Crescendo of Identity, New Demo LIVE! [April 17/10] 10 Hours of gameplay! Options

[Mr Meow Meow Meo...]

News
July 11 2010
Production resumed on this project. I've taken the previous feedback and made changes to the game, but significant plot change is not entirely possible due to completion amount. A more detailed look at the changes are in the newest post.

Story

Spoiler:

I heard many of the prisoners leaving today, but I still decided to wait in my cell. Getting caught trying to leave isn't the best idea considering the only source of food and fresh water was from this prison. Plus for me, there wasn't any point going back. I really had nothing to go back to. That didn't stop somebody from making me leave my cell though.
I can't imagine what he was thinking as he looked at me. Perhaps something along the lines of "Look at this idiot still sitting here while his buddies make a break for it". We talked a bit, then he gave me a gun, and I broke out and escaped on a ship. I'd love to make that sound super awesome, but I really wasn't comfortable with killing the guards. Even though they would be considered my oppressor. I did what had to be done I suppose, and knowing that, each kill got a little bit easier.
I made it back to Toulon, but I guess most of the people weren't too thrilled to see me. Cosette was her usual self, but I haven't met Minette yet. As of now I am still a bit confused as to what I should do at the moment, nor have I any idea what that man wants with me. He treated me a little different than the other prisoners, but I know it might be because he knows about me. I'm not sure why he needs me, but I know he does. Whether or not I'll follow along. I've yet to decide.

Setting

Spoiler:

Tensions between Nobles and Peasants rise

Winter is setting in most of Northern Europe and the Liberte Knights are getting restless. Attacks on the knights have increased in frequency since last month, however the scale of these attacks are at most minimal as of now. In order to maintain order, the knights have begun to implement any necessary measures on all Auxen and Toulousian towns. Despite their best efforts, the knights have only been able to increase tension in noble:peasant relations.
More recently, the infiltration mission on the Corsica Prison facility by the Clermont Knights was announced as a limited success. The Knights successfully eliminated an international spy, who was posed as a major threat to Ferran security. The spy identified as only Adler, planned to assist the prisoners in a massive jail break, but was quickly thwarted by two elite knights. However, several prisoners have managed to escape, and it is unknown whether or not they plan to return to the mainland.

Characters

Spoiler:

Virgil Marcel
Sex: Male Age: 26
Origin: Lyon Class: Peasant
Archetype: Sharpshooter Main Weapon: Rifle Armor Class: Common
Ether: Steel - Ability to conduct electricity and heat, and resistant to minor physical impact. As well as the ability to duplicate metals.
Bio: Prior to his escape, Virgil spent two years at Corsica prison paying for something in the past. What specifically that is, was forgotten and forced away into the back of his subconscious. However, sometimes it seems he really does recall what he's done but in shame of the past, he hides that fact from his party members.
Due to his failure to protect his former friends, Virgil does whatever he can to protect anyone he thinks is in need of protection. Virgil personally punishes himself for his "crimes" in the form of self doubt. His way to pay for his sins is to maintain justice, even if he has to cross the law to do it. He is a man bound by only his own rules, making him the best leader for the party.
Role: Virgil's role in the party is mostly to be the balanced main character. Despite being a gunner, he will be able to take heavy damage because of his ether. His attack and defense is above average and his speed is high. Virgil's ether does not let him cast spells however, as it's a physical element. Even though he uses a gun, his melee attacks are still effective for taking out enemies with minimal EP usage. Virgil will gain more EP as he levels up.

