RMVXA The Stuff Fairy Tales Are Made Of

[NoPatience]

After 4 hours of tedium in the Black Castle with the party at Lvl 18 and 19, I have found the witch on Lvl 100 that cannot be damaged. Paul has Silver Staff, Adele has the Partisan Spear, and Barbara has Holy Dagger. It's one thing to have a challenge, but this game seems to require too much grinding to succeed.

I am probably underleveled. But without an elevator to the ground floor, I am most likely giving up because the game seems unbalanced and doesn't give enough EXP for battles. I have not escaped from many of them either.

It's a shame because I thought it had potential and your beta testers should have given you better feedback on game balance.

That's too bad, because if you grind a bit more, on level 20, Barbara gets a very useful skill that will help in this battle a lot. Firefly's guide gives good tips for the battle with the Black Lady.


Edited to add: Adele also gets a more powerful heal skill at level 22, which might help. Also, although there is no way to go straight to floor 1 in the Black Castle, there are several shortcuts that let you skip a number of floors.

 

[Lady_JJ]

What is the trick to getting the farmgirl to talk about the former residence? I never triggered it yesterday so I went on to do the 100 story castle. I thought it would trigger after, but it didn't. I spent 6 hours climbing that tower and still don't have that option. Since I couldn't ask the farmgirl about the former residents, I could never enter the shed and find Lock of Hair and Magic Recipe Book, so the potions were never never available to me, I could never spend the night at the Hangman's Tree, and the graveyard gate back in Paul's home village never opened.

I restarted from an earlier save today (like 7 hours earlier) and followed Firefly's steps in the exact order written. I even spent a couple of hours grinding to level 20 with werewolves just to make the tower easier to navigate. All that time is now wasted because I still can't get the farmgirl to talk about the former residents. So what is the secret to getting that shed opened?

 

[NoPatience]

What is the trick to getting the farmgirl to talk about the former residence? I never triggered it yesterday so I went on to do the 100 story castle. I thought it would trigger after, but it didn't. I spent 6 hours climbing that tower and still don't have that option. Since I couldn't ask the farmgirl about the former residents, I could never enter the shed and find Lock of Hair and Magic Recipe Book, so the potions were never never available to me, I could never spend the night at the Hangman's Tree, and the graveyard gate back in Paul's home village never opened.

I restarted from an earlier save today (like 7 hours earlier) and followed Firefly's steps in the exact order written. I even spent a couple of hours grinding to level 20 with werewolves just to make the tower easier to navigate. All that time is now wasted because I still can't get the farmgirl to talk about the former residents. So what is the secret to getting that shed opened?

As you find out information, some people you already talked to might have something new to add. In this case the person to go to is the item shop keeper. (Just a note - the items you find in the shed are not vital for game completion, although the potions can help.)

 

[Lady_JJ]

As you find out information, some people you already talked to might have something new to add. In this case the person to go to is the item shop keeper. (Just a note - the items you find in the shed are not vital for game completion, although the potions can help.)

Well, then something is wonky. In my game that I started anew today prior to entering the town, I have an option to talk to the Item Shopkeeper about witches which is apparently what triggers the event. I just went back to a saved game from yesterday where I was in the tower but hadn't yet ascended to the 100th floor. I climbed all the way back down, went back to the Item Shopkeeper and there is no Witches option in the talk dialogue. So something must trigger the Witches option to appear?

 

[NoPatience]

Well, then something is wonky. In my game that I started anew today prior to entering the town, I have an option to talk to the Item Shopkeeper about witches which is apparently what triggers the event. I just went back to a saved game from yesterday where I was in the tower but hadn't yet ascended to the 100th floor. I climbed all the way back down, went back to the Item Shopkeeper and there is no Witches option in the talk dialogue. So something must trigger the Witches option to appear?

I'll send you the solution in a private conversation, but for the sake of discovery for the other players, I'll just say here that you really have to talk to everyone and when a new topic appears, there's a high chance other people will have some input on it too.

 

[kimo]

Well, then something is wonky. In my game that I started anew today prior to entering the town, I have an option to talk to the Item Shopkeeper about witches which is apparently what triggers the event. I just went back to a saved game from yesterday where I was in the tower but hadn't yet ascended to the 100th floor. I climbed all the way back down, went back to the Item Shopkeeper and there is no Witches option in the talk dialogue. So something must trigger the Witches option to appear?

