RPGM Below the Fold [Ep.5 R2] [iLTinoBambino]

[TinoBambino]

Is there a way to save the game, manually I mean, when we need to save it ?

During any section where you have control of the character: right click, press x, or numpad 0 to bring up the menu, and then select the save option. It's on the second page atm which I know isn't ideal, I apologize. I'm going to switch "save" and "options" around in the next build so save is one less button away.

If you're asking about saving during cinematics, that's something I will add to the list of things to implement, because that's not something in the game right now.

In the meantime, if you have to go in the middle of a scene, when you reload to an earlier save just use i, o, and p to fast forward back to where you were.

 

[Retro]

New update is out! Check the OP for more info!

Thanks for posting it here. In the future please report the OP or PM a staff member so we can promote it and put it on the Latest Updates page so you get more eyeballs on it. I just promoted it.

 

[LewdTheLolis]

TinoBambino I have made a native Linux build of this game vEp1v2 and was wondering if you would be okay with me posting it here for anybody that is interested in it? I wanted to get the okay from you before doing so since you are the developer

 

[Frurose]

So, I'm 56 minutes into the "game" and I have to wonder if there is more to it than a very slow paced visual novel? I did not see the VN tag, but I'm an hour in and still waiting for some game play. I don't mind reading stories, but please stop with the pauses between lines of text and let me read at an adult pace, save the pauses for a screenplay. Seriously, the writing and story are good so far, but wow, an hour and still nothing but text and cut scenes!

I'm going to try just a bit more, as it is the beginning of day two. If it's also a scripted mess of dramatic pauses, I'm out.

Edit: I ended up watching to the end of content and I did enjoy the story so far and see potential for some nice adult content. That being said, the the pauses are still brutal and please add a 'no sexual content' tag untill you acually add some in (I'm not going to count the little scene of the teacher and student because that wouldn't be fair in a game that is this long.) I will continue watching this thread for a while, but I don't know that I will be playing again, that will depend on when the adult content is added, cause if I want to read a story, I prefer books.

 

[LewdTheLolis]

So, I'm 56 minutes into the "game" and I have to wonder if there is more to it than a very slow paced visual novel? I did not see the VN tag, but I'm an hour in and still waiting for some game play. I don't mind reading stories, but please stop with the pauses between lines of text and let me read at an adult pace, save the pauses for a screenplay. Seriously, the writing and story are good so far, but wow, an hour and still nothing but text and cut scenes!

I'm going to try just a bit more, as it is the beginning of day two. If it's also a scripted mess of dramatic pauses, I'm out.

I know that I've already lost many potential members of my audience by choosing RPGM over Renpy, and especially RPGM MV over an older version.

I still think that the ability to block out a scene with sprites, and let my 'actors' move about a space as they deliver their lines is the best medium for the story I want to tell. I'm certainly chasing after the cinematic feel of classic scenes from games like Chrono Trigger and RPG Maker gets me closer to that place. I chose RPG Maker MV because it runs at 60fps (for some people) which feels more fluid.

I regret that some machines don't handle that engine well but I hope maybe in the future anyone who can't enjoy Below the Fold due to technical limitations will be able to overcome them and circle back to this project.

this is what the developer said about the game, so take that for what it is

 

[ILCjr]

You should make the game not only fit who you want your audience to be, but the medium that you are using as well, and to that end, I don't really see this as successful. The way you have written the story makes the game drag on. I wish you luck and sucess with your game though.

 

[TinoBambino]

TinoBambino I have made a native Linux build of this game vEp1v2 and was wondering if you would be okay with me posting it here for anybody that is interested in it? I wanted to get the okay from you before doing so since you are the developer

Thanks for posting it here. In the future please report the OP or PM a staff member so we can promote it and put it on the Latest Updates page so you get more eyeballs on it. I just promoted it.

Wow, I really love both of you so much. Thank you for your attention and assistance and for your support on other services.