Jeanne
Sex: Female Age: 16
Origin: Lyon Class: Peasant
Archetype: Mage Main Weapon: Quarter Staff Armor Class: Common/Magic
Ether: Non-Specific - Those with non-specific ether are able to learn spells from any element. These types are rare and are highly sought after by the knights.
Bio: Jeanne is an aspiring ether mage. However, due to the nature of her ether she cannot publicly learn spells in Ferrand without attracting attention from the knights. She and her brother John moved to Sardinia to live a life without fear of the knights, but she still wanted to become an ether mage. Eventually when they saved enough money from a business in renting out ships, John decided to let her go to the secret mage academy in Toulouse. A guide was hired to escort her to Valencia and to the Pyrenees, but he did not arrive. Luckily a stranger happened to pass by and "mistakenly" she selected him as her guide.
Jeanne is an outgoing and happy go lucky girl, but she may be a little too promiscuous for her age. She prefers to hang around older men, and seems to drag them into her life, whether they want to or not.
Role: Jeanne is the classic nuker mage. The only problem here is that she has no spells. Since she cannot learn spells until she reaches the academy, dragging her around will be a pain early on. Her only spell Ether Strike is fairly weak, and her use in battle is limited. It is highly suggested she wears common armor as her defenses are very low, and that she defends the majority of the battle. Later on when her potential is reached, she will become a valuable asset to the team.

Jacque
Sex: Male Age: 23
Origin: Lyon Class: Peasant
Archetype: Sharpshooter Main Weapon: Shotgun Armor Class: Common
Ether: None
Bio: Jacque is the owner of an orphanage in Lyon. Sometimes he's a teacher, and sometimes he's an explorer. Money is hard to come by to support the orphanage, so Jacque loves to raid ruins for a little extra cash while he leaves the children with his co-worker. Usually he will end up in trouble, prompting a completely random group of people to go save him. Jacque's love for children exceeds even his own orphans, so he even goes out of his way to help random children in need. Whether or not this is good is entirely up to whoever is dragged along in his endeavors.
Role: He is exactly the same as he was in Prelude except with some minor changes. His main method of attack is his gun shots, which need to be reloaded when he runs out. Unlike Virgil who gradually gains more EP, Jacque will always have 12. Jacque is virtually the same as Virgil with the exception of his defense, which is much lower. Having two gunners is good for dealing lots of damage with multiple hits.

Marianne
Sex: Female Age: 18
Origin: Clermont Class: Knight
Archetype: Fire Knight Main Weapon: Sword & Shield Armor Class: Armor
Ether: Fire - Ability to add and remove heat from objects and air, which can cause fires.
Bio: Currently still an Elite knight, she grew up a trained knight her entire life. Despite this, she's a soft hearted individual. She has exceptional observational skills and emotional control. Marianne is able to make the proper decisions for her unit and herself when necessary; however outside her job she is insecure about her appearance as a woman and lacks confidence in her romantic abilities. Regardless, she is known as a symbol for women everywhere, and an icon for freedom and liberty. Knights are given names, so the name Marianne is merely a code name to hide her true identity.
Role: Marianne is the tank. She has the highest defense and LP, making her very hard to kill. Her ether and attack power are above average as well, and her only draw back is her lack of speed. Her skills have been heavily modified since Prelude, so her new set is completely different. They will consist of mostly different physical attack styles, letting her choose the most efficient skill for each type of enemy. She also has some fire spells as well for decent magic attacks.

Sierra
Sex: Female Age: 17
Origin: Lyon Class: Knight
Archetype: Lunar Knight Main Weapon: Dual Blades Armor Class: All
Ether: Moon - Ability to manipulate mass, which in turn manipulates light and gravity.
Bio: An ex-knight in the Lyon Chevalier, she left when she failed to prevent the prince's assassination. Ever since the incident she has become extremely emotionally sensitive, preventing her from making any well thought decisions. However when working with Marianne, she becomes more controlled and happier. In combat she focuses more on her Ether abilities than swordsmanship, but she is an overall good sword fighter. Knights are given names, so the name Sierra is merely a code name to hide her true identity.
Role: Sierra is a deadly mix of physical and ether power. Like Jeanne, she will be able to select the spells she wishes to use. This makes her highly customizable in play style, but she is currently limited in her physical skills. However, she comes with new moon shift skills. These skills exclusive to her, allows her to bring in either new or full moon skills prior to each battle. These skills can either be powerful heals and buffs, or powerful instant kills and debuffs.

