Table of Contents


Forward [FRWD]

Background Info / Story [BIS]

Factions [FS]

Guild System [GS]

Graphics [GS]

Screenshots [SS]

Client Icon [CI]


Forward [FRWD]

Hello everyone, I figured I should introduce you all to my game that is currently In-Development. The name of it is Legacy of the Zodiac II.

Just so you all know, the game is NOT playable and will not be playable until it is finished; then I will have closed Beta and send the client out to a certain amount of people for them to test it. I will leave the Closed Beta Server up for a month to allow them to test and play as much as possible, then it will go and the accounts will be wiped and I will fix anything that was unbalanced, fix any errors etc and than put it up for Open Beta. If everything goes as planned, accounts will not be wiped after Open Beta.

First off you can visit the website for the game at http://www.legacyofthezodiac.net

There you can access the forums and access a wealth of other information about Legacy of the Zodiac II.

You might want to read the Development Chronicle I first or watch it here.

The first thing you should read is the story of Legacy of the Zodiac II. Before Legacy of the Zodiac II there was Legacy of the Zodiac and Legacy of the Zodiac II, the first two chapters are based on those games, the last four advance the story to Legacy of the Zodiac II and explain what it is about. So without further waiting, here is the story!

Background Info / Story [BIS]

This section has the background info on how the Zodiac came to be in the first place, and all the trouble it caused. By reading these you will gain an understanding of the "Legacy of the Zodiac". The story is broken down into sections based on the time period of that section and such.

I made a video of this with narration by me, so you can just listen to the story if you don't feel like reading it. The link to the video can be found below.

Narrated Background Info/Story

Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter I - Before EX)

Part I

Centuries ago… the world wasn’t as it is today… Some lands were the same as they are now. But there were many that were not. Armies waged war against each other for control of lands and for wealth. Armies ravaged through cities and towns destroying all in their path… Women… children… anything… Rivers of blood flowed everywhere… Skulls were bashed against rocks and stones… There was one sword that was said to have the power to destroy an army with a single blow… The sword was called the Zodiac. The sword had the power of the twelve mighty Zodiacs. Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus and Virgo. If any man was to brandish the Zodiac, certain doom would be the fate of the earth, and all of its populace…

Part II

The Zodiac was a double edged sword. On one hand it has supreme curative capability. It could transform an inhospitable wasteland into a luscious forest. Whereas on the other hand the Zodiac could decimate anything in the vicinity. The Zodiac was originally created by the twelve Zodiacs as a weapon that could mend wounds of the earth and raze anything and anyone that would cause detriment to the earth. All of the Zodiacs added a fraction of their powers to the sword. With the realization of the damage the sword could do in the hands of a human, they decided to seal away the Zodiac at the heart of the earth; where no man could grasp it. The only way to get to the heart of the earth was passage through the Zulu Gorge, a passage that let right to the heart of the earth. The zodiacs created several beings; branded as the Sentinels. The Zulu Gorge was situated on the great southern continent; Celestria. Celestria was called home by a clan called the Celestria Guard. They were engaged in countless wars with the clan of the north; the Crimson Knights. Wars prolonged in a never –ending cycle of death. Clans changed over time, old ones passed away, new ones emerged; alliances were founded. In time though, Celestria was at the hands of the northerners… Fearing that the Zodiac would be in danger soon, the Sentinels ventured down to the heart of the earth; through the Zulu Gorge. The Sentinels planned to do away with the Zodiac, so that no human could ever brandish such a sword. They all rained down on the Zodiac; willing to give their lives to rid the earth of the sword. Thus was not their duty, their duty; and soul purpose for creation was to protect the sword. Alas, they awakened the Zodiac, which then proceeded to use all of its vigor to wipe out the Sentinel’s. This in turn wiped out the earth. While the earth was in its final precious moments, the Zodiacs gathered to try and stop what was about to come… The sword overtook them and merged with the Zodiacs…

Part III

When it looked like all was lost, and the earth ceased to exist… The Zodiac used its supreme curative prowess; it was too late to restore the earth. Instead, a fresh earth was created. The sword consumed enormous amounts of its power… The sword was at a critical point, where it couldn’t continue creating the earth. The power of all the Zodiacs that the Zodiacs imbued the sword with could no longer be contained, the power burst out of the sword in a rainbow of colors, only to disintegrate… Like a chain reaction, the Zodiacs used this opening to escape from the sword. Together they finished creating the new earth. They decided that the only way they could truly lock away the Zodiac, was by either destroying or sealing away themselves. But now that the power of themselves that they each put into the Zodiac was gone, no one without all of their power could wield the sword. Even so, without the pure energy of the Zodiac within the sword, it was quickly becoming tainted with darkness… The Zodiacs sealed themselves and the Zodiac away in another dimension… Finally ridding the earth of the Zodiac, as well as putting the fate of the earth in the hands of the humans…

