Monday, February 17, 2025

Dragonfaith (Pacifism 5.0) Earth & Sea

With this release, what I'm calling the second of five acts in the narrative progression of my game has been re-implemented. Earth was pretty much already done, but the sea portion is very elaborate, with multiple scripted scenes (including the most complex one up to this point in the game), as well as the introduction of another playable character. So I'm happy to get it finished, and to get this release out so that the work will be backed up. In order to even things up, since the next act has another big dramatic setpiece, I already started working a little bit on the next section, just like last time. I expect that it should all even out by the next release.

I've also put a little bit of work into adding something I toyed with early on, which involves giving the player a small number of choices throughout the game, in order to guide and prioritize the relationships the protagonist forms with the other playable characters. I want to keep it minor - don't think for a second that this is anything remotely close to a "dating sim" element - because I know what kind of chaos multiple paths can introduce into a project in a short amount of time. (And, it goes without saying, this is an action/adventure RPG, not a dating simulator). So it's not going to majorly affect the course of the narrative, but I like the idea of giving the player just a little bit of power to indulge their preferences for some characters over others, which will ultimately manifest in how the ending plays out. Which gives me the opportunity to explore different outcomes for the story I'm creating, as well as boost replayability a little bit (along with being able to keep the alternate outfits you collect, and use them in subsequent playthroughs). As I said, I'm trying to keep it small, and I don't know yet if it'll actually work out in the end, but it's something I'm working on.

On to the download! I fully intend to be back again in yet another week or so, with the next release. My goal is to finish not just the Pacifism version of my game, but ideally the next form of it after that, before the weather turns nice and I get the urge to step away from my computer and spend more time outdoors. I think I can do it - although it may take longer if I decide to script the ending, while I'm working on all these narrative elements. But maybe by next fall, I'll be ready to get serious about making the combat work. I'm not gonna say the ending is in sight just yet, but a shape is beginning to form on the horizon!

Dragonfaith (Pacifism 5.0) - Earth & Sea
Download (426 MB): Windows

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Dragonfaith (Pacifism 4.0) - The Fertile Valley

Once again, this is another intermediary release. I could have waited until I completed the next big objective, but since these releases also act as a backup (which really saved my skin once when I was working on Ascension, and my project file got corrupted), I want to save my progress periodically. I'm in the process of restoring narrative progression to my game - which means adding in dialogue, dramatic cutscenes, and all the triggers that gate your progress through the game (and also give meaning to your journey through the world). At the end, it should mean an otherwise complete game from start to finish, that just doesn't have any combat elements whatsoever. (One possible exception is that I haven't scripted the ending yet - I feel like that's the thing I should do last, before the game is done; but I might change my mind).

Anyway, speaking in terms of both dramatic and geographic progression, my game can logically be split up into five "acts" (or chapters). This release has completed all the dramatic elements from the first act (and a tiny bit from the second), which is enough to really get the game underway. I'm pausing here to post a release before moving on, because there is some pretty involved choreography in the second and third acts, and I want to save what I have before I dive in to that. I don't know exactly how I'm gonna divide up the rest of the acts in terms of releases yet, but you can expect another two or three releases before the Pacifist version of my game is done.

After that, I'm going to enjoy bringing the monsters back in (I've already laid most of the groundwork), and set up encounter behavior. That will encompass one last unfinished release before I sink my teeth into the numbers (for combat), after which I'll need to do heavy testing for proper balance. Oh, and the skill animations. I keep trying to block that part out of my mind (lol). I'm still not officially recommending you play these versions of my game - you should wait for that ultimate combat-ready release (or, barring that, the one before it, so you can at least see the monsters), but as before, I can't stop you if you just want to take a peek. I decided to keep the open world option available, with all the narrative stuff stripped out (but more NPCs now) - you just have to make a one time choice when you start the game.

That's it! See you, hopefully, in another week or two!