Sahar
Sex: Female Age: ??
Origin: Algiers Class: Peasant
Archetype: Assassin Main Weapon: Dual Blades Armor Class: Common
Ether: None
Bio: Little is known about Sahar besides her name, which means Dawn. She is a contract assassin who disguises herself in a burqa, where she also hides her weaponry. She is a textbook assassin, meaning she follows the rules of assassination to the letter. Failure to kill her target will mean she will either have to throw her own life, or leave it up to the person she fails to kill. Currently, it is unknown what she has to do with Virgil at all.
Role: She is the high physical offensive character of the party. She will be able to choose which weapons she wishes to use, either two swords, two katars, or a combination of the two. Her skills are mostly status effects, which many of the other characters lack. In addition, she has some of the most powerful physical attacks available. When her LP reaches less than 10 points, she will be able to preform the dance of death. Which is a suicide attack which damages all enemies by 1000, no matter what. This skill is difficult to pull off, and can be used on bosses as well. If the enemy survives, they will be stunned for 1 turn. This skill is only available after level 25 however.

Erich Lehre
Sex: Male Age: 24
Origin: Berlin Class: General
Archetype: Para-Medic Main Weapon: Handgun Armor Class: Common
Ether: None
Bio: After the incident with Adler, Erich could no longer trust the decisions of his own people. Germany's rulers wished to conspire against Ferrand, in order to expand their territory. He left his post and moved to Ferrand, in order to aid the coming revolution. Knowing the country would always be split if the nobles had their way, he decided to join the side of the peasants.
Role: Erich has little combat experience, but he is a prime field medic. Able to quickly heal and recover allies using a variety of drugs at his disposal, this alone makes him an invaluable ally. His drugs can also be used to increase combat efficiency by buffing characters, and debuffing enemies. He is the only character able to preform these skills, and also the only one who is able to remove an enemy's buffs. However he has a low EP stock, but luckily he is the only one who is able to recharge EP using a skill. All drug skills can be stacked with potions for increased effect.

Screenshots

Spoiler:

Videos

Spoiler:

Video 1 - Pyrenees + Boss
Video 2 - Sardinia Field (Boos' mapping contest)
Video 3 - Reaper Boss

Features & Explanations
Differences & Similarities from Prelude

Spoiler:

Similarities
- Some same settings and reoccurring characters
- Battle system is utilizing the same script
- Same classic feel of an old jrpg

Differences
- New cast of characters as well as many new locations. Old locations have changed significantly
- Darker story, slightly stronger language
- RTP tileset with extra additions and modifications
- No more caterpillar script
- Addition of Auto battle & optional HP bars which can be turned on via NPC
- Lower stat values: Which means two digit damage is actually pretty good.
- More balance in battles. Overpowering enemies will cause them to increase their stats in an effort to damage you. Enemies in normal state are fairly easy.
- Able to change party members. No more guest characters who cause gameovers when killed.
- Shorter and simpler dungeons. Encounter rate is also low, but battles may be more or less difficult. Rewards are more than reasonable.
- Realistic drops: Animals don't carry money, but carry basic materials which can be sold.
- Upgrading: Weapons cannot be bought, but only upgraded. This is exactly like Suikoden's sharpening system.
- Crafting: Potions cannot be bought, so crafting them is necessary. Crafting potions is simple, and require only the herb and bottle as ingredients.
- New item system: Potions are considered battle items and cannot be used out of battle. Food is considered a map item and cannot be used in battle. Battle items can only be used by the person who selects it, meaning potions cannot be used on allies.
- Potion system: Potions don't heal instantly. They heal gradually for 3 turns, so use them wisely.
- Random bag drops: Bags may be given as rewards for quests, and these bags can contain a random item. Abuse is possible, but tedious due to drop rates.
- Higher emphasis on towns
- Non linear world map. Meaning you can walk straight to the next town without worrying about a dungeon in between.

As you can see, there's a lot that's new. I'll be explaining the important ones next.

