Lawmage Academy News: Postponed Release and Progress Update
Greetings Candidates!
It has been a long journey since I started working on Lawmage Academy. What started out as a casual passion project to discover myself and what I am capable of doing evolved into something way beyond my expectations. Lawmage Academy, a simple game built in an old RPG Maker MV engine, gained the attention of so many people and those that played it truly enjoyed it for what it is.
The most recent achievement for Lawmage Academy was winning the “Best Game Direction Award” in CONQUEST 2023, a huge event in the Philippines featuring artists, streamers, events, and games. It was unexpected since there were so many amazing games in CONQUEST 2023. I think Lawmage Academy did so well because I decided to learn pixel art and listen to player feedback in the earlier versions. I could not have reached this point without everyone’s help and encouragement.
Aside from CONQUEST 2023, I also attended the first Philippine GameDev Expo. It was a very unique experience for me because the event was more of the business side of game development. To prepare for it, I finally made my pitchdeck and was even able to pitch my game to Nintendo! While my meeting did not lead to any commitments, I think it was a valuable experience for me regardless.
If you are reading this right now, I would like to thank you for taking an interest in Lawmage Academy and supporting the game through your comments and engagement in the social media posts. Truly, I would not have reached this far without people like you taking an interest in my game.
I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for the lack of updates and slow development of the game. It is difficult for me to admit it, but the release of Lawmage Academy will be postponed once again.
In December 2022, I realized two things: I needed to work on my health and finances.
So, I took the opportunity to get a second job in a law firm that accommodates lawyers like me who work in non-profit organizations. I also got a gym membership and a coach to help me improve my fitness. In order to keep up with the stress, I felt that I needed to improve my body as well. Hence, 2023 was spent working to improve my quality of life. I started lifting weights, learning mixed martial arts (MMA), and saved up for my emergency fund.
Lawmage Academy took a backseat this year, which is why I barely posted any updates. I also became inactive in Twitter, now X, because I did not like how the platform turned into. Now I am more active in the Lawmage Academy Facebook page and Discord.
However, even though the game is being postponed, development is still in progress. This year, I prioritized the writing for the characters and the art that comes with the character quests. Here are some of the new scenes for Lawmage Academy!
Alyssa's Friendship Scene - Alyssa looks sad. I wonder what they are talking about?
Ein's Friendship Scene - Ein showing off the potion that he crafted. What kind of potion is it?
Jin's Friendship Scene - Wait a minute. Are they outside? At night?! Does that mean we get to go outside our Houses at night?
Lawmage Academy started as a personal journey of self-discovery. It was nice working on it at my own pace, without anybody expecting anything from me. Since it gained a bit of popularity and attention, I felt tremendous pressure to finish it. This pressure stressed me out and I had to reflect why I am making this game in the first place.
Since I started this journey for my self-enrichment, and not as a business or as a source of income, I have decided to continue to treat it as a passion project. I will continue working on the game in my own pace, and I apologize to everyone who were excited for the full release on November 2023.
Thank you all so much for your interest and support. I am immensely grateful to you all for taking a genuine interest in my indie game.
I will announce the new release date when I am ready.
Sincerely,
Verinius
P.S. I might start streaming the development of Lawmage Academy in Youtube soon. You can follow @LawmageAcademy in Youtube if you are interested in watching future streams.
Lawmage Academy News: Delayed Release and Progress
Greetings candidates!
Lawmage Academy's game development has been an overwhelmingly enjoyable journey for me so far. While I am not a full time game developer, I do work on this project in my spare time during evenings making the pixel art assets, creating the levels, and writing the story and dialogue.
Considering the 10 in-game months that needs to be developed and tested, I have decided to push back the release date. The Lawmage Academy community has always been supportive in making sure that I prioritize the quality of the game rather than compromising the quality in exchange for a speedy release. Even if I finish the game content within the year, I will still need time to do a quality assurance check, fix bugs, and market the game.
Given the current progress, I cannot finish the game within 2022. I have to set a more realistic timeline for myself and to manage everyone's expectations. As such, I am tentatively delaying the release to 2023. However, if the game needs more time to be developed, then I will move back the release date to ensure that I do not compromise the vision I have for Lawmage Academy.
