New Hosted Game! "Breach: The Archangel Job" by Michael Maxwell and Ben Luigi

Hi. I am playing on the IOS omnibus app and am a blind user. Apologies if this has come up already, reading through all this with a screen reader is just too hard. Hopefully if someone replies I get an email or something. Anyway, not sure if it is because the game has been updated, but twice now I have lost my game. The second time was especially gutting as I was going so well. Both times I got to a point, stopped, and when I came back to it had been kicked back to an earlier point. As well as that, my player profile was all screwed up. I will be specific on the second instance. I was just meeting everyone and about to select my crew, but had to stop. When I went to resume the next day, I was back in the car after having just escaped the police station. The capper was that my name, description and everything was gone. It said I hadn’t completed my profile yet, but I was past that point. I am now terrified to start again, because I don’t want to put all that effort in just to lose it. One more time and I may chuck it in, and I really want to play this.

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For those who are experiencing errors, I would highly suggest emailing CoG directly with details at

support-gps-omnibus(at)hostedgames(dot)org

So far, I have seen iOS users have experienced some problems but if Android users experienced them, email them to the same email as above. This would help the authors greatly since they don’t need to comb through this thread for errors.

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Same error is happening on Steam right now. Can’t click any of the header buttons, so I can’t play the game at all. Was there an update that I missed?

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Yeah, as I’ve said above, I did make a bit of a mistake writing the outline of the game with the story revolving mainly around the main trio.

I will be exploring even more of both the MC, Reville, and Mouse’s backstory in the second game. (And once I’m done editting, I’ll be adding a bit more scene to the ending of the FBI route).

Ah, alrighty. Much thanks!

There used to be a planned bank job, but I decided to save it for the 2nd game because I couldn’t finish it in time.

These sound like errors created due to the update. I’ll be making precautions to limit the amount of errors you get for the next update. I am terribly sorry for this. I do not control when the game updates, but if when there is a game breaking bug, i’ll be sure to send the fix as soon as I can.

I cannot fix the fact that the game resets to the start of a file when it updates, but I can try to help make sure that your character data is still stored. We’re still going through the game, combing through different paths to find things to fix, piling up as much as we can before we send the fix to HG.

Oh god, I’m so sorry you had to go through that :sweat_smile: But thank you very much!

Well, the 2nd book will be coming after I finish Afar: Mad World, and that may take a bit while, but I’ll be sure to keep start it as soon as I can! I don’t plan to make Afar: Mad World as big as Breach. I’ve learned my lesson…

That’s the plan! :wink: Depending on which ending you had in the first game, the 2nd game will explore the MC’s own history a bit more.

And thank you very much! I’m glad you enjoyed the game! I’ll be working on Afar: Mad World as soon as I finish editing and fixing this one.

Not immediately. You can rekindle the relationship when you meet him again in the second game, or break it off completely. Same goes for Raquel, or any other Archangel RO. Rook is a bit different… as he always is…

The 2nd game will definitely explore more about the Character’s relationship with the other crew members, this also focuses more towards Gabriel or Raquel’s actual history if you do choose to romance them. Who knows, maybe if you’re smart enough, you’ll figure out who they are :man_shrugging:

I feel like in either case, there will be people who like it, and people who don’t. The jobs and hangouts are there mostly for the MC to be independent from the main trio and be able to control their own crew in their own job. This creates a big difference between working with the main trio near you, and working without their help.

These characters are inspired mainly by the lovely community that had supported the development of the game. So much love to all of them! :heart: :smile:

There are a lot more characters and you will be seeing more of them in the 2nd book.

That may be true, but it is still a flaw with the fact that the main trio is on a much higher level than the MC. As lame as it may seem for some, this was intentional. I do plan on giving the MC much more opportunities to rise up to the level of the main trio, and be on par with them in terms of skill and effectiveness. Who knows, maybe the MC can be promoted to Gabriel too some day :man_shrugging:

Much thanks! And thank you for the feedback!

Yes, yes you will. From Azraels, to the first Michael and Gabriel, from Lucifers to the one and only Asmodeus, you will meet them all in the later games. But I would like to clarify, these are just names and labels given to identify roles, levels of threat, and loose hierarchy.

I feel like I’ve screwed myself by making the game more than 800,000 words long. It was unnecessary, and an absolute pain to push through, but I did it anyway because I had nothing better to do.

Combing through the mess of codes and loop-de-loop narrative will drive anyone mad, but it’s no excuse for me. I’ll be sure to go through the game and fix any flaw I come across. It might take awhile, but it’s not like I have anything better to do. I’m sorry it felt unfinished.

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So, if anyone on Steam is experiencing the ‘UniModule Line 14’ error, I figured out a workaround that will allow you to at least open up the game and start a new game. Basic warning about not knowing how this will affect your previous cloud saves, not a big deal for me because I know what choices I made for my ‘main character’ and will be able to run through the game again quickly to make that save.

