The God Gene...
Hello. I have come to the Pavilion with a special report. I have gotten in touch with Ivan Rosenguard, and have found out the status of his TOTALLY EPIC!!! project, The God Gene. He is still working on this, and this is what he says...
This should satisfy everyone's curiosity.
Thank you for your concern. I would like to inform you that The God Gene has gone under several reworkings (as these things tend to go) and I do hope to finish it over the summer months.
The main issue has been storyline, which has undergone several restructurings due to a number of changes in the political climate I did not forsee (or did forsee and didn't include). I thought it was important to cover such subjects as the Tea Party movement, civil disobedience, and the role of people in their government VS the lack of influence people have in a political climate dominated by corporate interests.
Rather than simply speaking out against certain things that I find distasteful, I wanted to rework the story so as to put these things in perspective and be as pragmatic and sensible as possible. I aim to put the world we live in into a little more perspective through this, while creating a fun game that does with the software what might not have been thought possible and combines western and eastern RPG sensibilities.
I also feel as though I've matured as a person since starting this game so long ago, and as such, the writing, tone, and setting now reflects that.
I realize, too, that my incessant hyperbole and lack of backing up my claims was annoying some people, so I decided to leave until I had something to show for it.
The other problem is, in my effort to create something wholly different from what people are expecting, I found myself working so much "against the grain" that it might have been speedier for me to learn how to write a program and do it myself rather than using the RPG Maker 3 software. Because of this realization, the reworking of The God Gene was intended to allow me to work with the software more rather than against it. It will still feature most of my ideas, and some I've come up with in the long haitus from RPG Maker Pavillion, but I've decided to use random battles in SOME places (though always set to the lowest rate of appearance, and treated as special areas where enemies will try to "ambush" you as opposed to you initiating combat) as well as a more traditional level-up system for your party members, while the main character has an all-together different way of increasing strength (in addition to his own leveling up through exp.) as well as obtaining and upgrading different character classes through genetic modification (your other party memebers are either already genitically modified and have lost their taste for it--as it has its dangers--or are simply morally against it).
One class also marks the return of something that was in my original design, then later announced to be cut: Summoned Creatures.
The battles system still features my "momentum" design (with each character attacking in order to gain MP to fuel special attacks) but also makes use of Skills for set-damage attacks that cost nothing (in some cases cost HP) but may miss. For theif skills and other certain abilities available to your party and some devastiting abilities used by enemies, I wanted a chance that they could miss. But don't that because of that, the game won't have any teeth. The challenge factor, I think, if anything, has been ramped up.
The battles have also been sped up from the usual using the "Fast" trick, which may or may not have already been used by now in someone else's game. I have already been asked by a couple of members who wanted to use some of my ideas in their own games, so, at least my useless hyperbole was good for something if my ideas are at least being used.
Desperation moves (formerly known as the Final Fantasy ripoff name of "Limit Breaks") are still there, which each character having three they obtain over the course of the game (your main character, though, has one-to-three depending on his or her current class, as each class has its own Desperation move set, as well as one of two more that is obtained depending on certain factors and choices one makes in the game). Desperation mode can be achieved even if you don't have a move, because it activates once per battle when the character is low on health and fully charges the characters' MP. The Desperation moves use either 250, 500, or 999 mp and range in effectiveness, though are difficult to charge up for without the use of Desperation mode.
Each class also has specific abilities either selectable from their skills menu (the usual "Disarm Traps" or "Encounters Down" abilities with different names) or certain abilities that depend on the context and the situation. (Assasins/Ninjas can kill human targets without going into battle if they don't spot you, priests can pray for healing at certain alters, magic classes can absorb energies in nature for an MP boost, and many many more).
Summoner class can only be used if you tame a Sprit, which is no easy task. Familiar Spirits have their own abilities (which cost no MP), a powerful desperation move, elemental properties, and the ability to obtain new skills that are copies of skills learned in different classes by the main character that he or she passes on to them. They are immune to all status effects. Again, I copied a bit off of Final Fantasy here (specifically, X) and do cost MP. Familiars are summoned outside of battle for a specific amount of time/battles with the difficulty of the fight determining the amount of time the summon loses after battle. One chosen party member will disappear when you summon, providing his or her energy to the task of summoning (their level also determining that familiar's summon time). Your party's entire accumulated MP is also given up when summoning in order to provide the energy needed. The downside of summons are that they are noticably slower, only obtain level upgrades when used (though genetic upgrades also affect them) and attract the attention of enemies and, as such, are subject to the brunt of their assaults.
