Post by Lordclear in Dusken Blades comments

Viewing post in Dusken Blades comments

As of version 0.2 this game is very short (you can blast through all 6 chapters in 1-2 hours), but what it already shows in its story, flow and gameplay variance is very impressive - you have familiar SRPG studio combat levels, a chase level, an escort level and free time (dialogue/interaction) level AND the main character already transforms once, adding even more variety and drama.

The storybuilding is gradual (hint: go to bookshelves and read books every time you can) and the writing is pretty good as well, leaving me wanting to learn more. The vibe is different from other TF games that I've played - MC is not just given breasts and sent on their merry way to blast enemies, instead you have to rely on others and lean into a social aspect of being a woman, namely being protected and supporting others instead of taking an active lead. It is something that I haven't seen in other TF games, but here it is prominent, and it is done well.

One mild critique/suggestion I have is to make inter-chapter story cutscenes more manageable - after Ch 3 they balloon in size, so if you want to return to some story segment you can hardly remember where it is since so much happens after each Chapter, and even if you do remember you have to scroll through a lot of text to get there. IMO, if it was possible to introduce save opportunities (save/pass choices) to separate the biggest story chunks that would be great for the overall flow.

In version 0.2 there is at least one Easter Egg (in Ch 6, pay attention to houses) and one secret side-quest/variable to the main story (the aforementioned Easter Egg hints at how you can access that), giving you a reason to replay the game once more. If I can ask the author: how many Easter Eggs/optional secrets are there in the game at the moment? If there are more than what I've written about here, can you please give hints/provide direction as to how one can access them?

Overall, thank you for that great game! Hope we will be able to see more in the future!

Nameless_Scribe46 days ago (4 edits) (+1)

Hey, sorry for the delay! Apparently itch not only has automoderation for comments, but also doesn't notify you when one's pending approval? Wonder if that's a setting I can toggle somewhere... (Sorry, I'm pretty new to the site.)

Anyway, thank you for playing, and for the feedback! I'll see what I can do about story segmentation going forward (and if there's something I can backport into previous sequences.)

As for secrets, the current design plan is to add one larger Easter Egg (of the type you've already found in Ch. 6) per version, so far placed in the final chapter of each update. So far there are two of these in the game, one in Ch. 3 and the other in Ch. 6. (If you want a hint for the first one... "Your meandering path begins at the dead end.")

There's also the major sidequest, as you mention, which involves completing hidden/optional objectives in each (non-flashback) chapter.

As for smaller secrets and optional interactions, there are a number throughout the game so far. They're mostly intended to be little rewards for investigating suspicious or prominent spots on the map, offering additional tidbits/foreshadowing about the world or characters. The bookshelves you mentioned are probably the most substantial ones so far, but keep an eye out for anything else that might catch your eye.

Regarding the broader nature of secrets in this game, I try to write with the idea that everything strictly necessary to follow the plot should be in the main story, but then there's optional stuff to find if you want to dig deeper or find clues to peek ahead a little.

Anyway, thank you again for the feedback and kind words! I'm always honored when people give this game a chance, and I'll do my best to make it the best that it can be in the versions to come!

Lordclear45 days ago(+1)

No way, an Easter Egg in escape chapter? I have to find that one! Well, third playthrough, here I go!

I have to ask: did you think about bringing that game to tfgames.site? It's kind of a hub for TF games, with forums and reviews and such. Seems like a good fit for Dusken Blades, and this way the game will get more eyeballs and more players (right now I could only found it here on itch, noticed it because it was in some collection, I think).

Regardless, I think it is one of the most impressive games in development that I know of, and wherever it is, I'll definitely check up on it for updates! Thank you for bringing this world to us!

Nameless_Scribe45 days ago(+1)

Good point, yeah. Might need to look into making an account there. I've been a little hesitant to "advertise" my game off-site just because it's still pretty early on. Don't wanna drag people across the internet just for them to play it and say "That's it?"

Might be something to consider when the next update drops.

And thank you, really, for the kind words. It means so much to me that you'd not only play my game, but replay it to look for secrets, and I hope to be able to show you more of this world before too long!

Lordclear44 days ago(+1)

No worries, I played full games there that were shorter that Dusken Blades already is, and like half of games there are in alpha or beta or just abandoned outright (that's just the reality of making games for free, I guess).

The point is, people there are already used to trying unfinished games if they look promising. And considering the theme of the game, I think it will fit there, that's why I mentioned the site here.

Nameless_Scribe44 days ago

Thanks, that's helpful to hear!

Lordclear45 days ago(+1)

I have just finished reading Ch 6 Easter Egg, and: wait, there are THREE different routes in the game already?? What are they and how can one find them? With this and hideen sidequest and 2 Easter Eggs already this game is such a Matryoshka doll, wow.

