Rachdale Cheese Demo Teaser..!

[Dad3353]

Dad3353 submitted a new resource:

Rachdale Cheese Demo - A basic RPG for your comments, using native RMMV commands alone; no scripts nor plugins.

The link is to a Google Drive folder containing the Windows 'zip' file, and a Mac_OSX folder containing the Mac version. Use whichever suits; they were compiled from the same source. Let me know if there are any access problems, please..?
The challenge was to do an RPG without the aid of plugins or scripts.
The RPG is rather simplistic, with a young lad in a remote village exploring the world and combating evil. Yes, one of those. I've tried to keep a bit of interest in the tale, with...

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[MinisterJay]

As per Resource Rules, please put at least 1 screenshot, on this resource's main page.

 

[Dad3353]

Apologies; done.

 

[Dad3353]

Dad3353 updated Rachdale Cheese Demo with a new update entry:

Rachdale Cheese Demo

Minor update, doesn't affect compatibility with existing 'Save's ...

Changes...
1 - Small Copy/Paste error in an Event sent the Hero to unexpected places..!
2 - A Door Event had a mis-fitting graphic.
3 - Revision of two maps, adding conditional Back Ground Music, and much improved Sound Effects (SE...).
4 - Improved, extended conversations with NPC's with even more variations upon receiving gifts.
5 - Improved SE for some doors.

The external download link is the same as the previous version.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Dad3353]

Dad3353 updated Rachdale Cheese Demo with a new update entry:

Rachdale Cheese Demo update; now with Runes..!

Minor update, doesn't affect compatibility with existing 'Save's ...

Changes...
1 - New Magic weapons and armour available
2 - New Mystic character, able to handle Magic items
3 - Original music added for Mystic's home
4 - Clues and Player information updated to include new Magic items
5 - New Runes added, needed to obtain Magic items

The external download link is the same as the previous Windows and Mac OSX versions. Android version almost ready (music files yet to be converted to M4a...).

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[Dad3353]

Dad3353 updated Rachdale Cheese Demo with a new update entry:

Rachdale Cheese Demo update; complete up to 3rd Mini-Boss (but without...)

Minor update, not compatible with existing 'Save's ...

Changes...
1 - Chicken Run improved
2 - World Map extended; now has volcanic zone, with Damage Floor
3 - Rune items completed and distributed on Map
4 - 'Save' now available only at rest points (Home, or Inns...) or Tents
5 - RV Stripper used to optimise download time

Next step..? 3rd Mini-Boss and travelling North..!

The external download link is the same as the previous Windows , Mac OSX and Web versions. Android version being...

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[MinisterJay]

Which file is the file to download. There are three files with the same name.

 

[Dad3353]

Which file is the file to download. There are three files with the same name.

Ah, yes; I see the problem. I use 'List view' (icône top right...) and can see the whole file name. You're using 'Grid view'; the file names are longer than the space allotted. Good call; I'll change the file names so that the OS info is always visible. Look again in 10 minutes or so, please..? Thanks for spotting that; I'd have not been aware otherwise.

Edit: Fixed; thanks again. If you're going to give 'em a run, could I have your impressions, please..? Cheers; meanwhile...
Have a nice day
Douglas

 

[Killer Gin]

Hey Hey,

I just played your demo! Pretty good so far. I LOVE the music. Original music? Is the treasure in the game random? How about the @%!& imp guy? lol, is he random? I had a little difficulty keeping up with the speed of the dialogue. I missed a couple lines because the text just went so fast and believe me, I am a fast reader. I just had to make sure I was ready for all dialogue to make sure I didn't miss a thing. Do most of the characters in your game have such huge dialogue trees? Impressive, must take a lot of dedication. Also, I got a little lost. I wasn't sure where to go and who to really talk to, those keys are hidden well for sure. I would recommend having a game journal. I believe it works wonders in my game. I rely on a game journal on most RPG's I play. Don't worry, it takes a great deal of time to create a polished RPG. I worked on Killer Gin a very long time before I managed to get Killer Gin from a piece of poop to half decent lol. You are definitely on the right track and you have a good game so far and I look forward to your future releases. Anyways keep up the good work.

