Is this still being worked on? It's been almost a year since the last update or news. The game is really interesting, it definitely got me hooked with where the story was going, and the art style reminds me of Mana Khemia.
I understand if you're busy with personal issues, I just want a yes or no question if this was abandoned or not.
I just stayed up all night playing this XD. Personally it was only 8 hours of game play, which was a little disappointing because I love this demo. I am so excited for the next update of the demo or the official release of the game. I hope this project it still being worked on <3
it would be cool if you could learn all element but but you probably wont change it so could you have equipment where it could seem like you did and will there be situations where you don't control the mc like lets say for certain quests because i think the game would be cooler if it wasn't just about the mc well i meant you control him and will there be ranks in guilds that can be separate from the story
Heya! So there are crystals in the game which you can equip to let you use certain spells. For example, there is an Enheal Crystal which, if you equip it, will let you cast Enheal. I think it's a good compromise to your suggestion. :D
In this game the character "Ein" or MC childhood friend is merely support character with almost none attack except for a sigle enemy earth and thunder spell.
I believe this character would be best used if he gained an area thunder spell, it would help in the first Exam (village investigation) with all those poison slimes in the sewer catacombs under the village.
Because in this game demo it's better to strenghten relationship with the other 3 characters:
1) Before "Combat Basics Class" (Arashiya Forest mission) buy a "EnAqua Crystal" on the stand selling crystals right under Vissage House.
2) When you're about to get the "Arashiya flower" one student will put the flowers on fire. Before leaving use the "EnAqua Crystal" to put out the fire on the flowers. Note: you will fail the "Combat Basics Class" anyway.
3) Once retaking the "Combat Basics Class", if you used "EnAqua" on the Flowers you will get 2 "Arashiya Flowers" instead of 1.
4) Do not use these flowers, you need 2 "Arashiya Flowers" to make a special armor with self heal abilities right after the fairy forest.
5) In "Soulstice" house you can get "Green Tea" on the desk where you save your game and exchange it for many itens with a boy sitting in one of the tables of this same house. He has a tea pot in front of him.
6) In "Foxhelm" house you can get "RootBeer" on the desk where you save your game and exchange it for many itens with a boy sitting in one of the tables of this same house. He has a "RootBeer" in front of him.
Actually your game is really well made, but I don't feel it is my style of game.
I like games for fun without having to think a lot, only watching a good story. I feel tired while playing this game because of so many factors to worry about and to be able only to do one thing per day.
The worst part I saw was the 4 day trip to any training field. It would be better if there was a teleportation to the field so it would not waste so many days only to train characters and gather materials.
Thanks for your honesty. That's fair. Not everyone will like this kind of blend of game mechanics and that's fine. Thank you for playing and sharing your thoughts!
What's the logic to chose stats? The First (FQ) and Second (SQ) Questions are for MC stats. The third question is for the initial magic the MC can learn. The fourth question is for the house the MC will be in.
I didn't get the logic for the stats, I tried every combination and registered the results, until now for a mage the combination 4,3 (FQ,SQ). Less attack, good magic, good defense and great agility
I have a few more questions, concerning agility and luck this time. What precisely are the full effects of them? Does agility only determine turn placement, or does it affect dodging and landing hits on enemies?
How about luck? I understand it determines the probability of status effects landing, like poison for example, but is that all it is involved with? Does it happen to affect how often critical hits occur or is that just a set chance independent of stats?
Hi! Agility affects the turn placement. Dodge and critical hits are different stats.
Luck affects probability of landing status effects. However, in future content, I want luck to be more beneficial to players such as affecting the outcome of some quests and mini-quests.
I'll make sure to explain more about stats in future library book content.
I've been enjoying your game, haven't stopped playing since I downloaded it. Question about resistances: do they stack?
For example, the enheal crystal, the emerald ring, and the padded armor all have weakness to piercing damage. If all three are equipped at the same time, does the character now receive triple damage from piercing?
Hi Asce! Yes, resistances stack as far as I know. If it seems like it doesn't, let me know and I'll look into your equipment and try to replicate it so I can fix the bug. :D
Ah, okay. I had Alyssa wearing all three equipment against Garuda and she got walloped with two 200 hits. Garuda was just doing big damage all around, so I couldn't tell if the resistance weakness was stacking or not.
Verinius, it's been almost two years since I've played this game, and I have to say, I keep coming back to it. There's something unique about it I just can't point at it though. I CAN NOT wait for the full release, really liked the story and loved the aesthetic. Please take your time, no need to rush the development. Are there any other games you took inspiration from that have an aesthetic similar to yours? Can you tell me some so I can play those in the meantime????????
Thank you very much. That means a lot. I was under a lot of pressure to finish this game and it stressed me out, so knowing that people want me to take my time helps a lot!
For aesthetic, I drew inspiration from Mana Khemia 1 and 2. Do check those games out!
I really enjoyed playing this game. I see it’s still a demo and you’re still working on this, so rather than give praise and leave, I thought I’d include some feedback (just in case it would help). These are just my thoughts I wrote while playing through the game, and only my own opinion :)
(This turned into practically an essay and I don’t have nearly the same level of game dev skills. So take it with a grain of salt lol)
First off: I really like the start. Being sorted into Vissage house was fun. Walking around, I kinda wish more normal items in the background had some flavour text. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. But it means I didn’t really explore as much as I could have. I like how I got the Vissage Pin next to the statue, nice little bonus for exploring. But yeah, considering it’s a magic school, I think more animated elements in the background would make the world feel more ‘alive’ and ‘magical’. Like maybe animated bubbles in potions, fire on the candles, the flowers moving, letters fluttering etc… if not, things already look way nicer at night. Having overlays or something, that would add a lot.
