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Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
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RMN's Most Humblest!
Prayer of the Faithless
On the brink of the apocalypse, two friends struggle to find what is worth saving
On the brink of the apocalypse, two friends struggle to find what is worth saving
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Astra Hunter Zosma
Your pixel art is improving with every new game I see from you. Great work, and can't wait to see more!
Excellence in Narrative - Pacing
Gotta be honest here: I disagree with method one on a fundamental level. I am someone who usually double taps the space bar at the start of every dialog box because I want to read the whole thing in my head. While you're correct in that your approach now forces me to read every single sentence, this also means that the pacing of the dialogue is taken out of my hands, and my sense of flow is disrupted.
Much like reading a book, players have their own voices for the characters in their head that they come up with all on their own when reading dialog boxes. As such, the speed, flow, and intonation of exactly how a character speaks is going to slightly differ from player to player, even if they are invested in your story.
If you absolutely have to add in breaks, I certainly would not do it at the end of every sentence. Rather, it's better to do it at the end of every idea. Take your first screenshot, for example. You have two different ideas in that box: one that describes the state of the mercenary group, and another to name the group's primary client. Those are two different ideas that need some kind of separation, or you risk overloading a player's brain with unnecessary fluff. As such, I only think one line break after the second sentence is appropriate.
Though to be honest, separate ideas should have their own dialog box in the first place. I believe the biggest reason why players start glossing over dialogue is because there is so much fluff and text in each box that they are eventually trained to only skim over them rather than read through them thoroughly. This works fine until they're blindsided by something important that they accidentally skipped over.
Persona 5 is a game with a lot of dialogue. And I mean a loooot of dialogue. And yet, look at the size of the text box for one of the more lengthier lines:
A single idea presented in an easily digestable manner while also being informative about the speaker's ambitions and view of the player character. You'll be hard pressed to find someone who would glaze over such a simple sentence even if they weren't reading attentively. Persona 5 alone has more dialogue than several games on this site combined, so why would they opt for a dialogue box that could only fit a maximum of 3 lines? That's one line less than what RPG Maker's default dialogue box size is.
Going back to your game, pick a cutscene and try separating each idea into a new dialog box. If you find you have too many dialog boxes, then your cutscene probably has too much text in it, and you need to trim the fat or break it up with method two.
Much like reading a book, players have their own voices for the characters in their head that they come up with all on their own when reading dialog boxes. As such, the speed, flow, and intonation of exactly how a character speaks is going to slightly differ from player to player, even if they are invested in your story.
If you absolutely have to add in breaks, I certainly would not do it at the end of every sentence. Rather, it's better to do it at the end of every idea. Take your first screenshot, for example. You have two different ideas in that box: one that describes the state of the mercenary group, and another to name the group's primary client. Those are two different ideas that need some kind of separation, or you risk overloading a player's brain with unnecessary fluff. As such, I only think one line break after the second sentence is appropriate.
Though to be honest, separate ideas should have their own dialog box in the first place. I believe the biggest reason why players start glossing over dialogue is because there is so much fluff and text in each box that they are eventually trained to only skim over them rather than read through them thoroughly. This works fine until they're blindsided by something important that they accidentally skipped over.
Persona 5 is a game with a lot of dialogue. And I mean a loooot of dialogue. And yet, look at the size of the text box for one of the more lengthier lines:
A single idea presented in an easily digestable manner while also being informative about the speaker's ambitions and view of the player character. You'll be hard pressed to find someone who would glaze over such a simple sentence even if they weren't reading attentively. Persona 5 alone has more dialogue than several games on this site combined, so why would they opt for a dialogue box that could only fit a maximum of 3 lines? That's one line less than what RPG Maker's default dialogue box size is.
Going back to your game, pick a cutscene and try separating each idea into a new dialog box. If you find you have too many dialog boxes, then your cutscene probably has too much text in it, and you need to trim the fat or break it up with method two.
mia alacruz fanart
To expand on what I said on the blog post, I love Mia's expression, outfit, and general mood on this pic. Great work on this!
Release date: May 27th
Apparently pixiv has a referrer link blocker on their images, preventing anyone from viewing images unless it's on their own site. ricifidi, you can probably upload the image to your locker here on RMN and submit the pic that way. You can even submit it as media here on the game page so it won't get lost in future blog posts. Submit Media is on the same bar as the Subscribe and Add to Playlist links.
