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1
Characters, Plot, and Themes / The Entity's Purpose
« on: August 19, 2005, 12:29:43 pm »
"Entity" with a capital E is in fact how the term is used in Trigger.
OdF
OdF
2
Characters, Plot, and Themes / Why would Serge and Kid get married?
« on: August 16, 2005, 11:36:04 pm »
Argh, but that's just it! Kid isn't just some missing piece! She is a fully-realized individual with a personality and feelings and dreams entirely unique and separate from those of Schala. She's not a puppet, and she's not just a false face. Kid had a whole life with Lucca and a tragic sort of love with Serge. If Kid is "merged" with Schala, and Kid no longer exists as herself, it's as if her life was stolen from her. Just because Schala allowed Kid to exist doesn't mean that Schala has a right to steal Kid's life, and I don't believe that Schala WOULD steal Kid's life.
I realize that the points made to the contrary have been good ones, and I really can't argue them based upon any bit of evidence proivded by Cross. All I can say is that, to me personally, the idea of Kid merely being "reincorporated" into Schala is abhorrent, and I simply choose to reject it.
OdF
I realize that the points made to the contrary have been good ones, and I really can't argue them based upon any bit of evidence proivded by Cross. All I can say is that, to me personally, the idea of Kid merely being "reincorporated" into Schala is abhorrent, and I simply choose to reject it.
OdF
3
Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Dungeon Gameplay
« on: August 16, 2005, 11:30:31 pm »
Other than ZABIE and the crane codes, the other places with lots of traps or tricks were the Reptite Lair and the Tyrano Lair.
I always liked the fact that Trigger was relatively free of silly, gimmicky stuff like that. I hate puzzles in RPGs.
OdF
I always liked the fact that Trigger was relatively free of silly, gimmicky stuff like that. I hate puzzles in RPGs.
OdF
4
Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Chrono Petition
« on: August 16, 2005, 11:28:08 pm »
One might also ask the reverse.
Personally, I'd rather see a new game, but I don't see what would be so terrible about a remake. Games get remade all the time anymore, and I have yet to see one that was a "series-killer."
OdF
Personally, I'd rather see a new game, but I don't see what would be so terrible about a remake. Games get remade all the time anymore, and I have yet to see one that was a "series-killer."
OdF
5
Crimson Echoes Plot Construction / Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes Plot Development
« on: August 16, 2005, 07:06:45 pm »
Ah, have to disagree with Daniel. I don't like the sound of "dreamwatch," the word.
Glad this isn't my decision.
OdF
Glad this isn't my decision.
OdF
6
Crimson Echoes Plot Construction / Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes Plot Development
« on: August 16, 2005, 05:37:50 pm »
While "The Dream that Time Dreams" may be the most accurate translation, "The Dream that Dreams Dream" is simply too cool to pass up. If it's not too long (probably is), it would make a great end-of-the-game title chapter, ala "The Fated Hour" or "For All Dreamers."
OdF
OdF
7
Chrono Compendium Discussion / New Layout Rotation
« on: August 16, 2005, 05:34:20 pm »Quote from: teh Schala
And thus, a new incarnation of the Compendium is born...
At least we got through it without any talk of one of us impregnating the Compendium's ovum with our spermatazoa.
Oops.
Anyway, as long as the Zurvan skin is not taken away, I'm cool with it.
OdF
8
Crimson Echoes Plot Construction / Proposal: Balancing the Characters
« on: August 16, 2005, 02:45:46 pm »
First, I'm glad that you guys basically approve of my proposed Tech list. I actually worked very hard on it. 
Re: Teravolt or Exavolt. I like Megavolt better, for two reasons. First, Megavolt is not an "ultimate" ability, so Mega seems sufficient. Beyond that, though, I wouldn't even know what Tera or Exa meant in this case if not for the context provided, whereas Mega is pretty much universally understood.
Re: Magus's level 2 Techs. While they were more powerful than those of the others in Trigger, I have lowered them to be merely equal. However, I think they need to be lowered even more, so that Magus's *Lightning2 has the same damage multiplier as Crono's *Lightning. Why? Because Magus joins fairly early, and if his magic is too powerful, you could simply breeze through the enemies by having him cast those spells over and over. I don't want to weaken Magus, but I also don't want him to be the uber-character when he is just a regular party member this time around, who joins early on at that.
