I figured I'd type up a blog post since it's been....how long? A month? Two? I don't even know, but that's besides the point.
You come here to stay updated about SEM(I hope) And so I should do that! Now then, looking in from the outside, it may seem like nothing is getting done. And I personally would be inclined to agree, buuuuuuut....
...No actually. It's not true. Work is being done indeed! What? Well lets go through it all.
I myself have mostly been mapping, editing code, and wishing I could kill myself for having taken on the weight of nearly an entire SNES/PS1 Era RPG dev team alone.
But let's go into detail.
Will you be able to reach Rank 999? Me? I couldn't tell you! I don't have an endgame to gauge things by! Haha!
On the coding end of things, I've gone back and implemented Time Card effects into several party member's skills. What does this mean? Well basically, the Time Card system is now expanded and now more than just a select few characters can take advantage of it. I worked out the theory and Time Cards should theoretically be a very useful part of your battle arsenal once you obtain the use of them. Certain enemies/bosses will also make use of Time Cards, adding a new layer of strategy to the system. We'll see just what you can do with these to turn the tide, huh?
Not very effective...
That's more like it!
Another simple, but substantial edit I've made is that the battle algorithms have been altered. How? Nothing too drastic, I've merely reordered the chain of calculations, which resulted in the number scale of overall damage being reduced by a whole digit yet again. What does this mean? Well, it means that individual hits and damage from a single party member is essentially made ineffective. What now needs to be mastered are elements, hit count, and timing. Coordinate your attacks with your team mates to rack up devastating combo damage in order to win the day.
Day Two and Three actually take place in the same dungeon, but on different ends of the forest. So it's a new experience both times, I will try to ensure that I don't end up doing this kind of thing again, though!
There is much less to speak of on the graphical end of the development spectrum. But I'm doing my best. The current dungeon, which consists of 38 maps, is about half mapped at 20 maps completed. Once I finish those, I will need to create puzzle elements and obstacles and then I can call the dungeon complete. Which brings me to another point.
My approach to dungeons is going to change after this. One of my biggest dungeon inspirations is the Golden Sun series. But I've long since come to realize that I don't have the minds that Nintendo has, therefore, I'm going to switch it up. Rather than unique and specific puzzles, obstacles are going to consist more of field tool use. Figuring out which to use where. Sometimes it will be obvious, sometimes it won't. But use of field tools is going to take center stage rather than unique puzzles. This is easier for me, the developer. This game has to move, and if this helps it move, then so be it.
The others? Well, they're busy, but I do hope they can find the motivation to continue with their designated tasks. SEM will not die. I believe in my work and I hope you all can too! Thank you for your continued support and I will continue my work in the meantime.
Have some art to leave off!
Art by Lazcht
Annnnnd Skie signing out.
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