Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Finally, a new release!

"Could you have been any slower?"







I don't know,  I guess if I tried really hard... :p

Anyway, this is the last release for this year. I could have done more, I could have done less, it is what it is, let's not dwell too much on it, right? Right. I should probably list what's changed, now, let's see:


  • 4 new quests (one isn't exactly a "quest" as I wrote one time too many, but I don't know where else to put this... For those who want to see what this is all about, you should probably keep a certain bracelet you receive as a reward with you... And that was a pendant in the previous versions). I' d say I did a good job with them, but you be the judge ^_^;
  •  You can experience some romantic stuff with Jane and Malena (Jane is the one with the most content, right now, but between the two of them, there should be something like 12 or 13 new scenes, plus you get some comments from the crew about your companion). You "could" try to get it on with both, but I wouldn't recommend it... Don't say I didn't warn you;
  • You now have more random scenes with the members of your crew while you are on travel (I am actually not sure if there were any random scenes in the last release, or if they are completely new);
  • Some new items, some changes to old stuff (you don't get banned from the nightclub anymore for causing troubles, for example, you meet Piper in a different way, you get to meet again Gellon after you help him, several new extranet entries, etc...)
  • Some changes to the way the game works, that (hopefully) aren't noticeable... I am always scared of introducing new bugs when I mess with the old stuff;
  • Probably some other things I can't remeber right now.

Here is the link (but you'll find it also on the side of the screen):

http://www.mediafire.com/?8bejg6tmdt6h57u

Now, I am going to relax for a while, no more working on the game for at least 2 weeks (planning doesn't count as work, and I will probably end up doing some of it). How am I going to spend the newly found free time? Well...
Something like this.

29 comments:

  1. congrats :)
    i'll have a try the next days.

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    1. Let me know if you like what I did! ;)

      P.S.

      Can you put in a name, if you do? Anonymous comments leave me confused as to who am I talking to...

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  2. I realy liked the last release. Its a shame that I must start over.
    Keep up the good work.

    BTW: I find your game to be so ...tantalizing(?) that I would enjoy it even WITHOUT all those Sex scenes. Seriously.
    No other RAG game is even near it.

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    1. Unfortunately, either I do a release from time to time, forcing players to start over, or I wait until the game is finished, which I guess wouldn't be a real solution to the problem. Using RAGS has an engine, I can't update the game without creating conflicts with the existing savegames.

      Eh, eh, thank you. I try hard to make the gameplay interesting, and avoid making it too repetitive (this is a game, after all, the gameplay is what defines it), so it makes me happy to know my efforts are appreciated. :D

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  3. I need hints... I NEED HINTS. Actually no, I'm going to enjoy playing the game everywhere. Just curious about the so searched pictures in that request. Gosh Its feel like Christmas, but I bet everyone will feel the same the moment I release my game. And you know why (Just kidding) :)

    Thanks MDQP. I'll make a post in my blog later this week for those that don't know about your blog and check your awesome stuff!

    Hugs and Kisses Alectra

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    1. Are you sure you don't want any hints? :D

      I wonder why they would feel like it's Christmas... ;)

      Thank you for advertising my work! When you say it like that, I almost feel like a celebrity! ^_^

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    2. Ciao!

      I got it and this one is not amused... Just kidding *giggle* I actually wondered why I don't have special thanks, since I helped you *giggle*

      I think I found some bugs in the mechanics... But that probably me clicking to fast. If you attempt to travel back and forth between planets, sometimes you don't end in the desired planet but another one.

      Example:

      Kantor - Europe - Kantor (Wanting to go to Europe) - ending in Florence and it also happens more easily with short routes. Probably is because of RAGS and its behaviour.

      P.S: I actually awaited for some interaction with that you know what content lol ;)

      Ouh and the "secret quest" was incredible. Really well done!

      Hugs and Kisses Alectra

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    3. What title should I use to refer to you in the credits? Is "director of photography" any good? ;)

      If it doesn't happen always, then it's definitely some weird RAGS bug (the code is always the same, so there is no reason why it should bring out different outcomes). When you use short routes, what happens, exactly? You end up from Florence on Janus?

