Balmung Cycle Part I: The Messenger and the Heretic Options

[Magi]

Sorry! I messed up, so here is a rar file that should fix the encountered problem(s): http://www.rpgmaker.net/~magi/archives/database_fixes.rar Drop these files off in the base directory, choosing to overwrite pre-existing ones. If you haven't already downloaded the game, just download it like normal. It has been updated.

While I know RR is primarily an RMXP/VX community, I felt compelled to share my project with those who may be interested. Though 2003 is inferior in many ways, development still takes time. I've spent the last few years creating this project and smoothing out all the bumps. I'm making no claims that it's perfect as of now, but I've spent months just on the process of debugging and re-assessing the overall balance of the game. As always, many resources included are previously unreleased, but they're free for anybody to take and use without giving any credit. After all, why give credit for ripped graphics anyway?

So what makes this game special? Over the months of development I've strived and collaborated with different people to create a classic SNES RPG feel. Unlike many RPG Maker games, it has a high level of graphical consistency that binds everything together into a complete package. It's for this reason that I've often jokingly called my game "Treasure of the Rudras 2", and I'm sure if Square actually cared it'd be a lawsuit waiting to happen! The overall length of this game is around 6-8 hours.

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Story
An outcast god consumed by despair threatens to bring the world of Midgard to its knees. Aided by a ragtag group of volunteer soldiers-of-fortune and a small loyal following, he aims to establish his kingdom once more. When reason and diplomacy with the outcast deity fail, the Aesir god Loki prepares to make a final bid to halt the ambitions of the heretic. What will become of the world should he be unable to succeed?

You are Blitz Ymir, a disconnected servant to the Aesir. The god Loki has offered you a limited freedom if only you were to complete a simple task in his name. When past obligations become personal choice, will you choose to live a menial life or continue to take up the sword in the name of the gods?

Key Features
-Modified DBS, third place winner of the GW 2005 code-off battle system division
-Single consistent graphical style that always feels like you are playing the same game
-An original score not composed of commercial game music
-RPG fare gameplay reminiscent of the classic SNES era: Secrets, mini games, dungeons, puzzles, and more!
-Duel system radically unlike any you've seen before! (A reaction skill based system instead of the standard rock/paper/scissor)
-Utilizes weapon attributes to expand battle strategies.

Download Here (14MB)
Download Mirror (Truthabout521.org)
1.1 Game Patch (Only necessary if you've already downloaded the game)
1.1 Game patch mirror (Truthabout521.org)
Project Page

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Screenshots:




Primary Characters:

Blitz Ymir: The Einherjar most favored by the god Loki. He has been entrusted with a mission that cannot be revealed to any other god or goddess of Asgard. Blitz has a distinct manner of speech that would suggest he once a man of high stature, however cannot recall the person he had once been. Labeled as a follower incapable of free thought, he chooses to reject everything in favor of orders. Is there more to him than that?

Elm Damascus: A spry girl that seems to possess significant knowledge of the Aesir and their world. She appears to know Loki through some past event, but neither her nor Loki are quick to reveal just what that is. She is best described as gentle on the outside and turbulent on the inside. Often insecure, she will try to cling to whatever she can to bring stability back into her world.

Alrick Munin: A wholly incompetent archaeologist who seems to destroy anything he uncovers. Having cost the Roska excavation guild over 200,000 kune in defecit, he is likely to be forcefully employed for the rest of his life. Snide, loud, and obnoxious, Alrick is easy to find in a crowd; simply follow the angry mob.

Valkyrie Skuld: Newly appointed in the absence of the superior Valkyrie Sigrun, Skuld is an inexperienced chooser of the slain who has a terrible tendency to overestimate her own abilities. Despite that, her confidence is backed up by experience and the determination befitting of a god.

Hod: An accursed Aesir who has fallen from grace, he seems to be devoutly loyal to Loki. Exiled forever from Asgard, he must continuously wander the human world of Midgard or risk death for his heinous crimes against the god of light. He maintains a very cold and distant personality and is especially reckless and aggressive. Hod has a habit of coming and going as he pleases.

Other Characters:

Loki: Known as the trickster god for infamous acts of deception, Loki prides himself as the only being truly in control of his own fate. He has been known to openly rebel against Odin, however has remained untouchable up until now. Is he a man of good intentions, or is there a darker face behind the mask?

Freyja: A human girl who takes her name from an Aesir goddess. Little is known of Freyja aside from the fact that she was somehow involved with Loki some time ago.

Boss Regin: The undisputed head of the Roska excavation guild. He is a mentor to Blitz and had once planned on naming him the inheritor of the title Guild Master. Though old, he is quite energetic.

Lyte Ocharus: A solitary schoolteacher who tends to children that have become orphaned in the village of Visgott. He appears to have been conducting his own investigation of the region's mysterious illness that has claimed countless lives.

Magistrate Arianrhod: A government official of Grand Novellium that has been appointed with the task of carrying out the official investigation of the Visgott incident. A staunch skeptic, he isn't often willing to listen to anybody's advice aside from his own.

