I plan to develop it further - the ability to read the sign posts is the next thing on my list.
I'll add the NPC's after that.
As far as I know, Flash 8 cannot store files directly, but it can call batch scripts, so it may be possible to save progress in one of the following methods, depending on how the final RPG is distributed:
* In a database on a web server (usually expensive, but I have a couple of empty MySQL DBs to play with on my web server)
* As a Flash Shared Object (works from the internet, but the data is stored on the client's machine, so if they delete their Flash Cookies, the data is lost)
* As a CSV/XML file through a batch script (works offline, players cannot interact directly, hardest one to implement)
I can take care of the Flash coding - I'm not so good as a graphic artist nor as a musician, but I can import the work of others, so this could work as a collaborative effort.
The first original game I'll make with this will involve the "Bar(code) Wars" characters from a similar JavaScript game I tried to make a few years ago. I'll see if I still have the old graphics, maps and codes.
It may also be possible for me to make a version of this where the graphics are not embedded in the .exe/.swf, so anybody can use it to write an RPG, as long as they know how to write the maps and name the graphic files correctly.