      If you saw the content you helped with, know that the quest was supposed to be slightly bigger, but I had troubles translating the idea I had into actual gameplay, so I decided to keep it short.

      Happy you liked it, I think I did a good job this time around with quests! :D

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    4. Ciao

      Pic hunterz will do thank you hahaha

      It doesn't happen always, but it can be dangerous and make you restart the game if you are low on will. Because it triggers the scene of you going to Europe. But you are not in Europe, then trigger the subsequent scene of being brainwashed more easily... Weird! :$

      By the way if you have Piper in your team and then return back to the red light district. The new girl around is named differently by Madame Trixie. I believe she call her lorna or something like that. And then you find another girl with a totally different name whooops! ;)

      Well I happen to know many ways to make it bigger. It's called the mansion of Lust *giggle* Just joking!

      Hugs and Kisses Alectra

      P.S: I got today some unexpected mini holidays, so I'll work some more in the game and maybe a caption. Not in that particular order.

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    5. Let me know if that bug happens again, just in case.

      The new girl is called Lana, and I can't seem to find the typo, are you sure you saw it there?

      How is development going, by the way? Were you too busy, or did you manage to do something on the game even before you had these mini holidays?

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    6. Whooops! Weary eyes, but I swear I read Lorna hahahaha

      Okay I'll contact you if that happens again...

      Not really, I was planning on moving some more the plot this weekend. I have to read a very long - and boring - and boring - and really boring - boring book of Economy. Seems great. Not really... :)

      I'm currently going through the romance options of Jane and Malena. I'm curious about that. Dissapointed yet no Darenzia sexy moves *giggle*

      Hugs and Kisses Alectra

      P.S:

      Lol to Piper in that secret planet at the end hahaha

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  4. Could you point me in the right direction for dealing with the maid in Blanked? I'm completely stuck. :/

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    1. There are two ways: one is to get the champagne bottle from room 401 The other way involves an optional item, the magician pendant. If you have more questions, there is a thread for Blanked on the hypnopics collective (I would like to keep the comments here about TOTDC, if I can).

      P.s. Are you the same person that commented in the other post? Just asking to know if I need to write an answer to the other one, too.

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    2. Yeah, my apologies for spamming. I lost track of that other post and decided to ask again.

      The hypnopics collective disagrees with my computer somehow. I cannot create an account.

      Thanks for the response. I attempted to use the magician's pendant previously (seemed intuitive), but it didn't seem to work. I also overlooked room 401 on my first playthrough.

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    3. Don't worry, it's okay (but that's why I usually ask people to not post anonymously, it makes things confusing).

      I believe the problem with the pendant might be a compatibility issue with the new version of RAGS, since I used the freeware version to make Blanked. I guess you could try to download the old version of the player, to see if it works, as I don't think I will release a new version anytime soon (I might update the game one of these days, but for now I am busy with my current one). Anyway, the champagne bottle should still work fine, let me know if you have more problems.

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  5. How do you finish the Encounter with "Mother" in the new quest? I can't find any soutions.

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    1. Depending on what you did before, it might be impossible. You can only fail if you use 2 times the needles and one time or more Piper's powers, or 2 times Piper's powers and one time or more Darenzia's needles. Basically, you must have 2 "shots" available, to defeat the Mother (as long as you solve one puzzle on your own, without taking "shortcuts", you should be fine).

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  6. Hello.

    I just finished (after many hours) last version of your game. I found it very entertaining and honestly, one of the best sex themed games I ever played, thanks to its complexity, real difficulty and replayability.
    So, I wanna thank you, you did a tremendously great job here!
    I also experienced the "moved from one planet to another for no reason" bug.
    Also, one thing that made me little unhappy in the game - I get the third meeting with Malena (the coffee meeting :-)) before I started to date Jane (actually, even before we went shopping for suplies together and a really long time before Jane did me dinner) and after that, there is no way to stop dating Malena, well until not any until the collision of the two, where it has grievious consequences :-). Would you consider giving there such option? Perhaps during the meeting with wine with Malena?

