Big Friggin' Magical Adventure!

[WidgetKitty 3]

Hello! I'm Widget Kitty (which is probably going to be a "company name" to release this game and others). I've been playing around with the RPG Maker series since 2001 (in my 30s, I'm getting to be an old gal now!) but recently got serious about it. I'm stuck indoors now for health reasons, might as well take two decades of ideas and make one big game!

My game at the moment is titled "Big Friggin' Magical Adventure", and is a sort of fantasy comedy with several questlines, somewhat open world. it's like Earthbound mixed with Zelda, but presented like an Elder Scrolls game.

Right now mostly just maps and music are done, about 30% of each. Graphics need to be made, along with a battle system, but I'm thinking of putting together a demo for people to try out these puzzles and review the soundtrack so far. I'm making everything myself, and want to keep it that way for the moment, but not sure what will happen down the line.

So here's a few of the "Loot Dungeons" - there will be 50 of these, none that are attached to any quests. They're for gathering and grinding (monsters, chests, and ingredients will level with the player, so the order doesn't matter), thought the king has a hefty reward for anyone who completes all of them. Take a look:

 

 

 

 

And this is a concept for a final dungeon, in the main quest line. Probably the most complicated dungeon I've ever made! It's the Royal City Clocktower, corrupted into a mess of mechanical pathways by chaotic magic. For now these crystals can stand in for the gears and other stuff that attack you, once I have the graphics done. The minigame toward the end (supposed to be the face of the clock) I'm especially happy with, took a while though! Have a look-see:

 

 

 

Let me know what you think, or if I should do some more videos of gameplay or the soundtrack. Thanks for having a look!

Edited July 6, 2021 by WidgetKitty

[WidgetKitty 3]

I forgot to add a synopsis for my game, so here we go:

Big Friggin' Magical Adventure
The setting is a large continent on the planet Durf – a world where magical spells & resources are commonplace, as are sentient plants & strange hybrid animals. A world with no night, and an odd set of laws governing citizens' battling and treasure hunting endeavours. You will begin as a student of Grimstone Academy of Magic, after choosing your gender and name (five playable races are in the works), and a simple task placed on you as punishment kicks off the main quest.

Sounds like typical RPG fare – and it is. BFMA is a comedy/parody of top-down adventure games, while taking itself seriously enough to have several storylines and side missions. Picture Earthbound's humour, Zelda-like traps and dungeons, and a Pokemon-influenced party & battle system - but presented open world like an Elder Scrolls game. There are three main questlines, and several optional ones, which can be done in whatever order the player chooses. After the first mission of questline one is complete, you'll have access to almost the entire continent. Every 10 levels, the entire world levels up with you – monsters are stronger, potions more effective, shops sell better items, etc. All explained by the chaotic magic getting stronger as time passes, and the economy responding to it!

So, the main quests are as follows:

1 Fate of the Future: Corrupt monarchy has allowed the continental Guardian Spirit to die, and chaotic magic from the underworld is seeping in. Statues and machines are coming to life and attacking people, and the island becomes unstable with earthquakes, volcanoes, and wild weather. The player must defeat an official who attempts to become the next Guardian – and essentially an evil god.

2 Unnatural Horrors: With the Guardian Spirit dead, eight evil monstrosities – past alchemy experiments gone wrong – resurrect and hide out in dungeons, sapping planet Durf of her life energy. This questline's dungeons focus on locked doors, puzzles, and mini games – sort of like a Zelda game within a game.

3 Who Holds the Power: You are up against a rival magic school, the Scarlet Coven, whose leader is attempting to eliminate all purple (good) magic from the world so only their chaotic (red) magic exists. Infiltrating their base reveals a massive network of mines and tunnels, and a much bigger operation than expected.

Each of these stories have ten main dungeons, and several smaller ones and side missions.

Optional stuff includes:

-50 “Loot Dungeons” for grinding and gathering. 15 of these are made, and a few are featured in two videos below. Big reward for finishing them all!

-Morality: 100 instances where you make a moral choice, and add a point to your good/evil percentage. This has an effect on chest contents and some quest outcomes & choices.

-Theft Quest: 200 hidden spots in towns and settlements, including some rare & valuable stuff. Just don't get caught with it on your person!

-Player House: A shack given to you near the beginning, which has a few dozen upgrades. Eventually you'll have several rooms, stations, storage, a garden, customized challenge dungeon, and lots more. Some are purchased, others are quest rewards.

There's a lot more that needs to be done, like carnival and tavern games, the battle system, graphics, etc. Right now it's just maps and music – four towns and 30+ dungeons, and 50 songs done. Was thinking of releasing a demo of just that so far, to see how people like my maps and music before continuing. I'll post my world map concept and a few screenshots:

[WidgetKitty 3]

Hey guys, a little update on my game. I created five races for my PCs and NPCs - about 180 made so far - and wanted to show them off:

 

 

The floor tiles separate the five races, females in the top rows and males in the lower rows of each section.
Taking up the bottom is the royal family and their soldiers, if that wasn't obvious. As for the five races, each are based on an element, and PCs will start with proficiency in their racial element. I haven't quite named them yet. The grey tiles are the first ten PCs, but I decided to make 30 instead.

 

Here's the races:

Air - tan skinned and pointed ears, and various shades of green hair. They tend to wear dark, protective clothes that ward off other elements interfering with the wind, which they're typically sensitive to. They have built magnificent floating sky-cities in the past, but few remain today and the people have spread all over. The last three generations of the royal family have been air folk.

Earth - dark skin tone and earthy hair colours. Thought to be the first humans on the continent, they are connected to stone and ground magic, for offence and healing. Most live in the central and Eastern provinces, and operate a lot of the country's shops and commerce.

Fire - the bushy-tailed, rodent-like people who emerged from Durf's volcanic caves centuries ago, and commonly found all over the continent, though many stick to the warm North-East mountains, some still in their ancestral lava-filled homes.

Lightning - pale with black freckles, and blue or violet hair, they tend to be the mechanics and inventors of the world, and can be found wherever their skills are needed. Their native lands are the rainy North-West provinces.

Water - reptile people who originally resided in mostly-submerged cities, all of which are in ruins after a disaster. They settled their differences to join the land dwellers and be safe in their towns, though they gravitate to coastal areas.

I still need to work out some things, like setting up different levels of racial abilities through classes. What do you guys think of my NPCs so far? Since I got this many made in a few days, strongly considering making more, to the point where I seldom repeat any.

 

And here are the 30 player characters you can pick from at the start:

 

After choosing one, the other 29 are places randomly in my loot dungeons, as part of a side quest to compete and trade with them. Right now I'm just working on expressions, like scared, victory, and knockout sprites for all 30, for cutscenes and such. Thanks for having a look, let me know what you think!

Edited July 6, 2021 by WidgetKitty

[WidgetKitty 3]

Think I have all my world maps (mostly) finalized, and just added a railway system that travels through the main provinces. Here is all seven maps on one screen, until I remake the tilesets:

[WidgetKitty 3]

Adding a video of some dungeons - this first one is 20th in a series, the biggest I've made so far:

 

 

Last, the three minigames I have made so far:

 

Thanks for having a look!

Edited July 18, 2021 by WidgetKitty