Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
Profile
Locker
Play ListsCRYSTALGATE'S PROFILE
Crystalgate
694
CloseSearch
Filter
All
Game Pages
User Statuses
Game Pet Peeves
I think the no exp for dead characters made more sense back in the days when 0 HP meant death and not unconsciousness and revival in dungeons wasn't even available until about midgame. Nowadays it bring questions like "why does sleeping characters get exp?" and "why does being knocked unconscious right before the finishing blow somehow negate the fact that the character participated for 98% of the boss battle?"
Rpg Battle Systems
post=140252
Canceling moves were important from the first Grandia too, I remember getting my ass handed to me if I didn't plan things carefully enough >.<
Really? I remember bosses doing very low damage (they needed like 4-7 hits to KO a character) and dying really fast. Two bosses didn't even get a single turn although I was lucky with moves that had a 50% chance to cancel enemy actions. Anyway, the only reason I had to heal at all during boss fights was because I choose the moves which gave me the best elemental exp rather than the moves that dealt the most damage. I admit though that I may have made my characters overpowered by choosing tactics which gave me great elemental exp.
Anyway, I really like the CTB from Final Fantasy X. It's simple, but has great tactical potential. In particular, turn management is critical if the system is properly balanced. To bad Final Fantasy X screwed up random encounters.
I also liked the battle system in the first two Grandia games (I haven't played the third). It's makes positioning matter in a simple way and gives the game some real time elements while still allowing you to take whatever time you need.
I will however note that I don't really think the battle system matter that much unless it's atrocious, I think implementation is way more important. I rarely pay much attention to what battle system a game uses unless it says something I'm used to being poorly implemented.
Game Pet Peeves
post=140130
I hate when games cling to dated mechanics to make their game seem more "old school." Serious offenders include: not being fully healed at save points, party members not receiving EXP if they're KOed, and party members not receiving EXP if they're not in the party. These mechanics do nothing but annoy the player. It's an artificial way of boosting the difficulty and it does nothing but piss me off.
This reminds me of one that often annoys me, not clearing status effects after battles in a game with practically unlimited curative items. I can understand not automatically removing status effects in games where the played has very limited resources, that's a way to add a threat. However, in games where the player will soon be able to buy 50+ status cure items, forcing them to manually cure status effects only wastes time. Seriously, does anyone feel how they are running out of resources when their stock of antidotes ticks down from 87 to 86?
Visions & Voices
I did not even see Elena. I didn't get Alphonse either even though I could have gotten him. I don't know why I didn't recruit him, but I guess I was to used to the shop standing outside the inn and didn't want to change that.
I got all other characters. Sadly, I forgot to actually use Marlowe.
I see if I can find Elena during the next playtrough. That and I'll make a physically oriented build.
Edit: More information about Telia wiffing. Any time she uses her stealing move, the next action will fail unless it's another steal or a guard. If she guard, her "wiff next action" condition will not clear. Another thing I noticed was that when she steals, the enemy will take damage, but the damage will not be displayed.
At least I can predict her wiffes now.
I got all other characters. Sadly, I forgot to actually use Marlowe.
I see if I can find Elena during the next playtrough. That and I'll make a physically oriented build.
Edit: More information about Telia wiffing. Any time she uses her stealing move, the next action will fail unless it's another steal or a guard. If she guard, her "wiff next action" condition will not clear. Another thing I noticed was that when she steals, the enemy will take damage, but the damage will not be displayed.
At least I can predict her wiffes now.
Visions & Voices
Great game. I played it on the second hardest difficulty. Beating the game wasn't so bad, but some late game dungeons became to hard and I skipped them. If I replay it I will probably choose an easier difficulty to make exploration easier. Normally I chose a harder difficulty after beating a game, not an easier.
Anyway, I made a mage build and maxed both Tenacity and Charisma. It worked out nicely, especially since the main character seems to have very few physically oriented skills. Does that change if I go with say Bravery and Perception instead?
Telia's actions seemed to wiff sometimes. She could use an item and the item would do nothing while still being used up. The same happened to every other action except guarding, which I rarely used except when I selected it by mistake. This problem fixed itself at the final battle, which is a good thing since I forgot to change my party.
Arcane Gift is bugged. If you use it from the menu it won't cost any SF. This means the main character can fully restore everyone's SF after the battle for free.
Anyway, exploring was fun, atmosphere is great and battles are unusually well designed. The latter was mostly due to the game making almost every skill useful.
Anyway, I made a mage build and maxed both Tenacity and Charisma. It worked out nicely, especially since the main character seems to have very few physically oriented skills. Does that change if I go with say Bravery and Perception instead?
Telia's actions seemed to wiff sometimes. She could use an item and the item would do nothing while still being used up. The same happened to every other action except guarding, which I rarely used except when I selected it by mistake. This problem fixed itself at the final battle, which is a good thing since I forgot to change my party.
Arcane Gift is bugged. If you use it from the menu it won't cost any SF. This means the main character can fully restore everyone's SF after the battle for free.