Siegfried: Siegfried was a famed, albeit stubborn scholar who refused to give up alchemy in all the light of scientific evidence against its existence. An ill-fated experiment is said to have finished him off long ago, however his legacy haunts the land to this day.

Viscount Halfdan Andhrimnir: An internal power struggle for the crown decimated both vying sides, leaving the minor noble family of Andhrimnir the only faction with enough influence to ascend to the throne. A young ruler, Halfdan is not only popular but also mild mannered, kind, and considerate. However, even a man such as himself has his enemies; some of his political opponents have claimed Halfdan to have resigned his soul to the lady Hel for a glimpse at Niflheim, however such a farfetched story couldn't be true, could it?

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If you happen to have any questions about the features of the game and how to play it, there is a thread with a more complete explanation on the gameplay mechanics and what they mean here.
* * * * * *

For those that still cling to RPG Maker 2000/2003, I hope to motivate and inspire with this game, as previous games and people in the community have inspired me (Velsarbor, Barkley: Shut up and Jam, Freedom Fries, Forgotten Origin, Legion Saga). For those who like the face sets and music used in Balmung Cycle, you can find find them here:

TKOOL-KOOL (Face sets)
Cyber Rainforce (Music) - Please be conservative with what you download. It is a Geocities site and has low bandwidth.

Enjoy, I'll be updating this entry with more information as it comes to mind. If you find something you suspect to be a bug, don't hesitate to PM me about it.

This post has been edited by Holder_of_Life: Jul 7 2008, 08:30 PM

[Ratty524]

Well... They're allowed, and some people still play them.

This seems to be a very interesting project. I'll consider giving it a try later.

[Ourihemai]

Cool Chipsets. Mind sharing them? I use RM2k3 sometimes.

[The Wanderer]

After the demo battle with Loki, the textbox is transparent.

[Magi]

As I've mentioned in the original post, it's fine to take whatever you want. I don't ask for credit either.

I've also released a patch that fixes some problems people have pointed out. This isn't an absolutely essential fix, but it should improve gameplay.
Fixes:
-Minor glitches during the Rasvelga battle
-Transparent textbox error encountered after choosing to view the tutorial battle
-Several face set inaccuracies
-Attack frequency of cut skill is lessened/Attack power reduced
-Issues with Mirkwood cobweb sidequest

Edit: Great, now my primary host went down. Here's a mirror link to the game as well as the patch:
Download Mirror (Truthabout521.org)
Database patch mirror (Truthabout521.org)

This post has been edited by Magi: Jun 21 2008, 03:00 AM

[The Wanderer]

Mind saying where the facesets are on that page you linked us to? I can see the images of two of them well enough, but not much more of that.

[Magi]

I think I mistakenly linked to the creator's blog instead. Here is the actual website:

http://www112.sakura.ne.jp/~saian/tkool-kool/main.html

[adelaidechoc]

Seems great. Old-school type, but it is neat and good-looking
I'm grabbing it, play it after my mid-test (tomorrow). And put my comments later.

[demonlord5000]

This has caught my interest. Being the explorative person I am on games, you can expect me to give ya some good comments when im done lol.

Found a bug. You can use the number 2 key as a shortcut to activate explosion, but doing so causes the game to lag. Also I didnt see a map come up when I pressed one. Im in the first dungeon.

[GoldenGriffon]

THIS looks like a good game. You presented it quite well, the character descriptions were especially fun to read through.

Snide, loud, and obnoxious, Alrick is easy to find in a crowd; simply follow the angry mob.

This part made me chuckle.

This is one of the games I'm bookmarking and will be sure to try out when I get the chance. The mapping looks good and the story interests me. Nice work here.

[demonlord5000]

Yea its pretty good, but I cant figure out the puzzle in the first dungeon to get a hidden item. Its like the only thing I havnt gotten in that dungeon. Its like a 3 pillar, 4 buttons thing. Im pretty sure im doing it right, but I have yet to make a chest appear in that noticeable area.

It wasnt either one of those, so im assuming im missing something. I tried a few combinations. I solved it, I overlooked something so obvious. I really hate the dark forest. (thats not the name of the forest, but its what i know it as)

The duel system was nice but it took me a bit that in some cases you didnt wanna hit the exact mark, for greater distance. Also the fact I thought it was a race to get stamina down to 0, rather than controlling all the ground.

[excallos]

I've played the Demo of this Game A long long time ago.
And it's inspired me a lot. This game is amazing, and now that it's updated I really have to try it.
This looks impressive. When I played this game a long time ago it has season and stuff...

[Flamehawk27]

What system did you use to make the facesets?

[DerKomet]

I'm not too fond of RM games that are based on norse mythology... I leave that to commercial games best, however, how you executed this game was well done... I am dying at first haha, since I can't recover much HP after attacking, and got killed by some guy past the part in the forest where you get a "dart" in a treasure chest. Hey, submit this game to the main site so the review team can give it's proper review. So far, looking good for the most part. And the introduction was neat, as well the mapping on the game. Fast paced battle is good too... I'm glad you noted that, cause I hate slow games.

