In which our hero decides to settle (just a little bit).

Well, rollernauts, I am finally beginning to accept that my original vision for Rorasuketo was entirely too bold, and it's time to scale things back. I keep hearing that having an okay product done is better than having an amazing product never done.

Therefore, I am taking out the battle system in Rora.

It breaks my heart, but so does having something perennially unfinished sitting on my hard drive for the rest of my life!

The battle system is the last thing I was really working on during my previous academic break, and here's the thing. There was never any ability to "level grind" in Rorasuketo. Battles were events that came and went at specific points in the story. Seemed cool. However, trying to figure out what was statistically fair and balanced, while still making some item/skill gains optional, was a huge pain in the neck.

Making art has been fun. Building towns has been fun. Writing dialogue has been fun. But testing battles over and over again was definitively not fun - and I am supposed to be doing this for fun.

What will replace the battle system, you ask? Minigames. Button mashing, power gauges, pressing right or left at the correct time, logic puzzles, and so on. I had already planned some degree of these, but the variety and frequency will increase to replace the turn-style RPG combat. The game will be shorter and choppier, but it may yet get done.

Forgive me if I sound a little defeated. I do think these minigames will be fun in their own way, but letting go of a grand vision of a masterfully made JRPG is difficult. Especially when you've been sitting with that vision for so long!

 

However, I remind myself that this is about the story first and foremost. A battle-laden JRPG is a cool thing, for sure, and maybe if I am feeling bold, I can come back to that game someday. But releasing something, anything, is better than nothing. I want people to walk dogs and make friends and dodge geese and listen to the kickass soundtrack and experience all the cute little things that have made me giggle to myself.

An upside about this change will be that the game will be more accessible to the roller derby community, which was a concern of mine. We'll still see Hiba around, but he won't have to give nearly as many tutorials. He'll be really happy about that.

Onward and upward.

HIBA~!