Regardless, thank you so much for the fanart! I really like what you did with Mia's dress! And that facial expression is perfectly Mia! Great job on this!
Regardless, thank you so much for the fanart! I really like what you did with Mia's dress! And that facial expression is perfectly Mia! Great job on this!
Characters
Release date: May 27th
The demo is the entire prologue for the game, so I believe it was about 1:30-2:00 hours in playtester hour count.
Dialogue choices in games
Mind goblins are a rough thing to deal with balancing optimization and roleplaying. Ultimately, it all comes down to what you want to get out of your dialogue system in the first place. No two methods are the same, and the systems surrounding the dialogue options can make up for a system that may seem flawed on its own.
The thing that isn't mentioned about Persona 5 (and 4 and 3) is that there is actually an objectively correct dialogue choice during social link events. Because you're trying to get closer to them, you have to learn their personalities and select a dialogue option that will make them like you more so you can get their rank up perks faster. Failing to do so will not net you any affection points, essentially wasting multiple of your precious few days to hang out with them more to get their affection points back up to the next tier so you can progress their event. By itself, this is not a bad thing since often times the most "fun" dialogue choice is not the one that will give you the most points. However, the fact that you don't have nearly as many days as the game makes you think to interact with your friends changes the entire dynamic, forcing you to roleplay as a "people pleaser" in order to, ironically, max out their social link rank so you can move on to the next one. If there was a game structured like Persona 5, but with no time limit, then you'd be free to roleplay as whatever you want.
The closest series I can think of that does this is Rune Factory/Story of Seasons. Relationships with other characters is a linear progression, and the worst dialogue options (that I can think of right now) simply don't increase the relationship bar. However, there is no time limit, so you can progress your relationship with the people of the game at whatever pace you want.
Margaret hates squids, but the only way you can even get this dialogue option is if you're already dating her, so it's not like this is a potential relationship-ruining event since (in my head, at least) at this point your love interest is already well aware of the BS you try to pull in town and is used to it.
The hard part about defining a personality for a main character AND giving them dialogue choices is giving the MC a psychology that multiple different player personalities can fit into. Shepard from Mass Effect will always have the one goal of saving the galaxy from the Reaper invasion no matter what kind of personality that players want to give them. That one goal already places heavy restrictions on the morality players can have, because it clearly defines Shepard's moral compass. The players are left to fill in the blanks with how forgiving/punishing they want to be in the pursuit of that one goal.
Ludger from Tales of Xillia 2 had no spoken lines and only two possible dialogue choices at any given time, but a surprisingly strong personality shown through his movements and facial expressions that bounced off well with the rest of the cast during both main cutscenes and the skits. There is a relationship building system in that game, but you won't know exactly who is pleased by your options until after you make your choice. Even then, like Rune Factory, relationship building is all linear, and you have plenty of opportunities outside of dialogue choices to build up relationships with characters you didn't before.
The other alternative for dialogue options is just to remove any gameplay incentives for selecting one option or the other, freeing up players to choose how they would like to interact with other characters based on their desire alone. The only game that comes to mind here is Etrian Odyssey Untold's story mode. No matter what options you pick (and there are a surprising number of dialogue choice to make), there are no gameplay ramifications of any kind. They are there just for players to behave in whatever way they want. Whether or not any of them are "fun" for the player boils down to player preference and writing style.
The thing that isn't mentioned about Persona 5 (and 4 and 3) is that there is actually an objectively correct dialogue choice during social link events. Because you're trying to get closer to them, you have to learn their personalities and select a dialogue option that will make them like you more so you can get their rank up perks faster. Failing to do so will not net you any affection points, essentially wasting multiple of your precious few days to hang out with them more to get their affection points back up to the next tier so you can progress their event. By itself, this is not a bad thing since often times the most "fun" dialogue choice is not the one that will give you the most points. However, the fact that you don't have nearly as many days as the game makes you think to interact with your friends changes the entire dynamic, forcing you to roleplay as a "people pleaser" in order to, ironically, max out their social link rank so you can move on to the next one. If there was a game structured like Persona 5, but with no time limit, then you'd be free to roleplay as whatever you want.
The closest series I can think of that does this is Rune Factory/Story of Seasons. Relationships with other characters is a linear progression, and the worst dialogue options (that I can think of right now) simply don't increase the relationship bar. However, there is no time limit, so you can progress your relationship with the people of the game at whatever pace you want.
