[VX ACE] Legends of Featherron (f/f, m/f)

[cooldude6042]

Hello everyone. I've been a long time lurker on these forums and I decided
to start my own project after playing games such as "The Tower of Gargalesis" and "The Laughing Isles".

My game draws inspiration from "Fate/Zero", various
other anime, "Game of Thrones", etc. I welcome any criticisms and any
indication that people actually want me to continue my story.

So without further ado, I present:

"Legends of Featherron"

V.1.2.


https://mega.co.nz/#!94ZX0TDY!07iNsEn2i1HCGbi_-7zYsPTPNLJiM83UFicc1oiGL7w

 

[daphneticklish1]

From the start I just have a few suggestions to make it look or play better.

Also, pretty early spoilers for people who haven't tried it.



1. It feels a bit empty. I'd suggest adding a few dirt paths just so people know where they can go. Also, try not to put in a bunch of useless tents/houses

2. I'm not sure what choosing your class twice does. Maybe make it more obvious what it does? Also, you need to add a "back" button when you go to the second page of classes. I wanted to see what the other classes I could choose were, but I couldn't go back to choose mage.

3. Capitalize both words in the Special actions. Make it look like "Tickle Feet" not "Tickle feet." Maybe that's just me being anal, but it made an immediate impression on me.

4. I don't know if it's supposed to be like this, but you can't use the weapon you get from the tree.

5. Maybe an extension of the previous one, but as someone who chose mage first, and then ranger, the first enemies to the north of the village are unbeatable.

 

[---1]

Fantastic! I powered through until the message indicating the end, and it's a very decent game, I should think. Ends suddenly, of course, but ah well.


A few questions / comments (may contain spoilers):

What is the purpose of that bar in the cultist area? Is it even possible to win a fight against the magic demon person? It is possible to complete the storyline without interacting with her. Also, I *think* I managed to escape the game, but the countdown timer won't go away when you leave. Possible glitch?

What venom is the mysterious hooded figure in the cultist area looking for? I checked and it appears that whoever they are, they disappear after defeating the head cultist lady.

Does the choice to tickle / have mercy have any effect on the game beyond flavor text / occasionally receiving a small reward?

You know, this game is a bit darker than others. Not that it's a bad thing--but I didn't expect people to, you know, actually die. :lol

 

[cooldude6042]

First Post:

Sorry, my programming is sub par. I added a back button that should work
for class and weapon selection. The second class choice is picking the right
weapon for your class, other weapons are unequipable (if you've seen "Fate/Zero", think Noble Phantasm). If you don't have your weapon, the game after the tutorial enemy will become very difficult, if not impossible. I also capitalized the second word on all skills.

Second Post:

Glad you enjoyed the game. The bar fight is supposed to be a dead end. I
think fighting a real demon is a bit hard at your current power level 🙂. The
cloaked figure is also supposed to disappear after certain events are finished.
If you got to the court scene, I think you'll figure out why ("valar morguelis" 😉). The poison comes from an enemy inside the caves. If you're stuck, look for bones and a dirt mound. The "good/bad" choice system doesn't really have an impact until the end game (if I ever get to it). The timer should disappear. I don't know what went wrong with that.

I've implemented the changes, but I want to see if people find any more bugs before I upload the next patch.

 

[---1]

Ah! Went through and completed the tasks I'd missed. And I thought the statue was just a horribly difficult fight. Damn.

One thing that I thought of while ploughing through that dungeon (again!) was that the rate of random encounters is insane - is there any way you could make it lower? I didn't have problems with surviving them (early on I could still flee successfully) but it got annoying having to stop every few feet on several occasions, especially since the pathways and tunnels of that place forced one to take circuitous routes. Maybe something that decreases rate of random encounters as level goes up, if not a lower rate outright?

I think I remember not being able to flee easily in the place with the orcs, after Iris joins the party. I guess that was because she was super low leveled when she joined, thus lowering whatever collective stat is used to govern ability to flee. I highly suggest that you crank her level up a bit to start with, instead of starting her at lvl 1. (Although I managed to get through it, so it's survivable.)

For the record, I did my run as a mage, and it took me less than 2 hours of total playing time. (Quite a bit more than that in actuality, but I did a lot of saving in order to get all the different variations on the scenes.)

And that spider girl got what was coming to her. :stickout

Seriously, this was a load of fun, especially since this is your first game. I applaud your hard work (and imagination, creativity, etc.) and look forward to seeing your continuing efforts!

 

[cooldude6042]

Thanks, I'll take that into consideration. I don't want the game to be a chore, but I also don't want to make it too short and easy either. And I can only write so much dialogue in a given time 🙂.

 

[manjumamejeur]

One question: where must we go after Iris joined the party?

 

[TickleWiazard]

Oh and another new one?! Fantastic! I eagerly await the download to finish so that I may examine the potential of yet another game creator joining the flock!