Vissage Garden: The music is beautiful, just repetitive for the amount of area it covers, and the pause before it loops is kinda >_< I think that’s an easy fix though, just cutting the pause out? In general, maps are lovely, just wish it was kinda zoomed in more. I think having it zoomed out makes it kinda hard to properly look at what’s in front of me. Sorry if I’m sounding too harsh here haha, I am really enjoying it! Has very nice vibes~
I got oakwood at Drakewood :3 but yeah animated little sparkles and stuff? Like for “item here” or “alert here”, those speech bubbles? If its at all possible for them to be animated a little that would be sick. I love how each house has different values and general look about it. Nitpicking again, the way a lot of students introduce themselves like “Hello, I’m ____” while probably realistic as an introduction, I personally think it can be skipped. If their name tag pops up anyway, it kind of implies they already introduced themselves, at least to me. Makes the dialogue cut to the chase. Eh, it’s not a big deal.
Oh my god that voice segment was sick, loved that.
I like the homeroom haha. Lowkey this reminds me of Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia, the school segments lol. I’m back in my room, I had money and a robe his whole time?! Lmaoo Ok my bad for not looking around more before, lol bro no wonder the guy was like “you have no potions”
Wait can I defeat that guy? Hmmm. I’m gonna try…
Bro I went back, spent all my money on crystals, 0 effect, and voice is still giving me attitude?? This guy… What am I meant to do, spend money on potions?
Ok I spent money on potions and his dialogue did not change… I am continuing on with the game XD must be a pretty decent potion if I go back to full health, no? Oh sweet I can take the spear off of Ein lmao, free stuff. I can sell his equipment.. I’m sure this will have no consequences
I love how this school has a magical book give you curriculum guidance psychically ^^ Every area has an item associated except Foxhelm, makes me wonder if I’m missing something?
Yep, after this point, I’ve gotten a lot more enraptured into the game. There’s really good balance between the classes (which are creative), how you spend time in the day, and exploring around. I also went back and did the basic combat class with crystals, and I like how the story didn’t change even though I put out the fire. Adds to the feeling of despair :D It’s great. I like how the whole experience basically teaches “crystals in the field are really important”. The fact that there are characters that don’t follow the rules of the school, like the guy selling books, or the trio, it adds some depth to the world ^^
I’ve continued playing the game. Yeah, you’ve definitely hit a sweet spot when it comes to gameplay balance. There’s learning books, doing jobs, taking classes, spending time with friends, the typical rpg stuff like sidequests- all which take up time. It’s not too little, not too much. I think some things could naturally be improved, like I’m spending a lot of time just walking to the different common areas. From day-to-day, they don’t seem to change too much (the npc dialogue doesn’t seem to change over time, new side characters aren’t too common, the map looks the same), which kinda just means I’m travelling around to interact with one or two things in a whole map. Right now I’m still interested in the game so its whatever, but yeah, anything that helps the world feel more “alive” for sure.
Ah yeah. The friendship interactions ^^;… the way that they all ask the exact same questions takes me out of it a little bit. Even though answering those three questions correctly enough to learn an aura skill is how the friendship function works… Changing up how the questions are actually said and changing those three replies so they’re different for each character would help make it more immersive imho. Something a step further would be resulting story events/cutscenes that create depth in their character, answer questions about them, show their backstory or include funny scenes etc. I know there are already scenes for them learning an aura skill, but I mean extending that and adding more plot and character interactions to it. Like how persona or danganronpa have their friendship mechanics. Considering friendships take up a day, why not include a little worldbuilding, allow the player to emotionally connect with them, or add more stakes to the story? If aura is part of them, I want to spend time with that character, so there’s payoff when they learn a skill that doesn’t only exist in battle. It seems like a useful mechanic that could help develop the writing. But I know this might be a big ask haha, just my opinion.
Continued playing~ I like how Sylvia & co. are actually stronger, and seem to have their own motives for doing things. It’s good that the main chara isn’t the strongest student in a thousand miles haha. Also grade 25 mage??? Very nice twist. The music is awesome. I’m enjoying this a lot :)
In the fairy forest rn ^^ Yeah once again, I think more flavour text would really elevate this. You don’t need to add new sprites that way, descriptions of how the trees seem to shimmer with an odd glint, or how the bushes hide faint whispers of giggles… I’m just making up random stuff, but text descriptions could add a ton to the atmosphere. You’ve already got great music, play it up more, let people use their imagination to fill in the gaps (if you want!).
Yeah even fairy town, like even some words in that journal in one of the houses, you know?
I’ve reached the crystal, originally didn’t set free Fejora, but that seemed kinda boring. So I went back and did it. Thesis on Organs sounds horrifying, love it.
Bruhhh I don’t have the flowers to make the blood cloak and can’t go to the forest to get more T__T noooooo Oh my god thank god I picked up Fejora otherwise idk how I would defeat that freaking wolf
A few hours later… wow. I’m done. Very good game. I realise after doing more friendship things, what I mentioned earlier, you’ve already implemented it on a base level. I want more of it haha. But yeah. My brain is fried since it’s a little late. This game has honestly really captured me. The ongoing plot about experiments is interesting. The classes are good, since you can actually apply what you’ve learnt. The battles are nice as well. I liked that segment where you use your teammates abilities in order to find items, I pretty much blasted across a whole map like that, which was a lot of fun. I also like how when you go to the last town, you get a different point of view about Lawmages, and how they’re seen in the public eye. Harold being there was great. The trial sequence was also hilarious.
Yeah, really well done. I’m looking forward to the next instalment, whether it’s another demo, a beta version or the full thing. I think I pointed out a lot of things at the start (which takes up the majority of the text here lol), but as time went on, I just got more absorbed into the game and focusing on the story. I really enjoyed it. Well done, seriously. Especially since this is literally hours long.
Last random thoughts (you don’t have to do these or anything, I just had some random “ooh this would be cool” ideas)
Pets or familiars, animals in general honestly. I think we see the cats that’s it? I low-key wanna customise my room lol
We see some mages that have profile pictures, but then we can’t interact with them in the overworld. What if on some days, or some weeks, those side-characters popped up in particular locations?
They don’t have to be full on side-characters with a plot and everything, but having a few recognisable background classmates could add to the immersion
Yeah in general, solid game, imho if you flesh out the world, story and characters a bit more it would go from great to insane
But yeah those are my thoughts ^^ Thanks for reading if you read this far lol
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts! A lot of great suggestions here and I will surely come back to comments like these as I improve the game.
