Hey there to anyone still following.  It’s been a few months since my last post, but the reasons for that are pretty mundane, if unpleasant.  My job has been taking a lot out of me lately, and my shifts were recently increased to 11 hour days.  I feel kinda bad about not posting anything for so long… so I thought I’d give a little explanation about what’s been going on.
I am still working on After Ebott, but real world and work obligations have slowed the pace a bit, hence the lack of updates.  It’s going, though!  I’m gonna keep what I’m working on a bit under wraps for now, because it is taking longer than expected for things to get done.  I might try to post some other things that are a bit less intensive than work on the game, though.
Sorry for the silence.  I have a tendency of vanishing, and it kind of feeds on itself because I feel bad about it and then have trouble saying anything…
But anyway, hope you’re all doing well out there!
Hey everyone, I know it’s been a while, so I thought I’d give an explanation as to why.  Just wanted to let you know this project isn’t dead, even if it’s a little slower going than I’d like.  Sorry again for the silence.
Sorry to keep you waiting! Today we'll finally be looking at how combat works in this game.
But actually, "combat" is a bit of a misnomer. See, this game is set after the True Pacifist ending of UNDERTALE after all, so it stands to reason that Frisk is a peaceful child. And aside from that, since you're on the surface now, resorting to violence would result in either A) much bigger and more powerful humans knocking you flat, or B) even if you successfully killed somebody, the human police force quickly ending your murderous rampage. As hilarious as both of those scenarios might be, I'd rather not include a frustratingly impossible game mode.
So instead, this game's "combat" will represent debates, arguments, and other such contentious exchanges of words!
...Okay, perhaps it will involve a bit more magic and mayhem than that. But still, this is a fundamentally peaceful exchange! Trust me.
Remember how in UNDERTALE, a book in the librarby library mentioned that monsters sometimes use magic as a means of self-expression, but that such magic is harmful to humans? Dr. Alphys has been working on a solution to that problem. She's developed a prototype device that will, if all goes well, allow humans to use magic and engage in these sorts of discussions without fear of harm. And Frisk has (probably) volunteered to help test this device!
Let's take a more in-depth look at some of the features of this battle screen, with the help of some very professional labels.
• 1: Enemy - This is the person you're locked in verbal combat with!
• 2: Enemy's Ability Cards - These are the abilities your opponent can use against you. For monsters, these will be spells, but humans will use more mundane debate techniques. Still functions the same way, though.
• 3: Your Spell Cards - Spells that can help you in battle. You'll have three at any given time.
• 4: Ally Character - At certain times, your friends will join you on your quest! Depending on which ally is with you, you'll get a bonus to one of your stats, and each ally has a unique special attack they can use under certain conditions.
• 5: COURAGE - Your CG meter represents your COURAGE. If it hits zero, you lose... and it's GAME OVER. (Sorry, having custom outcomes for losing every single argument is way beyond the scope of this project.)
• 6: SHIELD POINTS - Your SP represents how many attacks your SHIELD can absorb. What SHIELD, you ask? I'll get to that later.
• 7: Enemy's COURAGE - This is your enemy's COURAGE. Reduce it to zero or destroy all of their ability cards to win the battle.
• 8: Frisk - It's you!
==PLAYER PHASE==
Like in UNDERTALE, the battle is divided into a player phase and an enemy phase. As I mentioned before, this is a fundamentally peaceful exchange, so there is no FIGHT command. Likewise, including a MERCY command would be redundant. Instead, your available actions include ACT, SPELL, and ITEM.
ACT: As you might expect, using ACT commands is the key to resolving battles in this game. Much like in UNDERTALE, these will change from battle to battle. They function slightly differently, though. In this case, you'll select an ACT command as usual...
...but then afterward, you'll need to select an ability card as the target of your command...
...and if the match up is good, you'll do damage to the enemy's ability card! Do enough damage to an ability card and you'll destroy it, reducing the enemy's COURAGE. Again, if their COURAGE hits 0, or if they have no abilities left to draw, you win the battle.
