State of the Game (or rather, demo)

“So dev,” you ask, placing your foot on the chair and shining the lamplight on me in your best “Bad Cop” impression, “now that you’ve revealed the game, we’ve gotta ask - just how much of it have you finished?”

I’m happy to say quite a bit, actually! In terms of overall game mechanics/systems and materials needed for the demo, I actually have a majority of it complete. I want to set up everything in a way where I can focus almost entirely on mapping, eventing, and scenewriting by completing the “guts” of the game (e.g. the database for actors/items/skills/monsters, the music, the graphics for menus, etc.) first, so a good chunk of that is already done. :D

Keep in mind that the following progress report is (for the most part) related to completion of the demo, which I want to try and release this fall. The demo will over about 25% of the game’s total playable time, if not a bit less, and about 15% of its total content (taking into account branching story routes).

• Story and Outlines: 100%. I usually make sure I have a good grasp on how the story will play out before I ever even open up the editor.
• Character and Event Sprites: 75%. Additional poses for the MCs, NPCs, creature sprites, and several environmental sprites (e.g. switches, puzzle items) are complete. I usually add more as I go along and draft new puzzles, etc.
• Artwork: 65%. All four main characters’ busts are complete, along with all regular enemies (for the demo) as well as the entirety of the prologue’s cutscene art. I’m still waiting on two bosses (that will cover the span of the demo), title artwork, and an important NPC’s busts.
• Misc. Graphics (Logos, windowskins, etc): 90%. All menu graphics and item/skill icons are complete. Since development began, I added a “journal” feature that the player can use to access story summaries, character bios, and a bestiary, and some of those graphics still need to be made and plugged into the game.
• Database (Skills, monsters, items, etc): 80%. All weapons, armor, and consumable items are complete; animations for party skills and some enemy skills are also complete. I am adding enemies and enemy skills as I receive their art, so this part will take a little longer to complete.
• Music: 99%. I need to make a quick song to use for the end-of-demo sting but the demo tracks are complete otherwise.
• Dialogue: 40%. A majority of dialogue for the first “dungeon” (out of the two that will be showcased in the demo) is complete, as well as several pre-written scenes that I have yet to plug into the game proper.
• Mapping: 25%. About half of the first dungeon is completely mapped with fully functional events, puzzles, and battles. It helps that I made several dummy events to be used as “bases” for the semi-complex environmental puzzles, meaning that I don’t have to construct each one from scratch.

And that’s it from this front! Look forward to more silly screenshots of our ~Heroes of Justice~ in action as well as music previews over the next several weeks! :D