Hello! Welcome to the Rock and a Hard Place - Development Log!

I want to thank everyone for the support on the "RMMZ Demo" -- It was very nice to push out something big like this. It seems that, for the most part, the demo has worked smoothly (save for a few issues, so apologies for that.)

As stated elsewhere on this page, there's a particular reason I called it the RMMZ demo. For a large portion of the game's development, it was being made in RPG Maker MZ using a plugin called MZ3D.  This shaped most of the game's art style and direction, but also came with a lot of limitations. For one, RPG Maker MZ is not an engine designed for 3D games at all. Something as simple as a lighting system didn't exist, and while MZ3D did create it, it was finnicky. You may have noticed how the specular of objects like stone made everything look really shiny.  

Because of these constant issues, I took an executive decision to 'restart' the project: this time, using Unity! So, here's a couple of things that will be different in this version of the game.

For one, the game is truly 3D! Everything will be properly modeled in 3D, whether that is in-engine or through Blender. I know some people found the 'grid-based' movement kind of hard to use. I did really like the movement system, it felt like Persona 1, but I did find it finnicky at times. I want to make more interesting worlds and maps, but it was difficult to realize some of my ideas with this limitation. I want you to be able to explore the world and look into every crevice. The camera will also be able to move freely, rather than being locked to a grid. The art style will also be more distinct, but more on that will come. From the start, I wanted the game to resemble something made for the PS1, and I think that could be seen in places like the convenience store or the scripted cutscenes in the demo. Expect more of that!

Next, combat and the core gameplay-- These will be pretty different.  Rather than a turn-based magic system, there will be a more traditional first-person combat. You still have your torch and magic at your disposal, and maybe even a couple allies at your side, but I hope this will allow for more tension to come into play while exploring.

I'm really excited to see where this goes, and to keep talking about it. Stay tuned for updates!