RPGM Caliross, the Shapeshifter's Legacy [v0.9.19] [mdqp]

[mdqp]

Yeah I haven't played the game in awhile and after I asked I realized it had to be related to the cow farm! I was holding out downloading the game every time I saw updates, until 0.89, since there would be some more content from the last version I played. It's really tough to notice all the detailed content if there wasn't a walkthru, all tho this is exactly why I should pay closer attention to the change logs, I just scan thru them to see how much has been added but the logs get quite lengthy if you don't keep downloading the latest update.

Well, as long as the confusion has been cleared. ^_^

To be honest, I think part of the problems are due to mistakes in the game design. As my first RPG Maker game, I made some questionable decisions, and I feel like a better presentation, reduced number of non-important NPCs, and better map design would have gone a long way to make navigating the game's content easier. Oh well, nothing I can do about most of those at this point.

 

[Rouge-kun]

Is there combat in this game?

 

[mdqp]

Is there combat in this game?

Yes, but it's not the main focus, so you are bound to find more puzzles, dialogues and secrets than fights.

 

[Rouge-kun]

Yes, but it's not the main focus, so you are bound to find more puzzles, dialogues and secrets than fights.

thanks

 

[CLDꝜ]

OP updated

 

[rykdragon]

I began this game from the begining. Lots of scenes cg free. I realy like this game but when I see a scenes whit black screen I lose my interest. I will wait until all scenes filled whit cg.

 

[Architect04]

The only issue I have isnt really a game mechanic and its the same with all the games I follow is that I totally forget what I was doing in the last save and have to replay everything lol

Ready to play through the new update though, Caliross has been one of my favorites. If you are new here I suggest picking it up, Lots of choices to how you play your story, Good amount of CGs and a pretty good main story to follow with.

@mdqp To you and the team keep up the good work!

 

[mdqp]

I began this game from the begining. Lots of scenes cg free. I realy like this game but when I see a scenes whit black screen I lose my interest. I will wait until all scenes filled whit cg.

Well, the problem is the number of scenes. It might be impossible to cover them all, unless my budget doubles and I start commissioning 10 CGs each month. XD

I should have probably kept the amount of smut a bit more in line with what my pockets could afford, but when I first started, I didn't even think CGs were going to be a luxury I could afford.

The only issue I have isnt really a game mechanic and its the same with all the games I follow is that I totally forget what I was doing in the last save and have to replay everything lol

Ready to play through the new update though, Caliross has been one of my favorites. If you are new here I suggest picking it up, Lots of choices to how you play your story, Good amount of CGs and a pretty good main story to follow with.

@mdqp To you and the team keep up the good work!

I wonder if releasing less often would make things better or worse for you? XD

I am glad you are enjoying the game. ^_^

I am my own team, pretty much. I commission the art, and I do have testers to help me find most of the bugs before any updates, but everything else I handle it myself, for better or for worse.

 

[Re-4Andrew]

I would advise against releasing less updates for the simple fact you'll see a drop in those that are supporting you with donations, and since you have regular schedule which you provide updates people will start talking about how your trying to milk them out of money.

I've read a number of threads from F95 members and they get disheartened and lose interest in donating if the dev decides to spread out updates, but if you keep the schedule as is, and this is where it gets weird and funny, they will not complain and even wait out 6 months of updates (if there's monthly updates) before downloading the latest update, by that time a game will have extensive content.

The only hing this game really needs is someone dedicated to creating a thorough walkthru, I didn't find anything about Eliza under NPC's or the Gold Leaf quests, so I'm not sure how that would end for Erica or the village of Golden Leaf (perhaps the rest of the world) since Eliza seemed interested in knocking up all the females in Gold Leaf in order to start some revenge scheme, against humans!

 

[mdqp]

I would advise against releasing less updates for the simple fact you'll see a drop in those that are supporting you with donations, and since you have regular schedule which you provide updates people will start talking about how your trying to milk them out of money.

I've read a number of threads from F95 members and they get disheartened and lose interest in donating if the dev decides to spread out updates, but if you keep the schedule as is, and this is where it gets weird and funny, they will not complain and even wait out 6 months of updates (if there's monthly updates) before downloading the latest update, by that time a game will have extensive content.

