Hello everyone! :D Thanks for checking out the new page for this new game-in-progress! A big thanks to RMN staff for approving this page and to Sooz for proofreading, editing, and rewriting my game description and character bios, which were a little rough around the edges XD;

I figure I'll structure this like a Q&A, even though no one's asked yet:

When did you start working on this?

The story and all the ideas that comprise Izrand Allure came together late last September and I began working on it in earnest in October of 2021, though hand surgery meant I had to stop shortly after starting. Not to mention I had been working on monsters, tileset assets, and animations for an undecided fantasy project (that turned into Izrand Allure) for most of the year in change since finishing Weird and Unfortunate Things are Happening so it's hard to really say when work on Izrand started, exactly XD

How far along is the game?

It's still in the really early stages. I'll just list off the work I've done in no particular order...

• Tilesets: 10 (in different states of completion, as many have placeholder assets, only 3 or 4 are close to what I'd call "done")
• Monsters (sprites and Dragonbones animations finished): 74
• Monsters complete (with their moves all working in-game): 25
• Animations: 130
• Maps: 53 (with only about 20 near what I'd call a "finished" state)
• Character sprites: 0 (unless you count monster map sprites and event object sprites, then 23)
• Actually complete dungeons: 2
• Actual script: Very very bare bones.

What does all this mean? How much of the game is actually done? I'd probably have to say we're still firmly in "Less than 1%" territory here, so there's still a lot to go XD

So when will it be ready?

Really hard to say. I've stated that the release date will be "sometime this decade" because it's gonna be real hard to tell. It will take at least 2 years, and I'd have to really be working turbo-fast with no real life issues to make that, which is extremely unlikely. I ask for your patience while I get it all done :DDD XD;

I saw Job class stuff in the description. What's that about?

I have always really loved the versatility of job classes that can be switched in games. In specific, I come back to Final Fantasy V once every year or two just because the job class stuff is so much fun.

I'm reigning back my own class system a little, just to keep myself sane, so it's a little bit different. Each character starts with their own unique class with their own skills, but it's very much "good for early game only."

Beating bosses unlocks new classes for the characters, but not all characters share all classes, so you'll have to experiment with different characters to get the party you want. In total I've got 20 classes and their skills planned out, which seems like a lot, but feels a bit different when not every character unlocks every class.

A big element is "growth from job class mastery." Instead of getting perks that would only affect a "freelancer" type class (which this game doesn't have), the perks you gain from mastering job classes apply across all of your jobs. Aside from each character's starting job, every job unlocks 3 passive skills along the road to mastery. 2 are usually stat bonuses and the third is another unique perk that synergizes with the class, like a small permanent reduction to MP costs for the summoner class.

I must admit some level of worry about these systems, as they are more complex than anything I've done before and will be harder to balance. I think I'm up to the task, but in the worst-case scenario where it all blows up in my face, I may have to scale down. While I think that's very unlikely, I want to be upfront about the risk, just in case.

Wait seriously is Lynette from Luxaren Allure really the main character?

While I consider this an ensemble piece that will explore each character, Lynette is very important to the story and is the closest thing to a main character (tho Vivica is close, too). Lynette didn't get a character arc and didn't change much at all in Luxaren Allure, which I felt was a major failing, and I want to give her a proper shot at things.

Boo! I hate Lynette! I don't want to play a game with her!

No one's actually said so, not so far anyway, but I worry this will be the case (please let me know if you feel the same way, if you don't wanna play because of this!). Lynette is very unlikable in Luxaren and also at the start of Izrand. However, I really think once she's gone through her trials and tribulations, you'll find her a little more interesting as a character.

If not, you'll have a lot of other characters that will hopefully interest you in this game. For a large portion of the game you'll have 6 party members (possibly 8 by the end, but that's a topic for later) so even if Lynette is a bummer to you, I hop the others will be enjoyable enough to overcome that.

Luxaren Allure? So this is sequel to a game you made earlier? Do I need to run off and play all of that before I can play this?

Izrand Allure takes place in the same world as Luxaren Allure and shares a main character. However, I very much want this to be a game that anyone can step into and enjoy, without having to complete Luxaren first. Lynette's whole deal will be covered quite extensively here, so you'll understand her even if you haven't played LA. That's why this isn't called Luxaren Allure 2 or something similar. I really want it to be something anyone can play.

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Now that I've asked myself a bunch of fake questions, do any of you have any real ones? Plop them down in the comments if you like and I'd love to answer them to the best of my ability! And thanks so much for checking out the start of my long journey with this new game! I'm so excited to show you more of this new land! :DDDD