Re: Holy and Ultima. I agree that the names are a little tired, but I didn't know what else to call them. I'm open to any suggestions, but I wouldn't feel right in deciding on a name all by myself. This should be something the group decides as a whole. Although I will say that I favor the idea of Zeal-related names. Anyway, Tech names are limited to ten characters (it's actually eleven, but the first character has to be a star, since Schala is a magic user). Oh, and she's going to be a Lightning user, last I was told.
As for dual techs, I certainly hope she and Magus will have some! I'm not sure how much will be possible, since I doubt there's a lot of space in the ROM for extra/additional Techs of any sort. That's a question we'll have to leave to the programming folks.
Thanks for responding, guys!
OdF
Re: Teravolt or Exavolt. I like Megavolt better, for two reasons. First, Megavolt is not an "ultimate" ability, so Mega seems sufficient. Beyond that, though, I wouldn't even know what Tera or Exa meant in this case if not for the context provided, whereas Mega is pretty much universally understood.
Re: Magus's level 2 Techs. While they were more powerful than those of the others in Trigger, I have lowered them to be merely equal. However, I think they need to be lowered even more, so that Magus's *Lightning2 has the same damage multiplier as Crono's *Lightning. Why? Because Magus joins fairly early, and if his magic is too powerful, you could simply breeze through the enemies by having him cast those spells over and over. I don't want to weaken Magus, but I also don't want him to be the uber-character when he is just a regular party member this time around, who joins early on at that.
Re: Holy and Ultima. I agree that the names are a little tired, but I didn't know what else to call them. I'm open to any suggestions, but I wouldn't feel right in deciding on a name all by myself. This should be something the group decides as a whole. Although I will say that I favor the idea of Zeal-related names. Anyway, Tech names are limited to ten characters (it's actually eleven, but the first character has to be a star, since Schala is a magic user). Oh, and she's going to be a Lightning user, last I was told.
As for dual techs, I certainly hope she and Magus will have some! I'm not sure how much will be possible, since I doubt there's a lot of space in the ROM for extra/additional Techs of any sort. That's a question we'll have to leave to the programming folks.
Thanks for responding, guys!
OdF
9
Crimson Echoes / Crimson Echoes Task Schedule
« on: August 16, 2005, 02:06:07 pm »Quote from: JLukas
I haven't looked the Ayla sprite sheet, but my guess is this project is going to involve changing the sprite assembly anyway. In which case having a "regular" running animation wouldn't be a problem.
Wow, so this is in fact possible? I mean, is that something we can bank on? That probably would have made my work a lot easier... but the sprite has turned out well enough anyway.
Anyway, just wanted to update on the Schala sprite. It looks like ALL of the frames are done except for running and battle-specific stuff, like starting position, getting hit, etc. Also, I tried to work on the overworld map sprite, but I don't know how the palettes work, since they are similar to, but not the same as, the palettes for the main sprite. So I tried to use Magus's colors for Schala, and it looked t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e. I can't proceed on it until someone can clarify to me what colors I will have to work with. I'm hoping some new colors can be added, because none of the existing sprites have anything close to the purple color Schala needs for her robes.
Anyway, y'all can check the web link in my profile for all the updates.
OdF
10
Crimson Echoes Plot Construction / Proposal: Balancing the Characters
« on: August 14, 2005, 02:52:04 pm »
Here's my thinking. We need to be very particular about how the characters are set up, for two major reasons.
First is the fun factor. This is a new game with two new characters (assuming you count Glenn). The player will want to see lots of new stuff, and this gives us an opportunity to do some things that Trigger could have done, but didn't. By the same token, if the returning characters have the same old Tech lists, and simply have to relearn everything, it will be a snore-fest. Ditto that if the new characters are mere carbon copies of those they're replacing, or if they try to fill niches already held by other characters.
That brings me to the second big reason: gameplay quality. You may notice that Marle and Frog receive little love on many message boards. Why? Because, like it or not, they lose a lot of their play value in New Game +. Much of Marle's healing becomes obsolete, and neither Frog's physical attack, attack magic, nor support magic can hold up against the abilities of his comrades (at least in the opinion of many, and game makers should be interested in such opinions). In other words, the roles these characters play simply don't retain their full usefulness as the characters reach the upper levels. We really must endeavor to avoid such an outcome in Crimson Echoes.
