Hanako Games

Destiny: "You Were Never My Friend"

#1 by Calixte9 - Aug 12 2008

Destiny: "You Were Never My Friend" is a game I'm working on right now for anyone who's interested. It's made with RPG Maker XP and has 5 playable characters. It has elements from Cute Knight like the skills but has a RPG plot and features multiple endings unique to the character you play.

Plot: Your school's water supply is poisoned and you must transfer to another school for the last 30 days of the year. You guide your choice of one of the five girls through the remainder of the school year. All is well until a boy mysteriously vanishes, at the end of the 30 days you must choose to return home or investigate the disappearance.

Characters:

Lynette (Playable): A young woman who presents herself neatly, she cares about her appearance. She is caring, considerate and tries to get along with everyone, would naturally take the role of “leader” in a group.

Ella (Playable): Is mostly happy, and may come across as a little immature. She is laid back but gets excited easily and is a little cheeky. Spontaneous, not much of a planner she is fairly intelligent however dislikes school.

Amelia (Playable): Gentle and kind, she is more interested in helping others than her social status. Quite submissive and somewhat shy, doesn’t have much of a temper and wishes to make a difference in the world.

Sophia (Playable): A shy girl that often worries over trivial matters and doesn’t make friends easily due to caring about her grades. Is content with her life and studies in her spare time, is portrayed as quiet but simply fears being ridiculed for her ideas.

Odette (Playable): Depicted as shy but really just doesn’t have a lot to say. Often reserved, also a little antisocial, doesn’t often show her feelings and can be distant. Still willing to listen and selfless but is secretive.

Felix: Fun loving and energetic, he dislikes all subjects of school except sports. He doesn't take things too seriously and doesn't work well under pressure.

Martin: An intelligent boy who's quiet and rather shy. Though not selfish, he wouldn't really go out of his way to do something nice for anyone.

Bryan: Very kind and considerate, a good listener and very friendly although quiet. He prefers personality over looks, and is overall a nice guy.

Theodore: A friend from the player's childhood, is kind-natured and a real gentleman. However in a world where powerful magic is a sign of demonic presence, he has a terrible secret, he poses unbelievable talent in this very thing.

Faye: A resident fairy of Enchantias Woods, she has an innocent and helpful nature and is quite adept in fairy magic. Can join your party.

Demo Here

Note: There are only 5 endings currently available in the demo (1 for each of the playable characters) and though the schooling is quite repetitive, don't be put off because it's necessary so you can gain skills (not acquired from leveling up) . I don't suggest you play this unless you have a good 45-60 minutes free, if you plan on finishing it.
To skip class, walk into your bed. I don't recommend skipping, though, because there are serious (boring) consequences.

#2 by Naiomi666 - Aug 14 2008

Ok so i really like it but there is some problems with the game technically.

1.) the computer says there is an "syntax error while running script" whenever i try and talk to Theodore which is a pity because the only two times i talked to him he seemed really cool.

2.)When i try and talk to brian after the fifth time it will not let me.

3.) and i cannot continue to play when the faye shows up because it will say
"Unable to find graphics/transitions/020-Flat01.

and that is how far i am in the demo. i cannot continue further than that.


All in all an awesome game though it would be cool in the finished version if there were more chances to interact with the guys or have our stats more incorporated into the game.

#3 by Calixte9 - Aug 14 2008

Thanks but about the first 2 glitches, could you tell me which character you are? I'll work on fixing them as soon as I find the actual sources of error.

Later on in the game you can fight and did you know that you can go out of school in the 4th session to buy things? If you buy a painting set and some canvas you can paint and sell your paintings to a woman. She will buy them depending on you art skill so that's one way that skill is used.

#4 by Naiomi666 - Aug 14 2008

oh cool thats awesome. The character i was playing was Amelia.

#5 by Calixte9 - Aug 15 2008

Hmm... That's strange. I played through with Amelia and didn't find that problem with talking to Theodore and I'm yet to investigate the Bryan one. I fixed the part where Faye appears. Could you possibly provide anymore information about the Theodore bug?

#6 by Naiomi666 - Aug 15 2008

eh no sorry i put all of the information i know. You could try and post your game in the lemma soft forum and ask for people to put down what errors they see. There's a lot of people that could help you a lot better than i can.

also i have a question for my own curiosity. Why does the title include
"you were never my friend" I am really curious about that.

#7 by Calixte9 - Aug 15 2008

Well, you find that out later in the game but unfortunately I haven't made that part yet. I don't want to ruin the surprise I suppose.

Edit: I talked to Bryan as well and did not find a problem. Could it possibly be something to do with your computer?

#8 by Naiomi666 - Aug 16 2008

you know i was thinking about that. I think i will just wait for the full version.