Margaret hates squids, but the only way you can even get this dialogue option is if you're already dating her, so it's not like this is a potential relationship-ruining event since (in my head, at least) at this point your love interest is already well aware of the BS you try to pull in town and is used to it.
The hard part about defining a personality for a main character AND giving them dialogue choices is giving the MC a psychology that multiple different player personalities can fit into. Shepard from Mass Effect will always have the one goal of saving the galaxy from the Reaper invasion no matter what kind of personality that players want to give them. That one goal already places heavy restrictions on the morality players can have, because it clearly defines Shepard's moral compass. The players are left to fill in the blanks with how forgiving/punishing they want to be in the pursuit of that one goal.
Ludger from Tales of Xillia 2 had no spoken lines and only two possible dialogue choices at any given time, but a surprisingly strong personality shown through his movements and facial expressions that bounced off well with the rest of the cast during both main cutscenes and the skits. There is a relationship building system in that game, but you won't know exactly who is pleased by your options until after you make your choice. Even then, like Rune Factory, relationship building is all linear, and you have plenty of opportunities outside of dialogue choices to build up relationships with characters you didn't before.
The other alternative for dialogue options is just to remove any gameplay incentives for selecting one option or the other, freeing up players to choose how they would like to interact with other characters based on their desire alone. The only game that comes to mind here is Etrian Odyssey Untold's story mode. No matter what options you pick (and there are a surprising number of dialogue choice to make), there are no gameplay ramifications of any kind. They are there just for players to behave in whatever way they want. Whether or not any of them are "fun" for the player boils down to player preference and writing style.
Release date: May 27th
Release date: May 27th
author=Malandy
Release date ending on a 7! 7 years of development! Numerical! Good luck!
Haha I didn't even catch that. Maybe this is the planets aligning to help this game do well? I dunno.
author=zDS
YES, IT'S TIME
Indie game pricing will forever piss me off. Seriously. Remnants deserved $10. This deserves more. Yet I think $10 is about as perfect as you can ask for in this market, sadly. People are unfair and harsh about the pricing of games like ours.
One thing I recommend (if you haven't yet), its getting your steam build up and running asap and testing achievements and whatnot (if you wish to have them). You can do that long before you release.
Good luck with this, seriously. Release is by far and wide the worst part of dev. Just rip the band-aid off and get through it. From my experience, you feel worse before you feel better, but it's still a massive achievement.
AND if you rmn youngins don't know, Nova is a crucial part of this community and deserves your attention.
Good points, all that. The game is already up on Steam with achievements tested and ready to go, so no worries there.
author=unity
Yeah, this is super awesome, you've been hard at work on this game for years, and I'm so glad everyone will soon be able to play the game in it's entirety! :DDDD So awesome! The end of May can't get here soon enough!
Thanks unity! I'll be glad to finally get this game finished. It's been way too long.
author=Marrend
I don't know if I have the determination to be on a gammak project for much longer than five years, much less seven. Even so, it's always such a wave of relief when a game can be called complete, and you certainly deserve a well-earned rest.
Thanks! I'll certainly take a nice break when this is done. Maybe go outside and touch grass? What does grass feel like again? I'm not sure anymore...
author=Sgt M
I burned out hard on just a two year dev cycle, so I cant even imagine the fortitude it must have taken to spend seven years on a game. That's a huge achievement! And I'm so glad to see this game come to completion. You should be proud!
author=zDS
Release is by far and wide the worst part of dev. Just rip the band-aid off and get through it. From my experience, you feel worse before you feel better, but it's still a massive achievement.
Building on this as someone who has done this a couple of times now, here's a few tips might help keep you from losing your mind lol:
1. Pry the F5 key out of your keyboard. Failing that, absolutely limit how often you check your statistics. On release day, stay available in case anything goes wrong but look away from the numbers as much as you can until later on.
2. Don't get discouraged if you don't start getting Steam reviews right away, especially for a longer game like this. It's going to take time for people to complete the game and share their thoughts on it, and you might not get much for at least the first week. Remember that the key metric you're aiming for is at least 10 Steam reviews, and remember that free/key reviews don't count towards this. Once you get that, your visibility on Steam easily quadruples. This is your first and major goal!
3. DON'T jump into a new game project right away. Because that's a recipe for burnout. Give yourself some time!
I'm rooting for you! I'm excited to see what people think of POTF.
Thanks so much for the tips, Sgt! Yeah, stats are going to be a tough one to keep away from, so I'll try to resist the urge to refresh as much as I can, lol.
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