SEERIC'S PROFILE

Well, I finished my Primeforce review and tried getting Final Fantasy IV VX to run several times, but even after installing the stuff in the "Install These" folder the only thing that happens is the Dark Design Games logo appears and does a little animation and then the screen simply stays black, so it looks like I won't be able to review that after all (not sure if it's a problem on my end or with the demo itself).

Instead, I'll go ahead and give Lufia V: For the Savior a shot and see if I can get a review for it up within a day or two.

author=NOACCEPTANCE772
I know I can't win this but I know this will be fun and I didn't make a whole new chipset for nothing.:D

Hey, at least you're on the right track. I've spent at least 6 hours fiddling with a heavily-scripted boss fight and a ton more time on trying to fit a bunch of puzzles and a plot into a single map even though that stuff doesn't actually count for this contest (it would probably go faster if I was more used to RPG Maker, but this is my first time making something even to this extent so I'm sort of learning as I go); can't say I'm not having fun making it though even if it won't win.

I guess this leads me to a question though: I know puzzles won't factor into the voting process, but do environmental changes caused by puzzles count as 'puzzle elements' or 'aesthetics'?

Thanks for the fast reply and it's good to know that the save system is fixed and that Chapter 2 picks things up. Clareain Christopher's advice of making clutter items possible to walk on is a great idea since it keeps the more 'natural' look to some of the maps while eliminating the 'unnatural' problem of waiting on a frog to move out of your way.

It also seems like you're on the right track since you mentioned that you're figuring out what does and does not work as far as the systems go; finding out what works and fine-tuning it definitely should take place over adding more actual content since it will save a lot of time later. One suggestion I'd have is to try limiting the party size to the 6-8 range since this would let you use bigger portraits to remove a lot of the 'clutter' during combat while still allowing room for party experimentation. I mentioned it in the review, but the HP bars showing when enemies are hit and Rhen saying something when an enemy is low on health are both nice, but you probably should stick to one or the other; I prefer Rhen's message since I like a little mystery as to just how close to dead an enemy is, but either system is fine.

Well, good luck on your game, I'll go try out 2.2 soon and will get around to editing this review so that it no longer mentions the save bug within a day or two.

The save feature still does not work when using inns and beds. Also, 2.1 seems to have created a new bug; whenever you use an item on a character, they level up, often multiple times, to the point where I got Dread up to level 99 just by giving him a dozen or so Health Herbs in the menu.

edit:
I just had to quit the game because entering the inn in Cloud Town placed me in the darkness outside of the walls with no way to get out, please fix that too and any other game-breaking bugs.

Thanks for the reply, I'm glad to know that that really was pretty much the very end of the demo anyway.

The chase mechanic issue was mainly only noticeable in the first room of the first chase where it's both big and has a sharp L-turn, but seemed to work much better during the narrower second chase; rm2k3 can definitely be a hassle for things like chase sequences, so working around the issue by limiting player movement to tighter spaces or very open spaces with obstacles (ex: the dining room on the left with the table in the middle makes for a nice 'chase room' even though it's a dead end) would probably lead to less stress and take up less time than trying to fiddle too much with rm2k3's mechanics.