#9 by Reverbgasm - Aug 20 2008

The game stops and goes to a black screen and a message pops up saying 'Script_Nombre_NPC' line 79: NoMethodErrorOccured. undefined method `dispose' for nil:NilClass when you talk to a guy in the rising phoenix area and he tells you were Theodore might have went and when you talk to Felix when he's going to give you present. And in the rising phoenix area you keep going back in the doors right after you exit when you enter the item shop or the place in the bottom left corner where you ask a guy about Theodore and he says he doesn't know anything but people usually come there to ship or send things. Also detention never seems to end and you can't bring up the menu screen or move or anything and the same thing happens after you go through the door to the roof in the first mentioned guy's house. There are three doors in the fairy area you can't open two are the weapons and item shop and third one is the one in the bottom right corner. Also you can't enter the tiny house next to the port in the phoenix area on the world map, the town that you get to through the path on the bottom right of the forest, the town in the diving fish area, or the cave right outside of your school on the world miry area you can't open two are the weapons and item shop and third one is the one in the bottom right corner. Also you can't enter the tiny house next to the port in the phoenix area on the world map, the town that you get to through the path on the bottom right of the forest, the town in the diving fish area, or the cave right outside of your school on the world map. Also in the town where the school is located there's a character looks like a maid outside of the inn that says something about being unable to do a sidequest do to lacking of graphics. Also there's random spelling errors throughout the game like when your talking to other characters just the boys in your school I think and phoenix is misspelled as pheonix.ap. Also in the town where the school is located there's a character looks like a maid outside of the inn that says something about being unable to do a side quest do to lacking of graphics. Also there's random spelling errors throughout the game like when your talking to other characters and phoenix is misspelled as pheonix. I was playing as Odette.

#10 by Calixte9 - Aug 20 2008

Most of those glitches I was able to fix. I would like to say that the areas that are inaccessible are not yet made, detention does have an, end but it takes literally about 5 minutes. I was considering making it shorter but I'm not exactly sure yet. And yes, that side quest is currently unavailable because I don't have enough graphics so that's not a glitch. I fix spelling mistakes when I find them so could you provide the location of any you find please? Thank you .

#11 by Reverbgasm - Aug 20 2008

On the bookshelf in your house it says there are some books and magizines and Ella says it's for bed to her sister. Playing as Odette (same with Sophia) it says you see you favorite dress, when you take it with you it says you decided to take the it with you, and under items it says a beautiful dress rapped in a dust jacket. and phoenix is misspelled as pheonix in rising phoenix. Wooden shield is misspelled as wooden sheild and boys dormitory is misspelled as domitory. When you're talking to Ella on the first night of school at bedtime she says I knows but it's soooo much hassle they could'
ve (might want to put that last word on the next line) and Lynette's name is misspelled as Lynettte only that time. Sophia says Actually I prefer uniform and during the conversation it says the room is quiet or a few seconds. When you go inside the proper etiquette classroom it misspelled as ettiquette but it's fine on the outside door. If I find anymore I'll let ya know. Welcome.

#12 by Calixte9 - Aug 20 2008

Thanks but what's wrong with the lines "a beautiful dress rapped in a dust jacket" and "Actually I prefer uniform"?

#13 by Reverbgasm - Aug 20 2008

It's wrapped and I prefer uniforms just seems to jibe better.
Also the dress thing is the same with Amelia, Ella, and Lynette.
And their mom says until the end on the school term. Also when you say you don't know Theodore you're ebarrassed. Also you can walk up the wall to the right the stairs in the inn, your sister also gets stuck in buildings (not that I mind ) when you enter one and she comes with you even if you abandon her. Also you can walk through the counter in the item shop in the town where your school is and your sister follows you from building to building even though she gets stuck in whatever building you enter (except school) and you can ditch her in the item shop.

#14 by Calixte9 - Aug 21 2008

Ah, I see. I'm sort of slow to realize errors when the computer doesn't say it's wrong. Unfortunately, the glitches when your sister gets stuck are a bit difficult to fix but it's funny to watch her try to get to you.

#15 by hikari_rekka - Aug 21 2008

Um.. When I got the gift from Felix, it had this script error... Do you know how to fix it? And I'm playing as Odette. Oh, and I seem to be having trouble raising my visual arts. For some reason, it's at a -98. Am I doing something wrong?

#16 by Calixte9 - Aug 22 2008

The Felix gift thing has been mentioned above and unfortunately there's nothing you can do to get around it but I have fixed it in the game. And what's your happiness? Because if your happiness if in negatives, then your visual arts will go down if you take the class.

#17 by phoenixgirl - Aug 22 2008

Hi Calixte,

I finally have a chance to play through the demo and I'm liking it so far. I haven't gotten very far, though. At the moment, I'm on board the ship but all I can do is talk to the other students. I can't go outside and I don't know what else to do. (BTW, I'm playing as Lynette.) Any tips to help?

Also, I noticed that when the game opens up, it does so in full screen mode. Is it possible to have an option where it does so in windows mode as well?

Update: Ok, I'm off the ship now. I did find some bugs, though, but I'll post them here when I have free time later (I have to go to work soon).

#18 by hikari_rekka - Aug 23 2008

Calixte9:

The Felix gift thing has been mentioned above and unfortunately there's nothing you can do to get around it but I have fixed it in the game. And what's your happiness? Because if your happiness if in negatives, then your visual arts will go down if you take the class.