 

[MrUselessBeing]

Oh and another new one?! Fantastic! I eagerly await the download to finish so that I may examine the potential of yet another game creator joining the flock!

My thoughts exactly, i guess this month is somewhat special.
I wonder if we will get a 3rd one to join the party? :rolleyes



Anyways, i will definitely try out the game myself aswell, but i am busy with my own at the moment so i can't. Hopefully the game turns out to be very entertaining(sorry if i replied in a wrong way, i couldn't figure out how to add the quote otherway around and such.)

 

[cooldude6042]

New patch is up. Along with the changes I have mentioned previously, I
have also:

-decreased encounter rate in caves

-increased Companion's starting level/agility

One question: where must we go after Iris joined the party?

A: Iris should have mentioned it during your conversation. If you're still stuck,
try looking around the upper area where you encountered the two women.

 

[manjumamejeur]

thanks!

 

[slacker2114]

First off, great to have yet another game to play. These are always enjoyable. As for critiques....

- The Orc Scouts!!! GAH, I can't get away from them and they pop up constantly. Every cent I've earned so far has gone to healing potions and I'm still empty-handed.

- The Elder Tree is kind of annoying because all her attacks go first and she buffs herself to the point I can't even damage her. Granted, I'm at lvl 5 when I fight her, so maybe that's my problem. Just gotta grind some more.

- I find Iris to be kind of useless at this point (I just managed to get the copy of the stone). She doesn't do much damage and she seems a prime target. I'm hoping I find a weapon for her after I manage to get back to town. (The Orc Scouts...ARRRGH!!!)

Overall, you seem to have a great story going on here and I'd love to see it continued, even though I haven't finished it yet to where you pause the game's storyline. With some minor gameplay tweaks, you could have yourself a game that ranks up with the best of them. Looking forward to the continuation.

 

[TickleWiazard]

Just de-crypted your game to confirm a suspicion of mine, which turned out to be right: No wonder the file size is so sodding big, you've included the RTP in the files! Word of advice to help you cut your upload time and to help your players with download times (especially when it comes to updates): Don't include the RTP files! Most people here already have them installed because of the amount of games out that require them, so it's pretty redundant and time consuming to yourself and the player.

Also, without the RTP files it makes the time it takes to create the .exe for the game stupid quick.

 

[manjumamejeur]

I don't know if I'm at the end but I just defeated a demon in the cultist's lair.

What character do you have vs the tree? I personally managed to defeat it (with many difficulties) at LV 4.

Once you'll kill her the merchant of armor/weapon will give you a free armor.

But I'd say one of the bad point is the fact the only merchants who sell things are potions merchants. You can't buy a weapon or an armor. So the problem is: even at level 9 (max) Iris will still deal very few damage and will basically die extremely easily. She can barefly survive 5 or 6 fights (in the cultists' lair and then she dies)

But the story is excellent indeed. The game just needs a few more improvements

 

[slacker2114]

I started simple and went with warrior for an initial playthrough. Normally, the warrior does decent damage, but against the tree, I can do 3 pts of damage per hit if the tree is unbuffed.

 

[manjumamejeur]

Do you have a weapon? Normally you have one in the 1st village. But you could choose the weapon according to your skills as warrior, knight etc ...

So maybe you have a bad one. Don't you have some skills as warrior?

 

[---1]

- I find Iris to be kind of useless at this point (I just managed to get the copy of the stone).

Huh? Did I miss another sidequest? :huh



Also, cooldude6042, have you given thought to posting this on the TMF as well? They're decent folks, and ever since TT went down the last time they've had a Games forum as well. Could get more exposure / feedback that way.

 

[TickleWiazard]

Not finished it yet, just beat the elite orc scout (after giving up trying to beat the Elder Sapling again... That defense buff it does becomes broken fast!) and here are my beta notes thus:

Intro - Character appears out side of ship
Training dungeon - Would suggest giving the magistrate some dialogue when interacted with so she isn't just awkwardly stood
Greenshore - Open tents you can't enter
Once talking to the old lady, you can walk on the moss covered tree. Might want to set the event position to be "same as player"
Stonekeep- THE WALLS ARE PEOPLE! D:
You can walk on the cracks on buildings.

 

[slacker2114]

Do you have a weapon? Normally you have one in the 1st village. But you could choose the weapon according to your skills as warrior, knight etc ...

So maybe you have a bad one. Don't you have some skills as warrior?

Yeah, I got the feather from the tree. Like I said, I do decent damage (9-22 pts of dmg, depending on what I'm fighting and if I found the 'sweet spot'). But that Elder Sapling, I hit for 3 until she starts buffing her defense, then can't do anything.

I'm thinking I may start over with a different class. It could be that particular class hasn't had all the bugs worked out yet. No biggie.

Huh? Did I miss another sidequest? :huh

After you beat the Orc Chieftain and Iris joins up with you, search that area for a stone that you find weird writing on. It's key to opening the realm further south to get to the cultists.

