Exdeath [Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage]

"A magus of supreme darkness, born from a great evil sealed into a tree."
— Description

Exdeath is a playable character on Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage, a Final Fantasy fan-made ORPG which I create.

Character Information
In battle, Exdeath is described as an Entropic Adversary. He was once a tree living within the sentient Great Forest of Moore, he is a warlock who controls the power of the "Void", a nothingness that can swallow space in seconds.

Character Appearance
Exdeath wears a sky blue suit of armor with a horned helmet, spiked shoulders, and a long blue cape. His helmet is topped with a two-ended plume and has a thin opening. His armor is decorated with jewels, gold trim, and beads. Although he is a warlock, Exdeath also carries a sword with him.

Abilities
- Ability 1 - Almagest [Q]:
Surround self in dark energy and move towards enemy, then explode. Dealing damage to enemies around and stun them.
Additional Effect: Stun

- Ability 2 - Delta Attack [W]:
Create a field of energy that blocks attacks and fire a blast of magic straight forward. Causing damage to enemies in a line and has a chance to deal multiple damage.
Additional Effect: None

- Ability 3 - Grand Cross [E]:
Summon orbs of nothingness that circle the enemy and converge on them. Damage enemies in target area of effect.
Additional Effect: None

- Ability 4 - Omni Block [R]:
Surrounding guard that absorbing any damage that comes to Exdeath.
Additional Effect: Damage Absorb

- Ability 5 - Mid Block [T]:
Give Exdeath a chance to create temporary shield that block any physical attacks.
Additional Effect: Damage Block

Exdeath Preview Screenshot

Wallpaper Art
Exdeath wallpaper art that I made for the project.

Exdeath from Final Fantasy V

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Two Tiny Wings And One Big Heart

Andreas Illiger's adorable Tiny Wings soared onto the iOS app store this week. Quite suddenly, half my Twitter feed was talking about this charming new Canabalt-esque game (‘Canabalt-esque now being pretty much its own genre). Between downloading the game, playing two rounds, and going back to the app store to give the game a five-star rating, over a hundred new reviews appeared. And what good reviews, too! Players say they love it, that is it beautiful. The compliments are vague and abstract (though, looking back several hours later, the number of reviews has quadrupled and there are more specific comments now, both complimentary and critical), but they mirror my own feeling on the game perfectly: Tiny Wings is lovely, and it makes you feel good.

The premise is that you are a bird who will never be able to fly because your wings are too tiny. But this doesn’t stop our little disproportionate hero from trying anyway. He wants to fly, and he will do it however he can. With a touch on the iPhone’s screen, the bird folds his wings back to plummet towards the ground and speed down hills; when you release, he soars off the incline of the next hill like a stunt jump, flapping frantically. The key is to time your drops to get the most speed and height for the next jump. If you do it right, you might even touch the clouds.

 It’s a fun and addictive experience, much like that of Canabalt—as simple as it is complex. But also like Canabalt, the true beauty and depth lies not just in the mechanics, but in the game’s fiction. The character, the visuals, the animations, and the music all come together to make Tiny Wings about a disadvantaged bird who got the arse-end of life but refuses to give up on his dreams. Tiny Wings makes you want to grin and cry at the same time. Ultimately, it just feels good.

‘Good’ in the way the ending of Cool Runnings feels good (at the very least, how Cool Runnings felt good after a few vodkas the last time it was on TV). Just like the Jamaican Bobsled Team, the tiny bird tries so hard and overcomes so many challenges, but can never quite reach his goal—at least not for good. It’s both heart-warmingly uplifting and tear-jerkingly sad to watch your bird launch into the clouds—so happy he has touched his dreams; so sad that it will be so fleeting as he falls back to earth. But the moment he lands he is eager to try again and again and again.

 The music, an uplifting twang of guitars and blare of trumpets that wouldn’t be out-of-place on a Polyphonic Spree album, complements the themes beautifully. If the bird’s whimsical cry of joy when he launches into the sky doesn’t make you smile, the music will. 

Tiny Wings is a fun game. It is mechanically competent and has an excellent, simple-yet-deep scoring system that tempts you to play over and over again, as all games in the Canabalt genre should. But while these elements alone would make Tiny Wings a great game, it is the emotional investment enabled by the game’s aesthetic design coupled with these mechanics that make it truly remarkable. That little bird never stops trying to reach his dreams, even if he can only realise them for a second at a time.

