Corpse Wyrm

Ah, I didn't know that. Sometimes it's hard to tell. They just looked like a bush to me. I suppose I'll have to hunt down a hedge to replace them with at some point.

I've spent the last few days working on my first maps. Took me a bit of time to get used to the quirks of the program, but I think I'm getting the basics down and would like critique on what I've got so far. 1. This is the outside of the first area, which I modeled vaguely after the Archaeological and Historical Services in Connecticut. 2. The first room inside, the receptionist area: 3. The north room, your office. What do you guys think so far? Included the credits at the bottom, and everything else are my own edits of the listed resources. Credit:

Thank you! I'm glad that they look good so far. And New England plays a large part in the story.

Wish granted! Your wish was indeed unarguably infallible, but is the one and only correct thing you will have said or written from hereon out. I wish I wasn't tone deaf.

Miatas are great little sportscars. Friend of mine had a convertible, and I've lusted after them since. And yes. x3 I fancy myself an honest man.

Sure, why not.

I'm certainly glad to help on that! (And yeah, I definitely write a lot. Glad it proved useful, though! Won't quote you either, though, for sake of space as well.) I think moving that save is the perfect option. At least for players like me, then we won't be so worried about poking every available surface.

Looks like the answer to my own question was "I was really impatient and downloaded the demo immediately." Didn't get a chance to play it until this morning, and just finished up. First off, just wanted to note a couple minor bugs really quick: you can walk through the tombstone in the first scene (I'm not sure if right away, I only noticed after having already collected two of the music boxes), and if you're moving diagonally, you clip through the top corner of the bookshelves in the library. That was all I noticed, though, aside from the one that SpookyMothman already pointed out. All right, with that out of the way, now onto the good stuff! First off, I gotta say, I'm wowed by the sound. The ambiance is really incredible, and the music and sound effects definitely creeped me out more than once. In every area, the music really set the tone, and man there's nothing creepier than little kids and their assorted belongings. (The rocking horse, man. The rocking horse.) I'm not as big of an aficionado when it comes to the visuals and what is and isn't impressive when it comes to RPG Maker games, but I have to say I feel what you have works really well. The transitions between areas (like the hall to the forested area) is both unsettling but also blends very nicely. Plus, all the custom art is a huge plus for me. Just personally speaking, I like your style. It's not as crisp and clean around the edges as your out-of-the-box faux-anime style, and I think that suits the grungier atmosphere. From what I've seen, too, I enjoy the writing and characterization. I really enjoy the bits of humor when it comes to both the item descriptions and the "yes/no" options for Liam; they definitely provide a nice voice to the whole piece. Also, I feel both Liam and Vincent have their own distinct voices, which would be really important since they're going to be our main duo throughout. I feel Liam is very much a broody teenage boy, and Vincent definitely has a fairly sarcastic tongue. I've liked their interactions a lot, and occasionally poke Vincent just to see what he'd say. Also, I get this strange sense of anachronism from Vincent's dialogue as well? I understand it's set in the modern era, but he's mentioned having been there for a while. (But also, that time doesn't move the same in the Daze.) I actually count this as a point in favor of the writing. It seems a bit disconcerting at times, and both dated and modern simultaneously. A bit about the puzzles now, spoiler'd so as to not ruin it for anyone else: I appreciate the continued callbacks to the Librarian. There's a definite persistence of story here; the monsters aren't just confined to one room as a set up jump scare. There's an established pattern that reoccurs, and I immensely enjoy that. In that, I also feel there are a few "shotguns on the wall" that are waiting to come back into play. As a fan of survival horror/adventure games, I personally didn't mind the insta-deaths. To me, they all seemed pretty obvious as dangerous. Plus, the save points were nicely placed that I didn't ever have to do much over again, even as I was poking just about everything to see what it did. I personally didn't feel like there needed to be a cut-scene to explain the save points, but I don't think adding one would be out of place, either. Definitely nicer to your players if you include one. I think it was only slightly annoying before coming to the first save point. Again, because I was poking everything, I got myself killed in the first area twice, and then had to go through the intro to Chapter One again. (And you can't fast-forward through the text. Which I don't really mind, but did in those 20 seconds.) Definitely not a game-ender for me, but in the spirit of fairness, that was the only place I would have foreseen liking another save point. I can definitely see your inspiration from Ib, but not in a bad way at all. I absolutely loved Ib, and I feel this is a great game in the spirit of the genre. (Also, Ib has a lot more than two endings, at least now!) I'm absolutely looking forward to seeing more.

