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Messages - JackitK

#1
Taking advantage of the forums being up to make a few quick updates relating to progress on version 2.0...

Long story short, I had to backtrack and redo a lot of work, due to technical issues, but overall mostly past that. Currently, every fight in the game has been worked on at this point. Though most still need testing on the casual version of the mod. But I still have a bit of ways to go between fine tuning boss fights, especially the super boss fight and doing one more round of review/refinement. Both for veteran (new name I have for challenge/default difficulty) and casual mode.

There's also an assortment of other mis. things than still need to be done before release, like minor dialogue adjustments, and all the trailer/promo videos I want to have ready for its release. So no definite date quite yet.

I have made a couple blog posts relating to progress over the past couple months. So you can find out more detail about it all there.
May 2024 Update
July/August 2024 Update
#2
Project List / Golden Sun But With Dogs
21, April, 2024, 07:05:35 PM

A small mod I made for April Fools. Plays like the original Golden Sun 1, with a lot more dog NPCs. Also features some other quirky changes, like changes to dialogue, books, and minor changes to prologue enemies. The mod basically ends after Vault. So while you can continue playing it beyond that point, you shouldn't expect anything to be different beyond that point.
You can find the link to the mod patch here.

The videos below showcase the majority of the changes the mod makes, for those of you who don't/can't go through the trouble of patching the game and playing it for yourself.

#3
Project List / Re: Golden Sun TBS/TLA "Anniversary mods"
03, November, 2023, 10:09:13 PM
The Golden Sun QOL Trailer has really been popping off on Youtube. So, I've been working on a few updates to both that and the Lost Age Anniversary mod. Possibly with even more major update in the future.

The most recent version of Golden Sun QOL includes:
- Optional QOL patches to add.
- A hotfix that prevents selling items that are used in The Lost Age.
- Fixed the Avoid toggle so that it'll actually say "Avoid now off" instead of garbage text.

The most recent version of Lost Age Anniversary includes:
- Update to include Sun Charm for people who may transfer save data from Golden Sun QOL.
- A new "summonless" version to use.  This patch plays like the original anniversary edition, but all summons are removed. Using them results in you doing nothing besides gaining an elemental boost. Only recommended for people looking for a challenge.
- Fix Isaac's party to include certain field Psynergy as advertised (at least in a non-transfer file)
- Fixed grammar that I missed in the initial release.
#4
Project List / Golden Sun 1 Challenge Pack
25, September, 2023, 09:45:53 PM
Welcome to the Golden Sun Challenge Run Kit. Need a little spice for your next run of Golden Sun? Then this challenge pack is for you. Initially made for the Golden Sun modding Game Jam, this challenge pack contains a variety of patches that vary from making certain challenge runs easier to set up, to modifications for custom rulesets. You can set up runs where you can't use summons, where you're forced to use only a single element, and more. If you're craving something extra spicy, you can check out my custom-made challenge patch with stronger enemies, customized bosses, and other surprises.

This is an ongoing project that will likely continue to get updates to new challenge runs when I want to take a break from my main projects, so while I have no plan of when they'll be released, I expect to make new versions with additional challenge types going forward.  Below are the currently existing challenge types:
  • Fire Only
  • Water Only
  • No Summons
  • Death Charm mode: For setting up challenge runs with only 1-3 party members

Certain patches can be mixed and match to create custom challenges as well. Such combining Fire only with the Death Charm patch, or doing a No Summon Run with TLA hard mode stats. Even have a no Summon patch of the Dawn of Djinn demo included for people who want more of that ROM Hack and somehow found the base mod too easy.

See the release page to learn more and try it out for yourself.
https://github.com/JackitK/GS-Challenge-Pack/releases

Best part is this challenge pack has constant room for expansion, so you may see more challenge types (and maybe even a couple in TLA) in the far-off future.
#5
Project List / Golden Sun TBS/TLA "Anniversary mods"
25, August, 2023, 10:44:00 PM
These Anniversary mods are side projects that basically take the Quality of Life features from Dawn of Djinn and implement them in a mod closer to the original games. Allowing you to experience features like early game fast-travel while still experiencing the classic enemies and abilities from the original games.

The Broken Seal (Golden Sun 1)
 :Isaac:  :Garet:  :Ivan:  :Mia:

This mod comes of one of two patches. One that plays the prologue like normal and one that skips the Djinn tutorial and everything up to right before leaving Vale. ('GSTBS_QoL_Prolouge' and 'GSTBS_QoL_NoProlouge' respectively)

As for features included in both patches, this follows the way Retreat and Avoid works in the Golden Sun Randomizer; allowing you to use Retreat for fast-travel and Avoid not being tied to level, as well as being able to be toggled on and off at free will.  Other quality of life features include having zero PP versions of all utility skills available regardless of class and being able to sell and rebuy Psynergy items.