...To give a less abstract example than the "rock/paper/scissors" in the screenshots above, imagine an enemy who gripes about money woes as one of their abilities. In that case, the ACT command to use against that particular ability may be a bribe. Hopefully that example gets the idea across!
SPELL: I mentioned this briefly, but the device Alphys has invented will allow humans to use magic! In this game, you’ll gain SPELLs by strengthening your friendships with monsters outside of battle. The better your relationship, the stronger their associated SPELL will be.
You can only have three active SPELLs at a time, but you can keep a few more in reserve in case they get dispelled by the enemy, or if you just want to discard one and swap another out. These SPELLs will of course have beneficial effects you can use in battle-- for instance, Vegetoid's SNACK SPELL is a basic healing ability.
You can use a SPELL and then use an ACT command or ITEM in a single turn if you'd like, but you can only use one SPELL per turn, and each SPELL has a limited number of uses per battle.
ITEM: Items are self-explanatory. I don't need to tell you how they work. You are an intelligent person who already knows all about such things!
...also, I haven't implemented them yet so I don't have screenshots. Sorry.
==ENEMY PHASE==
After the player executes an ACT command or uses an ITEM, the player phase ends and the enemy phase begins. While UNDERTALE's battle system focused on dodging enemy attacks, this game will take a slightly different approach-- instead, of your SOUL being targeted directly, your SPELL cards will be facing the brunt of the enemy bullets. If a SPELL is damaged too much, it will be dispelled and you'll take damage to your COURAGE. But of course, you have a means of defense-- you can protect your SPELL cards with your SHIELD!
Your SHIELD can absorb a certain number of bullets, indicated by your SP... but once it hits zero, it will break and be unusable for the remainder of the enemy phase, until you can steady yourself enough to regenerate it. What this means is you won't want to block every single bullet you see... You'll need to think strategically, and block only the bullets that pose a clear threat. Avoid blocking small bullets that will sap your SHIELD but do little actual damage, and protect SPELL cards that are weak. That might seem like a difficult decision to make on the fly, but it will come more naturally with some practice.
When the enemy phase ends, your SHIELD and your SPELL cards will regenerate lost health, and if you've lost any SPELLs, new ones will be drawn automatically (assuming you have some in reserve).
By the way, doesn’t the idea of using a shield to block enemy bullets sound familiar? I wonder who Alphys got that idea from...
...I hope that this update did a good job of explaining how the battle system works. I fear it may seem a bit complicated when taken in all at once like this, but in the actual game it will be introduced more gradually.
Also, I hope that this does a good job of keeping the UNDERTALE "flavor" while providing a unique gameplay experience! I fear that some people may be disappointed that I've diverged from the original style of battles so much-- especially since this sort of "deplete the enemy's health bar" thing is rather typical of most video games, but I felt it was best to pursue something a bit different. In particular, while it was only mentioned briefly in this update, befriending monsters outside of battle to strengthen your SPELLs is going to be a big part of the game here, and I wanted to tie that into the battles somehow.
People may also miss the lack of a violent option, because that means that unlike UNDERTALE, there's no "evil path" in this game. But it can't be helped. A child like Frisk just can't measure up for long in a fight on the surface, so there's no way an "evil path" would be viable here, right?
I can't express how absolutely amazed I am by your game so far. It looks fantastic, and many things you've added into it are actually my personal headcanons. I wonder, do you take suggestions? I for example have a theory on how monster and human souls are related - you could use it to further develop the plot of your game. Keep up the good work.
Thank you very much! Regarding suggestions, while I do like to read fan theories, the plot for this game is already fairly solidified and not likely to change too much between now and release. Still, with that being the case, if you want to send in a theory, that’s fine! I can’t promise I’ll reply to it publicly, and in fact I don’t want to confirm or deny too many plot details just yet even in private.
…In particular, regarding the topic of SOULs… The way in which monster and human SOULs relate to each other is in fact going to be an important part of the story. That’s actually why the icon for the game is what it is!
The project is still in its early development stages, so I actually haven’t given much thought to distribution as of yet. I was planning on hosting it on a website of my own, but I’ll do some more research into the matter as it comes closer to time I can release a demo.
