Oh, gotcha. Never heard of JummBox and jsfxr before, but yeah, they seem like pretty decent free tools.
Cool detail about the click sfx, didn't notice it, but it's also been way too long since I touched my GBC (and it's in another city). But that's a very nice touch!
Don't worry about the VST if you're not familiar with those, if you got your workflow working already - then it's cool. Just wanted to share stuff that I thought might be helpful.
I don't know your workflow for music/SFX - but I think this VST might help (most DAWs support VSTs, so you probably won't have any problems)
Dunno if it will actually help you or not - but I'd use it for retro sfx. You could just play one note, and pitch-shift it around for different buttons.
But yeah, I understand you had time constraints and stuff, no worries.
No worries, we had a lot of fun playing it!
The reading issue is definitely on me, because usually I just skim through text and go back if it didn't work. I'm kinda impatient lol.
>The tablet would be better if it was a booklet
I feel like if you want to go with the tablet guide - maybe you could emulate GameFAQs look&feel instead of a PDF? I think we mentioned it on stream. And it would definitely fit into the overall feel of a retro game being played (I still look up some stuff on GameFAQs for some older games that I replay every now and then)
>Waiting isn't fun, that could be a problem
I honestly don't think waiting turned out to be as bad once I figured out how to do it (aka - read the manual properly lol). That, and being less precise with the RNG is probably okay. So I dunno, it might just be a bump in the learning curve. I caught the third shiny on my own volition just because I could, so there's that. Initial attempts were a bit frustrating, but having a manual right there next to the cartridge definitely helped with that.
Also - side note - I just remembered - maybe you could add some SFX to the flipper device used to hack/assist with the glitches? To the buttons and stuff? I recall some parts of the game being a bit too silent in terms of user inputs. But again - maybe it's just me.
>We don't know if we're too early or too late
Yeah, I can absolutely see why you have concerns about that. I honestly don't know how to fix/help with that. Maybe you could add a "kotaku journalist playing cuphead" option in the menu, that adds some OOC speech bubbles with hints?
I don't think it's needed, but I also have some knowledge about rom hacks/glitches, so I might be a bit more in the know about that. Dunno about an average person though.
>The sea near the side of the island is square
This is probably something WAY beyond your scope, and a pointless feature that nobody would ever notice - but you could try limiting yourself to 96 sprites per scene (the limit of actual GB hardware). That would both give you an out when people are complaining about "square edges" and give you something cool to brag about. But that might be extremely... niche and not worth the trouble.
I didn't even notice the issue, but I'm not an artistic person, so there's that.
>The controller seems to not be optimal
Yeah, full native 4K. I get lots of issues with that, but... good for playtesting and finding issues causing by large resolution lol?
I ended up not using the controller. Maybe I should've used it just for console and kb+m for everything else for extra immersion - that could've been cool - but I didn't think that far ahead lol.
>So yeah, how the game feels right now is intentional
Yeah, I get that, which is why I'm not complaining. It's just that I have experience with pokemon games, so it took a bit to readjust myself. So no worries.
Thank you very much for the demo, and I hope our playthrough helped. Please keep it up, its a very unique and interesting demo!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018339
Graphics are messed up on windows, I struggled making it use proper resolution.
Loaded custom song, and it didn't sync to it. I'm assuming there's one pre-built course, and it doesn't generate based on the song?
At least now I know how it feels to overdose.
I was fairly harsh in this VOD, and I apologize for it. I will try and elaborate on my thoughts more in this feedback.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018331
I have no real issue with the gameplay itself. It's a bit rough around the edges, sure, but it's fine, and the idea is good, and I did enjoy similar style of games (Outer Wilds, Loop Hero). It's a bit of a moon logic puzzle, but it's fine.
My main complaint is with the VN side. It's... Rough.
I have no problems with isekai, or "loser hero" archetype, but the writing makes me extremely annoyed. It's just... neither appealing, relatable or comical. The introduction is fine by itself, it's not really horrible - but when the dialog with ??? keeps going, and going, and going - it's a drag, and it casts shade at the character intro, making it retrospectively worse.
I honestly have no idea what tone you're going for. Is it supposed to be comical, or serious? Because it feels jarring, like you are trying to write both at the same time.
It's just not fun. It's not engaging, and the "I'm a real loser let me sit there and watch the girl kidnapped" after some retries really doesn't work. It doesn't motivate me, it makes me want to turn off the game.
I suggest either taking point from other VNs, or unironically give AI a try. Some models - especially 12B ones, can be run on the CPU. Muse-12B and Wayfarer-12B are really good at setting atmosphere and describing actions respectively, and koboldcpp is very easy to set up and run, and includes a UI.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018322
Very nice, short and sweet. Surprisingly fun and gets a tiny bit harder by the end.
Needs more progression imo, both in terms of enemies, enemy attacks, and the character power scaling - it became kind of a drag by the end.
But the base is EXTREMELY solid and fun, so please keep it up!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018338
Reminds me of Maximo and childhood trauma.
