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Hey man, welcome back. Yeah an episode can be a completed game.
I only just found this after five years. I absolutely love the premise of an unwitting adventurer just stumbling into these things, catching the butt of conversations etc.
Fixed a game ending bug roughly 2-3 hours into the game. This bug has existed since the last time I updated (2 months ago). I guess that either not many people have played it or lost interest within the first couple hours.
Honestly, i played it and the start was okay even pretty good, but when i had to break free from the prison, i didnt know how and so iquited. I do feel a bit stupid for not finding the entrance or something, but stil...
Hm... maybe I should make it easier or more obvious.
You're talking about getting out of the prison at the very beginning and not just out of your cell, right? You need to do things: 1) pull the lever to open the top left cell to steal the Warlock's clothes and 2) steal the prison key from the guard who's walking the halls. To steal the key from the guard, the hope is that you read the book that's inside your cell. That book says to steal items from people, you first need to talk to them. That will freeze (distract) them in place for 5 seconds. You then have 5 seconds to get behind them and steal when their back is turned.
I designed it that way so you had to figure out how to steal before leaving the dungeon... but maybe it was too complicated.
I'm playing version 1.161. As soon as Chad signs the register and the Book master says, "You boys can sleep in the east and your friend can sleep in the west with Alexis" and begins to exit the North door the game freezes. The music still plays and I can get the F12 menu but nothing can be done in the game.
I'm playing version 1.161. As soon as Chad signs the register and the Book master says, "You boys can sleep in the east and your friend can sleep in the west with Alexis" and begins to exit the North door the game freezes. The music still plays and I can get the F12 menu but nothing can be done in the game.
I know about that bug (a simple move command/wait for move completion onto a tile that isn't set to Through ON (the door)), but I swear I fixed it by 1.161.
I just tested it and uploaded a new version just in case.
I know I said I was done with the project, but it keeps pulling me back in. For the past 7 days I've had some free time and I've basically done nothing but work on the game. And for the first time in about 2 years, instead of polishing up bugs or adding NPCs, skills, items, or quests, I've added onto the main story. I just got the bug to work on it again.
Version 1.164 is up!
For the first time, the story (finally) begins Act III. All of this adds up to 2 new sections and roughly 1 hour of additional gameplay. I now count this project as a 14-20 hour game. If anyone out there has an older version all you have to do is download the new version, transfer your save files to the new folder, and delete the old version. It should be completely compatible.
Also:
I'm also very close in finishing the next section of the game which includes these screenshots:
This next section will be included in version 1.165 and I think I'll have enough free time to finish it very shortly.
EDIT: Alright, I couldn't help myself.
I should have gone to sleep 3 hours ago, but I stay up and finished up a quickie version of 1.165. In these new areas, I skimmed in the NPCs and things like that, but this current version will get you all the way to the tower. This adds roughly 15-30 more minutes of play.
Some new screens from a new area that I just wanted to show off through a deep dark forest:
A dense forest where the hero is following a caravan of wagons that carry loot and prisoners (your missing party members):
-It's a horizontal movement only area (height stays 15 the entire time).
-The map is supposed to go out only so far until you hit the backdrop.
-Added the yellow eyes in the pitch black very late and I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. I think they really make it all come together. (The eyes are animated, slowly.)
-If you notice in the 2nd pic, the faded out tree in the foreground. That tree phases in and out as you walk behind it.
-This area goes on for a little but, but it's mostly a story/event area, so it's supposed to be really cramped through the forest. But I do try a few tricks with the trees in the foreground and stuff like that to make it just a little strategic.
-This adds another ~15 minutes to the total game play.
(Version 1.166b)
-If you download this version, like all new versions, I'm sure there are many bugs as you hit the newest areas. I try to iron them out when I can, but right now I just feel like creating new content.
I'm officially hooked on my project again and I'm trying to make that last push until I burn out. I'm so close to finishing.
