Chaos Project

RPG Maker => Projects / Games => Topic started by: CountVlad on May 15, 2010, 10:00:32 am

Title: Novostrana (v0.30 - 14th May 2010)
Post by: CountVlad on May 15, 2010, 10:00:32 am
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Overview

Novostrana is a Fantasy RPG currently under development by RPG Magic.

In Novostrana you will meet many unique characters, travel through the vast wilderness, forests and marshes and fight many enemies. You will also be able to trade, perform alchemy, work with companions and participate in many more activities.

Novostrana will be free to download and play. No strings attached!

Feature ListPictures

Pictures: ShowHide
(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/1.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/2.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/3.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/4.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/5.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/6.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/7.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/8.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/9.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/10.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/11.jpg)

(http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/screenshots/12.jpg)


For more pictures, go to: http://www.moddb.com/games/novostrana/images (http://www.moddb.com/games/novostrana/images)

Novostrana v0.30

Version 0.30 has now been released!
To download it, click here (http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/downloads/novostrana_installer.exe).

A patch has also been released that fixes a couple of serious bugs: http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana/downloads/nov_032_patch.exe

It features a whole raft of improvements from the previous version:
Changelog: ShowHide
-------------------
-----CHANGELOG-----
-------------------

-------------------
----VERSION 0.30---
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1. Added Health and Vitality potions to the game.
2. Changed HUD to display Health and Vitality bars more accurately.
3. Changed 'Skill Points' to 'Vitality Points' and 'SP' to 'VP'.
4. Running and Jumping will now lower VP.
5. VP will recharge over time and recharge faster when sneaking.
6. Implemented new book viewing system.
7. Added new books and documents.
8. Redesigned the title screen background.
10. Added Running and Jumping as Skills.
11. Shadows have been removed.
12. ABS Pre-Menu disabled.
13. Hotkeys disabled.
14. Shop Loyalty system replaced with a Settlement Prosperity system.
15. Some controls have been remapped.
16. Some dialogue bugs corrected.
17. A new start has been implemented.
18. Mr Baldadrir is now called Vilfred.
19. Vilfred is now a Village Headman.
20. Mapped the 'M' Key to open the music selection menu and removed the option from the Journal.
21. Added new 'Statistics' option to the Journal.
22. The way bandits work has been changed.
23. Evil dialogue options and actions have been removed.
24. Fame has been added to the game, but due to the low number of quests it has   not been implemented yet.
25. An inventory weight limit system has been included.
26. You can now buy a bag to increase the weight limit.
27. Created new enemy groups.
28. Adjusted all weapons to have a greater reach to make combat easier.
29. Adjusted prices of all Weapons and Armours.
30. Changed some menu vocabulary.
31. Improved enemy AI.
32. Added interiors to all buildings in Willenke Village.
33. More buildings and interiors added to Willenke Village.
34. Updated title screen quit script to show a dialogue with forum details before quitting.
35. Added shortcut key to Journal.
36. Added a wait system so you can make time pass by.
37. Added lock-picking system.
38. Added door interaction system.
39. Max HP and VP calculation has been tweaked.
40. A Work Bench system has been implemented.
41. More NPCs have been added to Willenke Village.
42. All NPCs in Willenke now have Scheduals.
43. Doors will be locked when houses are not occupied or the residents are asleep.
44. Contextual dialogue added to NPCs in Willenke.
45. Added new icons.
46. More music added to Jukebox.
47. Proper track names are now displayed in the Jukebox.
48. A wooden background has been added to the Character Creation screen.
49. More Devil's Flowers added to Hirgil Marsh.
50. Random NPCs added to Willenke Inn.
51. Added a few more items to the game.
52. Updated a few items.
53. Character Creation has been overhauled.
54. Classes added to the game.
55. Your HP and VP will now be restored on Level-Up and the bars will be full when you start the game.
56. Random chest items lists set up.
57. More enemies and enemy types have been added to the game world.
58. Fixed several bugs in the Axe of Evil quest.
59. The game will now check how many people are in your party before it adds a new member.
60. Fixed a bug where the number of distributable level points was being  incorrectly calculated.
61. Some character graphics have been recoloured and some new ones added.
62. Fixed a bug where clouds would be shown when inside after sleeping.
63. Added more sound effects to some parts of the game.
64. Mining Equipment and a Mining system has been added to the game.
65. Added a new Level Up! HUD symbol.
66. You can now see what you are wearing!
67. The Game Over screen has been changed to look a bit better.
68. Enemy processing has been improved.
69. Added more Quests to the game.
70. A new game manual has been included.

