So, I downloaded your patch yesterday and started another new game last night, and after getting roughly three hours in, I have to say that you're my new hero! The increased accuracy is making the game SO MUCH more fun because I no longer feel the need to have a Dragon Band on my melee party members at all times! WOW! Other than that, I thought I would take notes on things in case you want to fix other things, and the only thing I've come across so far was that the Moogle Bangle doesn't seem to work. I thought it was worded the same way as a Moogle Charm and would negate all battles, but maybe it's just supposed to decrease the probability of battles? I say this because when I reached the part in which you play as Hans, Biggs, and Wedge, I wanted to get through it faster since I've played the opening hours of the game about four times in the last couple of months. Well, I was still getting into battles, but I almost feel that they were stretched farther apart, so I wasn't sure if that was the item's intention instead of completely negating battles. Apart from that, though, the only other bug I've noticed is the infamous Trei glitch in which one party member - it was usually Vahn, but on this playthrough, it was Hans - has all of his equipment removed upon entering the town to begin the quest to help Oalston. I reached out to UPRC about that one a while back, and he wasn't sure how to fix it either. Anyway, I'll let you know if I run across anything else that's weird or buggy! Thank you again for giving this gem of a game attention!
Michael Verley
Recent community posts
Sorry if this has already been mentioned and I somehow overlooked it, but has anyone been able to fix the bug in which your party members sometimes use their beneficial abilities on the enemies instead of the party? I've put over a hundred hours into the game - basically starting over three different times when it was updated in the past - and what made me finally put my controller down was how my beneficial abilities would sometimes target the enemy instead of my group. Not that the game is difficult, by any stretch, but it was getting incredibly annoying when I'd use Ami's Cheer ability and it would end up targeting the boss for some reason, instead. It also happened with the Kirin summon, and I finally quit when it happened with a Cure spell twice in the same battle. I don't understand the mechanics of how creators put these games together, so I wasn't able to go into any code and figure things out. Otherwise, I was really enjoying the old-school feel. Accuracy was a little annoying in parts: The first battle I had Darius in, he missed four out of five times, and it feels like there's a lot of missing throughout the game that sometimes deters the fun factor, but it is what it is. I'd understand a mage missing with a physical attack due to realism, but when my "warrior" type characters are missing more than hitting against an enemy that looks like it would be slow, it gets a little annoying. Overall, though, this is a fantastic game that UPRC put a lot of love into!
Ah, I understand what you were going for now! I do like your idea of making a simpler one to encounter in the early parts, then upgrade. I should also add that the pacing has thus far been excellent, so you’ve done a fantastic job with that!
You know, I know you have your hands full with this game, but someone as talented as you are should think about reaching out to the team that was working on Seal of the Eclipse. I just heard the bad news earlier today about them ending the project, and if they could have dedicated people with talent help them or overtake the project, perhaps everything they’ve thus far done wouldn’t go to waste. It would be a shame to see what they have end up unused.
First and foremost, I apologize for the length of this comment, so you can delete it after you've read it if you want to. That being said, I have plenty to say about what I just played!
1) I haven't been this excited from a demo since my sophomore year in high school after I completed the Final Fantasy VIII demo. I played that thing over and over in anticipation for that game, and after playing your demo for Elegy of Sanctity, I felt the same way. It was a fantastic feeling to experience being an excited teen again, and your game runs so smoothly that I forgot I was playing a demo until I reached the end and was reminded. "NOOO! I want to play more!" Yup, I honestly felt like a kid! You're totally on the right track with this, and I hope you keep up the great work! (Oh, and by the way, I played this on the same old computer I played your CV: Nosferatu on, and this time, I was able to see my health bar!)
2) While keeping in mind that I was playing a demo at the beginning of my playthrough, I was doing my best to keep my eyes peeled for any mistakes or bugs I could report to you. I'll be playing through this again, but for the time being, I only noticed one thing I would change: I think that when a bloody crusader enemy is downed, it shouldn't damage you until it gets back up. In all the CV games, any time a red skeleton/bloodbones is crumpled to the ground, it doesn't damage the player until it gets back up. Maybe the engine you're using won't allow for this, but if it does, I think I would change that so the player can harmlessly pass over it. Now, if the player is trying to pass over it while it's getting back up, then it should damage them, but otherwise, I think it should follow the other games and not harm them.