There is a crafting system that allows you to create new items and weapons. Armor and Accessories represent genetic modifications, however, and the ones you've equipped represent your active "mod", though the others you've obtained are still dormant in your genetic code and may even effect how your character grows in the future. Certain classes allow you access to one or another of the different crafting categories: Certain weapons can be enchanted with items by certain magic classes, mechanical weapon crafting and upgrading for Engineer (as well as the ability to create weapons from junk for their own use as usuable skills in battle), Assasins and Ninjas can permanantly add poisons to steel weapons and arrows, Priests/Healers can make staves out of blocks of different wood and set them with crystals for different effects as well as make poultices and healing herbs, as can Rangers, who also have the ability to craft bows and fletch arrows out of different materials. Some of your party memebers also have these abilities, and you can usually find a capable NPC, though they may need education (in the form of your INT points obtained from battles, quests, and reading materials) in their art as well as access to certain reading materials pertaining to the finer aspects of their profession in order to progress from simple novices to master crafters and allowing you to create the best items out of materials found from quests and enemies.
The materials can also be sold for money, and, if enough of certain materials are sold, then new items will be made from them by Veritas' (the group you are involved with) staff, and can then be bought in bulk from the shops (ripping off Final Fantasy 12's shop system here). It is up to you how you use your items, materials, INT, class abilities, and money.
The space craft/vehicle minigame has evolved into a whole seperate battle system. It is difficult to outline just how I pulled this off. Suffice it to say: A lot of variables, event codes, objects made to represent certain factors (your command station has objects set up in a way to represent such things as a radar when traveling and showing enemy position when engaged in a fight--I use stands with different colored crystals on them for this and it works quite well--as well as a group of colored crystals representing the Armor and Shield vaule of your ship, which disappear as you are hit. You can guess what happens when it hits zero). Ammo doesn't have a visible value, but you'll be notified when it it runs low. Replenish armor and ammo and shields (as well as remove certain status effects such as Fire, Weapon Jamming, Radar Jamming, and Engine Failure) with help from your crew, which works independently of you and can be hired and trained to do their jobs more effectively (you have to pay them and try not to take too many risks or they might leave/demand to be paid more or they will leave).
ARM value can be upgraded. Weapons can be switched out for different ones with different damage levels and effects. This requires money. Shields cannot be upgraded, and the amount of shield power lost when hit depends solely on the effect power of the weapon you are hit with.
NPCs can be hired as crew members and trained (using INT) to perform their tasks better. The can be assigned different roles from repair mechanic (restores ARM, Shield, and removes status effects from whatever sector of the ship is being affected. The greater their proficiency--as well as number--the more of each is restored as they work). Gunners (fires weapons, the better their aim, the more damage they do--you'll need one gunner per weapon you install) and ammunitions expert (reloads weapons and attends to jammed/disabled/destroyed weapons. Even the best expert can only attend to one weapon at a time, so it is best to have more than one if you have a lot of weapons. Weapons that hold fewer rounds cause more work for each ammunitions expert). You'll also need a good cook who, trained with INT and a selction of cookbooks, can supply the crew with much-needed morale, and, supply your party with some delectable treats that have different effects when used. Higher morale makes them less likely to desert you or ask for a raise. The last thing you need is a crew that doesn't eat well.
Vehicle battles happen in real time against vehicles essentially built from cramming large objects together that are visible through the observation deck (also created using objects in the space outside of towns). Enemies and your gunners attack targets relentlessly, and the other crews attend to their jobs automatically, whith you acting as the captain who directs gunners to their targets, decides when and where to move the ship, and decides what parts of the ship that repair mechanics should attend to. These options can be selected at any time. INT is obtained from vehicle battles, and certain scrap parts are obtained, adding them to your collection, or, if they're too cumbersome, sold immediately upon arriving at your destination for cash. In some situations, you can chose to forgo defeating your enemy and offering them terms for their surrender. If you are so inclined, you may be able to board and take what you like, and, in the ultimate act of betrayal, kill those who have surrendered to you when you're done (allowing you to obtain more treasure and the entire ship for scrap parts or added weapons). You may also be able to indimidate rival captains into handing over thier craft and becoming your prisoners. Some enemy crew may even join your crew. Lastly, you can alwasy choose to forcefully board enemy craft, but this almost always ends in bloodshed.
