State of the game - August

Okay, I promised a report of sorts, so here we are. My holidays passed by like a fly, but at least I managed to achieve a very nice progress during those last two weeks.
Now, let me split my report into three parts:

A) STORY is around 60% done. However, first release should contain way more content than entire Ugovarti arc for TDLR, even after necessary cuts. Basic structure resembles Marania act, except the plot is more intervened and tightly knit. The main storyline follows a succession war in a certain kingdom, amidst which Renan and his friends will discover a very nefarious plot. Also, release will also contain alternative ending to the story, giving Renan's journey an early, satisfying finish.

B) MECHANICS are done in only around 30%. Unfortunately, one of the plugins I relied on decided to stop working for me, and now I have to design an workaround. Overall however, as I mentioned in a previous post, the game will differ somewhat from usual RPG maker experience; character progression is a bit more flat, equipment matters greatly, there's also some crafting. Experience can be only obtained from completed quests, and some of them have alternative, less battle-heavy route.
For those who disliked economy of TDLR, there's also much more currency being thrown at player, as well as reliable way to replenish HP & MP during the adventure.

C) Only 5% of H-SCENES are done. I usually leave them for the last. There should be around 10-12 scenes, all skippable. 1/3 of them happened during main storyline, 1/3 is a result of player's choices, and 1/3 are a quest rewards. Alternative ending will also contain h-scene.

Overall, I'm quite pleased how much work I managed to do those last two weeks. I believe you can expect release around late December, though it will depend on amount of test runs the game will require. I'll also try to write similar report every month to keep you guys updated. See you next month then!

A development diary (of sorts)

Hello guys! Long time no see. I bring some good new. At least, I managed to squeeze some holidays from my boss, which means for the next two weeks I can finally make some serious progress. Until now, it was... ehh... let me use image to illustrate the situation.

That's our favourite technicolor mage, Angela, or rather, how her projected visage changed during the development (and I'll probably still make some adjustments, because I ~~love~ her design). Entire process until now has been like that - I make something, get dissatisfied, start anew.

In fact, I even thought about changing protagonist and story entirely - but finally decided against it. And since I'm already at the stage where I simply don;t want to make any more changes to the general outline, here are some answers to the questions I've been getting recently:

-Yes, the story will continue from 0.3.4, though in a different place than Ugovarti (heh :)). Renan is still the protagonist.
-If you hated the end of act 2, rejoice! No more gender-bending of major characters.
-The game will be less corruption-oriented. I pondered about it for a long time, and in the end decided that if in the first game Renan was the (wannabe) corruptor, this time the villain takes this mantle. The story resembles a bit more classic heroic fantasy than it did before.
-Entire RPG/battle system is being reworked. I don't have time and skill for anything major, but it should differ somehow from basic RPG Maker fare..., unlike previous TDLR.
-The title for the sequel will definitely WON'T be The Dark Lord Rises 2 :) (or 0.3.5 for that matter).


I'll try to make another entry mid-august to update you on my progress during the holidays. Until then, for those who like me adore cartography, here's the new, updated map of the world of TDLR.

Dark Lord shall rise... no... return!

Hello guys. So, as mentioned in my previous post, I recently got my hands on RPG Maker MV and been tinkering with it to my great enjoyment. While there are some problem here and there, I feel new engine fixes at least some problems I had with with VX Ace. So, I finally decided.

The Dark Lord Rises will be back!

That comes to me especially easy since it seems that no one bothered with continuing my original project (or at least, is hiding it from me :>). Also, since I learned the software as I created TDLR, there are some shortcuts and solutions in original that made my head ache over and over during development. I can avoid most of those starting a new game with MV.

Now, this means Noblesse Oblige for now goes to the side*. Well, that's one of the reasons why I don't bother with Patreon; I like to work on something I like, not force myself to reach some deadline or other commitment.

When shall new Dark Lord come out? Christmas, probably, autumn at best. I'd like it to be more than prologue and short story arc, and to tinker with graphics some more, so the game at least doesn't look like generic RPGMaker product.