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Cloud of Darkness [Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage]

"An existence that wishes for all to return to nothingness. She has transcended the abstract and is the embodiment of fear."
— Description

Cloud of Darkness is a playable character on Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage, a Final Fantasy fan-made ORPG which I create.

Character Information
In battle, Cloud of Darkness' fighting style is Bane of Life. She is an entity that appears when the balance between light and darkness is disturbed, and tries to pull the world into the Void. She hovers like a cloud, and attacks with the tentacles wrapped around her body.

Character Appearance
Cloud of Darkness has a pale skin and a red and black cloak attached to her wrists. Black and red coverings adorn her body, including her breasts and hips, and two mouthed tentacles extend from her back.

Abilities
- Ability 1 - [Long-Range] Particle Beam [Q]:
Sends out a line of energy beams that pursue the opponent. Causing damage to enemies in a line and has a chance to deal multiple damage.
Additional Effect: None

- Ability 2 - [Anti-air] Particle Beam [W]:
Summon four energy orbs around that fire beams of energy into the air. Damage enemies around and stun them.
Additional Effect: Stun

- Ability 3 - [Fusillade] Particle Beam [E]:
Send out balls of energy in multiple directions that turn in the air to bombard the opponent from several directions. Damage and stun the target enemy.
Additional Effect: Stun

- Ability 4 - Eternity [R]:
When killed, Cloud of Darkness will come back to life with 1/2 of her maximum HP.
Additional Effect: Re-Raise

- Ability 5 - Tentacle of Suffering [T]:
Increase Cloud of Darkness attack damage and each time she damage opponent, her tentacle is absorbing damage she deal and convert it to her HP.
Additional Effect: Damage Up, Absorb

Cloud of Darkness Preview Screenshot

Wallpaper Art
Cloud of Darkness wallpaper art that I made for the project.

Cloud of Darkness from Final Fantasy III

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Garland [Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage]

"A stalwart consigned to the endless cycle of battle, he enjoys dueling with stronger foes."
— Description

Garland is a playable character on Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage, a Final Fantasy fan-made ORPG which I create.

Character Information
In battle Garland is described as a Nemesis. He is a man consumed by battle and conflict, and is willing to accept his fate of eternal battle. He wields a large sword that can freely transform into various weapons, from a destructive axe to twin blades. Due to his connection to Chaos, Garland is one of the game's higher-ranked villains. His position as Chaos's right-hand warrior can be seen as analogous to the one his rival, Warrior of Light, has with Cosmos.

Character Appearance
Garland wears a dark blue cape with silver armor set with blue jewels, and wears his distinctive horned helmet.

Abilities
- Ability 1 - Tsunami [Q]:
Garland jumps into the air and throws his sword onto the floor with a chain. It then curls around the floor like a snake, leaving behind a line of water for a short distance. The sword then explodes into water. Causing damage to enemies in a line and has a chance to deal multiple damage.
Additional Effect: None

- Ability 2 - Earthquake [W]:
Garland smashes his sword into the ground causing the ground to erupt. Damage and cause enemies around into Diziness.
Additional Effect: Dizziness

- Ability 3 - Blaze [E]:
Garland splits his sword into two and spins both pieces in the air. The swords then shoot out flaming projectiles that home on targeted area of effect.
Additional Effect: None

- Ability 4 - Damage Break [R]:
Garland swings his blade and unleash a dark nova that reduces nearby enemies attack damage.
Additional Effect: Damage Break

- Ability 5 - Bardiche [T]:
Gives a chance that Garland turns his sword into a deformed axe and swings it down on the opponent and stun them.
Additional Effect: Stun

Garland Preview Screenshot

Wallpaper Art
Garland wallpaper art that I made for the project.

Garland from Final Fantasy I

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Emperor Mateus [Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage]

"A callous monarch who views all as mere pawns in his attempts to rule over the world."
— Description

Emperor Mateus is a playable character on Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage, a Final Fantasy fan-made ORPG which I create.

Character Information
The Emperor is described as a Trap Master. He is a man capable of performing immensely powerful magic. With an iron fist, he will stop at nothing to achieve his objectives. As one of the higher-ranked villains, he plots with Ultimecia to take control of the world, rather than most of the other villains, who seek to destroy it. His desire to rule all in a war-torn world stands in opposition to his nemesis, Firion, and his dream of a world free of war and oppression.