I've been constantly waffling over whether or not to export Below the Fold for other platforms, and the conclusion I keep coming to is that because I'm not set up to playtest a Mac/Linux/Android version, I shouldn't upload something that might not work. But I certainly don't mind adding your port to the OP with the same "* unofficial port" language that other other projects on this website use. Thank you, LewdTheLolis for your time and effort.

Retro : Thank you for promoting this update. It means so much to me that someone wants me to succeed. Another staff had PMd me about the "Latest Updates" section a week or two ago, and until that point I was a little discouraged by the low amount of feedback I had gotten. I would have sought promotion at that point but I figured I might as well wait for the next release, which is coming up pretty soon.

 

[LewdTheLolis]

Wow, I really love both of you so much. Thank you for your attention and assistance and for your support on other services.

I've been constantly waffling over whether or not to export Below the Fold for other platforms, and the conclusion I keep coming to is that because I'm not set up to playtest a Mac/Linux/Android version, I shouldn't upload something that might not work. But I certainly don't mind adding your port to the OP with the same "* unofficial port" language that other other projects on this website use. Thank you, LewdTheLolis for your time and effort.

Retro : Thank you for promoting this update. It means so much to me that someone wants me to succeed. Another staff had PMd me about the "Latest Updates" section a week or two ago, and until that point I was a little discouraged by the low amount of feedback I had gotten. I would have sought promotion at that point but I figured I might as well wait for the next release, which was only gonna be a week or two away.

The thing is, though, right now I'm only a few hours away from a new update, so if you've landed on this page for the first time today then you're probably better off saving your megabytes and time until "Ep2 ~40%" later. If you've already downloaded, rest assured that saves are definitely transferable and so you haven't really lost anything except the time and bandwidth it took to download Ep1v2. I might delete this last paragraph after I update to avoid anyone being confused.

Here is the link to my Linux build then

You must be registered to see the links

I tested it out and it seems to work fine but if anybody has any errors with it they can let me know and I should be able to fix almost all of them, if not I can consult with you and we can solve the issue but it should be working fine. I can also make a MAC build but I don't have anything to test it on at all so it would be completely untested, I have had success with other Mac builds I've made though. Either way best of luck with your game friend!

EDIT: also I will make sure to keep my Linux build up to date as soon as I can.

 

[TinoBambino]

You should make the game not only fit who you want your audience to be, but the medium that you are using as well, and to that end, I don't really see this as successful. The way you have written the story makes the game drag on. I wish you luck and sucess with your game though.

I understand why people say this coming from a porn game perspective, but as a "medium" the JRPG has always taken forever, like, forever forever. There's a reason most emulators bind "speed up" to spacebar. Hell, Square rereleases their Final Fantasy games with speed multipliers now.

So, I'm 56 minutes into the "game" and I have to wonder if there is more to it than a very slow paced visual novel? I did not see the VN tag, but I'm an hour in and still waiting for some game play. I don't mind reading stories, but please stop with the pauses between lines of text and let me read at an adult pace, save the pauses for a screenplay. Seriously, the writing and story are good so far, but wow, an hour and still nothing but text and cut scenes!

I'm going to try just a bit more, as it is the beginning of day two. If it's also a scripted mess of dramatic pauses, I'm out.

The entire first episode with prologue can be completed in less than 90 minutes by game clock, and less than 30 minutes real time if you're using the x3 speed option (P key.) Now, obviously that's by my friends who know the script in and out, but you really shouldn't be going more than 30 minutes at a time without hitting a playable segment. I'm actually worried that you're playing the old version, which download did you use?

 

[desmosome]

What was your opinion of the second (possibly third) best Star Wars film The Last Jedi?

I like your conviction regarding this project, but TLJ as second best star wars film?

 

[TinoBambino]

I like your conviction regarding this project, but TLJ as second best star wars film?

Lol, ok, so apparently I Star Wars way wrong, but I'd probably say episodes 4, 5, 8, 1, 6, 7, 3, 2, in terms of making me most to least happy as a viewer. So I guess TLJ is third best. There's gonna be eleven of these movies soon and TLJ is the only one where theme was more important than plot or character, and I don't really believe in calling one piece of art "better" or "worse" than another, but I definitely liked being surprised in the theater by the ninth film in the franchise.

