Arbor's Eve

[Action Kasper 1]

Arbor's Eve is a game I began designing waaaay back in 2002. It has seen many transformations over the last 9 years from what I originally envisioned as a third person action game set in modern times with guns, cars, and ninja-hobos that lived at an airport baggage claim, all the way up until I discovered rpg maker 2000 back in 2004. Since then, I've lost my progress several times due to the program deciding it didn't want to work anymore (postality knights), a computer fire, a cat urinating on my laptop and shorting it out, another laptop dying, and extended periods of not having a computer. Through it all, I've perservered mightily, and have come so far as to want to do to be more like what the game has become today. Without further expository storytelling, I introduce to you the players of this play, and the far away archipelago known as Zea Mays.

 

The Characters-

 

Kasper:

 

 

Kasper lives in a town called Villageburg. A thief by hobby, he managed to carve out a niche living for himself by stealing enough money to move away from his hometown of Zoar. In Villageburg, he notices that no matter what the day brings, the people there go about their lives doing the same things at the same time, day in, and day out. He sets out one night to do something he thinks will "wake them all up" and change the way they live, freeing them from the bondage of routine.

 

Strayer:

 

 

This pasty Bruce Lee lookalike won the Royal Mounted Navy's Bruce Lee Lookalike contest two years in a row. He was a sailor patrolling the seas on a peacekeeping vessel, when something happened that changed him forever. He became a hydrophobe not long after deciding to leave the navy, and hasn't spoken much about it since that day. He whittles away his days in Villageburg at his home, where he strives to maintain his health through martial arts, and the meditative practice of building his dream home.

 

Jayce:

 

 

Jayce is a bright-eyed Green Mage from the mostly unknown town of Green Oaks. There he studied under Lobuz, learning a form of magic that hasn't been seen by the world for nearly a hundred years. After growing weary of a life lacking in adventure, he left his hometown to venture to Marshton, where his life was almost cut short at the hands of the evil snowman army of the malevolent Schnee. He is saved by Kasper and Strayer, and joins them after almost having both legs amputated. (The doctor thought he had swamprot)

 

These three lovable rascals are joined by a cast of more than three, but less than nine, and opposed by another seperate cast of evil oppressors so far numbering into the mid-thirties.

 

The Story-

 

Long long ago, in a time before time, the universe was a chaotic place. Then, things formed, and the world as we know it came to be. As the spirits of nature were no longer needed, their essences crystalized, and took the form of seven seeds, to be planted again to summon them in a time of great need (Or so the story goes.)

 

One night, our hero Kasper, sets out to do all the things that I already typed in his character description, when he meets a talking rock. The rock tells him to gather the seeds, as it has come time to bring the Tree Of The World back into being. This tree, with its mighty roots and gargantuan trunk, has the power to suck the evil straight out of the air, returning the world to a state of peace not known since the beginning of time.

 

However, others are also seeking the seeds for their own misguided purposes. Some are building armies, while others are biding their time until an opportune moment presents itself. Will Kasper and his companions gather the seeds in time to save the day? Probably. But it won't be a stroll down parasol parkway.

 

Screenshots of all the action!

 

 

 

 

 

The next demo, with all the updated bells and whistles should be out around 4/20. i'll keep this updated regularly as I progress.

 

A sampling of the many of our hero's oppressors:

 

 

if you read this far down, good for you! HERE is a mini-demo with a few of the maps i was just working on this week.

[Jon Bon 43]

Looks neat. I like the bug enemy with the armor. This looks like it would be fun to play. Keep developing this.

Cheers!

[Action Kasper 1]

if it's any indication to the flavor of my game, that bug enemy is called the Termite Soldier.

[Action Kasper 1]

i'm going to start the bug tests tonight. with any luck, something should be out within the next two days or so.

[Action Kasper 1]

a month later, a wild demo appears! download today and don't forget to check under your bed for virulent acid drooling moth larvae

 

https://rapidshare.com/#!download|833p2|3773337646|Arbor_s_Eve__03MAY12_Demo.rar|58630|R~C09318AC9496C81D8E6ADE063B5DAF9E|0|0

[Jon Bon 43]

I tried the demo, and it didn't load at all. I will try on my laptop on windows 7 when I get a chance. But it definitely didn't load on my windows xp.

