Phantasy Star IV: Beneath a New Light

[yuna21 1]

 

It's time I started posting some information about my first (and most ambitious) fan-game made with RPGMaker XP. It's called Phantasy Star :Beneath a New Light, and is a parallel game to the original Phantasy Star 4 that was released on the Sega Genesis back in 1994. It is set in the Algo solar system which consists of three planets: Motavia, the desert planet, Dezolis, the ice planet, and Parma, a planet very similar to Earth, in the year AW 2284.

 

 

 

STORY:

 

A master Hunter, along with her partner, is summoned to Motavia Academy to see to the extermination of a simple monster extermination. Yet all is not as it seems, as the Dean, already highly strung, is clearly hiding something. A thread begins to unravel slowly enough, but it soon spirals out of control, leading to a series of events which will turn the life of the 'Eight-Stroke Warrior', Alys Brangwin, upside down. Alys and her partner, Chaz Ashley, will eventually be joined by an anxious scholar, an old flame and a vengeance seeker, amongst many other vibrant, interesting characters, in a journey that will eventually span 3 worlds, to seek out the cause and effect of the mysterious incidents that unraveled on Motavia...

 

CHARACTERS:

 

There are 7 playable characters in the demo, but only 5 bios are shown now.

 

 

 

Alys 'The Eight-Stroke Warrior' Brangwin.

Occupation: Hunter

Age: ??

Weapon usage: Swords/slashers (boomerang-like throwing knives).

Height: 177cm, 5ft 9.5in

 

The protaganist of PS: BaNL.

A hot-headed, razor-tongued veteran whose prowess with the blade is matched

only by her beauty. Not much is known about her past, but parts of it seem to

pop up from nowhere,which pisses her off to no end. Everyone on Motavia seems

to know something about her that she didn't tell them. She is an excellent all-round

fighter, with exceptional Agility and Dexterity, and possesses powerful techniques

as well. Her only downside is her inability to heal.

 

 

Chaz Ashley

Occupation: Hunter

Age: 16

Weapon usage: Swords

Height: 166 cm, 5ft 6in

 

A street-rat turned Hunter, Chaz was headed for a questionable future until Alys

spotted him and pegged him for Hunter material. Now, three years later, he is

off with his partner to investigate the mysterious outbreak of monsters in Motavia

Academy. He is a keen swordsman with a quick temper and a keen eye, though

can be a bit slow at times, especially when dealing with his partner's witty banters

and sarcastic comments. Another good all-rounder like Alys, but weaker

in both Agility and Dexterity. He can use healing techs, though.

 

 

Hahn Mahlay

Occupation: Scholar

Age: 24

Weapon usage: Knives

Height: 178cm, 5ft 10in

 

A kind and gentle soul who studies under the tutelage of the eccentric Professor Holt. After his mentor goes missing, Hahn takes it upon himself to find the missing Professor. He is expecting to recieve the help of some Hunters who are in on an

extermination hunt. Unfortunately, Hunters don't come cheap. Hahn is a very weak physical fighter, but possesses several helping techniques which are useful against Bio-monsters and his healing skills are top-notch.

 

 

Rune Walsh

Occupation: Esper Wizard

Age: ??

Weapon usage: Staffs

Height: 183cm, 6ft

 

An arrogant, (but gorgeous soul), Rune is descended from a group of people that marks him as one of the rare breeds...the Espers, and possesses something few people know about and even fewer possess...true magic. He know Alys from a past encounter, though how they met still remains a mystery. He shares a very powerful bond with the Hunter.

The weakest physical fighter, but probably the most powerful character in the game after Alys. He has a wide range of techs and skills to work with, and nearly all of them are capable of hitting multiple opponents.

 

 

Gryz

Occupation: Motavian Soldier

Age: 19

Weapon usage: Axes

Height: 161cm, 5ft 3in

 

Gryz is the first and only Motavian to join Alys and the rest of her companions. He is asked by the village elder Grandfather Dorin to escort the group down into the Tonoe basement in their search for the Alshline. But his intentions after the group has obtained the medicine soon becomes very clear..he is on a vengance-seeking quest to destroy the man who killed his parents, annihilated his village and murdered his fellow Motavians.

