Heroes of Baryl - Weekly Summary

Happy Friday, everyone!

This week has been spent finishing up the starting dungeon, battle system specifics, animations, and the areas accessible right after the opening sequence and first dungeon.

The startup is always slow, I find, and especially in this case; the opening dungeon is somewhat large compared to others I've done, and the opening areas in general are of larger scale than previous projects I've done. This is nice in the way that I can go ahead and get one of the larger cities/castle areas out of the way from a design standpoint early on. In fact, the Phasala Castle, which is where the game begins, is mostly complete.

My mapping skills aren't my strong point, though no doubt I've gotten better over the years. Heroes of Baryl shows this. I feel the maps are a step better, but the castle area, for instance, is far from awe inspiring. It's something I may revisit in a later revision, but I don't think it's bad; it's just functional while still looking nice.

Heroes of Baryl - Status Update

By the midpoint of the week, the first dungeon is finished as well as parts of the areas to be explored immediately afterwards. The battle system won't be "done" for a long time, but it's fully functional in what it needs to do at the moment; thus, it will see continued evolution without hampering any gradual releases.

Speaking of gradual releases, I fully plan on releasing v0.1 of Heroes of Baryl on October 31st with steady releases afterwards. Momentum is going as strong as it did during the peak development stages of Vo'Stora and Llunia; so I'm feeling confident! Thus far, about one hour of playtime is present. I expect there to be approximately 2-3 total in the initial release.

Heroes of Baryl - The Soldiers of Phasala

The soldiers that make up Phasala's army are respected the world over as the world's greatest, largest army. Even though Phasala could easily take over the world with its military might many times over, their desire to sustain growth and focus on internal affairs is their primary concern. As such, being The King of Phasala is a relatively low stress job. At least, it used to be.

With the increasing number of beastmen forces gaining a sense of identity and unity towards a common goal, things aren't as simple as they used to be. Their tactics are cunning and ruthless, leaving countless dead in the wake of invasions. Every day another report comes in of a lost settlement. The King knew it was time to do something or face unrest as civilians found out the truth.

Thus, a small task force was selected; three individuals from the rookie group, known for their empathy, their talent with arms as well as scholarly talent. The selection process included one of each weapon discipline... a swordsman, a spearman, and an axe wielder. Each sought different paths. Training in the sword leads to the path of the Knight; a great defender. The Lancer, who trains with the spear, becomes a master of one on one combat and party support skills. Lastly, the Berserker, with his two handed axe, is efficient in mowing down groups of opponents and weakening them.

This task force first has to pass a test. Survival is not guaranteed, as the Phasala Prison of old times is riddled with danger. If they manage to complete the trial and come out in one piece, they will earn the privilege to take on The King's Order, with the privilege of meeting His Royal Majesty face to face.

Heroes of Baryl - Weekly Summary

This week has seen a pretty miraculous jump start to development. While still unpolished, the opening is complete along with a good portion of the opening dungeon. Things are moving along nicely to where, at this rate, something playable should be available by the end of October.

For this to happen, I'll need to accomplish the following over the next weeks:

• Finish the Battle System
• Finish the first dungeon
• Design/Implement Town 1
• Design/Implement first overworld region
• Polish!

There won't be a lot in the first release, but there will be enough for one to get an idea of what's ahead and at least an hour of exploration/story.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Heroes of Baryl - Screenshots

The Celestial Council - Dark Omens

Every three years, the representatives of man meet in a special council. On the council are the two representatives, Solaria and Lunaria, human embodiments of the gods by the same name. During the council, the two spiritual leaders are guided by the Celestial Oracle; the one tasked with overseeing the progress of humanity.

While most of these meetings are more routine than anything, the most recent council finds The Oracle delivering a dire message; while it doesn't look it just yet, humanity will soon be on the brink of extinction. The beasts of the north have gone from a minor disorganized nuisance to an actual militarized force with one purpose; to wipe humans off of the face of Baryl once and for all. It is clear that some dark force is working behind the scenes to organize the beast men, though it is unclear who or what this force might be.

What is certain, however, is that the time has come for the representatives to do what they were created to do; to find and unite the Heroes of Baryl!

Phasala Dungeon - Location Profile

The Kingdom of Phasala is the bastion of light and humanism in the world of Baryl. While its history goes as deep as human memory, the past three hundred years has seen much development; thus, it has become what it is today.

Beneath the kingdom, however, lies a dark and broken past; the old Phasala Dungeon. Few know if its existence, and those that do know only of its intended purpose; not the reason it was abandoned and sealed. The souls of the dead are expected to lurk far beneath, as well as a surviving mutant race of the beast forces that were once damned to its depths.