With all of that in mind, I'd like to propose a complete outline for how the character's could work, including their Tech lists, how the new Techs operate, what niche in the whole scheme of gameplay dynamics each hero seeks to fill, and so on. I don't know if there's much interest in this right now, but these issues are ultimately just as important as the story, graphics, or anything else, and will have to be decided upon concretely sooner or later. So... let's hash 'em out!
Without further ado, here's my proposal. (Note: Techs in boldface are those I imagine the characters starting with.)
CRONO
Lightning
Katana
primary physical attack
Single Techs:
Cyclone
*Lightning
Slash
Twister
*Lightning2
*Life
Supersonic
*Luminaire
Cyclone
2 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies in the target enemy's immediate area.
Damage = Damage x 1.25
*Lightning
2 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5
Slash
4 MPs
Lightning Element Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies on a line.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5
Twister
6 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies in the immediate area of the target enemy.
Damage = Damage x 1.75
[replaces Spincut]
*Lightning 2
8 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*Life
10 MPs
Curative
Restores one ally at 0 HPs to life.
Restoration = Magic x 10
Supersonic
15 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy five times.
Total Damage = (Damage x 0.75) x 5
[replaces Confuse]
*Luminaire
20 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes all enemies
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 18
CRONO NOTES: Twister is slightly less powerful than Spincut, but potentially hits more enemies. Supersonic hits more times than Confuse, but the damage done per hit is slightly less. Advancing from Confuse's four attacks to Supersonic's five (as well as the change from Spincut to Twister) is intended to show that Crono has improved as a swordsman, although, in strict gameplay terms, there is virtually no change in the actual damage done. Overall, Crono's play style is unchanged, and this seems appropriate for the main character.
MARLE
Water (Ice)
Bow
primary healing
Single Techs:
Aura
*Ice
Charm
*Haste
*Ice 2
*Cure 2
*Life 2
*QuantmStat
Aura
1 MP
Curative
Restores HPs for one ally.
Restoration = Magic x 5
*Ice
2 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5
Charm
4 MPs
Support Ability
Attempts to steal an item from an enemy.
[replaces Provoke]
*Haste
6 MPs
Support Ability
Grants "Haste" status to one ally.
*Ice 2
8 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*Cure 2
5 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for one ally.
Restoration = Magic x 25
*Life 2
15 MPs
Curative
Restores one ally at 0 HPs to life.
Restoration = [maximum HPs]
*QuantmStat
20 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 21
[loses *Cure]
MARLE NOTES: The game would not be complete without Charm, Trigger's one stealing ability, and since Ayla is now out of action, Marle is the obvious choice to get it (since she was half of Twin Charm, a Dual Tech with Ayla). The inclusion of *QuantmStat, an ultimate magic, will hopefully negate any perceived obsolescence on Marle's part in later stages or in New Game +.
LUCCA
Fire
Gun
primary magical attack
Single Techs:
Hypno Wave
*Fire
Sniper Shot
*Protect
*Fire 2
GreenMemory
Wonder Bomb
*Flare
Hypno Wave
1 MP
Support Ability
Attempts to inflict "Sleep" status on all enemies.
*Fire
2 MPs
Fire Element Magic
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5
Sniper Shot
4 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = Damage x 2
[replaces Flame Toss]
*Protect
6 MPs
Support Ability
Grants "Protect" status to one ally.
*Fire 2
8 MPs
Fire Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
GreenMemory
12 MPs
Curative
Automatically restores target ally to life when target ally reaches 0 HPs (once per casting).
Restoration = Magic x 5
Wonder Bomb
15 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies.
Damage increases as caster's HPs decrease.
[replaces Mega Bomb]
*Flare
20 MPs
Fire Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 19
[loses Napalm]
LUCCA NOTES: Lucca is still primarily an attack mage, but she is also more of a support character. Her old non-magical Fire attacks are gone, but these were largely superfluous anyway. GreenMemory struck me as an appropriate choice for Lucca, especially since her GreenDream accessory will presumably be lost during the temporal distortion. WonderBomb is the successor to Ayla's old Dino Tail. Lucca seemed like the most appropriate choice to get an ability of this type, since she would know how such abilities work from Frog Flare, her old Dual Tech with Frog's FrogSquash. (I mean, it seemed to me that if Trigger had two desperation attacks, Crimson Echoes should, too.)
