WHEELMANZERO'S PROFILE

Just a guy who loves rpg's. Thanks to some serious encouragement from several new friends and the community at large, I was able to complete one of my own. Game making is my favorite hobby, so you can expect more games on the way. Play on fellow gamers, play on!
Umbral Soul
Build an army. Embrace the darkness. Conquer the world.

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Umbral Soul Review

Hey, you don't have to feel pressured by other reviews to share your thoughts bud. I'd like to think rmn is a place where we can openly share our opinions even if they aren't in line with the majority, so long as we're civil about it. It's a little hard to judge puzzle difficulty when you're the dev of a game. "Oh it's easy, the answer is so obvious!" Yeah no kidding, because you already know the answer. That being said, I've shaved 2 notes off of the music puzzle, hopefully making it easier. Someone mentioned before that that puzzle would be a complete roadblock for deaf players, so I'm including the solution in a text file as well.

In some foreign country, "their" is actually an extremely vulgar expression that- Oh fine, it was a misspelling, I admit it. But I've eliminated all the ones I could find, so it should be a thing of the past come next version. Like you said, the script hasn't changed much beyond some spelling fixes and minor rewrites, but I'm not comfortable with walking away from this game until I've addressed several glitches and issues. They haunt me a little too much. But hey, I'm thrilled the both of you had fun with it in spite of the issues you found, that's why I made it after all. Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys.

Umbral Soul Review

Thanks man, I gotta get to giving you some feedback on the new version of your own game as well. My last party combination wasn't particularly ideal, but this time I am armed with foreknowledge. This time it's going to be 3 pirates. Team One Piece all the way! Alright I'm kidding, not even I'm that crazy.

Umbral Soul Review

Great googly moogly, another review! Thank you Scourge, this was quite the pleasant little shocker. Actually trying my hardest not to spontaneously combust out of pure joy here. While I prize all of the reviews of this game that people have taken the time to write, it's nice to have a slightly more critical one that points out what could be improved. Please allow me to clarify some of your points. *ahem*

The "darkling" thing wasn't a reference to actual, real world racism, I just needed a derogatory term that encompassed a sense of general hatred for people that use darkness. I wasn't particularly thinking of real world issues when developing the game, I just created a story I thought was interesting. I could see how you could draw that conclusion though.

As you said, I playtested the game by myself, and boy did it come back to bite me. Fortunately many players pointed out the issues they stumbled upon, which have been fixed for the next release. The game is now 98.9% thier free! Uh...probably, I mean there were a lot of them in there and the script is probably 50 pages. Pretty sure though! Thanks to a lot of generous volunteers, I've got playtesters out the wazzoo, so the next edition of this game, as well as my future games, should be more polished with their help.


The encounter rate never seemed like an issue for me, but I realize that's probably because I knew the exact layout of every dungeon and always made a beeline for exit using the shortest possible path. I've done some tinkering with the rates in certain areas like the water maze you mentioned to make them less monstery. Thanks for the heads up. That maze could probably use a few more chests too.

Ugh, I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting something I'll undoubtedly remember later, but hey, that's what the edit button is for. I suppose I'll end this spiel by thanking you again. Really appreciate hearing your feedback bud!

Umbral Soul Review

I can't even...

At this point I feel like I should copy/paste all the joy, gratitude, excitement, and sheer disbelief I expressed in the other reviews into this one, because my feelings haven't changed. Well actually that isn't quite right, with each review I come closer to having a heart attack and dropping dead on the spot, but I'm actually getting pretty used to that. Wait, is that a bad thing? As embarrassing as it is to admit, I just spent the last 5 minutes dancing with joy. Badly, in case you were curious. I can't do the moonwalk yet, but I can do a mean robot.

Phew, I'm relieved you didn't run into any glitches, though there are definitely some still lingering in the current version. They show up only if you take very specific actions in certain situations though, so at least there's that. Still, any bug is a bad bug, so they've been zapped for the next version.