Yes, as you've noticed, some of the suggestions have been implemented on a basic level. I have thought of and considered some of your suggestions because they were brought up by other players, so it's only a matter of expanding the content so to speak. I'm quite busy this year due to work so I don't know when the game will be finished, but I do intend to finish this someday for sure!
Awesome! Yeah don't worry about setting an exact due date, from what I understand timelines are really difficult to judge especially for a first game. I'm kinda reminded of how for omori, the creator didn't realise it would take 6 years to finish it. But games take time to make. I'm also following another creator whose making a game called knuckle sandwich, and that's actually nearly done. It's been in the works since 2015, so that's 8 years. Imho, enjoy the process and don't beat yourself up about when it'll be done. You'll know when you know. All the best with it dude ^^
I just finished playing the demo and really enjoyed it but I have a couple of suggestions:
I think you should be able to choose which character in your party to target with Magios (arrow keys don't cycle between characters in your party when casting this spell in the same way you can cycle between enemies to attack or cast spells on; I have only tried this with Alyssa so I don't know if this also applies when your character casts Magios).
I think it would make more sense if instead of you and Jin saving Lunelle from a Golem in the academy (which she should be able handle by herself), you save her from the ogre in Xoclat Hills; this would also work towards her story by show her having difficulties completing classes by herself which other candidates would do in a party with their friends.
I think you can choose which character to target with Magios. Can you try again in game and make sure that the mouse cursor isn't point at a specific character? Let me know if it works!
Thank you very much! Yes, I plan to sell it on full release. I can't give a definite release date yet, but rest assured I am still working o nthe game and plan on finishing it.
will there be a mentor system like where you choose your mentor and you can learn different skills from different mentors i dont mean the teacher i mean a person that goes out of there way to train you outside class
I recently finished playing the demo for the third time, and all I can say is that this is a remarkably well-developed RPG. It never gets boring, and the story is truly captivating. This game has a strong potential, I'm looking forward for it's full release.
Wow. Three playthroughs! That's a huge compliment. Thank you very much! I'll do my best to finish the game with an experience that equals or goes beyond the demo experience.
This one scene where you fought someone who comments about you don't have mana or any aura. Just a normal person. There's this giant white ball that was covering the screen and I couldn't make it disappear. It's just blocking and I stop playing after that.
will there also be a way to add the protagonist family to the story eventually and aslo will there be a preferred weapons system like if your preferred weapon is a sword it will do regular damage if you wield a sword if you wield any other weapon it will be reduced the protag can be the only exception
I think there's something like the weapon system already? (Ex. Alyssa wields slash/pierce weapons, so she can't use blunt weapons like the mace and staff)
I finished the demo and I didn't even realized it was a demo!
I really enjoyed the time management gameplay and I really like story and been Dieng to know what happens next. I'm looking forward for the the full release!
Btw What's 'Stat Focus'? I see it on every characters profile and I'm wondering what it is. Is it the stats that rises for every time the character level up or is it recommendation for what stats to focus on each character?
Stat Focus refers to their priority stat growth. For example, Lunelle's magic growth is higher compared to other characters. It's to give players an idea of a character's strengths. Thanks for asking this question. I'll find a way to relay this information to players.
the game is so good that i didn't realize that it was a demo until i finished the game.
after finishing the game, i feel empty, i crave for more. but if i want more, i need to support the game, but im just a child that likes playing games and have no money, but there's still a free way to support the game, is to leave a comment that the game creator will like, and will give him the motivation to continue the game, so please, i really really liked the game, and i craved for more, im not rushing you or anything, i just want to leave a supportive comment, keep up the great work,
I'm not concerned with money right now since I have 2 jobs and to be honest, developing the game has taken a backseat this year. I do intend to finish this eventually though. Wishlists will help a lot because it's important for visibility in Steam. Once the game is finished, the algorithm will help the game be more noticeable. ^-^
Hi Daichi! I'm glad you enjoyed. Unfortunately I will have to push back the release date because of... life stuff. But I am still set on finishing this eventually!
well how close it it to being finished and can you make skills and magic upgradeable like have levels for skills and magic and it would be nice to be able to expand the cast from 1 person to group
Hello! My name is Solon and I have a YouTube channel about RPG Maker! I made a video about your game and found it really fun to play, so congrats! Here's the video. It's in Portuguese, because I'm from Brazil.
Hi! Thanks. I made the walking character art. I commissioned an artist for the character arts. I'm sorry but I can't allow other people to use the character art. I hope you understand.
and i think i totally abused the save and load mechanic to min max as much as possible.
from character stats, to which abilities to take, which gear fit best with what character based on their base stats and what they focus on.
etc etc, then once i had like the perfect build for the present and was steadily rising my characters came the obrupt ending XD.
it was extremely fun playing through the game, trying to optimise my time, learning the mechanics and seeing the story and characters open up and develop.
i already wishlisted it on steam and i can't wait for it to fully release ^w^
Fellow lawyer here. I've never really been into the indie scene but saw Lawmage Academy on a YouTube video and was immediately drawn in. I must say I was so impressed with what you have developed so far, in particular an interesting world with some actual lore.
I will eagerly await its release and respect you being able to work on this game despite your career.
If I had to provide any feedback for possible improvement, I noticed often that going through stats and equipment was tedious due to only being able to view one character's stats etc. and having to leave the menu and go back in for another. Perhaps I just didn't know how to switch characters in the stat menu but if not then it would be cool to integrate a more fluid system.
I thought the weakness/guard system was brilliant and needing to interact with party members in spare time actually having in game benefits.
Keep up the good work! I have already started telling my friends about this awesome game!
Thank you very much! It's always a pleasure to meet fellow lawyer-gamers and lawyer-gamedevs.
I understand. Apparently you can use the "Q" key to shuffle through characters in the stat menu. I'm finding a way to be able to use "E" as well. But in any case, I WILL try my best to get that information to players in future iterations of the game.
Q1: Will there be more variations of aura skills for us to obtain? If so, will it be in the full version or one of the early versions?
Q2: In the full version, will there be different endings to the game?
Q3: Will there be more crystals in the game?