Legacy of the Zodiac EX (Chapter II - Aftermath)

Part I

That was three centuries ago… The Zodiac hasn’t been seen or heard of since. No one has seen the Zodiacs either. Humans have changed quite considerably since then. War remains a part of daily life though, as it always will be with humans. Four main continents exist, the Northern Continent which consists of places such as Haven. Haven was remodeled from hieroglyphics that depicted how Haven was before what the humans called “the great destruction.” The hieroglyphics were left by the Zodiacs, in an attempt to guide the humans in the right direction. The Zodiacs left secrets all around the new earth, from damp caves to high mountains. These secrets hinted at what actually happened. They were very well concealed though. Many people had different theories about what happened, and a few have even slain each other over it. The second continent is the great southern continent of Zhu Jin. This is a continent host to many creatures and tribes. The third continent is the western continent, which consists of mainly Ryoko and Kenshi. Ryoko is home to many groups of dragons, as well as dragoons. Kenshi is home to a few monks and wandering rogues. The fourth continent is the eastern continent, which consists of a large city called Shinjoku. It is surrounded by a large wall to fortify its defenses. Many gather there, such as fishermen. But mainly it is home to many great samurais. Each continent consists of an army or “clan” which resides in the continent. They are the main source of war these days. They are not always opposed to each other though, they form alliances and the like.

Part II

Lately though, something has been stirring in the south… heavy storms swell and move in from remote places out in the oceans. Strange sightings have been reported on most of the main continents…

Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter III - Stormy Weathers)

The Earth's atmosphere is changing drastically, continents are beginning to sink at rates unthinkable. Tornadoes are destroying forests and leaving them as harsh unkempt wastelands. Storms are almost a daily occurrence, and they occur with such force that dozens die from them everyday, land is lost, lives are lost. Strange beings in hooded cloaks have been sighted around the continents mumbling something about the Zodiacs, mentioning their names... A land mass seems to be forming in the south as well as other places. The strange thing is, some days the land is visible, while some days it is not. Anyone who has tried to go near the land when it is visible didn't come back, for what reason nobody knows. They could have been killed, or gotten stuck on the island or anything else. One thing is for certain, nothing seems right; it seems like reality is being warped. Almost as if the earth is in contact with something else... something...

Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter IV - Pieces to the Puzzle)

Part I

Conditions are becoming increasingly worse. Also, it has been confirmed, the Earth is in contact with something else. The cloaked wanderers were followed to their place of dwelling; a desolate den fit for only the most unearthly creatures. They were spied on, the information that was gained that day was choking. It seems that they had a book, written by their "God" Nerevar. The book was called the Revelus Colisius. The book told a story of how the all mighty sword, the Zodiac, was sealed away with the twelve Zodiacs in an alternate dimension. That alone was startling news, and that alone was evidence of what actually happened those many years ago. All the natural disasters, everything that had been going wrong was being done by Nerevar and his foul followers. What was happening was that Nerevar's followers were slowly laying a spell that would connect and intertwine the world with the dimension the Zodiacs were in. This would effectively not only bring the Zodiac within Nerevar's grasp, but also bring the twelve Zodiacs within his grasp and wipe out most of the life on earth, once the world and the dimension were finally combined.

Part II

The two dimensions combined would also change the earth very much, since the other dimension is actually another world. For the two worlds to combine, parts of each world must be destroyed and replaced by parts of the other world. Kind of like when two sets of puzzles are mixed and you try and put them together - all the pieces can't be used. The "pieces" are parts of each world, and each world is a separate puzzle. All together Nerevar's plan was a recipe for disaster. It was too late to stop it though, the damage done to the earth was already too great; and the gathering they witnessed was the gathering before the final part of the plan was put into action. That night, the final part of the plan would begin...

Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter V - The Puzzle Completed)

Part I

The "puzzle" was almost complete, Nerevar and his unearthly followers had all gathered at the giant southern land mass; which was now completely there; completely in existence. They had erected a pedestal made of the finest ores available, where we all assumed the Zodiac would appear. Tens of thousands of Nerevar's followers were all crowded around that single pedestal, in never ending rows. It looked like a never ending sea of black hooded cloaks. Nerevar stood nearest to the pedestal, leading his followers in a also seemingly never ending chant. They spoke in a tongue none of us could understand or even begin to understand. They chanted for what seemed like days, it kept going on and on in an endless cycle. Eventually a great wind began to blow, the great oceans surrounding the landmass began to clash; giant waves assaulted the shores and mountains of the landmass. Lightning razed the ground and blew holes in the side of great mountains. A great fog settled in around the landmass, it seemed every element, every form of nature was assaulting the earth. Everyone was anxious to find out what would happen next.

Part II

Then, all of a sudden an immense lightning bolt shot down from the clouds and struck the pedestal Nerevar had erected. The great ocean of hooded beings roared and shouted, but Nerevar shouted even louder and silenced them. It became hard to breath, the air pressure greatly increased; forcing our arms and legs closer to our bodies. From where we were, we could faintly see some kind of sword appearing, than disappearing and appearing again on top of the pedestal. Another bolt of lighting struck the pedestal and finally the sword was there; completely. It hovered over the pedestal. It was the great Zodiac, we could not believe our mortal eyes... The sword did not move at all, then all of a sudden it rose higher into the air. The wind started to blow with great fury towards the Zodiac. Along the wind, faint images of the Zodiacs flew. After a while all of the twelve Zodiacs hovered around the great sword. The winds subsided and Nerevar stepped forward. He held out his hand and with some sort of magic drew the Zodiacs towards the sword. The Zodiacs let out wails and screams of pain and anger, they held out their hands and began releasing as much of their energy as they could possibly release; but they could not release it all. Nerevar had sealed the Zodiacs inside the great sword. The Zodiacs did not exist anymore, there was only one "Zodiac" remaining now, the sword. The sword now had all of the Zodiacs powers inside of it, it was complete again. Now Nerevar could wield the sword and rain destruction upon mankind. But something happened, something Nerevar did not expect...

Part III

Nerevar grasped the Zodiac by its hilt, when he did so the hilt of the Zodiac became as hot as the core of the earth. Even Nerevar couldn't hold onto the sword and he dropped it, the heat was so great that it burned off his hand and his arm caught on fire. The right side of his body began to burn away into ash. The Zodiac still had a mind of it's own though, in a final act of self control the Zodiac cut Nerevar in half. Nerevar's scream was so loud and so great that it was heard around the whole earth, from Kenshi all the way to Shinjoku; his scream was heard. Nerevar's body disintegrated and was blown away by the wind. All of a sudden the ground began to shake violently, fissures appeared all over the ground. Giant waves crashed against the great mass of land. Then immense waves from all sides rose up, over the land and began to fall towards the land. The waves crashed down on the island, covering it completely with water; drowning anyone that was on it. The puzzle, Nerevar's puzzle was finally complete. Both worlds had been combined, and the Zodiac was back and in it's most powerful form; it had the power of all twelve Zodiacs and now could be brandished by any who found it.

Legacy of the Zodiac II (Chapter VI - New World, New Struggles)

Part I

The world was now a new world, part old world, part new world. The new world was from the dimension the Zodiacs had sealed themselves and the Zodiac in. Even the parts of the old world that remained had been changed and rearranged, little looked the same as it had. Anything from the old world was changed by the weather and the sole process of the other dimension being fused with it.

Part II

Now that the Zodiac is on earth, Factions began to appear. The different Factions had different ideas on what they would do when they got the Zodiac. When the island that the Zodiac was on was hit with the great waves, the Zodiac had been lost. No one knows where it rests now, but many are determined to find it. There is a faction called the Zodiacs, they are the descendants of the twelve Zodiacs, they even have some of the power of the Zodiacs. These people were born and created from the power the Zodiacs released before they were sealed into the Zodiac. The other survivors were either part of the Valarians or the Gardavians. The Valarians planned to use the Zodiac for destruction, while the Gardavians wanted to do good with the sword. The Zodiacs believed the sword must be sealed away and never again touched or used by any humans. There were even some beings that were created and came to be because of the remains of Nerevar that were blown away after he was killed by the Zodiac. Therefore, those beings have the same ideals and values as well as ambitions that Nerevar himself once had.

Part III

With the rise of the factions and the return of the Zodiac, a time of great war begins. What will happen next? That is for you to decide...

So, now I bet you want to know about the Factions? I'll feed your yearning for Information; just look below and you will wonder no more!

You can either read the information from this post, or view the page on the Wiki , which can be found here.

PLEASE NOTE: This is the complete and most likely final list of all the classes and factions of Legacy of the Zodiac II.

