I need a chipset artist for my game, Solis Occasus. It's an RPG, being done using the Fury2 Engine. Info on the Fury2 Engine: Fury2 is a 2-dimensional game creation program that is primarily geared towards RPG's, though other kinds of games are possible with it. Anything that can be done in 2D can be done with Fury2; top-down views, 3/4 isometric views (though not correctly; iso can only be done correctly in 3D), or anything else you can imagine, as long as it doesn't require 3D. The maps allow for 20 layers, and each layer can have an unlimited number of tiles in a tileset, the only restriction being that all tiles on a layer have to be the same size. It can also support animated tiles on a per-layer basis. The editor supports 32-bit color, so there are no palette restrictions on it. It supports BMP, PNG, JPG, GIF, and a bunch of other file formats. This particular project will be using the typical view used in 2D console RPG's: the overhead view of Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger. Game info (please note, there ARE game spoilers here; and I'm trusting you guys not to steal our ideas ): Race Info - Definition of the Races, Cultures, and Present Status of the Races of SOLIS OCCASUS The Creation of the Races No one is sure who created the Humans. Many beliefs and theories have existed over time as to where they came from, and no one knows to this day. But the origin of the OTHER races of the World... is a tale of science and Man playing God, which lead ultimately to the Apocalypse. Human scientists began genetically engineering powerful beings and mythical creatures into existence. They started with the Elves and Dwarves, and such less-humanoid creatures as Unicorns and Dragons. But as war swept through the nations, creatures such as the Vampires, Demons, Drow, and Mirani were created. Each being was much like its mythical counterpart. But the Mirani were new creatures; much like succubi and sirens, they were powerful, devious women, who were placed as generals of the armies of the Humans’ war. Following are the cultures and a few background snippets for the races of Solis Occasus. The Humans Important human characters: Dranad Loira Jukre Abla Xeri The Human’s Standing After the events of the Apocalypse millennia ago, the Humans have become strong again, but remain just as corrupt as before. All but a few have forgotten their ties to science, and how the other races were created. They are only one of the six races, but, as they are the shortest lived and quickest to reproduce, have the highest population; about one third of the World’s population is comprised of Humans. Everything is monitored by the Church, the clandestine group whom most of the Human race has faith in currently. But the Church, although initially a great system of government and faith that healed and strengthened Humanity after the Apocalypse, has become corrupt and evil over the last few decades. Few are aware of its true purpose - the mass genocide of all they deem imperfect! Schools There are three types of schools Human children can attend; Schools of Magic, Schools of Scholarship, and Schools of War. Schools of Magic It is here that children with magical potential are trained by the Church in the White and Black Arts. Each school is highly monitored and run by Church Officials. If a student is found practicing arts Forbidden by the Church, their punishment is always severe. Punishment ranges from expulsion to arrest to a death sentence, depending on age and class. Students are taught the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, but the Arts are stressed here. Schools of Scholarship Here, it is the children whose parents wish them to succeed in business and attain non-Clerical Chuch positions are sent. They are taught everything from reading and writing to advanced calculus and trigonometry, or as far advanced as the mathematics has come after the Apocalypse. Schools of War Here, those with great faith to the Church are trained. They are trained with the beliefs and are raised to be ever loyal to the Church Officials. They are taught a mixture of the lessons from the Schools of Magic and Scholarship, but are also taught ways of War. Strategy, Weaponry, and war-magics are taught here. Only the strongest make it through to graduation. Others either leave, are expelled, or even die. Dranad will have attended this school. Education The least-monitored subjects are Geometry, Mathematics, and Arts and Leisure. But the subjects of Magic, Science, and History are very restricted. Sciences are restricted to minor chemistry and simple sciences like anatomy and botany. The more advanced sciences are only taught to those the Church trusts above all. History is altered dramatically to create a loathing and distaste for all those who are NOT Human, or at least that are not favored by the Church. Magics are even more thoroughly monitored than the previous two subjects. Only the certain magics that the Church permits to exist can be practiced legally, and only under the Church’s supervision. The ancient and powerful art of Summoning is forbidden, for the Church has no way to satisfactorily harness this outside, free form of magic. If you are found to be a Summoner, you are marked as a traitor to the Chuch. You are given a trial, but it is a corrupt trial. Summoners are always imprisoned or sentenced to death. Arts Forbidden By The Church Summoning, and the practice of some of the more vague Black and White Arts are forbidden by the Church. Free Magics are never taught, and are also forbidden. Summoning falls under the Free Magic category, as it is calling