Ye like I said earlier I goofed and was unable to update last week due to test and Java code being a pain in the arse but all will be good as I am giving and Update this week on Tuesday and Thursday as well as a bumper update on Saturday!

As for today I am going to look more at the game mechanics I have been plotting.

First on the agenda is the layout of the days

Monday-Friday will work on this Scheme:

Mourning:
Classes, Occasionally will give Knowledge Focus or Understanding

Afternoon: Walk about Town, Shop for medical items, purchase new games(games are used to increase you skill level), develop social links, Skill bonuses(by participating in various activities and social links)

Night:
Stay in Town option:
Develop Social Links, Buy Weapons, Skill Bonuses, Visit Pandora's Labrintith, and Visit Velvet Room

Go Home Options:
Develop Social Links, Play Video Games (Increase Skill), Spend time with Family (Increase Understanding), Study (Increase Knowledge), Sleep Early (Random +1 bonus to any S. Link)

The weekends in the game work unlike most other Persona's where as it's more a westernised school system. The reason for this is that I simply do not have enough knowledge of Japan to set it up authentically enough to be Japanese.

Weekends will be Saturday and Sunday and work like this:

Mourning: Call a Social Link to arrange plans(+2 extra bonus to chosen S. Link), Study for an Hour (Knowledge Increases), Play Video Game (Increase Skill), Do Chores (+Understanding + Focus)

Afternoon:
Walk about Town, Shop for medical items, purchase new games, develop social links, Skill bonuses, Work(Money and Stat Bonus)

Night:
Stay in Town option:
Develop Social Links, Buy Weapons, Skill Bonuses, Visit Pandora's Labrintith, and Visit Velvet Room, Work (Money and Stat Bonus)

Go Home Options:
Develop Social Links, Play Video Games (Increase Skill), Spend time with Family (Increase Understanding), Study (Increase Knowledge), Sleep Early (Random +1 bonus to any S. Link)

Pandora's Labyrinth is the dungeons for this Persona title like other persona games day by day their layout changes (with the exception of a few floors for bosses mid bosses etc.) These doors only appear at night and can only be see by 'The Branded' each of these dungeons spans over several floors and each one needs to be cleared as they appear. If the player fails to clear a dungeon section before the sky becomes jet black on a cloudless night the player will receive a non-standard game over.

New party members
This is by far the biggest change from the standard Persona games and is subject to change (as is any developments posted in my blog). As you level your Social Links some social links will complain that when they are around you or they think about you they get a burning tingling in their neck (the MC will also feel a similar pain) this Indicates that the social link you are working on is a member of 'The Branded' once their social link reaches level 4 they will Vanish and will be unavailable your scanning buddy(details still unknown) will then tell you one night as you enter Pandora's Labyrinth that he/she feels the presence of another human.

Once you locate the Social Link His/her Arcana will attack you starting a boss battle worth noting is that these encounters are planed to be scaled to the MC current P.level. so that it involves skill and wit to beat rather than sheer levelling power. These Social Link Bosses can be fought at any point of the game so long as the Social Link reaches Level 4.

After the Arcana falls down defeated the Social Link will take control of the Arcana and awaken his/her persona. The Social Link will be unavailable for 1 week after this as they recover from the ordeal.

Now let’s explore one of the Social Links:
Student Rep 'Amy West' the Moon Arcana
About 4 days into game your class needs to choose a representive for the student council and no matter who you choose it's going to end up being Amy. Bright and cheerful with a Harem of men from the class at the click of her fingers Amy tries hard to make sure everyone in the class is getting along and working hard. Turns out your a Blip on her Radar, the MC is a loner by default and one evening when you return from a compulsory exploration into Pandora's Labyrinth she spots you and drags you to a Night Club with her despite your objections! She spends the Night trying to work out how you work and by the end of it all declares she is going to make you a friendlier person thus starting the Moon Social Link.
By Level 4 she still hasn't given up on trying to make you a friendlier person but during the rank up event she starts getting dizzy and wonders off claiming to be heading for home. Turn out she gets sucked into Pandora's Labyrinth.

Eventually after you rescue her she starts to trust you opening up and she revels she isn't all smiles and giggles but is genuinely scared of being alone again worried all her 'boys' (AKA her friends) will find Girlfriends and forget about her. The Social Link resolves at level 10 with her realising no matter what happens she has friends who will look out for her and she won't be alone. It's at this point the MC can choose to hold her hand and enter a relationship with her or to hug her which will pursue the friendship path.

If she is the Highest Female S.Link at Christmas she will give you the USB Necklace which gives +5 Agi.

Well that’s all for today come back Thursday when the August Calendar will be up!

Sorry about the lack of updates guys last week I was busy with tests and writing Java code.
There will be an update today as I pick up where I left off I will be showing off the Student Rep Social Links and Highlighting and expanding on some of the game mechanics. It should be up around Lunch GMT.