-------------------

-------------------
----VERSION 0.20---
-------------------
1. First Installer version of Novostrana.
2. Levelling and Stats have been completely overhauled.
3. A saved game auto-updater has been included.
4. All areas that were previously locked out are now accessible.
5. More areas have been added.
6. More quests have been added.
7. More NPCs have been added.
8. Can now check for updates.
9. New start and backstory implemented.
10. The game will now ask if you want to start the game in full screen mode.
11. A new credits script has been included with an up-to-date credits list.
12. Installed Blizz-ABS.
13. All Weapons and Armours have been rebalanced.
14. Fixed several issues with levelling-up.
15. Added new crafting system.
16. Added Dynamic Shop system.
17. Large pieces of dialogue have been split up a bit.
18. Tilesets should now work properly.
19. Fast Travel System added.
20. Banking System added.
21. Added new item limits system.
22. Documents system improved to show instructions text.
23. Item storage system added.
24. Night lighting has been rebalanced.
25. Shadows have been completely re-done.
26. Shadows can now be turned off.
27. A new game manual has been added.
28. An improved time system has been included, but not implemented yet.
29. Two "note" items have been converted to be viewed in the document viewer.
30. Items have been checked to make sure they can be used properly and whether they should be consumed or not.
31. A shop loyalty system has been implemented.
32. A few other things which I have forgotten!
-------------------


More Info

If you would like more information about this project, please visit:

Our Profile on ModDB (http://www.moddb.com/games/novostrana)

The Novostrana Minisite (http://www.rpg-magic.org/games/novostrana)
Title: Re: Novostrana (v0.30 - 14th May 2010)
Post by: lonely_cubone on May 15, 2010, 10:14:22 am
This looks really interesting, I'm downloading it right now. It doesn't sound particularly original, but it looks really well-done and professional. I'm sure you, and most likely a whole team, have spent tons of time on this, and I'm excited to try it.
Title: Re: Novostrana (v0.30 - 14th May 2010)
Post by: This Side Backwards on May 15, 2010, 05:25:52 pm
Definitely going to give it a try. I'll give feedback soon.

EDIT :: Ok, so it definitely seems as if a lot of work was put into it. I'm going to start with visuals though... I found the mapping to be rather plain and bland, I understand how difficult it must be though to have an open world-type feel to it without making large open spaces, but it just doesn't really work so well in a 2D rpg maker game (in my opinion). Battles are pretty much the bare basics of Blizz ABS, no sprite animations, but I see how much work that would be considering all the different characters and outfits. I would suggest at least having a swishing sound or some other indication that the player is attacking though. Good use of scripts on the other hand, though something is making the game rather laggy. I'm not so sure if the script where the camera slowly catches up to the character when he/she stops moving is necessary though. I noticed a minor bug where after saving and reloading, my character was no longer wearing clothes... They were still equipped but I had to take them off and re-equip to have them show (probably a bug in Blizz's Script). One of the major things that bugged me was the speed of the character. I found to be just too slow. It made traveling a hassle. Sprinting was well implemented, but the long recharge time once again bugged me. It's just one of those tiny things that made my enjoying of the game a little harder... One final note, there were certain parts that weren't so obvious, or just didn't make sense such as the entrance to a cave map being a tombstone...

I really like where you are going with this. I like the idea behind it and respect the fact that it will more than likely be a long endeavor to complete. Keep it up, and I'll try out the next release!
Title: Re: Novostrana (v0.30 - 14th May 2010)
Post by: CountVlad on May 15, 2010, 07:31:01 pm
Thanks for the feedback, guys!

Several people have said about the mapping, and I agree with you. I'm just not sure how I can improve it. If you have any bright ideas about that, feel free to let me know and I'll do my best to implement it.

As far as the ABS is concerned, the main problem with that is that I'm not a spriter. I can do really basic stuff like getting rid of bits with a rubber, but my drawing skills a virtually on the level of a five-year-old! lol. Persuading someone to take on such a large body of work is really difficult. I'll probably try to get someone to do it in the future, though.

Are there any particular point in the game where it lags, or is it just general laggyness? I know that some computers find the name-input script difficult to handle, but I've yet to find a solution for that. There have been a few complaints about the camera before, so I'll probably remove it in the next version.

Hmm... I've noticed the saving bug too recently. It's odd because in tests before it was working. I'll have a look at the script and see what it's doing wrong.

The walking speed was a difficult one, because at that speed I would agree that the player is too slow, but the next level up is a bit too fast. I'll have a think about changing it. One solution could be to not decrease VP so much so that you can sprint more. I'll have a think about it and see what the best solution is.

The tombstone cave thing was really just so that there was some kind of obvious landmark for a quest. I know it's not that obvious when you are just walking around, but it's part of a quest where you are told the cave is under the tombstone.
Title: Re: Novostrana (v0.30 - 14th May 2010)
Post by: WhiteRose on May 16, 2010, 12:50:43 am
I noticed quite a few spelling errors in your screenshots. For example, the spellings of "truly" and "currently" are both incorrect. You might want to have someone look it over for that kind of thing before you release the finished version.
Title: Re: Novostrana (v0.30 - 14th May 2010)
Post by: CountVlad on May 16, 2010, 06:00:46 am
I didn't notice those. Thanks!
Title: Re: Novostrana (v0.30 - 14th May 2010)
Post by: element on May 16, 2010, 08:01:15 am
Nice game !
It gives me a lot of ideas for my games.

Where did u get the music ? Made it yourself ?
Also interested in the world tileset. :)
Title: Re: Novostrana (v0.30 - 14th May 2010)
Post by: CountVlad on May 16, 2010, 01:00:47 pm
A guy called JiMiDi did the music for the game.
Also, thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you liked it! :)