itch.io

My favorite is the art direction in pre-rendered games.

Even if a modern 3D game have better real time graphics, I will find the old static angle more charming to be looking at.

There is always an artistic component into the fact that the developer wanted you to see the screen at THAT specific angle, and I find this much more "beautiful" than any real time graphics where you see only what is in the overall direction you are looking.

It adds to the game another layer, now it is a game AND a book of illustrations from the director of the game.

This, of course, is more for the 3D pre-rendered games. As well as pixel art (8-bit, 16-bit, modern, the game boy advance style...) the pre-rendered style also have some sub categories of its own: 3D (like Final Fantasy 7, 8 and 9, Resident Evil 1, 2 and 3, Dino Crisis, etc.), isometric (Digimon world 3 and Diablo) and sidescroller (Megaman X4, 5 and 6).

You didn't phrased like this.

Chronicles of the Alphabet

Quick update:

• Softlock at the beginning when checking the typewriter from below fixed;

• A bug preventing the menu to open when refusing to face the Vampire is fixed;

• The overall text in the game was reviewed.

"It was my 1 public game and last , But it was a lot more easier than 3d one , in case you are making from scratch. In addition I can say it skill based work and needs understanding of concepts.

But idk why I didn’t look back "

You already had the answer before making this topic...

I wasn't aware of this section of itch.io. This seems like a better place to post updates for the community.

Chronicles of the Alphabet is a modern 2D RPG that makes use of isometric pre-rendered backgrounds, side-by-side turn based battles with big colorful animated pixel-art sprites, experimental mechanics, occasional CGI cutscenes and heavy focus on its narrative.

A homage to what I like to call a "32-bit style".

======[ SCREENSHOTS ]======

======[ UPDATES ]======

A two hour DEMO is available since 2020, but yesterday I uploaded a version with some stuff fixed:

- Crashes are fixed (I hope so);

- Bug that makes the game go into super speed is now fixed (I also hope so);

- Itens with the wrong names are fixed;

- Second checkpoint is now more visible;

- First checkpoint now have a bigger area of interaction;

- The fireplace have a bigger area of interaction;

- Sounds Menu now have more responsive arrow keys;

- Added a Graphics setting in Main Menu that allows the player to choose the size of the screen as well toggle to fullscreen, also toggle between bilinear and nearest neighbor;

- In the Equip window, the item list does not disppear anymore when you are equipping itens;

- Curriculum Grid now have way more responsive arrow keys while choosing the character;

- Curriculum Grid is a little more intuitive, now it better shows what skill is available, the ones available are the only ones glowing;

- Curriculum Grid now asks you what character to choose before the transition animation;

- Now the lever in the area with the levers and the giant blade in a rope visually indicate what it does;

- Menu calling and dispensing is faster;

- Main character's speed is now faster;

- Text speed is faster;

- NPCs were reworked;

- The game's story was reworked a little;

- One more tutorial added.

I would appreciate a lot for testers for this current version. The download link is at the bottom of the game's itch.io page:

https://kssa.itch.io/chronicles-of-the-alphabet

I will be using this topic now for future updates of version 2.1.0. And that is a widescreen version with every asset and background remade.

What do you like to play?

Big movies and big games have a massive investment in marketing, why do you think big companies with recognizable names and brands still spends what me and you will gain in our whole life just in marketing? Because getting people to notice your stuff is the hardest part.

If you are really serious about your projects then you are thinking about investing your personal money into your projects, and that includes the money that goes into marketing. This basically means paying for twitter/facebook/instagram/reddit/google to advertise your stuff. Pay to have your stuff appear as an add in the same way you are bombarded with thousands of adds everytime you enter the internet (if the big ones needs to do it, imagine for unknow people like you and me?).

Chronicles of the Alphabet

CHRONICLES OF THE ALPHABET

This is a modern 2D RPG that makes use of isometric pre-rendered backgrounds, side-by-side turn based battles with big colorful pixel-art sprites, experimental mechanics, occasional CGI cutscenes and heavy focus on its narrative.

All of this is just a homage to what I like to call a "32-bit style".

https://kssa.itch.io/chronicles-of-the-alphabet

Every month is a different music...

I would not think as this as something "new"...

You can know the most rational answer and still ignore it due to chemicals in your brain.

It is like trying to forget a person who don't like you anymore... you know that the "most logical answer" is trying to get someone else and forgetting about this person, but knowing it have absolutelly no impact against irrational feelings permeating your brain.

I wish I could display this game on my shelf somehow! Feels like it XD.

