EUPHONIAC'S PROFILE

I really respect your hard-headed posting, Bugfragged, but once popped, I can't stop.

It's funny that you mention "Chronicles Of A Dark Lord, Episode 1", because I bought that game despite knowing about the developer's shenanigans beforehand. Guess what: It didn't suck just because the developer had acted inappropiately. Seeing how the Dark Lord franchise became a success nonetheless, I slowly but surely doubt that commercial developers can gain anything from being represented on rpgmaker.net, a community responsible for people thinking that RPG Maker games should always be for free.

By the way: I received a warning from Red_Nova, so try to provoke me, and when I snap, you get rid of me for sure.

author=Solitayre
Euphoniac, insulting people's intelligence or saying girls don't like some games because they lack the required 'skill' is uncalled for and makes you look like a dingus. I'd knock it off if I were you.

This sort of warped assessment makes me think you don't deserve the positions you occupy here on rpgmaker.net, but I don't want to argue with a chosen one/content Nazi who is allowed to judge if other users' contributions are "worthy". Accepting Liberty's partial and vengeful review is a mistake you should be ashamed of, but hey, you probably know her for a long time, maybe you even have a crush on her, so it's okay, isn't it?

I already explained why people are tempted to submit "false" reviews in this toxic community. If you choose to ignore this explanation, that's on you. Furthermore, the developer copied and posted legitimate reviews from Steam. That's still dumb, he knows that (I talked to him yesterday), but that's also entirely different from making up reviews on your own. Nevertheless, it only means he made a mistake that doesn't have to do anything with his game's quality, so please stop your arrogant "he's a liar, therefore his game sucks" bullshit logic. If that's the procedure you all want to adhere to, you can do that without public warfare. I don't say you are, but it must be awesome to fuck up a commercial developer just because you're envious.

Pointing out why your opinions are flawed doesn't mean I don't respect them. You represent the mainstream after all. The world can't be changed without understanding the mainstream, but the mainstream surely loves a good witch hunt.

author=Liberty
...I'm not even going to touch your misogynistic bullshit. That's your damage and if you really think anything like that is close to the truth, I sincerely hope you grow out of it one day. For your own sake.

author=unity
There are plenty of males who think that giving yourself fake reviews to boost your ratings is wrong. Its slimy and dishonest, whether done by a professional game studio or a single person. Going "geez, calm down, women" over an issue that's generally looked down upon by everyone says a lot about you.

See what got me started with the "misogynistic bullshit"? You both judge characters instead of actions or at least reason the developer is a slimy scumbag from one mistake, and especially Liberty wants to completely destroy a developer already beaten to death. I won't judge your character for doing this, but now I know that we won't find common ground - at all.

Concerning the game's mechanics, I already admitted that I don't like a few of them, yet they didn't subtract from my enjoyment. Didn't you, Liberty, read the reviews on Steam that detailed all of your complaints (while still being positive) before buying the game? Didn't you take your time to grind in bearable sessions and buy the newest equipment (all right, you already said that you didn't)? The players of the game are obviously split into two halfs: Those who could manage the battles and those who couldn't. I stand by my words: It's a matter of skill and playstyle to establish to which group you belong (and yes: necessary grinding is also a part of skill). Do you think you can just walk into the unknown with a level 1 character without being punished? Do you think JRPGs should guide the players using an invisible rubberband to ensure the player won't die a single time and doesn't have to put in any effort? What you deem "bad game design" can be enjoyable game design (see the MMORPGs you mentioned - which I wouldn't play even if they were the only games on earth - or the Dragon Warrior franchise). The progress of getting stronger can be one of the most entertaining aspects when it comes to JRPGs. This opinion doesn't even stem from some kind of "git gud" ("get good") attitude.

To summarize: You, Liberty, were uninformed, inadaptable, don't tolerate opinions deviating from yours and judge people you don't know shit about (not in general, but with regard to this affair - I'm sure you can be a sweet person like most women, but that's just me being misogynistic, isn't it?). I understand your point of view, the game wasn't for you, so just move on and maybe stop your retaliation campaign. If I judged your character, I would assume you're envious of the developer going commercial, but I don't judge people I don't know personally. I provoke them, though, to get a glimpse on their personalities, and here everyone seems to fall for every tiny bit.

I'm not surprised that a new developer thinks he has to resort to "review polishing" in this hostile environment just to have a chance that his game gets a miniscule amount of the attention it deserves. See Ara Fell, for example. I like the game and its developer, but I think Ara Fell and Astoria, while being different games featuring different mechanics and experiences, offer the same amount of enjoyment. Yet Ara Fell is showered with (positive) reviews - and its developer still asks for more (as if a few more reviews when you've already received hundreds of them let the haters "take the game seriously"). So please don't condemn people when you know the unequal division of attention is not only a capitalistic problem in general, but a serious problem on this site and in the Indie scene in particular. Yes, "review polishing" is a stupid mistake nevertheless, which the developer paid dearly for, but it isn't a reason to judge his character, and all the more it isn't a reason not to play his game if you're generally interested in it. Being the honest idiot I am, I will continue to play games I'm interested in (regardless of some small marketing mistakes), and being the "misogynist" I am, I will continue to watch movies/series starring Kevin Spacey. Wait, doesn't this make me a man-hater, too? Though I think it's only natural to be misanthrope.

By the way: Why has my previous post been "hidden by the game developer"? I thought he was banned. When push comes to shove, this site seems to be as intransparent as any other forum on the internet.

Don't let me tease you, Liberty. I know/hope it isn't a matter of skill or experience when it comes to you, but maybe it's a matter of playstyle. It really makes a difference in this game to grind out a few levels on the world map before entering a dungeon (I knew this beforehand because of some of the positive - legitimate - reviews on Steam). Since I do this in nearly every JRPG, I didn't encounter serious problems throughout the main quests, and it didn't bother me to leave a dungeon that doesn't feature random encounters to use a free healing opportunity outside. And I shouldn't even mention that the side quests offer a comparitively ridiculous amount of EXP and money, let alone useful equipment pieces and permanent stat boosts.

You're warned nearly every time before you're locked in a dungeon. While I also don't like not being able to leave dungeons, it isn't that big of a deal to stock up on items when you know beforehand what awaits you. Furthermore, the bestiary isn't just for show. You can and should always dispose of the most dangerous enemies first, and the bestiary tells you their weaknesses. I really don't know why this didn't work for you. Maybe you already disliked the game and therefore weren't willing to make the necessary preparations. If you don't like grinding (anymore), maybe JRPGs have outstayed their welcome at your gaming house.

GoldenUnicornGaming made a mistake using his old accounts to post reviews he copied from Steam, but he's a nice, helpful, ambitious (maybe overambitious) developer. He even helped me to get an Achievement afterwards that I missed because of a bug. He didn't commit a crime, and doing what he did doesn't make him a jerk (in comparison to other developers on Steam who adorn themselves with courtesy reviews). With his account being suspended, he suffered enough, so I think it's a vengeful move to rekindle this discussion on Steam like you did, my dear Liberty.

It's conspicuous, by the way, that mostly women (Liberty, Rose_Guardian, Unity) are (excessively) upset because of what GoldenUnicornGaming did (Firefly84 as a stoic German like myself seems to be the exception). Perhaps you're a bit too sensitive with regard to this issue. It seems you would like to completely annihilate GoldenUnicornGaming - that's typically male behavior. Since I don't want to turn this into a gender debate, let me close giving this advice: Maybe you should endure the hardships of "going commercial" before judging GoldenUnicornGaming too harshly. His game is fun, and if this fact doesn't matter, why do we still bother with JRPGs?