So, I have to ignore Felix for the rest of the game? And happiness is in -12... I'm trying to fix it by letting her eat food.

Edit: In Rising Phoenix, there's this glitch where if I go into this huge house and I go to the roof, the door opens at the entrance and I can't move.

#19 by Calixte9 - Aug 23 2008

hikari_rekka:

So, I have to ignore Felix for the rest of the game?

Unfortunately, yes .

phoenixgirl:

Also, I noticed that when the game opens up, it does so in full screen mode. Is it possible to have an option where it does so in windows mode as well?

Well, there's currently no option to but if you press Alt+Enter, you can get it in windowed and if you press that again, it'll go back into full screen. Hope that helps.

#20 by hikari_rekka - Aug 23 2008

Though I sort of wonder why the wolves in the forest cause around 130 damage... There any way to get any armor if you choose "Look for Theodore"?

#21 by Calixte9 - Aug 23 2008

hikari_rekka:

Though I sort of wonder why the wolves in the forest cause around 130 damage... There any way to get any armor if you choose "Look for Theodore"?

Well, In the start of the game, If you took your favourite dress with you then that's armor. You can also buy a wooden shield in a variety of places and and some armor at Forthernshire.

#22 by hikari_rekka - Aug 23 2008

I see. So the "Look for Theodore" part is a freelance part for now? And thanks for the advice~

#23 by Calixte9 - Aug 23 2008

Yeah, if you choose to go home, the game will end and you'll get an ending.

#24 by phoenixgirl - Aug 23 2008

Ok, I've played through the game as Lynette and I've gotten as far as possible until I ran into a problem. I'll post the bugs/problems I've found. (I'm planning on playing through again, using different characters this time.)

I had Lynette choose to take her sister to the new town. However, after entering a building and then exiting it, her sister disappears. But her sister reappears when Lynette enters other buildings except the weapons shop.

Once Lynette gets the present from Theodore and she opens it, the following conversations that she has with him are Theodore saying hi to her. I don't know if that's supposed to be the case but I thought it was a bit strange.

Finally, when Lynette goes to sit on the exam and she fails, I take her to the detention room. I get a message saying that she has to sit in but I don't know how long that's supposed to be the case. I had her sitting in the detention room for a couple of minutes but nothing happens. She can't move or leave the room.

That's it what I found so far. But I do like the game so far. Are you open to any suggestions for improvement? I was thinking that an explanation at the beginning regarding stats and such would be good.

#25 by Calixte9 - Aug 23 2008

Ah, yes. I fixed the sister thing. Regarding Theodore, yes he is just meant to say hi, I couldn't think of anything else for him to say. The thing about detention has been mentioned already, It does work, just you have to wait for about 5 mins. Any suggestions are definitely welcome, I will take them all into consideration as long as they're within reason.

hikari_rekka:

Edit: In Rising Phoenix, there's this glitch where if I go into this huge house and I go to the roof, the door opens at the entrance and I can't move.

Sorry, I didn't see that but which house do you mean? Is it the one in the port? Because I tried that door and I didn't get this problem.

#26 by phoenixgirl - Aug 24 2008

Thanks. I'm almost done going through the game once (yeah, it's taking me a while XD).

So I'm wondering. Is each girl supposed to be paired up with a particular guy or can it be any guy? Also, regarding classes, should some girls take particular classes and ignore others?

#27 by Calixte9 - Aug 24 2008

Well, *technically* yes, but it's the player's decision. And for the guys, there's only 4 of them and 5 girls so that doesn't really work out if you pair them however if you choose to go home and you have the same amount of relationship points with two of them (say you're Sophia and you have 14 with both Martin and Felix) then you will marry the one your character is more likely to marry (In Sophia's case, Martin).

#28 by phoenixgirl - Aug 24 2008

Ok, I had a chance to finish through as Lynette, as far as I could. I didn't enounter any problems when I chose for her to go home. However, when I chose the option to look for Theodore, I did have a couple of problems.

When I was on the world map, Lynette couldn't enter the case that was northwest of the town. Is that a bug or is that done on purpose?

On the world map, I took the ship and crossed to the other side. I found the box full of fruit in the wilderness camp. Then when I entered the cave in that land area and encountered a wolf, it attacked me. So I tried to use one of the grapes to replenish the character's hp and mp but it didn't work and I still lost one of the items in the process.

Oh and any hints on where Theodore might be?

Suggestions:

It might be nice to have some of the other PCs and NPCs sit in on the classes in the day as well. The classrooms seem a bit empty with only the playable character going to them.

Questions:

Does skipping lunch and/or dinner affect the character in any way?

How many magic spells can one learn? I was only able to learn 3.

#29 by Ulin208 - Aug 24 2008

May I be so bold as to reply for Calixte9, and if it's all right with you I answer for her, all the places you can not currently go to are most likely not created yet, the grape problem in being worked on, and about the eating/skipping, skipping lowers happiness and eating raises it, as for spells there are currently only 10 that you can learn, but if you keep taking magic you should get all of them (critical thinking helps with spells as well). Hints on where Theodore might be... I can say that he travelled around A LOT so basically you just have to visit towns and ask if any one has seen Theodore presuming that he still is alive, however, in this demo version there isn't much to do along the lines of actually looking for him, becuase it's kinda a long process as the plot unfolds.

