Reaper a changing world

[Sonicboy95]

Reaper is my first rpg maker game. Any feedback is helpful

Demo is on gamejolt.com

Edit: The game is complete and ready to play on gamejolt.

 

[Trumully]

Okay, I played. It was alright, a variety of characters and interesting story. I know the game is subject to change but, in my honest opinion, it was average. I think you need to work on your maps a bit as, even though they were big maps, they felt all empty and things. Maybe either add more decorations in the maps or shrink the map sizes a bit. The enemies need a bit of tweaking. The last Ritual Test enemy was so annoying because they would heal back to full health when they were about to die and did a lot of damage. I also found a bug with the guys who tells you what to do when you enter the battlegrounds which stopped my gameplay because when you talked to him, defeated all the enemies, then talked to him again, he'd say 'Talk to the teacher' or something. Then, when you interact with him again, he just says 'Good luck.' I then talk to the teacher but he doesn't say anything? Or is there another teacher? I don't know. Sorry if I sound like a big, mean hypocrite. But that is my honest opinion about this game. It has potential but maybe a bit more tweaking. Good job overall though, Sonicboy! ;)

 

[Sonicboy95]

Okay, I played. It was alright, a variety of characters and interesting story. I know the game is subject to change but, in my honest opinion, it was average. I think you need to work on your maps a bit as, even though they were big maps, they felt all empty and things. Maybe either add more decorations in the maps or shrink the map sizes a bit. The enemies need a bit of tweaking. The last Ritual Test enemy was so annoying because they would heal back to full health when they were about to die and did a lot of damage. I also found a bug with the guys who tells you what to do when you enter the battlegrounds which stopped my gameplay because when you talked to him, defeated all the enemies, then talked to him again, he'd say 'Talk to the teacher' or something. Then, when you interact with him again, he just says 'Good luck.' I then talk to the teacher but he doesn't say anything? Or is there another teacher? I don't know. Sorry if I sound like a big, mean hypocrite. But that is my honest opinion about this game. It has potential but maybe a bit more tweaking. Good job overall though, Sonicboy! ;)

I value all feedback good or bad. I will try to fix that bug. My plan is this: After finishing the main story I will go back and add side quests and other misc things to do. then I will fix any typos in the dialogue, fix any game breaking bugs, and tweak the combat system.
as for the maps they will change the most when i'm done. I usually complete the story first then maps then the gameplay. thanks again!

 

[Trumully]

I value all feedback good or bad. I will try to fix that bug. My plan is this: After finishing the main story I will go back and add side quests and other misc things to do. then I will fix any typos in the dialogue, fix any game breaking bugs, and tweak the combat system.
as for the maps they will change the most when i'm done. I usually complete the story first then maps then the gameplay. thanks again!

Awesome!

 

[PAC918]

Its downloading now. I'll check it out and get back to you soon.

 

[punchybot]

Ok, I gave this a shot. Your title attracted me because it is so close to my own game's title. :P

There is a lot of improvement that is needed. I know it is a demo, but what you have could have definitely used more work, as it lacks the quality and care. I got lost after picking up Max (I think his name is) as it wasn't very clear to me where to go. Anyway, here are some of my issues:

The game opens up with you in a room. You have control right away. No anything. The beginning of your game is what will hook in your players, and lacking one will only hurt the game. You need a good start, whether it's just some text about the lore of the history of the world, a scene from the past, or a totally different setting. A good way to start I find, is to throw the player right into the action. This way, they can get a feel more the gameplay, the story, and the characters, right off at the beginning. However, it doesn't always need to be that way, but it is effective when it is executed properly.

Your maps are way too big. They need to be about 50-75% smaller than what they are now. There is just a whole lot of nothing going on, and it makes exploring a pain to deal with as you can't really see much since everything is so spread apart. The biggest culprit is the house you start in. Serena's room is huge, ridiculously so. Not only that, be it's the only room upstairs, and her parents sleep in a bed on the main floor. The main floor is also gigantic, and when you are told to speak to dad, I actually had to run a lap in the house to make sure he wasn't hiding there. The result is a lot of floor space, with nothing on it. You need to downsize this room, or make multiple rooms within the floor. Upstairs should be comprised of multiple rooms, where one of them is Serana's. Actually, she should have a room on the main floor if anything as typically the master bedroom would be upstairs. Regardless, the architecture of the house needs to make sense.