upon creatures far outside of the Chuch’s sphere of influence. Blue Magic (the art of learning magic and attacks by being attacked with them) is forbidden to all who are not a part of the Church’s armies. Human Culture The Post-Apocolyptic Human Culture is based more toward surviving; war-arts, a feudal system, and a great Chuch dictatorship restrict many of man’s artistic abilities. A few artists and writers remain, though, and although the rich culture Humanity once had is now lost, it slowly builds itself up as time moves forward. The Elves and the Drow Important Elvin Characters Lize King of the High Elves Captain of the Church Knights Following is what the race of the High Elves BELIEVES about their creation; but alas, it is not so. (They were created as the first genetically engineered humanoid race by human scientists not long before the Apocalypse) How the Elves and Drow Became Two Similar But Separate Races Millennia ago, there was only one race of High Elves. They were in touch with nature, and at peace, and were loving and kind creatures, unmatched in their beauty. They used only magic of good and nature, and many were born Summoners. But some Elves began to learn the darker magics. As is inevitable, it began to corrupt their pure souls. Those who became corrupt were banished, and sent to live in darkness and solitude. They began to change. This race became known as the Drow, the Dark Elves. High Elves are beautiful, with delicately pointed ears, slanted eyes, sharp features, and bodies that were formed to allow them to seem to glide rather than walk. They were angelic and ethereal. They are almost always very pale and delicate-looking, with eye colors of blue or green, but violet and black are not uncommon. Their hair color ranges from the lightest blonde to the darkest black. The Drow are almost the same physically in stature and features, but there are still many differences. The Drow’s movements have become more stealthy, and have begun to mimic the movements of feral but graceful cats. Their once-bright eyes gleam with a dark shine, and they have developed a stronger night vision than their kin, the High Elves, as they were forced to lurk in darkness. The Drow are pale-haired and even paler skinned than the High Elves, insomuch that they resemble Vampires. Their eyes range from blood-red to black to violet, sometimes steel-gray or even silver. High Elf culture High Elves are prominent in their beautiful arts and music. They generally prefer peace over war, but are still highly trained in archery and swordsmanship. Those who use magics of any kind (except for the darkest of the Black Magics, which got the Drow banished long ago) are viewed as almost holy. They are treated with respect, and allowed to learn as much as they can, placing stress on healing magics. In the Elvin society, Summoning is allowed; but only certain Summon Creatures. The demonic beasts such as Ifrit, the demonic-looking Fire Elemental and any creature relating to Death are not permitted to be summoned. The High Elves place strong emphasis in learning the summons of Unicorn, other holy Summons such as Alexander, and most importantly, the Phoenix. The Phoenix is the symbol of life and rebirth, and its healing powers are worshiped by the High Elves. Education The basics of mathematics, history, reading, writing, and foreign languages are stressed in Elvin Schools, second only to arts and music. There are also training schools for Rangers and other soldiers. Dragoons By far the most elite of the Elvin army, the Dragoons are trained warriors of great skill and power. Recent History The current King of the Elves is firm in the belief that the Elves are the Gods’ Chosen. He believes they are meant to be the rulers of the World. Many disagree with him, but it is not the Elvin custom to disagree with royalty, one of the flaws of the People. Drow Culture The Drow tell a different tale of their creation. Oddly enough, it is similar to the truth, but only just. The Drow believe that they were created by the High Elves as some sort of strange experiment, but they were too violent and different for the Elvin people’s taste, and thus were thrown away like broken toys. (In truth, they were created as warriors to battle for the Humans in their petty wars before the Apocalypse) Drow are the opposites of the High Elves. They place great worth in war-arts, and very little on everything not needed for them. The Drow are often found in high ranking positions of the Human-prominent Church. Their arrogance, lust for power, and all-around evilness is appreciated by the corrupt members of the Church. The current Captain of the Church Knights is a Drow, an evil, bloodthirsty man who wishes to see the world destroyed. Vampires, Dhampir Important Vampire Characters Reyha (dhampir) Dredge (mutant vampire) The Vampire’s Standing The bodies of the dead that were still whole (or whole for the most part) were kept and experimented on by the Human Scientists who genetically engineered them. They were infused with chemicals and concoctions, and once they once again had life, they had all of the symptoms of vampirism; the intolerance to light, the enhanced senses, and the lack of the red hemoglobin in the blood, which caused them to have to drink the blood of other living beings to replenish their oxygen supply. All of which were side-effects of the chemicals running in their bloodstreams. After the Apocolypse, it is little surprise that Vampires and Demons began to run amok. For many many long centuries, the powerful Nosferatu enslaved and butchered many humans, elves and dwarves. But not all Vampires