Thank you for your suggestion, I'll try to convince my sister to add that. (I've tried before but now someone else has suggested it, she should be easier to sway).

#30 by phoenixgirl - Aug 24 2008

Thanks, Ulin. I appreciate the help regarding Theodore.

I played through the game again, this time as Ella. I found a few errors/bugs.

On day 10, Felix says that he enjoys field day even though it hasn't happened yet.

On day 13, Ella is forced to take the wilderness course again. However, she doesn't have to fight the enchanted dolls. It skips that entire sequence. Thought that was a bit strange.

Finally, when it comes to taking an optional class for the fourth session, a couple of teachers (the proper etiquette and cooking teachers) say that there are no more classes today but there is the option to take one more class. I haven't encountered this with the other classes yet.

Ok, that's it. I'll try to play through as the other characters and if I encounter any more bugs, I'll post them here.

#31 by Calixte9 - Aug 24 2008

Ah, I'll look into those glitches. There are a few classes that are unavailable for the 4th session, (I think they're Art (Both forms), Music, Cooking, Proper Etiquette,) so that was intentional. Also, I'd like to thank you for playing my game for so long, I'm glad you have the patience.

Edit: Hmm, I didn't seem to get that problem when you had to repeat the field day.

#32 by phoenixgirl - Aug 25 2008

Hi Calixte,

Hmm, regarding the repeating of field day, here's how I got the bug. After completing the actual field day with Emma, I saved the game. Then I closed it and then opened it again. Then when I played the game as usual, that's when I encountered the bug.

#33 by Calixte9 - Aug 25 2008

Okay, I'll see if I can find what's causing the problem.

#34 by lill_sweetty - Aug 25 2008

Here's some stuff. I have only finished the 30 day schooling, so the report is not yet complete.

1) There were quite a lot of typos and the dialogue felt stilted a lot of the time. It's nothing big, but you should rethink the dialogue to make the girls with a bit more personality. The shy girls were the hardest to distinguish. Ella had th emost personality. Also, comb through the game for these typos. If you want, I can make a list of the typos I noticed. I also thought the layout of the first city and the school was strange. Why is the dining room upstairs?

2) Felix's present can't be opened. I think someone already reported that. Also.. I couldn't eat a tangerine I bought in battle.

3) Are you ever caught skipping? I skipped a whole day because I wanted to see if I can go to detention... nothing. I also expected going to the boys' dormitory at night would have some consequence. Also nothing.

4) I dropped off my sister because she IS annoying, but she still followed me everywhere. She disappeared when I selected yes, but when I got to the dock, she returned. She only finally left when I went into a shop and came out again in the city where the school is. And may I ask where she went after I went to school?

5) I found the schooling to be rather monotonous. Maybe cutscenes when you eat would make you find each day for amusing and get to know the characters more.

6) More instructions regarding what to do. I got on the ship, and since nothing happened, I thought the game had froze. Only when the screen suddenly changed did I realized I had to wait a bit because I was traveling. And I had NO idea that I had to fight later on. I was going after Bryan and so didn't take fighting lessons, since he dislikes fighting. Then I promptly died and had to restart from WAAY back.

#35 by Calixte9 - Aug 26 2008

Yeah, a lot of that stuff I already know about. I have played through multiple times is search of incorrect English (spelling/ grammar) but always fail to find them because I read it as what it should say instead of what it actually says (lol). Yes, you be caught skipping class, as pheonixgirl has been.
Cut scenes are hard because I don't know what could happen. And how did you get killed? By what was it? Because if you wanted to got after Bryan, you really should have went back home in the end. There's no real consequence for going into th boy's dorm apart from loosing obedience.

I am fixing Abigail, she goes to school too since she's school aged but just not the same one as you.

#36 by phoenixgirl - Aug 26 2008

Just finished playing through as Sophia this time. I found a few bugs or unusual things.

1. When I talk to Martin, from days 5 to 14, he always asks her if she wants to study with him. After the exam is over, he no longer asks that. Is that supposed to be the case?

2. When Martin gives Sophia the Secrets of the Universe, I got an error. It's the same error as when Felix gives a present.

#37 by Ulin208 - Aug 26 2008

Can I answer for Calixte again? She kinda left so I might as well seeing I got here first if it's okay with you. The answer to question one is yes. Studying with Martin increases your relationship with him as well as your intelligence, and about the second one, it's being worked on as well, however, you're not missing out on much since the actual book doesn't do anything yet.

#38 by phoenixgirl - Aug 26 2008

Ahh ok. Thanks for clarifying that.

I'll play one more time as Odette and if I find any bugs, I'll be sure to report them.