You can access either of these patches through this link:
https://github.com/JackitK/GoldenSun-QOL/releases/tag/v1.0.2

The Lost Age (Golden Sun 2)
 :Felix:  :Jenna:  :Sheba:  :Piers:
Also I realized I never made a post on the forums for the "Golden Sun: TLA 20th Anniversary Edition" mod back when I released it, so this feels like the perfect time to share that as well.

This mod does not have toggle Avoid or fast travel Retreat. To make up for this, you are given Teleport and Avoid by default at the start of the game. Also includes as many other Utility Psynergy as possible without sequence breaking the game and fun new items replace the chest that would normally give you access to these Psynergy. See the included Read-me for full details.
(Technically Teleport early does open up access to optional dungeons earlier than you're supposed to have access to them, but considering how brutal those fights would be, it's not the end of the world.)

Beyond that, all the features are very similar to the adjustments made in the Broken Seal version. You can sell and rebuy any of your Psynergy items; Utility Psynergy outside of Retreat and Avoid cost 0 PP to use; You have access to certain Utility Psynergy regardless of class; etc.

Plus there is a "Leader Music" version of the patch that allows you to pick your battle theme based on which character leads the party, thanks to fellow members in the community.

Download link to patches available on Github:
https://github.com/JackitK/Golden-Sun-Lost-Age-20th-Anniversary/releases/tag/1.2

Here's a video trailer of the Lost Age Anniversary Release as well...

Disclaimer:
These Quality-of-Life versions for GS1 should be fully compatible with the Lost Age Anniversary edition, along with passwords created by the vanilla version of Golden Sun as well.  Passwords created with Dawn of Djinn are not compatible with Dawn of Djinn
#6
Mod update:
Enough progress has been made with Verson 2, that I've released a demo showcasing the updates, more detail below...

I've finished and released a demo of Version 2 aka Second Mix of Dawn of Djinn. It goes up to Mongoll Forest, featuring all of the updates for the planned jump from Version 1 to Version 2. Including but not limited to:
  • Dialogue (including a new sub-plot and other minor text changes to ingrate Dawn of Djinn's features into the story.)
  • New classes for every Djinn arrangement from base game. Including brand new default classes and changes to their base stats that alter the roles of party members in battle from the vanilla game. (Ie. Garret now behaves closer to a physical glass cannon rather than a tank.)
  • New assortment of Djinn and Djinn Charms, different from Version 1.
  • Two different patches to pick based on your prefer challenge.
    • A casual patch with a level of challenge similar to classic Golden Sun.
    • A challenge patch with difficulty similar to Dawn of Djinn version 1.
  • Optional patches to add on top for extra quality of life improvements, such as auto running or speeding through cutscenes.
  • Changes to enemies and boss fights from Version 1, possibly featuring brand new enemies along the way.
  • New Psynergy, equipment, and items to use in battle; along with those returning from version 1.

Link to everything you should need to run the new demo version is provided in the link below...
(Containing all patches, Readme, and a cheat sheet for Djinn locations and new item drops.)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p4uceJQjSVmLuCCme8LZCx58F5eaBZSG/view?usp=drive_link
#7
Hey all, it's been awhile.  Haven't been on the forums much, but on the bright side, there's been a lot going on behind the scenes with Dawn of Djinn.  It's been taking me longer than expected to finish Version 2, but I think I'm close to the point of sharing a major update on that.

I'm putting the finishing touches on a playable demo that goes up to Mogall Forest, showcasing everything I've done so far.  While diving my time between more things since the release of V1 plays partly into the long development, I shouldn't downplay just how much more is going into this compared to Version 1.

For one, dialogue will finally be in Dawn of Djinn, including some minor adjustments to reflect the new events and features of the mod. Even more new classes will be in Verion 2, to the point where basically every vanilla class will be replaced with a new one with their own customized line of Psynergy; not just the late game and quad elemental classes. This includes the default classes; Isaac and co will even have a different spread of stats to better reflect the new roles their class gives them. Of course, there will be new Psynergy to go along with these changes as well. I'll reveal more once I actually release the demo patch of Version 2, so stay tuned for more details. Shouldn't take more than a month assuming I don't just forget about the forums.
#8
Project List / Re: Golden Sun 1: Jenna Edition
30, May, 2023, 09:52:04 PM
If it's any assurance Dawn of Djinn (at least the version that's currently released) doesn't have any dialogue, so it's technically intended. Not an ideal situation, but one I'm working on fixing for Version 2 aka Second Mix.

