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Tears of Serenia


Sire
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12/20/2019 Update

... The situation continues to be unstable which impacts work on Tears of Serenia. As for when the situation will be resolved, it is uncertain at this point in time. Due to the fact Christmas and New Year are also coming up, the next report will be onΒ January 3rd, 2020. I wish I could report better news and actual progress.

As for maps, I already have the layouts for Chapter One and Two ready. It's just the matter of programming all the events in (Talk Dialogues, Enemy Placement & AI, etc.). I also have the layouts for Chapters Six and Nine ready as well.

* * * * *

Project Progression
- Spreadsheets (Behind the Scenes Work)

Priority Tasks
- Skill: Unstoppable (Proper Implementation)
- Level Design: Chapters 1 & 2

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  • 2 weeks later...

1/3/2020 Update

Hope you guys had a Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays) as well as a Happy New Year (or Happy New Decade)! Now that all the merriment is over, it's time to set forward a plan of action for the development of Tears of Serenia.

To recap on progress...
- Chapter 1: Map Design Completed. (All that remains is to work on the dialogue and events for the map, as well as playtesting.)
- Chapter 2: Map Design Completed (At the moment all I have is the terrain and a general idea of how the map will work. However, I'm still not sure if I'm satisfied with the map as making towns in SRPG Studio is difficult with the default tileset. Maybe it'll look better once I actually place some units on the map and play test it.)
- Chapter 3: Concept Phase (At present,Β the idea is that it takes place in the "Creative Corner" section of the Serenes Forest forums. Specifically, the map will be a re-creation of an existing FE map with our heroes acting as the Protagonists. The map may be played straight or "revised" for hilarity purposes. // Currently we have a "Chapter 4" Thracia map and the "Port of Badon" from FE7 as ideas.)
- Chapter 4: Concept Phase (At the moment it takes place in "Far From the Forest." Other the the fact the party fights "Kale K," recruits "Rosie," and is probably a forested map, the design is left pretty open.)
- Chapter 6: Map Design Completed (One of the first maps made for ToS and serves as the "finale" for Arc One. It's meant to be an epic defense chapter and it still needs a ton of work before its playable.)
* * * * *
- Chapter 9: Map Design Completed (Worked on during one of the livestreams which is now lost to time. It also requires the dialogue and events before its playable.)
- Chapter 15: Map Design Completed (I don't remember when I finished this map, but it also needs tons of work.)

As a reminder, IΒ (Sire) am basically the sole developer on this project. While I do ask for ideas on the forums and the Discord, at the end of the day I'm the one who has to write up everything, make sure the code works, and play test everything. The dream is to have the project finished (all 24 main chapters finished and playable) before the end of 2020. Extra content, such as paralogues and supports, is still up in the air.

Now let's see if I can actually finish it before July instead...

* * * * *

Project Progression
-Β None! (It was the holidays man.)

Priority Tasks
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)
- Level Design: Chapters 1 & 2

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take your time, it's alright. if you manage to progress even a little bit during eachΒ week, it's still fine.

and once the early chapters will be ready, people can eventually start testing them as well.

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On β€Ž1β€Ž/β€Ž3β€Ž/β€Ž2020 at 10:22 PM, Sire said:

- Chapter 4: Concept Phase (At the moment it takes place in "Far From the Forest." Other the the fact the party fights "Kale K," recruits "Rosie," and is probably a forested map, the design is left pretty open.)

Why not make it a Fog of War/Nighttime battle. The party having to go through a wooded valley that are lined with some old ruins giving it more of an Ambush feeling when the map begins.

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1/11/2020 Update

Got some progress done on Chapter One before getting hit with the sickness. I was hoping to have Chapter 1 finished this week, but it was not to be so.

* * * * *

Project Progression
-- Chapter One Level Design (Some Progress with Events and Dialogue)

Priority Tasks
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)
- Level Design: Chapters 1

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1/18/2020 Update

The sickness remains. I checked in with a doctor on Wednesday and apparently I have Bronchitis. Not sure if I'm actually getting better or not as I sorta feel the same, but it is what it is.

Needless to say, no progress was made this week.

