Dubloon (Complete)

Dubloon
It's finally finished! A point-n-click pirate RPG adventure game. There are dungeons, bosses, sidequests and secrets in a huge explorable world.

Edit 6/16: Because of last-minute changes, there were some nasty bugs in the initial release. I'm very sorry for those of you who had to deal with my unprofessional mistakes :[ A fixed version is now up (with GameJolt trophy compatibility!) so if you're experiencing errors in certain areas please redownload.


File Size: 29.7 MB (11 MB version also available; see below)
Download Links:
GameJolt
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/rpg/dubloon/254/

YoYoGames
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/show/83854

LowFi Version:
This version has low quality music, but is only an 11 MB download. Not recommended.
LoFi Download

Walkthrough:
If you're really stuck and don't know what to do or can't solve a puzzle, you can consult this.
Walkthrough (For Landlubbers)

Gameplay Video (First 6 Minutes):




Screenshots: (Click to enlarge)





Soundtrack:
If you're really into the music Prophecy made, you can download the full game soundtrack with high bit rate/album artwork/proper song titles here.
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/dubloon/soundtracks/download/254/

T-Shirts:
You can get a Dubloon T-Shirt here! Feel free to send suggestions for designs you want... I like selling shirts.
http://www.zazzle.com/banovg/gifts?cg=196438694018254966

Developer Commentary: http://tinyurl.com/24yw6v8

Credits:
-Game by Banov
-Music by Prophecy

Changelog: In some cases I uploaded a bugfix without changing the version name within a few hours of each other.
1.0.0.1
-(BUGFIX) Error message caused by running in the Navy base of Jolly Roger island
-(BUGFIX) Error message thrown by the Mole boss when he tried to attack
-(BUGFIX) Game would sometimes skip naming one of the main characters, leaving his name blank.
1.0.0.2
-GameJolt trophy compatibility
-(BUGFIX)After opening the last chest before the boss in Treasure Tower, if a player tried to go back to the previous room the game would enter a never-ending cutscene loop.
-(BUGFIX)Some attack effects would appear to aim at the user's crew instead of the opponent's in a secret mode of gameplay.
-(BUGFIX)Error message when using "Avalanche" (this was as a result of the previous bugfix :p)
-(BUGFIX)After completing the game and re-loading your file, the crew would sometimes be missing and leave only the silent protagonist.
-(BUGFIX)On the top floor of the treasure tower, saving immediately after getting the Key but before trying to leave the room and loading later would skip crucial cutscenes
-(BUGFIX)(6/17/10) You can walk on water in a certain room of Pyrite island
-(BUGFIX)(6/17/10) One of the statue puzzles in the final dungeon will not work if you push any buttons outside the correct order (but it does reset when you leave the dungeon).
1.0.0.3 (6/18/10)
-A number of typos corrected
-(BUGFIX)Talking to the viking on Jolly Roger or reading the map on Bowish would let you re-add islands to your map
-(BUGFIX)If a non-boss enemy was killed by poison damage, an error would be thrown and the battle wouldn't end
-(BUGFIX)One of the puzzles in Treasure Tower wouldn't take into account party order when it was supposed to
1.0.0.4 (6/23/10)
-New Feature: an NPC in Pyrite Tavern who helps you find undiscovered treasure
-More NPC dialogue changes after beating final dungeon
-"Save Fixer" auto-fixes common save file bugs (missing/unnamed crew members) from previous versions upon loading your file
-(BUGFIX) Returning to the Golden Key room in Treasure Tower had some weird effects
-(BUGFIXes) Misc/etc
1.0.0.5 (6/25/10)
-(BUGFIX) Characters level 40 or over couldn't easily equip attacks from special equipment items
-(BUGFIX) Saving your game when on a downed "color wall" and loading might find you stuck inside of it
-(BUGFIX) A rare error message thrown by a particular boss' attack
-(BUGFIX) Puzzles in Treasure Tower that require you to stand in certain patterns would not always register your position on the tiles properly

Dubloon Release Date, LPs

Hey everyone!

So today the private beta version for Dubloon went out to just a few people for final testing and proofing. I'll be away on vacation until June 13, and then I aim for the official release date of Dubloon to be June 15, 2010. (Assuming that I don't get so many bugs I can't possibly fix them all in a day, though that is unlikely).