 

[cooldude6042]

Huh? Did I miss another sidequest?

A: I don't think you did. It sounds like they're talking about getting a copy of the tablet, which is part of the main quest.

I don't know if I'm at the end but I just defeated a demon in the cultist's lair.

A: There's a clue after you beat the demon on where to go next, (necklace,note). The current version has a message for when you get to the end. If you're still stuck, pm me.

even at level 9 (max) Iris will still deal very few damage and will basically die extremely easily. She can barefly survive 5 or 6 fights (in the cultists' lair and then she dies)

A: I did this more for thematic reasons than game balance. Your companion(s) are just normal people in a world where humanity's all but collapsed. You're the "hero" wielding a weapon on par with "Excalibur" or "Gae Bulg". Iris is meant to fill a more support role than matching your skill in combat, which is why I only buffed her ability to run away in the new patch. If a lot people feel the game is too difficult, I would rather buff your character or nerf specific enemies.

The Orc Scouts!!! GAH, I can't get away from them and they pop up constantly. Every cent I've earned so far has gone to healing potions and I'm still empty-handed.

A: There is a relatively cheap item (smoke bomb) that the merchant sells that should guarantee you run away, if you didn't already know.

Just de-crypted your game to confirm a suspicion of mine, which turned out to be right: No wonder the file size is so sodding big, you've included the RTP in the files!

A: Ah, it's nice to have a veteran playing my game🙂. I've de-selected "include RTP" when I compress my game, but the file size doesn't seem to diminish. I've also tried to fix the bugs you've found to the best of my abilities and will implement them in the next patch.

 

[slacker2114]

A: I don't think you did. It sounds like they're talking about getting a copy of the tablet, which is part of the main quest.

Yeah, that's the part I was talking about.

A: There is a relatively cheap item (smoke bomb) that the merchant sells that should guarantee you run away, if you didn't already know.

Yeah, I saw them, was just commenting on how often the randoms with the orcs happens as opposed to other random encounters. It just seems like a much higher encounter rate, is all.

As I said, I'm starting over with a different class anyway to see if some of my issues stem from an imbalance with the character classes to help you shore them up and see where potential problems may lie. Beyond the issues I and a few others have mentioned, it's shaping up to be a great game.

Also, I don't think many commented, but you have a great writing style for the boss torture scenes. Makes me always want to punish them after I beat them. It does bring up a question for me though: where do the Marks of Passion and Marks of Mercy come from and what are they for? Is it related to beating bosses?

 

[cooldude6042]

Also, I don't think many commented, but you have a great writing style for the boss torture scenes.

Thanks! I don't have much experience with this type of writing, and just tried to emulate Deus and Animewatcher's writing style. Glad you enjoyed it.

where do the Marks of Passion and Marks of Mercy come from and what are they for? Is it related to beating bosses?

A: I tried to implement a karma system, something like the ones found in Bioware games. Unfortunately, the program doesn't seem to have a system built in, and my attempts to use the script editor have been unsuccesful to put it mildly. I have an idea where your past decisions have an impact on the end game, so I made items that keep track of it, though it regrettably may be immersion-breaking.

 

[slacker2114]

A: I tried to implement a karma system, something like the ones found in Bioware games. Unfortunately, the program doesn't seem to have a system built in, and my attempts to use the script editor have been unsuccesful to put it mildly. I have an idea where your past decisions have an impact on the end game, so I made items that keep track of it, though it regrettably may be immersion-breaking.

Screamer could probably help you with that if you need it. He did that kind of thing in A Witch's Laughter where your decisions of torture or mercy impacted the end game and even set you up for certain fights. That sort of thing makes a 2nd playthrough even better when you can get a different ending.

 

[slacker2114]

UPDATE: Just started a 2nd playthrough, this time as a ranger. Elder Sapling fight was long, but I mopped the floor with her on the 1st try at lvl. 4. Definitely an imbalance with the warrior, I'd say. Even at lvl. 7 with the warrior, I couldn't touch her.

 

[TickleWiazard]

A: I tried to implement a karma system, something like the ones found in Bioware games. Unfortunately, the program doesn't seem to have a system built in, and my attempts to use the script editor have been unsuccesful to put it mildly. I have an idea where your past decisions have an impact on the end game, so I made items that keep track of it, though it regrettably may be immersion-breaking.

You could always use variable arrays for holding good and evil points, it's what I was doing with Laughing House.

UPDATE: Just started a 2nd playthrough, this time as a ranger. Elder Sapling fight was long, but I mopped the floor with her on the 1st try at lvl. 4. Definitely an imbalance with the warrior, I'd say. Even at lvl. 7 with the warrior, I couldn't touch her.

So it's not just me then? I'm at lvl 4 with my warrior and after 2 of her burrow tricks she becomes impossible to damage