[Campaign] Darkness Returns II : The Grand Reformation

[Daffa]

SANCTUM OF ARCANARIA Presents : DARKNESS RETURNS II THE GRAND REFORMATION Daffa the Mage | LegendzKing | sans720 DISCORD Get Darkness Returns I Here! MAIN CHARACTERS TBA Grand Magician Blaze Ironflame Blaze Ironflame, leader of the northern region for Grand that is independent from Annaira's command, has been wounded during his battle against Darkness' elite legions and his undead minions. With most of his grand arsenal, private army, Azralor's executors, Sankh Order's priests and the dwarves of Khun supporting him wiped on the very battle against Darkness, he's now at the brink of losing everything he has worked hard for. General Azralor the Supreme General of the 3rd Division. Only surviving general from Battle of Feralia. With most of Grand's power demolished in the war, Azralor was forced to take extreme measures to restore Grand back to its former glory. Ramosel Xyde A mysterious sniper who is entrusted by Azralor to keep his back. This mysterious sniper has deadly accuracy and will kill anyone once given the order. Zalamus Whitesky When most of the generals fell at Feralia, Zalamus was recovering from the Zarb-Zurb defense. He, along with Alliara, didn't participate at Feralia, sparing them from the terrible fate of death. Now, either believing his tutor or The Council as his choice, he will have a major part in the upcoming chaos. Alliara Lightstar Alliara, along with Zalamus, spared from fate at Feralia, is put under a stressful choice. Her emotions that started to trust her fellow commander, Zalamus, and her loyalty to the Grand itself are clashed on. Lulu the Light Part of Grand Elite forces under command of Blaze Ironflame. She's aware of the situation at Grand but has been helpless to stop it from happening. Now, with most of the Grand shattered and Ironflame putting his faith to her, she will do her best to restore Grand itself. Features Custom Lore. Difficulty System; play from the newbie-friendly "Beginner" to the challenging real-story of "Mastermind". This campaign offers seven difficulties consisting of Beginner, Novice, Easy, Normal, Hard, Chaos, Mastermind. Keep in mind that "Mastermind" GREATLY INFLUENCES A CHAPTER. Plan, Manipulate, Conquer; each map plays with your forces at a major disadvantage throughout the game. Only through strong will and manipulative plays, you can send the enemy to the graves. Difficult Battles; No matter what difficulty you choose, the gameplay will give some challenge for you. For those who like to laugh in face of their own demise; try playing on Mastermind, it will be SO MUCH FUN. Decisive Choices; Think you destroy that base doesn't matter? It does! Think that guy you kill doesn't matter? It does! Kill Count; Just to add salt to the wound, you'll be reminded how many poor souls your army kill in the war. Death Count; Think it never matter? Living and dying people make a lot of difference! Factions : Grand Coalition : Shattered and broken, Feralia battle was a devastating loss for Grand. Without most of its finest soldiers, Grand is turning into a shadow of its former self. The Council, whom all this time supervise them, now are on the edge of either appointing Azralor, the only surviving general, or take the matter to themselves. Revolutionary Coalition : Revolutionary Coalition, called Revolutionaries in short, suffered many setbacks during their ultimate assault at Mount Golda. Now, with their failure and major losses, they are at the edge of losing everything they have been struggling for. Currently led by Okta Raxus, with Lord Ozaras being a supervisor. Shore Alliance : When the shore cities united under one banner, they formed the Shore Alliance and appointed Sir Edward as their leader. Supervised by the mysterious Marchurian the Red, Shore Alliance makes their move for dominance. Formerly known as New Coalition. Fallen's Undead : Undead as a whole is unknown, but Necromancers are a common sight for many. This mysterious army of the dead is still a mystery for the mortals. The Demonic Legion : Darkness always has his personal troops appointed for his will. These are the enigmatic and chaotic beings that serve the evil