Dragonfaith (Pacifism 4.0) - The Fertile Valley
Download (427 MB): Windows [see sidebar for latest release]

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Dragonfaith 3.0 (Between Solipsism and Pacifism)

This is another intermediary release, before the next big one. I'm sticking with the same numbering convention, because it feels like a natural continuation from the last one. However, I can no longer call these versions "solipsist" anymore, as I've begun (slowly, at first) adding more people into the world. The next subtitle I have picked out is Pacifism, because the idea is to build up a version of the game that's more or less complete, minus the (admittedly significant) inclusion of combat. As of now, it's still largely an open world, but for the next update, I'm going to work on returning the spine of narrative progression to my game. Indeed, many of the changes in this version, while significant, may be only minimally noticeable to the player, as a lot of it is back-end infrastructure that will provide a lot of support as I move forward. Nevertheless, here's what's been added to this latest release:

*The Developer's Studio has returned, and the prologue is back up and running again!
*Warp skills are fully implemented.
*Torchlight has been added to more dungeons.
*I've worked out a lot of the atmospherics and weather effects, which look great. - though many of them are, unfortunately, hidden by triggers I've not implemented yet.
*Although it's still a work in progress, I have a fully functional debug menu. Not designed for player use, but it'll help me enormously (indeed, it already has), as I continue to build and test my game.
*Name change has been implemented.
*Clerks have been hired for the shops (but they don't have anything to sell yet).
*All playable characters are now recruitable (not that it makes any more than a superficial difference in this version of the game).
*The wardrobe manager is fully functional - so you can change your characters' outfits. (Although, again, many of them are as yet inaccessible - at least without the debug menu).
*You can take in a stage show at the lounge (if you can find a ticket) - now with improved choreography!

I think that covers the main highlights. Still very few people, and almost no dialogue - but that'll be the focus of my next update. Back to the grindstone! (It feels great to actually have tangible progress I can show off when I say that now).

Dragonfaith (Pacifism) 3.0
Download (427 MB): Windows [see sidebar for latest release]

Friday, January 24, 2025

Dragonfaith (Solipsism 2.0)

This isn't the next big update I promised, but it's still a significant revision to my last release. I'm calling it Solipsism 2.0, as it follows the same philosophy as the last one - open world - but with some considerable improvements. Here's what's changed:

*More interactive objects, including signs (but no people yet).
*The canoe is now working, which opens up two more dungeons.
*In select areas, you can now go swimming, and walk behind waterfalls.
*Fog and weather effects have been implemented.
*Dark areas now feature torch light.
*You can now go ice skating, and visit the hot springs.
*Spike traps are functional.
*The custom balloon vehicle is operational.
*I've implemented some fairly complex behavior involving the airship.
*The modular world map item is fully functional, complete with compass and landmarks.

I wanted to do everything I reasonably could in this solipsistic version of my RPG, before I move on to the next stage, and add in a lot more functionality with more switches and variables and common events and items, etc. The next major milestone will be a version of this game that's less an open world, with regular progression restored. Also, people - dialogue, dramatic events. Basically everything except combat-related functions. As I said before, that will take a little more time, but stay tuned! We're taking this one step at a time, and each step gets us closer to the finish line!

Dragonfaith (Solipsism) 2.0
Download (427 MB): Windows [see sidebar for latest release]

Friday, January 17, 2025

Dragonfaith (Solipsism)

I'm very excited to announce my first Dragonfaith release in - what, eight years? I want to temper your expectations, though. It's not a full game. It's not even really a partial game. This is just the first step in the process of creating a fresh project, so I can tidy things up a bit, and eliminate some of the waste that's collected over the years. Think of it as a disk defrag for my project file. Anyway, as I slowly build my game back up from an empty file (by selectively copying all the work I've already done - not redoing it), I'm getting closer and closer to having a finished product. And that, alone, is exciting!

