Tales of the Elements FC
Getting ready for the 2nd Chapter!
Last BeNeVoLeNcE, here--
First off, I'd like to sincerely thank everyone who's supported this release as developing this game was a real "life achievement" for me to personally unlock. It was always a goal since I was young to get into game development and I never thought it would have been possible to develop games on my own. So, seriously, thank you all for your support! There's more to come!
But, that's not what this announcement is about--
I'm happy to reveal that Tales of the Elements - 2nd Chapter is currently in development! Actually, to be honest, it's been in-development for quite some time now!
You're probably wondering what you can look forward to seeing in 2nd Chapter and as I can't say too much just yet--I can share a few quick points:
- Tales of the Elements - 2nd Chapter is the second HALF of the story while FC was the first half. That means that when FC and 2C come together, you can enjoy the complete experience of the Tales of the Elements story!
- It goes without saying that there will be new music, new places, new equipment, new skills, & new characters!
- Just like before, the album will be released at the same time as the game.
Just recently, I put out an update for the game here on Steam in preparation for the 2nd half of the story.
The update has a number of adjustments ranging from not-so-big to pretty major. But, here are some notable things to keep in mind:
The levels in which characters learn skills have been readjusted to give the game a bit more balance, challenge, and most of all--to accommodate the 2nd Chapter. This means that characters will be learning some of their skills at higher levels than before. (Example: if DJ's were learning a skill at level 5 before, now they are learning that skill at level 14.)
I understand that this may come as a disappointment to some but I found that this was a better way to give time before characters learn all of their skills in the game--and this is all with a view of how long the game will be once the 2nd Chapter is added to the game. Besides that, it keeps players from being too overpowered towards the end of FC.
With that being said, this also means that some characters have NEW skills. Technically, most of these skills are meant to be learned in 2C. But, if you spend enough time in the unlockable dungeon (in FC), you MIGHT get to the point of leveling up enough to earn those skills!
Another notable change--There are now descriptions for EVERY skill in the game.
Some skill animations have been adjusted such as the animation for when the microphone blades hit enemies.
Some more changes: Snowberry's weapon was changed from "gloves" to "Drawing Pens." She can still use "gloves" but she starts off with a pen. Also, all of her skills have been renamed.
There have also been some visual updates to some of the maps as well as some minor bug fixes.
Myself, as well as the artists who contributed to both albums, and Randombeats Music are all excited to bring you Tales of the Elements 2nd Chapter!
Soon, we'll have more information on 2C's release but in the meantime--
stay tuned!
- LB
TOTEFC Steam Update Patch Notes
Added a system menu with options for volume, auto-dashing, and fullscreen.
Pre-edited .ini file to run the game at fullscreen automatically at first start-up for new players.
Fixed a time-system issue with the Snowberry date.
Fixed a bug where the player could still play the record smash mini-game after the date.
Improved the ai so that ranged attackers and healers distance themselves from enemies.
Weakened Mega Ran's hookshot damage.
Fixed Mega Ran's normal attack so that he can only shoot through walls with charged attacks
Changed Mega Ran's Skills so that they all require TP.
Rebalanced the Fenix Down drops at the beginning of the game to indirectly fix an issue where the player could possibly get stuck forever between two boulders if Mega Ran died and the game was saved.
Raised the health stat on a number of late-game bosses to balance against stronger follower AI.
Raised TP cost of Skills that use TP and added in auto-regeneration for all characters who specialize in TP-based attacks except for the secret character.
Removed the auto-lock on the Allegory doors.
Added an explanation of the stats and attack function of the samples.
Added new custom NPCs throughout the entire game.
Added achievements
Added new map tileset pieces and edited some existing ones.
Added K-Murdock as an unlockable character.
Added 3 new key items.
Changed the requirement for leaving The Estate.
Added new hand-drawn character portraits for all of the playable characters and for one non-playable character.
Added antidotes to Traxx's general store.
- LB
TOTEFC Steam Update & Winter Sale!!!
Last B., here!
Tales of the Elements FC will be on sale for only $3.49 during the entire Steam Winter Sale! But, that's not all...
Just as promised, we've finally completed the "Special Steam Update," just in time for the sale!
For those who haven't heard about this update, here's what it's about:
Basically, at the time of release, there were ideas that were pushed forward by the community. Turned out, we liked them so much that we went ahead and pushed bits and pieces of those ideas into the First Chapter of this game to set the stage for development of the Second Chapter.
Think of it as a FREE "mini-expansion" that adds a little more content and flavor to the game!
We also took note of all of the issues that were found in-game by different players and we've included those bug fixes in this update!
Here are some things to look forward to in this update:
K-Murdock as an unlockable character!
New hand-drawn main character portraits!
Redesigned map artwork!
Steam Achievements!
To address some technical concerns we've added:
Improved follower AI - Long-range attacker = Attacks from a distance!
Revamped NPCs
An easily accessible "System" menu - With a fullscreen option!
We hope you guys enjoy the free update and if you have any questions, concerns, or bug reports feel free to contact us in the community feed!
Thanks for your support!
- LB
PS. We'll also be posting the patch notes in a separate announcement.
TOTEFC for $3 on IndieGala, Trading Cards, Upcoming Update
Just wanted to let everyone know that Tales of the Elements FC is taking part in a bundle sale on Indie Gala!