"New" Battle system

Spoiler:

Although I am using the exact same battle system and formula as Prelude, I added more things to make it more interesting.
Healing
Healing in CID can be a bit complicated for one reason only. Regeneration. Instead of an item that massively refuels your HP/MP, all battle items will heal on a turn by turn basis. This can either be a major advantage or disadvantage depending on the player. This adds a whole new level of strategy when considering the use of items and selecting actions. Food can be used out of battle, and will act as classic instant healing items that can be bought cheaply. There are ether based healing spells which act as normal, but the disadvantage of this will be explained further on.
Ether
Spells in CID can be added/removed from Sierra and Jeanne via the mage academy. However there's a limit to how many spells you can place, and which spells are available. Some spells will take more slots than others, and there is a price attached to each service. This ensures than no one character can have the best spell of every element, or be completely good at healing and damage. Having two available mage characters allows the player to balance out each mage's weaknesses. Another thing I'm going to have to go through is the spell naming.
Ether Names
Spell names are no longer random descriptions of the spell animation. They now have a specific system attached to it.
Each spell name will tell you exactly the element, strength, and range of attack. Below is a list of terms.

Fire - Agni
Water - Ap
Wind - Vayu
Earth - Prithvi
Light - Akash
Void - Ajna
Life - Jiva

Prefixes - A prefix will tell you the exact number of enemies it targets, as well as the strength. No prefixes to the above words means it's a base spell with one target and strength level one. The prefixes are simple.
Di - Two [2 random enemies]
Tri - Three [3 random enemies]
Tetra - Four [All Allies]
Hexa - Six [All enemies]

DiAgni will be a two target fire spell at strength level one. The only exception to this rule is Jiva spells, which use these prefixes to determine strength rather than range. DiJiva will be a powerful healing spell that's single target. TetraJiva will be a four target spell however.

Strength number - If there is a number attached, it is the power of the spell. Each number means the strength is multiplied by that. Hardly a spell will ever exceed 2. For example, 2-Agni has twice the strength of normal Agni.

Field System & Character Grinding

Spoiler:

Since animals won't drop cash anymore, and humans don't carry a whole lot, it's time to find another way to make ends meet. This is where the field system comes in. Field maps are large maps which no purpose other than being a place for the player to grind and make money. Fields contain lots of treasures and harvesting points which respawn when you enter the map (not treasures). Harvesting plants and herbs is a simple way to make money, as well as sell animal drops. Herbs should be made into potions for either use, or profit. At low levels where potions aren't necessary, selling the high level ones will help make money for more important stuff.
Field maps contain normal animals which are designed for low levels to train on. They are an abundant source of exp for new party members. Why? Because I forgot to mention all new party members start at level 1. Virgil will level the slowest but since you have him at all times, the entire party will balance off. Now just because they start at level 1, doesn't mean they're always going to die. Each character will start at 1 point each stat and get 100 points in each stat at level 99 without equipment. The rate at which each character gets to that 100 points is what differs between each character. i.e Jeanne will gain ether more faster on each level than Virgil will. Equipment is the factor that raises each character's attributes to their respective archetypes.
The point is to update on armor immediately, and spend some time leveling that character enough to be of use.

Credit

Spoiler:

Main Game - MrMoo
Graphics - PINEDAVX, Nightwatcher, Avadan, Mack, HowlingWinds (I likely missed some more, so if you don't see someone, tell me)
Audio - Suikoden II OST, Xenogears OST, SFX from STRAYCAT, Opening Song is FABULOUS - Glow our vibes by Blu-Swing
Scripts - Modern Algebra, Woratana, Yanfly, Moghunter, Claimh, Jens009, Mithran, Lomexi, Kylock, Prexus, Vixotic, BigEd, OrignalWij, ziifee, and Magica. Individual scripts and authors will be listed later.