ROBO
Shadow
Arm
jack-of-all-trades
Single Techs:
Uzzi Punch
Cure Beam
Absolute 0
Thermonuke
Heal Beam
Strong Arm
Megavolt
Ultraviolet
Uzzi Punch
1 MP
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = Damage x 1.5
[replaces RocketPunch]
Cure Beam
2 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for one ally.
Restoration = Magic x 10
Absolute 0
4 MPs
Water Element Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 4
[replaces Laser Spin]
Thermonuke
6 MPs
Fire Element Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies in the target enemy's immediate area.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 6
Heal Beam
4 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for all allies.
Restoration = Magic x 15
Strong Arm
12 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = Damage x 3
[replaces Uzzi Punch (Trigger's version)]
Megavolt
15 MPs
Lightning Element Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies in the caster's immediate area.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 12
[replaces Area Bomb]
Ultraviolet
20 MPs
Shadow Element Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 17
[replaces Shock]
[loses Robo Tackle]
ROBO NOTES: Robo is even more of a well-rounded character than he was before, having healing, physical attacks, and elemental attacks of each type. Since Robo is basically a Shadow character, it seemed appropriate for his ultimate elemental attack to be Shadow, rather than Lightning or one of the others. Strong Arm was included as a reference to Cross. (Besides, I couldn't think of a better name for the next step up from Uzzi Punch.)
MAGUS
Shadow
Scythe
ultimate magical attack
Single Techs:
*Lightning2
*Ice 2
*Fire 2
*Dark Bomb
*Stop
*Dark Mist
*Black Hole
*DarkMatter
*Lightning 2
8 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*Ice 2
8 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*Fire 2
8 MPs
Fire Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*Dark Bomb
6 MPs
Shadow Element Magic
Strikes all enemies in the target's immediate area.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 7.5
*Stop
6 MPs
Support Ability
Attempts to inflict "Stop" status on one enemy.
*Dark Mist
10 MPs
Shadow Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 10
*Black Hole
15 MPs
Support Ability
Attempts to cause instant death to all enemies in the caster's immediate area.
*DarkMatter
20 MPs
Shadow Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 20
[loses *Magic Wall]
MAGUS NOTES: There was little room to change Magus's spell lineup, because he simply must have all of his Techs, except arguably for *Magic Wall. I took out *Magic Wall and gave it to someone else because Magus is simply not a support character. His new Tech, *Stop, while still a support ability, is of a much more attack-oriented nature.
SCHALA
Lightning
Pendant
primary support
Single Techs:
*Cure
*Chant
*Slow
*Holy
*Remedy
*Magic Wall
*Heal 2
*Ultima
*Cure
2 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for one ally.
Restoration = Magic x 15
*Chant
1 MP
Support Ability
Attempts to inflict "Chaos" status on all enemies.
*Slow
1 MP
Support Ability
Attempts to inflict "Slow" status on all enemies.
*Holy
8 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 10
*Remedy
4 MPs
Curative
Removes all negative status conditions from all allies.
*Magic Wall
6 MPs
Support Ability
Grants "Shell" status to one ally.
*Heal 2
5 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for all allies.
Restoration = Magic x 20
*Ultima
20 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes all enemies
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 22
SCHALA NOTES: Schala was definitely the most difficult character to plan. Her role as a support character seemed to be decided early on, but it is difficult to design a support character who will not inevitably become obsolete once her support abilities are no longer needed to survive. At the same time, there is a temptation to make Schala over-powerful, since she is the character everyone will be very excited to see. Here is the balance I struck. First, Schala is the only character to receive a very powerful healing spell early on, and the only one to get the awesome *Heal 2. All of her support abilities (aside from *Magic Wall, the characteristics of which were already established in Trigger) strike all possible targets, whether they be defensive or offensive. Lastly, while Schala only learns two outright attacks spells, they are the most powerful in the game. *Holy hits all enemies at a time when other characters (save Magus) only have spells that hit one enemy, and it will do more damage than anyone else's spells. Likewise, the damage multiplier in *Ultima is higher than any used in Trigger or elsewhere in Crimson Echoes (22 versus *Luminaire's 20.5 in Trigger or *QuantmStat's 21)--though not by too much, I hope!