Up until about a month ago, only the first 2 of 3 planned Acts had been completed. I'm not in the back half of Act 3 (with many future updates to iron out bugs to come, I'm sure).
I've just uploaded Version 1.168 and it is currently live for download.
This version effectively adds an additional 1 1/2 hours of gameplay onto Version 1.167. I just have to finish 3 more dungeons and 1 more town, then I can call it complete. Besides the combat heavy portion of the game that I just added, there were 2 event heavy maps in particular that I'm proud of and they pop up in the latest town:
Casino
In the casino are a pair of Dice Games that you can play. I completely emulated 2 different dice games (Craps & Blackjack) and they work exactly as they would have worked if you used real dice in the real world. You can place bets, you can take different actions depending on what you roll, and rolling the dice themselves give proper odds. It took a little effort, but luckily they weren't too confusing to get them to work, unlike this next map...
Auction House
This house was much, much more difficult to get working (and I still want to make it slightly more complicated). You can interact with the auction house in 2 ways: You can put items up for auction or you can participate in the auction. The items you can put up are select items, but they are weapons, armor, and treasures that you've picked up during the first 15 hours of the game. The other NPCs bid against you, they have bidding patters, and the auctioneer at the head the table narrates the whole thing.
Right now the NPCs that are bidding are a set of 4 and I eventually want to add a 5th one. When that 5th one is introduced there will still only be 4 chairs. So every time you enter, 4 of the 5 are randomly going to be participating. So part of the strategy of auctioning is to see who's present and depending on their bidding patterns, will make it more favorable to buy or to sell.
All of this has to do the with the latest town (above). Every building can be entered, including each of the 4 towers on the corners which are multi-floored. If you crawl up them, you can run along the walls. It's your standard high class castle/town. Because of this, the games fit nicely, because that's what they do to pass the time (included a coliseum in the middle). But ended up making the games a feature and a story point of the town.
To advance the story, you have to raise a HUGE amount of money to buy some tickets to an execution. And the only way to do this is to play the games.
(I'm aware that people can just save the game, play in the casino, and reset if they don't win. I actually acknowledge this in the game and point it out as a last ditch option, for people who don't want to bother.)
***Note: I have not yet played straight through the beginning of Act III all the way to the end of my current progress. I've played it all in chunks and right now I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping there aren't any goofy game ending bugs were I forgot a transfer or something. If anyone finds any of these, please let me know asap. Thank you.
EDIT: Here's a new map I've been working on and it's twice as big as any other single map in the game:
The Hedgemaze is 200 x 100 tiles and it's completely optional. I'm at the part of the game where I'm creating the end game content. So now I feel like I'm completely free to make these optional sections as unfair as possible. (I haven't finished adding all the doo-dads, especially on the right side of the maze, but you get the idea.)
I'd like to say that I am enjoying your game very much. I've played it for about 9.5 hours so far and am stuck in the following place.
I am in the Fire Dungeon where the Inquisitor and Raven are hanging out. The Inquisitor was blocking the path as shown in the picture below. I then went right and saw Chad, Jack and Robyn talking about the energy blocking another path. I went back to the left and saw that the Inquisitor had moved out of the way. I left the dungeon to save and returned, but the Inquisitor went back to his previous position. Now, no matter what I seem to do he stays in the same place. I tried searching all over, grinding, etc. to see if he would move, but he hasn't. I am wondering if the only way to get him to move was to see that cut scene talking about the energy blocking the way.
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Now, here are some general comments I have on the game.
1. I think the graphics are perfectly fine. The so-called inconsistency doesn't bother me whatsoever, even the pictures in the text boxes. I think the graphics give this game a unique feel that a game merely using the RTP style wouldn't have.
2. I find the dialogue itself entertaining and admittedly cheesy as you said. I love the BEO in particular and I was sad to see him leave the party.
3. The increase in power seems to be very minimal, and I feel that even after playing for about 9 hours that the characters haven't become much stronger even after leveling a fair amount. I am sure this is intentional and I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. I actually prefer this to leveling curves that allow the players to become too strong quickly.
