Last Ray of Hope

As mentioned previously in the Custom Menu System entry, you can select the menu colour on the configuration menu. I tied it further into the game by added the ability to change the text speed, after hearing about Final Fantasy 10, I decided to add the option of ABS (Active Battle System), but in the end removed it since it would require massive changes to the game as it was.

Within the configuration menu, the world map and where you were could turn toggled on or off as well. I can’t quite remember what the “Show Information” was intended for, but it was never completed.

When playing other games made in RPG Maker 2000, I found one that used quite an ingenious method of showing where the game was being saved by swapping the first player with a character named with the save location.

So I decided to adopt that into my game as well, and eventually I planned to making a faceset for the locations as well so an image would be displayed as well as the text.

Since Blite was using a Custom Battle System, the old equipment system no longer worked to increase the attributes of playable characters, so I had to add a custom equip screen.

I decided since it was custom, I might as well add additional features.

So I added additional attributes to the player status, as well as weapons, shields and trinkets to improve these features, as well as to teach magic spells like in Final Fantasy 6 and 9.

Eventually I decided to remove the evade attribute, which would now be calculated based on defense and speed, this gave more spacing between them (before they seemed to tightly squished together).

However now that the attributes could be shown and were working (rather than being forced set), equipment needed to be swappable.

Using the same basic idea that I used for the custom item menu, whenever a weapon, armor or trinket was selected, a list of similar items were listed as well.

So if you selected an armor socket, a list of all armor items that player is holding will be listed in a scrollable list.

Now there was only one thing needed to finish off the equipment screen, when selecting an item to equip, show how it affects the individual attributes.

To do thing, I stored the original values, and then hot swapped the item being selected and got the new value before swapping it back to the original.

If the values were not different, they would remain white. However if the new value was less than the old value, then it would be grey, otherwise if it was greater, then the value was be yellow.

Now my custom equipment screen was finished, all that would be needed now is the graphics cleaned up.