In addition to that, there are context-sensitive and situational commands that will reveal themselves when they are applicable.
If you are boarded by an enemy, it falls to you and your party to engage them directly, however, enemy craft will still be firing upon your craft and your crew will continue usual opperations of attacking and reparing, unless they are killed in indoor skirmishes or by fire and damage to certain parts of the ship (enemies can sometimes fire upon certain sectors, thereby endangering the crew within). If you fail to take out the intruders in time, further damage to the ship or deaths of crewmembers may occur (it might also cause some to wish to leave the crew). Intruders may also spread to different parts of the ship. You can still give orders and communicate with crew via radio stations throughout the ship. You may command them to get out of a dangerous area before they are overwhelmed, but that will leave the area vulnerable to damage, fire, and whatever else might be affecting it. You can also choose to manually aid the crew in their tasks if you are moving about the ship, allowing you to attend to areas at great risk.
Finally, each playable character has a special ability that can be selectable during vehicle battles if they are strapped into a special machine. These abilities are unique to that character and range from destroying shields, restoring vast amounts of armor and shield energy to your craft, to massive area damage. These abilities have a set energy limit and must be selected from a a menu to be used. The effectivness depends on the character's level. You can switch out the ability being used by putting a different character in the machine, though, this is done manually, and the fight will still be raging in the time it takes for one character to run down to the machine and the other to run back to the bridge.
All of the basic systems have been put in place, and much of the beginning and end of the game is complete. It sounds like a lot for the limited data, and it is, but I have discovered many ways to reuse things, event codes, and even characters for multiple purposes and am confident that I will not run out of space. I'm about 67% of space used, and all that is left are some more areas, enemies, story events, and other details to complete existing areas.
The main of the exprience will run about six hours, more if you're thorough, and there are a number of optional tasks surrounding different quests, ship battles, and raids of other ships which will add play time.
Whew. I talked too much. Sorry for all that, but you wanted an update, so here it is. Every sordid detail. You can share this with the others if you like, but as I said, in order to avoid any unecessary hyperbole, I'm staying away from the forum until I have something I feel is complete enough to show for all my earlier bragging.
Thanks again for letting me know someone is still interested in this, and I hope to bring it to you by the end of summer. A friend of mine has a PS3, so it may be available on the PSN network (at least, I think that is possible if I rememeber correctly) as soon as it is done and I can figure out how to work it. Again, thank you.
The main issue has been storyline, which has undergone several restructurings due to a number of changes in the political climate I did not forsee (or did forsee and didn't include). I thought it was important to cover such subjects as the Tea Party movement, civil disobedience, and the role of people in their government VS the lack of influence people have in a political climate dominated by corporate interests.
Rather than simply speaking out against certain things that I find distasteful, I wanted to rework the story so as to put these things in perspective and be as pragmatic and sensible as possible. I aim to put the world we live in into a little more perspective through this, while creating a fun game that does with the software what might not have been thought possible and combines western and eastern RPG sensibilities.
I also feel as though I've matured as a person since starting this game so long ago, and as such, the writing, tone, and setting now reflects that.
I realize, too, that my incessant hyperbole and lack of backing up my claims was annoying some people, so I decided to leave until I had something to show for it.
The other problem is, in my effort to create something wholly different from what people are expecting, I found myself working so much "against the grain" that it might have been speedier for me to learn how to write a program and do it myself rather than using the RPG Maker 3 software. Because of this realization, the reworking of The God Gene was intended to allow me to work with the software more rather than against it. It will still feature most of my ideas, and some I've come up with in the long haitus from RPG Maker Pavillion, but I've decided to use random battles in SOME places (though always set to the lowest rate of appearance, and treated as special areas where enemies will try to "ambush" you as opposed to you initiating combat) as well as a more traditional level-up system for your party members, while the main character has an all-together different way of increasing strength (in addition to his own leveling up through exp.) as well as obtaining and upgrading different character classes through genetic modification (your other party memebers are either already genitically modified and have lost their taste for it--as it has its dangers--or are simply morally against it).
One class also marks the return of something that was in my original design, then later announced to be cut: Summoned Creatures.
The battles system still features my "momentum" design (with each character attacking in order to gain MP to fuel special attacks) but also makes use of Skills for set-damage attacks that cost nothing (in some cases cost HP) but may miss. For theif skills and other certain abilities available to your party and some devastiting abilities used by enemies, I wanted a chance that they could miss. But don't that because of that, the game won't have any teeth. The challenge factor, I think, if anything, has been ramped up.
