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maggie ec lusa!
05 June 2009 @ 02:08 pm
Various..  
We've decided to introduce some more backstory for the Temples in Specs 2. Since they were the original Lucidan family and all, some history on them seems necessary. Currently we're working on the details of the fall of the Temple Reign, which will pretty much do it for that part of the story. We also threw in a twist in the way we're going to reveal this info to the party.

In other somewhat-related news, we've added a new optional Boss to the end of Specs 1, but since this is the "Rise of the Primus" blog, I can't go into too much detail on it. However, I can say that this Boss is the first time in Specs that 'minions' are brought into play, thus making for a more challenging battle.
 The movesets are all but finished at this point, with only a few techniques needed here and there. Next up will be the party's moveset, which will probably be more difficult than the Bosses as we don't want to give the player so many options that they can't level them up without spending a ton of time scouring for nightmares to battle, but we also don't want to only have a few moves and allow the player to make those select moves extremely powerful very easily.

A few of the subplots were edited to make sure we have everything sorted out. Scott now has some more lines, mostly reflections on the events of the saga. Eileen's role in the story got revised a little, making for a smoother explanation regarding her disappearance. I think that's about it for this one. Eventually I'll get around to typing up a revised list of Specs 2 Bosses, but that can wait a bit longer.
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maggie ec lusa!
03 April 2009 @ 08:35 pm
Some Progress  
Alright, so it's been about 9 months since this blog was last updated, but at least we've been working on the project. We're actually pretty far along, minus the fact that the actual lines for everyone still need to be written up.

Among the main changes made was a massive overhaul of the Specs 2 Bosses. We essentially eliminated Littermates from the Manors, instead opting for more standard RPG fare. We also added more Mini-Bosses, giving us 6 total. Eventually we may add some extra ones, but for now we've got enough to keep things interesting. The best part is that all of the strategies and counter-strategies for the Bosses have been thought up, meaning we just have to finish up their movesets and we'll be done with them! Although perhaps not since Bruce wants us to name the Bosses.. Anyway, I'll post an updated version of the Boss list some other time.

Let's see, what else? We added some more minor storyline revelations in an attempt to tie up as many loose ends as possible prior to the final scenes. We also added one or two more major occurences, but I'm not allowed to get into the details. We made some tweaks to the neo-Hippos, including giving them an official headquarters building in Tontropolis. Elkovsky and Justin finally call off their rivalry for the good of Lucida, and definitely not because maggie threatened to eat them. We've added some extra stuff for end-game, mostly in the form of Super-Bosses.

Some lesser things of note: We ironed out a few details on how battles will work, hopefully making it a more interesting battling experience in the process. We also made some changes in the items department, but most were insignificant. We came up with a few minigames, but again, nothing overly exciting. Cattleburg was renamed "Farmscape", but it's still referred to by its previous title more often than not. That's about it off the top of my head. A lot of stuff we added was just minor backstory info to give some added depth to the game. The main storyline was already in place thanks to Specs 1, so we didn't have to mess with too many big issues.
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maggie ec lusa!
11 July 2008 @ 09:55 am
What to Say?  
There are some problems with having a Specs 2 blog when the Spectacles: Bruce's Story project is still in progress.. Like a complete lack of any relevant info to post about.

Granted we haven't accomplished all that much on Specs 1 lately, but we have solved a number of minor issues. But it is hard to try and design Spectacles 2: Rise of the Primus for two reasons:

  •  First off, any discussions about the secondary project normally end up diverting our attention from the main task, which is completing Specs 1. That isn't to say we never spend any time on Specs 2.. We have to establish some sort of storyline for it otherwise, as Bruce pointed out to me, we'll encounter all sorts of problems when the time comes to work on it.
  •  And second off, it is hard to come up with a proper plot when we don't even know everything that is to happen in the first installation! It would just be shooting in the dark. We can't start putting in too many events because once we get further along in Specs 1, we may find that the original idea no longer makes sense and have to make drastic changes. It is much easier to just wait until Bruce's Story is in the final stage(s) before worrying about a sequel.

And there is your "Progress Report" on Spectacles 2!
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maggie ec lusa!
21 May 2008 @ 10:41 am
Rise of the Primus  
We changed the name of Specs 2 yesterday. Now it is more focused on Amanda (In essence, the main character) instead of a subplot (The Littermates).

