We have begun the latter half of the campaign! You’ve cleared stretch goals, seen great new art, more music, and cool collaborations. But we aren’t finished yet! With only over 10 days left and your help we’ll see how far we can go together!
Campaign Updates
Stretch Goals
Over the weekend you’ve managed to complete a stretch goal for each title. Now we are really getting into some interesting goals. We hope we can get to that next combo goal as well!
Player’s Notes(CLEARED!)
We will implement a mode where you can check the things you’ve encountered during your adventure. Each record will be different for each player, so it will become a great memorial for your personal adventure.
Vehicle Racing Time Attack(130,000,000 yen)/[Approx. $906,000]
We will implement a mini-game where players can use the in-game car or airship to race on the World Map to compete for the fastest times on a course. By beating certain times, you get a reward. And by getting higher rankings, you get special rewards as well.
Additional Languages 1(132,500,000 yen)/[Approx $926,000]
We will add support for languages beyond the initial English and Japanese support so that players from other countries can enjoy the game. This time, we’re adding Chinese and Korean support.
HINT:Belongs in a Museum (????yen)
Until we find out what it is, guess what the upgrade will be.
Community Game
Unfortunately, you missed your Twitter and Youtube goals last week so those will remain for this week. Some backers choose one game or the other but ideally we’d all come together and work to defeat these monsters as one JRPG loving community! Remember there are combo rewards for getting as many points as possible so it benefits both communities to work towards clear as many goals as possible!
OK…We’re starting to fight boss level monsters now. That means higher HP, which means you’ll need to clear more goals. You’ve done a great job so far, but this will take everything you’ve got as a collective community. Oh no…we forgot to save! (The golden rule of JRPGs!!) So no resets! We only have this one shot to defeat these monsters!
MERCH FAQ
Foreword
Fitting two projects into one campaign presents a wide variety of challenges. Separating the financials, providing enough margin for what are often low-lot production costs versus needing some margin to be able to put into the game development and trying to provide as many options as possible. We know it’s confusing and are trying to course correct where we can, but some things are out of our hands and we ask for your patience.
Mistakes in listed rewards
Once a single person has purchased a reward, we cannot re-word the text. This means that if we forgot something through human error, the only thing we can adjust is the main page text or the infographic.
Drawn Together and Bookkeeper DO include the OST.
Full House and Collector DO include the vinyl.
If you add on the “combo add-on” for one game, you will get the other game. However: Currently the descriptions on the side-bar are incorrect and instead say you will get Penny Blood by adding-on to Penny Blood. If you choose either of the “Combo add-on” tiers, it means you are getting both Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood, not 2 copies of one game.
Digital reward tiers not showing physical add-ons
There are some Kickstarter backend limitations that we, unfortunately cannot change. If you purchase a digital tier, you are unable to add on anything physical. This is most likely why some backers are NOT seeing all the add-on options. As it stands, the only solution is to pledge for a physical tier. We understand backers may want a digital game and not a physical one so we are allowing backers who selected a physical tier to change it to digital. The price won’t be reduced as it will create a lot of logistical issues but it is one way around this unfortunate bug. This has affected the Guns Undarkness collaboration because this reward was set up to be something both digital or physical backers could purchase. We found out that unless the reward type is listed as only digital, this same bug will occur. We have added a new reward that will allow digital backers to add this on now, but it will show two of the same add-on which could be confusing. Please note these are both the exact same reward: they only have different back-end tags that tells Kickstarter how to interact with the reward. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Revenue split between 2-in-1 rewards
We have thought hard about this and talked with both teams. They want this to be something that benefits both games equally, not one or the other. To that end, the coffee table art book add-on, double Kickstarter Collector’s Choice set add-on, and music box add-on are all going to split revenue 50/50 across both titles. We know these initially had Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood tags in front of them, which created some confusion. This was a mistake when setting up the rewards, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
Coffee Table Art Book versus Standard Art Book differences
The standard art book that comes with most reward sets is:
Based on the game that you purchased the set for (Armed Fantasia or Penny Blood)
60 pages
Softback
Primarily composed of in-game art
The Coffee Table Art Book set is an add-on and includes:
One 150 page coffee table book for Penny Blood
One 150 page coffee table book for Armed Fantasia
Both books are hardcover
They are hand-numbered
Includes the art from the standard art book, additional art, dev interviews, and in-game specs/parameters
You will be able to select Japanese or English
Since BOTH books are included you do not need to purchase this two times.