The battles have also been sped up from the usual using the "Fast" trick, which may or may not have already been used by now in someone else's game. I have already been asked by a couple of members who wanted to use some of my ideas in their own games, so, at least my useless hyperbole was good for something if my ideas are at least being used.
Desperation moves (formerly known as the Final Fantasy ripoff name of "Limit Breaks") are still there, which each character having three they obtain over the course of the game (your main character, though, has one-to-three depending on his or her current class, as each class has its own Desperation move set, as well as one of two more that is obtained depending on certain factors and choices one makes in the game). Desperation mode can be achieved even if you don't have a move, because it activates once per battle when the character is low on health and fully charges the characters' MP. The Desperation moves use either 250, 500, or 999 mp and range in effectiveness, though are difficult to charge up for without the use of Desperation mode.
Each class also has specific abilities either selectable from their skills menu (the usual "Disarm Traps" or "Encounters Down" abilities with different names) or certain abilities that depend on the context and the situation. (Assasins/Ninjas can kill human targets without going into battle if they don't spot you, priests can pray for healing at certain alters, magic classes can absorb energies in nature for an MP boost, and many many more).
Summoner class can only be used if you tame a Sprit, which is no easy task. Familiar Spirits have their own abilities (which cost no MP), a powerful desperation move, elemental properties, and the ability to obtain new skills that are copies of skills learned in different classes by the main character that he or she passes on to them. They are immune to all status effects. Again, I copied a bit off of Final Fantasy here (specifically, X) and do cost MP. Familiars are summoned outside of battle for a specific amount of time/battles with the difficulty of the fight determining the amount of time the summon loses after battle. One chosen party member will disappear when you summon, providing his or her energy to the task of summoning (their level also determining that familiar's summon time). Your party's entire accumulated MP is also given up when summoning in order to provide the energy needed. The downside of summons are that they are noticably slower, only obtain level upgrades when used (though genetic upgrades also affect them) and attract the attention of enemies and, as such, are subject to the brunt of their assaults.
There is a crafting system that allows you to create new items and weapons. Armor and Accessories represent genetic modifications, however, and the ones you've equipped represent your active "mod", though the others you've obtained are still dormant in your genetic code and may even effect how your character grows in the future. Certain classes allow you access to one or another of the different crafting categories: Certain weapons can be enchanted with items by certain magic classes, mechanical weapon crafting and upgrading for Engineer (as well as the ability to create weapons from junk for their own use as usuable skills in battle), Assasins and Ninjas can permanantly add poisons to steel weapons and arrows, Priests/Healers can make staves out of blocks of different wood and set them with crystals for different effects as well as make poultices and healing herbs, as can Rangers, who also have the ability to craft bows and fletch arrows out of different materials. Some of your party memebers also have these abilities, and you can usually find a capable NPC, though they may need education (in the form of your INT points obtained from battles, quests, and reading materials) in their art as well as access to certain reading materials pertaining to the finer aspects of their profession in order to progress from simple novices to master crafters and allowing you to create the best items out of materials found from quests and enemies.
The materials can also be sold for money, and, if enough of certain materials are sold, then new items will be made from them by Veritas' (the group you are involved with) staff, and can then be bought in bulk from the shops (ripping off Final Fantasy 12's shop system here). It is up to you how you use your items, materials, INT, class abilities, and money.
The space craft/vehicle minigame has evolved into a whole seperate battle system. It is difficult to outline just how I pulled this off. Suffice it to say: A lot of variables, event codes, objects made to represent certain factors (your command station has objects set up in a way to represent such things as a radar when traveling and showing enemy position when engaged in a fight--I use stands with different colored crystals on them for this and it works quite well--as well as a group of colored crystals representing the Armor and Shield vaule of your ship, which disappear as you are hit. You can guess what happens when it hits zero). Ammo doesn't have a visible value, but you'll be notified when it it runs low. Replenish armor and ammo and shields (as well as remove certain status effects such as Fire, Weapon Jamming, Radar Jamming, and Engine Failure) with help from your crew, which works independently of you and can be hired and trained to do their jobs more effectively (you have to pay them and try not to take too many risks or they might leave/demand to be paid more or they will leave).
ARM value can be upgraded. Weapons can be switched out for different ones with different damage levels and effects. This requires money. Shields cannot be upgraded, and the amount of shield power lost when hit depends solely on the effect power of the weapon you are hit with.