The only hing this game really needs is someone dedicated to creating a thorough walkthru, I didn't find anything about Eliza under NPC's or the Gold Leaf quests, so I'm not sure how that would end for Erica or the village of Golden Leaf (perhaps the rest of the world) since Eliza seemed interested in knocking up all the females in Gold Leaf in order to start some revenge scheme, against humans!

Well, it's not like I would slow down the content, I would just "bundle it" every few months, so to speak, but I can see why some might not like that.

Honestly, the only problem I have with the monthly schedule is that I can't do a proper round of testing before a release (it just eats too much time, if I do it every month and I stop working for that week, which is why every release has untested content), but that's my problem to deal with.

I can't see myself working on the walkthrough in my free time, since I hate writing walkthroughs, and I'd rather relax when I can (there is plenty of small stuff like bug reports, replies to questions and so on which I do in my free time often enough). While I do add some content to it from time to time, it's very sporadic in nature. I welcome any help with that, however (there are already a few people helping, but they too can't always dump time into the walkthrough). The open world nature of the game doesn't help either.

I'll have to take a look at Eliza's info, and see what could be added to the walkthrough and where. Yell at me if nothing happens on this front within a couple of months! XD

 

[anonymous316]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of the fade to black scenes either. I'd be more interested in pledging to this game but I just don't find the writing in those scenes to be very arousing to make due without art.

Still might pledge though, $2 a month isn't much skin off my teeth for a game like this.

 

[Xaoyu]

Yea a big lack of CG in this game. Which is a shame 'cause the plot seems good.

I like the job system and the different choices the character can make. Fights are a bit easy tho.

I think the corruption is way too fast. As if you absolutely had to become a big slut anyway. And since there are no really forced scene, if you choose to stay normal, nothing really happen. And once again, the lack of CG is really a bad point.

 

[Angora Kitty]

I have a problem in the hidden room, behind the mirror. I cant hold open the door long time enough, for slipping through. -_-

 

[mdqp]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of the fade to black scenes either. I'd be more interested in pledging to this game but I just don't find the writing in those scenes to be very arousing to make due without art.

Still might pledge though, $2 a month isn't much skin off my teeth for a game like this.

Yea a big lack of CG in this game. Which is a shame 'cause the plot seems good.

I like the job system and the different choices the character can make. Fights are a bit easy tho.

I think the corruption is way too fast. As if you absolutely had to become a big slut anyway. And since there are no really forced scene, if you choose to stay normal, nothing really happen. And once again, the lack of CG is really a bad point.

As for the CGs, other than commissioning more of them over time, there isn't much I can do. 5 per month isn't bad, I think, but I am currently relying on Patreon for my income, so I can't really invest much more money into it. I suppose I could cover the cost myself, and try to pump the number a bit higher, although having too many different styles also annoys me. I had resisted finding another artist so far, but my current one can't make 5 of them each month anyway (he is busy on his own manga), so I finally accepted to get another one, we'll see how it goes.

I think fights are easy as well, but I got several complaints about the original difficulty, so I relaxed it, since my main aim isn't to make fights challenging (things are still subject to change, however, so I could tweak the combat in the future).

I didn't really try to work on a "pure protagonist", so to speak, that's why things evolve quite quickly. I should have probably used inhibitions a bit more, although that would probably require a tiered system (characters demanding more and more perverted stuff, and you being able to agree to them as you sink deeper into depravity), which I don't love.

I have a problem in the hidden room, behind the mirror. I cant hold open the door long time enough, for slipping through. -_-

You can hit that type of button with the push spell, that should give you enough room to run through the door.

 

[Re-4Andrew]

I can't see myself working on the walkthrough in my free time, since I hate writing walkthroughs, and I'd rather relax when I can (there is plenty of small stuff like bug reports, replies to questions and so on which I do in my free time often enough).

I wasn't directing that towards you, you don't need to do that. There just needs to be one or more people outside the development who can write a proper detailed walkthru. The walkthru that packaged with the game (or the link for the walkthru) is a really good start.