4. I enjoy how individualized the characters are with their abilities, both in and out of battle. I don't feel like I am playing some cookie cutter system, but something that is intriguing and fresh.
5. Overall, I think the game is woven quite well. The pacing of the story is good. The game doesn't devolve into a grind fest. I really like that the Hide skill turned off random encounters, as too many random encounters are what can ruin an otherwise enjoyable RPG.
(Also, I'll mention that I've never played any of these Ultima games, so I have no knowledge of how Undeniably Sexy related to these.)
Here are my responses to the questions you posted above.
1) What part of the game did you like the least?
I have to admit I found Bardington a little offensive, while nothing up to that point bothered me.
2) What part of the game was the most annoying?
The parts that aggravated me the most are where I got stuck (including the situation above and two more that I will detail below).
3) What did you like the most?
BEO, BEO and BEO. More seriously, the general interaction between the zany characters was quite entertaining. Probably tied with that is the battle system.
4) What would you like to see more of?
The rest of the game. ^_^ I would love to get past where I am stuck and hopefully see a completed game at some point.
5) What was the play time on your clock when you finished it?
I am clocking at 9.5 hours at the Fire Dungeon.
I also got stuck at the following two points:
The game froze in the map below after signing the register. I reloaded the game and went straight to this map and signed the register without leaving after I had arrived and it worked fine. When I went to the map the time it froze, the rest of the party had left he room. The time it worked, they were still in the room.
The second point I had to restart the game was on the map below on the mine. For some reason, on this map the character seemed to have the "through on" state set and he could walk through everything. The character couldn't get into battle with the monsters on the map and wasn't able to move back to the previous map.
All in all, great job on Undeniably Sexy. It was just the sort of thing I was in the mood for this weekend. I'll be recommending this game to some of my friends, which I don't do with most of the RPG maker games that I download. I am looking forward to it being completed and hope the home stretch of the project is going well. ^_^
I'd like to say that I am enjoying your game very much. I've played it for about 9.5 hours so far and am stuck in the following place.
I am in the Fire Dungeon where the Inquisitor and Raven are hanging out. The Inquisitor was blocking the path as shown in the picture below. I then went right and saw Chad, Jack and Robyn talking about the energy blocking another path. I went back to the left and saw that the Inquisitor had moved out of the way. I left the dungeon to save and returned, but the Inquisitor went back to his previous position. Now, no matter what I seem to do he stays in the same place. I tried searching all over, grinding, etc. to see if he would move, but he hasn't. I am wondering if the only way to get him to move was to see that cut scene talking about the energy blocking the way.
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*lots of constructive criticism*
All in all, great job on Undeniably Sexy. It was just the sort of thing I was in the mood for this weekend. I'll be recommending this game to some of my friends, which I don't do with most of the RPG maker games that I download. I am looking forward to it being completed and hope the home stretch of the project is going well. ^_^
Wow... thanks for the feedback and I'm glad that you're enjoying it.
I'll have more time to post a full reply later, but as for the place where you're stuck:
Right before that you should have gotten a little cut scene where Robyn says you need to stay away from them because they're too strong. So avoid him, keep going right, and press the action button on the barrier that's blocking the bridge. I think you're the 2nd person to ever need help on this part and maybe it's not intuitive to try and act on a magical barrier? Might need to add a conversation or book or something. Hm...
Also small spoiler: You're literally moments away from your favorite character returning to the game.
What version of the game are you playing? I'll have to look back if I fixed the Lemmart house bug or not.
I'll have more time to post a full reply later, but as for the place where you're stuck:
Right before that you should have gotten a little cut scene where Robyn says you need to stay away from them because they're too strong. So avoid him, keep going right, and press the action button on the barrier that's blocking the bridge. I think you're the 2nd person to ever need help on this part and maybe it's not intuitive to try and act on a magical barrier? Might need to add a conversation or book or something. Hm...