Character Appearance
Emperor Mateus wears gold and purple armor decorated with small spikes, purple and white stripes, and demonic faces including one on his back obscured by his hair. His gauntlets sport extended claws. On his head sits a purple crown with a snake head emerging from it, and he has a purple cape and long blond hair.

Abilities
- Ability 1 - Bombard [Q]:
Hit opponent with staff, knocking them back and planting mines on their chest that explode to launch them into the air. Dealing damage and ignore target's defense.
Additional Effect: Stun, Knockback

- Ability 2 - Thunder Crest [W]:
Form a circle of energy on the ground that draws in opponents, damaging and stunning them over a period of time.
Additional Effect: Stun

- Ability 3 - Starfall [E]:
Summon a barrage of fireballs around opponent before a meteor slams them to the ground.
Additional Effect: None

- Ability 4 - Flare [R]:
Summon 8 fire balls around opponent that converge upon them. Damage and stun the target enemy.
Additional Effect: Stun

- Ability 5 - Cyclone [T]:
Tosses a target enemy into the air, rendering it unable to move, attack or cast spells, and stopping others from attacking or casting on it.
Additional Effect: Bind

Emperor Mateus Preview Screenshot

Wallpaper Art
Emperor Mateus wallpaper art that I made for the project.

Emperor Mateus from Final Fantasy II

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Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage

"There is no ending in voyage of fantasy."
— Tagline

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage is a free-will multiplayer Open Role Playing Game (ORPG) which I develop. Because of my dear to Final Fantasy series, I'd love to create some memorable pleaces from Final Fantasy series for a little nostalgia with the old FF times. (Party ATB feature outcluded)
Each heroes excusively have their own voice clip from Dissidia Final Fantasy itself to make them more alive in game.

Playable Characters
Heroes Side: Warriors of Cosmos

Firion, The Weapons Specialist
"A virtuous youth who seeks to end conflict. He uses the nostalgic phrase "Wild Rose" as a source of motivation."
— Description

Firion Complete Information: Click Me!

Cecil Harvey, The Split Soul
"A kind-hearted knight wielding both the powers of light and darkness, he prizes the bonds with his allies that at times are the cause of his doubts."
— Description

Cecil Complete Information: Click Me!

Terra Branford, The Esperkin
"A pure, innocent girl born with the power of magic."
— Description

Terra Complete Information: Click Me!

Cloud Strife, The Buster Basher
"An acerbic young swordsman with glowing eyes who wields a blade as large as he is."
— Description

Cloud Complete Information: Click Me!

Squall Leonhart, The Relentless Revolver
"A cold, taciturn youth who wields a gunblade, a weapon part sword, part gun."
— Description

Squall Complete Information: Click Me!

Zidane Tribal, The Aerial Ace
"A thief with great energy and a sharp wit, though all is lost when it comes to women."
— Description

Zidane Complete Information: Click Me!

Tidus, The Spry Striker
"A light-hearted, cheerful youth able to calm others even through the most trying situations."
— Description

Tidus Complete Information: Click Me!








Villains Side: Warriors of Chaos

Garland, The Nemesis
"A stalwart consigned to the endless cycle of battle, he enjoys dueling with stronger foes."
— Description

Garland Complete Information: Click Me!

Emperor Mateus, The Trap Master
"A callous monarch who views all as mere pawns in his attempts to rule over the world."
— Description

Emperor Mateus Complete Information: Click Me!

Cloud of Darkness, The Bane of Life
"An existence that wishes for all to return to nothingness. She has transcended the abstract and is the embodiment of fear."
— Description

Cloud of Darkness Complete Information: Click Me!

Exdeath, The Entropic Adversary
"A magus of supreme darkness, born from a great evil sealed into a tree."
— Description

Exdeath Complete Information: Click Me!

Sephiroth, The Focused Blade
"A legendary member of SOLDIER once revered as a hero."
— Description

Sephiroth Complete Information: Click Me!

Ultimecia, The Sorcerous Fusileer
"A powerful sorceress possessing a deep-seated rage and the ability to control space and time."
— Description

Ultimecia Complete Information: Click Me!

