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Interesting concept, but it just doesn't translate well into screenshots as it's something that really needs to be seen and experienced rather than viewed. I may try a demo when I get a chance just to see.
Interesting concept, but it just doesn't translate well into screenshots as it's something that really needs to be seen and experienced rather than viewed. I may try a demo when I get a chance just to see.
-Axe
Very true, only so much to get out of an image, even if I had some dialogue in the image (I chose not to) it would only be part of the scenes, which at the start of the game changes based on who you have in party when you see X.
Since the majority of skills are 100% fully coded (only about 4 aren't fully done) I've cut down a lot on the time till said demo will be available. I don't want just 30 minutes of game time, I feel that's not enough to grasp the story telling (because it's not teh epic save the world kinda plot, it's about these 4 characters) let alone enough time to explore the skill trees and find a strategy you like.
So far I'm almost done with the starting area for now (before you get any Words). A demo would be available likely whenI get the first main game part of it at least partly done (to a state where you won't have to make a new game to continue on, making sure I record anything I would need to know regarding choices the first time so this won't occur).
Thanks for the support, yes, I'm wordy, I know.
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Put up the title screen and a new screenie. Progress has been fantastic and once I get past setting up the skill trees and skill sharing (a skill that requires mass preparation but allows you to copy/paste skill sets, teh epics!) I should be nearly ready for a demo lasting 30+ minutes at least. There's another title screen I made which I'm awaiting feedback to decide which one is better. This image just has ink blots on it as a detail:
The next update will be new screenies showing off all of the skill trees, not just Metoh's Irony. I'll also be updating Metoh's Irony screenie as I'll adding parallaxes in all skill trees for fancy graphics.
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QUOTE (Cleril @ Jul 10 2011, 06:16 AM)
Bump as I've updated the story section, added some additional credits, changed a screenie (or two), and added in an "Additional Features" section to elaborate more on the gameplay outside of combat along with story features.
Sweet. I do wish to try this game; it's rather interesting. c:
Bump as I've updated the story section, added some additional credits, changed a screenie (or two), and added in an "Additional Features" section to elaborate more on the gameplay outside of combat along with story features.
Sweet. I do wish to try this game; it's rather interesting. c:
I'm releasing an unofficial demo soon, would you like to have it? Just PM me and you'll get it when it's ready, which it almost is methinks.
Official demo will be about another week.
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Words has been officially released in Demo form and will be updated with new content every now and then as I see fit. Currently the game will last you about 2 hours per playthrough if you do everything available. It has enough replay value for 10+ hours as of now.
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I've had played up to the camp part, played 1hr and 8 minutes (only because I played previous part and read the dialogue) and it was well made. I've taken down some errors during my play. Here they are:
Open
The lady by the shop (in the beginning) can repete her dialoge if you talk to her, talk to Tina and play the game,
thn talk to her again... But this time she asks where's Tina.
Learning rich life for Metoh in irony section selects "double up" option if pressed cancel. Re-check cancel option
for that.
During the scene where Bole has to find bandages, you can go to the dirt hole and fill it again... But it's Metoh
saying it.
The camp door animation needs a fix. Like currently it's at frame 3 but the animation goes (2, 3, 4). Also, if you
enter once, the door is fully closed... You know what, when you explain that we can do free travel just close the
door completely.
When entering the destroyed home town (I don't remember names) again, two sets of music plays (original and the map
music).
When you talk to Ria, she tells you to sit. When you are transfered to the seat, she doesn't face you.
The weapon/armor shop in Deton has a note on the crate... You can't read it... Or what that the point?
The weapon/armor shop in Deton has the same "cancel" option as Metoh's double up one. Suggest repairing that.
When using the book, you should put the fade in effects off unless you fix it by making the player's opacity 0
before you enter the area.
You teleport to the camp when you use your book, BTW.
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I just completed the introduction (at least, I guess it was... the characters just created the campsite) and I'm liking very much what I've seen until now.
I love how the characters are archetypes (reinforced by their "class" and the name of their "skill trees"), but at the same time feel more real than the majority of characters out there. And I like the main character, which is always a plus since I'm stuck as him. Also, the fact than the characters have something to say about most of the background objects helps making both them and the world feel more alive.
