Hanako Games

I decided to try out this game.

#1 by Nhadala - Jan 7 2014

I have always been a fan of Visual Novels and RPGs and this game touched a special chord inside me when i saw it, more so when Totalbiscuit actually liked it since he hates the art style of anime.

Anyway from what ive heard you die a lot in this game and some of the deaths are unsuspected or you dont know about them, i dont quite like that so i would love to have some link or whatever on when each death is and how to prevent it, i know that there will be spoilers but that cant be avoided.

I am not expecting a Muv Luv Alternative out of this visual novel/rpg, im expecting a story that morphs itself based on what ive made my Princess become like though the classes and it seems like it will work itself out with the exception of the uknown deaths(i absolutely hate dying in any visual novel, it pains me emotionally to see it).

I think ill like this game.

Peace out!

Re: I decided to try out this game.

#2 by Darksilverhawk - Jan 7 2014

If you really wish to avoid them them the wiki has a breakdown of all the possible deaths, as well as breakdowns of all the possible events of each week and how to avoid the deaths (though knowing what they are doesn't always mean you can remember to juggle your stats to avoid them). As frustrating most of the less expected deaths are, they do at least have a humorous tone to them.

Re: I decided to try out this game.

#3 by hanako - Jan 7 2014

The nature of the game is about learning through experience - hitting roadblocks, dying horibly, and trying to think of a way to get around them, slowly uncovering more of the backstory as you explore new routes. If you followed a guide straight to the end, you'd end up missing 90% of the game and being very unsatisfied.

If you hate dying in games I would probably recommend skipping this game entirely (Yes, as the developer, I can say that!). Because either it will drive you insane, or you'll follow someone else's playlog, be 'done' in a snap, and think the whole experienced sucked.

It sounds like you're looking more for a Princess Maker style game and this really isn't that. I've done games that are more in that style (the Cute Knight series especially, though the first is very old by now) and I will probably do more games like that again, but this one isn't.

That said, if you're SURE you want to play and tips on avoiding the most common deaths, reply and I'll point you to some.

Re: I decided to try out this game.

#4 by Nhadala - Jan 7 2014

hanako:

The nature of the game is about learning through experience - hitting roadblocks, dying horibly, and trying to think of a way to get around them, slowly uncovering more of the backstory as you explore new routes. If you followed a guide straight to the end, you'd end up missing 90% of the game and being very unsatisfied.

If you hate dying in games I would probably recommend skipping this game entirely (Yes, as the developer, I can say that!). Because either it will drive you insane, or you'll follow someone else's playlog, be 'done' in a snap, and think the whole experienced sucked.

It sounds like you're looking more for a Princess Maker style game and this really isn't that. I've done games that are more in that style (the Cute Knight series especially, though the first is very old by now) and I will probably do more games like that again, but this one isn't.

That said, if you're SURE you want to play and tips on avoiding the most common deaths, reply and I'll point you to some.

I play a lot of RPGs and dying is common in them and those kind of deaths are fine, i hate dying in Visual Novels, especially when playing a female character, where the death scenes are that of Tsukihime or when your head gets put on an effing pike or you die horribly slain and raped by your own comrades or something like that, i dislike those gruesome, emotion-killing death flags, but i learn to pass through them(at a huge personal cost) because the story is great.

And if the main character dies in a story i want it to be a worthwhile death or a build-up to an even more interesting story.

I like the whole notion of the story building around you with military and political intrigue as you make your character what you want her/him to be through different choices or some sort of system like your game has and i think this game will fully satisfy that interest of mine.

I like a challenge, but a challenge that i know i can avoid if i did the correct choices or whatever, what i dont like is events like those in Europa Universalis 4, where the player is harrassed with random(literally) stability drop events for no reason that you have no way of getting out of(bad comparison, but thats how you are going to feel as a new player if you hit a random death flag and u didnt know what caused it).

I am a big nut of grand strategy games too and i know the method of trial and error and it keeps me hooked into it when done right.

I am sure that ill love this game.

I am not good at making points or arguing since i have Ashpergers Syndrome but i hope i got through and i explained well what i mean.

And yes id love to hear your tips.

Props on being active on the forums by the way(there arent exactly many devs who bother to post on social media), really cool stuff.

My advice on getting your games to be more popular is to give review copies of the game to big YouTube critics like Angry Joe or Totalbiscuit(do u have a way to reach them?) and have them tear apart your game, it will be good publicity and ull get good feedback at the same time.

Re: I decided to try out this game.

#5 by hanako - Jan 7 2014

Okay, no problem.

Here are some quick hints to the most common 'obstacles' you'll encounter in the game (highlight to read spoilers)

The Birthday Party

In many cases you will be attacked by bandits if you try to get to the birthday party. You need ninja-like skills to avoid being shot, or enough guards to fight off your attackers, or enough medical and calming skills to keep your head after being shot. Or you can just skip the party entirely - this will probably make the nobles angry if you don't have good manners.

The Chocolates

At one point in most games, you will receive a gift of poisoned chocolates. If you fail all the skill checks related to it, Elodie will automatically eat them. There are a LOT of ways to survive this. Maxing your poison skill is the most obvious but there are many other ways.

Challenged At The Tournament

It's possible to have him never challenge you at all, but it's quite hard. If he does challenge you, you will want magic or a combination of weapons and athletics/agility skills in order to deal with him. The easiest way to avoid this is to just not go to the tournament.

The Sea Battle

Don't go to sea if you aren't good at naval strategy and can't swim. Don't try to do a huge magical attack at sea if you're not good at magic.

The Final Challenge

If you don't learn magic, it's a good idea to learn Composure. If you do learn magic, it's a good idea to learn how to use that magic sword.

This is just a beginning guide, there are more ways to deal with these problems than the ones I'm listing here, but it will give you at least some idea of what to prepare for. There are also more deaths, but these are the most common ones to encounter unexpectedly.

Also, in general the Divination skill will warn you about a lot of what's coming up and protect you from some possible disasters.

Hope this helps!

Re: I decided to try out this game.

#6 by Nhadala - Jan 7 2014

Thanks and sorry for not playing the game like its supposed to be played.

I know it must be frustrating dealing with individuals like me.

Re: I decided to try out this game.

#7 by hanako - Jan 7 2014

Oh, it's fine to play how you want, I'm just trying to keep people from playing in ways that will make them unhappy.