Star Dogs: ****Demo Now Available!****

[heroscratch]

 ​

Genre: Dark Comedy/Drama-Action RPG​

 ​

***DEMO Download***​

 ​

Rtp Included: http://www.mediafire.com/download/cv8sdgx74p36s2w/Star_Dogs_RTP.rar

RTP Not Included on files below.​

 ​

The below difficulties relate to the time allowed to act during battles. Easy Mode also comes with some starting gold. Normally, you must find 1 of 3 hidden chests to complete the first dungeon. Easy Mode is also slightly more up to date, having some fixed wall tiles, and a faster save option. (Once you use a phone booth to save the first time, you don't have to sit through the same dialogue again)​

 ​

Easy Mode: http://www.mediafire.com/download/u1b5b3tv4oz4cba/Star_Dogs_Easy.rar​

Normal Mode: http://www.mediafire.com/download/beaezdzebaic4ag/Star_Dogs_Normal.rar​

Hard Mode: http://www.mediafire.com/download/e5z9jcb5bhjo8t4/Star_Dogs_Standard.rar​

 ​

 ​

 ​

The year is 2197, Vince Grey, and Alice Witcher are a team of skilled, narcissistic bounty hunters who travel the galaxy, clearing out scum to make a few shards. After taking on their first bounty in months, they realize there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. Soon they find themselves fighting against a crime organization bent on controlling all aspects of the habitable solar system.​

 ​

Come along with Vince and Alice on a tale of crime, pirates, bounty hunters, and mischief!​

 ​

 ​

 ​

The main goal of the game is to follow the story and take down bounty targets. But there are also things you can do on the side if you get burnt out on bounty hunting.​

 ​

Play a round of Tetris at the local pub, jam out to some tunes on the jukebox, or make friends around town! in the coming versions there will be more and more mini-games added to make the world feel more alive and complete.​

 ​

While on the ground, combat is conducted using keyboard input; If an enemy happens to catch you, you will be prompted to hit a key combination (i.e. A, Up, Down, Right, D). Some enemies will take multiple successful attacks, and some enemies hit harder than others, so be careful!​

 ​

Creating relationships with the locals is a good way to grab a piece of gear you couldn't have otherwise found. There will be several npcs on each planet that you will be able to befriend. Should you satisfy their needs to fill that void only a friend can, they will reward you with rare and unique items. ​

 ​

Space Exploration will become available later in the game once you have had a chance to better upgrade your ship's thruster's to move quickly through the vast space between worlds. As you explore, you may find abandoned meteor colonies, crashed ships, habitable colonies, or rich minerals to harvest and sell.​

As there is much to see and do, and much more work ahead of me, I will continue to update this list as often as possible.​

 ​

 ​

 ​

Name: Vince Gray​

Age: 28 ​

Occupation: Team leader, Thief​

Ship: Dawn Breaker​

Bio: He's been in trouble a lot, but he also learns from his mistakes. Vincent is one of the best thieves in the galaxy, able to sneak into the most secure locations. Due to the nature of his work, he has mastered the art of the gun.​

 ​

Name: Alice Witcher​

Age: 26

Occupation: Everything that Vince hates doing aside from fighting.

Ship: Bloody Mary

Bio: Sassy, bored, and usually often amused when Vince is annoyed, Alice is Vince's loyal side kick. None around can seen to pin down why Alice is so loyal to Vince even though she is one of the most narcissistic people in the galaxy. Rumor has it that Vince saved her life in a previous encounter with the White Viper crime syndicate, but no one knows for sure... aside from Alice and Vince, anyway.

 ​

Name: Michael​

Age: 16​

Occupation: Cultist of the White Viper crime syndicate.​

Bio: Young and cocky, Michael is the youngest member of the White Viper crime syndicate. Many of the members feel he is too arrogant and disrespectful, even to the powerful deities he can summon.​

 ​

Name: Dr. Mace​

Age: 31​

Occupation: Science Officer of the White Viper crime syndicate.​

Ship: ??​

Bio: Dr. Mace is an enigma, even within the ranks of the White Viper. Only the leader, Virgil and White Viper member Hel know how to contact him. He has a reputation for his sadistic behavior and practices. He is rarely ever seen, but rumors are you never want to see him; if you do, you'll become one of his experiments.​

