It's a momentous day! Observe: I finished the storyline for Rorasuketo. The last map was a roller derby montage in chapter 4. A nice way to wrap things up. The game is... in its most raw form, "finished." Now the tweaking and fixing begins in earnest. I've got a few testers lined up, but first, my husband and I are each doing a playthrough to ensure there are no major game-breaking glitches that will stop everyone in their tracks. My first export actually gave an immediate error upon launch. (RPG Maker scans for used and "unused" images upon export, with the option to exclude the unused ones. However, employing an image through a third-party plugin, like a HUD, can apparently appear as "unused." But the file is actually used, and RPG Maker only figures that out at launch. That's my best assessment, anyway.) I have found a few missing screen fade transitions and unwarranted outfit changes. Things like that. So... I think we're going to b...
As I have mentioned, my husband recently played through the entire game. Over the last eight years, he's slogged through a few minutes of gameplay here and there when I politely commanded, or watched little snippets when I was particularly proud of a cinematic, but he's never seen the whole thing from start to finish until now. And I had to ask... did the ending make sense? Did it wrap things up? Do you feel satisfied that the story was complete? The answer to him, and so far one other tester, is "yes." All of my alpha testers so far have voiced that the mental health aspect of the game is what interests them - while story, dating, and RPG aspects have been more diverse interests. I find that really interesting, and also encouraging. So I feel like I'm on the right track. Because here's the thing. The odds are extremely low that I will recoup the time, energy, and upcoming promotional costs of making this game. I have put in countless hours, plus I have a tea...