Ch 6 Easter Egg also hinted at future combat chapters and MC's role in them. Honestly, I wouldn't mind MC being in support role for the majority of the game, no other SRPG does that and it's a nice spin on the usual "overpowered hero" genre. But in the end, I trust author's vision and am just here for the ride.

A little rant about default controls: there is a lot of text in the game, and right now you can only advance it through left mouse button or central Enter on the keyboard (space and right mouse skip the whole dialogue tree). This is a default SRPG studio configuration, and while you theoretically can change it in "game.ini" file I had real trouble trying to tie "select" to any numpad key buttons (central Enter and z are just awkward to me if I have to press them so many times). If it was possible to use a button on numerical keyboard (like numerical enter or dot/del there) to advance text like with central Enter that would be great; don't know if this is even technically possible (right now I had to settle with binding select to right button, as it's closest to numpad), but if someone knows an easy solution here I would greatly appreciate that, as searching online brought me no results

Nameless_Scribe45 days ago(+1)

To be honest, I kinda flip-flop on whether I feel justified in calling them separate "routes," exactly. To not go too deep into it, it's less that the game has entirely distinct campaigns, and more that your branch approaches the events of the story from a different perspective, highlighting different sides of the characters depending on their mental state. I've been referring to them more as "permutations" in stuff like patch notes because of this.

Regarding the actual branches, currently the major branching point(s) concern the fate of an optional party member, and how that affects the characters and their dynamics going forward. There are three branches in the game at the moment, with some more planned for a bit further down the line, but I want to be careful about how I add more because each branch increases development scope exponentially.

Regarding the MC's role, I can't really say more than I have already in-game, but I thank you for your trust, and I hope I'll be able to deliver something worthwhile.

And on the topic of controls... Yeah, that's one of the bigger annoyances I have with SRPG Studio. It's kinda clunky to play using anything other than pure mouse controls, at least in my experience. I'll try to look into options to make keyboard/controller more viable, but that may just be an inherent engine limitation.

Lordclear44 days ago(+1)

About branches: I think I get the hint, since there is only one optional party member at the moment (I think), so two branches are whether you have him in the party or not, but what is the third branch? Is that just the branch where you manage to follow sidequest objectives (following Easter Egg hints) or is there something else I'm missing?

About controls: that was just a bit of venting on my part. I mean, I didn't even find anything about rebinding controls to numpad on the internet, and game.ini seems not to recognize these keys if you try to bind it yourself, so that's probably not even possible. It's more notable in Dusken Blades, since it is more text-heavy than other SRPG games that I've played, but ultimately it's not a big deal. Myself, I already did rebind controls somewhat to my liking (had to sacrifice right key button, worth it).

Nameless_Scribe44 days ago(+1)

The side-quest is actually its own plotline distinct from the main story "routes" (though not entirely independent given some of the objective requirements.) The condition for the third branch is still related to the fate optional party member, as there is one more state for them beyond recruited or not.

And yeah, I get you. Honestly, the inflexibility of the controls is something that annoys me a bit, too. The benefits of the engine definitely outweigh that annoyance for me, but I do want to keep looking for possible ways to make them a little more comfortable.

Lordclear43 days ago(+1)

Oof, so many secrets! Okay, I officially have no idea how to get to third branch then, lol

Nameless_Scribe43 days ago(+1)

Well, I wouldn't worry too much about missing secrets, honestly. I try not to include anything in the game that I don't think is worth your time, but I also don't want players to feel like they have to 100% the game either. Plus, I do think there is meaning in some things being hidden.

Still, I also know how powerful a driver curiosity can be, so if you do feel stuck and want the answer I'll put it at the end of the comment. (Hopefully spaced enough to be beyond the "Read More" dropdown.)

The current major "route" splits are based on said optional character being 1) Not recruited, 2) Recruited, or 3) Dead.

There are smaller differences in and between routes, as some other actions are tracked, and then of course there's the side-quest plotline, but those are the current conditions for the major "route" splits.

Lordclear42 days ago(+1)

Aah, I thought briefly about that! Glad I wasn't too far from the mark on the third branch, then.

Reiterating my previous thought: the amount of secrets and hidden things in the game is unbelievable. Very good for different playthroughs, but must be hard to keep track of all these permutations when developing (and it will probably be harder in future, as story and branching points go on).

Won't take any more of your time, thank you for the hints!

Nameless_Scribe42 days ago(+1)

Nah, don't worry about it! I'm just honored you've taken an interest in my game!

Oh, and I've been looking into keybindings for the engine, and while I still haven't found a way to bind actions to the numpad, I did learn something that might help a little. The "Cancel" action (which defaults to "x" or "ctrl") seems to be a relatively reliable fast-forward button which you can hold down to auto-progress text and animations. (Though it might make some more in-depth cutscenes slightly visually glitchy from my testing. Nothing game-breaking, though.)

Maybe you already knew about it, but if not it may help with the controls a bit. Definitely glad to have learned about it, myself, at least.

itch.io

Viewing post in Dusken Blades comments