Kuja, The Graceful Glider
"A sadistic, narcissistic silver-haired man of a delicate, epicene beauty."
— Description

Kuja Complete Information: Click Me!

Jecht, The Brutal Blitzer
"A former blitzball star, and Tidus's father. His surly and rough-spoken nature belie a much gentler heart."
— Description

Jecht Complete Information: Click Me!

Gabranth, The Executioner
"A warrior who swears his life to those he trusts."
— Description

Gabranth Complete Information: Click Me!









Area Info
In the beginning of game after player pick selection, player can choose 1 of 3 starting area. There is currently 2 huge island with 5 diffrent region (around middle area is still empty, I planned to make it for Mysidia (FF II), Rabanastre (FF XII), or a Dark Hole area that suck up whatever it comes near that (Auto-Dead whenever player enter that region)
As it's said above, this map is featuring a different pleaces from Final Fantasy series that an FF fan definitely know.
Final Dungeon is usually a big and long dungeon that kinda labyrinth; like in original FF I, II and III with 2 times powerful enemies and a powerful version of Villain Heroes as a BOSS inside of it.

Enemies Difficulty
I have my own formula development for every creeps depends of it's type. Creeps here are not weak either not imbalancely strong. They do also cast spells and have passive ability. Use potion whenever battle them!
- Normal Enemy: Normal. Their signature color is yellow. (Can be found everywhere on World Map.)
- Dungeon Enemy: 2 Times Stronger than Normal Creeps. Their signature color is orange. (Can be found only on Dungeon/Final Dungeon)
- Mini-BOSS: 3 Times Stronger than Normal Creeps. Their signature color is light red. (Can be found in Dungeon area. In Final Dungeon, they usually placed 1 in each floor/area.)
- BOSS: 4 Times Stronger than Normal Creeps. Their signature color is red. (Only can be found at last area of Final Dungeon. Yes, the stronger version of Villain heroes!)

In-Game Preview Screenshot

The Next Production
There is Role Playing Game (RPG) version called Dissidia Final Fantasy: Warriors Voyage 2. In Warriors Voyage 2, you have to follow the storyline in order to complete the game. There is 5 new character for Warriors Voyage 2, however, only Warriors of Cosmos is playable on this version because Warriors of Chaos themselves will be the main villains which you can found along your journey.

Project Related Post
- New Playable Characters Mini-Banners
- 16 New Wallpapers for Playable Heroes

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Thieves, Poachers, Pokemon, and Me.

(Anyone got a reference for this picture?)

[A note: I imagine that many of the events I talk about in this post from HeartGold also occurred in Gold and Silver. Though, as I have not played the original Generation II games, this is the first time I have encountered them.]

After battling through half a dozen trainers just south of Violet City, I’m relieved to see the Pokecentre at the entrance to Dark Cave. It seems like a fairly odd, out-of-the-way place for a Pokecentre, but I’m not complaining; I’m only a few hours into my adventure on HeartGold, and my pokemon can hardly survive three consecutive battles in a row without fainting. It would be nice to give my pokemon a rest before venturing on.

A slightly overweight man is standing around outside by himself. I have a quick word to him as I pass.
“Pssst! Wanna buy a Slowpoke tail?”

A Slowpoke… tail? As in, the tail of a Slowpoke? As in, you removed a limb from a pokemon, and now you are trying to sell it to me?

Half-confused, half-shocked, I speak to the man again to make sure I heard correctly. Sure enough, I had. Adding to the absurdity of this interaction, when I tell him that I indeed do not want any Slowpoke tail, he tells me to ‘scram’—a jarringly rude remark in a world as polite and cheerful as that of pokemon. I enter the Pokecentre, still unsure as to what just happened.

Pokemon games, more than the average videogame, have always had to fend off baseless accusations from those trying to protect the defenceless minds of gullible, influential children. Pokemon promotes violence; Pokemon promotes gambling; Pokemon is nothing but an empty marketing scheme that exists solely to separate children from their pocket money. Most of these accusations are hyperbolic or rely on an annecdotal case study of a single child. They also completely disregard the many benefits of Pokemon, such as motivating kids to learn how to read from a young age, basic maths and logic, problem solving skills, and the general themes of cooperation and sharing that permeates the series.
In generally, the population of Pokemon’s worlds reflect all the good things we want children to think about the real-world: people are polite, selfless, and generous; animals are cute, friendly and obedient; everybody lives comfortably and within their means; and, uh, Dad is never home. So being told to ‘scram’ by someone who offered to sell me the limb of a pokemon was nothing short of shocking.