GLENN
Water
Sword
ultimate physical attack
Single Techs:
Leap Cut
*Water
*Heal
Leap Slash
*Water 2
*FrogPrince
Nirvana X
*Waterfall
Leap Cut
1 MP
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = Damage x 2
[replaces Slurp Cut]
*Water
2 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5
*Heal
2 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for all allies.
Restoration = Magic x 10
Leap Slash
4 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = Damage x 3
*Water 2
8 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*FrogPrince
15 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies.
Damage increases as caster's HPs decrease.
[replaces FrogSquash]
Nirvana X
15 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy three times.
Total Damage = (Damage x 1.5) x 3
*Waterfall
20 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 16
[loses Slurp and *Cure 2]
GLENN NOTES: Glenn is basically the new Ayla. All of his attack Techs have much higher damage multipliers than similar abilities of other characters. His new ultimate magic spell, *Waterfall, is weak, even compared to Robo's Ultraviolet, but its inclusion should still help to stave off any encroaching obsolescence. As for healing, Glenn loses the awesome *Cure 2, but if he is to take over Ayla's niche, it doesn't seem appropriate for him to have any mega-healing spells. (Besides, as things are set up now, three characters have versions of Cure (Marle's *Cure 2, Robo's Cure Beam, Schala's *Cure), three have versions of Heal (Robo's Heal Beam, Schala's *Heal 2, Glenn's *Heal), and three have versions of Life (Crono's *Life, Marle's *Life 2, Lucca's GreenMemory). This seems like a nice balance.)
OdF
First is the fun factor. This is a new game with two new characters (assuming you count Glenn). The player will want to see lots of new stuff, and this gives us an opportunity to do some things that Trigger could have done, but didn't. By the same token, if the returning characters have the same old Tech lists, and simply have to relearn everything, it will be a snore-fest. Ditto that if the new characters are mere carbon copies of those they're replacing, or if they try to fill niches already held by other characters.
That brings me to the second big reason: gameplay quality. You may notice that Marle and Frog receive little love on many message boards. Why? Because, like it or not, they lose a lot of their play value in New Game +. Much of Marle's healing becomes obsolete, and neither Frog's physical attack, attack magic, nor support magic can hold up against the abilities of his comrades (at least in the opinion of many, and game makers should be interested in such opinions). In other words, the roles these characters play simply don't retain their full usefulness as the characters reach the upper levels. We really must endeavor to avoid such an outcome in Crimson Echoes.
With all of that in mind, I'd like to propose a complete outline for how the character's could work, including their Tech lists, how the new Techs operate, what niche in the whole scheme of gameplay dynamics each hero seeks to fill, and so on. I don't know if there's much interest in this right now, but these issues are ultimately just as important as the story, graphics, or anything else, and will have to be decided upon concretely sooner or later. So... let's hash 'em out!
Without further ado, here's my proposal. (Note: Techs in boldface are those I imagine the characters starting with.)
CRONO
Lightning
Katana
primary physical attack
Single Techs:
Cyclone
*Lightning
Slash
Twister
*Lightning2
*Life
Supersonic
*Luminaire
Cyclone
2 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies in the target enemy's immediate area.
Damage = Damage x 1.25
*Lightning
2 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5
Slash
4 MPs
Lightning Element Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies on a line.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5
Twister
6 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies in the immediate area of the target enemy.
Damage = Damage x 1.75
[replaces Spincut]
*Lightning 2
8 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*Life
10 MPs
Curative
Restores one ally at 0 HPs to life.
Restoration = Magic x 10
Supersonic
15 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy five times.
Total Damage = (Damage x 0.75) x 5
[replaces Confuse]
*Luminaire
20 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes all enemies
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 18
CRONO NOTES: Twister is slightly less powerful than Spincut, but potentially hits more enemies. Supersonic hits more times than Confuse, but the damage done per hit is slightly less. Advancing from Confuse's four attacks to Supersonic's five (as well as the change from Spincut to Twister) is intended to show that Crono has improved as a swordsman, although, in strict gameplay terms, there is virtually no change in the actual damage done. Overall, Crono's play style is unchanged, and this seems appropriate for the main character.