Sadly working exclusively with an editor has its limits.  Often have to resort to doing things in more wierd ways to get around the fact I don't quite have the skills just to code it sperate. Certain things like the Jenna's voice clip where sadly beyond my limits. I can't say for sure, but that probably also played into the oddly big file size for "just a sprite swap". The editor I use doesn't compress the sprites I replace and between that and using a GS Randomizer seed to implement the QOL features like fast travel Retreat, and prologue skip probably played a role in that.

Stuff I wouldn't mind looking into if I wasn't already deep into other projects, but that I will keep in mind if I ever get the chance to revisit this.

Glad you enjoy it in the end though. Wouldn't be completely opposed to messing around to see if I could make a version of Dawn of Djinn that also includes Jenna, but I'd have to do some testing to see if it would even be possible without running into sprite corruptions while modding and at the moment, most of my modding focus has been going into doing a second Mix of Dawn of Djinn.

Edit Edit:
Actually this got me thinking, since I held on to a patch with just the pallet swap; I got pondering "would this patch work on top of other mods?". Quickly tested it on an extra copy of my current Dawn of Djinn build and it seemed to work fine. Granted, it's only the sprite swap so Jenna still has Garet's default class. But the fact that worked at all got me pondering how much I can get away with before it stops working with other mods.  Let me get back to you once I've done a bit more experimenting with it.
#9
Project List / Golden Sun 1: Jenna Edition
31, January, 2023, 08:08:48 PM
Have you ever thought, "it's a shame Jenna leaves the party after the prologue in the Broken Seal, if only I could use her for the entire game...."? If so, this mod is for you.  In "Golden Sun Jenna edition", Jenna and Garret are swapped. Allowing for Jenna to be part of your main party for the entire game, also including her main default class and Psynergy, normally exclusive to the Lost Age. The currently released modern version also includes some quality of life updates previously establisehd in GS: Dawn of Djinn including prologue skip, Retreat Fast Travel, Avoid toggle and more...

:MarsStar:  :Jenna:  :MarsStar:
You can find a link to download, along with more details of the project on the github page...
https://github.com/JackitK/GoldenSun-JennaEdition/releases/tag/v1.0.0


Videos featuring gameplay:

#10
I'll have to check this out sometime. It's a bit hard to squeeze the time in as I'm still very slowly working my way through my first playthrough of Reloaded of all things, but I took some time to read a little closer the things you've been working on for this and it's got me curious to try it out some time.  Updated my patch folder to include Version 1.2, so I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually.
#11
Project List / Re: Golden Sun: Dawn of Djinn
12, April, 2022, 05:25:52 PM
Thanks to some feedback I've already gotten elsewhere, I was able to fix the issue I was having making Isaac (and apparently Mia) take more Djinn than the others to get into their quad-elemental classes.  I've also fixed some text and made a small update to the movepool to these classes while I was messing around with all that.  So if you've already started version 1.0, I'd recommend downloading the newest patch and updating so you don't miss out on these updates.
https://github.com/JackitK/goldensun-dawn-of-djinn
#12
Project List / Re: Dawn of Djinn
07, April, 2022, 01:54:04 PM
Major update.  Everything is ready for the release of version 1.0 of Dawn of Djinn and I've updated a couple posts in the main page to better reflect the more recent update of content.

Plan is to release to make the Github page for Dawn of Djinn public once I air the trailer on my Youtube channel, sometime tomorrow.  On the off chance I don't get back on the site by then, the Github page is listed below...
https://github.com/JackitK/goldensun-dawn-of-djinn

...also have plans to have a Google Drive back-up for the patch and am also considering getting it uploaded to more mod specific servers...

Edit: Also updated the title of this thread because I realize it doesn't reflect the new title of the mod, despite me finally settling on a name awhile back.  :VenusDjinni: :MarsDjinni: :JupiterDjinni: :MercuryDjinni:
#13
Project List / Re: Golden Sun: Alt Sunrise (WIP)
12, March, 2022, 11:22:55 AM
Lots of work has been going on behind the scenes and things feel closer than ever to a final release (at least of the dialogues version).

