UPDATE: 18 August 2006
Yet more small but useful features have been added to LoS2...

First up on the list is the teleportation function, via the Temporal Staff rare item. This lets you go to any of the cities on the teleport list that you've been to before in an instant. No doubt it will come in handy...

Second, we have the heads-up display that tells you what the main keys do. This is called up by pressing + on the numpad, and is quite useful if you forget what certain shortcut keys do.

And lastly, there is the highly useful in-game clock. This keeps track of what time it is on Shenja, so you don't constantly have to use the Time Checker to find out the hour. It can be turned on and off with - on the numpad.

That's all for this update, but more is to come. Well obviously, the game's not finished, but you know what I mean.

UPDATE: 31 July 2006
It seemed appropriate to mention a few of the recent developments in LoS2's engine, since the project's experienced a bit of a jump in work done on it recently.

Most notably, the game now sports the ability to steal items from townspeople. Those who have played Star Ocean 2 will recognize this feature, but it has a twist that SO2 never had: get caught trying to steal too many times, and you can get banned from a nation!

On that note, your party now also has a reputation in each nation, which can rise and fall based on what story paths you pursue, and what actions you take in those nations.

Oh, and if you're wondering, you can't permanently get banned. Every nation has its share of corrupt sorts who will let you back in and clear your name... for a price.

Screenshots of Thief Mode and getting exiled are now included on the page, below.

UPDATE: 19 July 2005
Though I'm not working overtime on this game just yet, I figured I'd at least upload the arena menu screenshot.

UPDATE: 11 July 2005
Mostly just a progress update, though there is a new screenshot.

UPDATE: 24 June 2005
Hot on the tail of the release of LoS1 is the announcement of LoS2, now in progress! Not much is done just yet, of course, but this will be where to look for information on the next volume of the Shenja series!

What is the Legend of Shenja?

The Legend of Shenja is my first RPG series that I've ever decided to release. Originally designed with RPGMaker 2000 for PC (and now being made with RPGMaker 2003), I've worked on making these games as detailed and vivid as possible. The key goal behind the Legend of Shenja is to make RPGs that, while not Japanese in origin, resembles the style of Japanese console RPG's such as Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger.

Lues Priscus is the culmination of several different RPG projects into a single, cohesive sequel to Genesis Innocens. Unlike its predecessor, Lues Priscus does not follow standard RPG conventions. Time is always flowing, and events still occur even when the player isn't actively pursuing the plot. As well, there are a large number of plot threads, all of which are actually intertwined.

This game represents a step forward for the Shenja series, from a mostly typical RPG into the realm of true innovation.

Teaser Intro Text

The world has changed.

In 2,042, Dalmus Trentak irrevocably rewrote Shenja's history. His actions, and those of his allies, merged two eras. From this merging, a new and unexpected history is being written for Shenja. A history that may prove even worse than what was erased...

The year is 2,985. Once again, peace reins over Shenja. But dark clouds are on the horizon... A mysterious wanderer called Kruv has appeared, and violence follows him everywhere. Even the Peace Stones seem to be subverted by his presence.

And so a time of mystery has come over the planet. Could it be that Kruv is the cause of the escalating violence? Or is there more going on here? The answers may prove to be worse than the questions...

Features

* The continuation of the Legend of Shenja, which brings new intrigue and development to the tale, as well as a different look upon the events of the past
* 8 painstakingly designed main plotlines, each linear in its own way, yet each also non-mandatory
* Unique time-flow engine; time flows constantly, as months fade into seasons into years, with the effects of time apparent everywhere you go
* Custom Main, Party, and Class menus, designed with fludity and functionality in mind, with lightning-fast access to their features
* Highly customizable gameplay experience: change system graphics, sounds, character names, and even the encounter system at any time
* A very flexible class system, which allows you to change your class on the fly, and retain all stats from all classes you've been in
* Event Skip system, which allows you to skip story scenes; very useful when forced to re-watch a story sequence before a boss fight
* Next Goal Indicator system, which ensures you'll never lose track of where you're supposed to go next, even if you come back to the game after a long time
* Many dynamic and diverse sidequests spread throughout the game's plot, which never become permanently inaccessible
* A battle arena, a casino, and even a bonus dungeon await seekers of diversions from the main gameplay
* Carefully crafted and tested gameplay engine that allows almost any combination of characters and classes to excel, with the right applied tactics
* A myriad of other small but noticeable features that give the game the feel of a professionally designed product
* Dozens of different endings, with many variations for each depending on your actions during the game
* Two different New Game options once you've won the game, ensuring additional replay value

Estimated Total Progress:
Engine Layer - 80%
World Layer - 2%
Story Layer - 5%
Sidequest Layer - 0%
NPC Layer - 0%
Final Tweaks - 0%

Total Estimated Progress - 14%

What do these "layer" terms mean?

I've built this game in a rather different way. Instead of doing everything at once, I'm working on the game in layers. The layer priority is roughly as shown above. Here's what each layer means:

Engine Layer: This is the gameplay engine itself, including items, enemies, characters, classes, custom menus, and any special features of the game. Basically, the skeleton of the game.

World Layer: This layer is the towns, dungeons, and other buildings of the game. Any location that the player can visit falls into this category, as does linking these areas to each other. This is basically the internal organs of the game.

Story Layer: Obviously, this layer consists of all the critical aspects of the game's plot. All plot-furthering event scenes and significant events fall into this category. This is essentially the life of the game.

Sidequest Layer: Anything not relating to the plot, but still requiring design. This makes up quite a bit of the gameplay experience, as with most modern RPG's. Can't think of a good analogy for it, though.

NPC Layer: This is what any character who is not directly tied to events falls into. I wanted to make this layer next-to-last, to avoid having to make numerous changes to NPC dialogue as the game's story and sidequests were refined and finalized.

Final Tweaks: Cleanup work, mostly. This is the point where I go over all of the significant events and flesh them out if necessary, as well as balancing out difficulty. Sort of the crucial final coat of paint on the product to make it look good.

Downloads
None yet

RM2K3 Screenshots

The custom main menu.	The custom class-changing menu.
The party-switching menu.	The arena challenge menu.
It sure gets dark at night...	Autumn descends on Shenja.
Winter blankets the land.	Current title screen; subject to change.
Got sticky fingers? Pickpocket the townspeople!	Just watch out you don't steal too often...
The Tenmai Arena; areas now have a lot more detail.	The Teleport menu (prototype, subject to change).
Beta of the heads-up-display (optional).	The on-screen clock (can be turned off).

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