Dead Content Black Effect: Sequel to Under

[Plasma]

A few things here i dont understand. Maybe because the reviewd demo was so early but i dont see how this game is far superior to under in every way but it got a bad review. Well here are my thoughts after finishing the demo and playing through again and getting completely new areas and somewhat story.
This game is great. Anyone who even slightly liked under will love this game. Even though so far it does seem like a sequel that has the entire world.
Although slightly irritating the battle system is good and required you to think what attack is best suited for the enemy and so you will conserve tech points.
The strangest thing about the review is the mapping and music score.
These tracks are ALL original save for the battle plains I think. And they are really fricken good. I myself really like the town and cave bgm's.
Mapping is far superior to the Under game and the Under game got a good mapping score. What's up with that? I really liked the details like stuff being moved around each time you visit shops, people actually changing in the towns. Good stuff.
I really think this game should be played, I was sorry when it was over.
Again i must say that the reviewed version must have been really old because it does NOT sound anything like this game.

Also just a note because it kept getting mentioned in the review. But there is no magic at all in this game?

Now the bad. Later on in the demo in the basements of the houses in Gromor town you can walk through the barrel tiles.

Aside from that? Wow.

 

[That Guy]

simply amazing

 

[Doctor]

A few things here i dont understand. Maybe because the reviewd demo was so early but i dont see how this game is far superior to under in every way but it got a bad review. Well here are my thoughts after finishing the demo and playing through again and getting completely new areas and somewhat story.
This game is great. Anyone who even slightly liked under will love this game. Even though so far it does seem like a sequel that has the entire world.
Although slightly irritating the battle system is good and required you to think what attack is best suited for the enemy and so you will conserve tech points.
The strangest thing about the review is the mapping and music score.
These tracks are ALL original save for the battle plains I think. And they are really fricken good. I myself really like the town and cave bgm's.
Mapping is far superior to the Under game and the Under game got a good mapping score. What's up with that? I really liked the details like stuff being moved around each time you visit shops, people actually changing in the towns. Good stuff.
I really think this game should be played, I was sorry when it was over.
Again i must say that the reviewed version must have been really old because it does NOT sound anything like this game.

Also just a note because it kept getting mentioned in the review. But there is no magic at all in this game?

Now the bad. Later on in the demo in the basements of the houses in Gromor town you can walk through the barrel tiles.

Aside from that? Wow.

The review was written after playing the game's old version. Ironically, the new version of the game was released at the same time the review did, giving the impression the review is about the new demo.

I'll play the new release around and correct what needs to be corrected in the review. Then again, I don't "wow" easily.

Bug found: If you save Miniex, you can't escape from the cave you carry him in due to a passability error (next to the bucket-thingy).

Bug numero dos: Not so much a bug but a transparency error. You can see through the beds in the church.

Bug numero tres: Check the passability in the battle plains, you can walk on some of the black areas, allowing you to get skills without spending any skill coins. Check the passability in Go'm... G'om... er... the second town, anything with vines can be climbed. Walls can be climbed randomly in the place of trials.

The demo ends a bit abruptly, doesn't it?

EDIT: -Whew- Replayed the game in its entirety and re-reviewed it. You must happy, Man, two reviews in less than a month, three if you count that reevaluation...

About that rereview, not much has changed. You got 1 more point for the final rating, and I included the new stuff and stuff I missed the first time around. Feel free to link it up on your main post.

 

[The Man]

Damn errors. I'll fix them up a little later on in the day. Really sucks because if you save Miniex you are awarded with a somwhat different game. I must've done something when I re-uploaded again.
ANyway, thanks for the review Flash. I'll work on the games weak points and possible rework some things if I can't make them work the way I want.

EDIT: Most of the errors are fixed. But I found no problem getting out of the cave if you save Miniex? Strange.

 

[Doctor]

Tried it again and, nope, still can't pass in that cave. The bucket's blocking the way.

 

[The Man]

Well, Flash was correct about the passability error. So anyone who has downloaded thus far odds are you only have half a game as it will become immposible to continue if you choose to save Miniex.

I had 3 versions of the game uploaded to filefront and stupid me they have the same name so I had the wrong one posted for download. 1 or 2 may have the original which worked fine but after I corrected a error and re-uploaded i messed with the passability and created thie problem. It's fixed now though. Thanks guys.

 

[jjsonique]

Hi, The Man, I can't seem to download the demo - I always get redirected to the FileFront main page when I try it. Anyone else having that problem?

 

[The Man]

It seems to be working now. Sorry about that. I'll upload a mirror later on for such cases. But for now it seems to be okay.

 

[battlestar_caprica]

i have the same problem, upload it to megaupload or rapidshare please.

 

[The Man]

I added a alt. link for those who have trouble with Filefront. It's on the main post.