* * * * *

Project Progression
-- None!

Priority Tasks
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)
- Level Design: Chapters 1

Edited by Sire
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  • 2 weeks later...

@PeonyofLeosa Dreamworld

Manaketes are essentially Dancers/Bards that can transform into Dragons. There is no real transformation sequence (it happens on the map) or any "dancing/singing" animation. (It exists in combat art, but I don't know how to get it to work via ability.)

The purple text usually means something is incomplete, such as missing portraits. Manaketes are in purple a I'm still unsure on how exactly to handle them balance wise as it will likely change as development progresses.

* * * * *

2/1/2020 Update

It's been two weeks since the last update, and that's mostly because I rather make an update where I have something to show instead of saying "Sorry, I got nothing." I still got nothing.

While I have recovered from the illness over time, my family members are still stricken by it and I've been helping them with what they need. In my off-time I've been playing other games and dabbling in a different project as I try to sort out how to work with Tears of Serenia.

So, due to the lack of progress thus far, I'll going to do a Livestream at 6:00 PM, US Central, atΒ https://www.twitch.tv/sirmarcuscalibur. The focus will be on finishing Chapter 1 and maybe I'll work a bit on Chapter 2 as well depending on how things go. The stream will last for at least 2 hours, although it could go for much longer.

Hopefully all goes well!

Project Progression
-- None...

Priority Tasks
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)
- Level Design: Chapters 1

Edited by Sire
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2/10/2020 Update

Surprise! Updates will now be done on MondaysΒ instead of Fridays, as it seems I get the most chances to actively work on Tears of Serenia during the weekends. It makes little sense to write a report on Friday only to make progress on Saturday and/or Sunday.

Also, I'll be streaming ToS progress each Sunday at 8:00 PM, US Central Time, at my Twitch channel. What will be shown will be depend on the project's progression. I know it's not the most interesting thing to watch (trying to see a man wondering about what a character would say or what the map looks like can be boring), but it's there nonetheless.

That aside, Chapter One is finally finished and playable. At the moment it's undergoing testing in the Discord, but I'll probably make a public release every 3 chapters or so.

Hopefully things continue to go somewhat smoothly, although the Three Houses DLC will likely devour all ofΒ my time...

* * * * *

Project Progression
-- Chapter One Finished!
-- Delved into some Music for the upcoming chapters and the like.

Priority Tasks
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)
- Level Design: Chapter 2

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2/17/2020 Update

During the stream I finished the map design for Chapter 13, "The Banlands." It is ToS' take on FE Desert maps.

Other than that, I did some minor backend work on the spreadsheets and the main project.

* * * * *

Project Progression
- Chapter 13, Map DesignΒ Finished
-Β 
Some Backend Work Done

Priority Tasks
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)
- Level Design: Chapter 2

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2/23/2020 Update

No stream last week, as well as no progression. I wanted to make the maps for Chapters 3 & 4, but a family emergency arose and I've been dealing with that instead.

The upcoming week has some doctor visits, among other things. We'll see if I'll be able to get back on track soon.

* * * * *

Project Progression
- None...

Priority Tasks
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)
- Level Design: Chapter 2

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3/2/2020 Update

During the stream I did the map design for Chapter 11, which is the Citadel Outskirts of the Banhammer Citadel. Off-stream, I also did the map designs for Chapters 3, 4, & 5, while doing the final revamp of Chapter 2. So yeah, a bunch of maps were made last week!

Of course, I still need to get around to the level design and actually making the maps playable.
- - - - -
As for the tentative development schedule, it is as follows...
- March: Arcs 1 & 2
- April: Arc 3
- May: Arc 4

So, if everything goes well, Tears of Serenia should be "finished" sometime in May. As development can be unpredictable, however, these remain just as estimates and plans.

Finally, as an aside, if you haven't submitted a portrait yet, please do so at your earliest convenience (especially if you are an early recruit!). Otherwise your character will be using a SRPG Studio default portrait.

* * * * *

Project Progression
- Map Design: Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 11

Priority Tasks
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)
- Level Design: Chapter 2
- Put Something Else In Priority Tasks

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3/9/2020 Update

No progress made last week, and there was no stream either.

