Project Sky

Game logo

Project Sky is a game developed by Aren using SRPG Studio as a follow up to The Siege of Lemond. It aims to expand on the ideas and create a much larger game in a more structured manner. The game sells itself on a number of unique features, including the player's party being randomly selected from a pool of units at the start of each playthrough and a World Map that can be explored to engage in the game's battles in any order the player desires.

## Project Goals

Project Sky follows similar philosophies to its predecessor, focusing on expressing creativity in game design and not feeling limited by the engine. The end goal of the project is a lot more open ended than the first game which restricted itself to a single map. The intention is for as much content to be added as wanted, it can be as ambitious as feels comfortable. This is reflected in the project being named for its upper limit.

Future versions of the game will introduce new units, maps, weapons, items, etc. An Endgame map unlocked upon completing all battles on the World Map is also planned.

## Plot

The Empire of Tornava has invaded its neighbours with a view to conquest of the whole continent at the orders of its Emperor. With the entire military posted on the front line, the capital is vulnerable to attack. When bandits try to seize this opportunity, it falls to one of the three Princesses of the Empire to protect the people with a small personal army summoned to her side by the Goddess...

## Notable Mechanics

* -Party of 6. One of three Princess characters to lead the charge and five other units randomly selected from a pool. (Currently: 20) If the Princess is defeated, then it's Game Over, but all other units will live to fight another day.
* World Map. From the World Map, players can access the Base (to manage resources, visit the Shops and distribute Bonus Exp) and engage battle in various Areas (Currently: 4). Each Area is linked to a character from the pool and will have extra story content if that character is in the player's party. Battles will scale based on the level of the party so players are free to take them on in any order, though certain maps (Currently: 1) will require that another Area is cleared in order to access.
* EX Skills. Each unit has a powerful EX Skill. Only one unit can use their EX Skill on each map and only once per map, but their effects could swing the tide of battle. Enemy bosses also possess EX Skills and can use them, creating an extra layer of threat for the player to overcome.
* Unique Units. Each unit comes with their own EX Skill and 3 in combination of personal weapons and skills. Each unit is designed to have a different niche and playstyle, completely altering the flow of battle based on party composition. The skills hope to reward careful planning and strategy, making positioning and the order units are moved matter.
* Time. With each passing turn, time moves forward and changes from Day to Dusk to Night and back to Day. Certain skills will depend on the time of day to function or get the most out of them. The time of day a map is challenged at could drastically change its outcome.
* Continuous pursuit. A unit that is faster than its opponent in battle will have the chance to perform follow up attacks, the greater the difference in speed, the more attacks a unit can perform.
* Goddess Mode. Once the game has reached the credits, a new game mode will be unlocked when the player next selects New Game. This mode allows the player to choose the units in their party and experiment with different combinations. (In the future, it is intended for this to be a more challenging mode than a randomised playthrough.)

## Development

Development and testing of various mechanics and ideas began in July following the initial release of The Siege of Lemond. Further more focused development began in early September before the proof of concept released in November 2019. After a second short hiatus, work resumed following the Coronavirus outbreak in March 2020 with version 0.25 releasing at the end of April to seek feedback on the game's progress.

## Credits

Game Developed by Aren

Game Engine:

-SRPG Studio from SapphireSoft

Graphics:

-SapphireSoft

-Aren

-ふわふわ

-Von Ithipathachai

-JAPANweb

-BlueLeafy

-Ruari Beckwith

Music:

-SapphireSoft

Javascript:

-SapphireSoft

-Aren

-o-to

-Goinza

-Lady Rena

-MarkyJoe

-Repeat

-Balberith

Special Thanks:

-Gazooki

-The SRPG Studio University Discord