#39 by lill_sweetty - Aug 26 2008

When I said I got killed, I meant when I went on holiday to look for Theodore (I'm playing as Odette), by a wolf. But I still talked to Bryan, especially after Theodore left. I didn't take any fighting classes, but only magic. Of course, for magic, you need MP, but I was only a level 2... Basically, it would've been nice to have known beforehand. This was also made worse by the fact that I could not eat.

By the way...I just remembered two things I encountered. One is that while on the ship, the NPCs had a habit of walking "into" the partition that was for the stairway that was supposed to be a wall. The other is that I talked a lot to Felix after Theodore was gone... and he mentioned some stuff about Theodore acting strange and stuff... when Theodore wasn't there anymore.

I realize I forgot to say this before, so I'll say it now. Wow! There's actually a whole lot of stuff in your game, so much farther than I had anticipated. It's actually a very big game! I thought it would end with 30 days, but it didn't.... And unlike a lot of the bigger RMXP games out there, you guys didn't have a huge team of spriters, musicians, artists, mappers, scripters ect. It's amazing how you guys stayed motivated and all, and finished. So even though I'm raining down criticism, I am actually really impressed.

#40 by phoenixgirl - Aug 27 2008

So I finally am finished beta testing (as much as I can do anyway) and I only have one more thing to report.

I played as Odette and when she was asked if she wanted to participate in the art competition, I chose yes and she didn't win anything. However, the same question was repeated and the only way to move on in the game was to choose no. This didn't happen with the talent competition, though.

Overall, I really liked the game and agree with lill_sweetty that it is way bigger than first thought. I can't wait to see the final version and have the chance to search for Theodore. Speaking of which, I would suggest that before that quest is initiated, there be some way that the PC can earn money. I wanted to take the boat on the world map but it cost 10 coins and I didn't have any money. lol

That's all I can think of for now but it was really great to try it out and I can't wait to see how the final turns out.

#41 by lill_sweetty - Aug 27 2008

Oh yes...Phoenixgirl reminded me. On the first night, when I was Odette and was asked if I wanted dinner, I said no and the screen popped up again. I had to say yes... A lot like the art competition thing.

By the way, Phoenixgirl, one way to get money is the 1 chest in the "school town" and one more in your first forest, and 5 GPs on the rope on the side of the ship. Also, buy art supplies and a canvas. Take art class, paint a pic, and sale the pic back for 10 gp. Sort of monotonous, but buy lots of canvas, paint them all, and sale them all in one batch. I don't know if the art supplies ever run out though...

One more thing, and I know this is weird, but I really really love conversation. Hence the "cutscreen" lunch/dinner idea. So...I was hoping you could add more for Martin, Bryan and Felix to say. After awhile, they go "hello" again and again... And I love the girls' talks. Can you please add more of them, but make them sound less stiff ("As we're all new here, I think we should introduce ourselves. My name is ___ and I like ___." "And going back to what you were saying, ___, I think we should..." ~__~) That's the general idea. No one talks like that, even the really shy/stern girls. I should know, I'm one of them... It's normal that the first chat should be calmer, but try to imitate how sisters talk or girls talk at sleepovers. Three over the course of 30 days is sparse, and I never get to really interact with them...

Of course, anything not bug related are just suggestions, so take them whenever you wish.

#42 by Calixte9 - Aug 27 2008

Yes, I really do want to add cut scenes but find it hard to think of ideas, so I was reluctant to do so. Perhaps it seems strange to you but I sometimes talk like that, so I thought that it would be okay to write like it in the game. Anyway, thanks for the compliments. ^_^.

#43 by Ulin208 - Aug 27 2008

I think my sister left out a lot of stuff when answering the questions, I suppose you could say we aimed a little too high for our first actually game not including practice one but at time we weren't really all that motivated, there are still many glitches since it hasn't really even been properly Alpha tested. Do you sell the painting to the shop? There is a lady in one of the houses that pays for the painting more than the shop does and no, the painting supplies don't run out. We are going to make some cut scenes during lunch/dinner now since the school is quite boring but it'll make the game even bigger than is which is bad for people with slow internet, (we've had a few complaints in the past).

#44 by lill_sweetty - Aug 27 2008

Well, personally, for me, it wasn't a very big download....Hm, but yeah... that would be a problem. I don't think adding some scenes would make a huge difference though...

And thanks for the tip! That makes my life easier... I do think adding more conversation is a good idea, because at the beginning of the game, it's not really an RPG, but a sim (hence my later problems because of that assumption). Sims really rely on good conversation, puzzles, and things to explore.

#45 by phoenixgirl - Aug 28 2008

@lill_sweetty:

Ahh ok. Thanks for the tip. Much appreciated. If I get a chance to play through again, I'll be sure to try that.

#46 by Calixte9 - Aug 28 2008

Yes, I'm definitely going to work on more conversations etc. Do you have any suggestions for cut scenes or conversation topics? All will be greatly appreciated.

#47 by lill_sweetty - Aug 28 2008

Okay, I'm just going to throw some things out there. And be prepared for a whole lot of random ideas...