I can't say very much about combat until now, since I've just discovered the books. Maybe the first monsters (hornets and bats) have a little too much health... since they're not very dangerous, it makes the combat a bit too long without making it more interesting.
And... I just don't see many skills I like. I like the idea of them having "side effects", but most of the "personal skills" seem to have at least as many bad sides than good ones, so I'm just spending all of the inks on good old elemental imagery.
I can't say anything about the graphics, since I just dislike the VX style, but there are some clashing tiles around that could be corrected, and also I think sometimes you use the wrong tile for the "border" of interiors... but I've never used VX, so I'm not sure. I like the facesets, though. (I don't know if they're RTP, created, or what)
I just completed the introduction (at least, I guess it was... the characters just created the campsite) and I'm liking very much what I've seen until now.
I love how the characters are archetypes (reinforced by their "class" and the name of their "skill trees"), but at the same time feel more real than the majority of characters out there. And I like the main character, which is always a plus since I'm stuck as him. Also, the fact than the characters have something to say about most of the background objects helps making both them and the world feel more alive.
I can't say very much about combat until now, since I've just discovered the books. Maybe the first monsters (hornets and bats) have a little too much health... since they're not very dangerous, it makes the combat a bit too long without making it more interesting.
And... I just don't see many skills I like. I like the idea of them having "side effects", but most of the "personal skills" seem to have at least as many bad sides than good ones, so I'm just spending all of the inks on good old elemental imagery.
I can't say anything about the graphics, since I just dislike the VX style, but there are some clashing tiles around that could be corrected, and also I think sometimes you use the wrong tile for the "border" of interiors... but I've never used VX, so I'm not sure. I like the facesets, though. (I don't know if they're RTP, created, or what)
More when I actually finish this!
Words is going to be a long game so the characters will be developed throughout which is why they are archetypes right now. I'd hopefully to have them flow into more original forces as the game goes as right now I'm giving you the basics. Once you get your books is when the game itself folds into what Words wants to be.
Ah, nice you caught onto that. I tried to match their skill trees (their rhetoric) with their personality. Metoh (metaphor) is like a leader to the group (metaphor making a comparison using like or as). They're real because they have flaws. Disu is not independent, Metoh is a bit of a drinker, and Bole has anger management issues. Ling right now hasn't shown her flaws just yet. In any case the characters will be fleshed throughout the entire game so I'm slow with giving out their traits and details.
I want Words to have a lot of lore running throughout which is why characters will discuss the world they live in and you'll later find books that you can read on your own (that is, normal books, not the ones you use to fight with) to learn about how civlilization crumbled. You'll also visit a variety of cultures because the world is made up of city states, not civilizations. I will be dealing with themes like slavery, illiteracy, etc. This will be an M-rated game by the time it's done (won't be for a while mind you).
Fun fact: I made the hornets and bats easier than they once were.
Once you get to level 3 both should be pretty easy to handle.
Every skill has it's ups and downs and strategy. You can have Bole learn the elemental Protection Extension skills and have Metoh learn Polarity/Polarization. Have bole use say...PE Earth and then have Metoh use Polarity on a party member who needs serious healing (but Ling is out of Ink). If the enemy is using an Earth attack (no enemies have elemental attacks right now, later enemies will) and the enemy will end up healing you!
^The above was also to work on enemies but without a script it's impossible to do with autoevents. That is, it is possible with autoevents, but I need to make copy/paste enemies for each enemies to handle elemental affinity because no autoscript let's me change the elemental affinities of enemies on the fly (unlike actors).
No wrong tiles are used for borders, that's just how VX is.
And I look forward to more feedback, thanks for the stuff you've given thus far!
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QUOTE
Fun fact: I made the hornets and bats easier than they once were.
Oh, but they ARE easy (as they should, since you've got no options at that point in the game). I was just saying that their healty makes the combats a bit longer than they should...