There's people who don't like Wes Craven's New Nightmare but I'm definitely the kind of person who likes to see a franchise get shaken up in crazy ways.

 

[Comrade Anulnyat]

So, I'm like an hour into the game so far.

I can't say I'm excited, especially because I don't really understand, what to expect further in the game, but it's mostly personal stuff, that doesn't let me get engaged into story and enjoy it.

Didn't see the protag as somebody unlikable, to be honest. All I see is ambition, a bit explosive character and naivety, I guess? Many young people act like that, especially if they were given a chance to choose what they want to do with their life.
If anything, the most annoying so far aside from obvious and typical antagonist Mr. Asssack(aka Mr. NTRGOD, Mr. Blackmailyouintohumantoilet, Mr. Undefeatablebadguywearingplotarmor, etc) was the boyfriend, who kept pestering Amber about some topless photo in a magazine.

Now, considering the fact, that this is a fem protag game and I see corruption and some other tags, should I expect the protag I'm playing to get into some trouble without choice to say no, bite the dick off the rapist, outplay some greedy cunt trying to use school for his own profit, whateveryounameit?
I'm asking that, because it's sort of a deal breaker for me.
I might be able to power through the bad shit to some fetishes I might find appealing to me(if I even find any), but this ain't great for my mental health, like at all.

All that aside, I see some negativity in this thread and, while I feel like repeating myself often, I wish the dev to not let those people's words get to them much, don't take it close to the heart and if there is anything you could scavenge from criticism, use it to improve yourself.
Most importantly, don't lose your passion(if you've got any) for your project and don't burn out.

 

[Frurose]

The entire first episode with prologue can be completed in less than 90 minutes by game clock, and less than 30 minutes real time if you're using the x3 speed option (P key.) Now, obviously that's by my friends who know the script in and out, but you really shouldn't be going more than 30 minutes at a time without hitting a playable segment. I'm actually worried that you're playing the old version, which download did you use?

I downloaded today. I did hit a 'playable' segment during that time, in the village, but that was just a short scripted walkaround and I did not count that as actually 'playable'. I also have added to my original post after playing the rest of the episode. I'm not trying to be harsh, so don't be put off. I actually enjoyed your story and writing; however, the pace is so rough on me. Please stop having all the pauses in the text, just put it all up at once and let me click next as soon as I am done reading. It is fine to use blank lines and ..., but you don't need to actually assign a pause in a text box that the player needs to click to go to the next thing. Those pauses really add up fast, especially when the player doesn't know that there is a another line of text waiting to pop up and they are already hitting the space bar, then more text comes up. The next dialog, they wait for the next line and there isn't one. Then they need to focus on looking for the little arrow at the bottom to know when to advance instead of just reading at a suitable pace.

PS, I would recommend some sort of sexual thing the MC can do or has done to them soon, cause damn.

 

[TinoBambino]

So, I'm like an hour into the game so far.

I can't say I'm excited, especially because I don't really understand, what to expect further in the game, but it's mostly personal stuff, that doesn't let me get engaged into story and enjoy it.

Didn't see the protag as somebody unlikable, to be honest. All I see is ambition, a bit explosive character and naivety, I guess? Many young people act like that, especially if they were given a chance to choose what they want to do with their life.
If anything, the most annoying so far aside from obvious and typical antagonist Mr. Asssack(aka Mr. NTRGOD, Mr. Blackmailyouintohumantoilet, Mr. Undefeatablebadguywearingplotarmor, etc) was the boyfriend, who kept pestering Amber about some topless photo in a magazine.

Now, considering the fact, that this is a fem protag game and I see corruption and some other tags, should I expect the protag I'm playing to get into some trouble without choice to say no, bite the dick off the rapist, outplay some greedy cunt trying to use school for his own profit, whateveryounameit?
I'm asking that, because it's sort of a deal breaker for me.
I might be able to power through the bad shit to some fetishes I might find appealing to me(if I even find any), but this ain't great for my mental health, like at all.

