Ascension 2 (RPG Maker this time)

[XCVG]

Ascension 2 is the second main game in the Ascension series. It represents approximately a decade of advancement, moving from a text RPG to a graphical JRPG-style game. Ascension 2 is set in the same universe as the first game and features some of the same characters, but takes place around the galaxy rather than on Rynn. The plot revolves around a prototype starship which was hijacked and the desperate race to find it before the hijackers can strike.

Preview download and video links are at the bottom of the post, for the impatient.

A little backstory is in order. In 2012, I created Ascension, a simple text RPG, as a school project. I've kept adding to it and it was quietly publicly released in 2013, updated in 2014 and ported to Android a few weeks ago. It's not that special, but some of you might find the plot interesting. Even before I finished the first release I knew I wanted to make a sequel. Most of this can be found at my website.

After the side-project of Ascension: Adventure (a Heroine Dusk derivative) and the disaster of Ascension: Revolution, I started working on a proper sequel a few months ago. By this point, I had my plans firmly in place. Ascension 2 would represent approximately ten years of technological progress over Ascension, and it would be done (sort of) in the style of the era. It's not exact, but I decided to make it an early 90s JRPG style of game.

I chose RPG Maker because it's easy to use and I can create quickly with it, not because I like it. In fact, I'm totally against its proprietary nature, non-portability, and closed ecosystem. Unfortunately, there are practical considerations I must consider, and given my level of programming knowledge it's probably the difference between releasing in 2015 and releasing in 2017.

Right now, I'm using a mix of RPG Maker assets, free assets from OpenGameArt and other sites, and (very little) original art. I'm planning to move away from the former and toward the latter before the full game is released. I do have some specific plans that will be revealed shortly. A complete list of assets used in the preview can be found in the CREDITS file included in the package.

Download the preview here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/nwxboka7615idc4/a2_debrief_b20140817.7z

I haven't made a proper trailer yet, but there's some gamplay footage here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4no0AzqMF2c

 

[Tchay]

Nice! For some reason I really like the menu sounds. Story seems pretty creative too.

 

[XCVG]

Holy flax there's a reply.

It's not dead. I'm working on finishing up the script (as in dialogue, not code) right now. That will be done within the next few weeks and I'll start working on the actual game again by the end of November.

Planned release is Holiday 2015.

 

[XCVG]

I didn't even realize I made a thread here...

I just released the semi-closed alpha. It's a very early build, full of bugs and far from polished. I'm trying to get some feedback mostly on whether the plot and general progression of the game makes sense and on the overall format.

You'll need the RPG Maker VX Ace RTP to play it. The final version will not have this requirement.

 

[DuHasst0]

RPG maker is awesome, I used it to help me pad my economics class on high school 13 years ago. Might have to get back into that.