Anyway, exploring was fun, atmosphere is great and battles are unusually well designed. The latter was mostly due to the game making almost every skill useful.
Bonuses versus Setbacks
I don't think you need to be pro either, just go with what works for the situation at hand. With equipment it's usually best to use bonuses only with maybe a few exceptions. With classes I think you will need the setbacks though.
Imagine the standard frail offensive mage. Instead of giving the mage class a penalty to HP, you could also give every other class a bonus. However, the end result is the same except you're making it less intuitive for the player. With bonuses and setbacks the player will know that 70% HP means the character is frail, but if you only have bonuses the player first has to figure out if, say 120%, is good or bad.
I suppose I usually prefer bonuses though. I design the majority of spells and equipment to only have bonuses.
Imagine the standard frail offensive mage. Instead of giving the mage class a penalty to HP, you could also give every other class a bonus. However, the end result is the same except you're making it less intuitive for the player. With bonuses and setbacks the player will know that 70% HP means the character is frail, but if you only have bonuses the player first has to figure out if, say 120%, is good or bad.
I suppose I usually prefer bonuses though. I design the majority of spells and equipment to only have bonuses.
Abyss
I'm getting a stack level error as soon as my character levels up. It only happens if I start a new game, when I reloaded a saved game they could level up just fine.
Abyss
I played it for a bit. I managed to figure out almost everything about the level up systems on my own. One thing however eludes me, what does the bottom three stats do?
Anyway, I put all points into defense at start since that's a stat you can safely spend on. This worked out just fine. I started to check if spirit is a worthwhile stat since it often isn't in a VX game. Enterbrain made a complete dick move and gave the sample spells a Spirit-F of 30 which is basically the "I hate spirit so let's make that stat near useless" setting. Unfortunately, a lot of VX users will stick to that setting not knowing it essentially makes spirit useless. For that reason I have learned not to spend points on spirit until I can confirm the points wont be a waste.
I intended to save up some points and make tests both with the points unspent and spent on spirit to see whether or not it makes any difference. However, I soon found out I didn't even have to do any tests,I could just press shift and a nice window just tells me what stats you gave your skills. Unfortunately, you did give spells a Spirit-F of 30. They need to have a Spirit-F of at least 100 to make spirit useful. Even then spirit can't really compete with Attack. You may even have to set Spirit-F all the way to 200 to make it as useful as attack.
Sometimes during battles two characters/enemies would act simultaneously with the effect of only the latter's action having any effect. For example, the catgirl used backstabb while an enemy attacked and her backstabb would do no damage. After that the catgirl spent the rest of the battle facing the wrong direction.
Currently, I'm in an endlessly looping desert and I have no idea where to go.
On a positive note, the job and level up system does look fun if it only were properly balanced. Currently it isn't however.
Anyway, I put all points into defense at start since that's a stat you can safely spend on. This worked out just fine. I started to check if spirit is a worthwhile stat since it often isn't in a VX game. Enterbrain made a complete dick move and gave the sample spells a Spirit-F of 30 which is basically the "I hate spirit so let's make that stat near useless" setting. Unfortunately, a lot of VX users will stick to that setting not knowing it essentially makes spirit useless. For that reason I have learned not to spend points on spirit until I can confirm the points wont be a waste.
I intended to save up some points and make tests both with the points unspent and spent on spirit to see whether or not it makes any difference. However, I soon found out I didn't even have to do any tests,I could just press shift and a nice window just tells me what stats you gave your skills. Unfortunately, you did give spells a Spirit-F of 30. They need to have a Spirit-F of at least 100 to make spirit useful. Even then spirit can't really compete with Attack. You may even have to set Spirit-F all the way to 200 to make it as useful as attack.
Sometimes during battles two characters/enemies would act simultaneously with the effect of only the latter's action having any effect. For example, the catgirl used backstabb while an enemy attacked and her backstabb would do no damage. After that the catgirl spent the rest of the battle facing the wrong direction.
Currently, I'm in an endlessly looping desert and I have no idea where to go.
On a positive note, the job and level up system does look fun if it only were properly balanced. Currently it isn't however.
Game Pet Peeves
I definitely agree with the sentiment that the journey should also be fun, not just the destinations. However, making the move speed slower than default will not make the journey any more enjoyable for me. How much I enjoy the experience depends on how much there is to enjoy to begin with. For example, if the game has nice environments, I will look at them. If the game has dull environments it can't make me enjoy them by slowing down.
I don't think most players will look around if you make them move slower anyway. Rather they will keep their eyes focused on whatever edge of the screen they are moving at. Our brain are wired to look at whatever we consider interesting. If we see something off the path that looks interesting we look there. If not, we keep our eye at where we're moving since that's where something new will appear.
I don't think most players will look around if you make them move slower anyway. Rather they will keep their eyes focused on whatever edge of the screen they are moving at. Our brain are wired to look at whatever we consider interesting. If we see something off the path that looks interesting we look there. If not, we keep our eye at where we're moving since that's where something new will appear.
Games - Tester
Games - Other