NPCs can be hired as crew members and trained (using INT) to perform their tasks better. The can be assigned different roles from repair mechanic (restores ARM, Shield, and removes status effects from whatever sector of the ship is being affected. The greater their proficiency--as well as number--the more of each is restored as they work). Gunners (fires weapons, the better their aim, the more damage they do--you'll need one gunner per weapon you install) and ammunitions expert (reloads weapons and attends to jammed/disabled/destroyed weapons. Even the best expert can only attend to one weapon at a time, so it is best to have more than one if you have a lot of weapons. Weapons that hold fewer rounds cause more work for each ammunitions expert). You'll also need a good cook who, trained with INT and a selction of cookbooks, can supply the crew with much-needed morale, and, supply your party with some delectable treats that have different effects when used. Higher morale makes them less likely to desert you or ask for a raise. The last thing you need is a crew that doesn't eat well.
Vehicle battles happen in real time against vehicles essentially built from cramming large objects together that are visible through the observation deck (also created using objects in the space outside of towns). Enemies and your gunners attack targets relentlessly, and the other crews attend to their jobs automatically, whith you acting as the captain who directs gunners to their targets, decides when and where to move the ship, and decides what parts of the ship that repair mechanics should attend to. These options can be selected at any time. INT is obtained from vehicle battles, and certain scrap parts are obtained, adding them to your collection, or, if they're too cumbersome, sold immediately upon arriving at your destination for cash. In some situations, you can chose to forgo defeating your enemy and offering them terms for their surrender. If you are so inclined, you may be able to board and take what you like, and, in the ultimate act of betrayal, kill those who have surrendered to you when you're done (allowing you to obtain more treasure and the entire ship for scrap parts or added weapons). You may also be able to indimidate rival captains into handing over thier craft and becoming your prisoners. Some enemy crew may even join your crew. Lastly, you can alwasy choose to forcefully board enemy craft, but this almost always ends in bloodshed.
In addition to that, there are context-sensitive and situational commands that will reveal themselves when they are applicable.
If you are boarded by an enemy, it falls to you and your party to engage them directly, however, enemy craft will still be firing upon your craft and your crew will continue usual opperations of attacking and reparing, unless they are killed in indoor skirmishes or by fire and damage to certain parts of the ship (enemies can sometimes fire upon certain sectors, thereby endangering the crew within). If you fail to take out the intruders in time, further damage to the ship or deaths of crewmembers may occur (it might also cause some to wish to leave the crew). Intruders may also spread to different parts of the ship. You can still give orders and communicate with crew via radio stations throughout the ship. You may command them to get out of a dangerous area before they are overwhelmed, but that will leave the area vulnerable to damage, fire, and whatever else might be affecting it. You can also choose to manually aid the crew in their tasks if you are moving about the ship, allowing you to attend to areas at great risk.
Finally, each playable character has a special ability that can be selectable during vehicle battles if they are strapped into a special machine. These abilities are unique to that character and range from destroying shields, restoring vast amounts of armor and shield energy to your craft, to massive area damage. These abilities have a set energy limit and must be selected from a a menu to be used. The effectivness depends on the character's level. You can switch out the ability being used by putting a different character in the machine, though, this is done manually, and the fight will still be raging in the time it takes for one character to run down to the machine and the other to run back to the bridge.
All of the basic systems have been put in place, and much of the beginning and end of the game is complete. It sounds like a lot for the limited data, and it is, but I have discovered many ways to reuse things, event codes, and even characters for multiple purposes and am confident that I will not run out of space. I'm about 67% of space used, and all that is left are some more areas, enemies, story events, and other details to complete existing areas.
The main of the exprience will run about six hours, more if you're thorough, and there are a number of optional tasks surrounding different quests, ship battles, and raids of other ships which will add play time.
Whew. I talked too much. Sorry for all that, but you wanted an update, so here it is. Every sordid detail. You can share this with the others if you like, but as I said, in order to avoid any unecessary hyperbole, I'm staying away from the forum until I have something I feel is complete enough to show for all my earlier bragging.
Thanks again for letting me know someone is still interested in this, and I hope to bring it to you by the end of summer. A friend of mine has a PS3, so it may be available on the PSN network (at least, I think that is possible if I rememeber correctly) as soon as it is done and I can figure out how to work it. Again, thank you.
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