Holy cow! My last major update on Steam was March 20th, 2021. To say it has been too long since I've posted an update is an understatement. I'll admit I got discouraged on this project and a bit burnt out. I took some time to recover and now I'm back in full swing. The last quarter of 2021 was extremely productive for the Familia franchise.
Familia Act 2 Revised Release Date
Everyone always asks me when Familia, Act 2 will be released.
I currently have the Act 2 release date set to this summer. This date will most likely be pushed back further. I keep going back and cleaning up / adding content to Act 1. This means that Act 1 is better, which creates a better foundation for Act 2, so ultimately it's what is best for the whole series. Please be patient. If you would like to expediate the release of additional Familia content, please consider leaving a review or gifting the game to your friends.
Many hardcore Familia players have requested more difficult and scalable content. Your voices have been heard. Familia 1.3 introduces the Reach Facility.
In ancient times, the mysterious Immortals used the Reach Facility to train their bodies and minds to endure unimaginable horrors. The facility has gone unused for millennia until now. With the help of eletrowisps Oxalis 883 and Scilla 691, you can explore the perilous Reaches. Reaches are dimensional gaps in reality, which are disjointed from spacetime. Here our heroes will face adversaries who are unimaginably powerful.
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Random / Scalable Dungeons and Loot
The Reach Facility, features access to Familia's new procedural dungeon generation system. Every visit to the Reaches will be unique. All runs can also be set to a difficulty level from 1 to 9999 with Oxalis 883. The Reach Facility also gives the player access to the most powerful armor and weapons in the game. Loot from the Reaches is procedurally generated.
New Post Max Level Progression System
Now when your characters hit level 50, they will become a Master of their class. At this point, they can level up their 'master level'. Each master level allows you to upgrade a specific stat of your choice by a limited amount. The stat allocation can currently only be managed by Oxalis 883 .
Additional Questlines
Gain access to the Reach Facility by completing new questlines. The new questlines update the player on Familia's favorite Goblin, Glen. Glen must be found to help open a mysterious ancient door located in the Kalbi Waterways.
Updated Sprite Art, Maps
I moved away from the RPG Maker sprite style. I also have set up a system to scale sprites which gives more variety to the game. As I've become more skilled in game dev and art creation, I've implemented more stunning visual content.
There are a few maps I intend to upgrade but for the most part, all of the maps have had a very customized touch.
New Cut Scenes
Along with new maps and sprites, many cutscenes have been refined and enhanced. [previewyoutube="uECWmItuZzs;full"]
Bug Fixes
There were many bugs plaguing the game for far too long. I'm happy to say that the game is currently boasting very little bugs thanks to all of the community playtesting. I could not do it without you guys. If you find a bug, PLEASE REPORT IT.
Android Act 1 Beta and Act 2 Desktop Beta
Beta versions of both mobile and desktop port of Familia will be hosted on itch.io. Here you can test unreleased content and help contribute to the development process.
Coming Soon: Features and Content
Additional scalable content
Additional map remakes and enhancements
An estimated 30 new steam achievements to go with new content
Familia Act 2 Release Date Announced and Big Changes to Act 1 (Delayed)
Message from Maui Game Studios
Hello everyone! I am sorry it's been so long since I've posted a proper update. I have been appreciate all the love that Familia has been getting from Streamers, youtubers, and bloggers. Sales are steadily increasing every month.
I took a quick break for a few months in January but I'm back now in full swing. I will be streaming on Twitch (https://twitch.tv/mauigamestudio) every day updating Familia and working on Act 2 for all of you.
Wishing you all the best, Joseph Abraham Founder
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2021 Events Related to Familia and/or Maui Game Studios
April 15 - Released of Familia Act I 1.2 and Current Speedrun.com scores will be reset
April 28 - Ludum Dare
May 1 - Familia Act II Story Trailer
May 15 - Familia Act II Gameplay Trailer
November 5 - Familia Act II release date
Familia Act II Release Date
The official release date for Familia Act II is June 9th. The Steam page for Familia Act II is up and running. Help speed up the games release by wish-listing now.
Right now if you visit the page, there is a page of me talking about the game. It's not a very polished trailer. Expect some awesome trailers soon.