Regarding the updated news;
You mentioned that it would be released in 2023. For that, what month would you expect it to release? If you're not sure of that, will it be near the start of the year, the middle, or the end?
The next thing you mentioned is that duels would give you reputation. What is reputation supposed to do in the game?
Release: At this rate, I will be pushing the game to a much later date. A 2023 release isn't realistic now considering the work that needs to be done and the limited time I have nowadays. However, I am considering releasing a demo version which includes Month 3.
Reputation: It will be introduced starting Month 3. It will unlock sidequests, influence options with other NPCs and quests, and unlock other features as the game progresses.
Ps. I would recommend control or provision; leaning towards provision since loads of mobs are weak to it, and if you choose to continue fight the fire spirit you'll get a crystal for the t2 fire spell. [Personally, would have preferred the dagger, so I don't use Mp and no CD, but there's only 4 crystals in the game so far, and they have their own equipment slot.]
D. Virtue, the house choice. [Each house has their own daily item]
1. Foxhelm; rootbeer [restores 50 to both HP and MP; up=doubles]
2. Soulstice: tea [+75mp; up=all][edit: all as in party, not full restore.]
3. Vissage: apple [+100hp; up=all]
4. Drakewood: coffee [temp remove tired; cures sleep; up cures tired], plus halves the well cost, along w/ being closest to the free daily oakwood pile & cafe.
After you complete the itemcrafting class, and have house recipe, you can make some upgraded versions.
Do note that once the cafe opens, you can buy all the house items, besides Apples, there. For the apples, you can farm them in the 1st map.
Thanks for the feedback and for the min/max info in case people want to make the most of their runs!
As for the "complaint" can you expound more on how you think it's "annoying in how it tries to imitate RL, while still being a game"? I'd like to understand more about how you felt so I can think about ways going forward. Thanks!
Apologies for the late reply, don't visit itch.io much.
TL;DR - Refer to the (scripted events); game allows you some freedom and gives you some choices [that doesn't seem to have a major impact yet] but it still railroads you to an outcome. Though, I guess most games are basically just kinetic novels, so my complaint is kinda moot.
[spoiler] Anyways, the last chapter I played [eg. The exam/village] is what I mean. Played it as a traditional rpg, aka explore and interact with stuff to find things. Problem here is by doing this you end up getting hit with 'demerits', aka the guard and adventures. Like, you couldn't even put the potion back or return the gold after interacting w/ the chests. -- No choice of taking it, you just do. And the whole point of you being there was to investigate.
And when I reloaded to a prior save, you can't get the permit or even tell the guard about the circumstances, since the story is you rush to save the kid. You're basically railroaded into ending up in prison, so you can eavesdrop on that convo.
A prior one is how you end up having to retake one of the classes, since it's scripted that you're in class with those narcists.[/spoiler]
Ps. One of the reasons I got tired of visual novels.
It ended at the spot with the judge's circle like the one I downloaded a while back. In the felhert region in month 2. I'm fairly sure it is the older one. And I have read about further encounters in this comment page.
Upon review, here are two things in the game which indicates you are playing v0.8: 1. New battle backgrounds instead of the default RPG Maker backgrounds;
2. You can view the calendar in the bulletin boards.
Isn't there supposed to be a third month and dueling? And I 've only just heard about the Manavoid on the comments page here and have never seen it in game. A lot of the things I have heard about the steam version is all new and beyond what I have here.
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Is this still being worked on? It's been almost a year since the last update or news. The game is really interesting, it definitely got me hooked with where the story was going, and the art style reminds me of Mana Khemia.
I understand if you're busy with personal issues, I just want a yes or no question if this was abandoned or not.
Hi!
I'm currently on hiatus from game development. I apologize for the lack of updates. Thank you for your interest.
Good to know, I was actually getting worried.
You once said you're an actual lawyer, right? You must have your hands full. Best of lucks with that.
I just stayed up all night playing this XD. Personally it was only 8 hours of game play, which was a little disappointing because I love this demo. I am so excited for the next update of the demo or the official release of the game. I hope this project it still being worked on <3
1 year letting him cook.
Still letting him cook.
it would be cool if you could learn all element but but you probably wont change it so could you have equipment where it could seem like you did and will there be situations where you don't control the mc like lets say for certain quests because i think the game would be cooler if it wasn't just about the mc well i meant you control him and will there be ranks in guilds that can be separate from the story
Heya! So there are crystals in the game which you can equip to let you use certain spells. For example, there is an Enheal Crystal which, if you equip it, will let you cast Enheal. I think it's a good compromise to your suggestion. :D
i love this game, this gives me motivation to work and get some money, to buy this game when it's finished
In this game the character "Ein" or MC childhood friend is merely support character with almost none attack except for a sigle enemy earth and thunder spell.
I believe this character would be best used if he gained an area thunder spell, it would help in the first Exam (village investigation) with all those poison slimes in the sewer catacombs under the village.
Because in this game demo it's better to strenghten relationship with the other 3 characters:
1) Alyssa (Area Nature Spell)
2) Jin (Area Fire Spell)
3) Lunelle (Area Water Spell)
Hint to this game:
1) Before "Combat Basics Class" (Arashiya Forest mission) buy a "EnAqua Crystal" on the stand selling crystals right under Vissage House.
2) When you're about to get the "Arashiya flower" one student will put the flowers on fire. Before leaving use the "EnAqua Crystal" to put out the fire on the flowers. Note: you will fail the "Combat Basics Class" anyway.
3) Once retaking the "Combat Basics Class", if you used "EnAqua" on the Flowers you will get 2 "Arashiya Flowers" instead of 1.
4) Do not use these flowers, you need 2 "Arashiya Flowers" to make a special armor with self heal abilities right after the fairy forest.
5) In "Soulstice" house you can get "Green Tea" on the desk where you save your game and exchange it for many itens with a boy sitting in one of the tables of this same house. He has a tea pot in front of him.
6) In "Foxhelm" house you can get "RootBeer" on the desk where you save your game and exchange it for many itens with a boy sitting in one of the tables of this same house. He has a "RootBeer" in front of him.
Very nice!