The dialog needs work as well. Spelling errors and spelling shortcuts aren't okay to use, your type needs to look professional and polished. If a character says "Okay" it shouldn't be spelled like "Ok". It is jarring and incorrect. Serana can definitely be more interesting. Responses like "Yes" and "No" are boring and unimaginative. It makes the character seem boring. I am not sure what her personality is because of it, so with that being said, I can't really give advice on what to do with it.


Each thing you create in this game needs every detail and all your effort. This definitely looks like your first attempt at using the maker, and that is okay. Below are some articles that really helped me and my own thought process when it comes to game making. I hope they can help you in a similar fashion.

Dialog:
http://blog.rpgmakerweb.com/tips-and-tricks/tips-and-thoughts-on-dialogue/

Mapping:
http://rpgmaker.net/articles/620/


Hope this helps!

 

[Sonicboy95]

Ok, I gave this a shot. Your title attracted me because it is so close to my own game's title. :P

There is a lot of improvement that is needed. I know it is a demo, but what you have could have definitely used more work, as it lacks the quality and care. I got lost after picking up Max (I think his name is) as it wasn't very clear to me where to go. Anyway, here are some of my issues:

The game opens up with you in a room. You have control right away. No anything. The beginning of your game is what will hook in your players, and lacking one will only hurt the game. You need a good start, whether it's just some text about the lore of the history of the world, a scene from the past, or a totally different setting. A good way to start I find, is to throw the player right into the action. This way, they can get a feel more the gameplay, the story, and the characters, right off at the beginning. However, it doesn't always need to be that way, but it is effective when it is executed properly.

Your maps are way too big. They need to be about 50-75% smaller than what they are now. There is just a whole lot of nothing going on, and it makes exploring a pain to deal with as you can't really see much since everything is so spread apart. The biggest culprit is the house you start in. Serena's room is huge, ridiculously so. Not only that, be it's the only room upstairs, and her parents sleep in a bed on the main floor. The main floor is also gigantic, and when you are told to speak to dad, I actually had to run a lap in the house to make sure he wasn't hiding there. The result is a lot of floor space, with nothing on it. You need to downsize this room, or make multiple rooms within the floor. Upstairs should be comprised of multiple rooms, where one of them is Serana's. Actually, she should have a room on the main floor if anything as typically the master bedroom would be upstairs. Regardless, the architecture of the house needs to make sense.

The dialog needs work as well. Spelling errors and spelling shortcuts aren't okay to use, your type needs to look professional and polished. If a character says "Okay" it shouldn't be spelled like "Ok". It is jarring and incorrect. Serana can definitely be more interesting. Responses like "Yes" and "No" are boring and unimaginative. It makes the character seem boring. I am not sure what her personality is because of it, so with that being said, I can't really give advice on what to do with it.


Each thing you create in this game needs every detail and all your effort. This definitely looks like your first attempt at using the maker, and that is okay. Below are some articles that really helped me and my own thought process when it comes to game making. I hope they can help you in a similar fashion.

Dialog:
http://blog.rpgmakerweb.com/tips-and-tricks/tips-and-thoughts-on-dialogue/

Mapping:
http://rpgmaker.net/articles/620/


Hope this helps!

I don't want to downplay your feedback(which is good) but the way you typed all of that made me laugh at some parts and it was fun to read. His name is William water but everybody calls him matt. Anyway, this is a lot of work to do in the game and I do plan to fix the maps at a later date. The idea for Serena's house was a good one and I will most likely change that soon. You say you got lost after talking to matt so how far did you get? This is my first game and I am always looking for ways to improve so thanks for the links^u^.
Serena's personality is supposed to be overall nice to other people but a little abnormal too. Detail is something I like and hopefully get better at with time. I am glad that there are people like you here that will tell me every little thing that needs improvement and give me very helpful ideas on how to do that. A lot of people out there just say it sucks and they don't help at all. I hope you will play it again with the next demo/update, I would love to hear your complaints about it and I am trying to sound rude there, I like it when people really look for flaws in the game so that I can fix them and make the game overall better to play. You said that your game has a similar name to mine, what is it called? I would love to try it out.

