ebony841 wrote:
How is the progress in Aretha? Is it close to beta?
I wish it was. I intended for it to be released by now. I had to spend a good deal of time away from the hobby in 2012 and 13. When I got going again in mid 2013, I had some responsibilities with Chaos Seed and Lodoss first. Then, Super Shell Monster Story-I sort of fell into our laps. It was in "super" shape already with the translation and menus we inherited. I became intrigued with SSMS-I and rushed it toward beta as quickly as possible.Actually, I started refining the Aretha-I story just two weeks ago. I left my usual haunts and embarked on a fishing trip, but the weather has been lousy, and the fishing has been slow. So, I dived into A-I. I'm happy to report that we have a V0.10 beta already. I am completing chapter 11 of 105 tonight. Bongo` is getting us additional script bytes, and together we're quickly refining the menus. Filler's translation is outstanding - as always. I've already adapted his tone to the game. Aretha-II is half done - believe it or not - and all of these stories stay fresh in my mind indefinitely. I'm already applying conventions from A-II into A-I and standardizing the features of both games as much as possible. I can see that A-II is a true sequel, and one of Filler's translated segments I just finished working on in A-I totally clarifies the whole series perfectly. We made a wise decision to finish and release A-I first.
Lady RPG'ers should love this Aretha RPG series. Our heroine is a paradox of gentleness, compassion, dogged determination, and toughness. She is a superwoman in her own quiet, unassuming way but doesn't realize it - same as a special girl I know personally! The A-I story begins when Ariel is 10-years-old. A boy in the nearby village attacks her under unusual circumstances. Ariel defeats him, and the boy can't believe that a "mere girl" has bested him! Instead of gloating, Ariel chastises the lad for worrying his mother half to death.
Ariel is being being raised by a loving but strict grandmother, deep in the forest. Some of the villagers regard her as rather "hickey", but everyone respects Ariel for being sweet and polite. When she grows up, a weird old man steals Ariel's deceased mother's heirloom - a special ring the old guy claims is the Aretha Ring. When Ariel's doting grandmother disappears mysteriously, shortly thereafter, Ariel is distraught but swears to search the world until she finds this elderly lady named Sarah. Evidence indicates that a logical place to start looking is the legendary Aretha Kingdom, an overseas country that has been invaded by barbarians. Regardless, Ariel starts out with her companions, hoping to catch a ship that will take them to this dangerous destination!
Aretha-II begins with Ariel having achieved a lofty position in the world, but she is hardly content. A new danger arises when some of her old companions from A-I find themselves in big trouble! Ariel abandons her new responsibilities and sets out to find and save them!
I will work on these two games simultaneously and try to make their stories seamless.
Well, at least not in the item's name...