So, put Steam into offline mode and go to where your remote saves are. For me, that is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\58697292\1166840\remote, and it’ll probably be pretty similar for you. You’ll see a few files (storePSbreacharchangel…) in that folder, just delete them. Now, with Steam in offline mode, start a new game and advance ahead a screen or two. Exit the game to create a save. Put Steam in Online mode, and open Breach. It’ll ask if you want to use the older or newer saves, use the newer. This allowed me to open the game again and return to the newer playthrough. I still had access to New Game+ as well.

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Second Chance with ROs…but a maybe(?) with rook

EC8Oa7-XUAAcM0Z

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Thank you @BourbonDingo for the possible fix! :smile:

I’m still working on the update for that fix. But I’m afraid that if they do update it everyone’s save will be reverted back to the start of the chapter. I’m guessing this is why there’s a bit of gap in between updates.

And @PelvicBone Rook and Bishop are two independent characters. Despite being allies to the Archangels, they have their own things to do and their own little missions. As an FBI, you’ll have to actively hunt down the Archangels to meet your RO again. But for Rook, don’t worry… he’ll find you.

EDIT:

This thread has been moved over to the main one.

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That just hyped me up for the sequel. I can’t wait for the confrontation and all that drama.

As for Rook…welp

20191118_232121

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I found 2 more bugs. When you start new game plus mode, it says that we’re suppose to receive $300,000, yet we don’t get it. Also, when you are done with a heist and are distributing the share of the take, There is an option that should say give everyone your 6%. However, instead of 6 it says 2. At least in that case, it works as intended. It’s just the description that’s wrong.

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So, some thoughts on the Archangel Ending:

Thoughts on ending.

It was pretty enjoyable, and most of it was rather unexpected. The parts that were most rewarding, I feel, were actually related to the crew. During the escape from the Mill, the PC’s crew actually gets a moment to shine and during a story mission too, so it’s a lot less disjointed than in one of the prior heists (where there’s a lot of potential ways of going about it). The Trio and Kaidan aren’t there to overshadow them or to save you for quite a large bit of the two chapters, and this is extremely, extremely rewarding. I’ve expressed before in the public beta that I had gotten tired of Gabriel, and I was very, very grateful for the pay-off of the chase scenes, even if it wasn’t intended to have any emotional impact.

As they show up in a storyline mission and do stuff, the crew actually feels more relevant too, and there is pay-off in that it is the crew you chose showing up, instead of whoever the plot calls for. Ramiel showing up and bailing out the MC & Mike & Gabe along with Raquel was also markedly better than just having Raquel show up.

Apart from the crew kicking ass together, another good thing was that there were allusions that they were actually a crew and worked together after you woke up. The crew “appears” to have their own initiative when you are knocked out, both in evacuating you and while you are still under, so they’re not as flat. You also actually have a group scene where they’re together out of combat, which I don’t think is ever seen elsewhere apart from pre- and post-heist. Consequently you got a bit of Charlie/Anna banter which came off better than what little banter they had in their hangouts. If there was three-way banter or have the crew start doubting the Trio, I feel it would have been even better, but that would quite a bit of work.

The SUV/minivan chase with the RPG was “unique”. The imagery was very good, even if it did feel a little slapstick at times (more on that later).

That said, there are downsides. The potential hook with the Trio and the Keeper was good, and overall it seemed to end at a natural place. However, the entirety of everything from the Battle of the Mill onwards was dominated by the Trio, who are still the main drivers of the plot. A great deal is still devoted to Gabriel and Michael slaughtering enemies while the PC sits there gormlessly – if it were interspersed with more choices on the PC’s part it would have been better, but instead it is a frequent occurrence again to have several paragraphs on end devoted to Gabe & Mike being aggrandised by the text.

There is a lot of hinting about Gabriel and Michael having a falling out throughout the entirety of the game and especially the Archangel ending, but it is never resolved and somewhat feels like being strung along at this point.

This is standard fare by this point, but what rubs me the wrong way is how it is all framed. There is a set up for the PC and their crew to be relevant in the Mill Battle (“don’t let anyone through”, “proven your skills”, but Gabriel “blesses” the PC with increased luck, does that thing he does in front of the Mill, and consequently hugs the limelight even if the PC does everything perfectly. He was always a bit Mary Sue-ish (and I’ve expounded on this back in the public beta), but the stripping his vest off and the increased luck “blessing” the player was really a bit much.

Actually, come to think of it, I know what describes Gabriel best and why I have so much animosity, and it isn’t just that he’s a Mary Sue: he’s messianic. I know there’s religious imagery and all that, but it was really too much. Even when there is an attempt at showing uncertainty on the part of Gabe & Mike in the ride to the warehouse, it feels insincere. I don’t believe that they’re uncertain due to how they’ve been built up beforehand, the beef jerky (which really wasn’t necessary and made the scene less serious than it could have been) and also how they still manage to get out of there.

In hindsight, thoughts about the Informant Ending:

More thoughts.

It is evident now that there’s a lot more in the Archangel Ending than the Informant one, which paints the latter in somewhat of a worse light. How long the story seems isn’t the sticking point, but instead the content is. As mentioned above, the main loss is the lack of scenes where the PC’s crew starts acting like one in a story mission, which the Informant PC doesn’t get. Having played through both endings, I now feel that the loss of the action scenes in the Archangel-ending aren’t such a major sticking point now than it seemed after finishing first with the Informant-ending.