Plus this one just seems to sound better than the last title. Spectacles 2: The Littermates - Spectacles 2: Rise of the Primus

See?  I guess it sounds more epic now. And that is suitable based on what we have for the plot line of Specs 2 so far. Plus it isn't overly sinister, unlike some of the other options we came up with for a new Amanda-themed name...

The main reason we changed it was actually because the two subtitles didn't seem to mesh:
  1. Bruce's Story
  2. The Littermates
To quote Bruce, "They don't sound like parts of the same series, do they?" And so we came up with a few ideas (Such as "Pyra's Exploits") before picking the current one.

So now I guess I have to go change the blog title! :-)
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maggie ec lusa!
14 May 2008 @ 08:39 pm
Change of Plans (Again)  

Well, we opted to return to the original idea regarding the Littermates. We opted against the idea of  scattering them all over Lucida.

Now they all will once again be born in Temple Manor with both parents living at the aforementioned Manor. #11 is still going to be born in Snowplain.

This really won’t affect all that much except for a few changes now required for the script.

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maggie ec lusa!
11 May 2008 @ 06:24 pm
Littermate Birth Sites  

After determining who the Littermates are earlier in the week, we decided we should also choose the place of birth for each kid. We just got around to these last night; they aren’t necessarily final yet, but they will do for the moment:

  • Vic Jr.: He is the only child to be born at Temple Manor.
  • William: He was born in SubFloor region back when SubFloor City actually existed.
  • David: Dave was born in Tontropolis (The city, not the region).
  • Alan and Justin were both born in Rainvale (As was Ilapse’s daughter Elysia).
  • Henry: Lexington Manor
  • Robert was the only other Littermate to be born in the Landring region (Vic Jr. is the other). RSB was born in Landring Manor though.
  • Amanda: The eventual Primus was born in Malmagma Manor.
  • Eileen Ilapse gave birth to Lucinda at Primata Manor.
  • And #11 is originally from Snowplain.

As you can probably guess, Victor’s wife loved to travel, thus the multitude of birthplaces for the children.

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maggie ec lusa!
07 May 2008 @ 06:23 pm
The Littermates  

We finally got around to naming the other 6 children of Victor Spellbinder. The list is in chronological order:

  • #1 Victor Spellbinder Jr.- It seemed logical that Victor’s first child would be named after him. Vic Jr. shuns society and basically lives behind an imaginary wall.
  • #2 William Spellbinder- William is a short-tempered sailor who resides in SubFloor Region.
  • #3 David Spellbinder- David is an easygoing fellow, but his lighthearted attitude can (And has) get him into trouble.
  • #6 Henry Spellbinder- As the middle child, was always a peaceful type of guy. He also picked up a fondness for solving problems and puzzles.
  • #7 Nathan(iel) Spellbinder- While I just call him Nathan, Bruce prefers to use the extended version of the name. I guess Bruce is probably right, Vic would most likely use the longer name instead of a short one…
  • Anyway, Nathan is very narrow-minded (But knowledgeable) and can be very irritating to be around. However, he is useful in battle which is about the only reason the other party members agree to put up with him. And finally,
  • #10 Lucinda Spellbinder- Being between #s 9 and 11, she is the often overlooked; and even forgotten Littermate. But she does exist. Originally I picked Lucille as her title, but Bruce came up with the idea of ‘Lucinda’. It sounds a lot like ‘Lucida’, but we agreed it just appeared to fit her better. A kind girl, though somewhat spoiled (Being the ‘baby’ of the Spellbinder family and all).

The missing Littermates are commonly referred to throughout the Specs series, so I didn’t bother adding them here. They are #4 Alan Ilapse, #5 Justin Ilapse, #8 Amanda Spellbinder, #9 Robert Spellbinder and of course, #11 Scott Starcross.

 
 
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maggie ec lusa!
10 April 2008 @ 10:05 pm
Weapons  
This is what the main party members for Spectacles use in their fights:

  • Scott: Since he is still the protagonist, he is pretty much obliged to wield a sword. He also keeps his ability to use magic.
  • Robert: Robert is primarily a magician. He occasionally employs the use of a sword as well.
  • Elysia: She is still the group's resident archery expert.
  • Cerberus: Nothing really spectacular about him; Elysia's pet dog just bites the foe.
  • Elkovsky: Elkovsky's still has his guitar, but his abilities were changed a little for the sequel. This time he mostly has techniques that affect the opponent's stats instead of being a stat booster.
  • Ilapse: That's right, Justin joins the group in their quest to stop Amanda. He is a defensive guru, but like his brother, doesn't really do much in the way of actual damage.
  • maggie: maggie once again devours as many enemies as possible.

