Update:

I ended up renting Assassins Creed 2 the other day. I basically played it until my eyes bled so I didn't work on VoC at all. I had to bring it back so now work has continued smoothly.

Today I finished up the cutscene and typed up a bunch more dialogue for the next few events. I also have planned out a few readable books that will be found on bookshelfs.

Update:

I put a good 5 hours of work in today. I made a couple cutscenes that play a big part to the plot. I have 2 system and 4 scenario blocks thus far. The in-game clock reads something around 6 hours. Really it's closer to 40 because it only counts time working in the system section.

It feels good to make significant progress on VoC considering I haven't touched it in close to a month. I hope to have my first town up and runnng by the end of the week.

Update:

I made a decent amount of progress today. I hammered out another 2 cutscenes. I also went through and made all of the healing style items and weapons. I've yet to do the armors and accesories because I still need to decide if I want to do a light and heavy class of armors.

Overall I'm really happy with how things are turning out.

Good to hear. RPGs are made a day at a time, a scene at a time, a minute at a time. It's not done instantly.

I'm still working on my thing even now.

Ixzion, That couldn't be anymore true.

Update

The last 2 days have been extremely productive. I started and finished work on VoC's opening cutscene. I've been neglecting it because I wanted to add parts that will be later in the game that haven't been made yet. That and the first few minutes of a game are very important. You only get one first impression. I wasn't 100% sure how I wanted it to play out. I just wanted VoC to start with a bang and to draw the player in right away. Damn am I happy with how it turned out. It took close if not more then 10 hours to make and 6500 scenario space and it isn't even very text heavy. Of all the things I've made with any of the RPG Makers this is by far what I am most proud of. Words can't describe how happy I am with it.

I feel as though I've gotten over a huger hurtle. The begining is set, main plot points have been introduced and I can focus on the next part of the game. I'm more modivated then ever to see Veil of Corruption through to the end.

Keep up the good work!

I haven't touched this in a while. I've been working on a speedy contest game. It's a demo of VoC based off of evants that are only explained in game. It's nearly done. I'm currently working on the balancing and then any last minute touches. I'm extremely happy with it. It's by far the best work I've done on any platform. I'll hopefully have it submited soon.

As for Veil of Corruption itself, I haven't touched it. As with any hiatus I take when I come back there's so much revising I want to make. When I do get to working on it I'll be making some major overhalls to the plot. Almost 20 hours of work will have been wasted, but it will be for the best. For now My focus is on my speedy game.

I'm curious to know what revisions you have plained for the plot. If you need any input I'm always happy to help out.

With my speedy contest game done and submited I've been trying to get work done on VOC. Sadly I came to the conclusion that I don't have the dedication I did in high school to make games on such a big scale. I have the urge to make a game, but I think the sheer amount of diolgue is killing it for me. With all the crap going on in my life right now I just don't have the time or drive anymore. I'm not going to scrap the project yet, but really it's future doesn't look too bright. I love the story and characters behind VoC so there is always a chance I'll pick it back up.

Like I said, I still have the urge to make something. While making my contest game I found I really liked working on a smaller game. I know a lot of people are focusing on smaller games too. Right now I think that's the best option for me so I don't burn out or feel overwhelmed.

The last day or so I've been thinking of a project to work on. I want to make something that focuses on gameplay and have story take the back seat. A complete change compared to all the other games I've made/worked on. I'm thinking of a Demon's Soul esque game.

The game would have a few different levels that the player can tackle in any order. Probably a fire based level, snow based level, and a swamp based level. I've yet to really work with the snow dungeon pieces in RPGM1 and would like to see what I'd come up with. I've been waiting for a reason to use a swamp idea I have. Anyway, once you beat all 3 the final area would open.

Being able to go to any level at any time would make things hard. I'd probably use a custom leveling system. It'd make sense for balance reasons. Once a character invests so much in one stat have the enemies in all 3 areas get a bit tougher. I have a rough idea on how to do it and I'm confident It would work.

Again, I've only just started to think about working on a new game. Who knows what I'll end up doing. That's just kind of where the future of Project Revolution is at. Up in the air.

Well, I know that I had a similar revelation about smaller games, and it really worked for me. Start small, and then go big is far easier than the other way around. A few other members have figured this out too, with interesting results.

Do what works best, I say, and DON'T let yourself get burnt out. You can do it!

It seems lately that a lot of people are kind of letting go of larger project. I find this kind of sad as there aren't really any fully length RPGs. Or at least any new ones. Most games that are being worked on at the moment are one-sitter games... as in you can easily beat in one sitting. That's why it's a shame whenever I hear something as big as VoC taking a back seat.

I know that typing dialog is just down right horrible. I'm fairly sure that this wouldn't even be a problem if we could use normally functioning keyboard with RM1. But I guess that's never going to happen. I understand and respect your decision with backing out, but it's still a shame.

Great, now I feel like a trendsetter.

