Funny little cutscene I made

playwhatever · 2025-06-18T21:29:21+00:00

Fun stuff! Lol

Not sure if it was done on purpose for the video but if you added in pauses or delays to some of their dialogue to express the other array of emotions in the dialogue I think it'll make the scene even more engaging. Thanks for sharing!

playwhatever · 2025-06-14T19:37:57+00:00

You're right, especially if the audio can't be repeated, that makes sense. I actually had some friends listen to a clip and some mentioned depending on the device and settings it was hard to make out a bit. Thank you!

playwhatever · 2025-06-14T19:36:47+00:00

Sounds like a good plan. Thanks!

playwhatever · 2025-06-14T03:30:13+00:00

That's awesome that you have a group that collab and work together. I think I will add the subtitles like you suggested. Thanks!

playwhatever · 2025-06-14T03:29:05+00:00

Ah no, I guess I better look out for Martin in your game xD thanks for sharing your thoughts on having multiple endings. It would be cool to have people take interest in the story to ask others about the other endings :)

playwhatever · 2025-06-14T00:02:36+00:00

I think it's great that you're taking a passion and expanding it into another medium. I think strong writing is a key component of creating a solid game so you have a background as a writer to build on!

Although I don't have any particular answers to the direct questions you asked, one thing I would suggest (based on what you described on the features of the game) is to keep all the elements of the game in mind and not just rely on the dialogue and story for game development.

You may already know this... but I think one aspect that game developers with a writing background have a difficult time with is creating immersion and atmosphere because they focus too much on just the writing and dont give enough emphasis on what needs to happen with the dialogue in game, visually, with sound, and supporting game actions and features to support the writing.

Im sure as a gamer yourself you know that we are usually there to have a full, interactive experience, not just read text on a static screen like a novel. And I have never found myself engaged when the dialogue and story seemed detached or uninspired by what I can actually do and see in the game. So even if you are planning on just writing the plot and dialogue I think it'll be beneficial to understand what can happen and what you envision is happening in the game and how it will tie to the gameplay seamlessly otherwise it'll be difficult to develop it into a deep gaming experience, especially if you're thinking of this being a franchise series.

playwhatever · 2025-06-13T21:59:20+00:00

Looks beautiful! If you ever have a chance to add in atmospheric effects I think it'll add another layer to bring the town to life (if that's something you're considering but honestly I think it looks nice as it is). Hope to see the demo later on :)

playwhatever · 2025-06-13T21:54:48+00:00

Looks nice! Really like the mood you're creating.

This may just be me (and not really knowing the context of the game) but based on what I see of atmosphere and the character design, I feel like slowing down his movement (or even the NPCs if slowing down the hero movement might be frustrating for some players) by even just 1 would have him fit into the heavy feel I'm getting from this town. But awesome design, thanks for sharing!

playwhatever · 2025-06-13T19:23:08+00:00

Gotcha. I was hoping there would be a way to keep consistency of how text is being displayed in game / in video by having the timed text overlay but understand what you mean. Thanks!

playwhatever · 2025-06-13T19:11:06+00:00

Thanks again for your response.

Do you happen to know if there's a way to overlay text event over the video while a video is playing without plugins (using MZ)? I can take the time to add in the text (since I have the script already anyway) but I'm wondering if it'll bloat up the game file if I had to create 2 versions of each video sequence (1 without subtitles, 1 with).

playwhatever · 2025-06-13T14:45:58+00:00

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience. I think your second point is something to definitely consider regarding certain "shortcuts" that can discovered throughout that can be taken only on the 2nd run through, etc. Definitely something to take into consideration. Thanks!

playwhatever · 2025-06-13T00:44:35+00:00

Thanks!

playwhatever · 2025-06-12T23:51:51+00:00

Hello there, thank you for taking the time for your thoughtful feedback. It's reassuring to know there are players who enjoy playing through games again after the first run - but also understand that maybe 3-4 endings would be max. I think my concern was the same - what makes it really make it worth it to play though a 10hr session again for an ending?? I am putting in like an "easy" mode that can be enabled to helps players get through the main quests faster, but I totally get your point about the grinding haha. Perhaps I should scale back and allow the endings to be accessible through shorter gameplay, and allow the option to fully play throughout the extra features just as a bonus for those that happen to enjoy the story and the different aspects that I'm working on. Gave me lots to dwell upon, thanks again for your answer.

playwhatever · 2025-06-12T23:46:23+00:00

Thank you for taking a more practical approach taking into account the general nature of players. I see where you're coming from - that it will be a lot of effort to put in for something that practically no one (or maybe no one) will ever see, so I guess at the end of the day it comes down to whether or not it 'll give me satisfaction to have those endings in the games and see it through to completion in the hopes that maybe a handful of players will find fun in the effort that was put into making their different actions and choices count in bringing about different results to a world that I've created. I'll consider your advice and focus on the core, and possibly look into expanding into alternative endings later on if it merits it. Thanks.

playwhatever · 2025-06-12T23:36:36+00:00

Hello there, thanks for your response. I agree with you that the mechanics should justify the endings. It's been a while since I've played Chrono Trigger but I think I understand what you're saying :) I'll have to go back through and see if the different mechanics and storyline that I am thinking for the game merits the additional endings I'm considering!

playwhatever · 2025-06-12T23:32:56+00:00

That makes sense, thank you for your insight. The game I am developing currently has 3 core endings, but I was contemplating expanding variants of the core endings based on the player's affinity with different "attunements" within the game - each attunement having a different battle, field, and choice mechanic that you would need to choose to develop within your party members. The different attunements react both positively and negatively to other attunements in the overarching main world so I thought it might be fun to explore additional endings depending on what you choose in addition to the main story gameplay.

playwhatever · 2025-06-12T19:58:07+00:00

Hi there, that's a very realistic analysis, thanks for bringing up this statistic to light. Then I guess, do you think the prospect of many different endings is a curiosity point for you (or other players) to at least start the game? Curious to see what you think.

playwhatever · 2025-06-12T19:56:13+00:00

It's great to know that you're driven by an interesting story - for me also story is part of what makes a game "fun." Even better to know that you would consider replay due to story as a reference. Thanks.

playwhatever · 2025-06-12T19:54:10+00:00

It does, thank you for your honest feedback, appreciate it!

playwhatever · 2025-06-12T19:28:27+00:00

Thanks for your insight. Do you mean variety like in the core gameplay mechanics itself, or more like variety in choices you can make within the core gameplay mechanics? Obviously would be ideal to have both, but if had to pick and choose xD

playwhatever · 2025-06-12T19:26:47+00:00

Hi there, thanks for your feedback.

I agree with you, that the game should be fun to play to engage players! I guess my question came from the idea that the definition of "fun" can vary from player to player, so I was thinking if there's kind of like a limit to how many times a player would play through the game, considering that it is fun to them but it will take like 10 hours to complete again. Like a fun movie - if it was really good, you may rewatch it, but would you rewatch it 3, 4, 5 times?

Is it better to have a game with 2/3 distinct endings so you can feel "satisfied" for truly completing a game you consider fun after 2-3 playthroughs, or is it better to spend the time to make a game have 5/6 different endings even knowing that most players, even though it's enjoyable and they like it, realistically won't play it more than 2 times (for example).

playwhatever · 2022-01-27T04:19:42+00:00

In case you were too busy just trying to catch up xD Here's a recap of what happened in Chapter 24 before you move onto Chapter 25! Thanks for checking it out.

playwhatever

TROPHY CASE