Girl talks:

-Exams (I'm actually pretty confused about what you need to pass too, so it'd be nice....) And something like this is what I meant by more natural:

Ella: I can't believe this! Did you all know that we'd have a exam in the middle of the term?
Lynette: *laughs* You should really pay more attention. I've been told by some of the guys. They'll be testing on ___.
Amelia: You didn't know, Ella? I'll be glad to help you if you want. Martin might help you too if you talk to him.
Sophia: Oh God...I still need to study. What if I fail? Oh God, that can't happen or--
Odette: hush, all of you, I'm trying to sleep. And you can't fail if you study.
Sophia: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to complain...I...
Lynette: It's alright, Sophia. No one minds. And Odette, you shouldn't say things like that.
Odette: ..... Fine.
Odette: Sorry. But...she was much too worried.
Ella: Oh my God! Were you concerned, Odette?
Odette: .....
Lynette: It's late. Let's all go to sleep. We can worry later.
Amelia: Yes, let's go to sleep. And Sophia, you're the most studious of us all. You'll be fine.
Sophia: Thanks...


Cut and chop as you wish for each girl and when we're playing them, and edit as you wish for each like. Like, for Ella's route, Sophia could speak up about her worries first.

Other girls' talk ideas:
-Free time (like, the options: Leave and shop, talk to Felix, take a class. You might want to actually say some classes aren't available too).
-Reaction after field day.
-Missing home. (you touched on this, but more so... Like, maybe one could wonder how their parents or doing, and how/why the water supply got tainted. Bond them).
-Complaint about the food (Don't know about you, but schools often have bad food. Can also touch upon eating lowers happiness, which lowers productivity).
-Competitions throughout the term.
-The shops and money (maybe one complains they don't sale much, one says they wouldn't have the money to buy anyway... Another says you can always use your talents for them.)
---------------

The guys:
All of them:
-Opinions about the other girls.
-About their homes at...home. And can tie to their personality by what they mention about their homes. Brian only child and his parents, Martin's big library, Felix's big yard at home. And Theodore...well...dream home?

Brian:
-Why he doesn't like fighting.
Felix:
-Complaint about the classes' quota.
-Detention (he got caught, had to sit there forever.)
-About the strange lady that really likes paintings (since you assume he'd also walk around and skip class a lot).
Martin:
-Comments about later on. The many regions, the enemies, the town. Not everything, just some things. Works because he reads a lot.
Theodore:
-Your childhood together.
-How he misses you.
-Asks if you take/like magic. (can hint towards his powers).

I thought the conversation can really be a hint system as well as deflecting a lot of questions players have. It can also develop the characters a lot more. And, well, just mix-match, shuffle the ideas if you want to incorporate the lunch thing too. The best thing about lunch is that all 9 characters will be at the table to discuss stuff with all of them.

#48 by Calixte9 - Aug 29 2008

I see, thanks. However, the only problems I really have are for Theodore and Odette. Odette because she's not really a mean person, but rather just can't care. Theodore because I can't say anything about him with really giving too much of the plot away (Even saying that gave a lot away) and I already have a prequel in progress (You play as Theodore) like a subgame to introduce the background story more.

For the exam, all you need to pass is a lot of Knowledge, which taking magic also increases, only very slowly, if you can't be bothered taking critical thinking. If you do really well in the exam, you get some money too.

#49 by lill_sweetty - Aug 29 2008

~_~ Aren't you taking too much in your hands? A game and then a subgame. Wow....

Anyway, okay, for Theodore, you could just say some trivial things. Get across the message that he didn't have much of a childhood. Have him talk to you about monsters, and what's out there, and whether or not he's curious to see all that. (I don't know, since I don't know his backstory). But basically, set up the whole mysterious danger thing. And Felix mentioned Theodore trusting the PC a lot, but I didn't see that at all, so maybe he can tell you something about meeting fairies (I presume? I thought that was where the story was going), or that he doesn't expect to live long, but without REALLY saying anything.

And for Odette, yeah, she did sound kind of mean and standoffish instead of just reserved. You can let her say things that aren't rude at certain times when she DOES have something to say... In one conversation, you can let her tell her views of things. Sort of like, "I don't get why so many people talk about such trivial things." or, "I have my life, they have theirs. I don't want to break into theirs without any reason. It's their life", "How do you expect me to talk to you when I don't know you well?" (for the intro girl talk). And you can have SOME character development of her by others saying something about friends worrying about trivial stuff like that together, and that it also sometimes means worrying about each other without being invited to because you care about them. I think you just have to incorporate their personalities into their conversation. How you get that across is yours, because you created their personalities and so have to know them best. But if you need more developed ideas, I can write some out...

#50 by Calixte9 - Aug 29 2008

Ah, okay. Thanks. The prequel isn't a big project, I just work on it when I feel like so there's not that much to it. Most of it is just pretty straight forward, it's not a sim. You mention a mysterious danger, is that how you take it to be? Alright then, I'll use that.

#51 by lill_sweetty - Aug 30 2008

Well... the mystique thing wasn't really working out. At first, I didn't really see any mysterious danger until Theodore went missing, when that kicked in. I don't think that's the best thing for the game, because then:

A. You expect the game to end after Day 30.
B. It sort of kills the "I want to find Theodore" thing and Theodore himself.