To keep you entertained while you wait, maybe you'd want to check out this brief Let's Play series I did:


I've liked LPs since I first discovered them, so I decided to give one of my own a shot. It's a Game Maker game called Purple, and I chose it because people seemed to like it, I'd never played it before, and there were no LPs of it already. I quit after 5 episodes, but in those 5 episodes I had some fun times. My sister guest starred in episode 5, which is probably the series high point.

Okay! Next time I update, it'll be with the finished version of Dubloon! I can barely contain my excitement :]

The big 1-8

Guys! I am 18 today!

A bunch of things have happened since my last blog post, some good and some bad. The bad news is that the YoYo Comp 05 results came out, and CowbowKilla didn't even make honorable mention! Now I know I have gone on record saying that is CowboyKilla didn't get an honorable mention I would stop game making but, uh, we're going to ignore that because I still really want to make games. Just not for any stinking YoYo competitions.

I added some new shirt designs to my already impressive collection! Many of them were by request, so the shirt you want might just be up there. Remember that you can play with the shirt options and get cheaper "value" shirts for like $5 cheaper if the asking price seems a bit steep, which a couple people have complained about.



Work has continued on Dubloon, and as of now I'm tinkering with some of the game's final segments. It's exciting stuff! I previously said that my self-imposed deadline to make the finished game public is June 4, and I'm still hoping to beat that date, but a lot of things have cropped up lately and it looks like I might have to push it back a bit past then. Don't worry, though! The game is going to be finished, and I can say that 100% confidence at this point. That, too, is pretty exciting!

It's been a long road building this game, and there have been times when it seemed like I would never finish it. So thanks to everyone who's supported me along the way... we're almost there! I think I'd like to take this moment specifically to point out and thank RockytheChao AKA Mack151, for his awesome series of Dubloon LP Videos which have been a constant kind reminder of the kind of fan support this game has and, hopefully, is going to get once it arrives. Thanks, Rocky!

Aside from that, I've been doing internship work for a website/graphic design company which has been eating a good amount of my time, and I have another SECRET game-related project which is pretty exciting but not ready to be revealed yet.

Okay--that's all I can think of off the top of my head in terms of news. I can't think of a definitive way to end this blog post, so I'll probably just end it awkwardly like this.

Announcing: A New Store!

Check it out, you guys!

I've mentioned this before, but now it's official: I'm selling t-shirts! I've got 9 designs already made for you to choose from, and for each one you've got a lot of options in terms of color and style and such. So check it out, and buy something maybe! I get a bit of profit from every shirt you purchase, so anything you get is hugely appreciated.

Here are just some of the designs available (click to enlarge):





...and more! Feel free to send requests, too. Happy shopping!

So, What's New

Hey, guys. April Fools was a RAGING success, I'd say. I enjoyed a lot of your reactions. If you really did fall for it and were excited by the screenshot, you should check out CowboyKilla, which the screen was actually from.

Speaking of which:
CowboyKilla is on BYTEJACKER!
Do vote for it if you liked it.

Some more links for you:
I got a Formspring! They look like fun and a bunch of my friends got them so I figured why not. Ask me something so this decision feels worthwhile!
I was Interviewed on IVGMU. It's a cool site, and I'm on there now, so it's a worthwhile visit.
I made this utility that helps you win at the game corner minigame in the new Pokemon games. I mostly made it for myself to see how much I could break the game; I ended up making 12,000 coins over the course of the couple evenings I spent playing with this. So it's useful if you have the game.

---

And now I'm back to work on Dubloon. Going to start the final dungeon soon, and it's a pretty straight shot to the end of the game. Very exciting. I've also been doing some work on the music for the final sections. I'm actually looking for a good program to edit MIDI music; I have some sweet MIDI tunes, but I'd like to be able to cut some bits and change the tempo. Does anybody know where such a program exists?

Assassin Blue 2: Red's Revenge (April Fools)

Hey everyone, just a quick announcement.

Remember all those times people begged me for a sequel to Assassin Blue? I get messages constantly--it often feels like daily--from fans asking when the sequel will be finished. And I've always told them it isn't happening. I'd made it publicly clear that I had no intention of making a sequel, and never was going to, but fans persisted.

Well, I lied then. Assassin Blue II is well into development, and today I'm ready to reveal it to the world. This is just a screenshot; you can expect the full game later this week.



APRIL FOOLS

CowboyKilla - Complete!

CowboyKilla
A collaboration between Banov and Andrew Brophy for YoYoGames Comp 05. The game also features a soundtrack by the incredible Lil Vypa.