So, what this release is - it's an open world. All the maps in my game, freely explorable. No combat. No NPCs. Nothing really to interact with. You can just walk around and check out the world I've created. Now, there are a couple of maps that are partly or wholly inaccessible, just because they require functionality that I haven't added back in yet (e.g., the canoe). I'm going to work on doing that for the next release. Officially, I don't actually recommend you play this version of the game. I just want to make it available as a backup, in case I drop dead tomorrow. But I can't stop you from downloading it and taking a peek. :-p

Do look forward to the next release, though. It'll probably take a little longer, as the process becomes more complex. My vision is to add a lot of that functionality back in - like getting the canoe working, and activating all the atmospherics. Ultimately, I want to have a game that's otherwise complete, start to finish, minus all the combat mechanics - which is the next thing that I'll have to hammer out before the game is done. I've already got the enemies, troops, and equipment mostly worked out, so it'll be a lot of tweaking numbers. Oh, and also designing animations for the battle skills. Not looking forward to that, but it's gotta be done. Stay tuned!

Dragonfaith (Solipsism) 1.0
Download (426 MB): Windows [see sidebar for latest release]

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

World Map Progress

Would you believe it if I said my New Year's resolution for 2025 was to finally finish my world map?

What if I told you I'd been working on it extensively over the past month, and that it's already finished? Would you believe it?

Well, it's true. I mean, I could still decide to make modifications in the future, but the important thing is that it's functional, it's complete, and it looks great!

Unfortunately, you'll have to take my word for it, because I don't want to spoil the sense of discovery you'll get from exploring it when you finally get to play my game.

So, what's next? Now that the mapping for my game is officially complete, the next step will be to start a fresh project (which I haven't done in five years) to clean things up - with the hope that this will be the last time.

I still have a lot of tinkering to do with the combat mechanics and mathematics, which will require a lot of testing. But I want to put out a combat-free version of my game, so that if I drop dead and never make it to the finish line, there will at least be a version of my game out there that people can play - to explore the extensive work I've put into mapping this game over the last too many years. So all that work won't have been for naught.

I'm looking forward to getting the combat functioning properly, but it's a big job, and even without it, I've created this exciting world that you can just get lost in. And I want to be able to feature that, regardless of what happens from here on out.

Update: It's only been two days, but now that I actually have a world map, I spent some time implementing a map function in my game. I added a compass and beacons that flash to show where you're at, and where all the important landmarks are - which I designed after the way the map functions in Final Fantasy 1 (Tceles B Hsup).

Except that my map is an item you can pick up and select from the inventory menu. The unique part is that it's modular. I split it up so that you can pick up pieces of the map to gradually fill in the whole picture. That way, the player still has the advantage of having a guide on where to go, without spoiling the entire adventure right from the start. It's working great, and I'm really excited about it!

Monday, December 30, 2024

Review: Tomb Raider III Remastered




Tomb Raider III is finished! I definitely was not expecting to spend most of the year playing these games - but I'm not complaining! It's been a lot of fun. Part of the reason there's so much time between reviews is that after I finish each game, I continue playing in order to pick up achievement badges. I paid attention this time, and I played an extra 40 hours across approximately five weeks, before moving on to the next game. (It's the curse of being a completionist).





Additionally, the reason this review is as late as it is, is partly because I spent more time than usual backtracking through the levels looking for secrets and missed pickups (in a few places it was a real headache, but I wanted the glory of accomplishing it without using a walkthrough), and partly because I was intending to wait until after I'd not only completed the full game plus the expansion levels, but also finished all my badge hunting so I could report my final progress, as this is the last game in the collection. But it turns out there were a bunch of hidden achievements that I missed, so now I have to go back through the games and play clean up - and I can't say how long that's gonna take.




What I remember most about my first time playing Tomb Raider 3 (circa 1998), is that it was the point in the series when I switched to playing these games on PlayStation, since the bugs on the PC version (which had always been an issue, since the very first game) finally got to the point where it actively prevented me from playing. It was also the last Tomb Raider game I played - until the release of Tomb Raider Anniversary in 2007 rekindled my interest in the series.