Long story short lots of new items, including new Djinni Charms; updated Djinn, new moves, and a rework of all the major fights to adjust for all these new features.  I've done a few videos here and there showcasing my current progress including a stream showcasing a few areas with boss fights included...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaY5k5SGEYI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJStnIf-gis

Here's a link to the Discord if you're curious on a source of updates more frequently then this...
https://discord.gg/bWR3KWyZdW

I'll try to come back here every now and then to give an update though, especially once a patch is released.

Not quite ready to give a date, but I'd be surprised if I didn't have a patch to share in a couple months.  Right now a lot of my focus has actually been on secondary material I want to include with the adventure.  Including but not limited to text files of a Djinn Guide, a Djinni Charm Guide, and a list of monster drops so players don't have to worry about missing out on any new items.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the playlist in the OP post for all the videos of this mod I currently have release and enjoy a few screenshots from my Discord I revived just to have an quick easy way to share mini updates.



Spoilers to one of the newer Djinni Charms and end game area...
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]
#14
Introductions / Re: Finally here
12, January, 2022, 08:04:59 AM
Quote from: EmptySet on 10, January, 2022, 02:45:35 PM
Welcome from another long-time lurker who has only very recently joined, lol.

These forums can be a bit of a ghost town these days, which I guess is understandable between how old Golden Sun is and the advent of Discord and other such things.  Also, as you may be aware, downloads aren't working on the site right now, so unless that gets fixed you'll have to host your hacks somewhere else and link to them.

Another Sunrise/Alt Sunrise (Personally I slightly prefer Another Sunrise as a name) looks interesting and pretty unique from what I've seen - I'll definitely give it a play once its done.  Despite a decent amount of interest in Golden Sun hacking over the years and the pretty substantial hacking utilities there haven't been many completed romhacks of considerable scale other than Reloaded and I suppose the randomizers if you count those, so its cool to see projects like yours.
Cool to hear.  Main reason I was leaning away from "Another Sunrise" as a name was because I wanted to sound more like a remix rather than a remake.  But as I keep adding more original elements to it, it gives me ideas of other names to call it. But I feel like I already made things more complex than they need to by jumping from Another to Alt so I'm going to try from refraining from calling it one of those until things get more finalized.
#15
Just a quick little project I got the inspiration to do one day as we were talking on the Discord about the Djinni system.

Mod is self-explanatory. The stat boost Djinni give you are negated so when you set it, your stats are lower, but boosted when put in standby. Classes still boost stats so it shouldn't be too drastic of a difference but still something.

Maybe after I make more progress on my more major projects I'll get the idea of something to do with this to make it more interesting.

(Still trying to figure out the Download page so I'll just include a link to it from my Google Drive for now)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GdH8ONs8Y9inF03i_E1Vpc4VbV7ffUcb/view?usp=sharing

:VenusSet: :MarsSet: :JupiterSet: :MercurySet:
#16
Project List / Re: Golden Sun: Alt Sunrise (WIP)
05, January, 2022, 07:31:59 PM
FAQ:

Is Dawn of Djinn hard?
Dawn of Djinn by default is harder than the original Golden Sun, but is not intended to be "brutally hard".
Previous experience with the Golden Sun series is recommended before jumping in.

On average, monster's stats are multiplied similarly to how they are in Lost Age's hard mode. Though move pools
have been changed to make them more capable than normal, including with bosses.

However, if you find a normal playthrough of this mod to be too easy or hard, you can artificially adjust
the difficulty by equipping either the "Casual Key" or the "Brutal Key" to all your party members.


How do the Brutal Key and Casual Key Affect Combat?
When equipped, the Casual Key will boost your stats similarly to how the enemies are boosted in this mod,
plus gives a multiplier on your max PP to compensate for Psynergy costing more to cast in this mod.
It also has an outside of battle use that will recover all of your party's Psynergy, in case you prefer
RPGs where you only have to manage your stats during battle. It is completely optional to use.
The Brutal Key divides your stats, making you weaker than when unequipped.


Where do I find the Brutal/Casual Key?
In Vale, the shop has been readjusted to have both these key items in their armor section for free.
You'll also find the Casual Key in Vault's shop, in case you forget to backtrack.



How does equipping Djinn Charms work?
Djinn charm are elementally aligned, meaning they can only be equipped by an Adept that shares there element.
Only Isaac can equip Venus Charms, Garret to Mars, Ivan to Jupiter, and Mia to Mercury.
Furthermore, Djinn Charms count as a ring equipment, meaning you can only have one equipped at a time, and trying
equip an actually ring item unequips the Djinn Charm.


