Posted April 23, 2024 by knightmarish_Games
Hello everyone!
So, it has been a while and wanted to touch base with everyone what is going on. The 2.5D conversion is taking huge swathes of time creating the models in blender and then trying to get them to align in the editor as well place the doors/events correctly. Additionally, large areas were suffering massive FPS drops based off the FOV, render distance, and quality. As others have pointed out, the isometric view just doesn't fit the BOF 2 graphics. The time spent on non-content and the quality of work that I was producing was not where I wanted it to be because of the limitations of the editor.
So, I feel as though I have several choices. Plan A: keep working on the 2.5 version in its current version and maybe finish it into next year with minimum content added, but large quality of life changes. Plan B: revert back to 4.1b and just keep adding content and improving upon the game in its current form. Plan C: I switch engines and try an experimental version of the game that I have envisioned for a while and if it fails, revert back to plan B.
What I have been working on for the last month is a Breath of Fire II game done in Unity. While I would love to have 3rd person action rpg, where you switch characters on the fly, there are simply no BOF-looking models out there for me to use. Additionally, I cannot afford to commission BOF 3D models for the game. So, the idea I am going for is it will be a first person - real time combat rpg. The animated characters will be at the bottom of the screen and attack/animate by clicking the monster or selecting a character ability, as well as dodging or getting struck. Instead of having individual attributes and levels, everything is added to the Party Attributes, Levels, Health, and Mana.
The game is still in early stages but I have many of the core systems implemented already and have the sprites from my 4.1b fan game to expedite the process. I have attached a basic screenshot showing the character sheet and characters at the bottom of the screen. It is rough looking, but I'm at the stage making sure everything works and just wanted to give a general idea what I'm thinking of doing.
Please let me know your thoughts on any of the plans I had with the project. Additionally, suggestions and constructive criticism is always appreciated. If enough people say the project looks/sounds awful I'll swap/adjust my plan as I want to make a Breath of Fire fan game that everyone will enjoy.
As always, I appreciate you all,
~Knightmarish Games