$12256 / $11500
Ascension 2 is now complete! Click here for details.
Ascension 2 is the second main game in the Ascension series. It represents approximately a decade of advancement, moving from a text RPG to a graphical JRPG-style game. Ascension 2 is set in the same universe as the first game and features some of the same characters, but takes place around the galaxy rather than on Rynn. The plot revolves around a prototype starship which was hijacked and the desperate race to find it before the hijackers can strike.
Download links are at the bottom of the post, for the impatient.
A little backstory is in order. In 2012, I created Ascension, a simple text RPG, as a school project. I've kept adding to it and it was quietly publicly released in 2013, updated in 2014 and ported to Android a few weeks ago. It's not that special, but some of you might find the plot interesting. Even before I finished the first release I knew I wanted to make a sequel. Most of this can be found at my website.
After the side-project of Ascension: Adventure (a Heroine Dusk derivative) and the disaster of Ascension: Revolution, I started working on a proper sequel a few months ago. By this point, I had my plans firmly in place. Ascension 2 would represent approximately ten years of technological progress over Ascension, and it would be done (sort of) in the style of the era. It's not exact, but I decided to make it an early 90s JRPG style of game.
I chose RPG Maker because it's easy to use and I can create quickly with it, not because I like it. In fact, I'm totally against its proprietary nature, non-portability, and closed ecosystem. Unfortunately, there are practical considerations I must consider, and given my level of programming knowledge it's probably the difference between releasing in 2015 and releasing in 2017.
Right now, I'm using a mix of RPG Maker assets, free assets from this site and others, and (very little) original art. I'm planning to move away from the former and toward the latter before the full game is released. I do have some specific plans that will be revealed shortly.
A partial list of assets used or planning on being used can be found in my collection, The Art of Ascension 2. A complete list of assets used in the preview can be found in the CREDITS file included in the package.
Download the preview here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/nwxboka7615idc4/a2_debrief_b20140817.7z
I haven't made a proper trailer yet, but there's some gamplay footage here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4no0AzqMF2c
This website's content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
I know it's been a very long time since I've posted about this project here, but I'm still actively working on it and in fact it's getting close(ish) to release.
At this point, about 90% of the gameplay is done. What it needs is testing (mostly for balance and a bit of art. In particular, a few main characters are missing portraits or have very bad portraits, and combat is unbalanced (the black silhouettes are a deliberate, if ill-advised, design decision). If anyone is willing to provide one of those things, that would be very much appreciated.
I did intend to sell this as a commercial game at one point, but I've pretty much given up on those plans. I just don't feel that there's enough game here to ask money for it.
In any case, you can download the semi-public alpha here. It's a few months old now, and I've added a fair amount since then.
Looks pretty sweet.
I don't really have time to test, but I'll check it out once it's finished. :)
(mistake, sorry)
Ascension 2 is complete! It's been a long, rough road, but I'm proud to finally bring it out into the world for real.
The year is 2161. The future of naval warfare, the human-built AXV Emergence, leaves drydock. Before the hour is out, it has stopped responding and jumped to FTL, with nobody having any idea where it went. Lieutenant Allison Hunt is in her apartment, recuperating from the Rynn Incident when she gets the call. It's all hands on deck. The Navy needs to find this ship before it's too late. They send Hunt out to the lowest depths, the farthest reaches of the galaxy in a desperate search for clues. The stakes are high. The chase is on.
The tone and feel of Ascension 2 is difficult to describe. It's not a parody or comedy, and is in fact darker and more cynical than some other games. I wouldn't call it allegorical, but it's definitely applicable and inspired by current events in the world. The real world is often flippant and full of humourous moments even at the worst of times, and there is some humour in the game of this nature.
Gameplay-wise, Ascension 2 is similar to other RPG games. Most of the game is free-roaming, visiting various locations and talking to people to complete quests. This is structured into a focused narrative, moving from world to world as the plot advances. Combat is turn-based and conventional except that the focus is on quick, decisive battles rather than drawn-out ones. Attacks hit hard and hit quickly, and inflicting other conditions is deemphasized. There is no magic in Ascension 2, but characters have abilities that behave similarly.
Ascension 2 is exclusive to Windows as this is the only platform RPG Maker VX Ace supports. It will run on XP or later and doesn't require much of a computer, just 300MB of hard drive space. .NET Framework 4.0 or later is required for the launcher but not the game itself. An interactive manual with more instructions, backstory, and information is installed alongside the game.
Ascension 2 uses mixed licensing. Some assets will be made available on this site in the near future. Feel free to disassemble, mod, and reuse parts of the game, but be aware that it's not a fully libre game and some parts do have copyright restrictions. Refer to the included documentation for details.
Homepage
Download
Launch Trailer
itch.io page