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.