The game's a hardcore bloodbath action game with hordes of enemies and lots of sweet weapons to kill them with. Controls are arrows + Z. Have fun!

File Size: 9.9 MB
Download Links:
Mirror 1:
GameJolt
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/action/cowboykilla/1406/

Mirror 2:
YoYoGames
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/111571-cowboykilla


Screenshots: (Click to enlarge)





Video: Here.


Credits:
-Game by Banov & Overboy
-Music by Lil Vypa

Comments and constructive feedback are greatly appreciated!

T-Shirts?

Hello, everyone!

Hope you all enjoyed Dubloon's awesome update! Feedback for that was pretty overwhelmingly positive, so I'm looking forward to the game's release. For now, though, it's CRUNCH TIME on Cowboykilla. We had planned to get you a new demo sometime soon but due to some delays and sickness that may or may not happen. Right now the big goal is getting everything finished by March 30th. We have a lot of content planned... it's going to be awesome, trust me.

---

Reviews
I recently became an official "reviewer" on the Game Maker Community, and here are the reviews I've penned so far during my tenure. I recommend all these games, as they're pretty awesome.

MadnessMadnessMadness by NAL
The Hanrahan Game: Final Mix by Flying Squire
Spelunky by Derek Yu
Sworrd Buster by Andrew Brophy

---

T-Shirts?

I've started to consider selling some T-Shirts featuring artwork/themes from some of my games, as a way to promote myself and make a little cash on the side. Basically, I'm looking for some quick feedback on this: would you buy a t-shirt from me? Which of my games/characters would you most like to see, or maybe what particular design? Anything goes, I'm basically looking to see if I would sell enough to warrant printing shirts/what design people want the most.

So, let me know! Thanks~

Dubloon - Final Demo!

Dubloon
A point-n-click pirate RPG adventure game in the making. There are dungeons, bosses, sidequests and secrets in a huge explorable world.

This is the final demo; the next time I release an update, it will be the finished game! Please play, enjoy, and share your thoughts!

Information
Title: Dubloon
File Size: 19.6 MB (9 MB version also available; see below)

Download Links:
Mirror 1:
GameJolt
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/rpg/dubloon/254/

Mirror 2:
YoYoGames
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/show/83854

LowFi Version:
Recommended for users with a slow connection. This version has low quality music, but is only a 9 MB download.
LoFi Download

Walkthrough:
If you're really stuck and don't know what to do or can't solve a puzzle, you can consult this.
Walkthrough (For Landlubbers)

YouTube Trailer:



Screenshots: (Click to enlarge)





Credits:
-Game by Banov
-Music by Prophecy

Comments and constructive feedback are greatly appreciated!

The Problem(s) With RPGs

I got Game Maker in May 2005, and shortly thereafter, one of the first games I started working on was a role playing game, better known as an RPG. In fact, you can still see the original posting (though the download links have long since been removed). I spent over a year working on it and the game was never finished.



Now, compare that story to this one: I started Dubloon in May of 2009. Less than a month later, I'd already made more progress with Dubloon than I had in the entire development time of my first RPG. It also looked better, played better, worked better, and was easier to work with.



Basically what I'm getting at here is that making an RPG is hard and not to be attempted by the inexperienced. I'm not saying it's impossible, but in terms of game making RPGs pose way more obstacles than any other genre of video game I can think of. So as part cautionary tale, and part "developer's journal" sort of thing, I'm going to talk about what I've learned about making RPGs and some of the pitfalls in designing them.



One of the first thing people always talk about when it comes to this topic is the amount of technical expertise you have to come in with. This one should seem obvious. When you talk about the inner workings of a role playing games, you're looking at a lot of data that has to be organized, computed, crunched, what have you--constantly. You'll be handling inventories, character statistics, battle calculations, and so on. It can be hard to keep track of, especially when your development team consists of one person. You need to be adept with things like arrays and data structures and all that fun stuff--this should go without saying, but I programmed my first RPGs without these, and it sucked. Hard. Projects like RPGs don't exactly go by quickly, either. The code you write needs to be functional, annotated, and organized enough so that you can come back to it even a year later and still know exactly what it does. When new game makers start off by saying they want to make their dream RPG, as I did, this is usually the reason why they're told that they can't.