Which leads me to the one accusation often levelled at Pokemon games that seems to have a bit more friction: Pokemon promotes animal cruelty. While still exaggerated beyond all fairness, it is hard to ignore that the supposedly symbiotic relationship between mankind and pokemon seems to be defined as “man forcibly removes pokemon from natural habitat; man imprisons pokemon; man forces pokemon to battle other pokemon and to complete tasks solely for man’s benefit.”

It’s a problem at the core of the series’ design and fiction, yet one the series has gotten away with ignoring for nearly two decades by concealing it in layers of positive themes, cute creatures, and content people. Everybody—man and pokemon alike—is happy, so what’s the problem?

Which made my encounter with the shady man outside the Pokecentre so much more jarring. In a world where international terrorism seems to be equivalent to real-world juvenile delinquency, being offered illegally poached goods and then told to scram was not something I was ever expecting to happen.

More than any previous Pokemon titles I have played, then, HeartGold seems willing to accept that the relationship between man and pokemon is not one of perfectly balanced symbiosis. While man and pokemon are indeed able to live happier lives through cooperation, man is also able to live a far easier and profitable life through taking advantage of pokemon.

(By http://goodcitizen.deviantart.com)

Previous titles have ignored this imbalance or, at the very least, it has been held back by the typically well-natured people that populate the games. But HeartGold tackles it from the very beginning. In the opening sequence where you choose your first pokemon, the typical trope is that you choose pokemon X, and your friend chooses pokemon Y (where X is weak against Y). HeartGold usurps this with a slightly different formula: “You choose X, your friend has already chosen Z, and someone else steals Y.”

Steals! A young pokemon is stolen and forced to battle by an evil-hearted trainer! Professor Elm tells the player directly his concerns for the wellbeing of that pokemon: if the owner is evil, the pokemon will more likely than not grow up to become evil-hearted themselves. What a horrible fate for a living creature, to be raised in such a way that your fundamental outlook on the world is one of evil and corruption.
 
That someone could steal a pokemon and force it to act a certain way hints, from very early in the game, that the relationship between man and pokemon is not as simple and balanced as previous games would like to think. Rather, mankind has a significant responsibility to the relationship and is just as capable of taking advantage of the creatures as they are of cooperating with them.

Things quieten down for a time and my initial shock at the idea of a pokemon being stolen fades. But then I encountered the rude, obese Slowpoke tail smuggler. The plot thickens in the next town where it becomes apparent that Team Rocket had been rounding up Slowpokes and chopping off their tails to sell on the black market. The tails grow back over time, but how horrid!

And that is as far as my journey into HeartGold has currently progressed. I have a long way to go, but just from these opening hours, I sense a maturity to the series I have not previously encountered (though, I again acknowledge that I have not played the original Gold and Silver versions and the same themes were probably approached in those games, I imagine). In these encounters with the darker members of humanity there is a a heightened self-awareness that challenges not only the player to think in more complicated terms about their relationship to their pokemon, but challenges the series itself to re-evaluate the mechanics at its very core—not so much in the sense that the mechanics are morally questionable, but that they are just more morally complicated than previously assumed.

While the thief steals a pokemon to use for evil, you, on the other hand, now have the option to keep one of your pokemon outside of their pokeball. It isn’t much, but it is a step in the opposite direction to show how man and pokemon can be true companions, rather than the latter being the tool of the former.

My relationship with my pokemon has always been “I tell my pokemon to do something, and they do it; everyone is happy.” However, The pokemon thief, the smuggler, and the poaching of slowpokes by Team Rocket show that this relationship is too simplistic. I must consciously treat my pokemon well or consciously take advantage of them. There is no unconscious middle ground. It is something previous titles have tried to urge in the cutesy, throwaway dialogue, but I’ve never had the imperative to take it seriously. Why put an effort into treating my pokemon well when the alternative is, well, when there is no alternative? But this time, in a iteration of the Pokemon universe where humans exist that intentionally abuse pokemon, my pokemon and their quality of life are completely, utterly my responsibility.

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