Gryz is a very powerful physical fighter, but sucks in pretty much everything else. He is also the slowest character in the game.

 

 

 

 

Last updated on 10/09/2010.

 

FEATURES:

 

 

-Animated battle system scripted by Atoa.

-Demo is around 8+ hours, full version is around 20+ hours in length.

-Movie-like stills depicting major cutscenes.

-Long,engaging storyline filled with humour, angst, tragedy and many other

recurring themes.

-Interesting and vibrant cast of ten playable characters. Among them is

a millenia-old android and a wizard that has lived for nearly 2000 years. :)

-Fully animated Mog-style menus that I styled myself.

-Hidden flashbacks which convey Alys' past to the player. Shown in black and white.

-Uses virtually no video game music or rips.

-No random encounters on the overworld maps.

 

 

 

Finally, for some screenshots.

 

SCREENSHOTS:

 

 

 

 

An Overdrive Skill in action. Beware, if you character gets KO'd, the entire bar will reset. And they take a while to fill up.

 

 

 

 

DOWNLOAD avaliable!

 

MAIN DOWNLOAD:

http://rapidshare.com/files/417934604/Demo_version.exe.html

 

Test 002. Please DL this crucial file as well!

http://www.mediafire.com/?jd4l8nadpto27j4

 

Install directions:

 

Because of the large amount of resources used in the game, a Test 002 file was created. In order to play PS: BaNL, you will need to create a new folder on your desktop, paste the downloaded, encrypted game as well as paste the Test 002 file into the same folder after DLing. Then extract like normal.

 

Font downloads:

 

http://www.dafont.com/forgotten-futurist.font

http://www.mediafire.com/?oxemgj4y1jz

http://www.mediafire.com/?mmioje2ywwz

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nj0ilnyt54n

http://www.kiefersutherland24.net/PageFont.htm

 

CREDITS:

 

 

 

Scripts:

Battle system by Atoa

Catterpillar script by Fukuyama

Victory window by Blizzard

Mog-style menus by MogHunter

Weapon limitation script by TerraAqua

Max items script by Jarvair

Pause with F12 by Zeriab

Barehands script by Leon

Lighting script by Near Fantastica

Anti-Event Lag by Zeriab

Main menu by Mac.

 

Artwork and graphics

Lyla2284

Original character designer: Tohuru Yoshida

The Inquisitor

ZPU Warehouse

Enterbrain

Zucca@pscave.com

Bonzai ( For rips of monsters )

 

Music from:

Various movie and tv show soundtracks.

 

 

Edited September 10, 2010 by yuna21

[Cjboy 2]

Holy Griscondivulogithobrignisigdivushistheronohation!!!!!!!! How is this a project!?!?!? This is a legend!!!!

[yuna21 1]

Thanks. Would you be so kind as to review it for me then? :) So I can make the project even better? I have put a lot of time and effort into this...8 months actually, but some people at other sites don't seem to appreciate it. They're trying to compare it to the original, and that my project is inferior to it. :( I still need to brush up on my cave mapping though...Hate mapping caves.

 

Anyway, here are a couple of more screenshots. I hope someone likes them. ;)

 

 

 

Aiedo, the capital city of Motavia, and headquaters of the Hunter's Guild.

 

The Aiedo blacksmith, where the player can purchase stronger weapons and armour that isn't found in a normal weapon/armour store. It works much like the loot/bazaar system from FFXII. All evented.

 

An example of a Blitz-type skill.

 

[Gary The Duck 8]

Holy tacos! And this is your first RMXP project?! WOW!! :o :P

[Polraudio 122]

Holly ****. This looks awesome. Im so downloading this demo. This is totally Pro made.

[Cjboy 2]

TEACH ME O WISE ONE!

[yuna21 1]

Er...thanks for the praise...but I'm not a master yet. :) I appreciate it, though.

 

So, how can I help you, O, Cjboy? :D You must be a pretty good spriter yourself.