    Also, may I ask what is the name of the model that was used for Daenezia?

    Vic

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    1. Thanks for your kind words, Vic. I am trying to do my best. :D

      Can you be more specific about your bug? What did you do and what happened (maybe I could fix it, if it isn't a problem with the RAGS engine itself).

      I might add one last chance to ditch Malena (but consider that as long as you refuse her in any of the meetings with her, she won't appear anymore, and you can always refuse her "coffee", so there are actually 4 chances to stay away from her), I'll have to see if it doesn't conflict with too many things I have in the game already, though.

      Darenzia is Sandee Westgate (I usually use the first name of the real model, but this one got a troubled history, since I changed the model once or twice before settling for her and I didn't feel like going back and changing all the times I had written her name already... Same thing for Jane, actually).

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  7. I am not very familiar with Rags, for you next release is it possible to my old save file in 0.6? If so, will Alexis's storyline continue (male and female)?

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    1. Unfortunately, RAGS can't use save files from different versions of the game properly. If you try, there are all sorts of stuff that don't work.

      Other than adding a striptease routine if Alexis remains a female, I doubt I will work on her anytime soon.

      I was entertaining the idea of having you try to help her to at least settle down in her new life, if you decide to not do anything about her turning into a female, but I don't know, it sounds weird to help her after your abandon her, so I'll have to think about it. The male path is over, I don't think there are any loose ends on that one.

      Of course, if you have any ideas or suggestions, let me know. I can't promise anything about adding them (it might conflict with plans I have for other things in the game, for example), but hearing them won't hurt anyone, right?

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    2. I was just trying to create a prefect save for 0.7 in the future, so I was hesitant to make a decision on Alexis. However, since using my save is out of the question, I don't think it's important anymore. =)

      As for suggestions, I would also like an option to break up with Malena. In my mind, she was just a one time thing. When I start to romance Jane much later in the game, it kind of caught me by surprise that my character is in love with Malena as well. Oh well, maybe that's life. You never know how you actually feel about someone nor when your pass is going to haunt you in the future. That said, I love to have an option to say no when she come to the ship for an visit.

      Also, I would like to have a bit more sexual encounter during missions instead of when you fail. It seems right now, most of the sex scenes are in bad endings. In order to see everything, one must constantly save and load and it kind of breaks the flow of the game a little bit. Maybe you could expand on some of the bad endings for Celeste get back on her feet with some penalties (stat damage/item lost etc).

      Anyway, thanks for your great work. I can't wait to play the whole game, but I guess I have to wait for another year for that.

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    3. Yeah, not really important, since you'll be forced to throw them away (but don't tell me you weren't going to play the game again and again from the very beginning anyway! :D)

      Seems like everyone want to have a fling with Malena and then ditch her afterward. Poor girl, just because she is a lunatic, they all want to just have sex with her... >_<

      More seriously, I might give one last chance to get away from her. Even if Celeste thinks she is in love, sometimes people can't differentiate love from lust, so you are free to interpret their relationship the way you prefere (I must also admit I have some troubles making Celeste a blank avatar for the players, because I already have a lot of her background in my mind, and it affects the way I write about what she does).

      Bad ends are kind of a trademark of RAGS games in general, and of mine in particular, but I know what you mean. It's kind of hard to make everything fit given the circumstances (Celeste already takes way too much time doing unimportant things considering her situation, so, it becomes increasingly hard to justify her actions in-game), but there will be more of these, that's for sure (some non deadly encounters/situations could be added, it sounds like a good idea, I just need to work out the details).

      Yeah, life is always kind of busy, I already spend way too much time on the game for my own good, probably. A year sounds a good timeline, it will depend on the amount of side-quests and optional content I will add (the main quest shouldn't take too long to put together, since I have a good idea on what to do with it, but the rest is a bit sketchy at times).

