Version 0.78

Hello everyone! 

I'm glad to say the next build of Tales of the Lumminai is ready for play. There's many new features in this update as well as overall improvements to the core mechanics and game world itself. So then, lets get to it!

Newly added:

Chapters 4-5 - These two chapters introduce crafting and pact linking as well as some deeper looks into what's really going on behind what you have seen so far. 

Crafting - By visiting the forgehouse in Port Au Venfey, you will be able to start crafting any of the recipes that the game offers. Some require special ingredients while most do not.  This becomes available once you complete chapter 4. Every recipe will be unlocked and craftable from the start, so there's no need to scramble around looking for secret recipes that don't exist!

Pact Linking - Previously only Lumi and Catherine could pact link. Now, in Chapter 5 the main character, Lucia, is given this ability as well as several other characters you'll meet throughout the world now.

World expansions - The Aurora Peaks map is now in the game as well as the Sea Shoals north of Venfey. These two regions are where the two new chapters will take place. Both of these regions provide the player with a challenge of puzzles and multiple ways to complete the objective to progress the story. In addition to these regions, Venfey has also been given interiors for every building that are now completely accessible. Weshrain has undergone a small expansion as well allowing for the possibility to visit Wynn's Castle in Chapter 5.

Branching Chapters - New to this update is branching chapters, a system that allows the player to choose between a few different options which will determine how the chapter progresses, and by doing such, it will determine the future of your game story. These will begin in Chapter 5 and exist throughout the rest of the game allowing you to customize just how your story will end.

Various New Characters - From Valerya to a bunch of random NPC's, there are several new additions and new recruits for you to discover and see what makes them unique! These new characters are found throughout the current scale of the world and more will be added once the game progresses passed Chapter 6. Several of these new additions can either teach you skills/classes or they will join you as a playable character to add to your party. Others are NPC's that will give clues for the treasure hunting/bounty systems as well as just changing their dialogue based on what's going on in the game at that time.

Interactive Intro - The intro has been changed from a text crawl to a fully interactive "dream sequence" that will allow you to customize your character a little bit. Currently the male path is still unavailable, but there are big plans for that one in the future. You'll be able to select a star sign which will determine a few starting stats, and your starting weapon will be dependent on that choice. You can of course, change weapons freely after the battle with Laguis.

Stat Distribution - This is a new system that will allow further personalization of your characters. You'll be able to allocate stat points every time they level up so that you can create the best character there is! Note that you can't just pour every point into one stat as that would be game breaking, so there are limits. Whiles you can get a huge advantage in the early game this won't effect much later on once the limits have been met. This system is simply to allow more flexibility to your playstyle.

Changed:

Skills - Many skills have undergone a complete rebalancing and the structure of your abilities are now simplified into 3 categories (Lumminai Magik, Tekniques, and Herald Artz). This is to lighten the confusion between what skills do what and which are physical or magik based. As well, this will help to determine which characters have Lumminai companions and which do not, as those who don't are unable to use Magik. In addition to the restructure of the skills, there are several new skills with full animations for you to discover and learn throughout the game.

Guild Halls - The guild halls are now a sort of hub for NPC's to gather and train their skills as well as occasionally offering you jobs, giving you gifts, or even offering their services to join you for awhile. Some characters will only join if you have a certain reputation while others may only speak to you if your past has a certain hobby (take note of what Lumi says in the start, it's not a joke!) These special characters will often be stronger than common allies in the start, but will balance out later as these characters take longer to level up.

Weapons - Several weapons have been renamed or removed from the game to keep with the core setup I wanted. Each type of weapon will have roughly 10-15 different weapons in that category. In addition to the rename/removal of some, the new ones in the list are all craftable with the exception of a few special ones that can only be received from the story quests, side quests, or hidden treasures in dungeons.

That's it for now! Hope to see you guys with the next update. Until then, keep on playing and enjoying the game, and I'll keep hard at work on updating it and getting it finished as soon as possible!