Factions [FS]

In Legacy of the Zodiac II there are three total factions. They are what separates the classes of Legacy of the Zodiac II. The factions are based around their views of what should be done with the Zodiac now that it has been unsealed from it's place of rest. The following is a breakdown of the three factions.


Zodiac

The Zodiac faction are humans that have descended from the actual Zodiacs; therefore they refer to themselves as Zodiacs most of the time. They have a large portion of the powerful magic the Zodiacs possessed flowing through their body. Since they are descendants of the Zodiacs, they share the same viewpoints towards the Zodiac. As the Zodiacs believed, they believe no one should be allowed to wield or use the Zodiac, not even themselves. Which is why the Zodiac was sealed away at the core of the earth in the first place. Now that the Zodiac has been released, the Zodiacs are ready to do whatever it takes to seal the Zodiac away once again.

The following is a list of the classes in the Zodiac faction.

Arch

The Arch is a ranged melee warrior. It uses lightweight dual swords that can be swung quickly. Rather than just cutting their opponents open, they use the magical power flowing through their bodies that they obtained from being the descendants of Scorpio to create focused blade slash waves. Their slash waves have a range of approximately 3-4 tiles away. They are also able to focus all of their power into a homing blade slash commonly called an air slash.

Acolyte

The Acolyte is the main spell caster of the Zodiac faction. They are able to cast devastating spells that take advantage of the magic they posses; bestowed upon them by many of the Zodiacs. They use Staves and Fans to release there magical powers in the form of deadly spells. They also have the ability to help their allies by temporarily bestowing some of the Zodiac power they posses onto their allies, as well as amplifying their own powers.

Artisan

The Artisan is a balanced melee warrior. Artisans are skilled in both attack and defense, but not as highly skilled in each as the Varhans are with strength and the Gardians are with defense. The Artisans used medium weight swords which aren't too slow yet aren't too fast. The Artisans have been gifted by the Zodiacs with two special abilities. They are able to tap into some of the offensive power of Aries, which boosts their own for a short period of time. Artisans may also tap into the defensive powers of Capricorn, boosting their own for a short period of time. Through these two abilities, the Artisans can supplement their offensive or defensive capabilities depending on the situation they are in. The Artisans may also attack with devastating blade slashes that reach up to two squares away. When fighting an Artisan you must be especially careful since they could tap into the power of Aries or Capricorn at any moment, catching you off guard.


Valarian

The Valarian faction is comprised of humans that all share the same ends. They all want to conquer and destroy with the Zodiac, they are hungry for power and often targeted by the Zodiacs. Not only do they go against the Zodiacs in that they want to use the Zodiac, but they want to use it for personal gain and destruction. The Zodiacs definately do not want the Zodiac to fall into the hands of the Valarians.

The following is a list of the classes in the Valarian faction.

Varhan

The Varhan is a closed ranged; in your face warrior. The Varhan is a warrior based on bone crushing strength. They use a variety of weapons consisting of swift light weight swords, slow but deadly heavy swords as well as medium weight axes. Varhans have made many names for themselves because of their prowess in battle. One of which is berserker. That name mainly comes from the state they enter from using their greatest ability; bloodrage. Bloodrage sends them into a enraged frenzy boosting their attack power and attack speed but at a price; halfing their health upon entering the bloodrage state. Because of the damage to their body, they must recover before performing it again.

Gardian

The Gardians are a closed ranged warrior like the Varhan, but there is one main difference between the two warrior classes. That difference is that the Varhans focus on strength to kill their opponents quickly, while the Gardians focus on defense so they can endure and take on many opponents at once! Just like the Varhans though, the Gardians use a variety of weapons, swift light weight swords, slow but deadly heavy swords as well as medium weight axes. Gardians are often called tanks, because they can withstand tons of damage. This is mainly due to their greatest ability. That ability is none other than tension. Tension tightens the muscles and hardens the skin of the Gardians. Increasing their defense by leaps and bounds. This sort of thing comes with damage to the body of course, half their health is drained upon the use of tension. This is because each use of tension damages their blood vessels as well as their muscles.

Heretic

The Heretics are a dark breed of sorcerers, they are pure spell casters and masters of death and confusion. They channel their energy through their great staves. The Heretics are the most hateful towards the Zodiacs of all the Valarians, they strongly believe the original Zodiacs didn't even exist, and that the Zodiacs are just liars and deceivers that want the Zodiac for themselves. The Heretics are able to tap into the power of Nerevar the God of death and destruction to increase their magical powers immensely. The Heretics are able to cast spells that send their opponents into a horrible confusion causing them to lose site of their target (the Heretic) and switch targets to another being. Heretics are also masters of poison, and most every spell the Heretics know drain mana from their target. Overall the Heretic is one being you do not want to encounter.