RPGs aren't just difficult to build technically, but also--if I may--artistically. Unlike games in other genres, the expectation in a legitimate, fully realized RPG is a pretty high playtime. Most independent games can be beaten within an hour, easily, if not 15 minutes or so. To account for that huge difference in playtime, you need to come into RPGs with a truckload of gameplay mechanics and ideas to keep things varied and interesting. The problem I find with a lot of RPGs is that they become too comfortable falling into boring patterns... explore dungeon, griiiiiind, fight boss, move to next dungeon. Nowadays games move very quickly, and game designers have a lot more responsibility to battle to keep the player's attention. Don't let your game grow stale! "RPG" should not be synonymous with "boring," and if you actually put some thought into how your game is paced and feels it's still entirely possible to put together a very fun, engaging RPG.



That said, it's become clear that RPGs nowadays aren't as well received by players as they once were. I was rather painfully introduced to this fact when Dubloon went up on IndieGames back in July 2009. People had posted pretty slanderous comments--"just another RPG"--without even having played the game. RPGs just aren't as appreciated as much these days, and you can see that trend in places like Indiegames' "Best of Features" end of year lists. Most genres got 15-20 games listed under them; RPGs were lumped in with 2 similar genres and together all 3 were able to produce 10 "best" titles for the year. When it comes to the independent games "market," it takes a lot of promise to convince people these days that your RPG is worth their time. Maybe I'm reacting too strongly to a minority group of haters, but it's never a bad idea to try and innovate. Be mindful of your game's image: how will players see it? There's a reason why lists like these exist and it's important that you familiarize yourself with what the genre cliches are... so you can break them.



Are RPGs dead? I don't think so, not at all. They're very good at giving players a very particular sort of experience, one where they really feel character growth and adventure in a way no other genre can quite deliver. What's important when making a good RPG is knowing what they're good at and what they're not so good at, and using those qualities to your advantage. When I started my first RPG, I started it just because I wanted to make an RPG, and I don't think that's the right way to approach these things. An RPG simply isn't interesting just by virtue of being an RPG. When I started Dubloon, it was because I wanted to make a game about pirates, and I decided that the best game to deliver that sort of pirate "experience" would be an RPG. Let the genre be your tool... don't be a tool of the genre.

Hello February

Hey, guys! So, here are some updates on what I've been doing.

Dubloon

---

CowboyKilla has actually taken up the bulk of my work, but before I get into that, I wanted to talk about Dubloon a little. I'm determined to finish it and get it out this Spring, even if that means cutting out areas I have planned for the game--it already takes hours to beat, so as far as I'm concerned length isn't a primary concern.

I've just made a new title screen for it, I want to get some quick reactions to it. See:


The old one


The new one

This new one looks prettier, I think, and fits the game better... and I have some ideas about how I can transition it into the opening cutscene. I also started drawing out some floor plans for the next dungeon after I got some cool puzzle ideas, but, I'm still struggling to come up with a good tileset for the dungeon. Backgrounds have always been a bit of a weakness/pain for me, honestly. I don't see a new release in the near future yet, and I doubt there will be a major release until CowboyKilla is ready for the competition.

Speaking of which...

CowboyKilla

---

We're now entering month 2 of development, and things are going smoothly. There will definitely be a new release on this one in February. I've been a busy bee on this one, and there are a lot of fun things I can't wait to show you guys. Here's a quick screenshot...

Yes--Custom mode! As you complete levels in the game, you'll be able to access the weapons, enemies and maps and use them to craft your own level. A lot of the weapons are very experimental in nature, so you might have fun just testing the effectiveness of different weapons against different enemies... while causing untold bloodshed and ruin, of course.

We plan to bring you a total of 6 levels next time we update, so you can expect a lot of exciting new content. Do look forward to it!

Misc.

---

Meanwhile!

I've been very active on Twitter after getting one, so if you're a fan and you aren't following me there... I think you should!

Lil Vypa, the fantastic composer behind CowboyKilla, has recently come out with a new Mix tape which I highly recommend! I'm not normally a fan of this sort of music, but Vypa's always surprisingly good and this tape is no exception. Give it a listen!

I am a Twit

I just set up a Twitter account like 5 minutes ago! I'm going to see how this works out for me. Perhaps if you like me a lot you'll follow me?

For those of you waiting on game updates, thanks for your patience! I've made some recent progress with Dubloon... I had some fun puzzle ideas and I started putting them together for the next dungeon. Still a ways off from letting you play anything, but at least I'm making some progress.

