Small Chronicles :: Strategy RPG Game by WhiteSponge :: DEV BLOG

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by WhiteSponge, Aug 27, 2012.

  1. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    Yea definitely! An iPad version is planned :)
     
  2. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    [Update October 5th]

    [​IMG]

    JRPG fans rejoice! Small Chronicles will be available in both English and Japanese for the initial release!

    Most of the translation to Japanese have been done!

    Now moving on to adding more store npc functionality :D
     
  3. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]

    Just added paging to inventory!

    Now you can have more inventory space for your items and equipments! :D
     
  4. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

  5. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]

    Just added a new range type monster for Small Chronicles!

    Introducing the Virus Flower ( 病毒の花 )! These mutated flowers pack a punch when it's next to you and when it's at a range from you!

    Don't get into their range!
     
  6. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]

    Grrrr! Sneak peek of 1st boss monster for Small Chronicles! :D
     
  7. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    This isn't an update but an answer to a very good question from jrpgclub.com

    The question was on "How does the grid system work in Small Chronicles"

    Each grid on the map represent a spot that either your character or the monster can move on to.

    Your character or the monsters can only attack in straight lines (up,down,left,right) and not diagonally, regardless of range or melee. However, there is an exception for ultimate Area-Of-Effect skills though

    Furthermore, anything that is on a grid that your character or the monster moves on to will become theirs respectively. So for example if your character moves onto a grid that has a blessing, he/she will receive the bonus that the blessing gives.

    If you're interested in the original thread, do check out http://jrpgclub.com/community/thread-277.html :)
     
  8. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    Here's another update and more information on Small Chronicles!

    The game is divided into different worlds and each world has many stages. As you progress through and unlock the stages and worlds, the game's story will be revealed!

    To make it clearer, here's a screenshot of the 1st world and its stages :)

    [​IMG]
     
  9. MrAlbum

    MrAlbum Well-Known Member

    Feb 8, 2012
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    Alaska
    From what I've seen, I have a concern:

    This looks like a mission-to-mission kinda deal. If so, what element of the game beyond the battles/character leveling, creation and development/loot will encourage players to continue with the game once they have played it for a few stages?

    It is true that small games can produce laser-focused and streamlined experiences that are insanely fun. However, it is good to consider the depth of the game since that can help or hinder that same laser-focus. I see that Small Chronicles has some depth via the fights and character customization, but I worry that those may not be enough to draw the player into the game because of how the mission-to-mission setup gives the impression of repetition, meaning that the current concept could make people feel that they're going through the motions with regards to stage completion.

    This gave me a couple ideas:

    What about perma-death?

    Allow me to explain: Instead of players blitzing through all the stages and never touching the game again, what if every time they played the same stages the game played slightly differently, and that if their character dies they have to start again from stage 1 with a new character?

    This can be balanced by allowing the chance for players to re-gain some of the loot from their fallen characters when they manage to survive to the point where those old characters died, thus giving players the small relief that character death isn't a total loss, ex: if a character dies on Stage 13 and the next character they make survives Stage 13, then they can earn back some of the dead character's loot.

    Also, checkpoints could be utilized so that it isn't too harsh.

    This idea would need slightly randomized level-appropriate enemies so players are not overwhelmed at the start, I.e. no purple lava behemoths on Stage 2 ^_^ unless such creatures are actually pansies... in which case, I hope my thought is clear.

    There is another way out of many possibilities to add some depth without adding perma-death:

    Make it puzzle-oriented.

    For example, let us assume that each enemy has a certain pattern to their attacks, and that it takes a certain strategy/defense pattern/damage type/etc... to overcome this hypothetical enemy. Now imagine later enemies with more subtle/devious/hardcore/etc... patterns that require more complex strategies to overcome, and it is up to the player to decide how best to bring down each enemy based on the player's character choices.

    This is very tricky, in that the same enemy needs to have the possibility of being defeated by unorthodox and strange player strategies, which could be very hard to design for. For example, does a skill stun enemies, and can enemies defend against stuns? Does a skill cause enemies to panic, and is there a way for enemies to defend against that? Can players combine skills so that they can turn enemies into zombies and then hit the enemies with a ressurect or healing spell, which according to Dungeons & Dragons, would either outright destroy the undead or seriously harm them? And can enemies circumvent such a complicated strategy?

    Later, more powerful enemies would need to be able to defend against the first few strategies, which would task the players to somehow maximize their chosen skills to their fullest.

