Planned Release Date: 2035

About This Game

I know I'm supposed to pitch the game here, but I ain't doing that yet.

I'm here to tell you that I'm not super "professional." There will be jokes, but I treat the universe seriously. So I hope you enjoy the world and the read.

If you don't like reading, you're gonna have a bad time.

There is a lot of reading in some of these games, and I personally don't know when to shut up.

These aren’t quick dopamine hits.

They’re slow burns,  games that respect your time, but expect your patience.

They don’t hold your hand, and they sure as hell don’t chase your attention span.

If that scares you, that’s fine. Go scroll TikTok.

If you want AAA "quality", "standards", and "professionalism"? The gutter is over there.

Watch your step.

Also. any and all release dates are just... I have no damn idea when i'll get done with things. so they're like +5 or +10 years in the future 🤷

anyways.

That being said... time for a little seriousness. Because this game demands respect.
Not from you, but from me.

Here is a super ... SUPER summarized lore blerb.

First and foremost, Ardron is a universe.
In any of these games, you’ll be playing in that universe (duh).

The quickest way I can explain the lore goes like this:

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At first, there was nothing... and then there was something. (Real original, huh?)

The specifics are muddy.
Six individuals coasted across the nothing(the void) until they encountered a figure of unimaginable power.
This figure, (bored, I guess,) decided to give each of them a color, each representing a piece of the six types of Mana it possessed. This removed the figure from existence living through the 6 creatures themselves.

The six individuals became gods, not as powerful as the figure, but still, gods.

With this power, they created their own universes, all interconnected, and started crafting creatures and places in their universes.

One thing led to another. (God, that's lazy writing)

There became a conflict which ended up lasting for 10,000 years... 

in the end all there was left was ashes... of mana. 

OR ARCANUM AS SOME MIGHT SA- yeah you see where that's going.

Even is The Ardron Universe? And Why Should You Care?

Basically, it’s Final Fantasy written by Tolkien right after he found out Cthulhu actually exists.... that's the best way i can summarize it.

Because Ardron doesn't treat you like a chosen hero, or an idiot.
It treats you like a person with respect, and still dares you to carve out meaning anyway.

If you want a power fantasy? This isn't it. 

There’s no clear good or evil,
only choices, and the weight they carry.
Every action has context. Every consequence lingers. Every benefit prospers.

In Ardron,  just because you’re the hero in one story, doesn't mean you aren't the villain in another.
But you still have the right to celebrate.

Because survival...your survival, is still something worth honoring, and that's all were trying to do.... Is survive.

In real life... Or in Ardron. 

In these games you will live through stories, or experience someone else's, and sooner or later... You'll understand. 

All I'm giving you is a key. It's up to you to walk through the door.

[REMOVED]

See the DLC pages for more in depth Information

Speaking of ^ this line. 
The DLC will all be FREE. and automatically included with the game.
They literally only have pages so I can go into more depth per game :) (there MIGHT be spoilers)

So. That’s the gist of it.
Wishlist if you want to keep up with things.

When you buy this game, it’s yours.
Not a subscription. Not a license you’re renting.
You paid for it,  you keep it. Period.

There’s no DRM here.
You can copy it, back it up, install it offline, it’ll still run.
Steam is optional. It’s just a convenience layer.
You’ll lose things like achievements, cloud saves, and Steam servers, but everything else still works, including P2P multiplayer. Long as you know how to port forward, you don't need Steam at all.

The only thing you can’t do is claim you made it.
Everything else? mod it, play it, don't play it and keep it as one of those 500 games you'll "get too eventually"?

Sure, go wild.

Want to turn off Steam’s DRM entirely?
There will be an included read me telling you how to do so in the PLAYERFILES folder.

[Help Wanted]

look. I know the art’s rough and the music’s kinda trash. that’s fine,  it got the point across.
but I want the Ardron Universe to actually look and sound like what’s in my head.

so: I’m hunting for two people.

• Pixel Artist: UI, backgrounds, sprites, the whole crunchy aesthetic package.

• Musician: retro console style,  NES/SNES energy, 5-channel or MIDI-based compositions.

[Requirements]

you’ll have creative freedom,  follow your instincts, your vibe, your weird.
just make sure it fits the world’s tone and context. cohesion is key.
I can be picky, but I’m fair.

I work fast, but I’m not gonna demand crunch. if you’ve got a job, a life, whatever,  cool.
just keep a reasonable turnaround, and open communication <-- that one's important. 

If you're busy? can't work? life gets in the way? Let. me. know.

Otherwise, you know, update me what you're working on, so I can give pointers,critiques, etc etc.

I know how long I take to do pixel art and music, so if you're slower than a newbie, that's kind of unacceptable. ya feel?

I'm basically employing you, treat it as such. You know.... Do the bare minimum to get paid 👉😎👉 but do the work.

if it’s too much, no hard feelings.
I’ll remove your work cleanly so the next person’s style doesn’t clash.

[Payment]

the split’s simple:
33% for me, 33% for the artist, 33% for the musician.
rule of threes. everyone eats, everyone’s work matters.

you’ll get paid when I do. I’ll show proof of all revenue so you know you’re getting your cut.
I’m not here to scam anyone,  just trying to finish this damn universe before I’m 80.

Using CashApp is the easiest for me, but I also have Paypal(god, screw that company...but i have it)

we’ll coordinate mostly on Discord (required).



if you’re interested, hit me up on Discord. (Post in the Applications channel)

(Discord will be available when the games playable. You need a thing from inside the game to enter the discord. Security you see.)

or email me at TophatsAndTales@gmail.com. include some of your work as attachments, obviously.

[Final Words]

let’s build something worth remembering, besides all this other "get rich quick" cash grab bullshit on the store anymore. 

Why post on here instead of like...reddit? 

Well one... have ya been on reddit? no thanks.

Two. The only mf that's going to care enough to even attempt this position is someone passionate about games, not someone trying to farm karma with their totally legit "yard sale finds".

So yeah. PEACE~

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

Nope scrap this part - deleted
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Well I guess with Daemon Protocol in the mix now. I can proudly say Daemon Protocol uses Ai generated images for its fight system on Discord. Why? It matches the universe/aesthetics/ and everything else.
If you told a holodeck to generate (x) enemy? Yeah. you'd get AI images. so 😎 deal with it.

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

Well with Ashes of Arcanum. The GM can do and create anything. so your mileage may vary.
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In Graces Lament, The main character will possibly fight and kill many creatures, and may use resources that are "drugs" to get temporary boosts.