SHANGRI-LA:CV - Menu Differences

Okay, so as I've mentioned somewhat recently, Shangri-La is seeing progress again at long last. I am using a different program now, which has sort of forced me to start over. This... isn't a bad thing, though. Rather, I'm trying to see this as a welcome excuse for overhauling some of the sloppier aspects one might remember from the demo version. So, for the next few weeks, I'll be trying to periodically post comparisons of what the game used to look like, versus what it now looks like. And by the way, your opinion matters. If you like or dislike something, speak up!

Today's episode introduces us to the new menu screen. In the original demo version, I'd drawn Face graphics for all of the main characters (and if you've been watching me for a while, you'll know how thoroughly I HATED the way they looked). So, the first thing I'd like to draw your attention to is the newer, cleaner Face graphics (and without those eyesore white boxes containing them).

The menu screen itself was meant to look like wood in the demo as well. I dunno, I thought it was "naturey" or something, fitting well with the setting of the whole game being on an island. The end result, now that I look at it though, is that it was really just very... brown. Blah. I AM open to suggestion on this, but as of this moment, I am rather fond of the "clean, clear water" shade of blue that now makes up the menu's color.

The font for the original demo version was "Nyala", the same font I use for the title. It's legible (though, due to resolution issues, it looks icky here), but has this exotic feel. Currently, for the Complete Version, I'm still using the new Maker's default font, (mostly because I haven't figured out how to change it yet). On the one hand, I miss the original font for how well it blended with the feel of the game (in my opinion). On the other, the current font IS rather classy. I feel like it might not fit the atmosphere quite as well, but it's extremely clean and legible. Thoughts are most welcome.

Another thing you might notice is that the new maker includes a "Formation" option for quickly and easily changing party members. The demo had it's own contrived and archaic system I made up, so seeing this streamlined is very welcome. Still, a personal question to you as the players: should I allow party changing at ANY time, or would it be better to make the option only explicitly available in the town and "Safe Rooms"? The restriction could add more challenge, but I could see how the freeform approach would be appreciated too, so I hope to hear your thoughts on this as well.

I don't even wanna talk about the maps yet. Stop trying to look through the menu.

And yes, if you're observant, you might have noticed the HP and SP counts for each character are different. Initially, that was an accident, but I am sticking with some certain statistical changes. I think the Complete Version will do better in individualizing the strengths and weaknesses of each character.

Besides your thoughts, questions are welcome too. I figure if I keep the players' thoughts involved while I'm producing the game, I'm more likely to create a game everyone can enjoy. I'm striving for a release this year, but I won't promise anything (as that's backfired for me several times already). That aside though, I really think we're getting there this time.

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this return to Shangri-La. There are many people who've been waiting a very long time for this, and honestly, I can't apologize enough. It was never meant to take this long. On the plus side though, I feel it bears potential to be a far greater game as a result though. So, I sincerely thank you for your patience through this.

If this is the first time you've heard of Shangri-La, let me direct you this way for more info [link] . The only downside is that some of info is dated. The Complete Version will probably be a pretty different beast.

©2009-2012
Shangri-La and all other aspects of the story are copyright material belonging to me.
It is being made with RPG Maker VX Ace, which belongs to Enterbrain.