 ​

Name: Virgil​

Age: 31​

Occupation: White Viper crime syndicate leader.​

Ship: ??​

Bio: Cocky yet brilliant, he never does anything without a plan, a plan to back that plan up, and another plan that backs up the back up plan. He considers himself to be a modern day Moriarty, always in total control of any situation. His ruthlessness led to his quick rise within the ranks of the White Viper crime syndicate, becoming the leader at the young age of 27. Before then, the syndicate had always operated under the rule of the elderly.​

 ​

 ​

Here are just a few of the tracks in the game; the style is mostly Jazz.​

​

Spoiler

​

 ​

​

 ​

​

 ​

​

​

 ​

 ​

​

Spoiler

​

 ​

 ​

​

Spoiler

(This list is ever growing. If there is anything out of place that I forgot to mention, please PM me and I will add credit where credit is due, thank you )​

 ​

+Credits.

RGSS3: Enterbrain

RGSS3: Khas

RGSS3: Helladen

RGSS3: Yanfly

RGSS3: Modern Algebra

RGSS3: Alteir RGSS

RGSS3: HimeWorks
RGSS3: HeroScratch (Nick Shea)

RGSS3: AntiCasper

RGSS3: Glitchfinder

Graphics: Enterbrain

Graphics: Pandamaru

Graphics: Skorpio

Graphics: Ying

Graphics: Ariel

Graphics: Leventhan.

Graphics: Terra-Chan

Graphics: QuizicalGin

Graphics: PandaMaru

Graphics: Lunarea

Graphics: Avadan

Musician: The Adventures of Duane And BrandO

Musician: KevinvMacleod

Musician: freemusicarchive.org

Movie Trailer: Eliot Rae

Story: HeroScratch (Nick Shea)

Event Planning: HeroScratch (Nick Shea)

Story Plandning: HeroScratch (Nick Shea)

Game Engine: Enterbrain

Special Thanks:
Sixth

ShaZ

Lunarea

Kevin Macleod: http://incompetech.com/ and his new website https://www.*******.com/. Kevin is an AMAZING musician with a wide array of music for just about anything you could possibly imagine. He was kind enough to let me use his music for my game and I highly reccomend ANYONE needing great music go and check out his site!

 

HimeWorks: http://himeworks.com/ Normally priced out, Hime was awesome enough to let me use a script that they made in this commercial title. There are TONS of great scripts on his site that literally any dev could make use of. I highly reccomend checking them out!

If I forgot anything, send an email to nick.ziabatsu@gmail.com and I will be sure to add you to the list! Though I am 99.9% sure I have it covered.

​

​

 ​

Author's Notes:​

 ​

**** In the credits on one of the clients, I listed a musician as "The Amazing BrandO". It SHOULD be, "The Adventures of Duane And BrandO". The readme document included will reflect this change upon the next version update"***********​

 ​

 ​

 ​

 ​

****Update!****​

I have created a new client known as "Easy Mode". 

The differences in the Easy client are:

• 5 starting shards. Normally you have to find 1 of 3 hidden chests around town (outdoor chest locations) to complete the first dungeon due to an item you need from the weapon store. 
• The phone booth now offers faster saving. After the first time you use a phone booth, you are no longer required to see the repeat dialogue. *Note, every FIRST use of a phone booth still uses the full message*
• The combat timer has been slowed down. ***This one has been near impossible for me to figure out. I type 120 words per minute, so the speed in which the input is required is something I will likely be tinkering with until the full game is released***
• Some mapping related fixes. (No longer able to walk up walls in certain areas etc).

I feel like these changes should elevate most frustrations that players may have encountered before.

Also, I would like to add an additional tid-bit about the game. 

There is currently no dash. However, in the first dungeon there is a chest that unlocks when you kill all the monsters on the floor that has a 1/10 chance to drop 'sprint boots'. This is a special item that gives the player faster movement speed when they equip them. The second dungeon has a rare 1/10 drop item as well that is very useful, however I will not spoil what it is.

When you open a chest you will always get gold, and often some junk. The junk can be sold at the pawn shop for extra cash and is not good for much else. It's just another way to make some cash. 