This set is meant to celebrate both games and help both creators out.
Music Upgrades
The Physical OST is 2 discs of selected music from the game listed in that reward. Not every song will fit on 2 discs, so if you want all the music for the game in a physical collector’s format, you need to choose the Complete Soundworks Upgrade. The digital soundtrack version will include all songs and will NOT require you to choose the Soundworks Upgrade. If you want the complete physical soundtrack for both games, you will need to choose a reward set that includes the physical OST, then add-on the opposite Physical OST and purchase the Complete Soundworks add-on TWICE.
Signed Rewards
Signed rewards are a premium reward that are meant for collectors who are willing to support the campaign in its fullest. It requires us to ship a reward to the creators, stop their work, get their signatures and then send it to the backer. It’s a lot of work, and these rewards are priced accordingly. Currently the only way to get a signed reward is:
Test of Time and Timekeeper include a signed Artbook
It Figures and Toymaker include signed limited-edition posters
Every premium in-game reward above those tiers includes a signed artbook – The side reward bar does not list this, but it will be included to show our gratitude to those backers.
If you choose the Armed Fantasia tier, the core team including Akifumi Kaneko will sign the book/poster. If you choose the Penny Blood tier, the core team including Machida Matsuzo will sign the book/poster.
NOTE: There was some misinformation about the coffee table book being signed which is NOT the case. We are allowing backers who have purchased a signed reward and a coffee table book add-on to have their coffee table book signed INSTEAD of their art book if they would like that. This will be CLEARLY listed on the survey which every backer must fill out in order to receive their rewards so as to clear up any confusion.
Combo Rewards
Today we have introduced combo rewards. These mainly package previous specialty rewards like Drawn Together and Bookkeeper into one set and provide a discount. We thought hard about this due to the fact that it would add a lot more reward tiers and there are always ways to a la carte different add-ons together to achieve the same thing. But we’ve had enough people ask for these rewards, so even though it will make reward selection a bit more challenging, it will also provide more options to backers. They include Beta access and individual discord roles for both games. The combo tiers are as follows:
(AF) Parlor Tunes + (PB) Big Band – OST focused(26,000 yen)
(AF) Full House + (PB) Collector – Includes all 4 base items(68,000 yen)
(AF) Test of Time + (PB) Timekeeper – includes the pocket watch and signed artbook(135,000 yen)
(AF) It Figures + (PB) Toymaker – Includes the standees, pocket watch, signed artbook, and signed poster(200,000 yen)
Ordering two premium in-game rewards
This is only possible via two separate accounts. This is another Kickstarter limitation. We know it’s not ideal, and those premium rewards really help us increase the overall game budget, but this is how other Kickstarters handle this problem. Most backers only choose one premium reward because they are expensive, but in the rare case we have a backer that would like two different premium rewards, this is our current advice.
Steel Books
We looked at our various options and unfortunately the minimum lot is 2000 units per game. Based on our current backer numbers we cannot create a steel case without having a lot of inventory left, so we unfortunately cannot offer this.
Surveys
Surveys will be sent out a few months after the campaign is over. You will be able to select T-shirt sizes, game platforms, which item to be signed, etc. You will be able to change your address and survey choices until 6 months before the final game ships. Games are shipped separately and post/shipping will be something that customers determine on their end.
New Add-ons
In addition to the combo rewards listed above, we have listed and added the Double Kickstarter Key Chain to the add-ons. There is only one key chain and revenue for it will be split 50/50 amongst both projects. Price: 4000 yen
Reissues of Premium Rewards
Another week means more reissues of premium rewards! YES! We finally got some of our backer’s pets into the game! Matter of fact, we need to reissue pet tiers for both games! NICE! Additionally, someone is going to put their face inside the mouth of a Motofuji! Truly terrifying! Here are the reissues:
Armed Fantasia JRPG Fan’s Best Friend III Add your pet in the game. 450,000 yen
Penny Blood JRPG Fan’s Best Friend II Add your pet in the game. 400,000 yen
Armed Fantasia Fabulous Fashion II Work with the developers to create a costume for one of the main characters. 550,000 yen
Penny Blood Enemy of my Enemy III Design an Enemy. 675,000 yen
Remember in the rare case we can do a reissue, it usually goes up in price by 10% so there is an incentive for pledging early. As always, let us know what kind of rewards you’d like to see and we’ll do our best to consider them!