In the game demo is it possible to find a "Trader" and buy more spell books besides the first one that appears right after the spell cast class?
Actually your game is really well made, but I don't feel it is my style of game.
I like games for fun without having to think a lot, only watching a good story. I feel tired while playing this game because of so many factors to worry about and to be able only to do one thing per day.
The worst part I saw was the 4 day trip to any training field. It would be better if there was a teleportation to the field so it would not waste so many days only to train characters and gather materials.
Thanks for your honesty. That's fair. Not everyone will like this kind of blend of game mechanics and that's fine. Thank you for playing and sharing your thoughts!
What's the logic to chose stats? The First (FQ) and Second (SQ) Questions are for MC stats. The third question is for the initial magic the MC can learn. The fourth question is for the house the MC will be in.
I didn't get the logic for the stats, I tried every combination and registered the results, until now for a mage the combination 4,3 (FQ,SQ). Less attack, good magic, good defense and great agility
Initial HP and MP is also affected so you left those stats out. ^-^"
What does the choices in the beggining of the game when making the character reflect in the charater later?
I noticed only the last choice decides the house the MC will be in. What the previous 3 questions make difference?
Yes, the other questions determines your starting stats and the elemental spell available in Spellcasting Basics.
How does the MC gain new spells beyond the initial ones? Can the MC learn all the elemental magics?
Once the Library is open there should be new elemental books so the MC could exploit enemies weaknesses early in the game.
Later on there will be ways to learn new spells. However, the MC cannot learn all the elemental spells. It's to keep the choices meaningful.
One ideia that I had:
If the Player choose the same house as his childhood friend when the MC finds his/her childhood friend in the main hall the MC should speak:
-Hey! We are in the same dormitory, you could have waited for me in the dormitory entrance.
Childhood friend:
-Wow. You're in the same house as me? I expected more of you.
MC: (with a angry face)
-"punches" his/her childhood friend softly on the shoulder before the original speech of the character.
Nice suggestion. I could edit it and do something like that next time.
Hi again,
I have a few more questions, concerning agility and luck this time. What precisely are the full effects of them? Does agility only determine turn placement, or does it affect dodging and landing hits on enemies?
How about luck? I understand it determines the probability of status effects landing, like poison for example, but is that all it is involved with? Does it happen to affect how often critical hits occur or is that just a set chance independent of stats?
Hi! Agility affects the turn placement. Dodge and critical hits are different stats.
Luck affects probability of landing status effects. However, in future content, I want luck to be more beneficial to players such as affecting the outcome of some quests and mini-quests.
I'll make sure to explain more about stats in future library book content.
Hi there,
I've been enjoying your game, haven't stopped playing since I downloaded it. Question about resistances: do they stack?
For example, the enheal crystal, the emerald ring, and the padded armor all have weakness to piercing damage. If all three are equipped at the same time, does the character now receive triple damage from piercing?
Hi Asce! Yes, resistances stack as far as I know. If it seems like it doesn't, let me know and I'll look into your equipment and try to replicate it so I can fix the bug. :D
Ah, okay. I had Alyssa wearing all three equipment against Garuda and she got walloped with two 200 hits. Garuda was just doing big damage all around, so I couldn't tell if the resistance weakness was stacking or not.
Verinius, it's been almost two years since I've played this game, and I have to say, I keep coming back to it. There's something unique about it I just can't point at it though. I CAN NOT wait for the full release, really liked the story and loved the aesthetic. Please take your time, no need to rush the development. Are there any other games you took inspiration from that have an aesthetic similar to yours? Can you tell me some so I can play those in the meantime????????
Thank you very much. That means a lot. I was under a lot of pressure to finish this game and it stressed me out, so knowing that people want me to take my time helps a lot!
For aesthetic, I drew inspiration from Mana Khemia 1 and 2. Do check those games out!
alright thanks!! I'll check those out!
hi can I upload your game make it a walkthrough
Do you mean a video walkthrough?
yes
Yes I would appreciate it!
I cannot run this. I go through all of the files to find the right file to click to run it, but it does not runn.
Hi! I'm sorry to hear that. What OS are you using? Are your drivers updated?
I really enjoyed playing this game. I see it’s still a demo and you’re still working on this, so rather than give praise and leave, I thought I’d include some feedback (just in case it would help). These are just my thoughts I wrote while playing through the game, and only my own opinion :)
(This turned into practically an essay and I don’t have nearly the same level of game dev skills. So take it with a grain of salt lol)
First off: I really like the start. Being sorted into Vissage house was fun. Walking around, I kinda wish more normal items in the background had some flavour text. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. But it means I didn’t really explore as much as I could have. I like how I got the Vissage Pin next to the statue, nice little bonus for exploring. But yeah, considering it’s a magic school, I think more animated elements in the background would make the world feel more ‘alive’ and ‘magical’. Like maybe animated bubbles in potions, fire on the candles, the flowers moving, letters fluttering etc… if not, things already look way nicer at night. Having overlays or something, that would add a lot.
Vissage Garden: The music is beautiful, just repetitive for the amount of area it covers, and the pause before it loops is kinda >_< I think that’s an easy fix though, just cutting the pause out? In general, maps are lovely, just wish it was kinda zoomed in more. I think having it zoomed out makes it kinda hard to properly look at what’s in front of me. Sorry if I’m sounding too harsh here haha, I am really enjoying it! Has very nice vibes~
I got oakwood at Drakewood :3 but yeah animated little sparkles and stuff? Like for “item here” or “alert here”, those speech bubbles? If its at all possible for them to be animated a little that would be sick. I love how each house has different values and general look about it. Nitpicking again, the way a lot of students introduce themselves like “Hello, I’m ____” while probably realistic as an introduction, I personally think it can be skipped. If their name tag pops up anyway, it kind of implies they already introduced themselves, at least to me. Makes the dialogue cut to the chase. Eh, it’s not a big deal.
Oh my god that voice segment was sick, loved that.