 

[Dad3353]

Hey Hey,

I just played your demo!...

Wow..! Thanks, KG, that's the first, and most pertinent feedback I've received so far..! I'm flattered. To answer your queries... The items found are semi-random, and the source events have slightly differing mechanisms. As HP recovery is done by food, and recipes, it needs to follow the evolution of the Actors (50HP recovered in the beginning is fine, but at Level 12, is hardly noticeable...). To this end, the food items found go up in scale as the Hero level goes up. Same for points 'nicked' by the Jackanapes, and Gold; they're a percentage of totals and so hurt more as one gets stronger.
The text..? I don't know if this is crossed with my remarks on your own sterling effort, but I find it an irritation to validate all of these dialogues, and so have them automated. It's true that the speed is a problem; there's a good question for the forum, right there. How could I personalise the text box speed, without the use of scripts and such..? That, you, see, was the original brief: to make a game using only 'stock' stuff. I could slow down all of the texts in one foul swoop, using a 'search and replace' to modify '\|' and '\.', adding a further '\|'. Notepad + will do this in one go, for all Maps, if I so wish. I'll think about it.
The dialogues are simple, really, as I have two separate 'lists' of lists , and choose randomly from firstly List 1, then from a text in that List, then List 2, follow by a text from that list. This gives a very wide spread of permutations; I've only filled in about a third of these lists (3 x 10 for each, so 60 lines of dialogue in total...). Then follows, again randomly, a selection of gift (maybe...), with again a text from a 'Gift' list. As and when I think of new, pertinent remarks, in the realms of small-talk, I add 'em to another list. There'll be much more, soon. I have an identical system with other dialogue more suited to the soldiers one meets (you've not reached the Fort yet, nor the Castle...). This enable a mixture of chit-chat and important information given to the Actors. The clues are all in there (at least, I think so..!); it's just a question of not rushing through in five minutes.
Maybe you could elucidate a little on the subject of a Journal..? I've a Diary in the game, read out by one of the key personalities, which gives clues and explanation; is this what you mean..? Or is it rather somewhere for the Player to keep note of stuff..? An example, or brief description would be well received.
A bit of cogitation will follow; I'll add your pseudo to the game credits, of course. Many thanks for the interesting comments; good luck if you continue the hunt for the elusive... Rachdale Cheese..! Meanwhile...
Have a nice day
Douglas

 

[Killer Gin]

Hello Douglas,

Having someone give thoughtful and constructive feedback on your game is awesome huh? I appreciated what you did for me so I definitely wanted to do the same for you. (I do plan to play the game more by the way)

Ah the text conundrum, I am sure this has been a problem for RPG's since the dawn of... RPGs and from my vast experience with RPGs,they always left the text to wait for player input. I believe the only other way around it is if you voice all the dialogue. However don't let this stop you from coming up with a brilliant work around, that would be awesome! If you ask the user for their text speed it could help, but that means they always have to be focused on the screen, never getting distracted less they miss something crucial one time and get frustrated. Thats the issue I see with that.

Interesting idea with the text lists. Do you use game eventing or do you write your own javascript/plugin for the text trees? OMG I didn't realize MV has a find a replace for text! S0 useful! Wait.... notepad + and text? You can export your text and import your text?

Well, I didn't get too far in your game but I mean like a game log that the player can access themselves anytime via the menu to be reminded of what they have done and what they are doing. If you take a look at Killer Gin you will see that there is a game log that gets updated automatically as you play the game. Its there to remind you of what to do, background info, and your progress with every side quest that you have received. Of course the game journal in Killer Gin was just recently implemented (so it will be improved), however, I find it invaluable.