Downloads
Note: Whenever downloading a new demo version, always start from the beginning. Changes to database entries will not transfer over if loaded from an old demo data.
YOU MUST DOWNLOAD THE DEMO, AND PATCH TO V3.1!
Demo 3.0 - MediaFire 66MB

Patch 3.1 - MediaFire 8MB

Expected game length:
Prelude Arc
Prologue: 3 Hours
Chapter 1: 3 Hours
Chapter 2: 2 Hours
Chapter 3: 3 Hours
Crescendo Arc
Chapter 4: ? Hours

This post has been edited by Mr Meow Meow Meow Mix: Jul 11 2010, 08:10 AM

[vivaxx]

Do i need a special font ? (the text only disappear when start battle, the rest seems fine i think )
It's interesting game btw

edited: nevermind it's fixed

This post has been edited by vivaxx: Jun 22 2009, 05:12 AM

[Mr Meow Meow Meo...]

Do i need a special font ? (the text only disappear when start battle, the rest seems fine i think )
It's interesting game btw

That... is something I have no clue how to fix. The entire game uses the same font, Century Gothic. It's only you so far, as my friend and I seem to have it working fine. I would try maybe trying to reinstall the font =\
This really is an odd bug.

This post has been edited by Mr Meow Meow Meow Mix: Jun 21 2009, 06:59 AM

[Tarrund]

I think it's cool you decided to use a world with real
geographical locations. Downloading it now.

[PINEDAVX]

MrMoo, you know I'm SOOOOO going to play this! I'm concerned, though. How much distance is there, in years, in between Prelude and Crescendo?

[Mr Meow Meow Meo...]

MrMoo, you know I'm SOOOOO going to play this! I'm concerned, though. How much distance is there, in years, in between Prelude and Crescendo?

This pretty much happens during the end of prelude, and as the game progresses time will quickly progress as well. You can tell because it's the same night of the storming of corsica mission.
I hope to get a lot of input from you. I've made some improvements from the last time to try and make things more interesting. Tell me what you think of them, and what you think of the changes in each aspect of the system.

By the way I forgot to mention this but the demo is 2(technically 3) bosses long, and includes 2 towns (Not including event towns) and 2 fields.

[PINEDAVX]

Be sure that I will. Thanks for the clarification too. Will that code I got from that place work somehow?

[Mr Meow Meow Meo...]

Be sure that I will. Thanks for the clarification too. Will that code I got from that place work somehow?

Yup. It'll be a little later in the game, but you can input the code once that area reappears in this game. I'll be making a lot of the rewards quite useful, as your character's equipment won't be the only thing you'll want to upgrade. I'll get to that when the time comes.

[Confederacy]

Ah damn, I still need to finish Prelude. And I'll probably do that now cause Crescendo looks amazing. Downloading now.

[vivaxx]

After reinstall Century Gothic font it's fixed!
Yeay..

This post has been edited by vivaxx: Jun 22 2009, 05:10 AM

[Mr Meow Meow Meo...]

Alright, I'm not sure if I should make a separate topic for this, but I'm looking for someone to draw me some simple art.
Basically I want a mid body to head silhouette of each character for the opening sequence. It will be drawn with sharp lines which outline the basic structure of the character's outer appearance, and will be one solid color which I can easily replace. It should be CG, whether you started on paper or not.
For most artists this should be quite simple, and you will be credited for the artwork. PM me if you wish to try and I will send you the character details and sprites.
There's a total of 9 characters. The workload amount you want to do will be up to you. You can either draw 4(Crescendo only), 7(Crescendo + Prelude), or 9 (Crescendo + Prelude + Antagonists).

Also I'll be updating with new content soon. I just wanted to mention that a code you can get in Wings of Eternia can be used in Crescendo. How this relates is due to cameo appearances in both games.

[Svolta]

I just started playing Prelude and I'm enjoying it, so it's good to see that you're working on a sequel too! I'd give you some more feedback on this project, but I don't want to read too much in case it spoils the story for me.

[rmvx_phill]

Errr, I got the same error as vivaxx. But, I don't really know where to download the Century Gothic font. The Font Download sites need me to pay for it. Can anyone link me to a site to download it?

[Mr Meow Meow Meo...]

Errr, I got the same error as vivaxx. But, I don't really know where to download the Century Gothic font. The Font Download sites need me to pay for it. Can anyone link me to a site to download it?

I'll start including the fonts in my game folder from now on. Here's a link to the font files. Click here!
I thought I picked a font that was pretty universal, but I guess there's always those people whose only fonts are arial and times new roman.

