BROKENH'S PROFILE

author=MarkusT
Butt.. huh hu hu hu huh.
She's bent over showing it.
Huh hu hu huh.


Oh... sorry...stuff like this makes me go all beavis and butthead..

That's a nice ass though lol.

That was the intention. lol. Glad you appreciated it. Still waiting for someone to go all "politically correct" on me.

author=mawk

Aka, I think reviewers should be able to discern the difference between a more mainstream game with more man-power and one that had less support,less marketing, and less of a budget to work with. (Even in the indie scene)

be careful not to let this become a crutch. the rm community as it stands is horrible about this -- quality is judged only relative to other rpg maker games, and very few of the examples people use are anywhere close to the limits of what one person can do with the engine. this is largely why the engine is sort of viewed as the punchline of the entire independent game development scene.

do what you can. do everything you can. don't make excuses unless you're bleeding.

I don't mind bleeding out a little for something I love doing. Bleed to death for it though? Not so much! (Especially not for free. Just saying!) I do have a life beyond rpgmaker. Not much of one mind you, but one all the same!

Yeah, I could go ballistic by throwing in a bunch of new scripts and what not but I rather stick to the "tried and true" route. There have been some pretty awesome rpgmaker games that did not exactly break the mold from a conventionality perspective. I find a good story and lovable characters coupled with "reasonable battles" is a winning formula for me personally. I'll even tolerate a few cryptic frustraing puzzles for a good enough yarn. (Though I'd prefer easier and more straight forward puzzles. I'm kind of a wimp that way. lol.)

Something about the last few paragraphs made me think of Evangelion. Aka, "the gifted" are a lot like the angels and those organized to stop them are doing their job because it's necessary for humanity's survival as opposed to altruistic heroism.

I like "gray area" stories quite often though admittedly some of them are a bit bleak for my tastes.

Sorry there have been problems with audio files. I love ruby but it can be harsh and unforgiving sometimes. lol.

PS: I recognize the futuristic tile-set. It was an instant buy for me too! High 5!

author=AtlasAtrium
Yo! I really like the style of your game (though I am currently stuck at the police station because I don't know where to get the pass code for the door at the top of the map)

That aside, I think you have something good going here though it could use some polishing. A lot of objects are passable that aren't supposed to be and there are a few typos. Other than that, I do like the blunt approach to everything, but I feel like at some points that it's there simply to be there.

Just another random thing; I've been leaning toward the idea on working with someone on a game and I feel like you would fit quite nicely for that. Just throwing that out there.

Some of the pass-ability issues are being worked on! It's a good thing VX Ace makes assigning those variables rather simple. XP was good about that too.

As for the police station,you need to look for cluttered papers on a desk. They have the pass-code. I'll probably update this post with the police station map and circle the area where you need to go. I admit it's a pretty big place.

After I finish this project I'll be more open to helping peeps on other projects. I just want to finish this first because it's been my life long dream to make an rpg since 6th grade.

Sadly my "bluntness" is not something I can easily fix with x's,o's,and *'s. lol. I imagine it might turn a lot of people off to my game but I like having the freedom to delve into things that are taboo and politically incorrect. However,I do not usually do it just for shock value. Aka,there's a method to my madness even if it's not immediately obvious.

Btw,can you specify what objects are passable that should be un-passable? That would be a lot of help!

For those familiar with the rpgmaker horror scene, Valerie’s letter is in the same spirit as Ib, Mad father, Desert nightmare, and Schuld. Right off the bat there’s some rather impressive things about the presentation. The intro scene has beautiful pixel artwork of the protagonist’s frightened face along with a possible glimpse of a creature behind her. Valerie’s in game sprite is lively too. Valerie kneels when picking up items and she can use an assortment of weapons once she finds them. A nice feature is the “pistol whip” which can be initiated by hitting the shift key. This means even when you’re out of bullets (You fire your gun by pressing the “1” key) you’re not entirely helpless

Silent Hill fans will also be delighted to now you can adjust both the difficulty of enemies and the difficulty of the game’s various puzzles at the beginning of Valerie’s adventure!

The world Valerie finds herself in is large and oppressive. The size ratio of furniture and items compared to the human characters is a bit off. Whether intentional or not, this creates a twisted Alice In Wonderland vibe which in my personal opinion compliments the game’s creepy atmosphere nicely.

Perhaps most incredible is the sprite work that went into the monsters themselves. When introduced to the basic “claw creatures” they are seen ripping a poor lad in half. Later on there is another enemy that hops around because it’s chained to an office chair. It’s rush and bite attacks are still plenty lethal even though it has no immediate use of its’ arms. You’ll also fight possessed maids, ghosts, and giant leeches who seem to want to make your stay a permanent one.

There are only three grievances holding Valerie’s letter back. The first qualm is even on easy mode many of the puzzles are obscure. For example, there’s a clue near the beginning about two of the number sets needed in a combination yet it leaves you to ponder and guess at the third one. Another stumper is a lever puzzle in which you have to pull it left and right so many times. While there is a passage to read next to the mechanism it does not seem helpful in the least bit. (Luckily, this can be remedied simply by the maker of the game possibly including a helpful faq on their page.)

Next up is the dreaded pass-ability issue related to objects. Put bluntly, why can’t I step over plates on the floor or walk behind shelves that I should be able to? Occasionally this makes navigating the house an exercise in unnecessary tedium.

Lastly, I don’t know enough about Valerie herself. Yes, I understand she’s being held in a scary house against her will. I understand the creepy maid Olga and a shadowy male figure orchestrating events in the background are somehow responsible. However, this does not tell me if Valerie was kidnapped or simply adopted by some total sickos who also have an interest in dark occult matters. Due to the other-worldly supernatural elements (including traveling through mirrors), there seems to be more to the story than a simple serial killer/abduction plot. Be that as it may, I’m not going to hit the game too hard for this. If I read the intro correctly, this is one game in a series so my ignorance is not necessarily the fault of the creator. This is what I get for jumping smack dab in the middle of a possible trilogy or two part story arch!

Should you play Valerie’s letter? I think so. While it’s not perfect it has some really nice custom content and it really is a “horror game” in the truest sense of the word. Having Stated that the record, I would look into playing other games in the series first and possibly requesting a faq for some of the more vague puzzles.

Pros

+Awesome custom monsters!
+gory death scenes!
+Moody music that compliments the game nicely.
+Being able to adjust the difficulty of the creatures and the puzzles Silent-hill style.
+Really lavish sprite art for the intro screen.
+The fight with Olga was intense!
+ Having a pistol whip option makes a gun useful even when it’s out of bullets.
+Character sprites have smooth and varied animations.

Cons

-Even on easy mode some of the clues to the puzzles are unhelpful.
-Occasional pass-ability problems. Plates on the floor shouldn’t impede someone’s progress!
-Story is confusing if you have no knowledge of these characters before going into it.
-The furniture and appliance sprites seem rather gigantic when scaled next to their people counterparts. (Though this can be a merit too depending on the way you perceive things)

My score: 3.5

A 3.5 is a game with the potential to be a 4 or even a 5 but just a few little quibbles are holding it back from total greatness. Still highly recommended!

Just for you!