Same for me. Talked to everybody, but never got any farm option to choose. Now I have to descend the Black Tower (only took me 4 hours) to level up. One character needs an Egress skill.

I'll send you the solution in a private conversation, but for the sake of discovery for the other players, I'll just say here that you really have to talk to everyone and when a new topic appears, there's a high chance other people will have some input on it too.

Can I get that, too? I'll be back on the ground level in an hour or so. If 2 people are having the same issue, it's usually not the 2 people who are doing something wrong. Just sayin'.

 

[NoPatience]

Same for me. Talked to everybody, but never got any farm option to choose. Now I have to descend the Black Tower (only took me 4 hours) to level up. One character needs an Egress skill.



Can I get that, too? I'll be back on the ground level in an hour or so. If 2 people are having the same issue, it's usually not the 2 people who are doing something wrong. Just sayin'.

I forgot I can hide information with spoilers, so here:

Spoiler

talk to executioner to make red-haired lady appear -> talk to red-haired lady about everything -> talk to item shop owner about witches -> talk to farm lady

As it says in the description of the game (and was reiterated a couple of times), information is important and you never know who has the crucial piece of it. The Oldenberg mystery is an investigation, so interrogating people for clues is expected. If access to the farm shed was something necessary for game completion, I'd add some nudges, but it is an extra, which should be a reward to diligent players.

 

[kimo]

@NoPatience
Thanks for the info. I leveled up to 22 for that Heal 2 spell, but it would be nearly impossible without at least Barbara's Assassin Edge skill. That and NOT using Adele's Provoke skill allows Barbara to gain enough TP to use her skill more than once. Also, boosting LCK was good for another couple hundred DMG. It seemed like Werewolves were the best for EXP to level up.

Overall a challenging Boss battle in the Black Tower that required the player to change things around a bit. Now it's time for dinner and dealing with the effects of Death tomorrow.

I've been making notes in the guide for future reference and I just found the spell list at the end of the guide this afternoon. I'm only refering to it when I'm a bit lost like @Lady_JJ was before.

And, yes, I've been talking to everyone everytime and I know @Lady_JJ plays the same way. You just have a lot of event triggers everywhere which gives the game a dynamic feel.

EDIT:
Is it possible for a player to become trapped in the underwater caves and have to restart from a save before the whirlpool?

 

[NoPatience]

Is it possible for a player to become trapped in the underwater caves and have to restart from a save before the whirlpool?

Yes, you can get trapped. It's really good to save often (it can be done anywhere).

 

[Lady_JJ]

Yes, you can get trapped. It's really good to save often (it can be done anywhere).

Unless you save in the room with the skeleton, then it's a game breaker. Happened to me. I would strongly recommend disabling the Save option in that cave. I finished the game. I want to thank @Firefly130984 for the guide. While I tried playing without the guide, only going from one area to the next and then checking the guide to be sure I didn't miss anything (which I often did), I'm not sure I'd have been able to complete the game without that guide. So thank you Firefly for all the hard work you did in putting the guide together.

And congratulations to @NoPatience for completing this challenging game. While I have a few concerns, such as doing C before A and B will completely lock you out of some optional rewards and a way too frequent random encounter rate especially in the final king's castle, I did enjoy playing the game.

 

[NoPatience]

Unless you save in the room with the skeleton, then it's a game breaker. Happened to me. I would strongly recommend disabling the Save option in that cave. I finished the game. I want to thank @Firefly130984 for the guide. While I tried playing without the guide, only going from one area to the next and then checking the guide to be sure I didn't miss anything (which I often did), I'm not sure I'd have been able to complete the game without that guide. So thank you Firefly for all the hard work you did in putting the guide together.

And congratulations to @NoPatience for completing this challenging game. While I have a few concerns, such as doing C before A and B will completely lock you out of some optional rewards and a way too frequent random encounter rate especially in the final king's castle, I did enjoy playing the game.

Thank you for your feedback (it's definitely useful to be aware of the various approaches players take) and I'm glad you enjoyed it

 

[kimo]

Unless you save in the room with the skeleton, then it's a game breaker. Happened to me. I would strongly recommend disabling the Save option in that cave. I finished the game.

IMHO no game should keep a player from completing it based upon a player error, poor decision, or especially a physical challenge. There should at least be a puzzle reset switch available.

I want to thank @Firefly130984 for the guide.

I do, too. Fantastic job on the guide and I concur that the game would have been much harder trying to figure out what was to be done next. Also his providing a suggested strategy like the final witch tower was very insightful. I, too, reviewed what I missed (never did find Fly Agaric mushrooms in the Dead Forest because you cannot return) and sometimes decided to replay an area.

