Phantasy Star: BaNL

Gratz on the dedicated forum section, just like getting a promotion to management from floor staff

Congrats on the one year anniversary of this topic, and I had just noticed from one of the posts that the demo is coming out soon.

It's been awhile since I updated this thread, but here's what's been happening so far.

- After endless beta-testing, the game finally looks scheduled for release on the 8th of September.

- As soon as I finish the cutscenes and additional character portraits, I will release the game. Bear in mind that the last demo was released back in February, so anyone who has played that release of the game will see a massive overhaul of the complete project. A new soundtrack, new animations and cutscenes are among some of the changes.

- Increased the general difficulty of the game. It's still too easy imo. But I'll leave that for the fans and my betas to decide. I have the urge to make it as hard as PS2, but without the tedium of level-grinding and repetitive battles.

- Added extra element-defense bonuses to certain armours that will help in the battle against Zio. The only downside is you can't buy these items.

- Cap limit of all inventory items is 20. That means you can't go into a shop and buy 99 of everything anymore. ^^ I might reduce it, since it is quite possible to finish a boss with minimum supplies, provided you still have some left after trudging through one of my heinous dungeons. Ladea Tower comes to mind here.

- The ever powerful Shadowblade only has a 1% chance of being dropped by the Shadowsabres. Ever since Xan informed me of the weapon's power ( and it IS powerful ) I've reduced the drop rate. Well, it's pretty useless in terms on monetary value ( 1 mst each...! ) and doesn't do a scratch of damage against Zio, but against anything else.... Wow.

- Characters go by a rule of thumb in my game. This means that characters who take long to train ( Alys and Rune ) are considerably stronger than characters who gain levels quickly, and it works off their life experience as well. I for some reason can't see a 16-year old becoming more powerful than his veteran mentor who has been a Hunter for 12 years... So if you find that Rika is much weaker in here, now you know the reason. She's only a year old... Basically no life exp at all.

So that's it for now. Back to work it is!

I wrote a new intro for the game. I found the original intro too cliched and annoying. So here's my version. Tell me what you think!

Deep within the vastness of space, in the vicinity of the constellation Perseus
there is a solar system known as Algo.
A highly advanced and prosperous world spanning three planets, the denizens are cursed by a 'gift' that returns to them every few centuries.

This solar system once comprised of three planets, Parma, the shining
jewel of Algo, Motavia, a barren desert wasteland, and the far-out
Dezolis. Not much is known about this distant, icy world.

But during a cataclysm known as the 'Great Collapse', the planet Parma
was lost when its artificial sattelite, Gaira, crashed into it.

The system-wide control computer Mother Brain, Algo's overseer, was destroyed as well, by rebels forced into exile by the Palman government...

The world was thrust into a Dark Age, and society decayed, losing all knowledge of their once advanced civilisation.

It took several centuries before the people of Algo could prosper once more.
They turned to thoughts of an easier life.

Trying to forget the demons of the past.

However, it seems that it has come back to haunt them...

Looks good Lyla. The grammar in the original intro always bugged me.

If I may make a suggestion or two, maybe change "its artificial sattelite, Gaira, crashed into it" to "the prison satellite, Gaira, crashed into it." Some people, mainly those unfamiliar with Phantasy Star II, would probably want to know what kind of satellite it was.

One more I can think of would be to make an addition to "losing all knowledge of their once advanced civilisation." making it into "losing all knowledge of their once advanced civilisation in the struggle for survival." Bearing in mind it takes a massive cataclysm to make such an advanced civilisation to completely vanish, maybe emphasizing why it happened would add a little oomph.

Anyway, that's just a suggestion, I'm not actually saying you make any of the changes given.

For fans like me, I really don't care much for having that kind of an intro text at all. However such an introduction is needed, if you wish the game to be for people who have never played PS as well. A world that opens up slowly through the game to reveal all its secrets (that the fans know already) is much more tedious from a fan's point of view.

A couple of comments:

Quote:

The system-wide control computer Mother Brain, Algo's overseer, was destroyed as well, by rebels forced into exile by the Palman government...

Saying the Palman government here may be confusing to people unfamiliar with PSII. They would ask, "How could there be a government if Palma was already lost?" Maybe just "the government" would work better.

Quote:

The world was thrust into a Dark Age

Instead of "The world", I would suggest saying this in another way. There are two worlds affected by this situation, but "the world" gives the impression that only one falls into decay. It also leaves the reader wondering, which world - Motavia or Dezo? Maybe you could say "The remaining worlds" or "The society was thrust into a Dark Age, losing all knowledge of their once advanced civilisation." instead.

Solar wrote:

For fans like me, I really don't care much for having that kind of an intro text at all. However such an introduction is needed, if you wish the game to be for people who have never played PS as well. A world that opens up slowly through the game to reveal all its secrets (that the fans know already) is much more tedious from a fan's point of view.

That's why there's a Skip Intro cutscene feature. You know I always have the fans best interest at
heart, but I'm catering for the greater RPG-playing community as well.

@Xan and Thoul: Thank you for your comments. I'll rewrite the intro so it isn't as ambiguous and avoid confusion. I also wrote it in such a way that it doesn't sound so cliche. Bear in mind that people who have never played PS4 back in the mid 1990s will facepalm if they saw it in today's day and age.

this game looks so awesome i cant wait

So, finished my first session which took me to the cave (or a garden?) leading to Tonoe. Here are some points of critique and praise so far.

- I decided to watch the intro texts anyhow, despite the choice to skip them. You really improved on them, both from the old demo and the original. This time I didn't even feel so bored watching them scroll.

- There are still several passability issues you should fix ASAP. In the canyon leading to Molcum for example, you can walk on a lake, not that it gets you anywhere though. But I seriously thought you had intentionally made Mile unreachable for that time, until I tried every square.

- Rune's meeting music felt a bit unfitting. Seriously, with those epic choirs it felt more like talking to God than a facetious wizard.

- Overall I enjoyed the orchestral soundtrack, despite my pre-game sceptisms. It filled me with adrenaline.

- You should display the map borders more clearly, with visible obstacles. I was nearly losing hope in the canyon leading to Molcum, where you can go to many boundaries of the map thinking they are exits.