CowboyKilla is going smoothly as well. Andrew and I have a lot of cool things in store, but we're going to keep it all a secret for now :} CowboyKilla has been getting more attention than my other projects, but to be fair, the stakes are a bit higher on it.

CowboyKilla First Demo

CowboyKilla [Working Title]
A WIP collaboration between Banov and Andrew Brophy for YoYoGames Comp 05. The game also features a soundtrack by the incredible Lil Vypa.

The game's a hardcore bloodbath action game with hordes of enemies and lots of sweet weapons to kill them with. Controls are arrows + Z. Have fun!

Information
Title: CowboyKilla [Unofficially]
File Size: 4.5 MB
GM Version: GM8
Changes Screen Resolution: No


Download Links:
Mirror 1:
GameJolt
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/action/cowboykilla/1406/

Mirror 2:
YoYoGames
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/111571-cowboykilla

Screenshots: (Click to enlarge)


Video: Here.


Credits:
-Game by Banov & Overboy
-Music by Lil Vypa

Comments and constructive feedback are greatly appreciated!

Collab Revealed!

Since Andrew went ahead and spoiled the game we're working on, I feel the need to one-up him, especially since the lame screenshot he posted doesn't at all reflect how the game is actually going to look/play. So, here's some juicier info.



The game doesn't have an official title yet but we've been calling it "CowboyKilla." It's an awesome hardcore bloodbath where you're pitted against an unending army of enemies with a lot of sweet weapons at your disposal. It's ridiculously fun, and development is going at a very good pace.

If you were planning on entering the YYG Comp05, I'd just give up, because the winner has pretty much already been decided. Sorry.

---

Also, I've made sweet progress on the iPhone side of things and I've got a working tap movement engine going. I'm going to drop my plans to recreate Crazy Over Goo, though-that's just too ambitious for my skill level. Instead I'll probably use the movement engine to make a simpler minigame. The real goal here is to get something playable on the App store.

The Games Just Keep Coming

Happy Two Thousand and Ten!

I'm pretty bad at posting here regularly, so I'm going to give you guys the down low on what I've been up to.

Dubloon

---

Progress has been slow but steady. I have a lot of content planned for the next update, so it's still looking far off from now... sorry to those who are waiting on that. I don't want to talk too much in detail on what happens next in the game, but I will say that the end of the game isn't going to be too far off. After this next release, there will be maybe one or two more before the game's finished. In the meantime, I'll let screenshots speak for themselves.



iPhone

---

I've spent a lot of the month of December trying to make serious progress on my iPhone work. I found a great game development/physics engine called Cocos 2D and I'm going to try and master that. I want to recreate Crazy Over Goo--or something like it--on the iPhone interface and sell it on the app store. Of course, for now, I'm still figuring out how to do simple things like launch objects on the screen. The iPhone is a bit harder to use than Game Maker, I'll say that much.

YoYoGames Comp 05

---

For the first time in my game making career, I'm going to enter a serious competition. You can read the rules here, if you haven't seen them already. What is perhaps most exciting about this next game of mine is that it's going to be a collaboration between me and Andrew Brophy aka Overboy aka AndrewAP. No details yet, but the game we're planning is seriously awesome and will probably win, especially over anything that Brod makes.

Banov OUT.

Crazy Over Goo - Now with Online Scores & More

A fun, simple mouse-controlled platformer with 50 short, gimmicky levels. Also featuring a level editor and tons of unlockables to keep you playing.

Hey, everyone! You probably thought Crazy Over Goo was totally finished and done with... and so did I! But thanks to some help from the esteemed UnknownGamer, Crazy Over Goo now has online scores! I also fixed some bugs and included a brand new secret for getting your click total below 650... I don't want to give it away, but it's pretty damn cool.

Your old save file will still work, so be sure to hold on to it before you update if you were using Instantplay-type browser players.

I'd like to release an extra level pack of user-created levels, but so far there haven't been many submitted! Use this new version as a chance, perhaps, to reacquaint yourself with this game and maybe put together a level. You can upload it and post the link, or email it to banovg at gmail dot com.