I like the homeroom haha. Lowkey this reminds me of Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia, the school segments lol. I’m back in my room, I had money and a robe his whole time?! Lmaoo Ok my bad for not looking around more before, lol bro no wonder the guy was like “you have no potions”
Wait can I defeat that guy? Hmmm. I’m gonna try…
Bro I went back, spent all my money on crystals, 0 effect, and voice is still giving me attitude?? This guy… What am I meant to do, spend money on potions?
Ok I spent money on potions and his dialogue did not change… I am continuing on with the game XD must be a pretty decent potion if I go back to full health, no? Oh sweet I can take the spear off of Ein lmao, free stuff. I can sell his equipment.. I’m sure this will have no consequences
I love how this school has a magical book give you curriculum guidance psychically ^^ Every area has an item associated except Foxhelm, makes me wonder if I’m missing something?
Yep, after this point, I’ve gotten a lot more enraptured into the game. There’s really good balance between the classes (which are creative), how you spend time in the day, and exploring around. I also went back and did the basic combat class with crystals, and I like how the story didn’t change even though I put out the fire. Adds to the feeling of despair :D It’s great. I like how the whole experience basically teaches “crystals in the field are really important”. The fact that there are characters that don’t follow the rules of the school, like the guy selling books, or the trio, it adds some depth to the world ^^
I’ve continued playing the game. Yeah, you’ve definitely hit a sweet spot when it comes to gameplay balance. There’s learning books, doing jobs, taking classes, spending time with friends, the typical rpg stuff like sidequests- all which take up time. It’s not too little, not too much. I think some things could naturally be improved, like I’m spending a lot of time just walking to the different common areas. From day-to-day, they don’t seem to change too much (the npc dialogue doesn’t seem to change over time, new side characters aren’t too common, the map looks the same), which kinda just means I’m travelling around to interact with one or two things in a whole map. Right now I’m still interested in the game so its whatever, but yeah, anything that helps the world feel more “alive” for sure.
Ah yeah. The friendship interactions ^^;… the way that they all ask the exact same questions takes me out of it a little bit. Even though answering those three questions correctly enough to learn an aura skill is how the friendship function works… Changing up how the questions are actually said and changing those three replies so they’re different for each character would help make it more immersive imho. Something a step further would be resulting story events/cutscenes that create depth in their character, answer questions about them, show their backstory or include funny scenes etc. I know there are already scenes for them learning an aura skill, but I mean extending that and adding more plot and character interactions to it. Like how persona or danganronpa have their friendship mechanics. Considering friendships take up a day, why not include a little worldbuilding, allow the player to emotionally connect with them, or add more stakes to the story? If aura is part of them, I want to spend time with that character, so there’s payoff when they learn a skill that doesn’t only exist in battle. It seems like a useful mechanic that could help develop the writing. But I know this might be a big ask haha, just my opinion.
Continued playing~ I like how Sylvia & co. are actually stronger, and seem to have their own motives for doing things. It’s good that the main chara isn’t the strongest student in a thousand miles haha. Also grade 25 mage??? Very nice twist. The music is awesome. I’m enjoying this a lot :)
In the fairy forest rn ^^ Yeah once again, I think more flavour text would really elevate this. You don’t need to add new sprites that way, descriptions of how the trees seem to shimmer with an odd glint, or how the bushes hide faint whispers of giggles… I’m just making up random stuff, but text descriptions could add a ton to the atmosphere. You’ve already got great music, play it up more, let people use their imagination to fill in the gaps (if you want!).
Yeah even fairy town, like even some words in that journal in one of the houses, you know?
I’ve reached the crystal, originally didn’t set free Fejora, but that seemed kinda boring. So I went back and did it. Thesis on Organs sounds horrifying, love it.
Bruhhh I don’t have the flowers to make the blood cloak and can’t go to the forest to get more T__T noooooo Oh my god thank god I picked up Fejora otherwise idk how I would defeat that freaking wolf
A few hours later… wow. I’m done. Very good game. I realise after doing more friendship things, what I mentioned earlier, you’ve already implemented it on a base level. I want more of it haha. But yeah. My brain is fried since it’s a little late. This game has honestly really captured me. The ongoing plot about experiments is interesting. The classes are good, since you can actually apply what you’ve learnt. The battles are nice as well. I liked that segment where you use your teammates abilities in order to find items, I pretty much blasted across a whole map like that, which was a lot of fun. I also like how when you go to the last town, you get a different point of view about Lawmages, and how they’re seen in the public eye. Harold being there was great. The trial sequence was also hilarious.
Yeah, really well done. I’m looking forward to the next instalment, whether it’s another demo, a beta version or the full thing. I think I pointed out a lot of things at the start (which takes up the majority of the text here lol), but as time went on, I just got more absorbed into the game and focusing on the story. I really enjoyed it. Well done, seriously. Especially since this is literally hours long.
Last random thoughts (you don’t have to do these or anything, I just had some random “ooh this would be cool” ideas)
Pets or familiars, animals in general honestly. I think we see the cats that’s it?
I low-key wanna customise my room lol
We see some mages that have profile pictures, but then we can’t interact with them in the overworld. What if on some days, or some weeks, those side-characters popped up in particular locations?
They don’t have to be full on side-characters with a plot and everything, but having a few recognisable background classmates could add to the immersion
Yeah in general, solid game, imho if you flesh out the world, story and characters a bit more it would go from great to insane
But yeah those are my thoughts ^^ Thanks for reading if you read this far lol
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts! A lot of great suggestions here and I will surely come back to comments like these as I improve the game.
Yes, as you've noticed, some of the suggestions have been implemented on a basic level. I have thought of and considered some of your suggestions because they were brought up by other players, so it's only a matter of expanding the content so to speak. I'm quite busy this year due to work so I don't know when the game will be finished, but I do intend to finish this someday for sure!
Awesome! Yeah don't worry about setting an exact due date, from what I understand timelines are really difficult to judge especially for a first game. I'm kinda reminded of how for omori, the creator didn't realise it would take 6 years to finish it. But games take time to make. I'm also following another creator whose making a game called knuckle sandwich, and that's actually nearly done. It's been in the works since 2015, so that's 8 years. Imho, enjoy the process and don't beat yourself up about when it'll be done. You'll know when you know. All the best with it dude ^^
Hello Verinius
I just finished playing the demo and really enjoyed it but I have a couple of suggestions:
I think you should be able to choose which character in your party to target with Magios (arrow keys don't cycle between characters in your party when casting this spell in the same way you can cycle between enemies to attack or cast spells on; I have only tried this with Alyssa so I don't know if this also applies when your character casts Magios).
