itch.io

Well, hearing that the poses and all the assets are all created by hand makes the content already in Mannequin seem that much more impressive to me, if anything!

Thanks for the detailed reply! I did play around a bit with Koikatsu Party a few years back, but per the terms of use restrictions, users are not allowed to take creations from the software and use them in their own creative endeavors. Available choices are a bit more limited, but I prefer options that allow more creative freedoms by default. It's another thing I appreciate about Mannequin!

Again, there is already plenty to work with in terms of poses and assets and flexibility, more than what I have seen in other tools by a long shot in some cases, so thank you again for everything you've already added into the tool!

First I will start by saying this is a wonderful tool, and I very much appreciate that it exists! Thank you for all the love and passion you've put into this creation.

Your most recent post in this topic was helpful for me as a new Mannequin user, as I had the same question about applying customized settings across all expressions. That's very useful to know.

I was really surprised to see a robust selection of poses with a variety of options available to choose from. I thought that was quite helpful to have built into the program. My suggestion, or request if you can call it that, would simply be asking about the possibility of adding some non-standing pose options in the future? This is really more of a "food for thought" kind of thing than a request necessarily.

My only other experience with this sort of thing is using VRoid Studio briefly, and for that program, you are able to export created characters to VRM format. I know of two particular software applications that can then be used with an exported VRM character to pose them in a specific way.

One is called VRM Automatic Photographing (https://matsuvr.booth.pm/items/2223918) and if I'm not mistaken it collects and uses freely available preset poses from other sources? The other is called VRM Doll Play (https://booth.pm/ja/items/1654585) and allows you to custom create your own poses manually by hand for your characters.

You already have just as many, if not more, standing pose variety options available in Mannequin, which is great! I just can't help but wonder if having others like sitting, kneeling, laying down, etc. sorts of poses might make things even more dynamic and interesting. But, I know when you start getting into the more unusual poses, things like physics/gravity start making it more difficult for clothing, accessories, etc. to translate over in a uniform way too.

I'm not sure which would be more difficult on the development side, either implementing additional poses for sitting/laying down/etc. like you already have available, or adding a VRM export option like the existing one for Inochi2D Creator (I'm guessing VRM is more meant for 3D models, so wouldn't really convert easily?) I tried looking into using Inochi2D Creator, but the options were overwhelming, and the complexity level seems to be beyond my current understanding. I was unable to use it at even a basic level. Alternatively, perhaps there is some other existing software similar to VRM Doll Play but that works with Mannequin characters that I'm unaware of?

At any rate, thanks for your time in reading all this, and for all the wonderful features you've already made for everyone!

First off let me just say that I appreciate your comments. I'm pleased to know that folks are still enjoying this unusual little game even now.

There is some backtracking that is required at times, but the progression becomes easier as things go, and nearly every encounter while backtracking can be quickly skipped (except the Block Rocks of course.) Subsequent playthroughs of the game are much quicker once you know how things work, and they can be done in a fraction of the time compared to the first experience.

I tried to do things in a way that would surprise players, including breaking the game's "rules" at times, like with that particular encounter you mentioned. The unusual way of approaching the player character changes was another example where I tried to get creative and go against conventional expectations. My goal was to leave players with a feeling that they got to enjoy something a little unique or different from the norm.

Hi ninedaydecline, you're exactly right and on the right track for where to go. I pulled a rather cruel trick in this part in that, when you reach that section of forest where none of the directions seem to advance properly, there's another direction you've been "taught" not to go, but which is actually the correct path for that one screen/area of the forest maze.

In case that's confusing, the pattern through the repeating forest maze to find the old man is SEWN, where North is assumed heading up, South is heading down, etc. and it's the one where you're supposed to head West that is a bit of a cheesy trick on my part for players, since heading West on any of the other parts of that area takes you back out of the forest maze.

Mag isn't one you can befriend directly or play as. She appears mostly as a part of Wiz's story. It would have been interesting seeing things from her POV more though.

Digsby on the other hand, after you assist him with the crates, leave the area where he's usually found and come back to it again. He won't be at his shop stand, but he's elsewhere in that same area instead. Easy to miss.

Fun fact: Digsby is actually one where you can fail to progress his quest properly. If you chose to not help him with his delivery, you won't be able to become good friends with him.

Thanks for all the wonderful feedback! I appreciate getting it, and I'm glad that you enjoyed your time with the game overall.

To answer your question as best I can, it is possible to play in a way that allows you to reach Good Friend status with almost every one of the "significant" characters. Basically if you interact with them and are able to gain acquaintance/friend/etc. statuses, then you can become Good Friends with them.