About the skills... I get the idea behind them and I like it, but it seems to me that the bonus most skills give is way too situational, while the penality is stable. (Expecially the ones for Metoh come to mind, since I've looked more at his tree) I just get the feeling I'm better off without them, spending my limited ink resources on something more reliable, even if weaker. Which is a pity since, as I said, I like the idea. I'll see if I change my mind later on, but right now I'd suggest you to somehow tone down the penalities of most skills, at least the "passive" ones. I'll give you some concrete examples later.
I've found a minor bug: when you play as Bole because Metoh is injured (after you find the books), I was randomly going around in the "town" and I found a hole; when I clicked on it, Metoh (who wasn't in the party) talked and closed it. (Since Metoh talks about Bole risking to sprain an anke, maybe it would be funny to have him say something like "Hey, what's with that hole? I almost sprained my ankle there!")
Also, sometimes selecting a dialogue tree just abruptly ends the conversation (I assume it's a bug, since usually they usually say something even when you select to end the conversation). The ones I've seen until now are asking for work at the item store in Dalton and asking Ling about her book.
Also, the description for the poison cure says "Apply status" instead of "Remove status".
In Dalton, I spoke with the old woman; I approached her from the left, she told me to take a seat; in the next scene, I was on the seat down from her, but she was still turned left as she talked.
Also, I think it would be good to have more of Metoh's commentary of things in Dalton; in the first town he had something to say about mostly every part of the scenery that stood a little off, and it was interesting...
I gave Apor the 50 gold he asked, but when I spoke to him again he was asking them again, like the previous dialog never occurred (forgot to activate a switch maybe?).
I got into the ancient city under Dalton, but I cannot talk with the guy standing below the illumination thingy. The problem is he blocks the road... Then, when I tried to leave the place, he suddenly came up and attacked me. ...and destroyed me. I guess I have to do some more sidequest before going on with this one.
I'm going to keep this message updated with any other bug I may find (so I can write them as I find them, instead of waiting to end the demo and forgetting most of them). And with my random thoughts too.
I used a rope on the hole in the area near Dalton (the one with the chest), but I still cannot enter into the cave...
I talked to Desu in camp about Bole, and I even stayed there to listen their making-peace conversation, but when I talk to Bole he still says that he has problems with Desu and that I should talk to her.
When I go back to the first town, the game seems to be playing... different musics at the same time?
Also, maybe you should add different lines for events in old areas, if you go back there after the end of the introduction. I'm talking about the part where you get ambushed by wolves, or the entrance of the cave where you find the books.
I don't understand the thing with Ling's water attacks. She's the mage of the group, why are there more limitations on her magic?
On the other side, I discovered that some skills I thought were passive are actually active, so I bought them. I still won't use them, but since their downsides aren't always on, I took them just to open the way to (hopefully) better ones.
And the demo is over. The last fight was pretty hard, but with some strategy I managed to beat it. It was very laggy, though. Maybe you should check your code for inefficient parts... (Even in the other fights there was some lag, but never this bad... and I never had problems with other RPGmaker XP or VX games).
Anyway, I think this game has very high potential. The plot is just at its beginning, so I cannot judge it, but the writing is alreay good as it is. The ideas behind the gameplay seem quite solid too, but I feel like they need to be tweaked a bit.
This post has been edited by Cozzer: Oct 8 2011, 08:03 AM
Fun fact: I made the hornets and bats easier than they once were.
Oh, but they ARE easy (as they should, since you've got no options at that point in the game). I was just saying that their healty makes the combats a bit longer than they should...
About the skills... I get the idea behind them and I like it, but it seems to me that the bonus most skills give is way too situational, while the penality is stable. (Expecially the ones for Metoh come to mind, since I've looked more at his tree) I just get the feeling I'm better off without them, spending my limited ink resources on something more reliable, even if weaker. Which is a pity since, as I said, I like the idea. I'll see if I change my mind later on, but right now I'd suggest you to somehow tone down the penalities of most skills, at least the "passive" ones. I'll give you some concrete examples later.
I've found a minor bug: when you play as Bole because Metoh is injured (after you find the books), I was randomly going around in the "town" and I found a hole; when I clicked on it, Metoh (who wasn't in the party) talked and closed it. (Since Metoh talks about Bole risking to sprain an anke, maybe it would be funny to have him say something like "Hey, what's with that hole? I almost sprained my ankle there!")
