Sampling mechanic's gimmick, that gimmick being "you can run into things other than potion ingredients."

Aside from the usual credits, credit for two of the tracks heard in this video goes to Saia Hyouseki / FREEDOM HOUSE 2nd (BGM at http://fhouse.s17.xrea.com/).

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 6

Evening, RPG Maker Net!

There were a lot of issues I needed to hammer out with some of the early content, and I'm still working on World Map sampling. I've also done some work on the first major town of 0.2.5, Altolato.

Altolato is neither Evrandel's nor Kitaban's territory, and it's always thrived on trade even when there's Pirate problems. It was once the site of a great Forruno city, and the canal through the center was made by Forruno magic, but all that's left of that old city is under that fortress on the left.

This is an early preview of the city; I've still got to add certain events, like doors, as well as some more visible roads. This is the Merchants' District on the north side of the city, where you can find the Auction House and a lot of the shops.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 5

Afternoon!

I've had a busy schedule this week, but I have had time to look back over certain areas. Most if not all potential Raft-related skips are worked around.

Most of my work on Ruphand has been story-related, and I'd rather not spoil too much of it, but here's an early screenshot.

Who's this guy? Whoever he is, he's here because of pirates.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 4 - A New Boat

Afternoon!

Well, okay, it's not actually a BOAT, per se, but I couldn't resist a good reference. But enough about references. Let's talk about the Raft!

The Raft is working as intended. While it's in your inventory, you can either use it in the inventory or hit a shortcut key (default: "N") to deploy a raft in front of you, assuming you're facing shallow water. With this raft, Brill can finally cross the water and make for the south side of the map!

But you might have seen this coming, considering the very first development screenshot update had pirate ships. But there's something else about the Raft.

The Raft isn't limited to the World Map!

I'm currently going over all the existing maps looking for places where I can hide things across bodies of water. (And places where I need to add conditions in case you use the water to skip event flags. Oops.) Crossing water will also be featured prominently in at least one of the new dungeons in 0.2.5.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 3

Good afternoon!

Development of this next feature has largely been in the brainstorming and planning stage, but here's a preview.

No more "World Map sampling will be implemented later" when 0.2.5 comes out! Every region on the map will have different items to find, mostly on par with what you'd be finding in the nearby dungeons.

Now why did this take me so long to implement? Because there'll be random events that occur as well when you're Sampling on the world map; Brill might run into a traveling merchant with some unique goods, or get in a fight with monsters or bandits. Again, these events will vary with the region you're in.

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 2

Good evening!

This week, I've been fairly busy, but not so busy that I couldn't get some work done on Update 0.2.5. One thing I've noticed is that I tend to build up a lot of money doing all the sidequests, and don't really have much interest in buying anything.

Enter the Auction House! The city of Altolato, between Evrandel and Kitaban, thrives on trade, so it's only natural that they'd have a bunch of valuable and useful items for sale.

Of course, Brill isn't the only one interested in buying items here. The other guys standing here will try to get the item as well. But the auction will be over after a certain time passes outside of text boxes. Picking your bids carefully can save you money, and NPCs near the Auction House will offer useful advice.

Now, you may be wondering. What is it that's so good that can be bought at this Auction House?

In addition to equipment and Medals, as you'd expect, you can also get a few new potion recipes from auctions. The potion shown here, Bottled Lasers, hits an enemy three times for 10 Neutral damage per hit, and its recipe (along with a few others) is found in the Auction House.

(The Goblin sprite in the first image was made by Newnikko.)

0.2.5: Development Screenshots 1

Morning!

It's been a week since the release of Update 0.2.4, and work has already started on the next part of the game. I've taken a few screenshots during playtesting that you might like to see.

In Chapter 1, you might remember a certain character who crossed your path twice, saying exactly zero words and dropping so many boxes with "..." that three dots doesn't seem like a word anymore.* "Who is this mysterious knight," you may ask, "and what are his motives?"

Rest assured, those two meetings weren't the last you will see of the Black Knight.