I'm new to both the forums and program, but I figure this can't hurt too much to put myself out there too. Strengths -- Writing: My main trade. I've always been a writer, and I consider myself exceptional. I've been very inspired by Gothic Romanticism (my idol is Poe) along with some early science fiction/political commentary works (1984, Brave New World and Animal Farm are among some of my favorite books). I'm particularly good at characters and character interaction. I've had people be moved by side-characters who have gotten only one scene. Of course, being a fan of Poe, I'd be remiss if I couldn't say that atmosphere was another strength of mine. I take setting the stage very seriously, and this permeates every aspect of my writing. Nothing will take me out of a story more than misplaced descriptions or dialogue. (Modern slang in a historical setting that isn't parody? Kill me.) -- Design: Although I haven't applied it to RPG Maker quite yet, I actually have a classical education in digital design. I'm a big believer in simplicity and impact; you won't see designs from me that are highly intricate or complex, but I always seek to make them memorable and easy on the eyes. I myself am very easily visually overwhelmed, so I like a certain crispness to design. I have significant experience with all Adobe products, but I'm particularly comfortable with Adobe Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop (in that order). I've done logo and layout work, and am particularly fond of working with typography. With that said, I also have some fairly significant experience with XHTML and CSS, as I functioned for a while as a web designer for a handful of non-profit organizations. No other programming language yet, but I'm always excited to learn and I pick things up quickly. -- Editing & Critique: Being both a writer and a designer, as well as being very strongly opinionated, I consider myself very good at giving all sorts of critique, and no job is too big or too small. I find copyediting a fun way to blow off steam, so if anyone wants their dialogue or writing proofread, I'm your man. On a bigger scale, I'm always really happy to help with content editing. I'm more than happy to look at the big picture in a story and say what is and isn't working. I focus very much on flow, themes, atmosphere, and general character consistency and psychology. In that, I like being a sounding board as well, I have been told I am particularly good at asking the right questions to get the kinks worked out of a story. For visual mediums, I am also happy to give critique. Even though I don't consider myself much of an artist, I have enough experience that I can usually try and point out issues and what can be done, even if I can't execute it myself. When it comes to other designs rather than artwork, I feel I can offer even more assistance. Being easily visually confused can sometimes be a benefit; I have a much easier time pointing out what does and doesn't work in a piece, and how it draws your eye. I'm a pretty good test subject for "is this design too busy." I also consider myself articulate and detail-oriented, so I can usually always find something to say about a given piece, both good and bad. Hate the feedback "looks great" or "I like it"? So do I! I will always give you the blow-by-blow of what exactly I like and dislike, and why I think things do or don't work. Weaknesses -- Human Figure: Although I feel like there are a few things I can draw pretty well, the human figure isn't one of them. Hands down. There are other things I can draw, but that's just... not one of them. -- Music: I don't have a musical ear. At all. -- Easily Overwhelmed: This extends past visually. Sometimes I just don't allow myself to research things or else I'll stress myself out. I'll go to try and find the answer to one thing, only to come across two more questions and no answers, and three hours later I'll be in the shower sobbing having an existential crisis. I'm getting better about it, and really simplified, "I am going to assume you know nothing, not even how to add or walk"-type tutorials are great. Untested -- Spriting / Mapping / General RPG Maker Functions: Like I said, I'm totally new to the program. I poked at it over the course of a few days, but went into "information overload" in trying to read every tutorial I could and getting only progressively more confused. I had to put it down and work on my game on graph paper first, and have been slowly easing myself back into the program. I feel like I have a general idea of what makes a good map, and some experience with other digital artistic endeavors and coding, so I think that once the initial feeling of being overwhelmed passes, I'll be okay. However, I haven't actually done anything with it, so I can't say if I'm good or bad yet. And there you go. Yeah, this definitely did feel like an interview! Once I get more comfortable with RPGM-VXA, I'll try and edit this as well. ... and oh man, this turned out a lot longer than I thought it would! Mark me down for "verbose" as well.

Ahhh, and switch-flipping. Is there anyone who doesn't just solve those by randomly hitting them until they work? Usually if there are only a couple of switches (and in my experience, there are), process of elimination takes less time than actually figuring it out. These have all been really fantastic answers, and a lot of things I agree with and also things I didn't consider. (This might be strange, but I've been so indoctrinated by video games I completely forgot block puzzles were puzzles! I just always looked at them as "necessary obstacle to get from point A to point B," rather than a puzzle.)