I'm not saying I'm working on The Dark Lord Rises again, but...

Got RPG Maker MV for birthday yesterday... and I'm having fun with it :)

Happy New Year, and... Noblesse Oblige!

Hey guys, long time no see. First of all, this isn't post announcing return of The Dark Lord Rises, unfortunately. I did some tinkering here and there, trying to reignite the flame, but for now, I'm letting that project rest. I might return to it some day, though probably in a different way than simple continuation.

Now, as I mentioned before, I've decided to start something new. Over the course of my Christmas holidays I finally found some time to build proper foundations for my new game. Game, which for now I'll call by its working title, Noblesse Oblige.

I've moved from RPG Maker to more popular Ren'py and decided to make pure visual novel. And by pure, I mean, in vein of Japanese VNs, without any fancy gameplay. As for theme, it will be as with The Dark Lord Rises - corruption and mind control fiesta, though this time with less lore and more... well, porn. Player  shall take a role of evil mastermind, trying to defeat a sentai squad. Basically, if someone played (unfortunately, untranslated) Japanese games from Maika or Heat-Soft, you might know what to expect.

I currently plan for game to have four main routes, each representing different 'flavours' of corruption. So, there will be simple brainwashing, transformation/remodeling, magical shenanigans and, for the last route, something special. As with latest versions of TDLR, I'm relying on Honey Select for graphics, though I tried to make sure my characters do not resemble generic models, so common in many other H-games.

Here's a link to the early version of the game, containing entire intro (and one H-scene). Below you'll find some screenshots, if you're unsure how the game will look. Please mind, it's still an early build. I don't plan to have another release until at least one route is finished.

Enjoy!

0.3.4b - and sad news everyone...

Hello guys, Tjord here with new version of Dark Lord Rises. As promised, this is bugfixing update, and since recent release had surprisingly little gamebreaking bugs, this is only minor update. Or it should be...

Unfortunately, after much thought I decided to put the game development on hiatus. Yes, one of those hiatuses that are highly likely to last indefinitely.

 "Why Tjord, why would you do this?! You're tearing me apart, Tjord!" I hear you saying already.

Well, reason is simple: I kind lost my drive when it comes to developing the game. While I'm decently satisfied with the story, limitations of RPG Maker continue to frustrate me and limit enjoyment I get from my work. Other thing, erotic side of the game, instead of being integral part of my vision, kinda became an unwanted side and a chore to write/set up.

For all those years I've been tempted to set aside this project and start something new, but I've fought those notions. But not this time. I've decided to start something new, something better thought off than TDLR (which was, let's be honest, my first, amateurish attempt to make a game).

To sweeten the deal for you, I'm making what I think is unprecedented move: 0.3.4b is UNENCRYPTED version of the game. Yes, you read this right! Those of you, who want to and have RPG Maker VX Ace can continue the story or make changes you want (like, fixing typos :D). I don't mind if you use those few of my assets for your games or whatever.

Just, please don't go posting skeleton of the game and claiming it's your own. I'd be quite sad to see that.

Here download link.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed\ will enjoy The Dark Lord Rises for what it is. See you again!

0.3.4 - Sayonara Ugovarti!

Hello everyone, I have a nice gift for you - new update for The Dark Lord Rises! I've managed to muster some motivation and finish this one before November, thank god.

Anyway, without further ado, here are download links:

0.3.4 (with RTP)
0.3.4 (without RTP)

As usual, next version will focus on fixing bugs and typos - and should come in week or two.

Now, those last four months have been mired with problems, most important being crash I had around early September, which nearly cost me all the progress I made by then (around 70% of update). I managed to recover most of maps, but lost of my notes and labels (try to reconstruct game with 150 unlabeled switches, ugh!). This is main reason why I decided to end act three earlier then I had planned, as creating new content started resembling swimming in jelly - and why you might spot some inconsistencies. Hopefully, I'll get it all ironed out in 0.3.4b.

Anyway, that's all for today. Enjoy the game and see you later!