RPGM Completed A last Effort [Vastitas]

[Ragnar]

Not bad, the art can be better, but so far It seems a good start.

 

[The-real-Vastitas]

That is what I like to hear...
The art of this one is pretty low-res...1280x960 are the biggest pictures others are as small
as 640x480 which is just as much the reason as the fact that I literally started drawing
while creating episode 1 as to why it could be better.
It is better now in episode 2 and will continue to evolve as I practice and work with much higher resolutions.
Every once in awhile I drop a pic here and there showing exactly that I hope, enjoy the game Ragnar.

 

[groove888]

So I've finished the game and written a review and I'm probably going to try modding the game to replace the QTE 2 with more than 2 string with QTE 1 (which was challenging but doable). If I can't (because it would be my first time modding something) I'll probably just not play the game , not worth it imo.

Nevertheless had a great time 75% of the gameplay so still overall a good game.

 

[The-real-Vastitas]

Don't trouble yourself groove819 I replaced all qte2 challenges with qte1 and uploaded a new installer for those who might have the same problem beating that mini-game (same link). Just copy/paste your save into this one and you are good to go, enjoy.

 

[somebodynobody]

If the mini game you are talking about is the one where things floated down from the top and crossed a line, the timing for it was just when the middle of the item touched the line if I remember correctly.

If I can ask The-real-Vastitas, how are you getting better at your art? I do see a change, just wondering if you are doing studies, using books, or just repetition to get better?

I guess I will also ask if episode 1 will be remade/added into episode 2 with the higher end graphics and game engine?

 

[The-real-Vastitas]

First off all I am finally working resolutions made for this day and age (3k+ at the moment) granting the ability to add
more detail and secondly my practice over the last two years while I created episode 1 finally pays off a bit...maybe it
was the pressure about the art while I released the game but I do feel like I breached a wall and hope to get even
better in the future. I also think it helped working these tiny pics of episode one I mean a portrait in VX is 272x288
pixel if you learn to work with that creating high-res pictures really is that much easier.
I still got a long way ahead of me in order to compete with a trained graphic designer but I do believe we need
a few alternatives to what dominates the adult game industry right now...3D art...while some of it is beautiful (DoD or DmD are prime examples) at least for me it lacks "the human touch" and therefore flaws that do attract and create character
but maybe that's just me speaking who enjoys drawing way too much.

At some point when I feel like I reached full potential I plan to refit episode 1 for sure but for now I concentrate on
episode 2 while I polish my artwork further as I am not even sure if I stick with RPGMaker MV for episode 3.

As always thanks for the interest guys and if you know someone who has not tried the game yet or now a place
that got no A.L.E post do something about it, I appreciate every help to get the word out.

 

[somebodynobody]

Thanks for answering my questions.

If you ever need a suggestion or recommendation on books or something to help your art, just ask.

 

[The-real-Vastitas]

Well I am always ready to talk about art or game...
for everyone who is interested I put up a deviantart gallery for my latest refits of old and new
cast of A Last Effort here:

You must be registered to see the links

All that may help to further improve my skills or make this game known is much appreciated somebodynobody.

 

[somebodynobody]

What program do you use to do your art, and do you use a mouse, tablet, or traditional and scan them?

 

[The-real-Vastitas]

A mix of Gimp and Photoshop CC as well as mouse and Wacom so nothing special about that ( but if there is a good alternative to Photoshop do let me know cause some features of that one set me off at times resulting in unnecessary work-overs [a filter on a partly transparent picture for example...bad idea with this one...]) I used to draw sketches traditionally (mainly for poses) but lately all I do is looking at my work so far and see what's off if that makes sense...what I wanna work on next is light&shadow features as I believe that what works for 3D-art could benefit my work as well. There are some artists on Deviantart that either have the right tools/filters or they are just that damn good either way there stuff looks better than the best "popular games" here do but maybe it's just the time invested...as a game developer quality and quantity have to be in balance as nobody wants an adult game with just one or two awesome scenes in it right...

 

[somebodynobody]

From a lot of people who do more digital art, they of course use adobe photoshop, however they also say really good things about clip studio paint (used to be known as manga studio) check these links and see what you think, it has a free trial.

You must be registered to see the links

You must be registered to see the links

Unsure if you are using a pen on the wacom or mouse, I only know of troubles using mice on tablets versus pens. A useful site that gives a lot of tips or points to material for artists is

You must be registered to see the links

the tips and resources area might give you good stuff to look into.

 

[The-real-Vastitas]

I'll definitely give that one a try the Tips&Guides on Concept Art Empire do seem interesting at first glance as well, so thank you. On a game developers note...I have redrawn 30 of 52 characters so far most of them displayed on Deviantart since no one finds the Patreon page without direct link anyways...(no age-verification is there excuse for the ban from search results...). It really is the biggest problem which I am sharing with every adult game developer out there... getting noticed at all that is...it is literally the formula for a slow start and as good as I believe my game is episode one's retro art and the bad repute of RPGMaker Games in general do not help at all. I would love to know how many of the 11k+ views of this post actually tried the game but either way it is good to know that some of you guys appreciate my effort and even try to help me get better in the process like you just now.