Heyo, I'd just like to say that I really like this game idea, ever since i came across Asriel in the pacifist run of UT, something just felt... wrong. having him accompany you on your travels, alive and well is a dream come true! - Now, sadly I haven't got much to offer in terms of game design and decisions, but I thought I'd offer my little voice of support, anyhow. ;D
Hey there! This is rather late… I’m somewhat new to tumblr, and didn’t notice I had received this message until now. Sorry for the delay! I’m very happy to see responses like this!Â
I can’t say too much, but… well. Let’s just say I probably wouldn’t be doing this project if not for Asriel. He is my favorite character, and I hope this game will do him justice. That said, it’s going to be quite a while before I post much about him publicly, as far as this game is concerned… I realize it was a bit of a tease to include him in the initial post, given that I’m keeping so quiet about him, but hopefully the reason for that will become apparent eventually.
I hate to do this, but unfortunately the update I had originally scheduled for today isn’t ready. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I’ve been unable to work on After Ebott as much as I had originally planned in the last month.
I’m not certain how much longer it will take... But since I do have some things done, I’ll provide a teaser screenshot in the meantime.
I’ll elaborate on what all this means once everything’s ready! Sorry about the delay on this one.
Hello there, everyone! It's time for the first major After Ebott update! Â Between the two choices that I provided regarding the next update, it seems that most people were interested in setting details. Â So then, let's start there. Â Hit "Keep reading" to see what's up!
Before I get into what our old friends are up to, I'd like to address one question in particular I received, concerning the current state of the Kingdom of Monsters. Â The answer is... a bit complicated.
Although some time has passed since the ending of Undertale, it really hasn't been all that long in the grand scheme of things. Â The political process for such an unprecedented event as the sudden re-emergence of monsters takes quite a bit of time. Â Further complicating matters is that there's no unanimous consensus on the part of the monsters themselves about what the appropriate action to take is. Â
At one extreme, you have those who wish for the Kingdom of Monsters to be a fully sovereign state, unchanged from the way it was in the Underground... just on the surface now. Â These people feel that after years of unjust imprisonment, it's only fair that the human governments cede land to them so that they can expand their kingdom out into the surface, free of human influence.
On the other extreme, there are those who wish for the complete dissolution of the Kingdom of Monsters. Â Those who take this view tend to believe that the Kingdom was merely born out of necessity-- that it was a symptom of their imprisonment, and that they never wanted to be so isolationist in the first place. Â They wish to integrate with the humans fully, and be granted full citizenship under the already existing governments of the surface.
And then there are those who fall in between the two extremes, who wish for monsters to retain at least some sovereignty while still being able to integrate with the humans. Â Think something along the lines of how states in the USA have certain sovereign rights, while still being subject to federal laws. Because this approach isn't so cut and dried, implementation of such a setup is a bit difficult. Â That said, it's arguably the most popular option, and one that is supported by many of the most prominent monsters.
So, who's right? Â Who's wrong, if anyone? Â And even if you believe that one side has the best idea, who's to say that the humans will go along with it? Â It's not a simple issue. Â Ultimately, it will rely on the efforts of the new ambassador to see any of these ideas to fruition.
In the meantime, though, the monsters have to live somewhere. Â And that somewhere is a city a few miles south of Mt. Ebott! Â They've been granted some building rights by the local municipal government (GOLD goes a long way), and some monsters have started establishing their own dwellings, while others have been living in the city proper. Â Let's go ahead and take a look at the current status of our friends-- in particular, the six monsters you SAVED from their corrupted Lost Soul states in the final battle with Asriel. Â ...And Frisk themself, of course!
Toriel has bought a nice little home in the suburbs, not too far from her brand new school. Â This house might be a bit on the small side, but it's packed full of warmth... and books. Â She's been delighted to have easy access to all of the human books she's missed out on over the long ages of imprisonment! Â It's a bit difficult to find new ones when you're living under self-imposed exile in the RUINS, after all.