You can farm a dungeon as many times as you would like. Once you leave an area, the dungeon will reset everything, giving you another chance to get an item you may be farming for.

I really hope this information helps any new players to the game, and I hope anyone who tries the game really likes it. I highly recommend starting with the 'Easy Client'. If it's too easy, try the 'Normal' and so on. I plan to eventually figure out how to fix my script enough to where I don't need separate client copies for different difficulties, but until then it's the best I can do.

Again, thank you all for taking the time to read this update, and I hope you'll give it a shot and let me know what you think!

 ​

 

[heroscratch]

Small update:

The fishing/cooking system is roughly 30% complete (with the hardest tasks being out of the way).

The graphic interface on the key action system has been changed so that you can easily read the text. (see picture below)

The first scenario "Trippin' on a hole in a plastic bag" is nearing completion; the alpha will be available once 3 scenarios are available.

Crushed all known bugs except for one involving Khas lighting, which crashes the game using the F12 client reboot method.

Finished fleshing out my 'save game' system (there is a darker side to saving games).

I'm hoping that the new colors help the text 'pop' more than before.

You save your game using payphones spread throughout the different worlds; who or what is on the other end, and why do they know so much about you?

Upcoming changes:
 

Additions of all player ship sprites. (Only one is currently in game)

Reducing lag on several maps.

Solar system additions. This process involves adding more and more stray meteors, star bases, crashed ships to explore etc.

The first relationship NPC's will be available to befriend. Scenarios for Earth are all completed and just need to be implemented.

Begin work on building Venus, (there will be many more moons to come, and even another planet.

(I was satisfied with the green text when I put it in place on the action key system, but now I find it's still rather hard to read. Will change color in next update)

 

[RocketKnight]

I found it interesting the project proposal, maybe you should draw up a "gameplay" interesting and a catchy soundtrack leave everything exactly sensational. Good job.​

 

[heroscratch]

I found it interesting the project proposal, maybe you should draw up a "gameplay" interesting and a catchy soundtrack leave everything exactly sensational. Good job.​

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by, "draw up a "gameplay" interesting"? Do you mean display the game features in a magazine-esq way how I did above under the game-play section?

I did like your second idea, though. I'm surprised I didn't do it in the first place, but, on the main post I have uploaded 4 songs from the game to listen to. Thanks for your feedback, too. Criticism good or bad is always appreciated.

 

[heroscratch]

0.2 update(s) it's been a while.

------------------------------------------

• Mars 90% complete. (Just need a few inners for small rooms etc).
• TBS Skills and abilities 99% done. (Just some tweaks left)
• First two bounty's ready to be played. Once I have 4, I will release an public alpha.
• Began work on cinema. (In game movie theater with 45 second to 1min 30 second audible movie movies made by myself and others.)
• Re-worked misc. dialogue to make the game flow better.
• Optimized all Earth maps to show no lag. This was a major issue until recently. Due to a lot of eventing, maps had to be re-made or re-done a bit in order to accommodate all of the atmosphere that I had originally planned on. Mars alpha is operating perfectly so far.
• Adding new outfit customization's to buy from the shop. (Some are required for the main mission or side missions, i.e. space suit)
• Walking physics are now different on earth, on mars, and in space (assuming you don't have artificial gravity purchased).

There are just some of the things I have been working on since late November. While this isn't a complete list, I feel it represents all the major changes that are worthy of note.

 

[R4B]

Definitely looks like you put a lot of time into this project. the mapping looks great and the story sounds interesting!

My only complaint would be that the font you are using for dialogues is way too big... 

 

[mlogan]

This looks really interesting. And I love the magazine style "pitch". Very catchy!

 

[heroscratch]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you two liked it  

@R4B  As for the font, I'll experiment with making it smaller; the main reason I don't think I have is I recall trying to change the font size a while back and it made it look choppy. However, that may have been something totally unrelated and I got the two confused. I'll give it a shot later and see what happens. I'll post a screenshot if it looks good and you can tell me what you think!

 

[heroscratch]

Mainly just here to say Merry Christmas. (I'll be gone for the 25th, so eve will have to do for those stuck in pacific through eastern time)

I also did that font size change. Here is size 15, 17 and size 19. (Odd number fonts are necessary for this font).