However, you have to reach Good Friend status with them prior to having them disappear or switching to them as your player character, because once either of those things has happened, they are effectively "lost" for the remainder of the game as far as being able to continue their quests or get to know them better. As long as you reached Good Friend status with them though, you'll get to see their extra little ending scene.

The one exception to the above is Madeline, as she is something of a special case. You can play as her if you've "died" in the game enough times, but no other characters can really meet her or interact with her in the normal ways like the remainder of the playable / significant NPC cast.

I'm glad that helped. It sounds like now you're just missing a few of the last trickier-to-find ones.

For #13 you'll need to visit the Servants' Quarters, which if you haven't found that area yet, try sneaking by the guard in the Main Entrance lobby area of the mansion. Careful not to confuse it with the Guest Quarters area too.

You have to do something particular to find it once you reach the Servants' Quarters though. It won't appear with just a random encounter like most of the others do. Check the surroundings thoroughly and you'll find it.

Page 18 is found in the Study area where Trudy is first found with Morty. There's a single encounter in there that you may have missed due to the smaller size of that area.

I'm just guessing here, but you might also be missing Page #3 as well? That's another tricky one that usually ends up being one of the last few for players to obtain. It requires a few steps, including interacting with the creature that gives you page #18 in a specific way, before you can complete it successfully.

#12 is optional, and can be found in the second part of the Guest Quarters. You won't be able to get to it until you've successfully completed the encounter in the first section of the Guest Quarters though. #12 is another one that isn't a random encounter either actually, so that might be why you missed it if you've already explored that area.

Hi Firefairy, thanks for reaching out. The garden area was the point of the game where I realized that up until then, the "smell" sense had gone very underutilized, so following your nose, so to speak, will help you in multiple encounters in this area actually. One of them that doesn't involve the "smell" sense will progress using "taste" instead.

The mushroom creature encounter was the one that was most intended to throw folks for a loop in this area, so congrats on already getting that one figured out. There isn't much that requires curiosities in this area, so you should be okay without having to hunt down more of those for now. See if that's enough help to get you on your way again, and if you're still having trouble, I can give more specific details on what to do for particular encounters if you'd like.

You're welcome! Glad I could help.

It was one of those things where I figured most players would try to leave the room in the more normal way after having entered it so unusually, and they would unlock the door in the process. But I understand it being frustrating and confusing if you happened to miss you could do that, and instead went back the way you came in.

Hi n03113, I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the game. Which door are you referring to that you can't figure out how to open? I can only think of two doors that might be stumping you.

Spoilers ahead for those who wish to avoid them.

If you mean the door in the Guest Quarters, have you successfully completed the encounter with the Foul O'Door? If so, you may just be missing the combination to the lock. You can find that in the Basement.

If, instead, you mean the door in the Garden area by the fountain, it's locked from the outside only, and leads to the secret room area that you discovered via the Basement. To open it, simply exit that room from the inside first to unlock it.

In any case, if you've already completed the game and the side quests, you're not missing any essential content from the experience behind locked doors.

Thanks for your detailed post and thoughts about the game. I can appreciate differences in viewpoints, and though my intention was not really based in glorifying suicide in what I was presenting, it's of a sufficiently unusual nature that I could see why it might be viewed in that light. In fact, I was half expecting more backlash in general over presenting arguably radical viewpoints of death and those kinds of things.

I had some frustrations with the RPG Maker format too, but it was the tool I had available to me to work within that I knew how to use, and having zero budget to put to the game, I did the best I could with what I had available to me. Although I do understand it leaves a bit to be desired on the player side as well, but I appreciate your suggestions for feedback on what you would have preferred to see, even if I may not be able to actually enact those changes necessarily, it's nice to hear from folks about the things they prefer.

I'm not quite sure just from reading your description of the issues you came into contact with from the Block Rocks and using the entrance from Wiz's quest, but you may have run into one issue that I was never quite able to figure out how to solve. The way I set up the progression through the mansion was such that if you started from one direction, and then came back into it from the other partway through, there was an overlap of sorts, where the particular transition between the Kitchen area of the mansion and the Main Hall would basically not allow you to progress as usually intended. It didn't necessarily break the game as far as I was aware of anyway, but it was disruptive to the overall flow, as it sounds like you're describing in your comment.

In any case, even if that particular issue wasn't what you were trying to describe, thanks again for taking the time to provide feedback on your time with the game.

Page 3 is the red slime creature we were talking about before, and Page 18 is found in the Study area where Trudy is located, so you haven't missed anything. You'll collect both of those as you progress through the remaining portions of the game.

You're welcome. I'm glad you got it figured out. The mushroom is a sneaky one!

The sand is not a curiosity that is usable in encounters, so that may be why you weren't seeing it. If you check the curiosities menu while you're on the map rather than during an encounter, it should be appearing in there.