Have a great day,
Freddie

 

[Dad3353]

Freddie...
Notepad +..? A very useful tool (there are many others...) for full text editing, which respects the non-text characters often found in IT code and such. By coincidence, and long may it last, the Maps used by MV are, in fact, simple text files, neatly stocked in the 'data' folder. If one is careful (let me emphasise this: if one is very careful..!), it is easy enough to look for the information to be edited, and Notepad + will do the work. It's powerful enough to open all of my forty-or-so maps, all at once, and do a complete 'search/replace' in a few seconds. The code used for the text boxes is regular enough, and I don't think there's any other instances of the combination '\^' anywhere, so removing that, and only that, will change for the whole game at once. I'll do a trial this evening and post the results...
You mentioned the music; yes, it's all my own composition (I'm a drummer, now retired...) and play around with all sorts of music creation software, creating stuff from reggae to symphonic (well, modestly, of course...) for a bass forum and my own pleasure. MV is an excellent platform for exploiting this, as the moods to be generated are varied, so I have to come up with something appropriate each time. Good fun; keeps me out of the bars..!
I see what you mean about the journal, or log-book; I'll see what I can come up with. As stated, I really want to do this using no plug-ins or scripts (yes, it's daft, I know, but I'm a stubborn ol' beggar..!) No problem with a future game, but this one is 'vanilla', right out of the box..!
I asked for input and comments. What do I get..? Input and comments..! How cool is that, eh..? Keep 'em coming, everyone, please...

 

[Dad3353]

Dad3353 updated Rachdale Cheese Demo with a new update entry:

Rachdale Cheese Demo, Web version (no download needed; justclick and play...)

Well, I asked for feedback, and feedback I did get. It seems that the general consensus favours having text boxes that go when the Player clicks, rather than my auto-boxes, so I've gone through the lot (nearly 2500 of 'em...) and changed 'em to 'sticky' boxes, as per normal. I'll get used to it, I suppose, and there were several mentioning this, so I've bowed to public pressure. Keep 'em coming; that's how these games get improved..!
Other small changes, but nothing to perturb, I don't...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Cosmette]

Just tried it out.

Not sure if it's just me, but there seems to be a serious lag issue within the town. Sometimes opening and closing the menu fixes it, as well as going inside the garden, but I don't think I got as far as I was supposed to as it rendered the game unplayable.

The Jackanapes are an odd choice, because the game seems to encourage you to poke at every nook and cranny for items, but then punishes you for doing so.

You should probably try to cut down on your use of ellipses because it makes everyone seem miserable and unenthusiastic. "Hero got 100 Gold!" makes it sound like the game's cheering for you. "Hero got 100 Gold..." is just saying "Aww man, not more money..."

I like the "re-usuable items for a price" mechanic. No hassle to constantly find keys but not abusable either.

Last thing, re-position your enemies. You've got side battles turned on, but they're all in their first person battle position.

 

[Dad3353]

Just tried it out.

Not sure if it's just me, but there seems to be a serious lag issue within the town. Sometimes opening and closing the menu fixes it, as well as going inside the garden, but I don't think I got as far as I was supposed to as it rendered the game unplayable.

The Jackanapes are an odd choice, because the game seems to encourage you to poke at every nook and cranny for items, but then punishes you for doing so.

You should probably try to cut down on your use of ellipses because it makes everyone seem miserable and unenthusiastic. "Hero got 100 Gold!" makes it sound like the game's cheering for you. "Hero got 100 Gold..." is just saying "Aww man, not more money..."

I like the "re-usuable items for a price" mechanic. No hassle to constantly find keys but not abusable either.

Last thing, re-position your enemies. You've got side battles turned on, but they're all in their first person battle position.

Firstly, thanks for the comments; they're very helpful. Point by point, then...

Serious lag..? That could be the splendid scintillating sunshine, which is a permanent parallel task. I've removed it from the Town for now; is there a notable difference..? Maybe bandwidth-dependant..?

