so im playing through black ribbon

[Yeaster]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

Well, I didn't have time to test play it again.


But I looked through the guide, particularly at the "recommended levels" parts, and adjusted the demons' stats accordingly. I used Leon's base stats as my model, since they were perfectly average. Keep in mind, I didn't take into consideration the new equipment you'd purchase along the way, so if anything, the game may become too easy after a certain point. But the random encounters should be less frustrating, at least.

Heck, BE GLAD I DID ANYTHING AT ALL!

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

can you do me one final favor and provide a passcode so i can pop into your game and fix something should i come across a too difficult point or a critical error. if you dont want to release it unpassworded then ill take it by pm.

i should start playing it this weekend.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

so i picked up the game again and restarted with the changes. i must say that the difficult has dropped significantly, making the game very playable and acceptable.

the first area was ultra easy with everything dieing in a single hit which was nice. the second team was a bit more of a challenge as magic is still scary and enough to level your team in a single turn.

having my mages go first was a big help as i could reliably heal. i needed to use this tactic for further battles as they where not one hittable but still balanced. the only issue i had was with my alan and quilla party trying to get back to my base. that single path had some nasty magic uses that i was nearly unable to damage and really hurt.

i just got some kind of car. looks like a floating box or something. in that dungeon i just got mass raped by a roogoo or something. magic one shot my ass.

im 6 hours in and im a lot farther then i was before. this is a much better use of my time. i wish the game was more visually appealing and that id of spend less time in old dungeons. the plot is really the best aspect of this game.

[Yeaster]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

having my mages go first was a big help as i could reliably heal. i needed to use this tactic for further battles as they where not one hittable but still balanced. the only issue i had was with my alan and quilla party trying to get back to my base. that single path had some nasty magic uses that i was nearly unable to damage and really hurt.

*cringes* I completely remember what you're talking about. Those enemies were meant to be faced later, so I thought I took them out during the first trip to Temple. I guess I didn't... *goes back to edit*

Yeah, the graphics in this game are pretty week (and I'm being kind), but some locations I really did try to make look...decent.

Nonetheless, I'm glad the changes have helped out a lot. And the Rogloo battle was an optional fight (if I'm correct) and was meant to be crazy difficult. Sounds like you're almost done with the first scenario.

For curiousity's sake, what do you think of characters so far?

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

i understand this game lacks the quality and polish of many games and has in all probability been totally overlooked by everyone for its past difficulties. yet even still i believe someone should see your story, that it should be heard. hopefully i will not be disappointed, and this extra effort will reward me with an interesting conclusion.

i already see some twists and turns which is more then i can say for much else out there. this game should serve a strong warning to every designer out there: be mindful of your audience; if you create a strong story then do everything in your power to see that others can see it too. you can build a game for yourself, but the real reward comes when others partake in your victory and enjoy it for themselves.

a writers greatest wish is that many others can enjoy as much as himself the fruits of his labor.

edit: i think there is much work to be done to polish them, but overall they are alright. the amount of them all at once is a bit much. id like to see a backstory or get to know them better before i get tons more.

[ErikaFuzzbottom]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

*reads that the game is now playable*

*puts back on the "might LP someday" list*

Beware: I actually go out of my way to find every little glitch in the games I play. :P

[Yeaster]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

That's fine by me, haha.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

better get a few pens, there is a lot of them if your going to intentionally try to find them. after i realized how many there would be i stopped and just played the game as intended.

yea, once i play through it you can release it as perminate for both sites (will give you time to correct major issues if i come across any).

[Yeaster]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

Something I want to add:

This game, in no way, represents the quality of the projects I work on today.


Just wanted to make that clear. =P

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

even with battles becoming relatively safe to plow through, this game is outragously hard. i didnt think it was even posible to create a game with two distint difficulties but this is it. you have easy battles and then you have outragously harsh one turn your dead battles. magic is so scarry that your entire party can die in a single sweep. i had the boss where you get that party member who died back kill the dead member in one stroke effectively eliminating the bonu she was going to give me. even still i managed to beat this boss and tackled the next set and was wiped of the face of the earth. subsiquent retrys resulting in the first boss destroying me without contest. owch.

some errors i found where simple. the ring of monks disapear awkwardly after your confrontation, and mooble vanishes after the new member joins you only to flash back to let you know hes leaving.

lots of stuff still has way too much hp and i cringe at the possibility that i would of had to do these battles with old stats effectively making every boss battle the most epic challange of the gaming world. im going to have to crack open the case and tone down some of the magic of these baddies if i want to keep my sanity, or reduce some hp's.

im gona take a break from this for a bit. i have a week off and wont be in a possition to spend much time on any game.

[Yeaster]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

Are you using skills that cut the magic in half?

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

if there is a skill like that then ive yet to get it.

[Yeaster]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

I forgot what the spells themselves are called (every mage learns them, though) but Jewelstones and Brimstones accomplish the same thing (reduce attacks by half).

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

i have nothing like that. would like an anti magic rape item though.

[orius]

Re: so im playing through black ribbon

you have easy battles and then you have outragously harsh one turn your dead battles. magic is so scarry that your entire party can die in a single sweep.

Magic's a tricky thing to watch out for in game design. You have to take into the account the differences between party members using magic and enemies using magic. Party members will use magic in many multiple fights, depending on MP costs. As such, it doesn't matter if the magic does 1-hit kills; random encounters are largely supposed to be cannon fodder. However, if the enemies use the exact same spells as the party, it can make things harder. First of all, each of these enemies appears in but a single battle. Even if it's a common random encounter. So say, you've got a basic Goblin enemy, every time you encounter a Goblin it will be a fresh encounter with no depleted HP or MP, and it doesn't matter if it uses up MP, the next Goblin will start with full MP. This if different from a caster in the party who will be conserving MP. Second, the enemies are only facing magic once in a single battle, while the party members may face magic in every single battle, or at least a lot of different battles.

Also, RPG Maker has mostly fixed magic damage. There is a slight random variance, but there's no stat that reduces magic damage directly. So a spell that does 50 damage will do 50 damage against both party members and enemies. There's no damage adjustment based on Int. You can make accessories that reduce damage from elemental spells, but accessory slots are limited. That's why I would advise giving weaker powered spells to enemies that are going to be casting them a lot, or at least give the powerful spells a low percentage where you set up the enemy moves.