I think it would make more sense if instead of you and Jin saving Lunelle from a Golem in the academy (which she should be able handle by herself), you save her from the ogre in Xoclat Hills; this would also work towards her story by show her having difficulties completing classes by herself which other candidates would do in a party with their friends.
Hi g00ru!
I think you can choose which character to target with Magios. Can you try again in game and make sure that the mouse cursor isn't point at a specific character? Let me know if it works!
When this game is done will it cost money?
P.S. I finished the demo that was on stream and I love the game, it is truly amazing. Great Work.
Thank you very much! Yes, I plan to sell it on full release. I can't give a definite release date yet, but rest assured I am still working o nthe game and plan on finishing it.
I really want to play the whole game but I cant pay for it. Is there a way I wont have to spend money. I really like the game.
We'll see! I might do some events where people can get a free activation key. This is to give chance for some people to play the game for free.
thats cool
could you make field effects like certain fields can make spells stronger or weaker there will be neutral fields to just an idea
Hmmm that's a good idea.
will there be a mentor system like where you choose your mentor and you can learn different skills from different mentors i dont mean the teacher i mean a person that goes out of there way to train you outside class
I recently finished playing the demo for the third time, and all I can say is that this is a remarkably well-developed RPG. It never gets boring, and the story is truly captivating. This game has a strong potential, I'm looking forward for it's full release.
Wow. Three playthroughs! That's a huge compliment. Thank you very much! I'll do my best to finish the game with an experience that equals or goes beyond the demo experience.
I saw a bug that can never disappear, I guess...
This one scene where you fought someone who comments about you don't have mana or any aura. Just a normal person. There's this giant white ball that was covering the screen and I couldn't make it disappear. It's just blocking and I stop playing after that.
Oh I see. I suggest updating your PC's drivers. Most of the time that solves the problem.
Okay, thanks
could you make progress updates anyways
Hello! Thanks for the reminder. I'll see if I can make a progress update next month. ^-^
i was wondering if the monsters get stronger when you grind? and if it affects the strenght of the boss
They don't really get stronger based on how much your grind. Some of them do get stronger based on which month you are in.
will there be mage ranks and class ranking
will there also be a way to add the protagonist family to the story eventually and aslo will there be a preferred weapons system like if your preferred weapon is a sword it will do regular damage if you wield a sword if you wield any other weapon it will be reduced the protag can be the only exception
I think there's something like the weapon system already? (Ex. Alyssa wields slash/pierce weapons, so she can't use blunt weapons like the mace and staff)
There is a ranking system lore wise, but gameplay wise it is your journey into becoming a Lawmage.
I'll think about a way to add the MC's family into the story. As for preferred weapons, almost all characters are limited to 2 out of 3 weapon types.
I finished the demo and I didn't even realized it was a demo!
I really enjoyed the time management gameplay and I really like story and been Dieng to know what happens next. I'm looking forward for the the full release!
Btw What's 'Stat Focus'? I see it on every characters profile and I'm wondering what it is. Is it the stats that rises for every time the character level up or is it recommendation for what stats to focus on each character?
Hi! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Stat Focus refers to their priority stat growth. For example, Lunelle's magic growth is higher compared to other characters. It's to give players an idea of a character's strengths. Thanks for asking this question. I'll find a way to relay this information to players.
the game is so good that i didn't realize that it was a demo until i finished the game.
after finishing the game, i feel empty, i crave for more. but if i want more, i need to support the game, but im just a child that likes playing games and have no money, but there's still a free way to support the game, is to leave a comment that the game creator will like, and will give him the motivation to continue the game, so please, i really really liked the game, and i craved for more, im not rushing you or anything, i just want to leave a supportive comment, keep up the great work,
this game is a master piece
Thank you so much! I'm happy to know that you enjoyed the demo. One really good way to support the game is to WISHLIST on Steam.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1377710/Lawmage_Academy/
I'm not concerned with money right now since I have 2 jobs and to be honest, developing the game has taken a backseat this year. I do intend to finish this eventually though. Wishlists will help a lot because it's important for visibility in Steam. Once the game is finished, the algorithm will help the game be more noticeable. ^-^
This is an absolutely brilliant game demo. Thank you for releasing this.
Thank you so much!!
Is there a release date set. I just found the game and I am really looking forward to playing the whole thing
Hi Daichi! I'm glad you enjoyed. Unfortunately I will have to push back the release date because of... life stuff. But I am still set on finishing this eventually!
I've played the demo and I have to say I'm eager to see the full release!
Glad you like it! :D
well how close it it to being finished and can you make skills and magic upgradeable like have levels for skills and magic and it would be nice to be able to expand the cast from 1 person to group
It's still a bit far from finished. But yes, some skills and spells will AOE versions.
Hello! My name is Solon and I have a YouTube channel about RPG Maker! I made a video about your game and found it really fun to play, so congrats! Here's the video. It's in Portuguese, because I'm from Brazil.
Oh wow thanks for playing! I'm going to watch this!
Is the game finished?
Hi! This is only a demo so far so that game isn't finished yet.
Hi! Thanks. I made the walking character art. I commissioned an artist for the character arts. I'm sorry but I can't allow other people to use the character art. I hope you understand.
Super fun! And scratches my persona itch well
I love Persona 3 and 4! Great games!
Very good game the story is nice the fight mechanics are good i cant wait for the full game!!
Thank you very much, Kenkiii!
i played it to the end.
and i think i totally abused the save and load mechanic to min max as much as possible.
from character stats, to which abilities to take, which gear fit best with what character based on their base stats and what they focus on.
etc etc, then once i had like the perfect build for the present and was steadily rising my characters came the obrupt ending XD.
it was extremely fun playing through the game, trying to optimise my time, learning the mechanics and seeing the story and characters open up and develop.
i already wishlisted it on steam and i can't wait for it to fully release ^w^
I'm glad you enjoyed! Thank you very much for the wishlist! Wishlists are very helpful to the game at this point in time. :D
Hi Verinius,
Fellow lawyer here. I've never really been into the indie scene but saw Lawmage Academy on a YouTube video and was immediately drawn in. I must say I was so impressed with what you have developed so far, in particular an interesting world with some actual lore.