 

Still far from perfect though. My project is still riddled with 'cosmetic errors' here and there, the monsters are a tad bit too tough, and the Venom state does huge amounts of damage. Errors include walking through parts of the fountains, lighting in caves in too dark and some areas have very dark screen tones, just to name a few. But I've cleared all of that up right now. I'll be releasing another, improved demo in the near future. Oh yeah, and no damage display in battle unless you have the Myriad Pro font on your PC. :blink: All of these errors and more will be fixed in an updated release, with a different font instead of the Verdana font. It's a pretty boring font.

 

This is Gryz's reworked sprite. Compare the before and after. So my spriting is getting better. ;)

 

BEFORE:

 

 

AFTER:

 

It's an edit of Basil.

[Kiriashi 117]

Damn this looks awesome. I've seen this project somewhere before, but I don't know where. (Verdana is an awesome font!!!)

 

 

I've never played a Phantasy Star game, so I won't compare your game to the original. :) From the looks of it, it's a brilliantly designed game. I'll download the demo, but I can't promise that I will play it today. When I do play it I'll write up a review.

 

 

Keep on working hard!

 

P.S. I was going to come into this thread saying how your first project shouldn't be a fan game, because they are usually vaporware. Boy was I surprised. I assume this is your first actual game, and that you have tinkered with RMXP in other projects. No?

[Agckuu_Coceg 5]

It is not necessary to be excessively modest. We know your capabilities perfectly, yuna21. Your project is COLLOSAL.

[yuna21 1]

It is not necessary to be excessively modest. We know your capabilities perfectly, yuna21. Your project is COLLOSAL.

 

Thanks. I'm trying to perfect those current abilities of mine. :)

 

And Kiriashi, yes, it is my first ever RMXP project. I've never used any of the previous RPGMaker tools like 2k and 2k3. This project has undergone numerous changes over the course of its 9 month-long lifespan. You wouldn't believe how many hours I spent on looking for that perfect script for my CMS, so I settled for MogHunter's menus. I already have over 300 maps, but many of them still need to be perfected. Still balancing out monsters and their abilities. I'm trying to make the enemy AI a little more unpredictable. The cave mapping took me nearly two hours to complete. My hand was so sore. :)

 

Here are a couple of more screenshots.

 

 

 

 

No random encounters on the overworld maps. Enemies are represented by red dots.

 

A little sci-fi thrown into the mix.

 

 

 

Some of my artwork. I wish these characters were my own...but they're copyright of Sega. :( I've grown to love them, and Alys is my favourite ever video-game character. Excellent female lead character. I'm sure you will grow to love her as well. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These character pics will eventually replace the images that show up in the Equip and Status windows.

 

 

 

 

Hope you like them. :)

[yuna21 1]

Bump.

Anyone up for a review yet? :) I'd like some feedback, you know. I'm open to all sorts of constructive criticism.

Please be gentle. :D

[Agckuu_Coceg 5]

yuna21, here and there is nothing to criticize that.... All of it is simple REMARKABLY.

[FranklinX 37]

Wow! This looks great! Good luck with your project.

[yuna21 1]

Thanks! :) Btw, are you still busy with Dark Chaos? Or has it been cancelled?

@Agckuu_Coceg. Kind words coming from you, just like AirWolf. ;)

 

Here's a link for the new introduction of my game. Made with events only.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et6ofwIvd_0

[Kiriashi 117]

Scriptors isn't a word, so you might wanna' change that.

 

 

It looks good, but it needs some work (the opening). The first pictures with the red text don't look to good, because the red doesn't fit. And the pictures are a little too gray. Also, the text should be moving and fading in and out. The way they flash on there looks odd. The pictures after the title screen that have solid color backgrounds really clash.

 

That's my two cents. Keep it up.

[Agckuu_Coceg 5]

Yes, we with him are alike... :D :D :D :D :D :D

[FranklinX 37]

Thanks! :) Btw, are you still busy with Dark Chaos? Or has it been cancelled?