The Jackanapes are deliberately there, firstly, as a sign of the Wicked Evil which has befallen the Town (indeed, the whole country..!), they are a symptom of why a Quest is at all needed..! Secondly, they add, in my view, balance, in that perpetual Gifts have no suspense to 'em. Here, the potential loss of either HP or Gold gives a touch of anticipation; the reward is not all the sweeter..?

I've combed through my Common Event conversations and removed the ellipses (or rather; suspension points...) from any that don't have either exclamation or question marks, placing a full stop in their place. There will be others, in other Maps, but much less. Does that irritate less..? I'd apologise, but that it's my natural writing style, ingrained for over six decades, and so not seen as a problem to my old eyes. Everything is up for discussion, however.

Yes, I had two reasons for the 'breakable' items; they're mostly there to ensure constant returns to one or other of the towns and villages. There are other items which, equally, need specific locations to work. As the game evolves, the people react differently, and seemingly innocent 'banter' becomes slightly more meaningful i the light of one's travels. The World is small, so it's not that far to travel; I may include a Teleportation Spell if it helps, later.

The last comment will need explanation, as I don't know how to go about changing that. I think I know what you mean (I chose side battles as being visually better...), but use the 'standard' enemies for the most part. How should I go about fixing the issue, please..?

There; that's the comments replied to (I trust...); you have, of course, been added to the Credits (visible on the table i the Hero's Home...).
I'd be grateful if you could have another bash and see if things are improved at all..? Thanks again, in any case, and...

Have a nice day

Douglas

 

[Cosmette]

Serious lag..? That could be the splendid scintillating sunshine, which is a permanent parallel task. I've removed it from the Town for now; is there a notable difference..? Maybe bandwidth-dependant..?

Now that you've removed the sunshine effect, it seems to run a lot smoother. Though I'm not sure if it's because I'm running it through my browser as opposed to running it as a program.

The last comment will need explanation, as I don't know how to go about changing that. I think I know what you mean (I chose side battles as being visually better...), but use the 'standard' enemies for the most part. How should I go about fixing the issue, please..?

What I meant was that you have your enemies in the middle (the default position) while the characters are appearing on the right side, so it looks odd.
It's easy to fix though. Just open up the troops page in the database,

et voila.

 

[Dad3353]

Now that you've removed the sunshine effect, it seems to run a lot smoother. Though I'm not sure if it's because I'm running it through my browser as opposed to running it as a program.

What I meant was that you have your enemies in the middle (the default position) while the characters are appearing on the right side...

OK, I'll see if I can get the sunshine effect a little less 'cycle-hungry'. No guarantee, and a shame if it's too much, as the effect was nice.

I see what you mean for the battles; I'll get down to it right away. A good tip; many thanks.. Cheers.

Douglas
[doublepost=1465328084,1465323181][/doublepost]

...
et voila.

Et voilà..! Side-view Enemies. Yes, it looks so much better. Why couldn't I think of such an elegant and simple improvement..? Doh..! Good stuff; keep 'em coming...

 

[Dad3353]

Dad3353 updated Rachdale Cheese Demo with a new update entry:

Rachdale Cheese Demo, Web version (no download needed; justclick and play...)

A few minor detail corrections and a major overhaul of the Food and Recipe system, adding a new Item, Seasoning, which, when used with a Recipe, gives a permanent boost to Max HP. New Spells can be found with the Mystics, who are also able to repair Rune Items.
There is now a third Party member to be discovered in the Fort canteen. Things are hotting up..! Progress continues...
This Web version can be found at the same Google Drive address. As before, any comments and suggestions are...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Cosmette]

Alright, tried it again.
The game runs far smoother now, but I still experienced some lag right after exiting Sigefroy's house. It fixed itself after opening and closing the menu.

Are item spots supposed to reappear? I mean I horde all the cheese I can find, but it seems a little broken to endlessly pick up healing items.
Though thankfully it saved me because I thought the Jackanapes had taken all my money before I reached 100 gold.