On top of that, Toriel's been keeping herself quite busy. Â She's established a school with the hopes of planting the seeds of knowledge in her young students, as well as fostering a healthy and growing relationship between the monsters and the humans of the surface. Â But for the time being, even though she and Asgore are separated, she still officially retains her title of Queen of the Monsters. Â In addition to her teaching duties, she also has lots of work to do with administrative roles and diplomatic relations with the humans. Â That's... a lot on her plate. Â It's tough, but so is she! Â Hang in there, Toriel!
Asgore lives in the suburbs too. Â His house is perhaps a bit grander and more ostentatious than Toriel's, but don't think that he's merely flaunting his kingly status. Â He wants that extra space for a very specific reason... Â To have room for his magnificent and lovingly maintained gardens. Â He also set up a room for tea ceremonies, after Alphys told him about them and he decided they sounded quite "neato."
Asgore has been trying hard to mend his relationship with Toriel, and, as we've seen, he lends some of his time to tending the grounds of the school. Â This actually isn't too different from what he's used to. Â Even in the Underground, he would frequently lend his time to doing little things here and there for his citizens, after all. Â But like Toriel, he is also quite busy. Â He's still the King of the Monsters, and he is considered the face of all monsterkind to many humans. Â Although he is overjoyed with the hope that has been restored to his people, he realizes that the current situation is somewhat tenuous, and he can't help but have some worries...
And here are Papyrus and Sans! Â The skeleton brothers live in... um... Â ...their old house from Snowdin?
...Well, all right then. Â Things haven't changed much with these two. Â Papyrus has been hard at work on his new job! Â You know. Â The one he said he was taking on at the end of Undertale! Â What was it again...? Â Hum, anyway. Â While his dreams of joining the Royal Guard may have been dashed by the conclusion of the war between humans and monsters, that doesn't mean he's given up. Â The end of one dream just means the opportunity for the start of another, as far as he's concerned! Â And Sans? Â Why, he's being lazy as usual, of course. Â Oh, that Sans... Â Always slacking off. Â Right? Â ...
Alphys doesn't live in a lab anymore. Â Instead, she shares an apartment with Undyne in the inner city area! Â It's a little bit smaller than what either of them are used to, especially now that they're living together, but neither of them mind. Â Even if it's just a little apartment, it's *their* place. Â That's all that matters. Â ...Alphys doesn't let Undyne cook anything, though.
Undyne isn't quite sure what to do with herself now that the Royal Guard has been effectively dissolved. Â While the situation is great on the whole, a big part of her identity was her role as Captain of the Guard, and adjusting to a world without that has been a bit hard on her. Â But she'll be okay, and she'll figure out something else to do. Â In the meantime, she's been teaching gym classes at Toriel's school. Â
As for Alphys, since she was fired from her Royal Scientist position, she has moved on to working in a lab based in the city. Â While there, she's been working on some interesting projects to help ease the integration of humans and monsters into the same society. Â The human scientists have been fascinated by the way she can weave magic into her projects, and the applications of that are providing some very exciting new avenues of research.
And finally, Frisk! Â I actually don't want to make too many assumptions about the choices that players made during their Undertale runs, so Frisk's living arrangements aren't predetermined. Â Early in the game, I will provide a dialogue choice so that players can pick their preferred option. Â If you so choose, Frisk can live with Toriel! Â Or perhaps they live elsewhere, and are merely here to visit. Â This won't change the game much, but I really want people to be able to hew as close to their versions of the events as possible.
Frisk has been having an interesting time since their return to the surface. Â They've practically gained celebrity status as the human who brought the monsters back. Â They're thought of as a hero by most, and rumors about their adventures in the Underground have spread like wildfire across the surface. Â They've also been rather busy. Â Whether they chose to be the ambassador of the monsters or not, their status and fame has made them an important arbitrator in monster-human relations issues. Â Pretty impressive for a child. Â ...But their friends have noticed that ever since they returned to the surface, they occasionally seem a bit strange, as though their thoughts are elsewhere. Â And they have begun an odd study, all by themself...