Obligatory for Final Fantasy fans to have.

Thank you very much for the feedback.

I'm doing well, hoping you are too. I am still working on the game when I find the time, it has been some years now that I am in this project.

I saw your gameplay, both episodes, thank you very much again for that! I could see some stuff from the perspective of your gameplay that I wasn't gettin on my own test runs , stuff like inconveniences (for example: I never noticed that you could only interact with the typewriter checkpoint from just one specific tile, it took me about a second to change that after I saw it on your gameplay).

I am trying now to get the new DEMO out as soon as I can. I just listed all the changes I am making in the DEMO:

https://kssa.itch.io/chronicles-of-the-alphabet/devlog/442426/major-updates-for-the-upcoming-demo-and-features-for-the-complete-game

Hi!

Thank you very much for the support ^^

I am currently changing all the assets (and polishing a lot of aspects of the game in the process) because I am changing its aspect ratio to 16:9 (with a window of 1280x720), the window of the current demo is at 880x624.

I am also changing some of the backgrounds because now I know some ways to make them look better (and others to not look too tiny).

This will take a while still...

Chronicles of the Alphabet

https://kssa.itch.io/chronicles-of-the-alphabet

I think that the question is kind of vague.

Well, you can try put some ads... you can ask for donations, open a patreon, who knows.

What were your thoughts on this matter exactly? 

"What did you do if you knew you wanted to model something, but didn't know how to make it or just make it look good?"

Like we, devs, do with everything else related to our games... model another thing to replace it or model something similar and give it another context (considering that you just can't do it).
We almost never can fully do the game we first imagined, we have to sacrifice stuff and change stuff to fit what we best imagined into reality. Triple A masterpieces from the past and today also "suffered" and took advantage from this, taking advantages from limitation.

"Was learning how to 3D model things yourself hard/worth it?"

Worth it I think it always is... I like to think that knowledge is never enough, it raises the set of skills you have.

Like knowing a foreign language, even if it is a language that is really not popular, knowing it will always be one of your unique skills (considerating how hard it is to learn those stuff that takes years of practice).

https://kssa.itch.io/chronicles-of-the-alphabet

"I am, however, uncertain what effect 2D graphics have in terms of interest and sales of games. What is your experience as a game developer or gamer? Do you have any data/statistics to share on this?"

 I don't know if something like that exists... blockbusters triple As usually spend millions with the game and with marketing, and even though they can easlly flop due to the overall quality (Marvel Avengers and Fast and Furious as current examples, but we can get examples for everything of course) 

It depends much more with how much you'll spend with marketing... in the end, everything has its public (and after the marketing, people will judge its overall quality).

We usually try to make games we always wanted to play or an idea we think that would be great... but on all cases, we first do a game for ourselves with the style that most draws our attention, because if it is for you, you, at least, can assure its quality (So, how do you truly idealize this game? You first do think of it being in 3D?)... later, the people that have your same taste will get to your game and will turn into your public (with marketing too, of course, people have to know it exists).

2D games have the advantages of being easier to do for a single person or a small group and of running on every hardware possible... those games usually are the salvation of people with modest hardware that still want to play nowadays games.

Thank you very much for the gameplay and the feedback! ^^

Chronicles of the Alphabet

Chronicles of the Alphabet is a JRPG that makes use of pre-rendered backgrounds with art nouveau style, pixel art battle sprites and occasional CGI cutscenes, trying to reach something that I like to call a "32-bit style" ; but using it only as a aesthetic style for modern games.

The game's page: https://kssa.itch.io/chronicles-of-the-alphabet

Thank you for the attention given.

Thank you very much!

Hmmm...

One single troubled day carried out by different groups of people in a RPG also focused in the feeling of the 32-bit as a modern style choice; with pre-rendered graphics and big animated colorful sprites (much is told about the 8-bit as a style choice).

Chronicles of the Alphabet

Chronicles of the Alphabet is a JRPG still on early development, but with a DEMO already available.

It is inspired by the style of pre-rendered backgrounds, popular in the late 90s and early 2000s JRPGs, made primarly to overcome hardware limitations. But, as pixel art, turned into a charming style choice nowadays... the one I like the most to see around in games.

It narrates the happenings of a night starring military characters of a Sovereign State, a supremacist group, a dangerous monster-dealer, a young writter trying to have his book of short stories published and a noble illumitati who believes that this night was orchestrated by some superior being.

Check its details on the game's page:

https://kssa.itch.io/chronicles-of-the-alphabet