iSmartMan

Wow, really? Thank you, I'm honored!

IT'S FINALLY HERE! I have just updated the OP of this thread with the FULL version of the game! Please enjoy, and if you have any questions or feedback, please post it here or in the Discord so I can see it.

Nope, it's track 21 from this (used with permission) https://radiarc.bandcamp.com/album/prologue-album

@nightshroud96 Sorry for being snappy, it's just that I started this project with lofty plans to have a dozen different optional party members, and I eventually had to accept that I needed to cut out all but essentials to have any hope of finishing this project. That was 7 years ago. Like I said, if you're volunteering to design everything for Spike's implementation in the game, you're welcome to help, but otherwise, I just don't have time to add another party member option to the game. It's a question of time and resources, and has nothing to do with Spike's character.

@nightshroud96 Because there are only so many different party member gameplay archetypes I can add before they start becoming repetitive. I've got 8 options already, and if you would like to design a ninth set of stats and skills for Spike that aren't too similar to any of the others, I'd love to have the extra help.

@nightshroud96 That, and there are only so many party members I can have without them becoming redundant.

@nightshroud96 No, sorry, someone had to stay behind and watch the library. He does make a brief cameo at the start, though.

At last, a new build is here! This version adds the Caves Beneath Canterlot, the second-to-last part of the story. If you have a save from the previous version of the game, it SHOULD work in this one, but I can't promise that your party will be as strong as they need to be. Also, I FINALLY fixed that bug with the battle theme audio continuing to play after battles, though with the difficulty my testers and I have had reproducing the bug reliably, it wouldn't surprise me if it just hid from us again. The reason this build took so long is because I decided to try a bunch of rebalancing and experimenting with the combat, only some of which can be seen in the current version (for instance, the Shadowbolts fight is the result of some experiments with making a more challenging boss battle). I would REALLY like to do a complete overhaul of the combat, but since this is my first game, it's pretty much all trial-and-error, which is painfully tedious and prone to personal bias. If I just wanted to finish the story, I could probably have the "full game" finished in 2-3 months, but I wouldn't be happy with the gameplay. However, to get the gameplay to a point I would be happy with, I would probably have to accept that the next build would come out sometime next year. I suppose that I could finish up the story, release it, and then rebalance to my heart's content, but let's be honest, how many of you would replay this after finishing the story? If no one plays the improvements, then what's the point? So, let me know here and on my Discord server how you feel about this. Should I focus on finishing the story, or should I improve the combat to make it a better game overall first? Also, if anyone has experience with game design and combat mechanics/formulas, please contact me. I would be extremely grateful for your help and would be willing to pay you for your time and skill.

@Hari SeldonThe second issue sounds like an old save The current build should have Celestia's Mass Light skill cost 30 MP, but if you have an old enough save, it'll be 1 MP. As for Celestia's Raise skill, I haven't gotten around to balancing that one yet, so it's always been really expensive and unusable. The first issue sounds a bit stranger. I'd messed up the balance at Pinkie's Rock Farm by lowering the encounter rate in the last build, so players weren't strong enough for Baltimare Rarity. Since I'm overhauling the entire game's balance for the next build, I decided to be lazy here and add a script that would increase the level of everyone in the party to 16 after fighting Nightmare Pinkie. HP shouldn't have any effect on who levels up, and anyone who levels up should have their stats reflect the level increase. Could you be more specific about the stat discrepancies? Are stats actually going down, are they lower than they should be, or are they not changing at all?

Fixed a bug that let the player walk through walls after going into the shop in the Town Near Rock Farm. Updated build in the top post, grab it if you haven't gotten that far yet, otherwise message me on Discord for a version that can fix saves experiencing this bug.

Fixed the bug, new build link in the top post, make sure to grab it!

Huh, that's a new one. I'll look into it tomorrow.

At last, a new build has been posted (see top of thread)! In addition to advancing the story, this new build includes a new Tent item that will allow you to fully heal your party at save crystals. Also, you can how hold Z to run, which should make some of my testers very happy. Lastly, I've decided to open up a Discord server (see top of thread, below the link to the current build) for discussing the game and collecting feedback and suggestions, so I would really appreciate if everyone would join and let me know their thoughts. I'm planning on going back over all the encounters in the game and rebalancing them, so the next public build will probably take a few months. If anyone is interested in helping me out by testing my in-progress beta builds, feel free to ask on the Discord server.

@Borg I apologize, that's a bug with the current public build, but that's where it ends anyway. I forgot to put in the message saying it was the end of the build. As @Bas said, I've currently sent the next build out to my testers, and it should be ready for public release in a couple of weeks at most. I'm also considering posting my Discord server publicly at that point, and potentially offering beta builds there for anyone who wants to test them. Be patient, and the next build will come. As for the Celestia skills thing, that was an oversight on my part, and it will be resolved in the next build.

Found a major bug that needed fixing, updated the download link again