Also talking to Potts once caused me to be robbed, is that meant to happen?

Is the tool shed supposed to be locked after every use? It seems like a waste of key uses having to unlock if every time.

Also, that little grass tuft here looks odd.

Spoiler

Make sure you place only the cliff tiles, then put the tuft over it.

Does the demo end after you obtain the key?
I can't find Galbassi anywhere nor can I go further than the forest outside the village.

 

[Dad3353]

Alright, tried it again...

Excellent, Cosmette; excellent..! Great feedback; I'll go through the points one by one, if you will..?

I really don't know too much about the lag, but I'm glad it improved, just the same. This is only a Demo, and not designed in an optimum manner as would be a commercial venture. I read up about web hosting (simply for the convenience of updating, and being 'click'n'play' for the Player...) but could only find Google Drive as being freely available to me. If anyone knows of a better host for this, I'd gladly port it over. Meanwhile, it may be an idea to try out the 'zip' version and install it locally..? That way, broadband speed and hosting performance are eliminated. The downside (there's always a downside..!) is that it takes me two hours to upload new versions, so I do it less frequently.

Yes, my generosity knows no bounds concerning the Items to be found throughout the game. Chests and the like do not return, of course, but I deliberately wanted the Village to be able to easily supply any Player's needs, and so incite to go further. It's true that I know where all the stuff is to be found (well, I would, wouldn't I..?); it takes me an hour or so to leave the village fully equipped still. There's a lot of things there, and that's just the start... The food, gold and such are all required; the Key Items are to be discovered by following the clues given by the NPC's, especially Pepin. The Jackanapes are one of the reasons for the quest; they're part of the plague befalling this world of Rachdale. The quest is to rid the world of them..!

I've looked through Pott (well, it's a figure of speech...), and there's absolutely nothing there that could rob you, nor, indeed, in any of the NPC's, anywhere in the game. Must have been a trick of the light..?

Once you have the Toolshed Key, you may unlock any locked Chest, until the Key gets bent, in which case it has to be mended again (Cosimo Townsend, the Village repairman does that, for a fee...). The Toolshed is always locked on leaving (normal behaviour, I'd have thought..?) It wouldn't do to have all those creatures escaping into the Village, now would it..? All those valuable in there, too..! So yes, it's locked each time.

Very well spotted, that grass on the cliff..! I've passed through there so many times and not noticed, hence the enormous value of having fresh eyes play the game. Corrected, of course, the way you mentioned. Thanks for that.

Does the Demo end with the obtaining of the Key..? Good gracious no..! That's hardly even the start of the beginning of the saga..! With the Pickaxe, one may pass the mountains and go further, much further, to discover the Maze, The Tower, The Marshes, the town of Zalfira, with its Chicken Run and second Party Member, all the while collecting Items, Armour, Recipes, Tents... Then there's the Road to the Mine to clear, The Mine(s) to be explored, Rune Armour, a second Mini-Boss (the first was in the Tower...), to open the way to Fort Astrakane where a third colleague awaits patiently. This started off as a Demo, but, like Topsy, has 'just grown', and although not finished, is entirely playable. I've posted a Map of the Known World of Rachdale in the spoiler below.

As for Pepin Galbassi, the very first NPC in the street tells us that he's to be found in the house with the Blue Door. There's a screen shot below, too.

Sorry if this is too much reading at once but it really is a pleasure to get some (any..?) critical feedback from someone who's actually gone to the trouble of giving it a go. Thanks again, then, and I hope you'll find the time to see if the above helps you to get a bit further. The Village is the training ground; the real task, puzzles, combats, rewards... lie ahead. If you get stuck anywhere, I'll gladly give out clues and/or solutions. Go on; it's not that difficult, surely..? :-)

Spoiler

The Annotated Known World of Rachdale, expansion continues...

Pepin Galbassi's Home in Lakeshore...