Friday, March 21, 2014

Another week gone...

...And the quest is taking shape quite nicely, if I say so myself! I got the two puzzles for the quest already done, and the introduction is done as well. Basically, I need to add some more story elements to it, and possibly some sexy moments, but other than that, the coding and the picture hunting should be both done. Right now, it has no "failure states", though, which is probably something I'll have to change, at some point (it's meant to be an easy mission, but I want at least a modicum of challenge in it, so we'll what I can come up with). The two puzzles I have in place are okay. The first one is nothing exceptional, although it pokes fun to certain situations which seemed to happen a lot on classic adventure games (I think you'll get it when you see it). the second one I like a lot, even if it's really simple, it should be fun to solve, I played around with layered images again to try and make something interesting within the limits of RAGS, and I think that even if it is a really "standard" puzzle, it will be nevertheless a nice change of pace. You can try to solve these two puzzles as many times as you want, that's why right now there are no ways to fail, but I didn't want to mess with those, because I feel that adding limits to them would have felt either artificial or downright punishing (and easily solvable with save-scumming, regardless). Anyway, this is the current state of the quest, I'd say it's well on its way, and I should be wrapping things up soon, unless I get a bad case of writer block.


That should be pretty much about it. It was a calm week, nothing particularly exciting on the development side of things. So, onto the anime of the week (I am tired of calling it anime intro/review combo, surprsingly enough ^_^)! Today we'll be talking about Welcome to the NHK!

First result on google, looks good enough for me!

So, to sum it up in one sentence Welcome to the NHK is about misfits, and their daily struggles. The protagonist is a depressed university dropout, who hasn't left his house for the longest time. His self-delusions are nothing short of amazing, and he managed to imagine a whole conspiracy behind is current predicament. Some encounters will change his life, although, nothing is what it seems in WTTN, and there are more than a few surprises. Despite the plot being ultimately serious, more often than not it more comedic than dramatic. The writing manages to keep things feeling just absurd enough to pull it off, while still allowing for interesting discussions on the problems of the various characters. The situations can vary from mundane to oniric in the blink of an eye, and while I wasn't completely satisfied by the ending (at least the one I read in the manga, but by now you should know that's usually my source, instead of the anime version) , it was a fun rid while it lasted. I suggest you give it a bash, and see if you like it. :)

By the way, I am just doing these small reviews for fun, and to add some content to the blog (I still find it a bit too bare bone, so I try to make things more interesting for readers), but I would like people's opinion on this, or even suggestions about other things I could do, so if you have anything on your mind, let me know. That's pretty much about it for now,  have a nice weekend! ^_^

17 comments:

  1. I saw a frog! :D :D :D And it made me happy! :P

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    1. Well, I made someone happy, at the very least, I can mark that off the list for today. :p

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  2. Sometimes a puzzle you cant fail can be a nice change of pace. Not everything in a game has to be challenging. I mean it is a game in which we already reload probably every time we fail, so its okay to make it easy on us. At least from time to time.

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    1. That was the idea behind the two puzzles, but at the same time I am not to keen on adding a quest with almost no challenge at all to it. There is a reward for completing the quest, and giving it away just for experiencing the story seems a bit too easy. Maybe I'll add another, more complex puzzle without a failing state, so that it balances things out, we'll see.

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    2. I rarely reload. Just live with the consequences. (Plus, I avoid the GIGANTIC text that fires up on start and load.) So a couple of "freebies" to enjoy the badass that is me, the PC, every once in a while is a nice change of pace. :)

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    3. You should all be arguing for me to make the game harder, not easier, where is your hardcore spirit? :p

      Anyway, it is meant to be easy, so I'll probably work something out within the limits I imposed myself for this one (no failure states).

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  3. when will there be an update ? or does it only update once a year?

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    1. Once I am done with this quest and with the following testing and polishing I am going to release an update.

      At first I was actually planning to not have this sidequest and just release it in December, but I lost time trying to work out a better solution in another quest, and I also got more busy, so I decided to delay everything. Once I missed the December release window, I thought I might as well work in some more content, and here we are.

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  4. I love NHK!! Watched the whole season quite a while back. Definitely one of the more enjoyable shows, I followed it up for Torodora if I remember correctly =D Also a show worth watching =)

    The_Nerd

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    1. Your enthusiasm has been noted. I will mark both shows to be placed on my watch list. :) This "internet thing" is affecting my life...

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    2. Did you mean "Toradora"? Yeah, that's fun too! :)

      This "internet thing" is affecting a lot of people nowadays. ^_^

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  5. If you encounter writer's block, I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!

    ...That is, worthless as I am in the realms of codes, I can churn out words like an adolescent boy churns out sperm. I can probably help in the word-smithing and plot-crafting department.

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    1. I don't really have problems with writing (although sometimes it can be challenging to find the proper way to adapt a plot to the gameplay), but thanks for the offer! :D

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    2. Alright cool, I just wish to help in any capacity to usher in the completion of this gem. Or the next update, at least :)

      Ah well, I'll keep peddling my pen to other game makers then :) I have great hope for your game, my man! Looking forward as always to the next update!

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    3. I can't really think of anything I need right now (I got used to dealing with coding, writing and picture hunting on my own, for the most part), but knowing people want to help is already enough to motivate me. :)

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  6. [More choices and consequences. I mean REAL C&C, with short-term and long-term effects, that will really affect the game]
    One thing I'd quite like to see would be the groping scene in the train as a recurring thing. You pretty much are using it all the time and after the 2nd scene it "disappears". I think the Bad-End could go away and the hole thing could be a semi Hypnotist kind of thing. You have to/can go back for more... after some visits there is something Bad...
    Just my 2 cents on how to get more depth with minimal effort
    (jk on the effort ;))

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    1. Well, the scene was meant as a minor random encounter, that's why it doesn't really go too far. Also, whatever consequences it might lead to, they would necessarily be "contained" within its own chain of events (giving in to a groper it's hardly going to affect the world around you, it would be more of a personal experience, getting in touch with your internal "exhibitionist", so to speak).

      Basically, while I am not against expanding the groping scenes, it would probably be work better spent on expanding/finishing the game, right now. If I grew every (relatively) minor scene into a small erotic novel, I'd never finish the game. ^_^

      I could go back on some scenes and rework them, once I am done with the main quest and the other content I consider "necessary" in order to complete the game.

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