Raishall: Call of the Abyss (WIP)- Completed/Closed

[Neapu]

I love it!

[Jacic]

Thanks so much @Neapu .

Just as a general update on this game I’m still working on the alternate path but it needs more work before I’ll update the WIP. It’s turning out to be a lot trickier than the original path for me to write and be happy with which is weird, but it’s getting there .

[Jacic]

Hi everyone. Thanks for bearing with me with my fairly extended writing/beta reading absence largely due to RL stuff.

I’ve been getting time together to work on Raishall mainly of late and I think it’s almost done. (Phantasmagoria is also wrapping up soon hopefully too then upwards and onwards onto my other WIP projects from Dragon Chronicles and moving forward from there.)

I reckon I’m probably down to the last chapter of the alternate path (I’m trying not to get too carried away so I reckon maybe 5-10k-ish words to go. Really trying to get this one done by the end of the year. If I can get any bugs out (which knowing me, there will be bugs) maybe I can get it out for beta testing if anyone is interested by then, will see how I go anyway . I found the alternate ending much harder to write, so hope someone may be interested in letting me know what you think.

Anyways just a little progress update since I’ve been pretty quiet in my WIPs. Take care everyone!

(The game link hasn’t been updated yet. Due to the way the game is structured it’s better to do it all at once or risk breakages as I edit and move things around.)

[Queen_Zelda]

It’s a very intersting game, I got the ending with my MC sacrificing herself I’m looking forward to read more. Should try to get another ending too

[Jacic]

Thanks so much @Queen_Zelda!

[adrao]

Let me know when you get the “final” version out, and I will be happy to playtest!

[Jacic]

Thanks adrao! Always appreciated

[Jacic]

Hi everyone, sorry have not been having a productive writing year for multiple reasons but trying to get back on board again now.

Only a small update for now (I have more written but it needs general editing and bug testing) but just putting out a peek at the alternate route. This is an experimental little game where I’m going to allow you to flip the character and see things from the perspective of the other party. Normally you’d play the the enchanter route (which has a full playthrough uploaded) then move across to the spirit playthrough (but I’ve disabled this requirement for the purposes of playtesting at the moment.)

Updates:

• Character creation save for the enchanter so you don’t have to keep entering the details. I think this is working ok! (If you “restart” on dashingdons it will delete this save though unfortunately.)

• Starting sequence for the spirit route.

• General edits for grammar/clarity.

Feedback welcome, more will be added as finished up Link in the top post.

[Jacic]

Just finished editing about another 11.5k works (The current total is up to about 45.5k words but will need another two chapters added to finish it). So yep, not a long game, will probably be in the 60-70k-ish word bracket I think. The new section still needs debugging so has not yet been posted.

I’m thinking given this is short and designed for multiple playthroughs rather than one single long one, that it may be better to wait until the game is completed to post a chapter update perhaps? Would love some feedback on how the game is playing and feels when it is done if anyone is willing (Although I’m more than aware this experimental little game probably isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste so no pressure. I keep saying I’ll sit down and have a stern word to my muse that ideally I need write something commercially viable eventually )

[Queen_Zelda]

I really like it, I’m glad I got a few hints (thank you for that xD) to get my ritual in the right way I got a good ending, I think (Saved the life of Hilani’s son.) it’s very short but like I said a nice game I died a few times too xD and I’m looking forward to read more about the other path as well!
great work!

[Denzil_Melgior_Nagel]

I too, had a blast. Can’t wait for the other path to be completed. Will it be released somewhere, or will it just stay around on dashingdon?

[Jacic]

Thanks so much for the kind comments @Queen_Zelda and @Denzil_Melgior_Nagel !

The plan is I’m hoping it may be able to be released on HG when done. Failing that, the alternative is for it can go onto dashingdons/itch.io.

[Netos]

@Jacic It seems very nice , thank you for writing it. However, it would be better if you found a beta-reader that knows English better, or at least does not do as many typos
At the start, the word “plains” shoud probably be “planes”
Your character can carry earrings with “runes of power”, not “ruins of power” XD o.o

[adrao]

@Jacic At the moment I’m trying my best to get the DLC for HoV out, but once I do that I will be happy to read!

[Jacic]

Thanks so much for those @Netos, I’d missed those. I’ll get them fixed up in the next update

Thanks @adrao!

[Jacic]

Hi all, wondering if I can ask an opinion. I’m currently coding a fight scene for the spirit route (not available to play yet sorry as unfinished so will error out if I put it up for folks to see) but am a bit undecided whether to use *if (which will hide unselectable choices) or *selectable_if (which will grey out choices but still leave them visible.

So here’s the thing, there’s standard attacks which you can choose and the success rate/damage will be affected by your base stats (for example even if you’re small, you can still choose to charge your enemy, you will do less damage than if you are a bigger creature though.) These will always be available and it’s up to players to decide how they want to fight.

But, there’s also a series of choices that have to do with the element(s) at your disposal. For example you can’t use a fire based attack, if fire isn’t one of your primary elements. I also have some extra attacks available for creatures that have unlocked an extra ability set. There’s quite a few different attacks, but it’s not like pages you’d need to look through. (Not sure if that’s still annoying though?)

So question is, do you think its better only to have the specific attacks available to be visible, or would it encourage replays if players can see there’s many other options there depending on how your character has been designed?

• Only have options selectable visible.
• Have all options visible but grey out the ones that can’t be used.
• I have another idea (comment below.)
• I just want to see the results and have no preference

[adrao]

I voted for “only have options selectable visible”, on the basis that there are too many options to select. As in… having 10 options to choose from can be “too much”, especially if many are greyed out, better to just use *if. However, if the number is more limited, maybe better to use *selectable_if… given that the game is on elemental magic, maybe then better to use *selectable_if? (if not so many options, to increase replayability).

But… I guess in the end I haven’t helped you much…

[Jacic]

thanks adrao that actually does help

[Jacic]

Hi all, no updates on dashingdons but just a note on where this is going for anyone following

Sill working through the spirit route fight (those extra choices do add time to write but hopefully it’ll make it feel a bit more customised than just the same choices each time.)

I also had the bright idea of writing a short story that’s set before the events of the main game (follows a different character so it’s not making choices for your one, but they are in the story as a side character if that makes sense.) It’s only about 4k words (it’s finished) and more of a customised story with the correct names, gender and skills subbed in rather than a normal choice game. Basically a background story designed to be unlocked after the enchanter and spirit routes. (I’m trying to build more context through each playthrough so they get unlocked one at a time.)

Given it’s already written so I might as well put it in, I’ll find out when the game’s released, but just curious what the feeling is towards customised stories (rather than choice stories) as additional content for a game? Is it something you’d possibly like to see more of, or not particularly? I know a few other games have included extra content possibly along these lines (I think Samurai at least might have had extra stories) but I’m not sure how they’ve been received either.

• All for additional content even if they’re side stories.
• I’ll try it out, but not fussed either way.
• I won’t read them even if included. No interest.
• Run the poll again once you’ve released the story and I’ll answer then.

[adrao]

I was just about to start, while waiting for my next flight… However, the save feature isn’t activated?