Monday, May 31, 2021

Rare Monster Encounter

I decided to add rare encounters to the world map. These rare encounters are usually a highly powered up version of a local monster type. In this case, the "hellhare" is a much stronger version of the "cottontail" enemy. Note that, when testing this encounter, I was overleveled and that is why it wasn't too hard. However, if you fight this thing with just Vahn and Hans near the start, you'll be in for a rough time.

Rare encounters have their own battle theme, so players will know when they've run into one. I also toyed with the idea of making them leveled encounters so that they would always match the level of the party, but I decided against this when I realized most players would probably decide to run from rare encounters until towards the end of the game to get more XP and better loot from them. 

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Twitch Balance/Error Testing Stream

 Did a stream on Twitch yesterday where I test played (most) of what has been completed so far while keeping an eye out for balance issues, bugs, and typos. Here it is:



Meet the Cast of Characters

Here we go! I decided to do a write-up for this game's cast of characters so that they can be out there in the open. If you'd rather discover them as you play and don't wish to read this post, that's cool too!

Note: Eight of the nine main characters are revealed below! The ninth is someone I want to keep a lid on for now. There is also a high chance that there will be a tenth optional/secret character implemented later on down the road.

And with that out of the way...

Monday, May 24, 2021

Chopodile Monster Design

 The third redesigned monster by level2janitor is the chopodile! These big guys can be found predominantly in the Branch Village Sewers, but can also be encountered in the Water Shrine.


Sunday, May 23, 2021

Marshland Preview

 Just a quick preview on the marshland tileset.


As usual, I'm doing all tiles myself. The marsh includes murky water, rocks to jump over, lily pads, mushrooms, dead tries, and barrels/chests/pots that are sunken into the soft ground. Also using an animated fog plugin to increase atmosphere and immersion!


Friday, May 21, 2021

Synthesist Shop Example

 As promised, here's the previously mentioned synthesist shop in action. Bring two items and 100 zil to create an entirely new item that cannot be purchased from regular shops!



Going Commercial!

 Penumbra Crystallis was conceived with the idea that it would be a commercial game. I knew that I'd be making all character sprites, battle backgrounds, tiles, and battle animations myself. I was able to get my hands on music and sound effects that could be used in commercial projects, but there was one problem holding me back... monsters.

Until now.


Penumbra Crystallis now features monsters that are being commissioned exclusively for the project by the talented level2janitor! With his awesome monster graphics entering the game's database, Penumbra Crystallis has now transitioned to commercial project. This will probably affect the rate at which I work on the game (meaning I'll work on it more often), and since I already have a complete blueprint for the game in the form of Blackmoon Prophecy, I would like to have this game published on itch.io and/or Steam in 2023. I'll also have a demo available in the coming weeks so that people will know what they're getting into with this game. 

Synthesis Shops

Inspired by Final Fantasy IX, and sort of an improved successor to Blackmoon Prophecy's blacksmiths who upgrade equipment, Penumbra Crystallis will feature synthesis shops. I'll call them something different so that they don't step on Final Fantasy IX's toes, but it will function mostly the same.

These shops will start appearing once the player reaches Trei, which is the fourth town you can go to and is the first one that you can't walk to uninterrupted when you acquire access to the world map (Valla, Branch Village, and Meksicburg can be travelled to the moment you're done with the introductory events in Valla). All you will need to do is present two items in your inventory to the smith running the shop, and they will combine the items into something new for a small fee.

I'll give the first example right away. Trei is a town built over a lake, so they have a water theme going on (but so does most of Branch given the presence of the Water Crystal). The synthesis shop in Trei will allow you to present two early game pieces of armor, the Cloth Shirt and Cotton Robe, to create a new piece of armor called the Tortoise Shell. Equipping it will grant you slightly more defense than the armor you can buy in shops, provide an additional point of speed and spirit, and it will also increase water elemental resistance of the character wearing it by 25%.

