Galv 1,387 Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) NOTE: This is the old project thread. To find current one under new management please go to: http://www.rpgmakercentral.com/topic/38940-tobys-island/#entry273360 Welcome to Toby’s Island - a commercial game being developed by Ben Chambers (Galv) and Matt Beer (erm… Matt Beer). Toby’s Island is a 2D RPG adventure involving monster-raising, town-building and exploration - enhanced by a blend of randomized and controlled story events! You play as a young boy with a heavy burden unknowingly forced upon him - to fulfill the task set by his ancestor of removing evil from the island. To do so you will explore the island meeting new spirit companions, raising monsters from eggs to fight alongside you and gathering resources for building and crafting - all while facing an assortment of beneficial or dangerous (both random and planned) challenges. This project is currently in early stages of development and looking for critique on how we are doing so far. If you find it interesting please support us by following our twitter or facebook! Story Synopsis Long ago in a lost chapter of history, man worked together with powerful beasts known as “Unthinkableâ€. There was balance in time and space - a harmony between man, beast and the world that people of today could only imagine. The world was as it should be... a gleaming perfection where together they created wonders. As they witnessed the dawn of man, the Unthinkable saw man’s lack of foresight and potential for destroying the land as well as themselves. Through their great wisdom they decided co-existence was key to nurturing a beautiful world. This relationship became mutually beneficial as man created artefacts to honor the benevolence of the Unthinkable - artefacts that acted as conduits of magic that enhanced their power. One Unthinkable, a beast with power greater than the rest combined, did not agree with this union and saw man as a plague... a spreading virus that relied on his kind for sustainability. He sought to cull the human race along with any Unthinkable that would sympathize with them. He became known as the “Dark One†and his shadow quickly spread across the lands. Man and Unthinkables joined forces to fight against the Dark One in a horrific battle of wasted life. In an act of desperation during their losing struggle, a powerful wizard from the forces of man agreed to sacrifice himself alongside the remaining Unthinkable Elders to use the last of their magic and seal the Dark One deep within a now uncharted island. This seal would not hold forever, however, so the human wizard decreed that his lineage would forever be fated to return to the island. Generation after generation, guided back to the island by the wizard’s vow, to chip away at the shackled Dark One so that one day it’s evil might be removed from the world once and for all... Toby A young boy who dabbles in inventing and enjoys his Grandfather’s stories of adventure and fantasy. He often finds himself lost in his wild imagination, much to his father’s disapproval. Kira A mysterious girl... where did she come from? Why is she here? Piff A strange little creature who randomly appears and disappears to help or hinder Toby. His motives not yet known other than to be a crazy little thing that sometimes offers bad advice to Toby just to get itself a laugh. ??? Another mysterious figure whom might dress like a detective crossed with a bounty hunter... Unthinkable Giant creatures of varying shapes, sizes and strength. They are stone-like in appearance and covered in glowing runic texts, capable of magics that are enhanced by man-made artefacts. Lost Lingering spirits known as the Lost. They posses living things they come into contact with and can be used in a controlled possession when present during a rebirth. The Dark One A god-like Unthinkable, thought to be the last of it’s kind, sealed beneath the island struggling to break free. Shattered Unintelligent creatures only found on this uncharted island. Fragments of the Dark One’s physical form roaming around knowing only frustration and anger. Ferrals Other creatures that dwell on the island that have more intelligence - most of which can speak. Some say these creatures lived on the island before the Dark One was sealed there and while some took it upon themselves to help Toby’s ancestors with their task, others agreed with his evil ambitions. View some early ferral designs: Environments Menu Screens Battle Other Town Map Fully custom-made art, graphics and scripts! Much love has been put into the game by crafting graphics and scripts to make it as unique and visually pleasing as we can! This includes many animations for everything Toby does, as well as all sorts of subtle additions to make your play through as flavorful as possible. Raise your monsters! Love to raise monsters? We do! In Toby’s Island you can hatch your monsters from eggs and how they grow will be up to you… will you choose a spiritual approach to combat? Or take a more aggressive one? Whichever road you choose will change not only the way your creature fights, but will also have an effect on its appearance. Restore and upgrade a village! Gather resources while out adventuring that will allow you to fix and upgrade buildings in your town. Each building upgraded will open up more options and features to help Toby in his quest. Classic sideview combat! With a fully custom sideview combat system and an action sensitive camera we mix the classic side view RPG battles with a few changes of our own. Look out wussy monster trainers, Toby joins in the fight alongside up to 3 creature pals