Played on the controller. Swift Bites kinda suck, the homing attack is good. Character model is cute.
Very barebones, but managed to beat it by spamming homing attacks. Stopping during an attack is... not fun.
Don't know how faithful it is to Ghosts'n'Goblins, but not really my cup of tea.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018336
Love the thug puns, love the combat, 'ate the pipes. Simple as.
Good shit m9
Thug on
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018324
The stick controls is a bit wonky, going into "down mode" when I'm pressing right or left. And I already complained about being able to go out of the "down mode" mid-jump.
But otherwise - a really good demo. Some levels need to be a bit less precise, but the controls are fairly good!
Keep it up!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018333
Really cool! Great level, feels like a proper stealth mission.
Controls are a bit wonky, especially figuring out how to shoot. No prone shooting? Smh
But great stuff, loved it.
Keep it up!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018332
Love the progression, each run felt like progress. Huge kudos for that!
Character animations are peak. Very addictive.
Looking forward for the full game!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018337
Actually amazing. I'm not a big fan of card games, but you had me absolutely hooked.
Reached the boss on my first run, and got absolutely wrecked on the second run.
I'm not a big fan of some voice lines, but that's probably a minor nitpick.
Reminded me of Washack - a very old game.
Good stuff, card art and the shader on the cards is peak sovl. Please keep it up!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018334
Couldn't connect, so I'm just posting this for posterity. My apologies.
The only thing I'd suggest is a way to enable console logs so that it might be easier to debug.
But that might just be my weird local network. Sorry about that.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018335
Fantastic progress. Love the mood and athmosphere.
I think I'm getting better at it. Though I'm not sure.
Please keep it up!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018323
Absolutely amazing. Synergies feel great. Kinda ignored hole upgrades, but I dig the humor.
Failed on the first run, succeeded on the second run.
My only feedback would be - please add some sort of progress bar to the "accumulating" items, like knives - because I'd love to see how many would be launched next round.
Otherwise - amazing stuff. Absolute heroin in digital form.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767018325
First half of the level is great, second half is... empty.
Good stuff, shotguns feel good, and controller works. It's a bit confusing, since it feels like the aiming is at a slight angle - I feel like you're using the stick rotation as an absolute for the camera, and not for the world center. If that makes any sense.
But it's great.
Centaur guys feel a bit too tanky, and no drag'n'drop in the inventory is a bit jarring. Also thought I accidentally sold my only weapon.
In any case - great progress, great demo, keep it up!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767003109
Very nice demo, very interesting. Loved the atmosphere, loved the stone breaking.
I got almost bored when I reached the dynamite section, and I was anxious about if the resources are limited and if I could soft-lock myself. But other than that - it's pretty fun!
I kinda wish there was a bit more engagement or push, though. The skeleton and the little dungeon were fun discoveries, but other than that it felt a bit... empty, I guess? But maybe that's just me.
In any case - amazing job, please keep it up!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2767003110
Honestly - combat is SO JUICY now, like holy shit. Absolutely amazing.
I feel like it's growing into something magical, so I'll just say - please keep it up. No actual complaints, the main combat loop works and feels great!
I am not sure if the overworld exploration is a placeholder, it seems a bit too rough right now. It works well for the most part, but ambushing enemies seems to be extremely hard due to movement points returning to you if you take a step back. Maybe it's supposed to be like that, maybe not, don't know.
But I am very eager to see what you have planned!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2766992416
I went back after the stream and reached prestige. Gotta say - prestige is extremely disappointing, and not really worth the effort. Imo you should have another progression tree there, not just "pick one upgrade that is kinda meh".
Also - pilot camera is off-center, where only the head is visible. But a cute addition, most certainly welcome.
Fantastic demo, please keep it up!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2766992405
Spiderman but cool and with guns. Amazing character controls, feel absolutely exhilarating, I can't praise it enough.
Animations and physics are great, and the enemies are cool.
Combat is kinda meh, but I assume it's not ready yet.
Spent way too long enjoying myself than I should've. Fantastic stuff!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2766992413
Really nice demo. Loved the mechanics of manual reload, shotgun cocking and different shell types.
I want to love the aesthetics as well, but they are a bit too... jarring. Text is hard to read, and brick lines keep flickering in the distance, which is very straining on the eyes, especially when everything is very bright and vivid. The same applies to wireframe enemies. I feel like you're trying to simulate a very low resolution, but it's not very pleasant on a large monitor.
I managed to run out of shells of some type, and I don't know if you can actually check how many shells you have in your pocket, or what shell you're readying to load.
I would also suggest "mouse wheel up" instead of "mouse wheel one notch down" for checking for loaded shell, because it kinda blends in with the reload motion.
Otherwise - it's a very cool and neat demo and a very interesting concept, please keep it up!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2766992414
Feels like a character controller demo. It's okay. Camera feels weird and disorienting. Character models are good, really creepy. Combat works, but it's nothing to write home about for now.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2766992415
A very chill and nice experience. Didn't really push it to the limits with going into the night, and it took me a bit of time to figure out that I need to collect and sacrifice relics.
