Rock And Roll
Member
Ah good to know you were aware of it. Still loving the game, by the way.
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Cosmic Star Heroine |OT| Alyssa's Chrono Phantasy
- Thread starter Cornbread78
- Start date
Ah good to know you were aware of it. Still loving the game, by the way.
Rock And Roll
Member
Just finished it up. Congratulations again Zeboyd, you guys really knocked it out of the park. Everything about this game was wonderful and I'll give it a go on Super Spy in a few months, maybe go for the platinum if I'm feeling ambitious. I really hope this game meets your expectations sales wise and we continue to see more games.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Thinking of doing a new Breath of Death game as a 3-6 month project as a light, fun project after the 4-year behemoth that was Cosmic Star Heroine. Here's what I'm thinking.
Working Title - Breath of Death: Undead in Time
$10
Would come out on PC/PS4/Vita at launch (no delay for Vita version). Cross-buy on PSN. Switch too at launch if we can get Nintendo to agree to it.
8-bit-ish graphics (like Breath of Death VII but with several years more experience on our part)
Combat would be similar to Cosmic Star Heroine (rechargeable abilities, style, hyper, desperate, etc.). Visually, it'd be a lot simpler of course.
Multi-class system where each class is a monster-type (like Zombie, Skeleton, Wraith, Vampire, Penanggalan, Living Doll, Reaper, etc.).
Similar length to CSH, maybe longer (since we have an engine already made & wouldn't be stuck making detailed 16-bit graphics, we can generate content a lot faster).
Basic plot premise would be that due to the events of BoDVII, the timeline is fractured and you have to travel through time repairing the timeline. However, rather than travel to specific times, you'd be travelling through fake installments of the Breath of Death series (similar to what Space Quest IV did).
Would probably have a fixed party of 3 (that can use the multi-class system) and then you'd also get temporary guest characters to fill out the 4th slot.
Thoughts?
Working Title - Breath of Death: Undead in Time
$10
Would come out on PC/PS4/Vita at launch (no delay for Vita version). Cross-buy on PSN. Switch too at launch if we can get Nintendo to agree to it.
8-bit-ish graphics (like Breath of Death VII but with several years more experience on our part)
Combat would be similar to Cosmic Star Heroine (rechargeable abilities, style, hyper, desperate, etc.). Visually, it'd be a lot simpler of course.
Multi-class system where each class is a monster-type (like Zombie, Skeleton, Wraith, Vampire, Penanggalan, Living Doll, Reaper, etc.).
Similar length to CSH, maybe longer (since we have an engine already made & wouldn't be stuck making detailed 16-bit graphics, we can generate content a lot faster).
Basic plot premise would be that due to the events of BoDVII, the timeline is fractured and you have to travel through time repairing the timeline. However, rather than travel to specific times, you'd be travelling through fake installments of the Breath of Death series (similar to what Space Quest IV did).
Would probably have a fixed party of 3 (that can use the multi-class system) and then you'd also get temporary guest characters to fill out the 4th slot.
Thoughts?
Sequels to indie games don't sell (all that well). Toki Tori 2, Grimrock 2, Stealth Inc 2, etc.
IMO you're better off going the Supergiant route (Transistor wasn't marketed as a sequel to Bastion, which seemed to have helped).
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Indie sequels generally don't sell all that well BUT trying to sell an 8-bit indie RPG in a brand new IP is probably even more difficult. According to SteamSpy, over 600k accounts own BoDVII. And this wouldn't be a direct sequel - just share some themes & a few references to the previous game. The fast development time means that it wouldn't need to sell much in order to be profitable.
I'll give you the $10 right now for it on both the strength of CSH, and the fact that you're going to have Penanggalan as a character/monster class, because that's freaking hardcore.
Baloonatic
Member
This all sounds great to me. I would personally prefer 16-bit to 8-bit BUT that's obviously a load more work and if a smaller/simpler project is what you need after CSH then you should do it.
I'm guessing you'd start after everything is done and dusted with CSH so release would probably be next year?
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
I'm thinking we could probably finish it in time for a 2017 release BUT it might be best to save it for early 2018 so we miss the end of year rush, and use the extra time to do a bunch of marketing (and ensure we don't have a rushed launch like we did with CSH).