 

[punchybot]

I'm glad that you enjoyed my feedback. Giving feedback to these games can be awkward as people tend to put a lot of work into it, so sometimes people can be defensive and that makes others afraid to give honest nit picks. In my case, I just don't give a shit so I'll nit pick the hell out of it. If you like it, I'll do it some more, if you don't, I'll just let you spew in your own poo. Simple as that. :)

Okay so at Matt, he joins your party once you talk to him. After that I had no idea where to go. I felt like I went everywhere. My biggest beef was the maps to be honest. I had no sense of direction. I kept ending up in the same damn corner several times trying to find something new to interact with. I was tired of running around endlessly. Thankfully you default the characters at running speed so I didn't have to crack my shift key to travel. But yeah, I didn't get far. Once I stop having fun, and start getting annoyed, I go away from it.

As for Serana... I definitely didn't get that vibe. The best interaction was with her dad, which was a little weird lol. My impression of her was more like... she thinks she is smarter than everyone else, and a little cold and to the point. Don't be afraid to drag out the conversations some more. It may feel like a lot in the editor, but during the gameplay it isn't quite as long as it looked. If she is very nice to most people, show that in her answers. Instead of "No" but, "Oh I'm sorry, I don't know" or something to that effect.

Unfortunately, I don't have a game to share with you. I've worked on my story and characters for a year now, and have been making preparations to create the game. Oddly enough, RPG Maker MV is being released soon, to my surprise. So now I am kind of waiting for that to release to get started. The game I will be making in the new engine, which I previously referred to, is called Reapers. Here's a link on this forum that is a little about it.

I don't have any completed games. One game I had about 40% done but I ended up losing interest. It was meant to be a short game, but I was building it like an assembly line which was a mistake. Basically, I made all the maps first. Then I made all the events first. Then I would make all the monsters. Etc. It ends up being a tedious monster of endless tedious work. Plus, the story was meh at best and I didn't take too long to think it up. So I have barely anything to show for it. So my next go around I will make sure to dabble in everything as I build the game, slow and steady.

Not too sure how far you got in that game. But, if you have to redo stuff, then why not make the switch over to MV?

 

[Sonicboy95]

I'm glad that you enjoyed my feedback. Giving feedback to these games can be awkward as people tend to put a lot of work into it, so sometimes people can be defensive and that makes others afraid to give honest nit picks. In my case, I just don't give a shit so I'll nit pick the hell out of it. If you like it, I'll do it some more, if you don't, I'll just let you spew in your own poo. Simple as that. :)

Okay so at Matt, he joins your party once you talk to him. After that I had no idea where to go. I felt like I went everywhere. My biggest beef was the maps to be honest. I had no sense of direction. I kept ending up in the same damn corner several times trying to find something new to interact with. I was tired of running around endlessly. Thankfully you default the characters at running speed so I didn't have to crack my shift key to travel. But yeah, I didn't get far. Once I stop having fun, and start getting annoyed, I go away from it.

As for Serana... I definitely didn't get that vibe. The best interaction was with her dad, which was a little weird lol. My impression of her was more like... she thinks she is smarter than everyone else, and a little cold and to the point. Don't be afraid to drag out the conversations some more. It may feel like a lot in the editor, but during the gameplay it isn't quite as long as it looked. If she is very nice to most people, show that in her answers. Instead of "No" but, "Oh I'm sorry, I don't know" or something to that effect.

Unfortunately, I don't have a game to share with you. I've worked on my story and characters for a year now, and have been making preparations to create the game. Oddly enough, RPG Maker MV is being released soon, to my surprise. So now I am kind of waiting for that to release to get started. The game I will be making in the new engine, which I previously referred to, is called Reapers. Here's a link on this forum that is a little about it.

I don't have any completed games. One game I had about 40% done but I ended up losing interest. It was meant to be a short game, but I was building it like an assembly line which was a mistake. Basically, I made all the maps first. Then I made all the events first. Then I would make all the monsters. Etc. It ends up being a tedious monster of endless tedious work. Plus, the story was meh at best and I didn't take too long to think it up. So I have barely anything to show for it. So my next go around I will make sure to dabble in everything as I build the game, slow and steady.

Not too sure how far you got in that game. But, if you have to redo stuff, then why not make the switch over to MV?