Update 2 opens up a lot of content across Ruphand's shallow water, and Brill will need a way to cross it. But even if she can cross the water, there are threats inherent to traveling south from Evrandel.

If you stopped by Levitt's Landing and talked to the sailors, you may remember them mentioning that piracy is on the rise. In Update 0.2.5, you won't need them to tell you; it'll be plain as day with the black flags of pirate ships billowing over the seas.

Wander too close and the pirates will chase you down like monster groups; the only safety is on land, and even then, they're all too happy to attack if you dawdle on the coastline! Fire and Thunder attacks will help against the pirates.

Thanks to Terozu for the Pirate ship sprite!

*Three dots actually is not a word, so technically, you'd be right.

Update 0.2.4 released!

It's been a long wait, but Ruphand 0.2.4 is finally available for download on the Downloads page!

DUNGEONS & TOWNS:
-Tor Torken stands to the south of the city of Torken. Inside this ancient tower, Forruno guard constructs lurk behind a secret door that a certain treasure-hunter has just opened up.
-Something's not quite right somewhere in the Frozen Reach... Beware.

ITEMS:
-New items have been added to the game, including two Medals.

BUGFIXES:
-More passability issues have been fixed.
-Sampling under the Ice Crystal dais will no longer eject Brill from said dais.
-The Challenge Tower now properly records winning streaks.

KNOWN ISSUES:
-Ally Chat may not be available by default when loading a save from a previous version. To fix this, go to "Options" and then set Keyboard Configuration so that "Ally Chat" is bound to a key. (The default key for Ally Chat should be "B".)

Update 0.2.3 is out!

After just about a few months of waiting, Ruphand 0.2.3 is available for download on the Downloads page! This update's main draw is an additional dungeon, which can be accessed after crossing part of the Barrier Wood.

DUNGEONS & TOWNS:
-An underground tunnel beneath the Barrier Wood is under construction. Reach Levitt's Landing and check out the cobblestones on the World Map to enter the Low Road, and be on the lookout for secrets- and for very dangerous enemies...

ITEMS:
-A few new items are available inside the Low Road.

SKILLS:
-Treat is no longer usable outside of battle.

GAMEPLAY:
-When Burn is applied or re-applied, the user's Fire Amp will now increase Burn Damage dealt against the target accordingly, with the highest value being used for damage.
-When Rock Wall is applied or re-applied, the defensive bonus is multiplied by half of the user's Earth Amp.
-Causing damage to a Burned target will deal the Burn damage and expend one turn of the Burn.

BUGFIXES:
-Brill no longer has unexplained levitation powers when the Frozen Reach's grass is growing on a cliffside.
-The paper next to the Dragon Statue in Torkenwatch Lighthouse can now be read. 
-Certain NPCs in Torken are no longer quite as identical.
-Brill should no longer be blocked by the top of books on a table in Torken's General Store.

Happy New Year! Here's an update!

Update 0.2.2 is out! I ran into a creative block at one point, but got it done in time to meet the deadline I set for myself (and everyone else in a post on RPG Maker Net). After this, apart from bugfixes and correcting interface issues, I'm planning on finally getting started on the last three major sidequests in Scaldmont and the Frozen Reach.

Changelog of 0.2.2:

DUNGEONS & TOWNS:
-Torkenwatch Lighthouse has been added to the game.
-The Midd Farmstead, just northwest of Orvas, might have a few hidden items around that Brill could use.
-A few hidden areas have been added to the Regalle region.
-Changed the lighting a bit in the Levitt's Landing underground ruins.
-The Lazy Lobster finally found its own menus. Not sure where they've been misplaced all this time, but they're there now, and you can purchase three different (and very helpful) dishes.

ITEMS:
-The Heartbeat medal has been improved.

SKILLS:
-Starforce is no longer usable outside of battle.

BUGFIXES:
-Certain walls, mostly in the ruin tunnels, that were walkable should no longer be walkable. Some other passability issues, such as the walkable area on the ships in Levitt's landing, should also be fixed.
-The game should no longer hang when you buy Fire or Ice Resistance in Jelirol.