MARLE
Water (Ice)
Bow
primary healing
Single Techs:
Aura
*Ice
Charm
*Haste
*Ice 2
*Cure 2
*Life 2
*QuantmStat
Aura
1 MP
Curative
Restores HPs for one ally.
Restoration = Magic x 5
*Ice
2 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5
Charm
4 MPs
Support Ability
Attempts to steal an item from an enemy.
[replaces Provoke]
*Haste
6 MPs
Support Ability
Grants "Haste" status to one ally.
*Ice 2
8 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*Cure 2
5 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for one ally.
Restoration = Magic x 25
*Life 2
15 MPs
Curative
Restores one ally at 0 HPs to life.
Restoration = [maximum HPs]
*QuantmStat
20 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 21
[loses *Cure]
MARLE NOTES: The game would not be complete without Charm, Trigger's one stealing ability, and since Ayla is now out of action, Marle is the obvious choice to get it (since she was half of Twin Charm, a Dual Tech with Ayla). The inclusion of *QuantmStat, an ultimate magic, will hopefully negate any perceived obsolescence on Marle's part in later stages or in New Game +.
LUCCA
Fire
Gun
primary magical attack
Single Techs:
Hypno Wave
*Fire
Sniper Shot
*Protect
*Fire 2
GreenMemory
Wonder Bomb
*Flare
Hypno Wave
1 MP
Support Ability
Attempts to inflict "Sleep" status on all enemies.
*Fire
2 MPs
Fire Element Magic
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5
Sniper Shot
4 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = Damage x 2
[replaces Flame Toss]
*Protect
6 MPs
Support Ability
Grants "Protect" status to one ally.
*Fire 2
8 MPs
Fire Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
GreenMemory
12 MPs
Curative
Automatically restores target ally to life when target ally reaches 0 HPs (once per casting).
Restoration = Magic x 5
Wonder Bomb
15 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies.
Damage increases as caster's HPs decrease.
[replaces Mega Bomb]
*Flare
20 MPs
Fire Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 19
[loses Napalm]
LUCCA NOTES: Lucca is still primarily an attack mage, but she is also more of a support character. Her old non-magical Fire attacks are gone, but these were largely superfluous anyway. GreenMemory struck me as an appropriate choice for Lucca, especially since her GreenDream accessory will presumably be lost during the temporal distortion. WonderBomb is the successor to Ayla's old Dino Tail. Lucca seemed like the most appropriate choice to get an ability of this type, since she would know how such abilities work from Frog Flare, her old Dual Tech with Frog's FrogSquash. (I mean, it seemed to me that if Trigger had two desperation attacks, Crimson Echoes should, too.)
ROBO
Shadow
Arm
jack-of-all-trades
Single Techs:
Uzzi Punch
Cure Beam
Absolute 0
Thermonuke
Heal Beam
Strong Arm
Megavolt
Ultraviolet
Uzzi Punch
1 MP
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = Damage x 1.5
[replaces RocketPunch]
Cure Beam
2 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for one ally.
Restoration = Magic x 10
Absolute 0
4 MPs
Water Element Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 4
[replaces Laser Spin]
Thermonuke
6 MPs
Fire Element Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies in the target enemy's immediate area.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 6
Heal Beam
4 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for all allies.
Restoration = Magic x 15
Strong Arm
12 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = Damage x 3
[replaces Uzzi Punch (Trigger's version)]
Megavolt
15 MPs
Lightning Element Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies in the caster's immediate area.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 12
[replaces Area Bomb]
Ultraviolet
20 MPs
Shadow Element Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 17
[replaces Shock]
[loses Robo Tackle]
ROBO NOTES: Robo is even more of a well-rounded character than he was before, having healing, physical attacks, and elemental attacks of each type. Since Robo is basically a Shadow character, it seemed appropriate for his ultimate elemental attack to be Shadow, rather than Lightning or one of the others. Strong Arm was included as a reference to Cross. (Besides, I couldn't think of a better name for the next step up from Uzzi Punch.)