But enough with the gloomy news!
Currently, Month 3 of Lawmage Academy is nearing completion. The biggest addition is the "Duel System" wherein you can challenge NPCs in the game to increase your reputation. In duels, candidates are not allowed to use items. They have to rely on their learned spells, weapons, and equipment to win the duel. There are solo duels (1v1) and group duels (4v4, 3v4, 2v4), but for Month 3 players will only have access to solo duels to ease players into the system.
The friendship scenes for Ponelius and Nephele were also added, along with a new dungeon area called Ranasas Plains filled with new monsters. Lastly, I have commissioned Puzxle to make friendship CG scenes which will play as you get closer to your friends in the Academy.
Check out the previews below!
Lastly, I am doing gamedev and pixel art streams in the official Discord server. It is usually held for 1 hour at 8:00 PM (GMT+8). You can hang out with me, meet your fellow candidates, and see for yourself how the game is being made!
Rest assured that I am working hard to make sure that people enjoy Lawmage Academy the way it was envisioned. I believe in the saying that a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game will always be bad. Lawmage Academy will be given as much time as it needs to develop.
Thank you very much for your continued support!
- Verinius
The Soloist Update has arrived in Lawmage Academy!
Greetings candidates,
Welcome to the Soloist Update (v0.8)!
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you did everything alone?
After a successful launch of the House Mentors update (v0.7), I decided to refine the solo route for the game along with new battle backgrounds, balance changes, some added features, and bug fixes.
The solo route refers to doing things alone during key moments of the game, specifically the Combat Basics class, Aura Breaks class, and the first Exam Day. In those two events, you are given the option to bring friends with you. However, you may also decide to remove everyone from your party and complete these events alone.
Upon testing the solo route, I found numerous bugs and dialogue glitches. That is why I reworked the interactions in the solo route. Naturally, your friends' dialogues won't appear, but something else happens. Can you find out what it is?
If you are up to the challenge, do give it a try. It will be a difficult challenge and I consider this to be the "Hard Mode" for the game. However, do note that all the experience points will go to the main character when fighting alone to compensate for the lack of party members.
Another major addition is the new battle backgrounds. I hope you enjoy rediscovering the areas where battles occur. It's something to look forward to in this playthrough!
Lastly, I addressed most of the concerns involving the v0.7 demo. There were some minor bugs and typos that needed to be fixed, and a few balance tweaks to make the Headmaster's Exam more bearable. I also added the ability to view the calendar from the bulletin board.
If you have any feedback, suggestions, or bug reports, you can use the forums here in Steam. I make it a point to check notifications every day so as not to miss your input. You can also join the Discord server and interact with other candidates!
Discord: https://discord.gg/DqSbz84
Don't forget to WISHLIST Lawmage Academy!
- Verinius
2020 August: Backgrounds and Friends
Dear candidates,
After taking some time to rest and easing back into the workflow, I am pleased to show you some exciting things we’re working on. For the past few months, we have been making these new custom battle backgrounds. Puzxle did a great job capturing the art style I wanted to work with the pixel art.
Hmm, did you notice something? Ah, yes! Two new recruitable candidates are ready to fight! Meet Nephele and Ponelius. They’re quite excited to work with you in the future.
Best of luck with your studies, candidates!
- Verinius
May 12, 2021 - v0.7 Bug Fixes and Reworked Autosave
Greetings candidates,
For this update, minor bugs and typos were fixed along with a reworked Autosave feature. There is now a separate slot for the Autosave slot.
WARNING: For existing save files, your Save 1 will be turned into Autosave 1 and the game will overwrite that slot. If you wish to keep that save file, please save it in a different slot.
Date: May 12, 2021 Latest version: v0.7.8 Changelog:
Fixed the bug in Drakewood House when reporting to the Mentor after the "First Mission" quest. In previous versions, you need to have a Health Potion in your inventory to advance the quest.
Fixed several Aura Skill descriptions.
Fixed the spacing of the sentences in the dialogue with friends.
Corrected typos during some dialogue.
Do let me know if you encounter any issues with the new Autosave system or concerns with the spacing in the dialogue. I am always open to suggestions and feedback.