All that aside, I see some negativity in this thread and, while I feel like repeating myself often, I wish the dev to not let those people's words get to them much, don't take it close to the heart and if there is anything you could scavenge from criticism, use it to improve yourself.
Most importantly, don't lose your passion(if you've got any) for your project and don't burn out.

Hey Comrade:

I don't know what you've been through and so I don't want to tell you that you're 100% fine, and then put you in a dark place later, but I do feel comfortable saying that I know what you're talking about and I'm not telling that kind of story.

At no point in the story will I attempt to mine acts of sexual assault for any kind of erotic potential. This includes the use of blackmail to sidestep consent.

You are correct that the ex boyfriend is supposed to put people off, and that's because he was part of a failed high school romance that started to go toxic right at the end. That's definitely part of Amber's headspace going into the next couple episodes, and is part of the life experiences that she is going to be able to draw from while trying to avoid danger, trauma, and bad feelings in the future. There's definitely a theme of getting turned off from monogamy by the bad, dark, awful places relationships can go, and trying to keep things casual in BtF.

Thanks for your kind words. I'm actually going to update my signature for you.

 

[TinoBambino]

I downloaded today. I did hit a 'playable' segment during that time, in the village, but that was just a short scripted walkaround and I did not count that as actually 'playable'. I also have added to my original post after playing the rest of the episode. I'm not trying to be harsh, so don't be put off. I actually enjoyed your story and writing; however, the pace is so rough on me. Please stop having all the pauses in the text, just put it all up at once and let me click next as soon as I am done reading. It is fine to use blank lines and ..., but you don't need to actually assign a pause in a text box that the player needs to click to go to the next thing. Those pauses really add up fast, especially when the player doesn't know that there is a another line of text waiting to pop up and they are already hitting the space bar, then more text comes up. The next dialog, they wait for the next line and there isn't one. Then they need to focus on looking for the little arrow at the bottom to know when to advance instead of just reading at a suitable pace.

PS, I would recommend some sort of sexual thing the MC can do or has done to them soon, cause damn.

Did you explore the village for any of the optional content?

Also, I'll try the next update without the pauses. I think the pauses are good for two reasons: 1 they allow me to use the cadence of a characters speech pattern as a tool to give them identity, and 2 they give you time to read while holding fast forward. But maybe I'm wrong. I'm deleting a bunch of pauses right now.

 

[Amariithynar]

I just added a screenshot of the world map to hopefully alleviate some of your concerns. RPG Maker maps frustrate the hell out of me too. Thats why I put everything off of a central road, and disabled collision on most objects so you never have to move more than 20 or so grid spaces from one location to the next, and never find yourself stuck between a lamp post and a wandering NPC.

Just whatever you do, don't force mouse-only interaction on us. Make sure everything is keyboard-controllable. Nothing frustrates as quickly as having to change control schemes constantly.

Also, I'll try the next update without the pauses. I think the pauses are good for two reasons: 1 they allow me to use the cadence of a characters speech pattern as a tool to give them identity, and 2 they give you time to read while holding fast forward. But maybe I'm wrong. I'm deleting a bunch of pauses right now.

As a QOL thing, please remove them. There is only a few things more frustrating when going through text with it set to instant (because I read FAR faster than anyone ever has their text speeds set to) than to have to keep hitting the "ok" key to advance the text within a textbox. If they have a long drawl, add some tildes at the appropriate points, instead. If they are more formal, stuffy, never have them use any contractions or anything like that, so it comes across in what is read, rather than in the way you're trying to dole out what they're saying.

 

[TinoBambino]

Just whatever you do, don't force mouse-only interaction on us. Make sure everything is keyboard-controllable. Nothing frustrates as quickly as having to change control schemes constantly.