3) My last point is just a nitpick you can honestly skip over since I'm merely one out of a hundred people this would actually bother. I shouldn't even say anything since it's not something I'd ever want you to change, but as mentioned when I reached out about your other game, I love the old-school CVs and not the 3D ones. That being said, I love that I'm finally able to play as Leon, but I was bummed about the inclusion of sub-weapons. I know how weird that must sound since everybody loves sub-weapons - myself included - but the reason I was bummed about them in this game is because of my "head canon." Again, I'm clearly in the minority on this, but I consider CV Legends to be canon, and I love the idea of Sonia collecting the "holy weapons" that the Belmonts would be using for centuries to come. I know the sub-weapons were in Lament of Innocence since I did try a bit of it back in the day, but what can I say: I'm a weird guy and ignore that game since 2D is the way to go! Like one of my favorite Youtubers, Dongled, always says, "Hash tag: Justice for Sonia!"
Sorry for the long message, but I just had to reach out and tell you that this is one of my most anticipated games! With CV: Belmont's Curse and FF Resonance right around the corner, this game is joining the games I actually care about! I haven't been excited for a game in over a decade, and now I have three to wait for! This is awesome! Keep up the spectacular work!
I don't think you should feel bad about using some AI here and there for art. Personally, I'm an indie author with twenty-four novels under my belt, and while all the writing has come from the creative juices flowing through my head, most of my covers have been AI-generated because I have no drawing talent whatsoever. I've hired a few artists for certain books, but sometimes, using AI to turn pictures of people into artwork just helps. In all honesty, even if there are a couple of AI images in this game, it's still a hidden gem that I'm happy to have played for the first time!
Just stumbled upon this and spent the last couple of hours enjoying life, old-school style! I absolutely adored this game, and you should be proud of what you accomplished! My only issue was that my health bar was blank throughout my whole playthrough, so I had to go to the menu to check my health. Maybe it was the old PC I was playing on because I saw someone did a playthrough on Youtube, and that person's health bar was working. Regardless, that didn't stop me from enjoying the heck out of this game, and again, your hard work and dedication is much appreciated! The game was so smooth and fun, and personally, I would've rated it higher than five stars if I had been allowed to!
Good afternoon, UPRC! Hope all is well! I wanted to reach out and point something out, but before I do, I want to apologize in case this has already been addressed. First things first, I'm still playing on the 1.03 update because I started over after roughly fourteen hours of 1.00, and now that I'm twenty hours in and invested in the story, I don't want to re-start on the new update just yet. I tried copying a save into the last update, and since that didn't work, I'll just keep adventuring forth in the 1.03 update.
With that being said, the issue I stumbled across - and again, if this has been addressed, I apologize - I've noticed a slight balancing issue with the magic system. In my example, I'll use Oalston: Let's say the group is fighting three enemies, and Oalston casts Fire on one of them for 300 HP of damage. Now, if Oalston targets the group of three enemies, it does roughly 100 damage to each, spreading out the damage. This makes sense and it's how it's always been in FF: Spread the spell out, also spread the damage out. However, I've noticed this doesn't seem to pertain to enemies. I've noticed that if an enemy targets a single character with a spell and the spell does, let's say, 400 HP of damage, that same enemy may target the group on the next turn with the same spell, and it will end up doing 400 damage to each party member. Just thought I'd point that out, and again, sorry if you've already done something about this!
Also, just so you know, this is currently my game of the year! Hell, this is my game of the last five years, so keep up the great work!
I may have stumbled across a way players could potentially trap themselves: Since I’m replaying the first twelve hours, I visited Silvera before saving Garuda to see the townspeople as monsters this time around. When doing so, I noticed something. If a player were to dismount his or her chocobo, save the game, and then go into the village, there would be no way to get back to the mainland if the player had run out of gysahl greens. They can’t be purchased in town since the people are monsters, and no one sells them in the chocobo forest. Unless I overlooked it and there are some to find in the forest, or if they can be won in nearby battles, a player would be stuck. Again, I may have missed something, but I thought I’d point it out just in case!
Good afternoon! I started over yesterday - I’m a nerd like that! - and noticed something purely cosmetic that you may or may not want to fix: When you first reach the Lenadia continent and cross the desert with the Naddaha Pyramid, the background for fights in the desert is the grassland background instead of desert. Again, nothing that affects gameplay, but I thought I’d let you know!
Also - and this is just my opinion - I would suggest adding some equipment that boosts accuracy a little earlier on. By the time we reach the Lenadia continent, my characters’ accuracy has gone down the toilet! I have one Sniper Sight, and it’s been equipped to Vahn since I found it, but Laka and Ami miss at least once - if not twice - every regular battle. Maybe I’m unlucky, but if the gloves or anything else boosted my accuracy, I’d equip them all the time since missing so often is a buzzkill! Again, just my opinion!