Also small spoiler: You're literally moments away from your favorite character returning to the game.
What version of the game are you playing? I'll have to look back if I fixed the Lemmart house bug or not.
So, there is still a way for me to get through? The only thing that comes to mind is trying to "pick the lock" on the magical barrier. I did buy The Art of Stealing Vol. 5, which mentions the lock picking. However, while Robyn can equip the Lockpick, he doesn't have a lock picking skill. He does have the Mimic skill twice, so I am nervous that one of those is actually supposed to be a lock picking skill. His skills are Steal, Disarm, Mimic and Mimic.
Or perhaps I am off-base and the solution is something else.
And my favorite Ogre is on the other side of that barrier?! Must...find...way...through... ^_^
So, there is still a way for me to get through? The only thing that comes to mind is trying to "pick the lock" on the magical barrier. I did buy The Art of Stealing Vol. 5, which mentions the lock picking. However, while Robyn can equip the Lockpick, he doesn't have a lock picking skill. He does have the Mimic skill twice, so I am nervous that one of those is actually supposed to be a lock picking skill. His skills are Steal, Disarm, Mimic and Mimic.
Or perhaps I am off-base and the solution is something else.
And my favorite Ogre is on the other side of that barrier?! Must...find...way...through... ^_^
So you're supposed to go to the barrier and it's locked. After you get that message, double back to where Grendell was blocking the rope bridge. He should have moved a little to the left with his back turned to the bridge. Just slip past him.
I can see how that's confusing. I'll have to do something about it.
So you're supposed to go to the barrier and it's locked. After you get that message, double back to where Grendell was blocking the rope bridge. He should have moved a little to the left with his back turned to the bridge. Just slip past him.
I can see how that's confusing. I'll have to do something about it.
That's my quandary. He moved to the left after I saw the little cut scene where they were talking about the barrier. But I left the dungeon and saved. After I returned, he won't move now. So, it seems he only moves to the left right after that cut scene but gets stuck if one leaves and re-enters like I did. Maybe I'll need to go to a previous save (about 1.5 hours before).
I'm looking at the events right now and it looks like if you leave and return, Grendell will (incorrectly) be in his original position, but the gameover trigger won't happen (correct).
If you go back down the small rope ladder and move left, right, or down, does the gameover still trigger?
He should be visible and you should be able to walk past and continue on with the game with your current version. Just go straight across the rope bridge and don't go to the left. He's supposed to be on the left, so there are more gameover events over there.
I'll have to fix it either way. Just trying to figure out exactly what I have to fix.
btw, all of the events of the Fire Dungeon I made like 5+ years ago. It's kind of strange to look back on how bad my eventing was back then. You're just getting started with the game. Not even half way done. The current version that you're playing will take you all the way through until the final dungeon. I'm working on it now, but taking my time.
Now, here are some general comments I have on the game.
1. I think the graphics are perfectly fine. The so-called inconsistency doesn't bother me whatsoever, even the pictures in the text boxes. I think the graphics give this game a unique feel that a game merely using the RTP style wouldn't have.
2. I find the dialogue itself entertaining and admittedly cheesy as you said. I love the BEO in particular and I was sad to see him leave the party.
3. The increase in power seems to be very minimal, and I feel that even after playing for about 9 hours that the characters haven't become much stronger even after leveling a fair amount. I am sure this is intentional and I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. I actually prefer this to leveling curves that allow the players to become too strong quickly.
4. I enjoy how individualized the characters are with their abilities, both in and out of battle. I don't feel like I am playing some cookie cutter system, but something that is intriguing and fresh.
5. Overall, I think the game is woven quite well. The pacing of the story is good. The game doesn't devolve into a grind fest. I really like that the Hide skill turned off random encounters, as too many random encounters are what can ruin an otherwise enjoyable RPG.
(Also, I'll mention that I've never played any of these Ultima games, so I have no knowledge of how Undeniably Sexy related to these.)
