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"You awaken to the all to familiar smell of ash in the air. Through the soot and smoke, you can make out the silhouettes of a man and a woman, huddled around a pile of burning embers. The warmth of the nearby fire begins to bestow feeling to your numb limbs."

You are a mute, orphaned boy, living that way as long as he can remember. Over the past few years, your people have been revolting against an unjust king, and a corrupt government. You didn't pay much attention, it have anything to do with you. But as the walls of your great city crumble, and the buildings are set ablaze, you realize that there is more to this than meets the eye. You watch the richest nobles become beggars on the streets, and the beggars become just as abusive as the nobles were. Someone somewhere must know the true story. And so, you set out to find that story. Join this young boy in his quest for the truth, no matter what it may be. Are you prepared for a tale of human ingenuity, sacrifice, and mistakes?

The game is told through the eyes of the boy, and 12 citizens of the city who witnessed the disaster. It features a real time battle system, fluctuating in difficulty depending on how much of the story you have witnessed, a bartering system to aqquire needed items, boosts, and rewards, as well nearly entirely original artwork and music. With heavy storytelling, some exploring and battling, and strategic trade systems, One City's Story is an RPG/Visual Novel crossover, using elements of both to weave a tale of desperation, betrayal, madness, and death.

The RS!11 Demo for this game could be anywhere between 30 mins to 1 1/2 hours depending on how much exploration, and preparing you are willing to do.

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Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
First off, a missing file report. The game said it required "RGSS104E.dll". Thankfully, I was able to copy over the file from the demo for Cosplay Crisis that was released for Release Something 2011. Were you in such haste to release something as to forget a file? I suppose it's possible!

Now, for the everything else! I estimate that I played about fifteen minutes of this thus far. I definitely haven't seen everything this game has to offer, but here's a first impression:

I like how the story is presented so far. I also find the music to be quite atmospheric, and fits the situation. What's been throwing me off is the lack of access to the menu/status screen. I haven't played all that much, but I have to wonder if there's going to be a place to exchange what's equipped, or if there's even going to be level-ups.

From what I've seen of combat, you might be aiming for a Grandia-style system. While the idea is solid, with the potential for strategy (And fun!), the execution of it in this game is slow and tedious. Maybe things get faster (And more interesting!) as agility increases, but with the game experience I've had, it's a slog that should be avoided.

Other notes:
What's with the chest in the tavern? Is there some code that only allows for a certain number of items in your inventory? I'm also unsure what outright giving that bartender/shopkeeper coins does. The tutorial said that giving him five would "allow" me to trade with him, but it seems I'm able to trade with him anyway? Dunno. I haven't messed with that system much, so I cannot comment further.
Thanks for your thoughts Marrend!
Yes, the missing file was a mistake on the part of one file in the folder (I think you just have to change its name?) As for the menu screens, I assume you know how to access them? (D for items, S for equipment) As the game progresses, especially in the future, you have a greater need to use this. Most of the items are upgrades for your stats, or one time boosts for battles. Later on you can barter for better equipment, not at first however. The combat is slow on purpose, this first demo only contains chapter one, which is the most "innocent" (If you looked at the instructions page for the battle system) of the levels, so the enemies are MUCH slower and weaker than you. However, as soon as chapter one is done there is a huge increase in all of their stats. The point is to motivate you into bartering or using skills to boost stats. I could increase the base agility of all enemies so they start at a faster level as well, if you think that would be more appealing? The chest in the tavern serves as more of a harbinger than a real utility. In case you didn't venture far enough in:
When you enter the chapter, you will lose access to the items you had equipped on your first character. For the next demo I'm trying to have all your items erased, so you need to store them if you wish to save them.

The shopkeeper is a little confusing:
If you give him five coins, he gives you one coffee. You can use coffee, and other items, to barter with him for upgrades.

Thank you so much for playing the game, we joined Release Something a little late, so our entry is still somewhat buggy, but for the next demo I'll try to fix as many of these problems as I can. Are there any suggestions that you have for some issues, like the slow battle system?
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
As for the menu screens, I assume you know how to access them? (D for items, S for equipment)


I didn't read the "Instructions and Controls" page before playing, nor was there a manual, or in game tutorial that told me this. Thus, I didn't know about how to access those screens. That'll learn me!

As for combat, I'm not sure what to do. I recall how I fixed the ATB speed in The Hole, and realize that a similar technique might not be applicable to this game.
Oops, my bad with the menu. I should include a manual with the game. As for the battle system, I think I'll up all the speed of the enemies slightly, but I think as more of the game emerges and the "innocence" levels make battles harder, the battles will become much faster paced, and more strategy will be needed.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Finally figured out how the shop worked, thanks to the "Instructions and Controls" page. Why that information isn't found anywhere else, is baffling. Glad to hear you're making steps to make information like this more available, though!

Though, saying that, it would be nice to know where those other stats (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Agility) are at. I have no clue exactly how powerful enemies become as "Innocence Level" decreases (Interesting concept, by the way. I need to see this in action!), but knowing where the MC's stats lie could help players make the determination to decrement the "Innocense Level". Maybe that's just me talking, however.

Side-note: Despite what I said about the combat speed, the music (Rose at Eclipse) is awesome. I may have to give up and research how people go about finding these awesome songs on NewGrounds.
The music is fantastic, all the battle music for the game is done by Nemesis Theory.
Back to the main point, yeah I was in such a hurry to release this that I completely forgot a manual. That will be the next thing I do, absolutely. That is a good point with the invisible stats, I'll look into a way to display those. Thank you so much for this feedback, keep watching and I'll make sure to patch up the rough spots in this production.
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