Shouzo Kaga, the father of the Fire Emblem series who left Intelligent Systems in 1999, has been working on a new game using program a called SRPG Studio. Similar to the RPG Maker series, SRPG Studio allows players to create their own strategy role playing games with limited assets. The official site has some more details on how it will allow people to do that.
To begin, SRPG Studio has a deep character creation feature. It allows players to give names and titles to their characters, as well as assign their level, class, equipped items, role in the battle, and various parameters like attack, defense, speed, and so on. In addition to the unit overview tab, each of these categories has their own individual tab that allows for even more detailed customization. You’ll choose from several sprites included with the game to represent a character, as well as choose which portrait will be associated with them during dialogue events.
While RPG Maker allows players to make titles that rely on a random encounter and turn-based battle systems akin to the original Final Fantasy games, SRPG Studio focuses on two elements unique to the strategy RPG genre: editing maps on which battles actively take place, and creating animated attack scenes for individual units. Characters move over the maps like any Fire Emblem game, and the player can customize them to include obstacles or events triggers.
The animated attack scene editor allows you to edit a character’s movement and adjust their hit boxes frame-by-frame. Here the player selects from a long list of existing character sprites that are much more detailed than their overworld counterparts. This is another way players can differentiate their characters from other units in the game. Custom dialogue can be added to event triggers on the map, or between certain characters in the heat of battle. Scenes that stitch together the battles can also be created using stock background art.
Moreover, in a FAQ for the game, the developers note that SRPG Studio is being considered for a western release.