 Keep in mind that these are the main party members. There are others who help out from time to time, but the characters listed above is what the party looks like at the beginning of the game.
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maggie ec lusa!
06 April 2008 @ 07:55 pm
The Bosses of Spectacles 2: The Littermates [Updated Version]  
Since the Hippos are no longer available as Bosses (neo-Hippos made up 3/8 of the Bosses in Spectacles: Bruce's Story), we had to come up with some ideas for new bosses. Obviously there had to be some edible Bosses, but we also elected to have some Littermates act as Bosses:
  • Lexington Manor: Once again Lexington is the first Manor, but this time Victor Spellbinder Jr. is the foe.
  • Landring Manor: A Gazelle awaits the group here. If they can overcome its speed, maggie gets to eat it and becomes faster in battle.
  • Tontropolis Manor: On top of the skyscraper-like Manor, the group faces a giant gorilla (Looks suspiciously like King Kong). If they can successfully keep their balance and beat him, then maggie gets the privilege of devouring him.
  • Rainvale Manor: Rainvale is unique because it doesn't have a Boss per-se. The boss was supposed to be the actual dragon, but Amanda has employed it. So there isn't a Boss at
     Rainvale Manor.
  • Tropic Isle Manor: For this new region, there are two Bosses, a mermaid serves as the actual Boss, but the group also meets up with Amanda and her pet dragon for the first time on this tropical paradise.
  • SubFloor Manor: William Spellbinder has taken up residence in this underwater Manor.
  • Malmagma Manor: David Spellbinder serves as the Boss here because of a debt he owes. After his loss, he readily joins up with the party.
  • Primata Manor: This time around Primata has a more conventional Manor (As in, one the ground). However, we are still trying to decide on a Boss. Henry Spellbinder has now been assigned to this post.
  • Snowplain Manor: The position of 'Snowplain Boss' is held by Nathaniel Spellbinder. He quite enjoys forcing others to endure the freezing temperatures if they want to face him.
  • Farm Manor: This region's name hasn't been finalized yet, so we just refer to it as "Farm Manor" for now. Anyway, the Manor lies hidden behind a 'crop-circle' maze. Once Scott and friends make it inside, they must face Henry Spellbinder a giant Mole.
  • Arivoid Manor: Arivoid is still as hot and barren as ever, but we don't have a Boss for it just yet.
  • Temple Manor: Here the Spectacles saga comes to a close. Amanda faces her Littermate siblings in this clash.
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maggie ec lusa!
27 March 2008 @ 09:58 am
Spectalces 2: The Littermates  
This is the Specs 2 blog, so I don't want to go into much detail about "Bruce's Story".  For the second installment of the Spectacles saga, Scott and his friends must track down Amanda and rid the world(s) of her.

However, this time it is more difficult. First of all, Robert and Amanda faced off between the two games. Their fight caused massive damage to Lucida, including altering the geography. Also affecting the Dream World's layout was the continued growth of Tontropolis. The city became so huge that it was declared a region. The two other regions that were added are Cattleburg which is a farm region and Tropic Isle which (is pretty self explanatory) is located within SubFloor Region's boundaries.

The player will also meet the remaining Littermates. I will give an overview of their identities in a later post.
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maggie ec lusa!
24 March 2008 @ 07:03 pm
A Quick Overview  
For the uninitiated, the Spectacles series are 2D role-playing games.

The story is this:
Scott Starcross and his friend Bruce Arsen wake up one night to find themselves in an unfamiliar and frankly rather unsettlingly quiet world.  They soon learn that the world they're in is the dream world, Lucida, and Scott is the wearer of the legendary Spectacles, glasses which give their wearer protection against harmful magic.

The friends learn about the Littermates, a group of eleven siblings who were all fathered by a man known as Victor Spellbinder.  As it turns out, the ninth Littermate has been prophesied to become the most powerful sorcerer Lucida has ever known; and because Littermate #9 was raised evil, this puts both worlds in grave danger.

The majority of the story is spent chasing Numbers Eight and Nine, who, both want to gain control of the Spectacles for themselves.  And despite--or perhaps because of--the precondition placed on them by their creator, Justin Ilapse, they may just be able to use them!
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