[Action Kasper 1]

i made it with windows 7 in xp sp2 compatability mode, you may have to change it back

[Action Kasper 1]

has anyone downloaded the demo yet? im starting to think the rm scene is dying

[Jon Bon 43]

I intend to but have little free time. People are quick and willing to give advice and help with creation, but dedicating time to playing a game is a whole other story. This is one of I think 5 games I want to try recently, that I have yet to even download. I will give my best effort to try this today and give you some feedback.

 

Edit: Forgot I had already sat down once to try some of the posted games out, but was discourage when I tried this one first. Downloading it now on my laptop.

Edited May 18, 2012 by Jon Bon

[Jon Bon 43]

I get the same thing with my Windows 7. The game simply doesn't boot, no error nothing. I get a wait icon on my cursor for roughy 2 seconds, then it disappears and the game never boots up no matter how long I wait. Not sure what to tell you, the game wont work on either of my computers and to the best of my knowledge it's not on my end.

[Action Kasper 1]

you may need to copy the rgss from another rm game. i've never really gotten any real feedback, so i didn't know that i needed to include that in the zip until recently. i have had a few downloads on other sites, and they've worked just fine, so idk what to tell you.

[leejanes123 1]

downloading it now will let you know how it is :D looks intresting tho

[Jon Bon 43]

The version I had the first time was not the same extraction file or name as what I downloaded today. The game worked perfectly after downloading it a second time. I like it, I love the drawing style of the enemies, I don't know what it is, but it's very fresh and cartoony. I died almost past the spiral, wasn't really healing or anything. Seems like it'll be good from the little I played, felt rustic almost.

Keep it up, I would try another demo release when one is ready etc, and might end up going back to this one if I have more time.

[Action Kasper 1]

thanks! it really means a lot to me that someone actually played it enough to give feedback! What spiral are you talking about?

 

With the graphics, I really wanted to do something that would visually set my game apart. I used a vector graphics program called Adobe Illustrator 10 to draw all the enemies, and am in the process of redrawing the rtp tilesets so that everything will match.

 

i know the maps suck, i've just come to peace with the fact that im not a good mapper. i always think for some reason that the editing window's field of view will be the same scale as the in game field of view, so everything comes out bigger and more spaced out than i intend.

[Jon Bon 43]

The spiral was a mountain I believe. Spiral being the path.

Yeah I really like the art style, not much more I can say.

 

Bah, you'll get better with time, from what I remember they weren't too bad. The player can normally see 10 squares up, down, left, and right, that may help when you make maps, I try to keep it in mind.

[Action Kasper 1]

so the cave spirits got you? some monsters you're not supposed to fight, some you need to use magic on, others are immune to magic. some change into other monsters.

[Jon Bon 43]

I honestly can't remember how far I got, I have tested to many games recently it's hard to keep them all straight. Unless a game is 100% complete I don't play it like I normally would, I just run through with no strategy. If I get some time I will go through again and actually try to get as far as I can.

[Action Kasper 1]

i need some 'yes' or 'no' feedback on some ideas. they're not all there yet, but they're just things i wrote down.

 

1/1000 evil dove soap. makes you slow with dry skin. activated by talking to the 1000th npc. done with variable "npc chat +1." when variable reaches goal, a bar of soap appears in inventory. can be sold for $100,000. if used, attacks, and when defeated, yields high exp, and a similar unuseable bar of soap.

 

Shittilbee's Auction House

 

hidden boss in desert: Cacti sherrif "Sherrif Dawes"

 

enchanted buttcrack cast

 

"Release The Copra(copper)phage!- in keptie village instead of summoning Ahti, the Keptie chief summons the Copraphage, which crushes Strayer.

 

sci fi- ending idea: there is one house that everyone inside the brain-uplink immortality computer lives in. it is made so that your handprint will allow you to enter your 'level' or home inside the building. similar to jcwmm danger rooms.

 

"i call few men lord, and fewer still 'friend' (i thought this would be a cool line for someone to say)

 

flashbacks to rm2k game(?)