Please let me know what you all think

Small

Medium

Large

 

[R4B]

The first and second one looks good. 

 

[heroscratch]

Thanks for the font size suggestion, I think I'll stick with #2. It really does look a bit nicer, imo. 

Also, Happy new year's eve and new year! 

Due to the holiday I haven't really done much in game, but I did put together a little trailer today that I figured I'd share with you all here. I hope you guys like it!

 

[heroscratch]

Some good news! Not necessarily a game update, but I'm in talks with a large publisher and may be able to take this project to the next level. I'll keep this thread up to date on any news, as usual.

 

[heroscratch]

There have been quite a few changes since my last post! The old 'star dogs' is technically not my property anymore, so this is a new rendition of my vision. It has a new cast, (heroes and villains), and different play structure. The demo is currently available, and I would love any feedback you are able to provide!

I played through my demo start to finish, so it should be good to go for a play through. I cant say how long it would take anyone to complete, but my guess would be 1-2 hours? The demo is complete, all available buildings can be accessed, all npc's will speak, etc. The only thing not currently in-tact is the friendship system. However, you will get a message letting you know in game.

To get you started with some cash in game, I will give you a hint; there are 3 hidden treasure chests around town; you will need to find at least one to complete the first dungeon.

Thanks for reading and I hope anyone who tries the game really likes it. I tried to make something a little different from what is currently available on the rpg maker market, so again, any feedback would be great. I want to know if it's a waste of time or a solid idea!

****Also Major Credits Note: In the credits, I listed a musician as "The Amazing BrandO". It SHOULD be, "The Adventures of Duane And BrandO"***********

*****If you had tried to download a copy of the game earlier using the "Rtp not included" version, I have a new download link. The old one was possessed by evil and would only link to the rtp included, even though the link and file names were totally different.*****************

 

[heroscratch]

Update!

I have created a new client known as "Easy Mode". 

The differences in the Easy client are:

• 5 starting gold. Normally you have to find 1 of 3 hidden chests around town (outdoor chest locations). 
• The phone booth now offers faster saving. After the first time you use a phone booth, you are no longer required to see the repeat dialogue. *Note, every FIRST use of a phone booth still uses the full message*
• The combat timer has been slowed down. ***This one has been near impossible for me to figure out. I type 120 words per minute, so the speed in which the input is required is something I will likely be tinkering with until the full game is released***
• Some mapping related fixes. (No longer able to walk up walls in certain areas etc).

I feel like these changes should elevate most frustrations that players may have encountered before.

Also, I would like to add an additional tid-bit about the game. 

There is currently no dash. However, in the first dungeon there is a chest that unlocks when you kill all the monsters on the floor that has a 1/10 chance to drop 'sprint boots'. This is a special item that gives the player faster movement speed when they equip them. The second dungeon has a rare 1/10 drop item as well that is very useful, however I will not spoil what it is.

When you open a chest you will always get gold, and often some junk. The junk can be sold at the pawn shop for extra cash and is not good for much else. It's just another way to make some cash. 

You can farm a dungeon as many times as you would like. Once you leave an area, the dungeon will reset everything, giving you another chance to get an item you may be farming for.

I really hope this information helps any new players to the game, and I hope anyone who tries the game really likes it. I highly recommend starting with the 'Easy Client'. If it's too easy, try the 'Normal' and so on. I plan to eventually figure out how to fix my script enough to where I don't need separate client copies for different difficulties, but until then it's the best I can do.

Again, thank you all for taking the time to read this update, and I hope you'll give it a shot and let me know what you think!

 

[LostFonDrive]

I feel like these changes should elevate most frustrations that players may have encountered before.

That's not good, lol

 

[Kes]

I noticed that you say you have to create separate clients for difficulty modes.  I use Dr Todd's script, but that gives 4 modes.  If you only want 3, I noticed that Bloodmorphed has what looks like an interesting script which you can look at here.  I do strongly recommend that you sort this aspect out sooner rather than later, because the longer you leave it the more complicated it will be to implement.  