What was the bottle of Tequila used for? There were lots of items I never used like "Eye of Newt" which I assumed someone would like for a potion.

I also ended up with 100k gold, but struggled in the beginning to acquire better equipment.

Great story telling, but the constant grinding detracted from that on occasion.

The party DMG vs. Enemy HP was fairly well balanced and challenging at all levels. Having a high escape rate reduced my frustration with some encounter rates.

FYI, I finished in 20 hours (I explore a lot) at Lvls 30-32. But, most importantly, I wanted the game to not end. Looking forward to the sequel.

 

[NoPatience]

IMHO no game should keep a player from completing it based upon a player error, poor decision, or especially a physical challenge. There should at least be a puzzle reset switch available.


I do, too. Fantastic job on the guide and I concur that the game would have been much harder trying to figure out what was to be done next. Also his providing a suggested strategy like the final witch tower was very insightful. I, too, reviewed what I missed (never did find Fly Agaric mushrooms in the Dead Forest because you cannot return) and sometimes decided to replay an area.

What was the bottle of Tequila used for? There were lots of items I never used like "Eye of Newt" which I assumed someone would like for a potion.

I also ended up with 100k gold, but struggled in the beginning to acquire better equipment.

Great story telling, but the constant grinding detracted from that on occasion.

The party DMG vs. Enemy HP was fairly well balanced and challenging at all levels. Having a high escape rate reduced my frustration with some encounter rates.

FYI, I finished in 20 hours (I explore a lot) at Lvls 30-32. But, most importantly, I wanted the game to not end. Looking forward to the sequel.

As someone wiser than me said, you can never please everyone
Some items served as fillers for the shops. Eye of newt is a remnant of an unfinished idea, I confess to that.
Grinding is a convention of this type of RPGs, although I get your remark on story interruptions. I remember playing Final Fantasy 8 ages ago, hurrying up to follow the story, carried Rinoa on "my" back from one continent to another, set foot on the outside map and immediately got killed by normal monsters. I sighed and went back to the previous continent to level up, abandoning my yearning to save her for a while. It's somewhat expected and it was a feature I didn't want to give up. I know the fights could use some work to make them more rewarding or engaging and I'm learning here what to improve in the next game.
Anyway, thank you for the concluding sentences Work on the sequel has begun.

 

[OldTimer]

Many many thanks to NoPatience for that awesome game and to Firefly130984 for his guide: I couldn't have solved a couple of issues (I didn't imagine that there may be more than a rune stone in the sea cave, and the winning strategy of the fight against the King's Captain was not obvious !). I finished the game in 28 hours with characters levels at +27.
My comment comes far after the battle, and my deepest regret are that the sequel project is surely abandoned...
I'm crying!

 

[NoPatience]

Many many thanks to NoPatience for that awesome game and to Firefly130984 for his guide: I couldn't have solved a couple of issues (I didn't imagine that there may be more than a rune stone in the sea cave, and the winning strategy of the fight against the King's Captain was not obvious !). I finished the game in 28 hours with characters levels at +27.
My comment comes far after the battle, and my deepest regret are that the sequel project is surely abandoned...
I'm crying!

No reason for tears, this game was only posted about a month ago (yes, it's made in an old RPG Maker, but it's what I have and I like working in it, so no plan to upgrade) and the sequel is in the works It's very early stages, and won't be out for some time, but it's shaping up to be fun (even if I say so myself).

Thank you for playing and finishing my game and for your comment

 

[OldTimer]

Thank you for your swift answer: indeed, I confounded your account creation date (2018) and your submission date! So I'll be patient...
PS: RPGM VX Ace is not such an old version and provide graphics and animations nobody can complain about regarding more recent versions such as MV or MZ in the good hands!

 

[norman]

hello.
when you kill death i can't kill any one any more ?
but can go north and carry on with the story.

 

[kimo]

hello.
when you kill death i can't kill any one any more ?
but can go north and carry on with the story.

Without giving too much away. Think about a universe where there was no death. Meat eaters would be without food and there would be a lot more vegetarians around.

It sounds like you have a major problem you need to fix now.

Spoiler

"Killing" death was the right thing to do.

 

[Firefly130984]

That is part of the plot.
I have provided a nearly complete guide here, so have fun returning Death.

 

[kimo]

And a great guide it is. Thanks.