at once! But be careful - with limited inventory and only Toby being able to use items on his party you better use them wisely! Roguelike features! Toby’s Island is not a roguelike but every time you venture forth from your camp, you will encounter random special events, characters, treasures, enemies and more delightfully unexpected (and sometimes dangerous) scenarios. We want every trip to surprise you in new ways! Tools, actions and puzzles! Toby will find or build a variety of tools that will help him gain access to new areas or solve puzzles on the island. Some actions he will be forced to do include pushing/pulling, using grappling hooks, chopping vines, lighting up dark areas, swimming, mining, chopping, negotiating and so much more, oh god, the more! There’s so much of it! We love mini games! We will include a bunch of fun mini games, like cruising over desert sands on a sail-powered contraption Toby built himself. Where did he learn to build one of those you might ask? The internet! (we didn’t actually ask him). No gameovers! If Matt had his way with you, dying would delete your saved game and burn down your house and make your mouth taste like gym socks! But Galv, he hates gameover screens and believes burning down houses is not a very fun gameplay feature. You will not see one in Toby’s Island (unless you get to the end of course... right?) so all that experience you gained on your day exploring the island is yours to keep! You might lose a bunch of items from your bag but with your trusty lost-and-found friend you might have a chance to collect it back. Under construction! Toby’s Island is still in early development and we are open to new ideas that we might be able to include (depending on what our funds will allow us to do). With a kickstarter planned for March, we hope to bring to life all of our ideas (and hopefully some of yours, too!) Building/growing/crafting Toby's Island won't be your typical RPG where the player travels from town to town battling monsters. Toby must build up his own town using resources he gathers from the wild (chopping logs, mining ore, etc.). Each building he restores gives him benefits that will help him on his quest. Toby will also be able to grow or collect food, ingredients and other items that can be used in potion making and crafting. As Toby only has limited space in his backpack you might find yourself sacrificing items for others during the day out, but fixing up Toby’s storage house will allow him to stash his goods back home. Day by day Each day the player will help Toby pack his bag with items, have a hearty breakfast and set out to explore the island. While out and about trying to complete his quest he may encounter random scenarios - beneficial ones, humorous ones, horrific ones or OH GOD RUN TOBY RUN ones. Toby will only last a certain amount of time away from his island home without food, so be sure to gather some or stock up before you go if you want to remain exploring for longer. Once the time limit is up (gotta go home for dinner!) Toby will return to sleep so he is ready for the next day out. Crops planted, eggs placed in the hatchery, creature aging - all progress with each passing day. Toby will be able to construct 'waypoints' so he can start his long day of exploration from the various points around the island. Lost spirits During Toby's adventures he will meet Lost spirits. Toby can hatch Ferral eggs and inject them with these spirits to fight alongside him as companions to complete his goal. Each spirit has different abilities and stat bonuses that will apply to the Ferral they currently possess and can be rebirthed into different Ferrals under the right circumstances. Rebirthing is beneficial to spirits as they continue to grow in power. Spirits will act as main characters you get to meet and learn to love with unique personalities and detailed back stories. This allows us as devs to give you permanent characters even though you can change your monsters as often as you like! Ferrals These are the monsters you raise as your companions that fight beside Toby using spiritual or aggressive skills. Depending on how you make your Ferral act in battle will determine if it grows up into a spiritual form or a form of rage (both of which will have different strengths, weaknesses and abilities). Ferrals cannot use items and must rely on Toby to use them from his backpack to help in battles. They also don't age near the town's crystal, so only Ferrals that venture out on the island will grow older. Puzzles Toby will encounter many puzzles on his journey that will require him to use tools such as the grappling gun, axe, pick, lighter, machete, etc. as well as pushing/pulling objects and more. Credits may change as development progresses Scripting Galv Yanfly Yami Tsukihime Moghunter Rokan and Kirin Lone Wolf Neon Black Enterbrain Graphics Matt Beer Galv Celianna Enterbrain Story and gameplay Matt Beer Galv Music and sound Matt Beer Soungle Jonnie91 Enterbrain Fishing demonstration Early alchemy system demonstration OTHER VIDEOS Early farming demonstration (updated April 2014) The beginnings of a desert board script Lore Summary Early Development Tech Demo Interview Battle Demonstration - Early Development Title Screen animation Old Tech Demo Project Support If you'd like to support this project please follow our social networks: Toby's Island is in Steam Greenlight doing quite well, so if you would like to see this project on steam, please vote for it http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=235199841 Thank you everyone for reading and for the support, we look forward to adding more updates as our project progresses! Edited July 10, 2016 by Galv 22 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allusion 398 Posted January 15, 2014 Yay~! It has a thread now! WOOT! I'm way too excited for this game. It's so polished and colorful and well thought out! Toby is an adorable lead, and the monsters are so huggable! All of you and Matt's effort shows through and through, Galv. Everything from the menus and mapping, to the character art; even the thread banners and icons for the thread are perfect. There isn't a doubt in my mind that the plot will be any different. (And an adventure RPG with no game over? It's like my dream come true~!) The battle system looks fun as what, and omg that stone face...epic! I cannot wait to see where this goes~ +1 million stars, lol! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonnie91 1,149 Posted January 15, 2014 FINALLY! I have been waiting for ages. to see MOAR from this beautiful project *bounces with excitement* 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Fat Mantis 40 Posted January 15, 2014 My god this looks amazing. I would never think of spending money for an RPG Maker game that looks like an RPG Maker game. But this one looks like its own game in its own right. Monster raising AND town upgrading? Sounds like a win. The only thing I dislike about the game is the no gameovers bit, although I guess it depends on how saving works. I like insane difficulty levels in games, so if it's something where in lieu of a gameover you lose a bunch items, I'd probably just reload my save and do it over again so I don't lose anything. Essentially treating it like a gameover anyways. Maybe giving the player the option from the start to choose his punishment - game over or not - could be considered? Just a thought, obviously you're in a much better position to determine what's best for this game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Galv 1,387 Posted January 15, 2014 Thanks for the nice comments, guys! @BFM - I do find it interesting that some people prefer to lose everything they had earned and re-do it as if it didn't happen. But don't worry, Matt enjoys difficult and challenging stuff too and if our kickstarter goes well, we'll be adding in a 'hardcore survival' mode just for you guys Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tsarmina 2,612 Posted January 15, 2014 Waaah, why am I always late to see stuff like this? T_T I wanted to be the first one Anyway, I am so glad that this is coming through! I know how hard you've been working on this (and neglecting Pirate Rush ), and it really shows. All the little monsters are adorable~~~~ I actually like the no game over stuff (because I die all the time in games) so huzzah~ Keep it up! I fully expect you to finish this game and broadcast it in all its glory ^-^ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Beer 33 Posted January 15, 2014 It's really exciting for both galv and I to see the amazing responses from everyone. You can all imagine how much time, effort and emotion we've both invested into this project and it's fantastic to see how well it's being recieved. Thanks again, Sincerely! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheHarmp 155 Posted January 15, 2014 Hot damn, that looks beautiful.Out of all WIP games I've been following,I'm most excited about this one, for obvious reasons, I mean, look at it.Keep up the amazing work, you two! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erik Holland 0 Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) Guys this looks great! It's really fantastic to see what strength the RPG maker engine has and how much can be accomplished with it. It's also dis-hearting as i don't think i'll ever be able to make my own game this deep Edited January 16, 2014 by Erik Holland Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Galv 1,387 Posted January 16, 2014 Thanks for the kind words, everyone! @Erik - please don't get disheartened. I'd much prefer if this project inspired you to learn! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Beer 33 Posted January 16, 2014 Guys this looks great! It's really fantastic to see what strength the RPG maker engine has and how much can be accomplished with it. It's also dis-hearting as i don't think i'll ever be able to make my own game this deep Haha, Eric, I've been drawing for 18 years, and doing it professionally for around 5 now. I've made 3 projects in RPG Maker that have never even seen the light of day they were so bad, I made one called Alter Legend that I was brave enough to show people, and Galv and I have already practiced together with Ninja clause. We have put a lot of time into learning all of this. I truly believe that if you stay with it, you can make something awesome. I started out using regular old RTP, not even knowing how to use variables. In fact I didn't know how to use variables until I was almost done Alter Legend. You will be just fine Just don't give up! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrimsonKunoichi 5 Posted January 16, 2014 Oh wow this looks really nice! Love the artwork in this, it looks amazing and all the custom sprites and battlers and of course its always good to have the ???? mysterious girl. Looking forward to more 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Galv 1,387 Posted January 22, 2014 Thanks for the comments, guys. Whoever thought it was a good idea to completely re-script the whole menu system was crazy! Oh wait that was me... Made some updates - added some more menu screenshots for the spirit's menu (you can see Matt's artwork for 2 of the Lost spirits there) - added a new 'Gameplay' section and spoiler giving some more detail on our gameplay concepts. A video with gameplay mechanics and Matt narrating is still to come. I'd do it myself but I'm horrible at talking when I know others are listening Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gentlemanorcus 1 Posted January 22, 2014 Looking pretty nice, I'm not one for Pokemon but I do like town upgrading. If this turns out well I might even drop some money for it which I'd never though I'd say for an RPG Maker game. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Beer 33 Posted January 24, 2014 Looking pretty nice, I'm not one for Pokemon but I do like town upgrading. If this turns out well I might even drop some money for it which I'd never though I'd say for an RPG Maker game. I appreciate the comment lots! I hope that we can keep your interest as the project develops. We have a tech demo here that you can watch and see what you think so far! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJeElYpqgHM 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
charlesthehurst 691 Posted January 24, 2014 This game seems a lot like Amazing Island, which I find wonderful. I like where you guys are going with this. (I'm liking the polish I'm seeing, but now I'm super jealous XD ) Now shut up and take my seal of approval continue onward to glory and blah blah blah.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heartfeltcurse 195 Posted January 24, 2014 (edited) Waaah, why am I always late to see stuff like this? T_T I wanted to be the first one You think you're late? I'm only just now finding out about it. Anyways, this looks like one hell of a good game, and I can't wait for its release. So uh, when you die, you basically just respawn back at Toby's town or whatever it was, and lose all your items? cool. Edited January 24, 2014 by Heartfeltcurse 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Azrail 13 Posted January 24, 2014 If I EVER start losing steam on my project, I'm coming straight to this thread to inspire to get off my lazy ***. This is great. I appreciate the forum post headers. That's just effin cool. I love the style of the main character. I like his stoic look. It suits the story. Growin up fast. I'll be keeping an eye on this for sure. Great work. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skytric 9 Posted January 24, 2014 I am stoked, the over world and everything in this are great! Can't wait to try this out for myself when more is together with it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tsarmina 2,612 Posted January 24, 2014 Matt smells funny. I think he ate cheese. Or a ham[p]ster. LOL. The video is great, I enjoyed learning more about this game. Honestly though, all practice maps? I would use them...but I suppose there's always improvement to be learned ^^ Toby is adorable, even though his feet kick up when he walks--never mind, that's actually part of his adorability. Can't wait for more! P.S. Matt, that was a creepy laugh at like 3:15 O_o 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Beer 33 Posted January 25, 2014 P.S. Matt, that was a creepy laugh at like 3:15 O_o So now I'm creepy AND smelly? O.o ...maaaaan... I'm going home! naah, man thanks guys so much for the great feed back! I'm so pumped that people are appreciating the work that went into this. Ben and I kept this project in the dark so long, that I think we got used to looking at our own work and figured people would just stare at it blankly and say... "so?" You guys are very motivating! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tsarmina 2,612 Posted January 26, 2014 Yes, you're creepy AND you smell funny. So tell us, was it cheese or a hamster? After looking at one's own work for a while, it can get repetitive. But it's a fresh eye to [most] of us here! This game is seemingly Pokemon-esque...but I have to admire all the different things that you can do. You two have certainly been putting effort into this 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OneCutStudio 353 Posted January 30, 2014 Wow! How come I only found out about this game just now? This looks incredible. If I didn't know any better I would have thought this was a flash-developed game. The GUI looks incredible as well as all the maps. I think you may have a game here that will set the standard for commercial games made with RPG Maker. It will show the community of devs out there not to underestimate what you can do with this engine! Keep up the great work. (Looks at own game. *Sighs*) Seriously liking it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Beer 33 Posted January 30, 2014 Wow! How come I only found out about this game just now? This looks incredible. If I didn't know any better I would have thought this was a flash-developed game. The GUI looks incredible as well as all the maps. I think you may have a game here that will set the standard for commercial games made with RPG Maker. It will show the community of devs out there not to underestimate what you can do with this engine! Keep up the great work. (Looks at own game. *Sighs*) Seriously liking it. Hey thanks! The stigma that exists around commercial games definitely exists for a reason, but it's a shame because the engine definitely has massive potential. Thanks so much for your comment! you guys are awesome motivating! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trexrell 48 Posted January 31, 2014 Really nice to see a project of this scale being made. And this is definitely Kickstarter worthy. Your tech demo showed a really unique game and I can not wait to see more. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
