I know a lot of RPGMaker games go too far with the random encounter rates, but this game feels like it has the opposite problem. The random rubble/junk placement really doesn't help either and it's nearly impossible to guess where you're supposed to go, or what is a map transition point. Perhaps later versions will justify the RPGMaker choice, but right now I'd say CGs of the characters walking through forests/ruins would be greatly preferred over what's currently present. I also don't want to be a dick, but the characters really do have a bad case of sameface, to the point that it's only possible to tell species apart by their fur pattern, ears, and tails, and even then it's a bit confusing. I get that the creator was likely going for a certain style, but it really stands out to me. I appreciate the dev making a human on furry game, but these points just stick out like a sore thumb to me.
I appreciate that. I can break it down into a bit of a more digestible format, from what is easiest to hardest to work on, IMO.
Maps/Atmosphere:
Right now the maps are IMO way bigger than they need to be, and the placement of random car wrecks and pieces of debris seem very haphazard. I understand you were trying to set the tone that this is a post-apocalyptic/War-torn place, but just randomly playing it doesn't really do this, it just makes the map look cluttered at best.
When thinking of map design, specifically placing objects, you should always ask yourself "would this actually be here?"
Example: A Forest probably wouldn't have a random van wreck far away from any sort of road/path, nor would it have random chucks of wall unless a structure was supposed to be here. The same would go for the van, if the van made it here, there would have to be a road to explain how it got there.
A ruined city can muddy this a bit, as there's a lot more potential but I think the main takeaway is that rubble should primarily serve a purpose, like blocking a route you don't want the player to take.
Personally, I think some work could be done on the tileset itself, to better fit the atmosphere in places (EG: The old city grass tiles looks almost the same as the forests the player has gone through already, perhaps the tiles in this area should look more "old"?)
In the first part of the game with Zoe, several objects bring up comments from either Zoe or the player. This is the kind of thing that justifies the use of RPGMaker over the game just being a visual novel with walking in-between sections. But this is also where objects having a justified reason to exist where they are comes heavily into play.
Music/ambience is another important step when setting tone. Players expect a forest to sound like a forest, and if you want them to notice something off, like perhaps, the absence of bird/animal noises, this can be a great tool. Music is more subjective, especially within the confines of royalty-free options, but also something to consider, especially for love scenes.
Now we come to the art. I don't have a lot of digestible advice to offer here, but one tool several anthro artists I know make use of https://x6ud.github.io/#/
It's basically a collection of various animal photos that it will attempt to mirror the position of the chosen animal skull. I know anthros skulls aren't an exact 1-1 to their species, and the game's obviously not going for photo-realism, but I still think it's a useful tool for any art style.
Thank you very much for the tips, it's really hard to think about these details when you're doing everything alone, especially since it's my first time doing something in RPG Maker.
No problem. Like I said, I very much appreciate you making a honest effort at making a game like this (even if harem isn't really my thing.)
Solo dev-ing is definitely tough, especially at your first game. What I find/hear helps most is to compartmentalize every aspect of your storyboard for the day. Stuff like making a checklist consisting of all the things you want to look into on a single aspect, like writing, mapping, drawing, ect. That way you don't get overworked by trying to focus on every aspect of the game all at once.
Rest/research days are also good, where you play/watch videos of other games (not necessarily only RPGMaker games, since the general idea carry over to multiple engines, but with mapping/titlesetting it would probably be more useful) and see how they do certain things. It doesn't even need to be just games, as reading/watching unrelated things can spark new ideas for your projects.
Everything is a slow process, and I wish you well on you well on your project. I hope my advice doesn't feel too unsolicited or overbearing.
It is a good and attractive game. I will wait for you to develop further. I hope to continue playing great games like this. Because it makes me very happy.
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Here, Im struck, what I need to investigate? I don't see anything inusual (Probably Im blind :/ )
Does anybody knows how to fix json input error for joiplay?
I know a lot of RPGMaker games go too far with the random encounter rates, but this game feels like it has the opposite problem. The random rubble/junk placement really doesn't help either and it's nearly impossible to guess where you're supposed to go, or what is a map transition point. Perhaps later versions will justify the RPGMaker choice, but right now I'd say CGs of the characters walking through forests/ruins would be greatly preferred over what's currently present. I also don't want to be a dick, but the characters really do have a bad case of sameface, to the point that it's only possible to tell species apart by their fur pattern, ears, and tails, and even then it's a bit confusing. I get that the creator was likely going for a certain style, but it really stands out to me. I appreciate the dev making a human on furry game, but these points just stick out like a sore thumb to me.