@Agckuu_Coceg. Kind words coming from you, just like AirWolf. ;)

 

Here's a link for the new introduction of my game. Made with events only.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et6ofwIvd_0

 

Yes, I am still busy with Dark Chaos. I had to start over a few months ago because of a crash. :(

[yuna21 1]

This project ain't dead yet. :)

Sorry for the severe lack of updates, I got so absorbed into playing the Sims 3. Such an awesome game. :lol:

 

Anyway, I'm planning to release an extended six-hour long demo soon. In the mean time, I've edited the status screen windows, did a bit of editing with monster revamps, edited the weapon and armour stat bonuses and redid quite a few maps. Now all I have to do is re-edit the intro cutscene, as Kiriashi said, it is a bit dull in colour ( too much grey, and use a better font). As for the word 'Scriptors', I might change it to 'Programmers'. Sounds a bit better.

 

Time for some more screenies.

 

 

 

 

Still going to get rid of that nasty white outline

 

Search the overworld maps for useful objects and loot, denoted by the sparkling lights.

 

 

 

Well,that's it for now. I'll upload a battle movie up soon.

[yuna21 1]

Bump.

Sorry for the severe absence and lack of updates, but I'll give everyone a quick update on what's been happening so far.

 

-Redid ALL maps, exterior and interiors. Took me nearly six hours to map the exterior of the main town , Aiedo. It's a 100 by 130 map.

-Altered the enemies AI to make them more of a challenge, especially the bosses.

-Reworked the graphics for the menu systems.

-Adjusted all statistics for main characters as well as enemies. ( This adjustment actually made the game far more challenging. :))

 

Still do to:

-Redo and recolour cutscenes up until Chapter 10. The game consists of 23 chapters, and the demo runs up until Chapter 9.

-Animate the rest of the monster battlers. There are over 600 frames of animation in total.

 

Screenshots:

 

 

Reworked main menu.

 

This is just a sample of what the reworked towns will look like. Tilesets courtesy of The Inquisitor.

 

Haven't show any battle animations yet. Here's Alys casting Gizan, a level 2 Wind technique.

 

New stat window. Artwork is mine. :)

 

A zoomed-out town.

 

 

 

So, as you can see, I've been very busy. Hope to get some replies soon. :D

[FranklinX 37]

Nice updates. You have to do 600 animations? That's allot.

[yuna21 1]

Sorry, once again I apologize for updating my game over here. I nearly forgot the site's domain name because I haven't been here in such a long time.

 

Quick little update:

 

-Worked on a couple of maps, and they look a bit better now. I'm not great at my mapping, but I'm getting there...

-Soundtrack has recieved a serious overhaul. Now featuring music from both the older classic Phantasy Stars. Added some hardcore battle music, eliminated the default Phantasy Star 4 battle tune.

-Added a lighting script, for more aesthetically appealing maps with darker areas.

-One cutscene has been eliminated entirely.

-Game size is just under 120mb. Not too bad for a five-hour long demo. :)

 

(Don't you just love this scene? And yes, they do kiss... :D )

 

 

Down in the Tonoe basement.

 

Town icons have been reworked.

 

Demo will be due for release either late Feb or early March.

Will add some more screens in due time.

[ShinyToyGuns 29]

Looks like an interesting enough game...I'll download and let you know what I think :)

[Tomo2000 60]

Wow. This is absolutely amazing :alright: Everything seems to blend in perfectly. I saw this when you posted it but didn't really reply, just busy with my 9 projects, I guess. If there was a word to describe amazingness multiplied by more amazingness then that would be the perfect word to decribe this awesome project. Can't wait for this project to be finished :) . Good luck.

[Spence607 1]

Awesome game, played the whole demo. I'd definitely buy it when it's finished.

[yuna21 1]

Wow, I can't believe you played the old thing. The new demo will be even better, though.

 

Updated the first post.

[Spence607 1]

Sweet, I can't wait.

[FranklinX 37]

I like the screen shots. This game looks very professional. I can't wait to play it. :alright:

[yuna21 1]

Demo finally avaliable. Hope you guys enjoy it.

[yuna21 1]

Any feedback yet? ^^ There are a few minor graphical glitches here and there, but I'm in the process of removing them, especially the battler graphics, which are being overhauled to remove that horrible white outline.

 

-Thoughts, comments on the characters ( favourites, least favourite), battle system, menus etc. ? I'd love to hear from you guys.

[Ragnyrok 3]

I'm downloading the demo now, Yuna.

:)

 

I'll have some feedback for you by the end of the night.

:D