The second blog and the second written version of this (the first one didnt post for some unknown reason).

To be very honest I had put alot of detail into it only to see it go poof is annoying but alas for now I will provide what I can to the auidence of Dtoid

Skills
To be honest this was the section I had most effort poured into and was disapointed at loosing all the data I worked so hard on and I dont have the heart to do it twice in one day without jotting the data down elsewhere so I'll give you the quick and narrow of it all

5 Skills
Knowledge-Good for tests
Skill- Good for completing taskes better
Understanding- Good for raising Knowledge and Trust
Trust- Good for Leveling Social Links
Focus- Good for Keeping on task
All Skills will be needed in some form for Social Links

Social Links:
Sample of my S.Link Ideas will be added in a special post tommrow

Velvet Room:
The Velvet room is set in a train carrage where igor sits alone where is Margaret? and what about the Compendium? All will be reveled in time

Hey my name is Michael, Also Known as Master Edge few quick Facts:
I am not a Ninja and even if I was I wouldn't be stupid enough to call out my attacks.
My Favourite Topping is Chicken
The world has assigned me to not hate but still be the Arch Nemesis of Mr Jim Sterling.

And now that the Obligatory introduction crap is done lets get down to the blogging:

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona... I haven't play 1 or 2 (I'll be getting Persona 1 when it comes out on PsP) but I have Played Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 and eagerly await news and info on Persona 5. I love Playing Persona and decided why I don’t have a go at writing and developing one.

Then Reality hit:
Persona would be a lot harder to develop and concept than I thought. With all the Social Links and Balance them so that a person could complete the game 100% in one play through. So I set myself a Challenge I am going to try and develop said Persona game and document it here for you guys on Destructoid. I plan to update you guys every Tuesday and Thursday with any new developments and ideas that have come out.


Concept:
Eons ago the God's created Pandora, she was a child of the gods created to seal the evil away, over time she sealed away each of the 13 Evils of the world. The Children of man and the God's rejoiced and gave thanks to the Keeper of Evil Pandora. While at first Pandora was pleased and proud of what she had done she spent long hours brooding over what she had become, from being a hero and a sealer of evil, to just a simple gatekeeper. Over the long days she became discontented and one day both she and the box that she used to seal the evils of the world away in vanished. The gods were at a loss over what had happened and searched frantically for Pandora and the box to no success. The Children of Man began to Panic; scared the evils would be unleashed upon them again they beset the gods to lend them aid. The God's tried but could not help the Children of Man. Over time Children were born with unusual markings on them in the shape of the chains around a black mist. Those Discontented with the God’s spread rumours that these children were destined to destroy the Children of Man with powers given to them by the God's. The people soon began to fear these 'Branded' Children as they awoke frightening powers summoning monsters to aid them. The Children of Man Panicked and decided to kill these Children but as they tried to the 'Banded' killed them. It became Taboo to talk about the Branded or their powers so over time people forgot about the powers of the 'Branded' and it just became a weird birth mark.
Fast Forward time to you the Main Character (hereby to be referred to as MC). Born with a strange mark on your neck you lived your life as a loner mocked for your strange marking. On the 26th of September the MC (who is 19 years old) is starting a new school locally to continue pursuing your chosen path in life.
Time passes over the first week without any major event happening. Then One evening as you leave school for home you notice a Crimson Door in front of you black points stick from it sides and the door itself seems to seep darkness oddly no one else around you notices the door as you approach it you notice the handle is a snake that looks so alive it might bite you. Your curiosity consumes you and you open the door from it black shadows reach out and grab the MC dragging him in. As the Main Character awakens he is in a black room the walls glowing with demonic yellow eyes before you stands a woman in a long red velvet dress that seems to move of its own accord, she has deep blue eyes and raven black hair that seems to float like it has a mind of its own; from her mouth seeps a black smoke. Looking upon you she grins revealing her sharp blood covered teeth. The Mark on your neck glows and causes you pain as she steps towards you.
"The 'Banded' are coming to me now? Oh ho... How fun I haven't played with one of your kind in eons..." she begins to cackle "Yes! Let us play!"
This cues a battle you the MC are unarmed with only basic attack she taunts you and you have to attack her. She casts a spell called 'Searing Evil' this caused you to take 50% of your health each time she will do this twice before you fall to your knees the Mark on your neck burning and searing you with pain. Then you see a light in front of you... your reach out to touch it as you do your eyes widen and you hear a voice "I Art thou and thou art I" then you utter the famous words that starts everything... "Per.... son....a!"

That’s the basic Idea and background to the game thus far on Thursday I intend to look at the what the basic mechanics of the Game will be called such as Social Links, Velvet room form, and Personal Stats.

Look forward to this guys!