Hi Pippinghotbread, thanks for posting, and I'm glad you're enjoying the game! Let's see if I can help you along your way.

First off, the rabbit creature's page is optional. It's not strictly necessary to progress in the game, but it helps you to gain access into the mansion via an alternate route as part of Jack & Wiz's friend quests, if they are still accessible on the island and haven't already moved to the afterlife area. You can only find the rabbit creature in the forest itself (it's the only creature encounter that happens outside of the mansion grounds) and you'll want to use your sense of touch on them to progress through the encounter properly.

Trudy can be found in the Study area of the mansion. It's way in the back and is the last area right before you enter the final area of the mansion. To gain access you'll need to have gotten all the pages from the garden area first.

The red slime creature is one of the last ones that you'll be able to actually do, and it's tricky. To complete it successfully, you need to have an Empty Ice Cream Cup in your curiosities inventory, and you'll need to use it on the creature that you encounter in the Study area. After that, if you come back to the red slime encounter, you'll have what you need to see it through correctly.

Hopefully that helps you get unstuck, but if you need more specifics or have other questions, feel free to reply back!

Me too. I wanted to make even more of them than I did. Maybe I should have! I'm glad you liked them though.

A version of Death? Preposterous! playable in your web browser has been released today. You can find it here: https://jayrayhawk.itch.io/dp-web

Yesterday I added a new devlog post explaining the recent change in pricing model for this game, as well as taking a look back at everything that has happened since its release back in March 2019.

For those curious and interested to learn a bit more about behind-the-scenes stuff, you can read the post here: https://jayrayhawk.itch.io/dp/devlog/194130/moving-to-a-pay-what-you-want-pricin...

I appreciate the informative reply despite the time lapse from the original inquiry by HexVexed, thank you! I'll let that be my starting point for reference.

I just found this template recently and was wondering the same thing.

I'm not sure where to find the inner workings of it, as I'm just learning my way around Ren'Py, but I noticed that there was multiple page functionality on the Music Player section of the Extras menu.

Perhaps you can examine how that part is put together, and repurpose it for the gallery areas as well?

I was able to find the issue and fix the errors that I had made in setting up that particular encounter. I released version 1.2 of the game today and it should fix the issue you were having with not being able to collect page 5 for any future players at least. Thanks again for bringing it to my attention.

Okay, thank you for the additional details. That clarification was helpful. I will try to see if I can reproduce the issue, and if I can find some way to fix it so it works like it's supposed to. I apologize for the inconvenience but I appreciate that you've let me know this is happening. I don't think I'll be able to resolve it for your particular save file though unfortunately.

So in the meanwhile you may wish to start a new file and just get to that point of the mansion again, but get both curiosities before engaging with the encounter this time, and it should proceed like it normally was supposed to. There's no grand reward for collecting every page or anything like that, so you don't have to worry that you missed out on anything terribly important in your original file. On the plus side, once you've already experienced the game, subsequent playthroughs go much more quickly when you already know what to do.

You're welcome! And congratulations on finding that little secret!

That's what I think is nice about the RPG Maker software is that anybody can do it. All it takes is a few months getting comfortable with using it and then once you are used to working with it, you can start making things pretty well. Don't be surprised if it takes a few years though to make a decent length game, especially if you're going at it by yourself rather than with a team of folks. A lot of hours creating goes into even short game experiences, and it seems daunting when you try to look at the whole thing before you start.

I'd say the important thing though is to enjoy your time creating whatever you envision, and just focus on what you're enjoying in the moment! String enough days like that together and before you even know what happened, you'll have a game. Passion and persistence are really the secret ingredients for making it all come together. Keep it fun though too! It doesn't have to feel like work, though some days it might. Also remember to give yourself rests too, especially on days when you really aren't feeling motivated or creative enough to make progress. Forcing yourself too much during times like that will start to come through in what you create, and you might feel unsatisfied with the end result in the long run. It's okay to rest, even for long stretches of time if you need it, just stay the course and keep at it little by little! That'd be my advice in a few paragraphs at any rate!

Anyway, back to your comments. I had to make at least one way into the mansion that didn't require any condition to be met so it could be used no matter what took place in a given playthrough. The way this game was designed, because each person is able to play the game a bit differently, there were a lot of possible ways to experience the sequence of events. Possibilities also include things like skipping characters entirely if people just happened to miss them, and other situations where your options for entering into the mansion become restricted. It goes without saying that it would have been a bad experience for players and a poor design oversight to get stuck in the game with no way in or out of the mansion from no real fault of their own.

That last bit of your comment sounds a bit unusual... it might be a bug and I'm curious to know more about what exactly you're experiencing there. Once you have both the Princess Doll and the Tiny Dragon curiosities in your possession, it should play out the scene properly when you pick up the toy soldier using your sense abilities during the encounter. It sounds like it's not doing that for you however. What are you seeing after the dragon disappears? Does the game act like you haven't gotten the Princess Doll curiosity at all?