So, if you want to grab TOTEFC (bundled with a few other indie games) for only $2.99, head right over here:
https://www.indiegala.com/monday
Also, we have some other good news:
I know it's been a "bit" overdue but we've put together some trading cards, badges, backgrounds, and emoticons for some of you collectors out there! Expect those to be live in just a few days!
Also, we're planning an update to beat the winter sale. So, feel free to chat about any bugs or contact us through the community hub so we can address them in the next update!
Thanks for your continued support!
- LB
TOTEFC is Available NOW!
This is a huge step for all of us in trying to push out more album+game projects!
This is just the beginning!
For those who have already purchased the album on Bandcamp, iTunes, Google Play store, or Amazon and have a copy of the game (as well as a Steam key), we invite you to take some time to tell us about your experience with the game in our review section!
For those having issues with the game, please post up in our community hub so that we can help you and continue patching out any bugs that might come up!
Again, thank you for your support!
- LB
PS. If you happen to have a "non-steam" version of TOTEFC and would like a Steam version, you can contact us for one right here or at my email: lastbenevolence@outlook.com
About TOTE FAQ
Because a lot of users may not be familiar with the album that this game is based off of, I thought it would be a good idea to put together a FAQ to answer any questions (or concerns) that might come up about the project!
So, let’s get started!
"You keep mentioning this 'album of the same name.' Why is that?"
Tales of the Elements FC is a Jazzy-Hip Hop album that I produced and recorded alongside Mega Ran and K-Murdock, who are best known for their video game tribute album “Forever Famicom.” It has a story concept where each of us who recorded had role-played like we were in a Japanese Role Playing game. On top of that, I came up with a backstory for the album where the story of the 4 elements of Hip Hop were re-imagined in a fantasy setting like any other JRPG.
The album is the “source material” for the game so it’s completely based off of that story I wrote for the album.
"Why did you choose to use RPG Maker?"
When we first started working on the album we weren’t planning on making a game alongside it. The idea for a game literally came after we were already finished producing and recording the album over the span of 2 years! Since the album was so close to being ready for release, I thought it would be a good idea to use an engine that I was already familiar with using and one that would be more appropriate for the scope of the project. In other words, the game was only meant to be played as an extension of the album and not as a game on it’s own. The idea to release on Steam came to us just a month ago!
Feel free to check out the album on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, or the Google Play Store!
"But, it’s RPG Maker and the sprites are generic."
RPG Maker isn't a sign of "lazy development" and it definitely isn't an automatic sign of bad games, either. I know my way around the engine because I've been messing with it for YEARS now. It also comes with graphic assets (just like Unity and Unreal does). It specifically works for making RPGs and that's what we needed for this project so naturally, it's what I chose to use. That aside, it was still a lot of work to create what I did with that engine. The development time for the game is sitting at 1400+ hours. Of course, that was spread across about a year and a few months of time.
As for the sprites I would really like to replace the map sprites (at least) as soon as possible. Anything to make this project better I’m interested in looking into! Also, Glen and I have been talking about porting the game to Unity or another engine in general. If we do that, we'll have to replace all of the sprites with new ones, anyway.
"'Tales Of?' Isn't that a ripoff of another game series? (Symphonia, Berseria)"
No. This project is not related to any of those titles.
"So, why did you pick the name 'Tales of the Elements?'”
When I first started recording the album I wanted to make an album that told the story of Hip Hop in a way that was like a JRPG. To make that theme clear, I came up with a name that sounded like a JRPG title. I could've probably said "Legend of the Elements" or something like that but "Tales of the Elements" sounded right to me. Plus, the album’s concept was meant to be a major tribute to RPGs like Tales of Symphonia, Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, etc.
If I knew from the beginning that we were going to be pushing a fully realized game out on Steam with the album I wouldn't have needed the title to be such an obvious nod to JRPGs and I would've done the same as I did with my first album "Save the World," which was also a nod to JRPGs but the theme wasn't as obvious as I wanted it to be, hence why I made it more obvious with this title.
"Aren't you afraid of a lawsuit?"
The possibility of lawsuit was brought up actually. We looked into it and the "Tales of" games actually have the full name trademarked; not just the "Tales of" part. We also located many games and other projects that start with the same term that have had no issues, so we're not worried.
"So, what’s up with the 'FC' in the title?"
“FC” stands for “First Chapter.” This is a release of the first of two parts. Funny story about that: we originally thought of using “Disc 1” but since iTunes wouldn’t allow us to upload artwork with a reference to physical packaging, I had to think of something fast; so I thought “First Chapter” would continue the project’s “trend” of dropping JRPG-inspired references.
"What about the cover artwork for Tales of the Elements FC? It looks familiar…."
Oh, yeah! It was done by Daniel Hill (Danji’s Designs) and the inspiration for it was taken from a piece of artwork used in Xenoblade Chronicles.
Glad to be able to answer any questions so if you have more, so feel free to start up a thread in the community hub or shoot me an email!
Thanks for reading!
TOTEFC on STEAM!!!
We’d like to sincerely thank everyone who’s been supportive of this project!
We made it!
But, we’re not done yet!
We’ll be giving support for this game consistently and there will be more content, too!
Here are some things we’re planning for the near future:
- A free “Steam achievement” patch with revamped graphical assets, Steam achievements, & trading cards!
- The “Second Chapter” as DLC when the Tales of the Elements SC album comes out!
- A new engine with possibly MORE supported platforms!
If you have any questions about anything, feel free to post them in our community hub!
Thanks! – LB