 

retarded inbred hillbilly kittens

 

bear-ito: an enemy that is a burrito with bear appendages sticking out through the wrap.

 

consolidated shit ticket: abandoned warehouse where Stigma's key unlocks a file cabinet.

 

comedy club in zoar with rotating standups.

 

gettin ghillied- find npc in zoar who gives you an exotic bug dust that when used, transports player to a nightmarish hallucinagenic maze. ends after timer reaches 0:01

 

Hallo-Happycake: buy one, and variable switch "Happycake" activated; npc's are more polite. hostile npc's remain the same.

Edited June 11, 2012 by Action Kasper

[deathmoverz24 2]

I' m gonna try the demo now before sleep.....

[deathmoverz24 2]

Im stuck in ballroom place. Kasper says I need to wait a bit but how long? can you help me? Guests are saying non-particular words.

[Action Kasper 1]

sorry for the long delay in responding, i forgot this site existed completely....

 

to get out of the party scene you have to talk to a waiter who gives you a necklace to take to the wife of the landlord. it's pretty straightforward. if you ever get lost, just talk to every character.

 

i like to take extended breaks in between demo cycles. i get a chance to breathe, and explore, and write, and smoke lots of dope. every time i take a break, i come back to my project, and it just gets better and better. i'm hoping to have the first final-rough draft of the game done by december 20th, 2012. if the end of the world is coming, i want to at least finish my game first.

Edited September 9, 2012 by Action Kasper

[Action Kasper 1]

Haven't updated in awhile, but here goes-

 

Tileset work is taking up a majority of the dev. time. it's a really long, labor intensive process that most of the time i don't even want to look at.

 

 

the whole game is going to look like that when i'm done. there are only a few objects left, and this room will be finished.

 

this one's chugging along nicely as well. the tiles are far from perfect, but i really like the 'cartoon-garage' aesthetic it's taking on.

 

 

i'm the worst tester alive, so here's the latest demo that i know works.

 

none of these new tilesets are included yet, but if anyone is interested, check it out. i really intend on seeing this project through to completion. it's been a long, frustrating ride.

[albertibay 0]

I'm downloading i'll test it in a bit

[albertibay 0]

there is a lot off bugs first of all ones you got the stuff from the vault and exit you can enter again. second if you escape using the bottom path you have to start the game again so you have to take the path to the left

 

 

(this critisim is just my views, don't get offended)

critisims:

BAD

1 your battleback in the first part looks crappy

2 the mapping after the mansion sucks

3 the sound doesn't match the atmosphere on the second cave

4 the rock contradicts everything i stand for

5 and wait your telling me the rock was human before since he said "I was supposed to use it to get bad apples of my trail. but i was turned into a rock before i had the chance"

6 again your BGM doesn't match the atmosphere of the game

7 the path is too straight

8 That is the wierdest weapon shop i've seen yet and i've seen many, the Bgm of it sounds like a barnyard themed shop

9 The Big House with lots of flowers doesn't look too good

GOOD

1 the tileset you used in the house and mansion is nice

 

Thats all i have to say i didn't bother finish the game anymore

Overall 3.4/10

[Action Kasper 1]

it just sounds like you had the wrong attitude or expectations going into playing it. plus, you're 12...

 

glad you liked the tileset though.

[albertibay 0]

Those are just my opinions

[Saltome 16]

Ever heard the word foolproof? If a child doesn't like it you are probably doing something wrong. And I can't say i like it either, it's a very peculiar art style, it looks cheap and random. But well, that's no reason to stop, every train has passengers. Every game you make will be better than the last one.

[Action Kasper 1]

i am doing all the graphics either by hand or with adobe illustrator. i want to have the satisfaction of really crafting the entire experience by hand. i know some of it looks janky, but this is all still very rough draft, once i finish the story, then i'm going to go back and polish it all.

 

[LaDestitute 3]

Can you re-upload the demo if it's still around?

[Action Kasper 1]

i have to run through and test things and draw a few more things, and solve the mystery of why a teleport event doesn't take you to the right place, EVEN AFTER i change it AND save. so hopefully i'll have something in time for the weeekend