- Thread starter Pandaman Games
- Start date
every month or 2 months, dev has a job and can only put 20 to 30 hours per week on the game.
So overall, I really enjoyed this.
It was very sweet and the dialogue felt human in a way you don't really see in these games very often, so major points for that.
I really appreciated the hefty use of different frames to show even minor shifts in facial expressions and body language, I realize it must be a lot of work in the long run, but when creators instead default to the player literally reading another character's thoughts it kinda bothers me for some reason. It's one thing to do it in books where you're more detached, but games where you "are" a character I feel are not the best place to use it. So, again, major points for putting in the extra work.
The piano tune, while lovely, did get a bit grating after a while, and hearing something so romantic in spirit felt a bit off-putting to me when MC is talking about how his plague-ridden parents wandered off into the woods, leaving their only child behind and all alone...
I was very happy to find that the primary love interest has a bit more of a comely appearance, rather than the sharp cheekbones and intense eyes of a supermodel. Seriously, I'm really liking your style with a lot of this stuff and am straight-up excited to see you continue this, Pandaman (Could've sworn there's a mechanic for "Mentioning" users on this site, is that a thing? How?).
That said...
I can't stand it when characters break the fourth wall. Nothing takes me out of it harder than someone or something in the game reminding you that you're playing a game. Seriously, every time a character says "This is like out of a VN..." I just gag, god damn. I mean, there are exceptions, for example the way Love of Magic does its ads for other games, but by and large it's just never a good idea to me.
Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent. In this case, I'm not a huge fan of how the alien/spirit/Merlin/Admin speaks directly to the player, I would rather have it musing to itself about these things rather than soapbox to you. And I would really prefer it didn't comment on the UI bugging out. Or the UI later being sarcastic about the nature of the entity. I mean, these things have a place, but generally I think it's more in comedy, or an attempt at something freaky, like in Metal Gear Solid 2, for example.
And one minor gripe was that while your character's jokes were actually pretty funny (I actually guffawed at '... The Elder!'), Maria occasionally make a quip and it's... It's just never funny. Don't get me wrong, not everyone is a comedian, and you don't need to be funny to have a laugh together, but within the context of a VN it just felt like she's just a cardboard cut-out to make you feel good. Only in those moments, mind you, otherwise everything felt very believable with her.
But it bears repeating, I really enjoyed this and wish you the best, Pandaman.
It was very sweet and the dialogue felt human in a way you don't really see in these games very often, so major points for that.
I really appreciated the hefty use of different frames to show even minor shifts in facial expressions and body language, I realize it must be a lot of work in the long run, but when creators instead default to the player literally reading another character's thoughts it kinda bothers me for some reason. It's one thing to do it in books where you're more detached, but games where you "are" a character I feel are not the best place to use it. So, again, major points for putting in the extra work.
The piano tune, while lovely, did get a bit grating after a while, and hearing something so romantic in spirit felt a bit off-putting to me when MC is talking about how his plague-ridden parents wandered off into the woods, leaving their only child behind and all alone...
I was very happy to find that the primary love interest has a bit more of a comely appearance, rather than the sharp cheekbones and intense eyes of a supermodel. Seriously, I'm really liking your style with a lot of this stuff and am straight-up excited to see you continue this, Pandaman (Could've sworn there's a mechanic for "Mentioning" users on this site, is that a thing? How?).
That said...
I can't stand it when characters break the fourth wall. Nothing takes me out of it harder than someone or something in the game reminding you that you're playing a game. Seriously, every time a character says "This is like out of a VN..." I just gag, god damn. I mean, there are exceptions, for example the way Love of Magic does its ads for other games, but by and large it's just never a good idea to me.
Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent. In this case, I'm not a huge fan of how the alien/spirit/Merlin/Admin speaks directly to the player, I would rather have it musing to itself about these things rather than soapbox to you. And I would really prefer it didn't comment on the UI bugging out. Or the UI later being sarcastic about the nature of the entity. I mean, these things have a place, but generally I think it's more in comedy, or an attempt at something freaky, like in Metal Gear Solid 2, for example.