As a QOL thing, please remove them. There is only a few things more frustrating when going through text with it set to instant (because I read FAR faster than anyone ever has their text speeds set to) than to have to keep hitting the "ok" key to advance the text within a textbox. If they have a long drawl, add some tildes at the appropriate points, instead. If they are more formal, stuffy, never have them use any contractions or anything like that, so it comes across in what is read, rather than in the way you're trying to dole out what they're saying.

Yeah I just took all of them out of Ep2. I'll get around to going back and taking them out of Ep1 sometime when I have writer's block can't work forwards.

I read VNs at CTRL speed. I watch YouTube at 3x speed, Netflix at 2x and Amazon at 1.8x because those are the speeds where the audio starts to crackle on each of the services so I can't really go faster. I honk at that fucking family in the Honda Odyssey going the speed limit in the left lane until they start to fear for their personal safety.

I have to playtest dozens of times for every one time you have to read it, and I still didn't find it that slow. I guess that's because I'm,\. like,\. it's dad or whatever.

Also, I use keyboard exclusively, I don't really know why so many people prefer the mouse. Especially in grindier games with battle events which are impossible to dodge with mouse control. It's just not as good, but it's important to some people. In either control scheme, however, I make sure the maps are as streamlined and easy to navigate as possible.

 

[Chrathrard]

Well, this doesn't look like a BBW game...

 

[Evident Disaster]

TinoBambino
Okay going to throw it out right now, I am an avid fanfiction writer at least formerly, and I can say with certainty, that pacing is everything, that's fine for story writing. But when using a visual medium it tends to be a very bad idea to use RPGM as a medium, since your target audience is in direct engagement, I do marketing and advertisement as part of my current studies, and I know that this is your work. But keep in mind you should be attempting to engage your audience properly and with the understanding that this is an adult project, no need to jump in sex since it's been overdone, but if you could make a skip option summarizing events with user interactions in between, basically branching decisions to turn outcomes out in different ways and throwing interesting and thought provoking or at least enjoyable elements, it might draw better responses.

Or for the hell of it, maybe stick this into a VN Ren'Py game, because this feels like one, seriously, RPGM is only good if you're a guilty pleasure gamer like myself who does like levels of content, but they're enjoyable if we can see and interact to an extent. Decision making is a big part even if linear, at times, Last Sovereign is my favorite because I know I influence things, here there is no direct impact on storyline. Also please be consistent and make sure you don't beat around the bush on topics, I hate it when that happens, because it draws out the story and intrigue gets lost amidst it all.

My hope is that you as the developer understand that you need to understand your audience base, try to engage said audience in a fashion which keeps interest alive, or change platform to suit needs, your work is a novel in a summary, is it visual yes, is it engaging? Not really, can it be improved? Yes. Does it need more porn? Who knows, depends on everyone who plays it and who you intend to target, I'd assume so.

PS. If you think the Last Jedi is a good movie, you really need to watch a critical review on that by BOOFIRE191, his analysis is spot on about the movie and puts it as is. Star Wars The Last Jedi: A Directionless Story. There is no story behind Last Jedi, if you think there is I can't see it and a lot of people can't see it either. And I hope that there's people who understand the importance of pacing, and understanding the audience, because screw up the pacing and it becomes hard to keep interest. I've read too many books and stories in my lifetime to know that these things are a careful balance, as well as focusing on the audience.

That's my wall of text, take it as you will.

 

[Frurose]

Did you explore the village for any of the optional content?

Also, I'll try the next update without the pauses. I think the pauses are good for two reasons: 1 they allow me to use the cadence of a characters speech pattern as a tool to give them identity, and 2 they give you time to read while holding fast forward. But maybe I'm wrong. I'm deleting a bunch of pauses right now.

I did look around some for extra contend in the village and it is likely that I missed something. I really appreciated the warning before entering the club for the first time, as I would have missed on some map exploration and minor scenes. Mostly, thank you for taking the time to remove the pauses, I understand what you are going for with the pauses, but I am sure it will be better without them.