Considering that he has all this power, and that he's supposed to not show himself much unless it's the PC (and even then, not much), yes, I would interpret it all as mysterious danger. I thought that's what you were trying to show Theodore as and the mood you were going for...but not quite getting there, but maybe you didn't want it at all. XD But that's how I see it, yes, and I do want it in the game for the above reasons.

One last suggestion... you might want to download more midis, because the same midi gets annoying afterwhile.

#52 by Calixte9 - Aug 30 2008

Please excuse me if I'm being stupid but what did that mean? Are you saying that I should change the story or something? Sorry, I seem to be having a lapse in understanding things.

I have tried downloading midis, but there aren't actually too many good ones out there that are free and don't have copyrights attached. Even I'm starting to find the music annoying.

#53 by lill_sweetty - Aug 31 2008

Sorry...I didn't make much sense, did I?

I'm not saying you're to change the story. The story is fine as it is. I'm saying you should get the story out better. Ie. your premise is good, but the execution could be better. From what I can understand, mysterious danger is what you're SUPPOSED to feel from Theodore and the story, considering everything. Instead, the mood is very . There's no mysteriousness, no anticipation... I assumed you wanted that mood, so that's why I mentioned it, and if you did...you sorta failed. Even if that is not the mood you were planning for when you created Theodore and the story, I still think you should strive for this "mysterious danger" mood, because it will help the game, because:

A. You won't expect the game to end after Day 30 as much.
B. You will want to find Theodore and find out his story.

Basically, all this means is that drop a lot of hints about him, the plot, ect. and get the whole mysterious thing going. Give the Player a motivation to find out what happens to him (or they will just go home afterwards and basically lose the other 90% of your game, simply because they're not interested in finding Theodore and his story). That's all... Does that make more sense?

O.o Try this site for midis:
http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/midi/index.shtml

I hope that helps.

#54 by Calixte9 - Aug 31 2008

Ah, thanks. I'm sorry though, It still don't understand,when you say "drop a lot of hints about him, the plot, ect." do you mean drop out or drop in? XD I'm stupid.

#55 by lill_sweetty - Sep 1 2008

Drop... is just slang for add in. Not out. Put in lots of hints through conversations, ect., but don't reveal anything too much. Just get the player excited and wanting to find out about him and the plot.

#56 by Calixte9 - Sep 1 2008

Oh, thanks for clarifying that. I usually used the word "drop" to mean drop off so I was kind of confused. Now i feel stupid.

#57 by Reverbgasm - Sep 2 2008

Have you thought about letting characters use their cooking skills to cook the raw meat that they get n battles? yeah and cutscenes for classes with other characters and where you actually cook, play instruments, etc, would be great and so would more dialogue. Also more foliage and plants/flowers sounds cool and maybe you could actually read some parts of books instead of just saying you see a random assortment of books.

#58 by Calixte9 - Sep 2 2008

Reverbgasm:

Have you thought about letting characters use their cooking skills to cook the raw meat that they get n battles?

Yes, that is exactly what I intend for to do but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm glad that you think it is a good idea though.

#59 by liesel - Sep 4 2008

Okay, well, first of all, let me say that my first impression of this game was very good. I love being able to choose a character out of a few with set personalities, and I really liked the idea of the game and all, but once I started playing I found it to be extremely repetitive and very, very glitchy. In fact, I've never played such a glitchy game. o.o

The first thing I want to address is the schooling thing. You say that you know it's boring, so here's my question... do you want it to be boring? o.o If you understand that people don't like to go through the same thing 20 times, then why do you force them to? Why not change it? You could always have the player select their schedule and have the computer automatically have them go to those classes everyday, unless they decide to skip. Of course, I don't know anything about making games, so I'm not sure it's possible. It would be cool if it was, though.

On to the glitches. I played the game as Ella and the first thing I noticed was that when Felix gives her a present, a little error message pops up and the game shuts down. I got as far as going to Rising Phoenix on the search for Theodore, but once I got there I was stuck. If I went into any building and then tried to walk out, the door would automatically open again and I was forced to go back in, no matter how many times I tried to leave. So yeah. I couldn't really play the game from there. =(

#60 by Calixte9 - Sep 4 2008

I appreciate your contribution but the glitches you've stated has already been mentioned and dealt with so it would be good if you take into consideration the posts of others before posting yourself. I'm not trying to sound angry, but when I play I don't find it that boring to the extent that I don't want to play it anymore. The repetitiveness is being addressed however I don't find it any worse then Princess Maker 2 really.