Well, I was talking with a buddy about this and he wasn't too happy to hear I was putting VoC in the back burner. He playtested my speedy contest game, which is a "demo" based off of VoC and liked it. He knows nothing about the software, but said he would help with the typing if I kept working on this. I figured what the hell. Maybe if I can force myself to get past that initual slump I'll get into the groove again.

I loaded it up and got some work done today. Actually I ened up scraping everything except the intro cutscene. That really wasn't that much work anyways. Only 40 or so hours. The begining just wasn't doing it for me. Second time I've done this... My biggest asset/downfall is that I feel like I can always make something better. I'm confident it will be though. I made a new dungeon area and cutscene that does a good job of introducing the main character. I did all the technical stuff and my buddy typed, thankfully! Don't know how long his help will last, but I'm happy with the progress we made in a day.

Pray that this will be the rebirth of the project.

Actually, what you are doing now is exactly what I've been doing for some time now. It does make things a lot easier. It may draw things out much longer passing the game back and forth between two people, but I know that this is a good method to (eventually) get things done.

You know, the Angry Video Game Nerd said something the other day in one of his videos. It wasn't a review or anything, but he did say something that made me appreciate the idea of working with someone a lot more:



So yeah, if you ever have the chance to pair up with someone you know and trust, do it.

That is the truth. Like I said, we'll see how long my buddies help lasts. Probably not long, but he lit the fire under me so that's all that matters.

I made a few new dungeon areas. 3 of them are small, but 1 is a bit bigger. It's the first playable part of the game where you encounter enemies. I also made a few new cutscenes. Ended up doing the typing myself. I hate to make areas too far in advanced. I like to complete one part at a time before I move on. He wasn't around and I felt modivated. Overall I put maybe 6 hours into it. I'm feeling good with the progress and am happy with the results. I like it better then what I had previously.

I've also been thinking about a feature I might implement. At the begining of the game you get the Relic Sword. At first I planned on making it fairly usless until the end. Now I might give the player different options in the story. If they select the "good" option the sword will be replaced with a more powerful version. Kind of like a moral system that determines the strength of the blade. Potentially making it the best weapon if done correctly. Any thoughts on this?

Wouldn't be the first time a weapon's strength has been affected by a secondary stat. If you think you can handle it, then go for it.

Update:

Today was another productive day overall. Somehow I managed to put another 5 hours of work into VoC. Even after spending almost 4 hours at the gym. Most of the time was spent completing a decent size cutscene. I also set up the first few enemy encounters. More or a less the first area of the game is done. Tomorrow I plan on sprucing everything I have up. Then I'll go from there.

Wow, it's been some time since I last heard from you. I'm really glad you decided not to give up. You are a very creative person and I'd be a shame not seeing you do anything with your talents. If you need some help I'll lend a hand, so don't be afraid to ask.

How's life been? You have internet access at home yet, or still going without? What's been going on lately?

Thanks for the comments, and I may have to take you up on your offer, Navane. Maybe as quality control.

Update

Well, since my last update I have made a stupid amount of progress. I made several new dungeons, a couple large cutscenes, including a main boss encounter, and a few puzzles. Overall I'm super happy with the results.

The first dungeon being Tarnwood, the first real town in the game. I've yet to add text to the NPC's, but anything concerning the plot is made. All of the houses/shops are made, plus the arena and a large manor with a boss fight.

The second major one is Balheim Pass. I'm extremely happy with this area in particular. It has a series of puzzles you need to complete to reach the next town. The dungeon is up and functioning, but I still need to make a few cutscenes and the boss encounter.

I'm slightly concerned at the rate my system and scenario data is being used. Right now I'm sitting at 7 blocks scenario. I've planned a spot for a scenario switch that I know I'll have plenty of space for. It's not that big of a deal. I'm not going to sacrifice quality because I'm worried about too many scenario cards.

I'm at 3 system blocks. More then likely I'll have to use more then one card for this too. I'm not too happy about that because I've yet to fiddle with that so I don't know exacty how to do it. Again, I'm no going to sacrifice quality to conserve data. At the same time I have no intentions of making things overly big for the sake of adding playtime.

I've also started planning a new feature for battles using the defualt "Skills" system. Instead of classes like, knight, mage, ect... You have Gambits. (I know people will think ff12. The name is subject to change. Any ideas???) You have two kinds of gambits. Stat and special. You can select one of any main stat to have priority when you level up. Equip an MP Gambit and you'll gain an extra 10 MP per level. Or you can equip special gambits that add perks in battle. Such as increased chances for drop items or 1/2 MP costs. You can change them at anytime once you own them. This will give the player a lot of control of how the characters advance and their roles in battle

I tried a test menu for it using the basic 3 way choice options. You have to navigate several menus more then I'd like. There's a good chance I'll make a custom menu for it. I'll be able to add the party swap option into it. Hopefully streamlining everything. I've yet to work on it so I don't know how much space it'll take.

I'm sure there's more that I'm forgeting. Regardless, progress has been great.