Dungeons and Tavern update and skill suggestions (Patreon)

Hey all, just a progress update on the game, it's technically playable but I highly suspect playing it now would result in more harm than good. Anyway, here's a quick update on what's going on, what's done and what will soon be added and what's changed:

Progression:

So instead of having y'all go into dungeons and killing things for seemingly no reason, there will now be multiple towns, which is kinda problematic when it comes to design, but I'll go into it more later. Anyway, there will now be multiple towns which you will find different characters in, each of the towns will be facing their own issues which in turn affect the ingredients and materials that your Tavern needs to improve, so you'll be heading in to help solve their issues so you can get your tavern back on track. It should also provide a clear storyline and give everyone opportunities to see how each of your party members will interact/respond, which hopefully makes them feel more alive. Garnet will still play a similar role though haha.

I am also thinking of adding a "permit system" where you will be able to increase the number of party members allowed on your team by progressing the story. Cause with these changes, it feels like bringing 2 members might be too little, and having like 8 members seem excessive. I'm thinking that we'll probably cap it at 5 members in total, but again, do let me know what you guys think, cause on my end it seems like an interesting way to reward progression, but I don't know if y'all would think it's "unnecessary gatekeeping", so yeap yeap, do let me know!

Maps: 3/5 complete (for first release)

So, jumping right into the map situation, I'm having actual pros make the maps this time, it's a bit weird probably, and might seem like a waste of money, but I think having the right aesthetics will help improve the mood and experience when y'all play the game! So I do think it will be worth it. Main question is if I should make it 2.5D (kinda like Octopath Traveller styled maps), which requires a bit more tweaking, but I dunno. Let me know what you guys think tho! Currently we're sticking with 2D maps.

Character and skill changes

So since we're in a more "experienced" engine, the options for skills are greatly increased, which mostly means I can put in more complexed skills in less time. So I'll quickly go through the skill list of each class:

Main character:

-Physical attacker
-Buffs
-Minor healing

The main character will be a bit of the jack of all trades, he'll mostly have access to some minor physical skills, some first aid, and most importantly buffs in the form of songs. He'll be able to buff the party which generally lets him fit in any party composition, since y'all will always have him in the party.

Archer (Iva):

-Physical attacker
-Minor magic

Iva will be a character that specialises in physical attacks, her skills will allow her to attack multiple times in a row by firing arrows. And due to her Elvish constitution, she will have access to very weak forms of magic, but her main gimmick will still be physical attacks. As her level goes higher, she will be able to fire more arrows in a go, though it comes at a cost of more stamina and lower accuracy. Having her in your team gives you the passive ability to locate useful plants!

Thief (Garnet):

-Physical attacker
-Status inflictor(?)

As a thief, garnet will have access to skills that focuses on debuffs, she will be able to inflict statuses on enemies, making the fight easier for you. She will also have access to skill that debuff enemies, making them less of a threat. The main reason that most of y'all would want her on the party would probably be her passive, which increases the number of drops and items you obtain while she's in the party.

Tank (???):

-Tank
-Minor buffs
-Physical attacker

I'm guessing y'all can probably guess who this character is, but well, just in case you don't I'm gonna keep it a secret for now haha. The tank will have the unique ability to provoke enemies, which makes them significantly more likely to be targeted, bringing the pain away from the frailer party members. At higher levels, they will even learn skills that allows them to counter attack. Having her in the party gives you a passive defense buff!

Healer (???):

-Healer
-Light Magic

You guys probably also know who this character is haha. The healer, well, heals. She will have skills that allow you to heal injured party members and at higher levels, even allow you to revive them after they're knocked out in battle. They will also have access to light magic, which is effective against the undead! With them in your party, your party will be teleported to safety via the Goddess's Blessing, so no more instant game overs if you lose! (Unless it's certain boss fights...)

Mage(???):

-Elemental magic
-Chuunibyou

Now this is an actual character that y'all don't know, hahaha. Anyway, as a mage, she will be able to provide a range of elemental magic for your party to use! So you will be able to exploit the enemy's elemental weakness. With her in your team, you will get a passive magic attack buff.

Barbarian/Berserker (???):

-Physical damage
-Very high physical damage

Going back to our roots, the Barbarian will be a physical attacker. What makes her a bit unique is that she will have access to berserk, a skill that increases her attack, but you will no longer be able to control her until the end of the battle. She will also have skills that allow her to deal damage to multiple enemies. Having her in the party increases your attack!

Secret character 1 (???):

-Magic skills
-Physical attack

This character has both physical and magical attacks. They are more or less a hybrid attacker, though they might not look like what you would expect. When they're in your party, you will get access to to extra minerals in the map!

Sprite art

As it was with Nano-control, we will be getting custom sprites made as well, though our schedule is a bit off due to the amount of sprites we're getting. We'll mostly be getting one set for each of the main cast, as well as some of the NPCs, some important NPCs will also get custom sprites, we're a bit behind schedule cause I kinda underestimated the time taken for the sprites to be made, but they will be in a "semi-realistic/chibi" fashion. Not sure quite how to describe it. Though I would like to mention that it's best to expect palceholder sprites for some of the NPCs when the first release is out.

So yeap yeap, I would definitely appreciate some feedback, especially in terms of skills for the characters and/or the renewed system we have. Do let me know if there are skills or features you would like to see added/removed in the game!