Good news, bad news: The full screen issue was easily resolved with the explanation you gave me! Thank you for that! The bad news - at least for me because it affected me - I found a game-breaking bug! Just before Daguero, on those plains to the south, there’s an area where you can go through a cave - where the black chocobo is - to reach some grassland with dragons. (By the way, nice nod to FF IX with fighting dragons by Daguero!) Anyway, I saved my game there, but when you go back through the cave to exit to the plains, it puts you back in the area with the dragons! Since I saved, I’m stuck there! I have a previous save from two hours earlier, so I’ll have to go back. Still, I had to let you know so that area can be fixed!
Thanks for the reply! I’ll be sure to check that out at the camp! I only used it once, and did so early on. I keep forgetting that I could be using it and possibly seeing character interactions! Sounds good on Cure and all the other stuff I mentioned! In my quest thus far today, I’ve only come across one other thing: The Rebuff Charm is described as resisting Silence, Blind, Poison, and one other ailment, but I was silenced while wearing it. I wasn’t sure if “resistance” was supposed to be the same as “prevent” and merely offers a chance of not being hit by the ailment, but the wording is also used on White Capes, Star Pendants, and the like, so I figured it was supposed to completely prevent them. Again, just wanting to help by pointing things out! Man, this game is SPECTACULAR! Oh, and I’ll try what you said with the full screen!
Good afternoon, UPRC! First things first, let me just say one word: WOW! The Squaresoft of old would be so proud of what you've accomplished! I played for roughly ten hours last night, and my stopping point was right after the Quetzalcoatl fight! The story is drawing me in, the level design is fantastic, the sprites are awesome...this is just overall a gem! Man, I'm enjoying myself so much, and I'm going to put the latest novels I'm working on aside until I complete this game! Based on my first day with the game, you're going to be receiving a five-star review, but would you prefer that I leave one after completion?
That being said, I found a few bugs/glitches to report, and since Discord says I can't send messages until claiming my account - and when I try, it says the account is already in use, so it sends me in an endless loop and won't allow me to do anything! - I hope you don't mind that I'm posting here since I don't know how else to contact you. Anyway, I'll try not to be too long-winded, so here's the list:
1) During my first visit to Trei, I noticed that on three separate occasions, Vahn's equipment became totally unequipped. Everything on him disappeared into my inventory. I was able to re-equip him right away, of course, but it was an odd occurrence, and I didn't notice it two of the times until I was in battle and he was attacking with his fists while taking extra damage. I couldn't pinpoint for sure when each time happened, but it was somewhere between the first chocobo ride and when we're doing storyline stuff in Trei. If you need me to, I could start a new playthrough and try to keep track if it happens again. Being nearly ten hours into the game, I'm happy to say it only happened during that Trei visit, and nowhere else, but it was still odd!
2) The Mummy Wraps armor: It says it has KO resistance 100%, so I assumed that meant the wearer couldn't be hit by instant death spells. I may be reading that wrong, but if I'm right, they don't work! I had it equipped on Elina and fought the hunt mark known as the Rider, and he used an instant death spell on her, and it killed her! Again, I could be reading that wrong, but if I'm not, the Mummy Wraps don't protect from instant death! (Could it be that they prevent from taking lethal HP damage? I didn't test that, but that seems far too good!)
3) The Cure spell: This is actually more of a question, but I thought I'd point it out, nevertheless. When in battle, it can target everybody, but outside of battle, it can only target an individual. Was that on purpose, or is it goofed up one way or the other? Just curious!
4) Ami's Cheer option: Is it random on who it affects? Nine times out of ten, it hits my group like I'm sure was intended, but on two occasions, I've had it target the enemy. It appears that character abilities that aren't magic-related aren't explained in the menu screen anywhere - not that most of them need it since they're usually self-explanatory like "Steal" and "Jump" - but I wasn't sure if there's a random chance of Cheer helping the enemy instead of the party.
5) Probably my dumbest question, but you have to forgive me for not being a PC guy: Is there a way to full-screen the game? I don't see it listed in the options, and hitting ALT + Enter does nothing. Also, if I hit F4 on the PC I'm using, it just does whatever F4 normally does and brings up that option. I was able to get the task bar on the bottom to go away by going into my PC's settings and making it disappear if I'm not hovering over it, but the bar at the top won't go away! I've played a few other FF fan games - Sky Warriors, Genesis of the Dark Crystals, and Braver - and was able to make that bar go away - usually with that ALT + Enter option I mentioned - but I can't get it to leave your game! I plug my laptop into a TV so I can have the true FF experience, but that bar has been driving me nuts for ten hours! Ha!
Well, those are the only issues I've thus far found - other than the shield issue you already addressed - and if I find more, I'll be sure to let you know! I downloaded your fix, and is Hans supposed to start with that really good shield still? It's not as overpowered as the later ones, and I thought that maybe it was on him to protect against magic once you start playing as him by himself. But yeah, sorry for the extremely long message, but I wanted to let you know about those small issues! Again, AWESOME game, and keep up the great work! Thank you for doing this and giving us old-school FF fans our childhoods back!