As I have left A LOT of blank spaces in the game's database to add new items, these synthesis shops will be able to create armor, helmets, shields, weapons, and even accessories such as rings and trinkets in some cases. 

It will be a good idea to always visit the synthesis shops before you sell old gear to see if the stuff you bought 1-2 towns back can be used to create something new. In some cases, like in Final Fantasy IX, you'll even be able to purchase the required items in the very town you're in.

The first synthesis shop will be added later today, at which point I'll share a picture or two on Discord. 

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Playable Piano

 So, I was working on the pub in Meksicburg and having fun spriting beer bottles and a piano, and then a thought hit me. Why not let the player play the piano if they want to!? BEHOLD:


This was accomplished by ripping some piano sounds off of a virtual piano online and using Yanfly's Button Common Events script for MV.


Sunday, May 16, 2021

Summon Demonstration

 The first summon, while not obtainable in the game just yet (but almost!), has been added to the database. I decided to throw a little demonstration video together.


How Summons Work:

  • Equip as a Codex item. Every character can then summon from their own special menu command (so for Vahn, it's in SwordSkill with the rest of his skills).
  • Receive stat bonuses on level up. The one pictured above grants +1 spirit on level up when equipped. These are not game changers, merely small bonuses if you want to focus on improving characters in specific areas. 
  • Can use once per battle and costs 50% MP. That cost might go down depending on how strong they end up being.

Friday, May 14, 2021

Wanted: Battle Animation Artist(s)

 I didn't think that I would need to do this, but I'm putting this request out there.

I've been handling all graphics (minus portraits and monsters) completely on my own so far, and while I've had no issues doing sprites and tiles (I've actually been enjoying it!), battle animations are proving to be a little trickier. Designing nice looking spell and weapon effects is definitely not my area of expertise and I'm issuing a call for anyone who would like to help to lend a hand if willing! Let me clear about what this request entails as well, just to clear up possible confusion:

What I do not want: Someone who is willing to edit rips or offer franken creations (assets made from cutting and pasting parts from various pieces together). I am also not looking for recolours. Penumbra Crystallis features entirely original graphics, no rips. I appreciate any desire to help, I really do, but these are not things that I need nor will they make it into the game.

What I do want: Someone who is able to create, from scratch, assets that are reminiscent of early SNES RPGs. Think Dragon Quest V, Final Fantasy IV, Paladins Quest, etc. Another example of the quality I'd aim for is Shining Force on the Genesis. Again, only talking about battle animations. No monsters, character sprites, etc. Just the bare animation graphics.

If this is something that you're interested in, hit me up by commenting here or contacting me on my Discord server (link is in the sidebar).

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Water Shrine Tile Progress

Now that I have finished my sewer dungeon, all that stands between me and starting work on the Water Shrine is a short cutscene in Branch Castle, so it seemed like the time to start work on my shrine tiles! Here's what we have so far. Does it look familiar?


I am drawing HEAVILY from the shrine/temple tiles from Final Fantasy V, and I think it clearly shows. I'm not just using them as heavy inspiration, I'm trying to keep the "feel" nearly identical while still being entirely self-sprited and original. The pillars and other bits of scenery in the Water Shrine will feel more original, I just wanted to make sure that the floor, wall, and roof tiles resonated strongly with players of the first game.

Also, dear Squaresoft...





Wednesday, May 12, 2021

First Boss Test Battle

 The first boss battle in Penumbra Crystallis where the boss music plays! This was the first full test of this battle that I conducted. Went pretty well, I just need to tone Poseidon's damage down a bit.

Fun Tip: Poseidon was the sahagin boss underneath the Village of Trei in the original Blackmoon Prophecy.



Saturday, May 8, 2021

Mode 7 on the Overworld Map

 Just a small update. The overworld map now has Mode 7! I tinkered with the pitch and zoom settings a bit until I was happy with this perspective.