It's fun, but very short - you kinda reach the wall in terms of environmental curiosities fast. I definitely wish for a bit more... Engagement, I guess? Maybe either in terms of collecting different relics for tower upgrades, or some environmental storytelling.
But it's a very nice and chill prototype, and I love the core gameplay loop.
Please keep it up, I am looking forward to your next demo!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2766992411
Really great game, very flashy, very neat, very polished. My hands hurt a bit since I'm not a MMO/MOBA player, but I did manage.
Second level is MUCH more fun than the first one, music is vastly better.
My only complaint is about controls. Everything else is great. Great stuff.
Please don't take this VOD too harshly or too seriously, we definitely had fun, but maybe for all the wrong reasons lol.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2766992407
It's a fine concept, and I like detective games - but it relies on moon logic a bit too much, and the intro is... well... I mean, it's probably okay if you've VERY new to detective games, but it also feels very obvious.
The writing feels a bit rushed, and it definitely feels railroady, where you need a set sequence of events to happen in order to progress. And the events themselves are... very obscure. Almost feel like old point-and-click adventures and not like a modern detective game. Which would be fine - but I don't think RPG Maker is great for those kinds of games.
In any case - it was fun for what it is. It's an okay start.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2766992406
I sometimes watch pokemon and romhack vids on youtube, so the concept is not alien to me, but I'm too much of a scrub to perform those tricks myself. And yeah, sorry, I may be a bit too dumb to read everything properly. Sorry, that's on me.
But it... feels? or seems? extremely accurate and faithful to the actual glitch/exploit experience, which is extremely cool! Absolutely loved it!
Though I think it's a bit too... railroady, I guess? Pokemon games feel much more open by themselves, while this game feels like you actually must use hacks and glitches to proceed. Which is fine, since this game is about hacking a pokemon-like, but also feels a bit too restrictive imo - like you're hitting a wall immediately at start. It's not really a complaint, just something I felt. Don't know if that was your goal or not. It's probably fine for a metagame about hacking an old game, but the game itself (the game inside the game, that is) feels a bit too restrictive.
But kudos for making it feel authentic, it's great! Actually amazing, absolutely loved it.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2766992412
Nice prototype. Netcode seems to be a bit finnicky - characters seemed to be synced properly, but I was getting hit by something constantly. Definitely needs some sort of a... not a tutorial, but a demonstration of what this game is. It seems to be different enough from minecraft to be a bit confusing, especially with crafting.
Otherwise - a very cool prototype!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500078
Some modifiers are fun, some are absolutely not. The randomness screwed me over a couple of times - got the "trap" modifier like 3 times in a row which made me just skip (reload the game) when I got them later.
Gambler seems to instadie when you enter the first battle.
A very interesting take on tetris, but needs A LOT of tweaking to make some enemies less frustrating.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500084
I dunno what else to say. It's great and way more fun than I expected (I'm usually not a fan of time attack games).
Driving feels fun, stick controls didn't feel annoying.
A suprisingly fantastic demo. Would appreciate some nightcore bgm tho.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500079
It works, cool prototype. Not a fan of clicking minigame, everything else worked fine. Couldn't satisfy all 7 customers tho.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500076
Love gamba, simple as. After rewatching the VOD I still kinda disagree with the "inconsistent sprites" take, it's not THAT noticeable.
Felt great playing, very snappy. My only input would be - maybe the tutorial should be interactive and not a text manual?
Other than that - great stuff!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500071
Tutorial is very easy, first stage is waaay too hard, but I'm bad at extremely precise games.
Music is great though.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500080
Nice! Seems like there's more content than before, and feels better. Definitely needs music though.
Looking forward to more updates!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500081
Very, very cool and a lot of fun. Swinging around is great, movement feels great. Bell definitely needs a bit more visibility cuz I wouldn't have known to search for it.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500073
It works, and I managed to even somewhat build the dungeon. I also cut off the entrance to the boss area, sooo I guess I cheesed it.
I dunno how I feel about managing 4 different resources, especially if you get them at almost random. The wait timer seems a bit too random and unbalanced
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500075
After rewatching the VOD I agree that maybe background/foreground objects need to have a bit more contrast.
Other than that - very nice, very cool, extremely polished. Good stuff!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500077
Seems like a single-player MMORPG-like? It works. Levelled up the stats, though I dunno if they affected the game. Skills work. Managed to clip into the pyramid.
Seems to be too early in development.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500082
Pretty nice, though I don't know how I feel about the timer. Managed to beat it, lost only once.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2663500074
Kino. Red guy feels much more fun due to his special. Love the introduction of the "campaign" with the map and the boss. Loved the boss, very fun fight. The whole game feels VERY good.
On thing I'd suggest - show the room transitions on the minimap, cuz I got confused one time about the lack of the bouncy pad
