DE'S PROFILE

Is that conjecture or fact?

Behold RMN, where a legitimate concern leads to a stream of one-liners. After just one reply.

I feel the same as you, Solitayre. Every time someone posts a critique on a project, they get an avalanche of shit responses such as "RM is serious business!!1", "these are rm games no one cares about", "enough with the drama", and so on. It's like RMN is nothing more than a circlejerk, just without the jerking part. Many users never participate in discussions unless there's an opportunity to post some "clever" one-liners; mostly disillusioned vets indulge in such behavior (hello, TFT! hello, Karsuman!).

RMN is no longer about discussing games and improving oneself; now it's about posting your game and getting no feedback. I blame the game pages. They were supposed to move game discussions from the forums to the front page, but all it did was to quell any feedback on game mechanics, story, and any other part of game design. Pretty much the only thing people post on game pages is their opinion of finished games, not on games in progress. Back when creating a topic for your game on the forums was allowed, people got and posted more feedback on the games in progress. I guess that's why some people dislike the reviews in which reviewers continuously point out ways to improve the game in question, instead of evaluating the game as it is.

In short - RMN as a community sucks for anyone who is interested in creating a tight game and improve as a developer, and takes their hobby seriously. Which I guess is dumb, because "RM is serious business, lol!!", you know!

This is exactly the same impression I got when I beta tested the game. After Max's initial response to my criticism regarding pretty much exactly what you've outlined above, I knew To Arms! would end up being a train wreck of a game precisely because Max is too stubborn to listen to others, especially when it comes to difficulty. I thought "fuck this" and stopped caring about this project.

Guess what, Max, your game is too fucking hard for a new player. Once again you'll lament that no one wants to play your game, but it's all your fault - you create games for yourself, not your audience. The game's easy for you? No shit, Sherlock, you've created it, you know exactly what to expect, where are the save points, recovery points, what each skill does etc., so no wonder you can beat it without breaking a sweat. Your average player does not know your game from inside out. If fellow RM game designers have trouble finishing the game, and they know the program well and have finished a fair share of jRPGs, then how do you think a player outside the RM circle will manage?

I thought about writing a (rather) lengthy review, but I don't want to suffer through To Arms! a minute longer. You had a great concept, To Arms! prototype, and you've transformed it into something unapproachable by an average gamer. Good job.

u has super (x2) eyesite!

Indeed, so let's leave it at that.