Also, sometimes selecting a dialogue tree just abruptly ends the conversation (I assume it's a bug, since usually they usually say something even when you select to end the conversation). The ones I've seen until now are asking for work at the item store in Dalton and asking Ling about her book.
Also, the description for the poison cure says "Apply status" instead of "Remove status".
In Dalton, I spoke with the old woman; I approached her from the left, she told me to take a seat; in the next scene, I was on the seat down from her, but she was still turned left as she talked.
Also, I think it would be good to have more of Metoh's commentary of things in Dalton; in the first town he had something to say about mostly every part of the scenery that stood a little off, and it was interesting...
I gave Apor the 50 gold he asked, but when I spoke to him again he was asking them again, like the previous dialog never occurred (forgot to activate a switch maybe?).
I got into the ancient city under Dalton, but I cannot talk with the guy standing below the illumination thingy. The problem is he blocks the road... Then, when I tried to leave the place, he suddenly came up and attacked me. ...and destroyed me. I guess I have to do some more sidequest before going on with this one.
I'm going to keep this message updated with any other bug I may find (so I can write them as I find them, instead of waiting to end the demo and forgetting most of them). And with my random thoughts too.
I used a rope on the hole in the area near Dalton (the one with the chest), but I still cannot enter into the cave...
I talked to Desu in camp about Bole, and I even stayed there to listen their making-peace conversation, but when I talk to Bole he still says that he has problems with Desu and that I should talk to her.
When I go back to the first town, the game seems to be playing... different musics at the same time?
Also, maybe you should add different lines for events in old areas, if you go back there after the end of the introduction. I'm talking about the part where you get ambushed by wolves, or the entrance of the cave where you find the books.
I don't understand the thing with Ling's water attacks. She's the mage of the group, why are there more limitations on her magic?
On the other side, I discovered that some skills I thought were passive are actually active, so I bought them. I still won't use them, but since their downsides aren't always on, I took them just to open the way to (hopefully) better ones.
And the demo is over. The last fight was pretty hard, but with some strategy I managed to beat it. It was very laggy, though. Maybe you should check your code for inefficient parts... (Even in the other fights there was some lag, but never this bad... and I never had problems with other RPGmaker XP or VX games).
Anyway, I think this game has very high potential. The plot is just at its beginning, so I cannot judge it, but the writing is alreay good as it is. The ideas behind the gameplay seem quite solid too, but I feel like they need to be tweaked a bit.
I'll fix all these bugs and release a patched version of Words. The guy behind the illumination this is a massive bug. He's not supposed to appear until after you try to leave. He's the final boss of the demo.
The lag is due to your use of enemy health bars + states. It's not my script and I'm not a programmer. The patch will change the script to update enemy health and states after the turn has ended. This should reduce your lag issue.
Patch is coming later today, it's not a major update however but will include the stealth system since I did finish that earlier. However this is NOT the amount of content I would usually release with an update. I didn't plan on updating Words until I had at least another hours worth of content but the ancient city bug is a game breaker so the next release is a patch, not what you should expect from a legit update.
Thanks for the bug reports, working on them now.
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Words has been given it's final patch for now. This is the change log for October 8th, 2011:
*More animations for skills, little less than half of your party's skills have animations now.
*Fixed up a bunch of dialogue issues, added new explore dialogue, and fixed blank dialogue choices
*Stealth system cave is in there, I was not expecting to even release this patch so if you don't like the cave let me know because while it should work very nicely I didn't plan on anyone playing it so you may not get the whole experience I wanted to give.
* Adjusted the enemy health + states script to update at the end of every turn which should at least reduce if not eliminate the lag. It's still toggled if you don't want to play that way.
Enjoy the patch!
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So, I basically skipped an entire dungeon. No wonder the boss seemed kinda out of place. And hard.
I'll download the new version and try again. Could you tell me where the major potential differences in playthoughs are, so I can explore what I didn't see in my first one?
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Jul 10 2011, 02:39 AM