And one minor gripe was that while your character's jokes were actually pretty funny (I actually guffawed at '... The Elder!'), Maria occasionally make a quip and it's... It's just never funny. Don't get me wrong, not everyone is a comedian, and you don't need to be funny to have a laugh together, but within the context of a VN it just felt like she's just a cardboard cut-out to make you feel good. Only in those moments, mind you, otherwise everything felt very believable with her.
But it bears repeating, I really enjoyed this and wish you the best, Pandaman.
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- Mar 10, 2018
- 664
- 4,139
Thanks!
I've hit my $100/mo goal which means I'll be adding in more music than just the theme (though it may take a few updates to get the perfect songs for every mood), so main menu music repeating for the whole game won't be a thing for Chapter 2 and on.In terms of breaking the fourth wall - I know it's a risky decision, but I promise that it's entirely on purpose and completely in line with the plot. It's not just to be edgy or whatever, there's actually a rationale in game. All will be revealed in time, I promise!
Lastly, I tried to make Maria's jokes feel a bit forced - see Chapter 2 when it comes out and you'll get some more backstory and character dev. I promise it's intentional.
Great! I like what you've done so far so that makes me feel at ease. And I want to emphasize that just because I don't like something as a general rule doesn't mean I can't appreciate specific instances of it!Thanks!
In terms of breaking the fourth wall - I know it's a risky decision, but I promise that it's entirely on purpose and completely in line with the plot. It's not just to be edgy or whatever, there's actually a rationale in game. All will be revealed in time, I promise!
Lastly, I tried to make Maria's jokes feel a bit forced - see Chapter 2 when it comes out and you'll get some more backstory and character dev. I promise it's intentional.
- Feb 23, 2020
- 633
- 1,102
In spoiler because it is ranting, it is not very well put but still there because I wrote it if nothing else. Feel free to skip it.
All that just to ask :
How much Final Fantasy
How much Kingdom Come Deliverance
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All that just to ask :
How much Final Fantasy
How much Kingdom Come Deliverance
- Mar 10, 2018
- 664
- 4,139
This is definitely an alternate history that pulls a bit from fantasy tropes (like dexterity for shooting a bow), but there isn't going to be magic or anything like that. It may not be entirely realistic, but I'm trying to make it feel believable to most people while keeping it interesting and engaging.
- Feb 23, 2020
- 633
- 1,102
Fair enough I can't ask for more, your project looks realy promising. What you managed to do to this point is preaty sick already. Sadly for you you are seting high expectations for yourself. I don't know what is your bottleneck in terms of producing your story, but I much rather see it progress slowly and you taking your time to tell the story you want with characters roling their eyes and blinking in a conversation than a fast story progression with less care put in "animating" and bringing to life your characters and world.
- Mar 29, 2018
- 10
- 10
I actually thoroughly enjoyed playing that a nice slow burn instead of the usual bang and done - a great start to your first game Panda, really impressed i look forward to more
- Dec 17, 2018
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- Apr 9, 2018
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Thanks, considering the quality that'd still be pretty impressive! ONLY 20-30 hours a week with a job?? Holy shit lol that's dedication!
- Aug 2, 2020
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- Oct 30, 2020
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haven't even played the game(download in progress), and I already love it
- Oct 30, 2020
- 1,560
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Damn!!
this game surpassed all my expectations
the story, the music, LI everything is great
few more updates and this is definitely going in my Top 5
this is extremely high quality stuff
this game surpassed all my expectations
the story, the music, LI
everything is greatfew more updates and this is definitely going in my Top 5
this is extremely high quality stuff
- Jul 22, 2020
- 452
- 572
the dev notes say its a "slow burn" romance game, which i honestly perfer then just jumping into fucking everyone and everything, you might as well go watch porn in that case, so it's to be expected. that aside the renders he's showed are very good, there is a lot of potential for romance etc
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- Mar 10, 2018
- 664
- 4,139
Correct, there is no sexual content in Chapter 1/30 in a slow burn romance game. The game also tells you right up front after hitting "Start":
It will definitely have sexual content, but not in the first few chapters.