 

[The Man]

I have uploaded a new much longer demo. The demo addresses all the errors from the previous demo, some balance issues, and also gives you an attack skill to start. For those interested the demo is much longer. And if you DO wish to start over you can change the game by making a different decision about saving Miniex or not. A note though. The main bulk of the changes when choosing what to do with Miniex happens after the church tomb. Anyhow, as always comments and suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Taylor]

aaaaaaa my identity has been stolen
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8483/avatarjirbynew0wv.png
The hero looks similar to my oooold human Jirby. And guess why it starts with J. :B

Anyway about the game. BUGS TOO
The swarm of bees in the cave during the jail chapter can't escape. The event that is meant to block them if the buttom press timing is right still blocks them.

Also, that chapter is HARD. Add a save at the start of the cave or atleast have your soldier friend be able to heal you. (He said he could heal didn't he? Plus enemy soldiers could heal.)
It's the start of the game, the start should be easy.

And YES! It's another passability issue! What joy! :D This time you can walk down off the edge of the platform near the fountain in the Battle Plains area.

Is that part of the lighting system... because I reckon I could see lighter floor tiles closeer to lights, there must be several layers of the LE.png or something...

 

[The Man]

Ahh yes. The joys of bugs in a new project. lol.
Anyhow, most of the issues you brought up have been fixed except for the bee's thing. If you're interested in playing you may want to wait a day or so for the final demo of the game to be released.

The final demo addresses more balance issues, (including the save point you mentioned), adresses some of Flash's concerns, and alters the battle system. Not a huge alteration, but a big one. I'm also including rings you get (and one you start with) that replenish some Tech points after each battle. Thank you for downloading and feel free to play through. If you enjoy the game and want to play the new one you could always choose opposite you chose when rescuing Miniex to get a slightly different game. But the final demo will be out soon. What is the point of the demo(s)? To get some interest so I can find beta testers to polish off the entire game.

 

[The Man]

Okay. I have completely finished Part 1 of the Black Effect.
It has been bug tested by a few people, but more will turn up I'm sure.
Any comments and ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Plasma]

Kudos to you for this game.
Maybe it was Flash's tips and review, or some of the comments you got, but this game is a gem. Much better then I thought it would be.
Very polished and adjusted correctly. I really like how you included the backstory but did not force me to know it. I went to the library and talked to alot of people.
I think the mapping for the most part is fantastic and like Under you've really nailed the atmosphere. The more you play the more engulfed you seem to get. Part 1 of this game is a goodie, easily up their with rmxp.org finest works. More people should give it a play.
With the first - third versions of this I agreed with the review on alot of points. Now though all those points have been addressed and this game really shines.

 

[The Man]

Thank you.
And yes, many thanks to the people who commented and reported bugs. And to Flash as well for his review. A lot of changes to the game were made because of the review.
A new version has been uploaded which address a few errors that have been found. Comments of course are appreciated.

 

[pixel?trump]

The new complete version of this game is night and day to the original demo you posted. Alot of polishing has gone on to say the least.
This is a great game for anyone looking for something good to play. If you liked Under you'll absolutely love this. I really have no complaints after playing the final version. Not really any bugs to report either. You must have had some good testers. It's nice to see the world in which Under takes place open up and show it's true colors.
The atmosphere in this game is right on as well. But after Under i would expect nothing less. Great story so far. I love it.
Can't wait for Part 2 to come out.

 

[shadow123]

I re-tried the finished version of part 1, and its better now so If you want I'll bug test Part 2 as well

 

[ArtBane]

I enjoyed the demo very much. So far T.B.E. part 1 has improved upon everything from Under except for puzzles. They were all just use the right item at the right place and they were all very obvious. I hope they get more creative later on.

The murder mystery story is good so far and I am interested in seeing how The Place of Trails ties into it. I really enjoyed the free roam gameplay. After being trapped in a linear cave in Under, it was a refreshing change of pace. Even though the game doesn't take place underground entirely it still had a very dark contrast to it which I liked. Your games continue to really suck me in with the atmosphere and that slight lag with the camera following you is very stylistic.

The battles are still pretty simplistic and some skills are imbalanced (Slash lvl 2 cost the same amount of tech as Downward Thrust even though Downward Thrust does a lot more damage). The skill coins and the alternate world to learn new skills is a nice addition. The save points that disappear are interesting as well although they didn't add any more challenge for me. The few scenes where you get a chance to alter events by pressing enter when the action command appears were also a fun idea and I hope they turn up more.

Well that is it for my brief review. I enjoyed what I played here and look forward to more. I just hope that fugly title screen changes.

 

[The Man]

Thanks everyone.
(Title screen dealt with lol)

I have uploaded what should be the last version of this game, with some more polishing, edits and fixes. Please comment and enjoy.

Also don't forget that by saving or not saving Miniex at the beginning of the game changes the game considerably. (You won't see to many changes though until after the Church tombs.)

Anyway, again, thank you for you're support, and with it I will make these games the best they can be.