      Anyway, I am happy you like the game, in the end that's the most important thing to me. :D

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    4. Oh I don't mind playing through it again, that said, small addition could give player lots motivation. =D

      I guess Malena's "misfortune" is due to the fact that most player doesn't feel attach to her. So when it comes to choosing between Jane and her, there is no competition. I think it would be more interesting if Piper is an romantic option instead. Her background is very intriguing and the fact that Jane and her doesn't get along all that well probably will make things a lot more "exciting".

      I actually don't mind bad ends at all. In fact, it's amazing how you add a different bad ends to nearly all quests. I just think it's a bit disproportional to the less lethal sexual encounter Celeste could have during her mission. Given Celeste's dangerous life style, I could see her being forced into many sexual encounters that are out of her control. Yet, I can also imagine her being brave and smart enough to overcome these difficulties eventually.

      As for development time, most of these projects never comes to fruition because of the author wants to do way too much. As for this is only the first half of chapter, it's hard to imagine you could keep this up for a few more years. It would be better to finish all the main quests first then come back to add side quest if you have extra time. I guess most of us would be interested to know what's going to happen to Celeste in the future instead of how she help out some shopkeepers or beat up some guys because they look at her funny =).

      Kidding aside, you could out source side quests writing to the community, so you can concentrate on main quest instead. But I never work with Rags before, so I have no idea the workload distribution between coding and writing. Or you could do some active donation drive, so working on the game can be "for your own good".

      I am alako on hypnopics by the way and I wish you all the luck with your game. =]

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    5. Yes, I imagine something new to keep things fresh helps players to get through the beginning a little happier (I actually did that once, the first mission was more straightforward the first time around, so maybe in the future... Who knows? :D).

      Piper will be a love interest, too. I released the romances the way they are right now because I was starting to feel a little burned out, too, and didn't want to go half-heartedly into it (also, it would have been odd to be capable of ending the romances before even reaching halfway through the main quest... ^_^). Yeah, Malena is kind of a "trap" too, for players, that's why it's a bit sudden. When I get back to romances, I'll see if I can tweak it.

      I see your point about bad ends. As I said, I will probably try to work out something that might add more diversity to the formula (I actually have in mind a side-event I wanted to add in a while, it might appear in the next release, if everything goes as I hope, and I believe you would appreciate it).

      Yeah, usually life can be too busy to follow through with grand plans (I can be obsessive, so I guess that's why I avoided the problem so far), and a lot of people end up giving up. Since this is my third game, I doubt I'll give up before I complete it, but I plan to start working on the main quest anyway, to move things forward (I have a lot of sidequests in mind, but I could probably add them later on, as you say).

      Out sourcing writing is a big no-no in general for me, and it's way too problematic in RAGS, anyway. I am open to suggestions, and I always try my best to add the ones I get whenever I can, but I'd need to share a lot of "secret" information about what's going on behind the curtain, to avoid conflicts between my plans and their writing, and I would still need to read everything and see if it fits the rest of the game. I'd feel bad to have someone put a lot of effort into writing a scene or a side-quest just to reject it (I added more than a quest that were suggested, but I tweaked them a lot, and no actual dialogues were ever proposed, just the general outline, and I still needed to work a bit to make them fit). Also, I would still need to do all the coding myself. The only thing that is easily out-sourced in RAGS is picture hunting, and even then only if you have already a pretty good idea of what you need, otherwise you are better off doing it yourself.

      Good to know you are Alako (sometimes it feels really odd to talk to all anonymous guys, you never know if it's the first time, or if you have been going back and forth with him/her for hours :D)!

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  8. hello, I am having issues playing the game.
    Rags says "Sorry, this RAGS game file is unreadable."
    I have Rags 2.4.0.0

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    1. Uhm, nobody seems to have this problem, so I can only think of two possible problems: either the file you downloaded got corrupted somehow, and you should try to download it again, or there is a problem with the RAGS player, and you should try to uninstall/reinstall it. Does the player open other RAGS games normally?

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  9. It opened Blanked without problem.

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    1. Then it shouldn't be a problem with RAGS. Try downloading the file again, and let me know.

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