I do dabble a little in art, though I've never tried anything on a computer. I wish I could draw up some snazzy pics of key moments like you said, but I'm afraid I don't have the practice or know-how. For the time being I'll have to stick to frankensteining pre-existing art.

Ah yes, the alternate ending angle. Trust me, I was tempted to take that route until I realized it would mess things up for the sequel. The story needed to be linear in some aspects in order to have things line up properly with the next game. Still, I love alternate endings myself, so maybe I'll make a game in the far future that features them. The far, far future.

I'm overjoyed that you enjoyed the various characters, it was a lot of fun writing up their various stories. I was trying not to bog down the gameplay with too much story, but there was still a lot of story I wanted to tell, so I turned them into scenarios. The ultimate edition will feature even more story and scenarios, so I hope you'll join me for that.

Whoops, I ended up saving the "thank you" for the last paragraph. Guess I must be losing my touch. Thanks for playing and sharing your thoughts, you just made a great day even better!

Umbral Soul Review

For the record, I still haven't given up on the possibility of a conspiracy.

Umbral Soul Review

Well that song's only going to be stuck in my head for the next 3-5 years. Thanks for that Marrend...

Umbral Soul Review

Don't worry, the ambulance made it in time so you're stuck with me for a little while longer. I've got a lot on my plate at the moment but I can always make time for a good chat, especially if it ends up helping you. Feel free to shoot me a message, I'm here pretty frequently, or if discord works I have an account there as well.

Umbral Soul Review

*inhales*

Alright Atlas, who put you up to this? You aren't fooling me for a second, this is obviously some kind of conspiracy meant to give me a heart attack. "Let's get rid of Wheelman" you said, "that way we won't have to put up with his horrible wisecracks and obnoxiously cheery demeanor." Who are you working with? It's kentona isn't it? I knew there was something shady about that guy.

Alright, so assuming this review isn't a diabolical ploy designed to force me into cardiac arrest, I'd like to thank you for sharing your thoughts on the game. Actually, "thank" isn't really a strong enough word to encapsulate the sheer magnitude of the gratitude I'm feeling right now, so I'm going to invent a new one; "thankpreciatitude". I'd like to show you my whole-hearted thankpreciatitude for your review.

I agree with the negatives you mentioned, as it's certainly possible to beat the game using only one summon, and I wish I was skilled enough to make my own art, but sadly I have to make do with the skills I do have. When it comes to mapping, I'd consider myself an amateur, but you know what they say; practice makes perfect. You should've seen my maps when I first started. Sweet mother of mercy were they terrible! Oh, and after running through the game a few more times I agree that the encounter rate is a bit high in some places, so I've made the proper adjustments for the next version. I had always used the most direct path to the next area during testing, which is most likely why I thought the encounter rate for those areas was reasonable at the time. Welp, more feedback means more improvements, so thanks!

I'm thrilled you enjoyed the game in spite of its flaws though. I posted this game on my friends recommendation in the hopes that a few people would get a couple hours of enjoyment out of it, and it has already fulfilled its purpose and then some. Seriously, I could not want anything more. My heart is beating twice as fast as usual as I type this, so I should probably find a paper bag and/or defibrillator before I pass out. Thanks again Atlas, and best of luck to you in all your rpgmaker-based endeavors!

Oh, and in case this ends up being the review that finally kills me, I'd like to make a few closing remarks. A makeshift will, if you would.

Atlas, don't feel bad about being the cause of my untimely demise. I promise my family won't sue you.

Lianderson, after I'm gone,I want you to have my PS3. It overheats within 5 minutes of being turned on, but you can sell it for at least 30 cents at Gamestop.

Knightowl, make sure Boundless Tides gets finished or I will haunt you for the next 10 to 20 years.


And that's all, I'm done for real now.

*exhales*

Umbral Soul Review

I don't know what a wild shot review is, but it sounds terrifying.

Umbral Soul Review

You can't believe it? I can't believe it! I was afraid to post this game because I was sure I'd be run out of town with pitchforks and torches if I did. I never could've imagined people would like it this much. Thanks for the props man, if I ever have a heart attack from all this, I want you to have my PS2.