Lotta new stuff introduced in this game. The graphics are smoother than ever - with square blocks split into triangles, for better gradation of terrain (i.e., changing slopes). Lara's got some new moves - ducking and crawling, navigating monkey bars, and sprinting - which means new areas to explore, and more places to hide things! The secrets are back to being managed like in the first game, with a top secret level at the end of the game you can only play if you find every secret in the game. New vehicles are hit-and-miss - the quadbike handles better than the snowmobile, but the kayak, while a super cool idea, is a nightmare to paddle. New weapons are (mostly) a plus - the rocket launcher offers an improvement over the grenade launcher, while the MP5 shoots so sporadically it's almost not worth using. But the real MVP is the Desert Eagle, with its power-packed punch. Flares die out faster this time, but there's more than enough of them to last you through the game (dark as it is).





Following from the last game, the ratio between tomb-y and urban environments is fairly evenly mixed. What's exciting is that, excepting the opening and closing chapters, the middle three locations can be tackled in any order you like! And to further enhance this feeling of nonlinearity, some of the levels feature branching paths toward the exit. You start out in the dense jungle of the Indian rainforest, and it's a sight to behold. Cheeky monkeys will try to run off with your item pickups if you don't stop them first. Swarms of flesh-eating piranha will teach you to think twice before diving into the swift-flowing currents of the Ganges. And tread lightly through the underbrush, for you'll regret succumbing to the venomous bite of the cobra. New for this game, getting poisoned won't require a special antidote, but it will force you to use a medipack before your life slowly drains out. And watch out for the quicksand!





Although the dusty environs of the Nevada desert offer some novelty, the Area 51 levels are largely industrial, recalling a drier version of the Oil Rig from TR2. Still, infiltrating the military complex is fun - avoiding tripwires, sneaking past guards, and stealing access passes is a different sort of skillset for Lara - and who can forget the big climax in the flying saucer? The South Pacific Islands are a dream. Although dinosaurs were relegated to a short (but memorable) cameo in TR2, Crash Site is basically a whole level that feels like Jurassic Park. Now there are Compys, and you can distract the T-Rex with your flares! Madubu Gorge is truly spectacular. Populated by wicked gremlins, it is marred only by the aforementioned frustration of navigating the kayak. Meanwhile, the London levels play like a grittier Venice. To be fair, having Lara slink about in a leather catsuit will fulfill any cat burglar fantasies you may have. Running across rooftops is a thrill, and the underground subway station effectively evokes a liminal atmosphere. But the history museum is the closest this game comes to ransacking the pyramids of Egypt - and it's a pale substitute.





Finally we come to Antarctica, which offers a sci-fi/horror vibe straight out of John Carpenter's The Thing, with a hint of H.P. Lovecraft. Exercise caution while swimming in the ice cold water, for you'll freeze long before you run out of breath! After two games with really memorable climactic levels (Atlantis, and the Temple of Xian), I didn't even remember The Lost City of Tinnos until after I started playing through it (highlights include the fighting arena, and the elemental challenges - not so much the glowing wasps). Far more memorable were the ship and the abandoned camp from a previous level, and the eerie mood of the mines (minus the frustrating mine cart sequences). I did like the final boss encounter, though - featuring the creepiest monster yet, seemingly inspired by the nightmare creature from Stephen King's IT (and I don't mean its clown persona).





For the first time in three games, I beat the game using only pistols on my first playthrough! The secret bonus level was fantastic - relatively short, but definitely a highlight. And the expansion levels (once again, played for my first time ever), were quite remarkable. You get to infiltrate a Scottish castle - with architecture that recalls the Great Wall of China from TR2, peppered with some Indian jungle flare - haunted by the black dog of folklore (with glowing, red eyes). Afterward, the Chunnel channels a blend of the urban and underground environments from Nevada and London, with a touch of the Maria Doria sprinkled in. It's worth noting that one secret in each level really goes all out to impress the player. I don't want to spoil the discovery, but I will say there's a surprise cameo by a beloved cryptid (I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I gasped audibly when it popped out at me!). And the zoo level was very imaginative.





Though I was fully prepared to close the book on Tomb Raider Remastered at this time, I have recently learned that remastered versions of the next three games are scheduled for release next February! I've only ever played 4 and 5 once (during that period when the release of Tomb Raider Anniversary rekindled my interest in the series), and 6 I've never played before! So I'm excited. Looks like it's gonna be another year of playing classic Tomb Raider for me. :-p