Baloonatic
Member
Early 2018 sounds like a better idea but I suppose it depends if early 2018 is like early 2017 in terms of releases. It definitely needs to be a "release it when you're ready" after the stress of the CSH launch.
Are you considering crowdfunding for this?
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Haven't decided on crowdfunding. I was thinking if we do a Kickstarter, we could throw everybody in the $25+ tiers into an early access version of the game right after the Kickstarter ends. Would give us a lot of testing & feedback and would make the Kickstarter more attractive since you wouldn't have to wait a long time to play the game.
TBH a sequel to Breath of Death, fun game as it was, might as well be a new IP to most people. It was a super niche indie game on Xbox and didn't come to PC until CStW did, which it was bundled with. I'm sure a good number of people played it, but in terms of overall name recognition and marketing I don't know that it would get the reception you're expecting. Also SteamSpy is so, so unreliable I'm not sure it should be used to justify any sort of sales goals or recognition expectations.
Gryphonblade1628
Neo Member
From a development standpoint it definitely makes sense to develop another game or two on the engine you just made to get more time and money out of it. That said, I think that regardless of the potential draw that BOD7 might bring to the table, you'll find a lot of people either ignore it entirely due to visual style or wonder why you're going from the dense pixel style of CSH back to a much simpler 8bit style. I get that the workload between 16bit and 8bitish is very different, trust me, but a lot of that also comes down to animation scope and depth of the game build. I also think writing 20 hours of story content in 3-6 months is pretty... suspect, at least quality wise. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I feel like cramming that much writing and story development into that short a time (plus you'd be doing the Unity-side dev to put everything together) wouldn't be any sort of polished.
Personally I'd rather see something else come out of the CSH engine, despite my dislike of the battle system.
Baloonatic
Member
I was wondering actually, did you get a lot of feedback from people with beta access to CSH? I'm guilty of having access to it but not actually playing it until you updated that branch to the full game just before release.
Sounds pretty off putting for anyone who didn't play the previous game.
I do really like the premise for the sequel, though. The idea of going through fake installments of a series is a novel, fun one. I'd rather it not reuse the CSH battle system, but it makes sense that it would be in the same engine. Maybe I should reinstall BoD. It's been a long time since I played it or CStW.
Gryphonblade1628
Neo Member
BOD7 was one of the first indie RPGs I played and I think it struck well with me so much because of that. CstW is a far better game, in my opinion. I'm also kind of over the whole undead/zombies/Lovecraftian/vampires thing, so that spoils my tastes for it a bit.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Mostly bug reports. And reports mostly dried up after the initial batch.
It'd be more gameplay-focused than story-focused as befitting the target era. And honestly, the amount of time we spend on writing for CSH was a small fraction of overall development (for me, I spent the most time on making the engine and then the second-most time on setting up graphics). The writing would actually probably be as good or possibly even better than CSH with that kind of timeline since I'd actually be able to focus on it.
I have another idea for a Persona-esque game using the engine that would probably take about a year, but I'm thinking I need a breather before I tackle anything that serious. And I've long wanted to do another 8-bit-ish game to see how far we've come since our first RPG.
Eh, I'm not expecting much. If we did a Kickstarter, we could probably mostly (or completely) cover development expenses just with that depending on the KS size so we wouldn't need to sell much to make a profit. Throw in a LRG physical release and we'd be set.
It's my own game though! I know what it's sold, I just used SteamSpy so I wasn't sharing personal info.
Baloonatic
Member
Do this.
In regards to the game name and it being tied to BoDVII, I don't think it's a big deal. Basically all you'd need is a 1 minute NES style intro cutscene to get people up to speed and you're done.
Are you thinking random encounters or CSH approach? I really liked the CSH approach of every encounter feeling kind of unique. It played well into making the battle system feel more strategic.
Orakio Rob
Member
Being a sequel is not a problem. Considering the first Breath of Death was part VII, you could call the sequel Breath of Death I
Adam Prime
hates soccer, is Mexican
I would kick start that in a second. I'd play anything with CSH's combat engine. I loved it!
Tiu Neo
Member
I love job systems, and really like the CSH battle system, so I'd back it on Kickstarter. I would expect it to take at least twice that time, since that's how those things always go, but still, sounds like a nice breather project.
This could be a nice way to make people play the first BotD too. Dunno how hard it's to port it and CSTW for modern platforms using monogame, but you could use the sequel's sale as a measure to see if it's worth it.