MAGUS
Shadow
Scythe
ultimate magical attack
Single Techs:
*Lightning2
*Ice 2
*Fire 2
*Dark Bomb
*Stop
*Dark Mist
*Black Hole
*DarkMatter
*Lightning 2
8 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*Ice 2
8 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*Fire 2
8 MPs
Fire Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*Dark Bomb
6 MPs
Shadow Element Magic
Strikes all enemies in the target's immediate area.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 7.5
*Stop
6 MPs
Support Ability
Attempts to inflict "Stop" status on one enemy.
*Dark Mist
10 MPs
Shadow Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 10
*Black Hole
15 MPs
Support Ability
Attempts to cause instant death to all enemies in the caster's immediate area.
*DarkMatter
20 MPs
Shadow Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 20
[loses *Magic Wall]
MAGUS NOTES: There was little room to change Magus's spell lineup, because he simply must have all of his Techs, except arguably for *Magic Wall. I took out *Magic Wall and gave it to someone else because Magus is simply not a support character. His new Tech, *Stop, while still a support ability, is of a much more attack-oriented nature.
SCHALA
Lightning
Pendant
primary support
Single Techs:
*Cure
*Chant
*Slow
*Holy
*Remedy
*Magic Wall
*Heal 2
*Ultima
*Cure
2 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for one ally.
Restoration = Magic x 15
*Chant
1 MP
Support Ability
Attempts to inflict "Chaos" status on all enemies.
*Slow
1 MP
Support Ability
Attempts to inflict "Slow" status on all enemies.
*Holy
8 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 10
*Remedy
4 MPs
Curative
Removes all negative status conditions from all allies.
*Magic Wall
6 MPs
Support Ability
Grants "Shell" status to one ally.
*Heal 2
5 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for all allies.
Restoration = Magic x 20
*Ultima
20 MPs
Lightning Element Magic
Strikes all enemies
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 22
SCHALA NOTES: Schala was definitely the most difficult character to plan. Her role as a support character seemed to be decided early on, but it is difficult to design a support character who will not inevitably become obsolete once her support abilities are no longer needed to survive. At the same time, there is a temptation to make Schala over-powerful, since she is the character everyone will be very excited to see. Here is the balance I struck. First, Schala is the only character to receive a very powerful healing spell early on, and the only one to get the awesome *Heal 2. All of her support abilities (aside from *Magic Wall, the characteristics of which were already established in Trigger) strike all possible targets, whether they be defensive or offensive. Lastly, while Schala only learns two outright attacks spells, they are the most powerful in the game. *Holy hits all enemies at a time when other characters (save Magus) only have spells that hit one enemy, and it will do more damage than anyone else's spells. Likewise, the damage multiplier in *Ultima is higher than any used in Trigger or elsewhere in Crimson Echoes (22 versus *Luminaire's 20.5 in Trigger or *QuantmStat's 21)--though not by too much, I hope!
GLENN
Water
Sword
ultimate physical attack
Single Techs:
Leap Cut
*Water
*Heal
Leap Slash
*Water 2
*FrogPrince
Nirvana X
*Waterfall
Leap Cut
1 MP
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = Damage x 2
[replaces Slurp Cut]
*Water
2 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5
*Heal
2 MPs
Curative
Restores HPs for all allies.
Restoration = Magic x 10
Leap Slash
4 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy.
Damage = Damage x 3
*Water 2
8 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 5.75
*FrogPrince
15 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes all enemies.
Damage increases as caster's HPs decrease.
[replaces FrogSquash]
Nirvana X
15 MPs
Non-Elemental Physical Attack
Strikes one enemy three times.
Total Damage = (Damage x 1.5) x 3
*Waterfall
20 MPs
Water Element Magic
Strikes all enemies.
Damage = (Level + Magic) x 16
[loses Slurp and *Cure 2]
GLENN NOTES: Glenn is basically the new Ayla. All of his attack Techs have much higher damage multipliers than similar abilities of other characters. His new ultimate magic spell, *Waterfall, is weak, even compared to Robo's Ultraviolet, but its inclusion should still help to stave off any encroaching obsolescence. As for healing, Glenn loses the awesome *Cure 2, but if he is to take over Ayla's niche, it doesn't seem appropriate for him to have any mega-healing spells. (Besides, as things are set up now, three characters have versions of Cure (Marle's *Cure 2, Robo's Cure Beam, Schala's *Cure), three have versions of Heal (Robo's Heal Beam, Schala's *Heal 2, Glenn's *Heal), and three have versions of Life (Crono's *Life, Marle's *Life 2, Lucca's GreenMemory). This seems like a nice balance.)