I haven't seen a thread that specifically asks this question, so I just wanted to know what people thought, as I'm interested in making a fairly puzzle-based game. (Also, I'm a huge fan of the genre in general.) In your opinion, what are the most overused, boring, and/or least intuitive puzzles that you see regularly in games? Why don't you like them? I myself hate the "go to a room, find a key, open another door, find another key, repeat ad nauseum" puzzles. I just find them very repetitive and boring, and I just don't feel like they require you to solve anything, just click a lot. Also, unless it's given a reason, I always feel it's really weird to have that many locked doors. If you're inside a house (for example), who the heck locks all their inside doors? It puts a crack in my suspension of disbelief. So what about you guys?

Not font presets, found them on DAFonts. (Pomerole and Lightfoot Shadowed, but I'm not sure ifava Lightfoot is available there anymore. I'm an obsessive font collector.) They're also modified as well, but I didn't hand-draw them. The filigree is also a modified preset of actually the Pomerole font, which is pretty snazzy.

I started some preliminary design work today on the title logo of my first game, "House of Virtue." I think I have the basic idea of what I want, at least when it comes to the general shape. 1. 2. 3. 4. The "of" seems to be giving me the most trouble; I'm not certain which iterationI like best, although I'm leaning towards #1. I haven't settled on a color pallet for the title screen yet, so I was just trying out a few combinations at the moment to give me an idea, but I'd be happy to hear thoughts on that as well. Just for some basic background, in case it is helpful: "House of Virtue" is going to be a gothic survival/puzzle horror game, with some heavy Puritan overtones. (Think Nathaniel Hawthorne.)

Ah, I didn't even think of the Celtic connection! Thank you for pointing that out to me. #3 and #4 were just quick color tests, so I obviously wasn't thinking. So far, #1 has come out the unanimous victor, so it seems to be the way I'm going to lean. Definitely going to make sure it won't disappear in the final; will likely change around the transparency and color based on the title screen's background. I'll certainly keep an eye out for the balance in the final as well. Thank you very much for your critique! It's been very helpful.

Oh man, I love horror puzzle games! Creepy ambiance is perhaps my all-time favorite. This sounds and looks absolutely amazing, and I definitely can't wait to see more as it's totally up my alley. Not sure if I'm going to jump at the first openly-available demo, or wait until a full release so I don't get spoiled. I guess I'll see how impatient I am when a demo becomes available!

Haha! Yes, my username is sort of hard to shorten, I've realized. But I've had it across most platforms, so it's what I now use. Most people stick with "Wyrm" (or my friends have oft dubbed me "Wyrmbeastie"), but Corpy is kind of endearing. I definitely don't mind either way. Crossed arms are hard! Lots of foreshortening, particularly at that angle. Another great defiant, moody go-to pose is hands shoved in pockets, which is a great excuse not to draw hands! (Not that I've done that, no siree.) I'll definitely be interested in seeing more of his broody self.

Block puzzles! I didn't even think of those. They are pretty ubiquitous, aren't they? I never minded them, but then, I didn't even really think of them as "puzzles," more as "obstacles." So all fair points made! @SoulpourVII: I can definitely see what you're saying there. Riddles for the sake of riddles just seem very shoe-horned. Again, I myself like riddles, but in the context of "wise man gives you a riddle," that just seems boring. @SpookyMothman Yes. They're so confusing, and usually never given any hints! It's so often trial-and-error. I like my puzzles to be tied into the setting, and with proper direction.

Hello! I'm new here and figured a good start would be to introduce myself. I've been interested in RPG Maker for quite a long time now, at least since high school, but have always talked myself out of undertaking a project. Recently, though, I've been considering undertaking a Gothic Romantic-era and -flavor horror story. I'm completely new to the program, though, and I admit some of it seems rather overwhelming. Hoping that with a little time and testing, it'll make more sense in action. Either way, I'm excited to give it a shot and learn more.

I love a good horror-adventure! And I very much like the style of art in conjunction with your story. The sketchy inked look of it has a very nitty-gritty, slightly grungy feeling to it. I think it'll mesh well. And the crosshatching in general is just a really good stylistic choice, I think. Really love Vincent here! I enjoy that he's very lop-sided, obviously looks old and worn. And this might be strange, but my favorite part of the image is Liam's foot/pant leg. I feel it really juts out the way it should, and the highlight on the shoe and folds of the cloth are really awesome. Humans aren't my forte either, but I feel you did really well. The only (minor) thing I could suggest is that Liam's right arm where it crosses over his left looks a little thin. I might put a bit of a bump for the wrist, show his hand is folding under right there. Similarly, the hand you can see looks a little flat. Might focus a little on the shading there, and put more of a "kink" where the joints of his fingers are. But really, those are very minor complaints, and I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been nitpicking to give you a full critique. Interested to see more!