Things continue to be unpredictable. We'll see how this week will go!

* * * * *

Project Progression
- None!...

Priority Tasks
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)
- Level Design: Chapter 2
- Put Something Else In Priority Tasks

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3/16/2020 Update

I worked on the Character Spreadsheet earlier last week and finalized the base stats and growth rates for player characters. I was hoping to get around to porting the information over into the game's database proper, but sadly that did not come to pass.

Also, during the stream yesterday I finished Maps 7 & 12, with map 12Β also having enemy placements done. The only maps that remain to be made for Part One are maps 8Β & 10.

The plan is still to try and finish "Part One" (Arcs 1 & 2) before March ends, but considering last week was dead I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it. It's definitely doable, but we'll see how things progress from here.

* * * * *

Project Progression
- Map DesignΒ forΒ 7 & 12 Finished
- Character Spreadsheet Finished
Β (All Playable Characters have their base stats and growths now.)

Priority Tasks
- Finish Arcs 1 & 2 before the end of March.
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)

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Exciting that things are moving forward! If there's anything I could possibly do to help, all you have to do is ask.

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3/23/2020 Update

Yeah, the "finish before March" estimate is seeming more and more unlikely. Issues came up during the middle of last week as well as the "Stream Sunday," so not much was able to be done.

However, I did manage to do Enemy Placement for chapters 2 & 4. If things go well, maybe at least Arc 1 will beΒ done before the month's end (6 chapters). I'll just have to try to finish Arcs 2 & 3 during April if I want to stay on pace to finish everything in May.

Where's the power to control time when you need it?

* * * * *

Project Progression
- Enemy PlacementΒ for 2Β & 4Β Finished

Priority Tasks
- Finish ArcΒ 1Β before the end of March.
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)

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Just wondering, how do you even play SRPG studio games? I'd love to playtest, and if I get the chance, I'd like to be ready for it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

4/13/2020 Update

So, I'm not even sure what's all been done since the last proper report. Heck, it's apparently been a whole month!

Besides the consistent delays and other things getting in the way, I have also been focusing my efforts elsewhere (mainly the Youtube Channel I run). Also, I must admit that while I do want to finish Tears of Serenia, it has been put on the backburner when compared to my other projects. While its entirely possible that some miracle may occur and I can still meet the May "goal" of finishing the project, that is looking almost impossible as the other goals have not been met (finishing Arc 1 in Feb, 2 in March, and 3 in April).
-- I am also thinking about joining a D&D group which will further impact progress of ToS.Β 

The hardest part about the project is getting the character portrayals right as well as balancing. At the moment sword-users seem heavily underpowered compared to other classes due to their low STR growths, but other than that the project itself isn't that difficult to work on. It is simply finding the time and motivation to work on it.
-- Whenever I attempt to make time in my schedule to work, something else comes up.
-- Whenever I have free time, motivation to work on ToS is not present, making it difficult to make worthwhile progress. (Instead, I may be motivated to work on a different project or just need to take a break.)
-- I basically work on a "flow" system, or a biorhythm of sorts. Should that be interrupted (which is almost all the time), it is difficult to utilize creativity and focus it towards a project. It can take days or weeks for things to stabilize which may equate to maybe one or two good days of production before everything goes haywire again.
-- "Forcing" work is not effective as I essentially just shut down entirely.

With that in mind, the weekly updates will now be changing to monthly updates. If there is something interesting to announce before the monthly report, then it shall be done. In addition, the weekly streams have also been canceled, although if a stream is to be had, it'll be announced on the Discord.Β Lastly, since it's been a while and I don't remember what all has taken place, here's a quick roundup of what all has been done so far.

* * * * *

Project ProgressionΒ (Totals)
- Map Designs Finished:Β Chapters 1-13 & 15 [Main Game Total: 24 Chapters]
- Enemy Placement Finished: Chapters 1-5, 12
- Maps Playable: Chapter 1
- Playable Characters: 30 Total

Priority Tasks
- Do Something, Anything
- Skill: UnstoppableΒ (Proper Implementation)

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