If anyone is wondering, there's been some delays in the game's progress. But I'm still going to push for another demo this week. Some things to look forward to:
- Jeanne's spells
- Added more skills for each character, enough to cover every status effect and every element.
- Towns of Barcelona, Zaragoza, Bayonne and Toulouse.
- Each town has its own stream of quests. It'll seem reminiscent of some mmorpgs.
- Possibly two more playable characters

If anyone has any comments on the current demo, I can fix anything before the next release.

[rmvx_phill]

I'll start including the fonts in my game folder from now on. Here's a link to the font files. Click here!
I thought I picked a font that was pretty universal, but I guess there's always those people whose only fonts are arial and times new roman.

If anyone is wondering, there's been some delays in the game's progress. But I'm still going to push for another demo this week. Some things to look forward to:
- Jeanne's spells
- Added more skills for each character, enough to cover every status effect and every element.
- Towns of Barcelona, Zaragoza, Bayonne and Toulouse.
- Each town has its own stream of quests. It'll seem reminiscent of some mmorpgs.
- Possibly two more playable characters

If anyone has any comments on the current demo, I can fix anything before the next release.

Ah, thank you. Just a question, does this game spoil anything in Prelude of Identity? Because I've yet to finish that.

[Mr Meow Meow Meo...]

Ah, thank you. Just a question, does this game spoil anything in Prelude of Identity? Because I've yet to finish that.

Yes, almost immediately. As this takes place directly after and has a lot of characters from the original, quite a bit of things are spoiled if you haven't beaten the first one yet. However, the game is also designed so that players who have not played the first at all, will be able to play this game anyways. You should take the time to finish Prelude before trying Crescendo, as right now I don't think there's enough content in the demo available to justify being spoiled.

Another demo is on its way, I just haven't got the time to prepare everything yet. I'll post new screenshots for the time being.

[Armisael191]

Must there be a need for character grinding?
It's why I quit playing Prelude of Identity. I can get plenty of grinding in MMORPG's or various other RPGs.
Character grinding isn't fun, unless the battle system somehow reinvents the wheel, or is completely custom and unique.

Plus, its an excuse for filling in the time gap of a game that's really short.
Would you rather play an rpg that is 10 hours with no grinding or VERY VERY minimal grinding required?
Or play an rpg that's 10 hours with at least 2-4 hours of grinding?

And before someone says "well what if the story sucks in the 10 hour rpg with no grinding", pretend they both have equally good storylines.

[Mr Meow Meow Meo...]

Plus, its an excuse for filling in the time gap of a game that's really short.

First of all, the only reason I decided characters should be leveled up from 1 is because of balancing issues.
You never know what level the main character will be when a new character joins. I originally had some characters start at level 30 since it's supposed to take place after the old game, but that just made them overpowered. Since this game deals with low number values, it's much more forgiving in levels than other games. Equipment plays a much bigger factor in stat distribution than levels do, and the battles are designed to be based more on your party than your levels. On the current demo, Jacque joins the party in the middle of a dungeon. Simply giving him your best equipment makes him able to take on the enemies just as well as an up to level Virgil.

Secondly, I play my own games back and forth, front to back. You think I would force myself to grind each time? There's plenty of ways to get exp, as well as boost exp through equipment. Sub-Events will give exp and other rewards at the end of each event, even if they require no hunting at all.

Exp is the least of your worries in this game. The "grinding fields" are there for money instead, as you will be needing that more than ever in this game. Money isn't just used to spend on equipment and supplies, it's used for so many other things as well. The bottom line, don't bust your balls over leveling too much in this game.

Also next demo tomorrow.

[PINEDAVX]

Also next demo tomorrow.

Yay! I didn't know there was one. I'm going to have to catch up with this, being PoI biggest fan

[mudducky]

Hey Mr Meow Meow Meow Mix your first download link is invalid and doesn't work for me, but the second does so I am download this now. Should be able to give you feedback within the next few days. I thought you were Prof. Meow Meow for a second.