Where's the dialogue?
For the sake of easier playtesting, I used a version of Golden Sun that had dialogue turned off for all my work with Version 1.0...
Due to the nature of working off a copy of Golden Sun that already had the dialogue remove, rather than patching it out myself, I have
to basically start with a fresh new patch in order to make a version with the dialogue on.  This dialogue version of the mod is planned
to be made for either a 1.5 or 2.0 release, but I figured since everything else is set to share already that I would release my dialogueless 1.0 version while I'm reworking a dialogue version, hopefully taking advantage of starting from scratch to clean up some "code" that
I probably made a mess of putting 1.0 together.  No set release date for the dialogue version yet,
but it shouldn't take nearly as long as it has for me to make version 1 in the first place.  I apologize in advance to everyone who was
looking forward to enjoying the full experience of Golden Sun's story while playing this mod.

Avoid toggles on and off but monster encounters are still gone, how do I fix this?
This is bug seems to be caused by saving and quitting the game while avoid is still toggled on.
So first and foremost, getting in the habit of turning off Avoid when you don't need it can be helpful.
If you do run into this bug however it is fixable with a little work.
-First toggle Avoid on and off a couple times
-Transition to a new screen, either by entering a town/dungeon or entering the overworld.
-When you toggle Avoid off now, monsters should appear like normal.


Soo..umm..sometimes the sprites of enemies and party members disappear in battle. Is this supposed to happen?
No, but I can't fix all of them.  If it happens in a random encounter, it was likely an oversight
of trying to squeeze too many enemies into that fight and I can adjust it with feedback. 
If it happens during a boss fight, I likely already noticed it but decided not to fix it due to it having too
big of impact on the fight if I flat out removed an enemy.


How do I progress through ____?
Lack of dialogue in version 1 may make certain plot areas a little obtuse.
Feel free to reference the "Event Trigger Notes" text file if you get stuck on your adventure.
In addition there are other text files included in the care package that act as Cheat Sheets for Djinn,
Djinn Charms, and Monster drops if you don't mind the spoilers, and I may add more in the future.
#17
Version 2 Edit :!: :
I've finished and released a demo of Version 2 aka Second Mix of Dawn of Djinn. It goes up to Mongoll Forest, featuring all of the updates for the planned jump from Version 1 to Version 2. Including but not limited to:
  • Dialogue (including a new sub-plot and other minor text changes to ingrate Dawn of Djinn's features into the story.)
  • New classes for every Djinn arrangement from base game. Including brand new default classes and changes to their base stats that alter the roles of party members in battle from the vanilla game. (Ie. Garret now behaves closer to a physical glass cannon rather than a tank.)
  • New assortment of Djinn and Djinn Charms, different from Version 1.
  • Two different patches to pick based on your prefer challenge.
    • A casual patch with a level of challenge similar to classic Golden Sun.
    • A challenge patch with difficulty similar to Dawn of Djinn version 1.
  • Optional patches to add on top for extra quality of life improvements, such as auto running or speeding through cutscenes.
  • Changes to enemies and boss fights from Version 1, possibly featuring brand new enemies along the way.
  • New Psynergy, equipment, and items to use in battle; along with those returning from version 1.

Link to everything you should need to run the new demo version is provided in the link below...
(Containing all patches, Readme, and a cheat sheet for Djinn locations and new item drops.)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p4uceJQjSVmLuCCme8LZCx58F5eaBZSG/view?usp=drive_link

Golden Sun Dawn of Djinn is a mod of Golden Sun Broken Seal/first Golden Sun that remixes various elements of the original into a new, but familiar adventure. I have a trailer below that gives you a general preview of some things to expect in this mod.


I also have an ongoing playthrough on my Youtube channel of Version 1 that you can watch below:
Golden Sun: Dawn of Djinn V1 playthrough

:VenusDjinni: :MarsDjinni: :JupiterDjinni: :MercuryDjinni:

Download to the patch and guides (Like detail Djinn/Djinni Charms location and battle combat along with a FAQ) is available on the github I've set up for this mod.....
https://github.com/JackitK/goldensun-dawn-of-djinn

Summery:
"Golden Sun: Dawn of Djinn" is a remixed version of the first game of the Golden Sun series. Featuring new Djinn, new Psynergy/battle abilities, and new challenges to overcome. Adjustments that tie into battle mechanics have been adjusted as well, not only to give more purpose to various methods of combat, but to encourage the use of features Dawn of Djinn specializes in.  Plus this adventure takes quality of life improvements from mods like the Golden Sun Randomizer and builds off them to make travel outside of battle more enjoyable.