Thanks for the criticism, for the next update I will try to fix these problems
I appreciate that. I can break it down into a bit of a more digestible format, from what is easiest to hardest to work on, IMO.
Maps/Atmosphere:
Right now the maps are IMO way bigger than they need to be, and the placement of random car wrecks and pieces of debris seem very haphazard. I understand you were trying to set the tone that this is a post-apocalyptic/War-torn place, but just randomly playing it doesn't really do this, it just makes the map look cluttered at best.
When thinking of map design, specifically placing objects, you should always ask yourself "would this actually be here?"
Example: A Forest probably wouldn't have a random van wreck far away from any sort of road/path, nor would it have random chucks of wall unless a structure was supposed to be here. The same would go for the van, if the van made it here, there would have to be a road to explain how it got there.
A ruined city can muddy this a bit, as there's a lot more potential but I think the main takeaway is that rubble should primarily serve a purpose, like blocking a route you don't want the player to take.
Personally, I think some work could be done on the tileset itself, to better fit the atmosphere in places (EG: The old city grass tiles looks almost the same as the forests the player has gone through already, perhaps the tiles in this area should look more "old"?)
In the first part of the game with Zoe, several objects bring up comments from either Zoe or the player. This is the kind of thing that justifies the use of RPGMaker over the game just being a visual novel with walking in-between sections. But this is also where objects having a justified reason to exist where they are comes heavily into play.
Music/ambience is another important step when setting tone. Players expect a forest to sound like a forest, and if you want them to notice something off, like perhaps, the absence of bird/animal noises, this can be a great tool. Music is more subjective, especially within the confines of royalty-free options, but also something to consider, especially for love scenes.
Now we come to the art. I don't have a lot of digestible advice to offer here, but one tool several anthro artists I know make use of
https://x6ud.github.io/#/
It's basically a collection of various animal photos that it will attempt to mirror the position of the chosen animal skull. I know anthros skulls aren't an exact 1-1 to their species, and the game's obviously not going for photo-realism, but I still think it's a useful tool for any art style.
Thank you very much for the tips, it's really hard to think about these details when you're doing everything alone, especially since it's my first time doing something in RPG Maker.
No problem. Like I said, I very much appreciate you making a honest effort at making a game like this (even if harem isn't really my thing.)
Solo dev-ing is definitely tough, especially at your first game. What I find/hear helps most is to compartmentalize every aspect of your storyboard for the day. Stuff like making a checklist consisting of all the things you want to look into on a single aspect, like writing, mapping, drawing, ect. That way you don't get overworked by trying to focus on every aspect of the game all at once.
Rest/research days are also good, where you play/watch videos of other games (not necessarily only RPGMaker games, since the general idea carry over to multiple engines, but with mapping/titlesetting it would probably be more useful) and see how they do certain things. It doesn't even need to be just games, as reading/watching unrelated things can spark new ideas for your projects.
Everything is a slow process, and I wish you well on you well on your project. I hope my advice doesn't feel too unsolicited or overbearing.
i dont know if im missing something or if its a bug, but i cant enter my tent after i talked to Olivia the first time
no, the game does not run in joy play, you see that I try to run the game in this application, I simply get a syntax error
what do i do after first meeting olivia
Just go back to the tent where you met Chloe for the first time
I'm confused i get to the point where i first see the fox and she runs away and i cant work out what to do next.
After seeing the fox, you go up the same stairs you came down before. After that, there will be a path at the top of the map where you can continue.
thank you, you where a big help
Found an oversight: one of the houses when tracking the fox doesn't have an exit set up. If you go in you can't leave.
thanks for letting me know
ive found a bug if you go talk to Olivia from the right and not straight it makes it so she cant walk and the game is kinda softlocked
Thank you very much for letting me know I will fix this now
Hell yeah! (Will there be android?)
floof!
It is a good and attractive game. I will wait for you to develop further. I hope to continue playing great games like this. Because it makes me very happy.
The art is very good and cute, for sure gona try .