Familia Act I, 1.2
New running character sprites for all humanoid characters in the entire game
Yes, I will be and have been creating new sprites for weeks to come. The run-of-the-mill RPG Maker style sprites are not in alignment with the rest of the game's high quality and original style. Bear with me as this is very ambitious update. Come cheer me on on Twitch. I stream every day for roughly 10 hours.
Bug Fixes
I am aware that there are a few bugs that have been reported and not fixed for months. Rest assured, the fixes are on the way. I have been making big changes to the base game and because of the nature of said changes, it's best to delay updates until mid-April Make sure to report any bugs to the feedback channel in discord or on the Steam forums to make sure I get all the bugs fixed for Act I by the next update.
Enemy Spawn Point Randomizer
I've gotten a great response from the initial change in the way enemies engage with the player in Familia. I'm working on a way to randomize where enemies spawn to make the game a bit more exciting for multiple play-throughs.
Additional Art
I've been doing lots of traditional art and pixel art. I am adding character portraits to many of the existing characters like this pirate below.
Ludum Dare
I did the last Ludum Dare game jam late last year. My goal was simple: participate and become more familiar with Unity. The next game will be released in April and my goal is to make a game that will rank in the top 100. I currently am planning on collaborating with an amazing team so I think this game will be great. Look forward to being able to play the game jam game for free!
Speedrun.com
With the next update the Familia scores at speedrun.com will be locked in so make sure you try to get on the score board before it's too late. With the upcoming features to Familia, times will be drastically increased to where it will not be possible to get times beyond the current record. Thus, it will be restarted.
[previewyoutube="BK-p7oc6pIQ;rightthumb"]Edit: It has come to my attention that with the most recent update, people are losing their saves. Don't worry! The saves are safe in your installed Familia folder. In the Familia install directory, simply grab the files in the 'www/save' folder and move them to the 'save' folder at the top of the Familia directory. If there is no 'save' folder in the Familia directory, simply create one. Doing the above should restore any lost saves. Let me know if you have any additional questions.
Mac Port Available
Familia, Act 1 is now available for Mac OS. Setting up a Mac OS port was difficult, so please give it a try. There are probably still a couple of Mac OS specific bugs so make sure to report those to me. Just like the Windows version, the Mac OS version of Familia requires a Steam client.
Migrated RPG to Maker MZ Engine
For Developers
For those of you who are curious about the development side of things, I am now using RPG Maker MZ to continue to work on Familia. I tried RPG Maker MZ when it was first released and was not impressed. However, at second glance, migrating my game to RPG Maker MZ was relatively painless. I initially thought a migration would be far more difficult.
For Everyone
For those of you who just want to play the game, with RPG Maker MZ Familia runs faster than ever. So if you have an older computer, the new version of Familia will run smoother than before. Also, I am always getting better at game development so as I work on the game, it organically becomes exponentially optimized.
New Content
The structure of Familia utilizes Acts that are broken into parts. Since the original release of the game, Act 1 featured five parts. With this release, I have added the sixth and final part of Act 1. Act 1, Part Six will be essential in setting up Act 2. Eventually, Act 2, 3, 4, and 5 will be playable in the player's desired order. Thus Act 1, Part 6 will assume the role of a major quest hub where players will choose which character story they wish to follow first.
Future Content
Familia Act 2 will most likely be released as a DLC. I will be working regularly on Familia content, but I have also been flirting with a retro-style MMO action RPG. The working title for my MMO is 'Stormers' and I have been building it in Unity engine. Expect a new Steam page for both Familia Act 2 and Stormers by the end of the year.
General Changes
New Sprite for Shifu
New title screen changed to work with RPG Maker MZ
Each part of every act gives the player a save option (thx KinikzulKahn)
Greater flexibility in sound levels in the options menu (thx Kevin Tracy)
Fire Fiend no longer has a video background due to RPG Maker MZ incompatibility
Updated logo to represent Maui Game Studio rebrand
Small Bugs
In the deserted island world map, enemies are less difficult
Grammar and spelling fixes
Cleaned up Sarai / Saraiah's death animation
Fixed Camera glitches in many scenes
Fixed Keira intro scene
Cleaned up multi-party fight sequence
New Rebrand
As a side note, I have rebranded my game development company. The new name is 'Maui Game Studio'. I took the opportunity to highlight come culturally Hawaiian symbols in the new logo. I hope you like it.
Edit: I made a video about switching engines on YouTube.