himself. They take no prisoners and will slay all living existence until there's nothing but ashes remains. Darkness leads them himself. Elves of Hazam : Holy, Shadow and Nature, three elements that depict the elven society. Lord Nagan the Great, who has been keeping the elves away from conflict aware that he cannot save his people from the conflict forever. Realizing the nature of the upcoming chaos, he must make or take a side to rely on. And get to meet more (minor) factions in the story! Media : To be announced Notes : 1. The real story is kept in Mastermind Difficulty, other difficulties are significantly toned down to ensure the gameplay much easier. This is intended, and I won't change this one. The difference includes some optional quest changes, new enemies and most of all: new dialogues and characters present. 2. If you encounter any bug, please report so an update can be quickly executed to patch them. 3. All chapters have story difficulty embedded to them, so each difficulty could play out somewhat differently. SHORT STORIES Credits -DUE TO MASS MODEL/TEXTURE IMPORT, A LOT OF CREDITS WAS LOST. IF YOU NOTICE YOUR MODEL(S) AND NOT CREDITED PROPERLY, PLEASE INFORM ME- -THERE'S A LOT OF UNUSED RESOURCES INSIDE, WILL BE CLEANING THEM AS TIME PROGRESS- -IF I MISS ANYONE, PLEASE INFORM ME- Map Terrains : Models : Royal Captain By @Tranquil edited by @Misha Phoenix Mage by @General Frank Phoenix Archer by @General Frank High Elf Chronomancer by @Deolrin Human Lumber Mill by @Ujimasa Hojo Hero Death Knight by @Alastor War Mage (Kirin Tor) by @Ujimasa Hojo Dalaran Blood Mage by @Ujimasa Hojo Blood Mage by @Stefan.K BETA Footman by @Blizzard Entertainment Blood Elven Warrior by @General Frank Phoenix Crusader by @General Frank Human Bishop by @Tranquil White Wizard by @Direfury King by @Tranquil High Elf Archer by @Himperion Rocket Rain by @ILH Human General by @Direfury Human Spell Breaker @Hermit High Elf Spell Thief by @Himperion Nobby Mansion Townhall by @Ujimasa Hojo Nobby Mansion Blacksmith by @Ujimasa Hojo Nobby Mansion Farm by @Ujimasa Hojo Power Lich by @HappyTauren Human Paladin by @Direfury Nobby Mansion Workshop by @Ujimasa Hojo Nobby Mansion Arcane Academy by @Ujimasa Hojo Nobby Mansion Altar of Kings by @Ujimasa Hojo Nobby Mansion Barrack by @Ujimasa Hojo Captain Kul'tiras by @Ujimasa Hojo Azeroth Footman by ??? Argent Knight by @Direfury Azeroth Soldier by ??? HQ Militia by ??? Hero Argent General by ??? Uter by ??? KArchSorceress by ??? ArgentMageTower BETA by ??? Azeroth Footman by ??? Hero Priest Avatar by ??? Bolvar Fordragon by ??? Commander by ??? Hero Argent Lord Commander by ??? Azeroth Heavy Tank by ??? Dwarven Adventurer by @General Frank Hero Holy Warrior by ??? Female Footman by @Cavman and @Kuhneghetz Female Angel by @Tranquil Rifleman Elite by @TurieL Skins : Royal Mage by @~Nightmare Nobby Mansion by @Pyroproctos 8 Health Bar by @Avatars Lord Icons : High Elf Chronomancer by @Deolrin Phoenix Archer by @General Frank Phoenix Crusader by @General Frank Lieutenant by @Tranquil Chaplain by @Blizzard Entertainment @Pyraeus Nobby Mansion Townhall by @Ujimasa Hojo Nobby Mansion Keep by @Ujimasa Hojo Nobby Mansion Castle by @Ujimasa Hojo Power Lich by @HappyTauren Nobby Mansion Workshop by @Ujimasa Hojo Nobby Mansion Arcane Academy by @Ujimasa Hojo Nobby Mansion Barrack by @Ujimasa Hojo Bandit Defend by @bu3ny Hero Rifleman Elite by @TurieL Sounds and Music: Prison Labor - Atlus SEGA [Persona 5] Name Recommendations : @Leo Akastenix Model Packs : @stein123 -IF I FORGOT TO CREDIT ANYONE OR- -IF I CREDITED WRONG PEOPLE- -PLEASE SENT ME A MESSAGE- -THANK YOU FOR ALL CONTRIBUTORS- Log of Changes 0.11 Covert Operation - Crimson Remnant: Released 0.10 Prelude Operation: Released CURRENT DEVELOPMENT TEAM Name Position @Daffa the Mage Project Leader, Triggerer @LegendzKing Sound, Project Co-Leader @sans720 Project Co-Leader, Grammar, Recruitment @Quinten Terrain @Leo Akastenix Tech-Tree @Directive255 Tech-Tree WHAT WE NEED? Position Requirements 3D Modelling Capable of basic geomerging 2D Artist Capable of making special effect icon SFX Maker Capable of making special effect

 

[Cherrymage]

Looking forward to this one!