I very much like the concept of this piece, and the update is already much improved. I like the title in particular; I feel the font and colors you used have a real presence, and are the main draw of your eye. The main suggestion I have has to do with the feathers. (I'm assuming that they are a resource or stock from somewhere, so I don't know how viable or easy my suggestions will be. I apologize in advance for that!) Because all the feathers are straight, they look very unnatural. That pose is much more a feather "at rest," like on a table, not one that is in motion. A feather curves with air resistance as it floats to the ground, so with your current image, I more get the impression of feather-shaped pieces of wood tumbling to the earth rather than a serene sway of feathers. You may be able to warp the feathers to get the proper look to them; this I'm not sure though. I usually work in Adobe Illustrator and use the "Envelope Warp" for similar effects myself. I also might reflect the left-hand side group of feathers. As it is, with both sets being the same "stack" and pointing the same way, I feel a bit of a jag to my eye-movement across the page. I really like the idea of having the dual columns of feathers, but I might suggest making it so the feathers seem to be pointing "inwards," towards the center and your sprites. That way, your viewer's eye is drawn from your title, down the feathers, and finally to the center. ... I felt I was being a bit too vague, so I doodled up a quick redline for you: Either way, I'd really suggest Googling "feather falling" and seeing what I mean about the curve (as well as position of) feathers while they float down. References are always hugely helpful! Also, even with the newer image, I wouldn't have figured the sprite of the woman was supposed to have a sort of "after-image" effect if it weren't for Ooga-Chaka! pointing it out as that. With such a small image, it's very hard for me to see the blurring effects, especially at a glance. I might make it more extreme than you feel like is necessary, because you know what you're looking at, while someone who just glances at it probably won't. I might also second Ooga-Chaka! original advice about making the "after-image" progressively more transparent. Anyways, I hope this is all helpful to you! It seems very interesting, and I second Team ACA's comment; I'd also like a synopsis of the game to go along with the image.

Ah, thank you everyone for the hellos! I really appreciate the warm welcome here. I'll definitely keep everyone posted on my progress. At the moment, everything is in a graph notebook in my sketchy handwriting, but I hope to have enough concrete progress to be able to show in the Showroom within a couple of weeks. And I'm definitely glad to hear there are other Gothic horror fans as well! It's very encouraging.

Thank you very much! I'm glad it's not just me. I've been picking through a few tutorials, so I'm hoping that'll help get me more comfortable.

(New here, but thought I'd share my opinion either way.) I think the first set of graphics you posted are the stronger ones, as opposed to the second set (from Feb 22nd). The two split lines above and below really scatter where your eye is supposed to be drawn, so it gives a lot less of an impact, and having the long line below "the erias line/DEMO" gives too much of a hard stop, I feel. As for your original sets, these are my thoughts: Having the line below OMINIS I think is the best option--it draws your eye through the graphic and title, and then down to subtitle and demo. It's very natural, and very solid in appearance. Of the first set, I feel the one in the middle on the left and the bottom right are your strongest, my personal preference being the middle left. Both provide good contrast for all the letters of OMINIS against the logo, which I think is most important. The others don't have quite as much contrast, and if your title gets lost in the graphic, I just don't think it gives the right impression. I prefer the middle-left because it seems to me to have the most atmosphere. The white of the text against the black background make it very stark, and the more faded purple and gold of the logo create a sense of intrigue. Having the more faded gold/purple also makes the white of the design stand out significantly more, which also draws your eye through the image even better. (Also, it gives me the impression of being "broken" or "abstract," which creates interest, at least to me.) Of the second set (the smaller images), the only ones I feel gives a "punch" are the top left and the bottom on the far right. As for the others in that set, I feel in particularly the green/gold text gets lost, and just doesn't give a good flow or color differentiation. I would like the two in the center, but the white vertical design cuts into the text strangely, I feel. If you moved the design to the left some so that it didn't seem to be "sprouting" from the N, I think either of those could work well. Personally, I don't much like the blue graphic, but I think that more depends on the color palette your going for. My final verdict I would have to say would be the middle on the left of the first set. It provides the most visual interest, is high contrast, and has just a hint of color. If you were looking for a black-and-white design, I'd suggest then the top left from the second set. I hope this is helpful to you, and good luck! I really enjoy the general look you have with these so far.