...Incidentally, it would be pretty silly to give a child a house of their own, right? Â It strikes me as a very irresponsible action. Â Who would ever think to do such a thing?
...Whew!  There was actually a lot more to go over in this post than I had expected.  Now, I know there are a lot of important characters I didn't cover, including a certain someone that I'm sure many of you are very curious about.  But unfortunately, there's only so much I can do at one time... and regarding that person... Well, if I said too much about him, it would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it? Â
Thanks for reading! Â In the next update, we'll be going over gameplay mechanics, with a particular focus on the battle system. Â Dr. Alphys has been working on a useful device that will help you out in your conflicts on the surface. Â We'll get to see what that is next time! Â Until then, everyone!
It seems my last post has gotten some positive response. Thank you, everyone! This is definitely fueling my resolve, and I’m hard at work on the game. The next update is scheduled for October 15th. That’s still a ways away...
...However, I have a bit of a dilemma, and I could use some help! I have a few possible things that the next update could be about, and I would like to know what would be most interesting to everyone out there. Right now, I’ve narrowed it down to two possibilities...
The first is an update checking in with the living arrangements and general circumstances of Frisk and the monsters on the surface, now that some time has passed since Undertale. This could be a good way of establishing a few little setting details, especially for things like, say, checking in on what Asgore’s role is now that he’s introducing his kingdom to the humans, or what kinds of projects Alphys has been working on. Besides, it would be nice to see what our friends are up to!
The other possibility is related to gameplay mechanics-- specifically the battle system. Things are going to work a little bit different on the surface, in part because this is a post-pacifist sequel. On top of that, your opponents aren’t necessarily going to be monsters anymore! So what kinds of situations are we going to be dealing with in “battle” then? This is something I’m eager to talk about. Aside from that, this is a game, so perhaps it would be better to address gameplay mechanics first, rather than setting details.
I’m having trouble deciding between the two of these, and I think both of them have their own set of strengths. Which is why I’d like to ask anybody who wants to express a preference what they’d like to see first! This isn’t precisely a “vote...” I’m going to decide based on what I think is best rather than based on numbers, but I’d like to hear everyone’s opinions first. At this point, I’m fairly sure that these two will be the next two updates, so whichever one “loses” will still be posted-- it will just be second.
So, if you have any input, please let me know! You can respond to this post directly, use the ask box, send me a message, or reblog and add your response-- any of these ways should get to me.
I’ve been working on this for some time now. To be honest, I’m not as far along as I would like, but since it’s Undertale’s anniversary today, I thought I would finally go ahead and publicly post at least a little about the project I’m working on.
After Ebott is a fan game (made in RPG Maker MV) set after the events of Undertale! ...And that’s all I’m gonna say about the story in this particular post, because I want to drip out information about that at a later date.
I’m not stupid or naive, though. I know that fan game projects tend to stall, never really get off the ground, or just crash and burn spectacularly. So I’d like to hold myself accountable by posting an update on the project every month.
For my introductory post, I’d like to give an idea of what the game’s graphical style is going to look like, so I’ve prepared a few WIP screenshots. These are test maps, so don't expect to see this stuff in the actual game. This is just to get a feel for how it'll look!
...Oh, also, since this is a fan sequel to Undertale, expect nothing but spoilers! You've been warned.
Many of these tiles are ripped straight from Undertale, of course, but there's some custom work in here too! My hope is that my tiles will fit in alongside Undertale's without looking out of place. I'm trying really hard to make this game feel consistent with the source material-- "Original flavor" is definitely my goal. That said, it may be evident in these screenshots, but I'm going for a somewhat brighter and more colorful style than Undertale proper. Most of this game will take place on the surface, and I want to emphasize this with a very vibrant-looking world!
One of my favorite things about Undertale is the cell phone. The phone calls with Papyrus and Undyne add so much to the game... so, in After Ebott, I'd like to implement a system where characters who follow you around will comment on the various things you can check!
And anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Asriel fan. I still haven't given up on the little guy, so who knows? Maybe in this game, he'll finally get a chance to step out into the daylight of the surface!