Information
Title: Crazy Over Goo
File Size: 3.8 MB
GM Version: GM7
Changes Screen Resolution: No

Mirror 1:
GameJolt
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/platformer/crazy-over-goo/171/

Download Links:
Mirror Two:
YoYoGames
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/show/80900

Mirror Three:
Host-A
http://host-a.net/banov/CrazyOverGoo.zip

HIGH QUALITY SOUNDTRACK:
(Save in the same directory as the game exe)
http://host-a.net/banov/COG_Soundtrack.zip



Screenshots: (Click to enlarge)




Credits:
-Banov, as in, me, for ALL sprites, animations, programming, etc
-Prophecy for composing the soundtrack

There Will Be Brawl

I really want to spread the word about this absolutely incredible web show called There Will Be Brawl. It's a gritty crime show featuring the cast of Super Smash Brothers Brawl; the drama is intense and believable, the acting and costumes are spectacular, and the show is written with a lot of obvious love for its source material and includes many hilarious references and in-jokes. As far as I'm concerned, it's the most entertaining thing on the internet in recent memory. If you're a fan of Super Smash Brothers or Nintendo games in general, I highly recommend it.



Watch it here.
Due to language, violence, and sexual themes, you shouldn't watch this if you're under the age of 17 (according to the site), but I expect you're going to anyway.

Finally, Some More Dubloon!

Dubloon
A point-n-click pirate RPG adventure game in the making. There are dungeons, bosses, sidequests and secrets in a huge explorable world.

My apologies for the slow updates; computer problems and life business had slowed down progress. But I can safely say this is the biggest update to the game yet. Please enjoy and give me back your comments!

Information
Title: Dubloon
File Size: 6 MB
GM Version: GM7

Download Links:
Mirror 1:
GameJolt
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/rpg/dubloon/254/

Mirror 2:
YoYoGames
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/show/83854

Walkthrough:
If you're really stuck and don't know what to do or can't solve a puzzle, you can consult this.
Walkthrough (For Landlubbers)

YouTube Trailer:



Screenshots: (Click to enlarge)





Credits:
-Game by Banov
-Music by Prophecy

Comments and constructive feedback are greatly appreciated!

New Dubloon Demo

Dubloon
A point-n-click pirate RPG adventure game in the making. A swashbuckling story with dungeons, bosses, sidequests and fun exploration.

Finally, the next update is here. The game's even bigger and better than before! Your old save file will still be compatible, if you saved it.

Information
Title: Dubloon
File Size: 5.5 MB
GM Version: GM7

Download Links:
Mirror 1:
GameJolt
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/rpg/dubloon/254/

Mirror 2:
YoYoGames
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/show/83854

Mirror 3:
WillHostForFood
http://willhostforfood.com/access.php?fileid=85013


Screenshots: (Click to enlarge)





Credits:
-Game by Banov
-Music by Prophecy

Comments and constructive feedback are greatly appreciated!

Forest Pirates

Hey, everybody! In the last week I've gotten a couple of messages/emails asking if I'm still alive. It certainly has been a little while since I posted anything. Personally, I don't like to make blog posts until I have a LOT to write about, so that each post is meaningful. But, starting from tomorrow and for the next 10 days, I'll be out of country on an exciting trip and so I probably won't be able to put up any updates. Before I go, I want to talk about what I've been working on.


Riley and Ricky, the heroic townboy and his loyal monkey, make their way through a maze-like forest...

Of course my main work has been on Dubloon. I hit a snag designing it, and that lead to a near 2 weeks where I did almost no work on it. I'm usually a very dedicated worker when it comes to my games, so a break that long is unheard of. The issue stemmed from the design of a particular town and the puzzle it was based on; I kept on trying to create a puzzle whose solution was too boring.


A slightly updated battle HUD now displays MP

Originally I wanted to include an item-trading kind of quest where you needed to talk to the right people to trade items until you ended up with the one you needed. My second attempt was even more absurd and involved finding a wig/makeup item and equipping it to cross-dress and then seduce the right person. It wasn't until my third design of the town/puzzle that I hit something that really worked for both me and the game.


When you set sail, rather than a plain old text menu, you select your destination via this large colorful map. As you progress through the game, your map will fill up with islands and the world will seem to get bigger and bigger!

Now the current issue I'm facing is more on the plot/story side of the game, as I'm trying to justify a particularly weak plot point in which an important character is killed before he's even introduced. I'm hoping to find the right solution to that as once I've sorted out all that plot nonsense I'll probably put out another major update. At this point the game has an added 20-30 minutes of playtime from before, though this varies greatly based on how much extra exploration you do.

The farther I get into the game, the more exciting things become as I introduce new ideas and game mechanics. The game as it is now is definitely my largest and most ambitious project to date, and it's not even close to finished yet! When I do finish it, it'll be a momentous achievement, for me and possibly even for the Game Maker community as a whole...