I will eagerly await its release and respect you being able to work on this game despite your career.
If I had to provide any feedback for possible improvement, I noticed often that going through stats and equipment was tedious due to only being able to view one character's stats etc. and having to leave the menu and go back in for another. Perhaps I just didn't know how to switch characters in the stat menu but if not then it would be cool to integrate a more fluid system.
I thought the weakness/guard system was brilliant and needing to interact with party members in spare time actually having in game benefits.
Keep up the good work! I have already started telling my friends about this awesome game!
Thank you very much! It's always a pleasure to meet fellow lawyer-gamers and lawyer-gamedevs.
I understand. Apparently you can use the "Q" key to shuffle through characters in the stat menu. I'm finding a way to be able to use "E" as well. But in any case, I WILL try my best to get that information to players in future iterations of the game.
Cheers!
Few questions.
Regarding the game;
Q1: Will there be more variations of aura skills for us to obtain? If so, will it be in the full version or one of the early versions?
Q2: In the full version, will there be different endings to the game?
Q3: Will there be more crystals in the game?
Regarding the updated news;
You mentioned that it would be released in 2023. For that, what month would you expect it to release? If you're not sure of that, will it be near the start of the year, the middle, or the end?
The next thing you mentioned is that duels would give you reputation. What is reputation supposed to do in the game?
That's all my questions for now. Have a nice day!
Q1: Yes. It will be for the full version.
Q2: Yes.
Q3: Yes.
Release: At this rate, I will be pushing the game to a much later date. A 2023 release isn't realistic now considering the work that needs to be done and the limited time I have nowadays. However, I am considering releasing a demo version which includes Month 3.
Reputation: It will be introduced starting Month 3. It will unlock sidequests, influence options with other NPCs and quests, and unlock other features as the game progresses.
Well developed game, with my only real complaint being: kinda annoying in how it tries to imitate RL, while still being a game (scripted events).
Ps. For those that like to min/max, here's some info on the starting choices:
[spoiler]Note: Had deleted the game, now that I've reached the end, so this is from memory, so it may be wrong.
A. The object: [Each also includes a bonus +1 to def and res, besides flute]
Sword: +1atk, Yarn: +1mag, Flute: +1att and mag, Mirror: +2agi
B. Action in response to object:
Use: +1 atk, Keep: +1 mag, Give: +1 agi, Sell: +1def and res
C. Power; determines your starting element.
Control=Fire, Defense=Gaia, Provision=Aqua, Equality=Volt
Ps. I would recommend control or provision; leaning towards provision since loads of mobs are weak to it, and if you choose to continue fight the fire spirit you'll get a crystal for the t2 fire spell. [Personally, would have preferred the dagger, so I don't use Mp and no CD, but there's only 4 crystals in the game so far, and they have their own equipment slot.]
D. Virtue, the house choice. [Each house has their own daily item]
1. Foxhelm; rootbeer [restores 50 to both HP and MP; up=doubles]
2. Soulstice: tea [+75mp; up=all][edit: all as in party, not full restore.]
3. Vissage: apple [+100hp; up=all]
4. Drakewood: coffee [temp remove tired; cures sleep; up cures tired], plus halves the well cost, along w/ being closest to the free daily oakwood pile & cafe.
After you complete the itemcrafting class, and have house recipe, you can make some upgraded versions.
Do note that once the cafe opens, you can buy all the house items, besides Apples, there. For the apples, you can farm them in the 1st map.
[/spoiler]
Thanks for the feedback and for the min/max info in case people want to make the most of their runs!
As for the "complaint" can you expound more on how you think it's "annoying in how it tries to imitate RL, while still being a game"? I'd like to understand more about how you felt so I can think about ways going forward. Thanks!
Apologies for the late reply, don't visit itch.io much.
TL;DR - Refer to the (scripted events); game allows you some freedom and gives you some choices [that doesn't seem to have a major impact yet] but it still railroads you to an outcome. Though, I guess most games are basically just kinetic novels, so my complaint is kinda moot.
[spoiler] Anyways, the last chapter I played [eg. The exam/village] is what I mean. Played it as a traditional rpg, aka explore and interact with stuff to find things. Problem here is by doing this you end up getting hit with 'demerits', aka the guard and adventures. Like, you couldn't even put the potion back or return the gold after interacting w/ the chests. -- No choice of taking it, you just do. And the whole point of you being there was to investigate.
And when I reloaded to a prior save, you can't get the permit or even tell the guard about the circumstances, since the story is you rush to save the kid. You're basically railroaded into ending up in prison, so you can eavesdrop on that convo.
A prior one is how you end up having to retake one of the classes, since it's scripted that you're in class with those narcists.[/spoiler]
Ps. One of the reasons I got tired of visual novels.
Thanks for the feedback!
I just downloaded the game marked as 0.8 from Itch and it is 0.7 instead please fix that.
Hi! It's probably a typo I left out. But rest assured it's the 0.8 version.
It ended at the spot with the judge's circle like the one I downloaded a while back. In the felhert region in month 2. I'm fairly sure it is the older one. And I have read about further encounters in this comment page.
I'll look into it. Thanks Briar88!
Upon review, here are two things in the game which indicates you are playing v0.8:
1. New battle backgrounds instead of the default RPG Maker backgrounds;
2. You can view the calendar in the bulletin boards.
Isn't there supposed to be a third month and dueling? And I 've only just heard about the Manavoid on the comments page here and have never seen it in game. A lot of the things I have heard about the steam version is all new and beyond what I have here.
The third month is still in the works. I've stated it in the devlog to loop people in on what's happening in the development right now.
Manavoid is cast by the shadow figure you encounter the first time you enter the Academy, right after you talk to Ein for the first time.