 

[.....]

Looking forward to this one!

Don't worry it will take less than a year or so...

 

[.....]

i really suck and i'm too lazyyyyyy for workkkkkkk but i will work on DR II my Favorite Project and Daffa dont worry i ain't lazy

 

[.....]

new update i am part of DR II Sans the Judgemental with my 2 lieutenants Vortex the Slayer and Asriel the TruthBearer

 

[Daffa]

Do not double post.

 

[Daffa]

Update : there is a total of 21 planned chapters. This consist of 15 main story and 6 covert operations. Main story consist of 1 prologue, 2 interludes, 2 epilogues and 10 chapters.

Will update first post with progress table. Changes are expected to happen while this progresses.

 

[Mechanical Man]

why no title tag for this thread?

 

[Daffa]

why no title tag for this thread?

Done. Thanks for telling us that!

 

[OblivionDeadra]

Update : there is a total of 21 planned chapters. This consist of 15 main story and 6 covert operations. Main story consist of 1 prologue, 2 interludes, 2 epilogues and 10 chapters.

Will update first post with progress table. Changes are expected to happen while this progresses.

Wow that sound kinda ambitious for my opinion.

Anyhow hope it will be entertaining and exceed our expectation.

 

[Daffa]

Wow that sound kinda ambitious for my opinion.

Anyhow hope it will be entertaining and exceed our expectation.

Hopefully I can please you guys

Anyway, progress has been slow with university and me having some health issues. I'm trying to get something out this month or next if I can.

 

[badest]

where to download?

 

[Daffa]

where to download?

The first chapter is yet to be released, for now, you can check Darkness Returns I v2.1 for the prequel.

 

[Daffa]

Giving an update here. I added one more so we gonna have a total of 22 chapter (need one for prelude introduction of a character) for the story.

The prelude is almost done, just need some trigger polishing and somewhat a whacky fix if I have time, but it's almost done. For the main story, the first chapter's terrain is almost done. Apologize for the long wait.

 

[Hetgrum]

Sorry, it's bad. I quit after five minutes of the first mission after the tutorial. When I picked "Mastermind" I expected being assaulted from all sides, which didn't happen. The writing is pretty bad. And reusing a melee map is a really bad decision, even just for the tutorial.

The tutorial itself is unnecassary in the first place. The only custom mechanic is portable town hall.

Increasing the maximum health of enemies isn't increasing difficulty. It's making it boring. Having no new units or spells contributes to it being boring.

I like the following concept for difficulty management. Assess the game in terms of damage, disruption and duration.

The damage is damage per second that enemies deal to the player. In your campaign it's very low. Enemies do little damage themselves. The damage is further lowered because there are neutral allies to the player who absorb a lot of damage. The ally is completely unnecessary. Additionally, the player has access to healing on demand. In terms of damage, the campaign is easy.

The disruption is nonexistant. The enemy does not come at the player from different sides, does not teleport into the base, does not fly over obstacles, does not cast new nonexpectant spells, there is no environment obstacles, like erupting volcano, none of that. In terms of disruption, the campaign is easy.

The duration is how much time a player has to respond to enemy action. The duration in this concept __is not how long an encounter lasts__. Instead, as mentioned, it is how much time player has to think about what they are doing. And in the campaign the player has a lot of time to think about what to do. Therefore, in terms of duration, the campaign is easy.

The supposed feature of story fails because of poor writing and presentation. The supposed feature of challenge fails, and I hope I fully illustrated it. Therefore, the campaign is poorly designed, sorry, and it is to be redone from scratch or dropped.

 

[Daffa]

Sorry, it's bad. I quit after five minutes of the first mission after the tutorial. When I picked "Mastermind" I expected being assaulted from all sides, which didn't happen. The writing is pretty bad. And reusing a melee map is a really bad decision, even just for the tutorial.

The tutorial itself is unnecassary in the first place. The only custom mechanic is portable town hall.

Increasing the maximum health of enemies isn't increasing difficulty. It's making it boring. Having no new units or spells contributes to it being boring.

I like the following concept for difficulty management. Assess the game in terms of damage, disruption and duration.

The damage is damage per second that enemies deal to the player. In your campaign it's very low. Enemies do little damage themselves. The damage is further lowered because there are neutral allies to the player who absorb a lot of damage. The ally is completely unnecessary. Additionally, the player has access to healing on demand. In terms of damage, the campaign is easy.