EDIT: By the way.. I pressed the "2" on my keyboard, and immediately the game started lagging a lot... while at the same time when you press 2, you hear a sound as if something happens, but I don't see anything changing besides the lagging that makes the game slow, yet I can't turn it back off even if I press the same key. Do you have a manual and explanation of what these keys mean? I read most of the stuff you have out there, however, still don't seem to find any concrete info about those keys. And what does the 2 on your keyboard do?

[ReokoD]

I'm also stuck on the secret puzzle in the first dungeon. I've been trying it for about ten minutes, and I don't get it. Any help to offer?

EDIT: Actually, I also can't find the second key to the boss' lair either. Can anyone offer any assistance in that area?

This post has been edited by ReokoD: Jul 24 2008, 10:39 AM

[demonlord5000]

I would tell ya the answer, but im kinda far past that now and I dont remember. As for the puzzle, its a requirement to beat the dungeon. Im in a far more annoying part that you cant even imagine. Ive been stuck in a forest (im in the lvl 20s, so yea late game) and its really really hard to get through.

[DerKomet]

Well I cannot help anyone out... the creator of this game only posted a thread and just bounced... without providing at least a proper short walkthrough... I think he's an active member in gamingw, so I'll suggest you go talk to him there.

[Rikashiku]

wow i have chipsets and character faces and sprites like those.

well i got like 600 haha. like 70 of the ones i own are actually mine. the rest i got from games and made small projects with them.

But this game looks worth my time.

Story seems good. the part about the god actually remind me of a story i write afew years ago when i was little.

and i love the sound of that Duel system.

=] i gives to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9.9/10 =]

[Magi]

I wasn't aware this project was still being discussed here. I'll make an effort to check RPG Revolution periodically.

Regarding the 1 and 2 keys
These were mostly an afterthought and I apologize for their less than useful performance for many people. These are both quick keys that make certain tasks easier for the player.
- 1 brings up a quick and dirty map of the current dungeon without having to access it through the menu, but under certain circumstances will sometimes fail. I've tried fixing this numerous times in various patches, but the problem always seems to persist. I think this has to do with some key input conflicts, but considering it works 50% of the time, it's been hard to find out exactly where the problem lies.

- The 2 key allows you to instantly use the last utility spell that was cast. I actually haven't had anybody report problems with this function anywhere else, but I'm glad an issue was brought to attention here. After reviewing the events that make up this shortcut command, I've been unable to determine where the issue lies. I'd likely need to test it on a slower system, which is something I don't have access to at this time.

I'm also stuck on the secret puzzle in the first dungeon. I've been trying it for about ten minutes, and I don't get it. Any help to offer?

What room are you referring to? The puzzle most people have reported to be unreasonably difficult is the pillar puzzle because the hint given was worthless. In recent versions I've changed the hint and made it much easier to solve. Try downloading the latest patches to solve this. I'd also like to note you need two keys to open the boss room. The first key is located in the room with the pillar puzzle, and the second is located through a doorway in the upper right corner of the split level maze.

Im in a far more annoying part that you cant even imagine. Ive been stuck in a forest (im in the lvl 20s, so yea late game) and its really really hard to get through.

What is your opinion of the timers in the forest? Do they feel too short to you, or is the battle difficulty too high?

Here are some general area tips and solutions for people who want extra help:

Yggdrasil Spring
The dreaded pillar puzzle solution:
( 1 ) ( 3 )


( 4 ) ( 2 )
Since there is not a fourth pillar, you must stand on the final switch.

Forest of Noatun
- Gloria is the most important logia verse to have for this area. Most monsters save for brilights are weak to it in some way. If you don't have an astral weapon that is required to equip this, remember that Skuld's base attribute is astral, meaning while fighting unarmed she can use astral skills like Gloria.
- The Phantom Trio are hiding in the furthest corners of the forest. The first two are south of the river on the east and western edges of the forest, the last is in the far northern areas.
- Don't hesitate to backtrack to relight torches when the timer is running out. Monsters won't spawn again until you leave the forest.

Phantasmagician Manor
- The tackling arbiters will force you into a pit that drops you to the floor below. They aren't hard to dodge, but there are a couple goodies that you can pick up if you land in certain areas.
- Save for a globe of light around the player, the basement is completely dark. Look for unlit torches to help you navigate the switch maze.

Ginnungagap
- Stock up on items, this is the last area.

[DerKomet]

Magi, good thing that you answered finally. As for the forest part, I'm not there yet... but the timers could use some tuning, as I played demonlord's save file and noticed they run down too fast... as well the battles are really hard, that blue woman that floats is really hard to beat. And also it would be great to lower the encounter rate at least in that specific dungeon.

Also what are your thoughts of submitting this game to the main site?