 

[heroscratch]

I noticed that you say you have to create separate clients for difficulty modes.  I use Dr Todd's script, but that gives 4 modes.  If you only want 3, I noticed that Bloodmorphed has what looks like an interesting script which you can look at here.  I do strongly recommend that you sort this aspect out sooner rather than later, because the longer you leave it the more complicated it will be to implement.  

Oh, I certainly agree. This is the only time I'll be doing separate releases based off of difficulty.

The only reason I'm doing it this way now, is because I've had some feedback saying that the battle system moves too quickly. It's going to take me a little time to implement a difficulty setting because it completely alters one of my scripts. This was just a quick, easy solution to get a more accessible demo out.  I'll certainly be looking into the scripts you have suggested to see if they would be compatible, though! 

Thanks for the references!

 

[heroscratch]

That's not good, lol

Is it bad? My battle system relies on key input. Think DDR or Step Mania. I can type 120 words per minute. It's near impossible for me to judge who is going to be good at hitting keys quickly and who cannot. Hence why I really like people giving me feedback and testing the game out.

(Sorry for the double post. Mistake on my part..)

 

[Kes]

120 words per minute is phenomenally fast.  A good, competent copy typist would be expected to type at around 60 words per minute with 95% accuracy.  Most people would struggle to do more than 40 words per minute with high accuracy - which I would assume would be an absolute requirement if it's for a battle system.  That's the order of difference between you and many of your potential players.  You have the additional advantage of knowing your game so well that you do not have to stop to look at the screen if you don't want to.  A lot of people who can type reasonably fast are not touch typists, they will not be able to look at the screen and type quickly at the same time.  And during a battle, one's natural instinct is to watch what is happening - that's part of the reason why we have battle animations, and animated battlers, we expect people to be looking.  

I think you are underestimating basic physiology.  In broad brush terms (there are always individuals who are exceptions) the group with the fastest reflexes are males in their teens; the next fastest is males in their 20s.  That leaves a lot of people with slower reflexes, and fast typing does draw on reflex movements (not the only thing, but a significant aspect).  Then there are people whose hand and/or finger movements are slower because of injury, tiredness, natural born clumsiness.  Those are factors which have to be taken into account - unless, of course, you are aiming at a specific niche audience.  I have no idea who your beta testers are, but I would recommend you try and get as diverse a demographic as possible to test this system out, if you haven't already done so. 

 

[heroscratch]

120 words per minute is phenomenally fast.  A good, competent copy typist would be expected to type at around 60 words per minute with 95% accuracy.  Most people would struggle to do more than 40 words per minute with high accuracy - which I would assume would be an absolute requirement if it's for a battle system.  That's the order of difference between you and many of your potential players.  You have the additional advantage of knowing your game so well that you do not have to stop to look at the screen if you don't want to.  A lot of people who can type reasonably fast are not touch typists, they will not be able to look at the screen and type quickly at the same time.  And during a battle, one's natural instinct is to watch what is happening - that's part of the reason why we have battle animations, and animated battlers, we expect people to be looking.  

I think you are underestimating basic physiology.  In broad brush terms (there are always individuals who are exceptions) the group with the fastest reflexes are males in their teens; the next fastest is males in their 20s.  That leaves a lot of people with slower reflexes, and fast typing does draw on reflex movements (not the only thing, but a significant aspect).  Then there are people whose hand and/or finger movements are slower because of injury, tiredness, natural born clumsiness.  Those are factors which have to be taken into account - unless, of course, you are aiming at a specific niche audience.  I have no idea who your beta testers are, but I would recommend you try and get as diverse a demographic as possible to test this system out, if you haven't already done so. 

I completely agree with you. I have been trying really hard to get as many people as I can to play through; posting where-ever I can, having friends and family try. The main problem is, not many members of my family are even computer competent, so getting them to install the game requires a phone call, haha.

I also agree with your points about average type speed; I just wish it were easier to get a solid group of people to test it out for me and say if they like it or not. For me, Normal and Easy are PAINFULLY slow, HOWEVER, I had a friend and cousin try it who aren't as good as typing as I, and they were having issues. It just sucks because I have don't really know how I should be balancing it w/out any feedback.

I appreciate your reply I'm definitely trying to stay in touch with the community as much as possible as I make this game so that it's accessible to anyone who wants to try it.