are evil. Small groups of peaceful vampires hide out throughout the World, one of which belongs to the young Mirane, Isis. Vampiric Culture Although they are bloodthirsty and savage, most vampires see themselves as the highest of royalty. They usually go by titles such as Count and Lord, and the most powerful of them all is known as the King of the Undead. Vampires like art and music just as much as humans do, if not more; they have a tendency to adorn their homes - usually great, dark castles where they can easily hide from daylight, or dark crypts for the less lucky vampires - with Human artifacts and art. Most of what Human art that was salvageable after the Apocalypse was gathered up by various Vampire Lords. The change of a human or humanoid race from living to Undead is a two-step process; first, the blood of the living being must be consumed by the Undead Sire. Then, it must be returned to the Living before they die via drinking the newly-processed blood from their Sire. The blood is saturated with the poisons and chemicals that keep the Vampires alive, and even as it kills the body of the Living person, it sustains their cells, seemingly freezing them in time. Their bodies produce more white blood cells and have a healing factor twenty times faster than that of a human; but they no longer produce hemoglobin, which results in the necessity to drink fresh blood to replenish that supply. Dhampir Dhampir are the children of Humans and Vampires. They have the Human’s tolerance of the sun and production of hemoglobin, but they still crave blood and have the strength and senses of their Vampiric parents. They are outcasts to both races, and usually employ themselves as Vampire Hunters. Demons Where the Demons Stand Demons. They are the most feared creatures of the beings prowling the World, second only to Vampires and others of the Undead. Demons have little to no culture; they seem to live to destroy and corrupt others. Demons were the most powerful of the supersoldiers Humans managed to engineer, and more kinds and variations are created over time as the AI that was programmed to generate them maintains itself. Mirani Where the Mirani stand Mirani are beautiful women, with a vampire’s ability to defy aging and a succubus’ beauty. They have the voices of sirens, and use their beauty to drive men mad, convincing them to kill themselves. Mirani were created to be the generals of the armies of the Old World. They were the smartest and most powerful of the beings Science created. The Mirani are all women, and because of that, they are a dwindling race, and their power and might is beginning to be diluted by interracial couplings of Mirani and vampires and elves. (They believe the Dwarves too ugly, the Drow to distasteful and the Demons cannot reproduce. They are raised to hate humans and distrust them) Other than a few (including young Isis), most Mirani are still as seemingly evil and cruel as they had been when they were created, or as their parents. Those few who are willing to try and make a difference in the world are still hindered by their distrust of humans. Story So Far - SOLIS OCCASUS Story Outline Basic Outline Here’s just a quick, sketchy, basic outline for the whole game, so that filling in can be easier... Prelude - Dranad’s father and mother escaping from the Church, leaving little Dranad behind. (We don’t know this is Dranad yet, mind you) Part One - Opening - Dranad and Nameless-Partner-Who-Eventually-Dies-Off (I will call him Trev for convenience) enter the Ruins. - After a while, they meet Loira the Treasure Hunter, who is fighting off some vampy creatures. She leaves them shortly after the fight. - The two head further into the Ruins, and find an orphanage.. They debate entering... Part Two - Orphanage - Dranad and “Trev” enter the orphanage, where they meet seven vampy kids standing in a half-circle. They fight a few of them, but they recover quickly. - The vampy kids attack Dranad and “Trev“, killing the partner by converging on him and mauling him. - Dranad leaves the orphanage, where Loira meets up with him outside. Part Three - Biggs and Wedge, The Stupid Spies - Dranad explains about what happened to his partner, and Loira decides to join him as he continues to explore the ruins, searching for the item the Church sent him to collect. - As they are walking, Biggs falls out of his hiding place and onto the path before the two. He starts complaining loudly of a cramp in his leg before he notices the two. - Wedge tries to pull Biggs away into hiding, but Dranad stops them and demands to know why they are there Here, there should be an "interactive conversation" where there are two outcomes: either, the player beats up B&W mildly, or lets them run away like idiots. - Dranad begins to wonder about the Church, believing Biggs and Wedge to have been spying on HIM. But in truth, they were spying on Loira, and only received orders to spy on Dranad when he and “Trev” arrived in the ruins. Part Four - Return to the Church - Dranad, unaware of her Summoning abilities, convinces Loira to return to the Church’s city with him. - When they get there, Loira is arrested and taken to a cell. - Dranad is informed by the Church of their evildoings, as they believe him to have brought the Summoner to them and that he is loyal. - In his room, Dranad thinks seriously about his life at the Church, and everything he has learned. He then makes the decision to rebel and abandon the Church, as they have proved to be everything he hates, although he does so with reluctance. Part Five - Escape from the Church - Dranad breaks Loira out of jail - The two fight