Combat:
New enemies make their debut and returning ones have increased stats from the original adventure. Combat overall feels closer to the challenge of a playthrough of Lost Age's "Hard Mode" than it does the original adventure. Though the readjusted move pools and occasional liberates with the Hard Mode rules, certain battles may be harder than your average Lost Age Hard Mode playthrough.  Especially late game and in the optional areas.

There are methods to make your adventure easier or harder if desired via purchase & equipment of the "Causal Key" & "Brutal Key" respectfully. All bosses and various enemies also have a new set of moves to use against you.  Many scripted battles have been upgraded to mini-boss status.  All boss fights have been reworked and tested by hand to better fit the new difficulty and mechanics.  They're designed to feel new while still keeping charm of their original battles.


Updates to Psynergy:
Though your party also has some tricks up their sleeve.  While the structure of classes remains relatively unchanged, many of them grant you Psynergy that did not exist in the original adventure. They include both Psynergy that normally only exist in future games, or completely brand new. Currently you'll need to experiment with different classes and items to experience all the new abilities this mod offers, however if there is interest, I could include a write-up of each class learn-set in a future update.

Though all this powerful Psynergy comes at a cost, as it now cost more to cast than in the original adventure. Thankfully, Dawn of Djinn introduces plenty of ways to assure a prepared Adept never runs out despite the increase cost.  Not only have more items affecting Psynergy recovery been introduced, but there are new abilities that not only recover Psynergy but redistribute it to allies who need it. Also there's been minor tweeks tying to pre-existing Psynergy and who can learn them.


Updates to Classes:
With some exceptions, classes retain their core identity though majority, if not all of them learn at least one new Psynergy.  Most drastic changes are with tri-elemental classes.  Especially the Ninja and Samauri classes.  Samauri has been completely replaced with a new class called "Ka Bushi".  Its stats remain the same and still retrains it's supportive use, but it now has a lot larger focus on weilding the undead and trades it wide range attacks for a more single target combat style.

The Ninja class has a slight nerf in power in exchange for more speed, not because it really need more speed, but because I wanted to make the Ninja class a more supportive class than the offense power house it was previously known for.  To name just a few adjustments to the Ninja's move pool.  It has a lot Psynergy with status secondary effects and it gets access to abilities to boost the speed of party members. Shuriken has also been nerfed in power in exchange for more range and you can learn 3 new special alternations of Shuriken that have their own secondary effects.

Last but not least is the brand new "quad elemental class" family.  The Jack/Toolsmith classes are fairly unique as they have the worst overall stats of any class in the game and mostly intended to have easier access to utility Psynergy after obtaining them.  However, they do have a unique spread of Psynergy via level up.  A Jack Adept can wield all four elements of Psynergy at once and usually have a couple spells reserved for equipment. Plus each party member has a slightly different version of the Jack Adept/Toolsmith class.  Having more powerful spells of a particular pair of elements, and learn a powerful Psynergy once max out in level.  It's up to you to decide if these powerful spells are worth the poor stats. Even if you can't make use out of them in combat, they could have potential in reducing clutter in your inventory.

Updated Weapon System
Weapons are now more useful has there is now a system of pros & cons between each type of weapon.  For example, Axes are the strongest weapons in the game but have a distinct drawback of dropping speed. Maces still tend to be weak weapons but they now have a high crit/unleash rate. See below for a full break down....

Axes:  :Isaac: :Garet:
  • Generally, the strongest type of weapons in the game.
  • Axes have even higher attack now then they did in the original game.
  • However, they all have the drawback of lowering speed when equipped.

Long Sword:  :Isaac: :Garet:
  • Generally, the second strongest type of weapons in the game.
  • No major drawback but no perk beyond strength.
  • Relatively unchanged.

Short Sword:  :Isaac: :Garet: :Ivan: :Mia:
  • An all round weapon. 
  • Stronger than weapons like staffs & gloves, but no secondary boost. 
  • Weaker than axes but no speed drawback. 
  • New this this mod, Mia can equip short swords as well.

Mace:  :Garet: :Mia:
  • Weakest "physical" weapon.
  • In exchange for lower attack, they have higher crit rates than other weapons.
  • If the mace has an unleash, the odds of that unleash triggering will be higher instead.

