We are back again A lot of time has passed! Dont worry, we from team FervorCraft were just very busy working on the game. Well, and during February and March we also had conventions to attend in Dresden (DeDeCo) and Leipzig (MCC 2024), thus needing to invest some of our time into creating new prints for our booth as well.
But apart from that we have continued working on it and managed to make a lot of progress. A Semi-Linear Story Section When we werent busy attending conventions, we took care of the first sections of Chapter 3 in which the players will have to take action themselves: the entire Southwest of Zhetan will be available to you! What does that mean? Here, the plot will continue semi-linear. While the main quest will give you a final destination, numerous optional locations are open to visit - even if some might prove to still pose a sizeable challenge. But an extensive trip has never failed yet to make you more familiar with the final companion. Here are a few impressions of the areas we have finished or are currently still working on.









The Plot Must Go On! But how about the plot for the whole game? How far along are we? As mentioned, we focussed on the first section of Chapter 3. For a good reason: we divided the contents of the chapter into thirds - to serve as milestones during development - and we have finished all the texts of important scenes for the first third of it; whats missing now is their implementation. Sidequests and NPCs are in the works as well but will probably get implemented when the main quest for this segment is also fully playable. In short: regarding the story we finished all the groundworks and will add in the rest one by one before proceeding to the next segment. Art Assets We made a lot of new graphic assets or edited or finalized existing ones over the past few months. Apart from pixelart and effects for the different areas, there have also been new NPCs added which will become more important in Chapter 3.


RPG MAKER XP evolves into MKXP-Z One of the two most substantial changes we made was changing the engine Charon - Zhetan Chronicles will run in when finalized. Development continues in RPG MAKER XP which is still more than suitable for that job but is showing more and more issues when it comes to actually running the game. Thus, weve decided to go for the MKXP-Z framework! What is that?, you might ask. Well, its a C++-based framework specifically intended for the Maker generations XP, VX and VX-Ace that allows games to be played fitting more contemporary standards (It is often used as a base for fan projects in the Pokmon community as well). Which in our case means:

• a much more stable performance
• the possibility to use updated Ruby code (the standard in RPG Maker is rather outdated)
• freely adjustable window resolutions*
• fonts loading automatically
• the ability to connect it to the Steam-API for achievements etc.
• portability onto other operating systems**

* We have to admit: technically, there were a lot of other options in that regard but we opted for a 4:3 resolution to keep the necessary overhaul work to a minimum - the main focus were debugging and the adjustment of font sizes. Thanks to the variable window sizing, every player should be able to find a resolution fitting their needs and preferences. ** This point is still in an experimental phase but in theory it is possible to also build the framework for Linux and MacOS. Linux for now takes priority since it would also make the game compatible with SteamDeck. This whole restructuring has taken quite a few weeks of our time but by now, we got everything in working order. All that is left to do are the details, for example the consistent implementation of Steam achievements. Overhauling the Damage Formula and Rebalancing The other big change we made showed itself during the implementation of new skills for both heroes and enemies: we completely overhauled the damage calculation - and with that the balancing of status effects. Before, we used a heavily edited version of the Makers standard which was serviceable but neither clearly laid out nor easy to operate. Thats why we did it all new and kicked out the old code. We used this chance to eradicate some issues with balancing during fights. In detail, this involves:

• damage done by heroes and enemies is not strictly capped anymore, making buffs and debuffs more noticeable
• character level now got a bit more impact on the damage calculations; equipment and action levels remain very important but forgetting to take care of them for a hot second shouldnt result in a frustrating bottleneck anymore
• the heroess LPs have been increased and adjusted to the enemiess damage so players should not get not challenged enough nor immediately destroyed either - except when trying to go for a boss way above their level.
• the reconstruction also allows for an easier implementation of future enemies, since status effects are now much easier to calculate and adjust

The end goal, though, was for the existing combat strategies to still work the same and impressions from recent testing confirm that! Especially the standard encounters are distinctly less sluggish now - especially when taking advantage of enemy weaknesses! The majority of these last months went into this aspect, in fact, and it did pay off. A Little Sneak-Peak By the way, we have an additional update in the works which should enhance the combat system even more - but more on that once its ready.
Future Prospects As we said before, next up is the realization of the first third of Chapter 3 and further fixing more issues on the side. The realization of open skill sets and talents will come up and our list of needed art assets will slowly but surely shrink down. I dont want to make any predictions right now, but over this summer we should be able to make good progress. Thats all for now. Thank you very much for reading and see you next time! Kind regards, Schilderich Team Fervorcraft

[ 2024-05-28 18:31:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

In this retro-style 2D RPG with updated classic game mechanics, accompany the dutiful knight Sai on his journey across the magical continent of Zhetan and meet unlikely companions, uncover a sinister conspiracy, and stop the forces of evil from achieving ultimate dominion over the World Above. Inspired by the classics of 90s and early 2000s-era JRPGs, the game features an engaging turn-based battle system and a world full of exploration, dungeons and puzzles.



As a “best of the classics”, Charon: Zhetan Chronicles’ turn-based battle system puts big emphasis on strategy with worthwhile decision making. It allows you to influence the turn order action per action by either choosing an offensive or defensive tactic. Feel the excitement when you managed to exploit enemies’ weaknesses and deliver the finishing blow with powerful attacks!

Skill Crafting and Talent System

Increase your options in battle even further by customizing your party not only with equipment, but also new skills and passive abilities. Collect mysterious relics and attain new battle actions whenever you want or increase your party’s stats and resistances by mastering special talents.



The World Above is designed with rewarding exploration in mind. While traversing an area
you can find a lot of optional locations, treasures and challenges. Dungeons will test your skills not only in battle with powerful enemies, but also with puzzles to solve. And then there are lively towns filled with NPCs who provide more insight in the world’s story and lore or offer side-quests.



A colorful cast of queer characters where each one has a unique personality and abilities. In this character-driven story, scenes are written to give the characters room to express themselves and their struggles while giving you the opportunity to shape the main character’s path as leader by choosing answers for him during important moments.

Key Features:

• Classic RPG with 20-30 hours of content
  
• 32-bit graphics with a nostalgic feel of old classics
  
• A huge overworld with many secrets to explore: treasures, puzzles and optional dungeons
  
• Turn-based battles putting a great emphasis on strategy and the use of enemies’ weaknesses against them
  
• A diverse cast of queer characters with engaging personalities and individual abilities
  
• Learn new skills for your party by crafting them on your own accord and use the powerful Talent System to customize them even further with passive abilities
  
• No random encounters, but on-map enemies
  
• Multiple side quests and guild errands to advance your understanding of the world, fighting more powerful bosses and gain experience more easily

Story:

For aeons the Great Chasm has separated the World Above from the Underworld. While the people of the upper realm live in peace under the watchful eyes of the gods, the realms below the chasm are plagued by the wicked influence of the Dark One. Then, 80 years ago, he unleashed his legions to enslave humanity.
Only the gods' devoted knights seemed capable to withstand evil.

Accompany knight Sai on his quest across the continent of Zhetan to put an end to a conspiracy of the enemy. Find new companions and face a variety of challenges. Take on fearsome monsters, powerful demons or devious villains... and find out what really is the root of all conflict.