Like I said in the OP, especially when I first posted my game on different RMXP forums, complained about the mixed tileset I use. But very few mention the face pics. So, the story is that a lot of the face pics that don't mix exactly with character graphics are due to me taking actual screenshots from Ultima Online of real players. A lot of the names in Undeniably Sexy are based (in name only) off those real people. The farther you go into Undeniably Sexy, the less I did that and tried to match the face pics to the existing RTP character graphics.
BEO & Endrick might be my favorite characters to write for. Either them or maybe the many situations you'll find in the game where I just get to make fun of Jack over and over and over.
You're right. The minimal increase in power due to Level-ups is completely intentional. I did this because in Undeniably Sexy, I'm not only balancing Levels and Equipment, but also Ultima Skills. When balancing the game, I felt that juggling 3 things was 1 too many. One of them had to be side-lined and I decided to focus mostly on Equipment and Ultima Skills.
I'm glad you think the characters have individualized skills. I put a lot of thought into making them exactly that. As for the skills themselves, there are two things I want to change eventually. First, I think the Blacksmithy & Mining skills just don't worry as far as skill gain is concerned. The way it works right now is that every time you mine ore you get a chance for a Mining gain and every time you smelt ore into ingots you get a Blacksmithy gain. Sure you can craft many items with Smith, Tailor, and Tinker, but unless you're going to grind those skills, you're probably going to craft items 40-60 times during the entire game. Because of this, Mining and Blacksmithy gains mirror each other for the most part. This is just bad game design. The skill that needs tweeking is the Mimic skill. By itself, I think it works perfectly. The problem is that the Ultima Skills have totals of 1000. Together with Stealing (and without Eating), there is no way you're going to use Mimic 1000+ times in battle throughout the game. There just aren't enough opportunities to max out the Mimic skill in its current form. Right now I'm cheating a little and you have a chance to gain every time an enemy uses any skill in battle. That means, you're potentially getting 5-10 gains from doing nothing at all for every time you actively use the Mimic skill (if you even uses Mimic liberally). This is also bad game design. Long story short, there will be changes to Blacksmithy, Mining, and Mimic whenever I figure out what to do with them and when I have the time.
The Hiding skill was first put in because it's an actual skill used in Ultima Online. But I also like how it toggles random encounters. I also feel like players shouldn't feel like they're missing out on the benefits of EXP because like I said earlier, Levels don't matter too much, especially later on in the game. I also like it because it's another outlet to get Stealing & Stalking gains through normal gameplay (without grinding).
(The only game in the Ultima series I've ever played is Ultima Online. I'm not too familiar with the lore of the core 9 games either.)
(If the game is still bugged in Fire Dungeon, let me know.)
I went back to a previous save and was able to get through the Fire Dungeon.
I think I've come across a couple of sticking points. The first one is minor and is partially my fault.
In the Deceit Dungeon when assisting the Defenders of Humanity, the game stuck when I talked to the head guard there. It was caused by me standing above the guard instead of under him. I am guessing there was a Move Route that couldn't complete because my character was in the way.
I just wanted to stand next to BEO. Heh. (And on that topic, as if I didn't like him enough before, I just find Endrick using him as a mount hilarious. Was sad to see him go after the Lycaeum.)
And now I've come to another point that I can't get past.
I am in the building where one arrives upon teleporting to Luna from Moonglow. This is the building with Mario the spice trader. Now, after I going up into the room with the fortune teller's tent (the same room where you fight Mario), I am getting stuck in the wall when walking back into the main room. The picture below shows where the character is getting transferred to the black space in the upper left just outside of the wall of the room. I tried doing several things: doing it before fighting Mario, after fighting Mario, not speaking to anyone first, speaking to everyone with every option first, etc. Every time I get transferred to the same spot. So, I'm not quite sure what to do. I am assuming other players got past this point, but I am having trouble finding something I can do to proceed.