Michael
Sounds great! I know it will be worth the wait! And trust me when I say, I’m no stranger to computer issues. I’m an indie author who writes fantasy books for a living - I was inspired by FF I and CV II when I was a kid - and when my laptop crapped out on me last year, I thankfully had everything backed up!
Speaking of stories, I don’t mean to keep pestering you, but a few of the things I truly love about your games are your stories and original characters. I think the casts you’ve created in the Blackmoon Prophecy games are awesome, and I also like how you’ve used sprites from games like Romancing Saga III. They work REALLY well in an old-school FF game, and again, I love the original characters you’ve come up with while also making the world feel like a legit FF with the common reoccurrences they use, such as crystals, summons, chocobos/moogles, et cetera. Again, as a fan of the series and your work, I just want to say you’re doing a great thing for all of us fellow gamers, and I know a lot of the others on here appreciate what you’re doing just as much as I do! THANK YOU!
Hey, Mith! You and I spoke a few years back, and I just wanted to log on and let you know that all the work you’ve done on this gem has been astounding! I can’t believe how much the game has changed over the years, and everything about it is extraordinary!
Anyway, I wanted to voice my opinion and point out something that I haven’t really noticed anyone else saying: Being an indie author who writes fantasy books for a living - and yes, FF I was the game that inspired me to choose my life’s work back at the age of eight - I think you deserve a TON of praise for the way you’ve written the story that follows the cast of Braver. The way you’ve turned FF XI into a single-player experience for people like me who don’t enjoy MMOs is remarkable, but add in the fact that you’ve made the main cast so darn endearing, well, that’s nothing short of incredible. The way the main four heroes connect and grow as a team makes for some damn fine storytelling, and take it from a guy who weaves fantasy tales for a living when I say that that really means something! I genuinely CARE about these characters. They’re not some bland “create-a-character-so-you-can-explore-the-world” type of cast. No, you’ve whipped up some really awesome characters, while at the same time, using real characters from XI so people like me who enjoy an offline experience can still follow the lore of the original game. Again, pat yourself on the back for what you do, and while I’m in no way famous since I’m only an indie author, if you’d ever like me to put any kind of “shout-outs” or “ads” in the backs of my books to promote your game, just reach out and let me know!
Keep up the great work!
Michael Verley, fantasy author on the Quivering Quill
Hey, UPRC! As a lifelong FF fan, I just wanted to log on and tell you that you’re doing great work! I’ve played a few other fan games that were amazing, and the work you’re doing to remake your first game looks awesome! One thing I’d maybe suggest after trying out your two other Blackmoon Prophecy games: If possible, maybe implement a way for players to change the controls. Personally, I’ve always been a console guy, but to play these great fan games, I undoubtedly have to do so on PC. That being said, I HAVE to use a controller, and I’ve found that the button layout on the Blackmoon Prophecy games - especially the second one - is quite jarring. I could get used to the first game, but the second one was laid out quite weird for someone who’s been playing FF since the first one on NES! Unless I’m missing a way to change the control inputs, I think it would be a great option to add to your newest work! Other than that, everything you do is solid, and keep up the great work!
I want to thank Mithrandir from the bottom of my heart for putting so much time into creating this masterpiece! As a fan of this series since its inception and first arriving in the States back in 1990, I've always been left with a void in the numbering since XI and XIV were strictly MMOs and I've never been an MMO player: I'm sure they're fantastic games, but I'm a single player RPG gamer and I've waited nineteen years to learn about FF XI...and now thanks to Mithrandir, I - like many people before me - am falling in love with the world of Vana'diel! This game is so well done and as you play it, you can only marvel at how long it had to take Mith to put this colossal game together! I appreciate your time in doing this so everyone out there can enjoy a single player FF XI experience...and also for the people like me who have never had the opportunity to play it before! Now I can sit back and learn the lore of this fabulous game for the first time! I'm nearing fifty hours and having an absolute blast! And if you're someone reading this comment who hasn't downloaded the game yet...what are you waiting for?! Start downloading now so you can enjoy this amazing ride!
One word to sum up this game: PERFECTION! Illy, you really did your homework and gave FF I so much back story that it is now necessary for me to always play your game before I play through FF I! I give you all the praise in the world and wanted to leave a review on the RPG Maker website, but they shot my reviews down twice because they stated that I "praised your game too much..." as if such a thing can be possible! Again, thanks for the time you put into making this gem that can only be described as a nostalgic MASTERPIECE!