Staff/Ankh:  :Ivan: :Mia:
  • As weak if not weaker than maces.
  • Come with a perk relating to Psynergy Points depending on if it's a Staff or Ankh (see new weapons for more details)
  • Though rare, certain staffs/ankh may have unleashes that do base damage instead of attack focused damage

Gloves/Mitts (new):  :Isaac: :Ivan:
  • Tend to be weak compared to other weapons but come with a defensive boost.
  • Gloves boost defense, Mitts boost elemental resistance
  • All Gloves can be used like an item in battle for a secondary effect
  • All Mitts bestow Psynergy when equipped, many featuring unique, rare, and/or brand new Psynergy
  • All Gloves have unleashes
  • All Mitts have a special type of unleash.
  • Most unleashes are based on physical attack, but the unleashes used by Mitts have their own base attack.
  • While this means their power gets obsolete quicker, it does make them a good fit for characters that already have a low attack stat, like mages (and Ivan as a whole).

New Weapon Types
In addition Dawn of Djinn offers two new types of weapons, Gloves and Mitts.  They are no longer pieces of armor but weapons with more defensive properties and extra abilities.  Gloves boost defense as well as giving you distinct unleashes and item effects. Mitts are the more magical version of the Gloves.  Boosting elemental resistance, bestowing unique Psynergy for combat, and granting rare unleashes that act like Psynergy in of themselves.
With a couple exceptions, Gloves and Mitts are weapons exclusive to  :Isaac: Isaac and  :Ivan: Ivan.

In addition, Staff and Ankh weapons have been divided into subcategories in a way similar to Long Sword and Short Sword weapons in the original game.
They both are exclusive to :Ivan: Ivan and  :Mia: Mia.  However, Staffs boost max PP when equipped while Ankhs recover PP every turn when equipped.

Update to Battle Items:
Recovery items & consumable items have been adjusted and added as well. There are more types of Psynergy recovery items, in case the increase cost is too overwhelming.  Recovery items as a whole also have a wider variety of effects. Each one is varied enough that even the weakest HP recovery item could have uses late game, depending on the secondary traits you desire. This makes item shops much more useful, as the items don't become completely useless by end game.  Enemies also drop new items including equipment and new battle items.  Every battle item that previously existed has been changed and new battle items have been added as well. While they'll may still get out-powered by late game Psynergy, they are much more interesting than in the vanilla game thanks to their secondary effects.  You'll likely find these very valuable for early/mid-game bosses and may even find scenarios that they're an ideal option even later than that.


Djinn Updates:
Last but not least, are the namesakes of this adventure, the Djinn.  With only a couple exceptions, every Djinn in Dawn of Djinn is brand new to this adventure. Featuring a combination of abilities reworked to be more viable and brand new Djinn abilities for you to use.  Their overall increase in power should help encourage their use, despite all the mechanics in the series that encourage you to keep them set. Players who find a good balance between using Psynergy, using Djinn, and summoning to get them back on "set", will be rewarded the most by the mechanics of Dawn of Djinn.

Slight update to Summons:
Speaking of summons, tier 4 summons have been reduced in power.  However, this isn't exactly a nerf as they trade their extra power for new secondary effects that may trigger. With Judgement haunting foes, Boreas making them slumber, Meteor sealing Psynergy, and Thor potentially stunning them.  It could be a way to hinder a group of enemies in a pinch. The goal isn't to make Summons weak, as much as it is to keep them from outshining other methods of combat in the game. Granted they're still plenty powerful and there will be many scenarios where they're still the optimal form of damage.  But especially late game, as your other abilities get stronger, it should help other mechanics in this adventure shine. And more importantly, force you to be more strategic with when you do it, especially with the facts enemies already hit harder making the drawbacks of setting up for them more apparent.

Though as I get a better idea of just how powerful summons are, I am considering a complete rework of them in a future version. I just didn't want to implement that right away as it would mean having to completely rework all enemies and bosses accordingly.


Djinni Charms:
In addition to the upgraded Djinn, Dawn of Djinn introduces a brand-new mechanic call the "Djinni Charms".  They are essentially Djinn in a crystallized form, either because they've been weakened or have yet to fully awaken.  Though not wielding their full powers, they can grant an ability to an Adept of their element if they equip them and lend their Psynergy to them. Only Adepts of the same element can equip them, so Isaac can only equip Venus Djinni Charms, Garret can only equip Mars Djinni Charms, Ivan can equip Jupiter Djinni Charms, and Mia can equip Mercury Djinni Charms.  Furthermore, only one Djinni charm can be equipped to an Adept at a time, so you'll have to consider which charms will best assist you for each situation to get the most out of them.