 

[somebodynobody]

I do agree a lot of people look at rpg maker games and just don't want to deal with them. You can always hide that it is an rpg maker game with custom UI appearance, interactions, art and icons of the file.

The art you will have to work on, but I think you can do well once you learn some techniques. The other main thing that hurts your game right now is the name, it is so general that even a search on google for exactly it doesn't return anything. You might have to partner up with another patreon member to cross promote.

If you want more one on one interaction for art teaching I would suggest an art streaming area like the creative section on twitch tv and find an artist on there you think is doing something you could benefit from and ask them, even Adobe has a channel on there.

 

[The-real-Vastitas]

Thanks for the review XSunnyX it's a huge compliment to be considered different and "fresh" given the amount of games out there...to somebodynobody...
I somewhat try to customize MV and what that program can do in general already but I believe that most of the things people hate about RPGMaker games I did tackle with my approach and that very criticism in mind.
I should definitely start to learn from others instead of figuring it out by myself like I pretty much did especially if it helps
to get more done in less time.
As to cross promotion...while it is the best of ideas it is pretty hard to do in reality I reckon.
It would have to be creators I would like to support while they feel the same...
It would have to be adult content of course as others could not support me openly without suffering the same "ban"...
It would have to be a equally successful site as the advantage of promotion is the incentive for most Patreons I believe...
and the last point in itself is the reason why I can close this list prematurely at least for now.

Plot wise the title is on point in more ways than one...but I do get the point. Maybe I do a little promo video of
episode one/two on youtube at the end of this month ( refits first) that should help the google search, thanks
again.

 

[somebodynobody]

I wasn't criticizing the name or telling you to change it, just that even the exact name or the exact name with rpg maker didn't pull up any links to your patreon, deviant art, or even this/other forums you have posted on. So you will have a bit of work to get the crawlers to push you to the top of the search engine optimization especially with the words being both general use words and a general statement.

Agreed on cross promotion being a hard thing to do especially as a relative unknown in the scene, and two kind of unknowns promoting each other has very little benefit.

Again I have only ever played your first episode, so a lot of my comments might be off concerning your second episode, but I do think having help on the rpg maker forums or looking at a lot of the more well liked and played rpg maker games sexual and non could help you with ideas or even with code.

 

[The-real-Vastitas]

I updated the release of A.L.E-1 the proofreading is done. I said I would not find the time now that I work on episode 2 but I couldn't leave it like that anyways...a few hours later v.1.01 is up, enjoy.

Advertisement...definitely not my strong suit so far let's just say I need to find more ways to get noticed down the road. Even a video or planned demo for ep2 (once all art is updated -take2) won't be enough I reckon...

I played a lot of RPG games (adult/or not) and while I concentrated on the plot in ep1 I mostly got limited by VX (That engine can't handle multiple parallel events, has limited script compatibility and the list goes on and on... ). In ep2 I have improved all that was good about ep1 ( even more custom sprites...custom tile-sets (maps) you wont see anywhere else...) while I started to add features like moving pictures...animations...custom title...within text box changing facial expressions...and the most important one depending on your choice in the beginning two roads that differ so much that it is really worth to be played twice. There will also be the beloved room of accomplishments down the line for those who try to catch every scene possible as well as a diary feature for all survivors ( not sure if I do a wikia or in-game feature...maybe both) As I do learn from others my goal to do it differently remains which is why a review that calls A.L.E a fresh game feels like I am on the right track.

 

[Biglove69]

great game , story 8 , artwork 7 and sex sound effect 9 out 10 :FeelsGoodMan:, love it keep up the good work :'( (I am hate QTE). can you make easy mode ?

 

[The-real-Vastitas]

I made it as easy as possible in the last release 1.01 (qte2 for example is replaced entirely) if you played 1.0 try the new one...you are not the first to complain about these mini games. At the time I thought it was a good idea...let's just say they are gone in episode 2:coldsweat:
It is mixed reaction with them really, some say they are easy to beat others like you find them annoying.

 

[TarlCabot]

I made it as easy as possible in the last release 1.01 (qte2 for example is replaced entirely) if you played 1.0 try the new one...you are not the first to complain about these mini games. At the time I thought it was a good idea...let's just say they are gone in episode 2:coldsweat:
It is mixed reaction with them really, some say they are easy to beat others like you find them annoying.

These QTEs are the worst crap ever, never understood why someone wants that...
But since it is VX Ace I can easily remove them completely for myself.

 

[The-real-Vastitas]

Let me save you the trouble...I uploaded a optional release without mini-games entirely for those who hate or can't beat them.