their way out of the city - Abla is sent, with some guards, to track them down - In a camp outside of the city limits, Dranad gets Loira to explain why she had been arrested and why she hates the Church. - After the explanation, as Dranad begins to “freak“ about her being a Summoner, they are attacked by Abla and her men. They escape. Part Six - The Summoner, the Mirane, and the Vampires - Dranad and Loira decide to return to the Ruins, as the Church will be less likely to send their best and brightest in after them. - Dranad speaks to Loira about her Summoning abilities and she explains them a little more to him. He begins to warm up to the idea, realizing the Church’s teachings were false. - As they wander and night falls, they are met by the Mirane girl Isis, who takes them to her home, where they meet her do-gooder vampire group. The Do-Gooder Vampires: Names, etc can be changed later, and more added. This is just a start. Characters marked with * are ones I would like to see as PCs. Nelina - Daughter of Tez and Lania, founders of Isis’ group. She is about six years old and a pureblood vampire. Tez - Nelina’s father, and the founder of Isis’ group, along with his wife, Lania. Pureblood vampire. Lania - Nelina’s mother, Tez’s wife, and the other founder of Isis’ group. Made vampire (made by Tez, her husband). * Reyha - Female dhampir, age 21, halfbreed, parentage unknown. Specialty weapon is the dagger, and uses vampiric forms of black magic (things like drain, ice spells, etc). Daine - Male vampire, made. Lesser member of the group. * Dredge - One of the more intelligent of the mutated vampiric creatures lurking about the Ruins. He’s not a pretty sight, and looks rather like a skeleton with leather stretched over him. His weapons are claws. Part Seven - Attack of the Church - The little group talks about how to avoid the Church officials, and they begin to learn more about the Church. The whole Genocide thing is discussed, and thus revealed to the Player. - Abla has been hiding somewhere, spying on them. After what she had seen and heard, Abla decides continue following Dranad rather than arrest him now. - As the planning as to what to do next continue, the Church starts a massive attack against the Ruins, and the Vampires hiding within. - During their escape, Isis, Dranad, Reyha, Dredge, and Loira are separated from the main group (Tez, Daine, Nelina, and Lania, plus a few random Vampyre stragglers, go a different way) - At camp later, Dranad reflects on what had happened there, and his belief that what he is doing is right is strengthened. - After some discussion, it is decided that they will go to the castle over the mountain, the castle of Estini. Loira comments that the King there is very open-minded, and would probably shelter them. - The group decides to hide in a cave to wait the night out. (Dredge is one of the more advanced mutated vampires, and can tolerate sunlight, although he is weaker by far in light) - throughout this scene, evidence of Isis and Dranad’s lack of trust for each other is evident. Part Eight - Across the Mountain - As they are crossing the mountain, the ledge under Isis’ feat break, and she falls with a shrill scream. - Dranad, forgetting his lack of trust toward Isis dashes forward and saves her from a fall. (Insert Semi-Sweet Moment Of Confusion Between Destined Lovers Here) - As they make it over the mountain, Estini is in sight. - When they arrive at Estini, they are allowed to speak with the King - he knows of Loira. - They speak to the King, who allows them to have shelter there. Everyone goes their own ways and has fun for a while (Should we let the player pick who they want to go with, or should it still be Dranad?) Here, there should be the option of going on a short, pointless sidequest, but nothing that strays too far from the plot. Either that, or, depending on how many people go "their own way", have a "Choose the scenario...Kupo!" thing. Concept Art (please note this is not pixel art; this is concept art. I don't have any true pixel art yet; that's why I'm posting): http://members01.chello.se/teosoft/FFDR/Dranad.jpg http://members01.chello.se/teosoft/FFDR/Isis.jpg http://members01.chello.se/teosoft/FFDR/Loira.jpg http://members01.chello.se/teosoft/FFDR/Abla.jpg http://members01.chello.se/teosoft/FFDR/Jukre.jpg http://members01.chello.se/teosoft/FFDR/Lize.jpg http://members01.chello.se/teosoft/FFDR/Xeri.jpg http://members01.chello.se/teosoft/FFDR/Pauke.jpg http://crystalsanctuary.thatfinalfantasysite.com/images/concept1.jpg http://crystalsanctuary.thatfinalfantasysite.com/images/concept2.jpg http://crystalsanctuary.thatfinalfantasysite.com/images/Mirane-concept.jpg http://crystalsanctuary.thatfinalfantasysite.com/images/elf.jpg http://crystalsanctuary.tiger-aspect.net/tempforums/uploads/post-32-1038020186.jpg Character Design (and it's still being worked on): http://crystalsanctuary.thatfinalfantasysite.com/HumanMale2.bmp The chips I will need will have to be done in a realistic style; like that of Suikoden; and can be either 16 by 16 or 32 by 32 (depends on the amount of work the artist is willing to do). Some of the spriters have agreed to try doing tiles. However, the entire staff is massively inexperienced in this area. What I'm looking for is not someone to do ALL the tiles in the game, but rather someone with experience in this area that can help direct the staff members and give advice and that kind of thing. I am willing to answer any questions anyone may have; just post, and I'll answer them; or contact me on AIM (I'm DarkPhoenixFF411). [edited by - Dark Phoenix on December 9, 2002 5:12:04 PM]