    This in combo w/ the perma-death idea would make the game super deep, but then again too deep is just as bad as not enough depth, so I'll simply let these concepts sit as they are so you can mull over them.

    These are just a couple ideas I brainstormed when I thought of the concern I noted above. Consider them as you wish, and let me know your thoughts on the ideas ^_^

    Sincerely,

    Mr. Album
     
  10. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    Hey Mr. Album, thanks for the insightful thoughts! I really listen to feedback and people's opinions so this means a lot to me!

    On the topic of perma-death, I would agree with you that it is kind of harsh if it was implemented. Currently, Small Chronicles is designed in such a way that if your character dies, you will have to retry the whole stage again. There won't be any penalties at the moment.

    And I definitely agree with you that if a player blitzs through all the stages, it would become kind of repetitive :X
    Which is why there is also a league mode planned :)

    I might consider randomizing the location of blessings and starting positions for the players and monsters. However, that might actually be counter-intuitive since monsters in Small Chronicles actually have different attacking styles/patterns.

    For example, while the Scary Mushroom can only move/attack once per turn, the Leaf Monster can do so twice. The Virus Flower, on the other hand, can attack from range and has a tendency to run from melee characters (kinda like kiting). There will also be many more monsters as more worlds are added to Small Chronicles.

    I have also planned different purposes for the tiles that you see in Small Chronicles. At the moment, there are only blessings but there is a lot of potential with what could be done with those tiles :)

    So yes, I definitely would choose to go the path of puzzle/strategy-oriented for Small Chronicles ^-^

    By the way, if you're talking about powerful enemies, I plan to make the bosses of Small Chronicles kinda powerful :p (hope not overpowered)

    So yea there you have it and do let me know your opinions/feelings/thought processes on my reply.

    And thanks again for the really insightful feedback! :)
     
  11. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

  12. bramblett05

    bramblett05 Well-Known Member

    Aug 29, 2012
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    When is it coming? The graphics are strange but I would like to give it a go.
     
  13. Holu Callouse

    Holu Callouse New Member

    Nov 6, 2012
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  14. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    It is scheduled to be released in early 2013.

    By the way I am also curious as to why you thought that the graphics are strange. I am always looking to ways to improve on the game, and that includes the graphics :p

    So I'm looking forward to your reply! :)
     
  15. bramblett05

    bramblett05 Well-Known Member

    Aug 29, 2012
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    Well not strange just something I'm not use to it looks great though guess just use to regular RPGs. Don't worry about improving graphics not all games are about that.
     
  16. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    Haha thanks! :)
     
  17. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    I guess that's true to an extend :p

    The drawing style of the playable characters is kind of influenced by manga and chibi drawing though :)

    Definitely will also focus on improving the game's gameplay ^-^
     
  18. bramblett05

    bramblett05 Well-Known Member

    Aug 29, 2012
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    Well I read some naruto (older stuff) and dragon ball z. Will there be beta testing?
     
  19. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    Yes there will definitely be beta testing (soon) :)

    Do watch out for the update when it is announced :p
     
  20. MrAlbum

    MrAlbum Well-Known Member

    Feb 8, 2012
    247
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    Alaska
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Good to see that you have a clear goal with what you want the game to be, and I am curious about League mode. How does that work?

    Is it like an asynchronous tournament ladder, or is it more along the lines of player-run guilds whose members battle for their guild's supremacy in one-on-one death-matches against other players? Is there the possibility for two-on-two team battles, four-player free-for-all, or any other modes? Is it like the Firefight mode in the Halo games, where a group of players band together to beat back a set number of enemies?

    Gawd, that's a whole Pandora's Box of questions! XD

    I think a good rule of thumb for PvP-type stuff is to have many different and unique modes, if that's what League Mode is oriented towards.

    Also, is the play area the same size for every fight, I.e. it's the same number of tiles? Or do different missions have different size play areas?

    With the different kind of tiles planned out already, will there be trap tiles, like pits or fire or spiked floors? Will the different play areas have different movement challenges, I.e. a ranged enemy hides behind a tough melee-oriented enemy, and the player needs to find a way past the melee enemy before the ranged one takes the player down? Will certain play areas have different shapes to them, such as a star or a circle or a trapezoid, etc....?

    That's probably plenty of questions for now! Thanks for responding, and I look forward to the finished product!

    Sincerely,

    Mr. Album
     

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