Gardavian

The Gardavian faction is comprised of people that both share the same views of the Zodiac. They don't see it as a tool not fit to be used by any human. Nor do they see the Zodiac is a tool for destruction and war. The Gardavians see the Zodiac as a tool that can be used for the good of man kind, not for the destruction of man kind. Even so, the Zodiacs still don't approve of the use of the Zodiac by any humans. The Zodiacs don't feel as much hostility towards the Gardavians as they do towards Valarians, yet the Zodiacs still will not allow the Gardavians to use the Zodiac for their own ends. Even if their ends are good.

The following is a list of the classes in the Gardavian faction.

Peltast

The Peltast are a hybrid breed of warriors. Hybrid meaning they do not focus on strength or defense, they focus on both. Unlike how the Varhan focus on strength and the Gardian focus on defense. They do not believe in those ways, they believe that balance between the two is the best and only way to become a truly great warrior. The Peltast also opt for a different pool of weapons than the Varhan and Gardian. The pool consists of spears and lances. One of the Peltast's strong point is to be able to deliver strong thrusts with their spears and lances. If they are lucky they will pierce right through the opponent's armor, completely negating the protection they receive from it. This causes a great amount of damage! The Peltast posses a unique ability which allows them to increase their chance of piercing their opponent's armor. The Peltast focus around using their ability to pierce through their opponent's armor to take the opposition down.

Hawkeye

The Hawkeyes are a ranged weaponry class. Their weapon of choice is the bow and arrow. They use their extremely precise eye sight to send arrows flying at their foes from afar. They can send arrows flying up to seven squares away! They posses a few abilities that allow them to send homing arrows at close ranges, very close that is, as well as flaming arrows to burn their opponents. As the Peltasts do, the Hawkeyes focus on strength and defense; not just one of them.

Priest

The Priest's are a spell caster class, but they are not as strong as the Acolytes. That is because they have abilities that the Acolytes do not. The Priest's have a wide range of healing spells to mend the wounds of their injured allies, as well as casting protective spells to lower the damage allies take. Priest's are also very skilled in health magic, they can increase the rate at which one heals their own wounds, and increase their total health by much more than the Acolytes can. All around the Priest's focus on everything the Acolytes do not focus on. The Priest's focus on reducing damage, healing the damage done and such. While the Acolytes focus on dealing the damage.

Guild System [GS]

I made this little guide to show people what the ranks will be and such in the LoZ II Guild System. I know you all know about the Invite System so just ignore that, but most of the people from my game's community are used to X-Realms where there is no actual "Invite"; you just clicked Invite and it put them in the guild; which was lame =p.



Graphics [GS]

I spent a week completely designing the tile sheet, and it was worth it. The tilesheet for my last game was 32k Pixels in length, the new one for Legacy of the Zodiac II is 92k Pixels in length! I'm also using all RMXP (RPGMakerXP) style tiles for this game; which are my favorite tiles. I also spent a day adding tons of new items sprites and organizing them by type. For example, weapons come first on the sheet, then armors, helmets, shields etc. I also recently spent about a week adding hundreds of new item sprites to accommodate for a certain feature of the game.

Screenshots [SS]

Below I will show you a few maps I have made so far. I just started working on the actual game yesterday (Saturday October 27th). Before that I was working on the creation of the website, the forums and the GFX as well as Factions and Classes and the story and stuff of the like. Mainly Pre-Development things.

This is a small sample of the Haven Harbor and one of the maps leading to the first town (Haven).



This is the inside of the boat you saw at the bottom left hand corner of the top half of the Haven Harbor. When you die and respawn in the game you will respawn on the crossed wooden planks on the bottom half of the map.



To view further screenshots visit the Screenshots page on the Wiki located here.

Client Icon [CI]

This is most likely what the Icon for the Legacy of the Zodiac II Client will look like. I spent a few hours designing it in various sizes for the final icon, hope you like it.



Some people have told me that you can't really see the LoZ on the Icon; anyone else think so as well?


Other than the Information I have provided above and any you find on the Wiki; there is nothing else to show you all at the time.

Once I get farther into the In-Game development I will update you all with more information.


If you wish to contact me just add me on MSN Messenger, my MSN is scythecgc@gmail.com

Thanks for listening,

-Scythe