OdF
11
Characters, Plot, and Themes / Did crono die when porre attacked
« on: August 13, 2005, 06:59:02 pm »Quote from: SilentMartyr
CC innate is different than CT element, stop trying to combine the two.
No duh they're different. That's not the point. What you apparently don't realize is that, since Trigger and Cross do exist in the same world, each character has to be able to exist under either convention. Hence, Trigger characters would have a "color" if transplanted into Cross, and vice versa. That's all I'm saying.
I'll combine whatever I please, thank you very much.
OdF
12
Crimson Echoes / Crimson Echoes Task Schedule
« on: August 13, 2005, 04:19:50 am »Quote from: jsondag2
For your sprite sheet, is dark red finished, pink future slots to be filled and white.....well I don't know what white could be, is it animations that are already in the game?
Dark red frames are finished ones, including the original set as well as ones I've drawn. Pink spaces are placeholders. It's like, Trigger doesn't use "laughing, rear view" or "raised hands, side view," for example. They just don't exist. So, the slots where those would go are left empty. As for white... that's just blank space on the page!
While I have your attention, I have a question for you. Aren't you the fellow who hacked Glenn's graphics in to replace Ayla's? If so, did you find that Alya's allocated graphic space for her running animations was really small and low to the ground? Or, was it normal-sized (i.e. the size allocated to characters who DON'T crawl around like a cat). I wanted to find out about this before doing running animations for Schala.
To Jake: Thanks.
Zeality: Do you mean a battle against the Porre assassin? What type of enemy AI would you assign to an enemy like that?
OdF
13
Crimson Echoes / Just a little something...
« on: August 13, 2005, 12:55:27 am »
Phbbbt. I WISH I knew how to really hack those graphics and things in.... No, it's just a mock-up, but I imagine that is how the shop screen will look in CE. Can't wait to see Schala and Glenn walking around.
OdF
OdF
14
Crimson Echoes / Just a little something...
« on: August 13, 2005, 12:44:56 am »
I just had to post this. Cool little items like this help keep me motivated to finish a project. Maybe y'all are the same.
OdF
OdF
15
General Discussion / RPG's: Past --> Present
« on: August 12, 2005, 09:07:17 pm »
I agree with what you say, ZeaLitY, and I'll take it a step further. I think that people who "came of age" in regard to RPGs (and video games in general) are likely to get stuck liking whatever game style was popular at that time. In some respects, newer RPGs are typically better than old ones, but I find myself prefering older RPGs most of the time--specifically those from the 16 bit era, when I was in middle school/high school and got to really like RPGs.
However, your point about nostalgia is, I think, closest to the truth. Compare a game like Final Fantasy IV or Phantasy Star II--games which have devoted followings--and compare them to games like Final Fantasy VIII or Crono Cross--games which are savaged by fan-boys. You simply can't deny that FF8 and Cross are superior in really every measurable way, but the nostalgia factor distorts our perceptions. (And for the record, I love all of the games I just mentioned.)
There's no convincing fan-boys, though. The Compendium is an exception because my experiences here are always good, but I find it's almost better not to discuss these things. You either see it one way, or the other, and nobody ever changes their mind about it.
Anyway, back to the Schala sprite.
OdF
However, your point about nostalgia is, I think, closest to the truth. Compare a game like Final Fantasy IV or Phantasy Star II--games which have devoted followings--and compare them to games like Final Fantasy VIII or Crono Cross--games which are savaged by fan-boys. You simply can't deny that FF8 and Cross are superior in really every measurable way, but the nostalgia factor distorts our perceptions. (And for the record, I love all of the games I just mentioned.)
There's no convincing fan-boys, though. The Compendium is an exception because my experiences here are always good, but I find it's almost better not to discuss these things. You either see it one way, or the other, and nobody ever changes their mind about it.
Anyway, back to the Schala sprite.
OdF