The disruption is nonexistant. The enemy does not come at the player from different sides, does not teleport into the base, does not fly over obstacles, does not cast new nonexpectant spells, there is no environment obstacles, like erupting volcano, none of that. In terms of disruption, the campaign is easy.

The duration is how much time a player has to respond to enemy action. The duration in this concept __is not how long an encounter lasts__. Instead, as mentioned, it is how much time player has to think about what they are doing. And in the campaign the player has a lot of time to think about what to do. Therefore, in terms of duration, the campaign is easy.

The supposed feature of story fails because of poor writing and presentation. The supposed feature of challenge fails, and I hope I fully illustrated it. Therefore, the campaign is poorly designed, sorry, and it is to be redone from scratch or dropped.

I apologize if the tutorial chapter was a disappointment. I presume the recent changes from 2.0 version damaged the harsh environment for the first chapter in a way I failed to foresee beforehand.

The drastic change of difficulty actually presents more in a specific branch, Agent of the Fallen, which is accessible once tutorial is finished. Other ones would have only AI boosts or small rescaling.

The campaign is meant to be easy as it illustrates the first few chapters of the story. Only ones where grinding and lots of management actually get majorly involved would be at the second chapter for all the branches. I don't want to put the players to the middle of fire-flower rain as soon as they jump to the campaign.

If we talk about disruptions, then the disruption would exist further down the road. I want the tutorial to give player a slight idea of the enemy amount which comes in succession, keynote is succession, where you need to adjust to the enemy assault without thinking for long time. If you hold a bit and gone to the next chapter, disruption is fraking everywhere, right before they know what hit them.

For the particular chapter, yes it lacks duration. I won't say as much on some other down the line though... (still have one chapter that I personally struggle with)

Ah, guess I'll be back to the work board for the tutorial chapter, or just send player straight to their hell
Thanks for the critics, will adjust soon.

would be a quick flash of the Agent of Fallen. I still have plans for remaking it, but I prefer to not heightened the difficulty further as it's already a pain to test it when I lack the ability to micromanage effectively to see it complete-able.

 

[Hetgrum]

If you want to pose difficulty as a feature, I suggest you remove the linear progression. Instead, let the player adjust components of the difficulty. For example, let the player modify delay between enemy waves; modify the quantity of units the enemy has; modify the attributes of the units. It can still be done with a dialog option, for example with three options for each of those mentioned components.

And if you want story to be a feature, think of better presentation. In-game cinematics with camera movement and actor movement is bare minimum. Can't give you advice on the writing itself.

 

[Daffa]

I'm not keen on altering what DR I already have on the difficulty side, though I'll make the difficulty less linear to make an actual challenge between the seven difficulties for DR II. I prefer not to make those modifiable as that would be a big rewrite on the AI part of the job, and I prefer to avoid that if possible.

Though I'll change tutorial to have some inference to a short story related to it. The chapter is also now going on a change, a decent one but still not an overhaul.

 

[Daffa]

Released the prelude chapter. Have fun gunning people out!

 

[.....]

After 1 month break im back

 

[Daffa]

Bumpy bump. Just checking in for saying project not dead, just freak slow like a snail.

 

[Daffa]

 

[Cherrymage]

That's a nice mission, looks interesting and fun. Although the terrain may still be improved a lot in the future. I understand it takes a long time to get the basics done, so don't rush;

P.S. You don't have to read every in-game text, or if you do, try to summarize it in your own words on-the-fly?

P.P.S. Why do you sound like Mario the Plumber to my ears lol

 

[Daffa]

Ahahaha, I guess I need to work on my voice settings. Anyway, will keep the recommendations for next video.

 

[Daffa]

After a lot of bumpy things, the team managed to get some time again. We will try to deliver something soon, stay tuned.

 

[Cherrymage]

Great!

 

[Daffa]

Greetings everyone!

Today, I have good and bad news. Let's start with the good news.

The good news today is we have released the Covert Operation: Crimson Remnant. The patch number for this release is 0.11, which I have uploaded to the first post in this thread. Enjoy being part of the Ironflame's forces as they run from their hunters. We took some time to get the kit for Ironflame right, and hopefully, it works well. The chapter has been tested and stable in 1.31.

The bad news is that with how Reforged new EULA being a pricky thing in the tin, it's uncertain how this project will move forward. We consider moving with the project further, but we will see how it goes. At the very least, one can safely say that this is not dead.

Thank you and see you soon,
-Daffa and Sanctum of Arcanaria team