I am currently working on it right now, I am about 80% done with it. The 20% left is finishing the endings, making the maps better, better dialogue, details, and general bug fixes. How you described Serena's personality is actually Kelly's personality. She is a rich girl who is a bit bossy and hard to get along with but through the wonders of character development she becomes bearable. Serena's personality will change depending on which path you take good or evil. I thought about finishing it in mv but two reasons kept me from doing that.
One, scripts are not carried over so I would have to deal with that mess.
Two, I started this in vx ace almost a year ago and being that this is my first game and its been a learning experience with vx ace I just felt better finishing it with vx ace and use mv to start the sequel. If you are interested in playing the game more you go to the school which is across from matt's house. If you continue please let me know your feedback.

 

[punchybot]

If your game is that complete then yeah, I wouldn't move it to MV either.

I honestly would only try it again if you made the maps better. Alternatively, I can remake a map for you and maybe inspire you? I am not the best, or even good at it, but it would be for free! Though don't plan on me putting any other work into your game.

And you have an NPC in the school that tells the player to go back outside everyone is waiting for you there, so perhaps a switch is needed for that NPC? It's the school teacher lady top right corner when you enter the school.... From the teleporter. (Which, by the way... Not sure why you teleport in there. But you can also make that teleporter animate when you step on it. )

 

[Sonicboy95]

If your game is that complete then yeah, I wouldn't move it to MV either.

I honestly would only try it again if you made the maps better. Alternatively, I can remake a map for you and maybe inspire you? I am not the best, or even good at it, but it would be for free! Though don't plan on me putting any other work into your game.

And you have an NPC in the school that tells the player to go back outside everyone is waiting for you there, so perhaps a switch is needed for that NPC? It's the school teacher lady top right corner when you enter the school.... From the teleporter. (Which, by the way... Not sure why you teleport in there. But you can also make that teleporter animate when you step on it. )

Sure, remake any map you have see to give me some ideas. I put the teleporter for the sole reason of messing with people and have them say what because I'm a terrible person who feeds off the confused emotions of others. that and I like being random sometimes.

 

[punchybot]

Well... you don't really want to confuse your players... lol

Anyway, here's the main floor to the house. It isn't perfect, but it is definitely an improvement to what you have. One of the main features this has above yours: windows! :P

Enjoy.

 

[Rise Evil]

That's a lovely place to live in :D

 

[Sonicboy95]

Well... you don't really want to confuse your players... lol

Anyway, here's the main floor to the house. It isn't perfect, but it is definitely an improvement to what you have. One of the main features this has above yours: windows! :P

Enjoy.

That is great! Thanks, I use this for reference. I post a pic or two of the whole house when I'm done. Windows but they are structural weakness and the geth don't use them. Any links to help me on adding lighting effects to it like sunlight from the windows?

 

[punchybot]

It can still use less space, but I tried to kind of fit the dimensions what is outside your house. Honestly I feel like the RTP was so limited on what I could do with it, I ran out of ideas pretty quickly. I personally put in more rooms to walk into and stuff when it's my own.

As further reference, RPG Maker VX Ace should have example maps for you too, to use as a guide.

I googled a guide for you here regarding your lighting effects question.

Here are some window light rays for download, made by Zai.

Furthermore, here is a list of common beginner mistakes you should take a read at.

That last one is very good... and links you to other guides you should definitely take a look at.

It's link city over here.

 

[Sonicboy95]

It can still use less space, but I tried to kind of fit the dimensions what is outside your house. Honestly I feel like the RTP was so limited on what I could do with it, I ran out of ideas pretty quickly. I personally put in more rooms to walk into and stuff when it's my own.

As further reference, RPG Maker VX Ace should have example maps for you too, to use as a guide.

I googled a guide for you here regarding your lighting effects question.

Here are some window light rays for download, made by Zai.

Furthermore, here is a list of common beginner mistakes you should take a read at.

That last one is very good... and links you to other guides you should definitely take a look at.

It's link city over here.

Thanks a lot.
[doublepost=1445633805,1445397473][/doublepost]

It can still use less space, but I tried to kind of fit the dimensions what is outside your house. Honestly I feel like the RTP was so limited on what I could do with it, I ran out of ideas pretty quickly. I personally put in more rooms to walk into and stuff when it's my own.

As further reference, RPG Maker VX Ace should have example maps for you too, to use as a guide.

I googled a guide for you here regarding your lighting effects question.

Here are some window light rays for download, made by Zai.

Furthermore, here is a list of common beginner mistakes you should take a read at.

That last one is very good... and links you to other guides you should definitely take a look at.

It's link city over here.

I have redone the house and here is s short video of it