Off the top of my head, I'm wondering if it has something to do with the fact that you partially progressed the scene before having the Princess Doll, then went back to get it, and now it has perhaps messed up the event's usual progression somehow. I was fairly certain that I accounted for that sort of possibility in the way I set it up, but it's possible some issue eluded my testing. Any other details about what exactly you're seeing and doing during that encounter would be helpful for me to try and narrow down the possible issues.

Hi curtmc!

Thanks for posting your experience with the game here. The bug you found is a known issue, and I usually see it happen most often during the introduction scenes of the game, but it's sadly possible during the ending cutscenes too.

Included in with the game download is a Help & FAQs text file, and in it I explain the issue you stumbled upon in more detail, but the gist of it is, it's an elusive bug that seems to happen with the RPG Maker MV engine itself, and as far as I am aware, there's really no way to fix it on my end.

It can happen when players are pressing or holding down buttons when the game takes over control of moving the character (during cutscenes or etc.) Doing this speeds up the text and events on screen, and sometimes RPG Maker seems to skip some movement instructions in its haste. Then the game gets stuck and you just have to close it manually as you observed.

Basically, the only real "solution" I've found is the same conclusion you came to, just try not to press or hold unnecessary buttons during parts of the game with scripted movement, and the scenes should play out normally without issues.

For those reading who wish to avoid spoilers, kindly ignore the remainder of this comment.

Let's tackle your other questions:

Pages 5 and 12 as you've no doubt surmised are optional, but I can understand wanting to experience them all (5's encounter is especially fun if I do say so myself.)

You are correct that there is a princess doll involved with Page 5 (good instincts!) and to find it, you'll want to search carefully on the shore. There's a somewhat hidden stretch of beach that you may have missed.

Page 12's encounter is indeed in the part of the mansion beyond that. It's a bit of a tricky one, but it has a nice reward that makes it easier to progress in the mansion without having to backtrack to recover. Probably not much use for you at this point since you've already finished, but perhaps as a convenience for a future play through, or just for completion's sake.

As for Bennie's location after you first get acquainted, she likes to spend time on the beach, getting nice fresh air and some time away from folks for awhile. Search the shoreline areas again and you'll find her.

Hopefully that helps! Thanks again for reaching out, and I'm glad you had an enjoyable experience with the game overall! If you need any further clarification on the hints, just ask.

You're welcome!

I tried to use different ideas and situations with the encounters, and having to get a second copy of a page was just one idea I had to hopefully surprise players and add some variety to the overall experience.

It was never really my goal to make players feel stuck though, so I'm glad that helped get you back into enjoying the game.

Hi Irin, thanks for reaching out. I'm sorry to hear you're having issues playing the game. 4GB of RAM should be plenty.

Are there some other RPG Maker MV games where you don't have the stuttering issue? If yes, then it might be related to a particular plugin used by the games that are giving you trouble, or it might have something to do with the version of RPG Maker MV that was used to create the game (Death? Preposterous! was made on an older release of RMMV, version 1.5.2 just FYI.)

If you're having the same issue with all other RPG Maker MV games you try to play though, it might be something related to the engine itself, or your particular system perhaps.

In any case, I'm not certain I'll be able to help solve this sort of issue for you, and you may be better served contacting RPG Maker's support team to get their assistance directly.

However, a few ideas off the top of my head that you might try if you haven't already:

• Playing the game in Windowed mode instead of Full screen (or vice versa.) You can toggle between modes in the game's options menu, or by pressing the F4 key while the game is running.
• Updating your graphics drivers to the newest version supported by your system, or if you're already using the newest drivers, maybe trying a slightly older version to see if the issue is present (sometimes new versions can cause new issues too.)
• Try running the game in compatibility mode (I really don't think this should be necessary normally for MV games, but it's worth a try if all else has failed.)

That's about the extent of what I can think of to suggest that might help. I hope that you're able to find an answer that works for you. If I can help in another way, feel free to reach out again!

Hi Sophia, thanks for your question. The rocks with faces will only move when you collect the pages that they require from the other creatures that you find. If they aren't letting you pass just yet, it means you still need a page from somewhere in the surrounding areas.

It sounds like you already did the quest that gives you one of the items you need to enter the mansion. You'll want to get another Blueberry Pudding page if you haven't already, and you do that the same way you got it the first time. You'll also need the other page you can find in the hedge maze area. Now that you have the curiosity from the quest, it will be possible to get the second one you need to pass the rock.

Let me know if you need further details but hopefully that helps get you back into enjoying the game.