Content Updates
Thanks to all of your generous support, we’ve managed to achieve many stretch goals. We’re now well on our way to being able to implement many systems we were unsure of at the beginning of the campaign. You have our deepest thanks. During last Mechanics Monday, we explained the basic systems behind the battles of Armed Fantasia. Now we’re going to go into some new information that will give battles more depth.
The Three Skill Types You Gain From Equipping An ARM
The Three Skill Types You Gain From Equipping An ARM
When a character equips an ARM, they gain access to the following types of skills.
Command Skills – Active skills that the player can select during battle.
Reaction Skills – Passive skills that automatically activate under specific circumstances.
Support Skills – Passive skills that increase a character’s stats and make them more powerful.
The Role Change System
Each character can use one of the six ARM types. Each type sets a character into a Role, which ups their stats and changes what types of skills they can use. For example:
Gun ARMs put characters in a Role that takes actions quickly and can attack multiple enemies.
Spear ARMs put characters in a Role that boasts high attack, high defense, and the ability to take lots of physical damage.
Staff ARMs put characters in a Role that allows them to attack enemies with elemental magic.
Being able to change Roles by switching the ARM a character has equipped is the Role Change System. By changing the type of ARM a character has equipped, you have them gain the abilities of that Role and completely change the way they fight in battles.
If you’re having trouble defeating a particularly difficult foe, you can change Roles based on their characteristics or the skills your characters have to beat them with ease. You can also just have fun adventuring by having characters use whichever ARM you’d like them to.
When you start out, characters can only equip the ARM type they’re used to using. But when you reach Level 30, you can give them another ARM type to choose from. Then, every 10 levels you can add another ARM type to that character’s arsenal. What order you have them gain new ARM types is up to you.
As characters gain levels, they’ll be able to use more ARM types. And we’re about to introduce another system called Cross-Linking that will give you even more strategic options in battle. Each player will be able to strengthen their characters however they want to, leading to completely different experiences. We hope that will make it fun to see the choices that other players make during their playthroughs.
Cross-Linking
Only three characters can participate in battle at once. So once you get 4 or more characters you’ll have the front row (the ones who actively participate in battle) and back row (who provide support but don’t show up on the battlefield). You can partner up one character from the front row and one from the back row. This is called a Cross-Link.
These are the three effects that Cross-Linking will have.
1. Swapping from Front Row to Back Row
You can switch places with your Cross-Link partner when selecting commands during battle. Characters in the back row recover HP every turn. So if a character is Cross-Linked and in danger, simply swap them to the back row and give them a chance to recover.
2. Reaction Skill Activation
Supporters in the back row can act with their partners in the front row using Reaction Skills. Reaction Skills activate based on the requirements of each skill, allowing partners in the back row to do follow-up attacks. These follow-up attacks can be combined with Order Chains. So if you play your cards right, you can wind up doing tons of extra damage to your foes!
3. Sharing Support Skills
Cross-Linked partners shared their Support Skills with one another. For example, if someone in the back row has an “Attack Up” Support Skill, their front row partner will gain the effects of that skill.
So if you’re using the Role Change system to have both partners use the same ARM type, what happens when they share their Support Skills? Well, that “Attack Up” skill would be added twice for an even bigger attack boost! So you can see with Cross Links, even the Role of your back row partner is important. So that’ll make the ARMs you select during Role Changes even more enchanting and fun!
Field Test Video
We just got another in-development video from Nishimura-san at bee tribe. This one features a new location, a forest that Alicia is searching through. We’ve also got some enemies on the field.
Just like last time, the terrain and actions are all part of a test environment, and swaying objects on characters and shaders aren’t included. The lighting is also temporary, but will be different from the previously released video. Please enjoy.
※Work in progress. Final content may change.
That’s it for this Mechanics Monday, but you won’t believe the huuuuge character reveals coming on Wednesday! No stops on this train! See you then!