By no mean I'm I bashing the person(s) who create it! So I dont want whoever those people are, or person is, to think I don't appreciate the work on the current walkthru, because I do.

 

[anonymous316]

How difficult would it be to implement sprite animations for fill ins till you have more CGs?

 

[mdqp]

I wasn't directing that towards you, you don't need to do that. There just needs to be one or more people outside the development who can write a proper detailed walkthru. The walkthru that packaged with the game (or the link for the walkthru) is a really good start.

By no mean I'm I bashing the person(s) who create it! So I dont want whoever those people are, or person is, to think I don't appreciate the work on the current walkthru, because I do.

But if I don't do it, who will? I mean, I had to pay a bounty to convince someone the first, and he also helps with testing now, but I can't expect him to contribute whenever he can, I am the only one currently getting paid through the game, after all.

How difficult would it be to implement sprite animations for fill ins till you have more CGs?

I am no sprite artist, so it's outside of what I can do. I'd need to pay someone anyway, and custom spritework can be expensive as CG (the noble carriage sprite used in the game cost me more than one CG). Plus, with the VX Ace style for sprites, it doesn't even look good enough, there aren't enough pixels to make the details make sense, most of the time.

I think if we want to absolutely fill the gaps, a cheap alternative is using "generic" CGs, that can be recycled for the unimportant NPCs, but then I'd wonder if that's any better than a black screen. Still, it's the most likely scenario, unless I magically double my Patreon money and I can hire an army of artists. XD

 

[Re-4Andrew]

There another way to write a walkthru, in which I have done a few times, however I can't do it with this game. I can play it out but it's difficult to find everything, and then determine the outcome, does Erica lose INT, Will, INH, ect, which NPC's and their relationship with Erica are of goodwill or is the NPC going to just use her for their own means.

I would need the game to be unpacked to gain access to the www folder. I haven't figured that out, and have tried to on this site with certain RGPMaker games. And I understand the reason for doing this!

 

[chaseJESUS]

How do you enter the secret temple in the forest?

 

[Xaoyu]

But if I don't do it, who will? I mean, I had to pay a bounty to convince someone the first, and he also helps with testing now, but I can't expect him to contribute whenever he can, I am the only one currently getting paid through the game, after all.



I am no sprite artist, so it's outside of what I can do. I'd need to pay someone anyway, and custom spritework can be expensive as CG (the noble carriage sprite used in the game cost me more than one CG). Plus, with the VX Ace style for sprites, it doesn't even look good enough, there aren't enough pixels to make the details make sense, most of the time.

I think if we want to absolutely fill the gaps, a cheap alternative is using "generic" CGs, that can be recycled for the unimportant NPCs, but then I'd wonder if that's any better than a black screen. Still, it's the most likely scenario, unless I magically double my Patreon money and I can hire an army of artists. XD

It's too bad that we got plenty of bad scripted bland games with plenty of CG, but a good game like yours with a big lack of pictures. The main character is not stupid contrary to 80% of the female protagonist games we get. The situations are well scripted with good dialogues and descriptions. The CG you manage to get so far are great actually. You really are on something with this game.

Regarding corruption that you mentioned in a previous answer. I think your game could earn in depth if there were a real "non slut" road. In those kind of game whatever is the choices and personality of your character, it's still about having sex interactions eventually. You let the choice to the player to not let the character become an easy girl, but when we choose that, nothing happens then. It's like you were punished for not acting like a slut. I think that whatever are the choice you make there should be sexual consequences but just not the same or not the same way.

I played a really huge amount of hrpg and what i could advise it's to not underestimate the details : NPJ casual evolving interactions, job system, side quests, secrets, outfit system, outfit breaking system, etc. It's cool when you have a good main quest but in reality it's really just a support to give a start and an end to a game. the important things are everything that is around this main quest.

For exemple, to make players really focus on your game you can integrate a system that imply some kind of grind. Like you need to grind something to make your character career evolve and that way unlocking possible events and for exemple unlocking items or money needed to unlock other event with npc and secret interactions etc.

Without that finally you tend to rush the main story and between two updated you don't play it, eventually you don't think about it anymore and find an other rpg etc...