The Battle at the Mill wasn’t a major loss, since the potential for a Mexican stand-off between Gabriel, Michael, Raquel and the Informant PC is far more intense, even if the MC can’t get out of it. Additionally, there is a literal life-or-death choice there if the MC has a first aid kit. That all being said, having a there should probably be a limit to these – there are at least two already with this confrontation and the “stop Megan from being executed” one.

Getting saved by the other Angels in the Archangel route is a marked change in tone from bleeding out next to your best friend and RO on the floor in the Informant route, though in both instances had pretty smooth segues into the PC getting a major wound and it was actually nice to see the Archangel associates doing something and them being the ones to save the PC’s arse. I will say that getting hit by a bin lorry was a better excuse for being knocked out than being shot by an FN FNC despite potentially wearing plate that is presumably rated against 5.56. If Michael, in the Informant route, had shot the PC with Enigma’s sniper rifle, it would have been less galling. Also, Gabriel tanked a .338 Lapua, so I think the PC should be able to take a .308 in a cutscene.

I also now have a nominally greater interest in Lt. Salazar after playing the Archangel-route, but it shouldn’t really have taken him getting kidnapped in a hospital bed by Gabriel and tortured by Michael in another route to do that. In terms of the quality of the ending, both the Informant-ending and the Archangel-ending have decent hooks and open up more about the world, but it is considerably weighted in the Archangel-ending’s direction. As I mentioned before, the Archangel-ending also ended more naturally.

General thoughts

General thoughts.

Given the influence from Rooster Teeth material, I feel that Breach suffers from one of the major recurring flaws of RWBY (the only thing I’ve watched from their catalogue): bathos. Scenes intended to be humorous or are on a major tangent show up, and as a consequence of it not being entirely smoothly integrated, they sink a great deal of tension from following scenes meant to be dramatic, and the mood just becomes confusing overall. There could be a gag about getting stuck in a parachute, only for there to be a torture scene featuring a drug kingpin who is still high which is treated as being dramatic, and after his throat is ripped out there is a minor gag about using the money on his body to buy some fast food.

I feel the transitions between bits intended to be levity and those that are not could be smoother. There is a place for levity and comic relief, even the absurd – it doesn’t have to be “no fun allowed” - and since there already is a degree of comedy it would be a mistake to remove all of it. But I think there should be greater care about where it is placed in the future.

Though I would appreciate further exploration on the Trio and all their schemes, the PC and Mouse, it shouldn’t be a major surprise that I’d also like to see more out of the PC’s crew too. I don’t want them to be so “flat” compared to everyone else. They are the bulk of the ROs, and as I understand the initial ROs too, and I would like to see how they react to everything, whether their motivations change etc, and have them play a larger role in the main storyline. That’s a lot to ask, I know. But that would also go a long way to making the game less-focused upon the Trio, VAMCorp, Ghost Company and all these nebulous entities that all appear to be above the PC’s weight class. The people at the bottom of the ladder with the PC deserve some attention too.

Hope some of all this is useful.

Bugs

Bugs, etc. (Spoiler, evidently)

If you have finished Charlie’s third event (the grab race) before the second heist, you can still select him in the hang out menu. It then kicks you back to the “what do you want to do” menu.

Also, if you have finished Mouse’s third event (the investigator), it also locks you out of Charlie’s third event. Related?


If you pass the persuasion roll with Megan during her interrogation, it says

Gabriel looks to you and says, "I…am thoroughly impressed/"


A minor formatting issue is that sometimes for the chapter splash quotes e.g. “Archangels! Make 'em Pray!” for Chapter 4, Part 1, it isn’t bolded or italicised, but at other times it is. I feel it should be more consistent.

This is a continuity thing, but is Hayne supposed to carry around a Glock-19 along with her Walther P99 and Beretta 93R (and of course her rifle)? In Chapter 4, if she spends the night with you she wakes up with a Glock-19, but in the pre-Mill battle scene she has a Walther P99.


If you spend the night with Charlie as a female PC, there is a pronoun error when chapter 4 starts, and a typo:

"Wh…what's going on, luv?" she whispers as she wipes the sleep out of his eyes.

He waves before pulling away behind you as he saysm "Give me a minute, I'm sort of exposed here!"


Typos

"Oh, I didn't realize I was interrupting somethingçmind if I join in?"

his arm around Rook's neck, T=

Gabriel sets his wooden cane and his rifle down on the table in front of the office, then walkS past everyone to the center of the loading bay, toward the entrance, calmly.


Formatting showing up in-game (all of this was bold):

BOOOOOOM!/b] With a sudden shockwave, the office implodes.


C4P2

If Mouse is Avelyne there is another pronoun misuse:

"Is he still alive?" Mouse asks as he pokes the side of the patient's stomach, prompting a quiet groan from under the sack covering his head.


My PC’s not in a relationship with Gabriel (with Charlie instead), but I got this:

You wake up with Gabriel

then

You turn and see Gabriel walking out of Greg's office with a blanket around his back


If you have the carbon nanotube suit this can occur:

Fortunately, you can wear your bulletproof suit beneath your suit

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