Djinni Charms can be found throughout your adventure, though you are not the only one seeking them. Some are already in possession of monsters known as Djinni Mimics.  Like normal Mimics, they first appear to be ordinary treasure chests.  If you engage one, they will immediately attack you and wield the elemental powers of the Djinn they've captured.  If you defeat one, you'll be granted with the Djinni they possessed in the form of a Djinni Charm.

Grand Djinni
In this world there are exceptionally strong Djinni known as the "Grand Djinni", like similar Djinni you may encounter if you approach them they will engage you in battle.  However, unlike a normal Djinni, these "Grand Djinni" have strength and abilities that rival even many of the bosses throughout the game. 

However, if you can beat them, they are the best Djinni in the game, having powerful abilities that will give you a strong edge in battle. There is one for each element, so keep that in mind throughout your adventure.



Adjustments to Overworld Abilities/Quality of Life Updates:
While majority of updates to Dawn of Djinn tie to combat, there are a few field exclusive updates.  First off, Retreat not only warps you to the start of a dungeon or town but now functions similarly to teleport when used on the world map.  Using Retreat pulls up the map and you can select any town that you've previously visited to instantly return there.  The linearity of Golden Sun doesn't make this as needed as other RPGs, but it does open up some options that would be unreasonable in the original game, such as Retreating back to Imil to restock on Hermes Water. 


Secondly, Avoid now behaves as a random encounter toggle rather than a wear off effect.  Using it once turns off 100% of random encounters, using it again turns them back on.  The adventure was built, and play tested around fighting all of your encounters, and there are some bugs making it hard to toggle encounters back on that can result from saving and quitting the game while you still have Avoid on. So I'd personally recommend only turning Avoid on for backtracking for a smooth, grind-less experience. Though the option is there for people who want to use it.


Building off the built in Psynergy the Randomizer provided, many utility Psynergy like Growth, Whirlwind, and even Avoid are built right into party members so they have them, regardless of your class. In addition, Psynergy not tied to battle no longer cost Psynergy to use. Though they have different names to distinguish from their battle equivalents. For example in battle Growth still cost Psynergy to use, but outside of battle it is refer to as "Sprout" but otherwise functions the same.


Psynergy items also behave differently as well.  Often when you first encounter them they won't be items, but rather weapons and armor you can equip to party members to get the effect without wasting an extra item slot.  When the equipment becomes out-classed, you can sell it at a shop and a more traditional Psynergy item will appear in any item shop's Artifact section. You can sell and re-buy the items as you please, freeing up inventory space if you're familiar enough with the game to know when you do and don't need them.


And I'll also include a playlist I've made specifically of these videos...
Dawn of Djinn Video Playlist
#18
Introductions / Finally here
05, January, 2022, 05:58:47 PM
Hello,
I've been a lurker on the forums for awhile now (been using a lot of the forms resources like the TLA Editor and the Golden Sun Randomizer generator on a couple projects I've been working on) and been hanging out in the Discord for a few months, thanks to Salanewt, I finally got a working account on here.

The Golden Sun series has had been a part of my life for a vast majority of it, it was a childhood Christmas present back around it's release, and it has drastically shaped my creativity and life ever since. Back around October last year I got the inspiration to look into Golden Sun modding.  I've had inspirations to make an RPG like Golden Sun for basically all my life but struggled actually getting anywhere with it. Minus the times I've explored said ideas and characters in my drawing.  I got to the point where learning how to mod Golden Sun felt like it could at least be a step towards that direction I'd be willing to take.

Biggest project I'm currently working on is a mod of the original (Broken Seal) Golden Sun.  Some people may know it as "Another Sunrise", though I've been bouncing between names for it, currently leaning towards "Alt Sunrise".  It started as a customized "hard mode", where I was going to buff stats the way Lost Age did and remixing the bosses move pool to make it more interesting.  Though the more I worked on it, the more I ended up adding and modifying with it and now it's an entirely remixed version of Golden Sun. Featuring new Djinni, Psynergy, items and more.  I'll be making a topic in the proper forum shortly to properly showcase what I have so far with the mod. Also using that as a place to share it once I'm ready to.  I did make a trailer showcasing a bit of it but I've already gotten and implemented several additional features since releasing that trailer.  So I'm hoping to make an updated video showcasing more about it eventually.  For now, while I get that ready though, I guess there's no harm sharing said trailer here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksfMLlVdIcc
(It's been awhile since I've last been on a forum, so if there's a way to turn a link into a video player, I'll have to figure that out later.)