#61 by lill_sweetty - Sep 4 2008

Don't be mad. The poster might've written his posts frankly, but he did say he liked the idea, the execution just wasn't there, and he told why, and he seemed upset that he couldn't play it anymore. With criticism, it might sting, because the game's your baby (I nearly cried when I got my first bad comment about my story) but the pill should be swallowed and dissected anyway, especially if it's detailed and legitimate. And I do think it was. And think of it this way, it was boring and repetitive, but he clearly liked it enough to play through to search for theodore. I think what he meant was that major glitches that shuts the game down and smaller glitches like grammar should've been weeded out and more refinement in the game should've occurred before the demo was released. It's obvious demos aren't going to be perfect, but it should at least stand as a testament to the quality of the game in general. Beta testers before the batch batch release would've been a good idea. The more refinement you do, the more pleased your players will be (and the bigger chance they'll come back for a bigger demo) and the less changes there will be...

Also, I have to say, Calixte, with princess maker 2, you're merely clicking. It's not the same as walking down flights of stairs, going to classes, going to lunch, walking down stairs again, go to one class, and then go back up to talk to Felix. PM2 and Cute Knight had a lot more choices, each day/week went quicker, and a lot more excitement (PM2 more so than Cute Knight, which coincidentally, suffers some of your same problems, but had more in terms of resolutions and interesting characters/conversations/punishments/rewards/choices/random events).

Your game lacks this...excitement, which I why I suggested to add a mysterious dangerous mood and more conversation, because then each day is slightly different and less monotonous. The design and time is amazing, and it's not so bad to quit, but it's not addicting either. You can have the computer skip, actually, by creating events like during the competition. I never saw the art contest or talent contest, but there were results. I think doing this will waste all the classes' work though, so my suggestion is rearrange your school to make the time walking smaller. Moving the dining room downwards is the best choice.

By the way... you say you're trying to fix these bugs. I'm just wondering if you have any plans for a Version 2 release?

#62 by Calixte9 - Sep 5 2008

I don't mean to argue but I did mention that I wasn't angry, critique doesn't bother me that much but it's the fact that everything has already been mentioned that slightly annoyed me. I do admit that the game is rather glitchy but I have released a previous version, none of which the spelling errors were brought up. As for a version 2, that won't be until ages.

#63 by lill_sweetty - Sep 5 2008

You weren't angry? You sounded like it. But regardless, I agree with his comments, all of them. The repetitive level of Destiny is a lot more than PM2. and I think he raised an interesting question. A gamemaker wants to make the best game they can. You knew it was repetitive, so why did you not change it?

As for V2, I was expecting it to take awhile... Like previously mentioned, the concept is quite good, especially for this PM2 lover, but it wasn't done well, rather glitchy and boring. This demo is very flawed as far as demos go. I didn't mention this before, but your mapping is bad... They're deserted, not lived in, not pretty, even highly improbable, and like a maze. I was confused on where to go throughout. There's not enough attention to detail. Downsize the maps if the huge city is too much for you to handle. It being a sim, exploring HAS to happen (NPCs, checking out books, houses) and it should be FUN. Mapping, story, actual gameplay will need a long overhaul. I suggest going through a beta tester first for your next version. Beta testers are for testing, but gamers PLAY your game. Beta testers are patient. Gamers are not. There's a difference.

Mapping-wise, you might want to go to RMXP.org for the help in mapping. They also have tons of resources, and the games there are amazing. Demos they are, but highly highly polished demos, usually short but stunning. You could've. I suggest you check out Quintessence and Ethereal Dreams for how to create atmosphere and tell a story. Master of the Wind, To Anywhere, and some parts of Blacksmith's Apprentice are stunning to look at, so check it for mapping. And btw, Blacksmith's Apprentice is probably the best example: one person team, few custom graphics, and yet has a huge following. If you post there, you might get a lot of good criticism, but it's harsher.

#64 by Calixte9 - Sep 6 2008

I see your point and I have multiple times looked on that forum at the tutorials and such but my mapping skills are, to some extent, hopeless. As for looking at those games, unfortunately, I'm one of those with really slow internet (I'm talking about 2 hours + for something which is about 50MB) which also often gets interrupted while in download.

Anyway, I don't mean that as an excuse but especially now that a lot of the major assessments at school have started, I don't have that much time to wait for things to download or read through tutorials.

#65 by lill_sweetty - Sep 9 2008

It's okay. I said before, it's a huge commitment, and a lot of people don't even make it this far, so I have to congrats you on that beforehand.

But these are just suggestions to make your game better. Like I said, downsizing your maps might be best, or laying the design down before creating it. Things to keep in mind: Keep the distance to walk with nothing to do/look at/explore at the minimum. If there's too much monotony or bare ground, you're doing it wrong.Random vegetation/furniture helps, and not too much of the same colors. Make it easy to navigate, but still small and concise and interesting. The school should have a BIG sign (a scroll maybe) and be easy to spot (the main path, perhaps). And the maze should be on a separate map. Create a portal to get to that map, so that it doesn't take that much time. And in that case, you can test the player for good eyesight, and not make them walk 5 minutes for the chest.

Mapping's hard! Just keep at it! And school's tough too, so take breaks if you need to, it's okay. By the way, if you need a beta tester, I'm all yours.

#66 by Calixte9 - Sep 9 2008

Thanks, for offering to help it shall be greatly appreciated. The good thing is, I've only got 3 more weeks of school left. Hopefully, I'll be able to make some progress in my break.