JumpJeff84
Member
Other than the odd crash, I adore this game. I'm 4 hours in and I can't get over how great the battle system is. Top notch, this game is amazing
I think the sequel to Breath of Death sounds interesting.
How hard would it be to include the original game as a bonus to get around people not wanting to buy a sequel without playing the original? Most of us have it on PC, but did you ever release BoD to Playstation audiences?
I don't know how accurate Steamspy is when it comes to player counts (vs owner counts), but they currently list BoD7 has having about 200k lifetime players. I'd probably use that as the basis of your experienced audience, rather than the 600k figure. The original game was packed in with Cthulhu, and both games were dirt cheap. I imagine that you got a ton of impulse buys that never left the back catalogue. I used to give them out as gifts during dollar sales on Steam.
How hard would it be to include the original game as a bonus to get around people not wanting to buy a sequel without playing the original? Most of us have it on PC, but did you ever release BoD to Playstation audiences?
I don't know how accurate Steamspy is when it comes to player counts (vs owner counts), but they currently list BoD7 has having about 200k lifetime players. I'd probably use that as the basis of your experienced audience, rather than the 600k figure. The original game was packed in with Cthulhu, and both games were dirt cheap. I imagine that you got a ton of impulse buys that never left the back catalogue. I used to give them out as gifts during dollar sales on Steam.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Posted a Twitter poll for next game: https://twitter.com/werezompire/status/859494413898141698
Not on twitter but I'd vote for Untamed Armaments. A game like Wild Arms with the CSH engine would be awesome. Need more Western like games in general.
Worldshaker
Member
The world needs this.
This all sounds pretty great! I really enjoyed Breath of Death and would definitely be up for more. I've enjoyed your output enough to have backed CSH on Kickstarter and I'd love to see what else you can do with that engine.
JumpJeff84
Member
Whatever the next project is I just hope it carries over the battle system of CSH. So good
Dr. Zoidberg
Member
One of the options has the word "Persona" in it so that's going to win. I voted for BoD, though. I enjoyed the first game a lot.
Just got patch 1.4 on PSN...I hope it fixes the flickering Lauren I keep getting now...(didnt read patch notes
What is the flickering lauren, specifically?
If you make a Persona like game, make it either all gays and the characters all Tom of Finland types or with a female MC and all men are horribly objectified or, again, Tom of Finland types, visually. Let's see how much the waifu-loving crowd of Persona will be accepting of some male-objectification and not getting themselves & their fantasies represented in the game.
Or make it all-inclusive with all the men still being horribly objectified or Tom of Finland types vs. normal looking women.
Or make it all-inclusive with all the men still being horribly objectified or Tom of Finland types vs. normal looking women.
Well after the Casino or probably since I can add the party companions and their buffs,when I swapped for Lauren,she flickers in combat non stop...doesnt affect anything and she also flickers in the same way when travelling on the map,when the characters are smaller anyway...I just realised that I can actually change some skills when they have more then the ones you have in combat by default lol...so maybe its one of the new ones...?
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
The latest patch fixed a bug where swapping party members sometimes resulted in sprite animation glitches which sounds like what you were experiencing.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
I wish I could just vote against an option. Thumbs up to the Breath of Death sequel or Untamed Armaments. Thumbs down to a persona knockoff. I have no idea what the last one is.
I'm thirty hours into Persona 5 and I have to admit, I'm already getting sick of it (why does this game has to be a hundred hours long...). I might just start up my copy of Cosmic Star Heroine, since the battle system looks like a blast and from what I've read, it's a really tight experience
EDIT: I voted for Untamed Armaments, just because that's such a badass title for a game
EDIT: I voted for Untamed Armaments, just because that's such a badass title for a game
Unreal Champ
Banned
Is Cosmic Star still coming out for the Xbox One?
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Yes, we're still planning on porting Cosmic Star Heroine to Xbox One.
Amherst_Wind
Neo Member
Is Untamed Armaments on the poll as a joke? Because if it's serious then that absolutely needs to be what you make next.
Unreal Champ
Banned
Ok thanks
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
It was an April Fool's Day joke we did a while back - http://zeboyd.com/2014/04/01/zeboyd-games-is-proud-to-announce-untamed-armaments/
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
That's why we aren't doing the physical edition immediately - ideally, we'll be entirely done with patches before it comes out.