woootbm's YT channel: hard critiques on RPG Maker games

[bgillisp]

You know if you need ideas, Unite came with a sample game...

 

[woootbm]

3rd dev log in a row!

Dev Log 9: Lockpicking Mini-game!


Might be another dev log next week, too. Or maybe just a break. Things are finally settling down here but I’m probably going to be too busy to record this weekend ^_^;;

@bgillisp Do I have to buy unite to get it? It’s not really something I’m looking to get right now. But I sense a funny…

 

[woootbm]

Whoops! Didn’t record in advance enough so no episode this week. Next week should be the return of a game review, though! It’s gonna be a special one!

 

[woootbm]

When some guys want more views
with a big magnitude
That's... OMORI

When the fans get real mad
though we said, "It's not bad"
That's... OMORI



New episode! How do I find these obscure games? Wow!

Spoiler: we don't hate the game, but we also don't give it a perfect 10. Even so, this is probably the most click-baity thing we've done. Which is amusing because we just played a game and talked about it like normal. But Tony and I are both jerks so we welcome any "drama." Woooo!

 

[TheAM-Dol]

Oh my god! I can't wait to watch this one when I get home today!

 

[bgillisp]

What's next, you going to dare to give a Zelda game a 7/10?

 

[RCXGaming]

When some guys want more views
with a big magnitude
That's... OMORI

When the fans get real mad
though we said, "It's not bad"
That's... OMORI



New episode! How do I find these obscure games? Wow!

Spoiler: we don't hate the game, but we also don't give it a perfect 10. Even so, this is probably the most click-baity thing we've done. Which is amusing because we just played a game and talked about it like normal. But Tony and I are both jerks so we welcome any "drama." Woooo!

Holy hombones, you guys actually covered Omori on Is It Trash. This is coincidentally the first time I've ever taken the time to look at it myself, and uh. Hmm.

From what I understand, the combat never gets much better than this except for one boss battle down the line. Uricksaladbar did a pretty comprehensive examination of Omori on his channel and he also goes into the absolute lava dump that was Omori's kickstarter campaign.

Dev's first game + didn't know anything about game design (effectively the dev is a webcomic artist that wanted to make their comic into an RPG - Archeia and them did a lot of the heavy lifting, hence why there's so many custom scripts) + made a lot of promises they couldn't keep (original stated release was 2014, game actually came out in 2020) and a whole lot of other bungling.

It's actually kind of amazing the end product is even liked, because it could have gone much, much, much worse. My impression is a few things:

- I would never be caught dead with this combat, even with the cute aspects.

+ I would kill a man or even two to have art like this, like this game is gorgeous in every aspect.

?? Wow it leans very hard into the typical Earthbound-depression template at the start (super bubbly quirky but the dark aspects are almost startlingly out of place, as opposed to the real Earthbound where it had a healthy balance, etc.)

It's interesting because Omori is actually 20 hours long, and apparently it's quite the slow burn game if the overwhelming praise I've heard about its endgame content is anything to speak of.

 

[TheAM-Dol]

Uricksaladbar did a pretty comprehensive examination of Omori on his channel and he also goes into the absolute lava dump that was Omori's kickstarter campaign.

Do you have a link to this? I'd like to know more. To me, omori was just this game that came out of nowhere.

 

[RCXGaming]

Do you have a link to this? I'd like to know more. To me, omori was just this game that came out of nowhere.

Here's his video, as well as a video that talks more about the controversy itself. Here's also the Nitrorad review that would have likely gotten peoples' attention, since he's one of the bigger youtubers that cover RPG Maker games. (for reference Nitro's video has 786K views vs Urick's 500K... nothing on the controversy vid which has 1 million views, though)

 

[TheAM-Dol]

Looks like I got homework to do. First Woootbm's video and then all the bonus features on disc 2.

 

[woootbm]

What's next, you going to dare to give a Zelda game a 7/10?

I'm pretty sure I know who/what this is a reference to. Personally, I would probably give BotW a 7... or less!

From what I understand, the combat never gets much better than this except for one boss battle down the line.

Oh no... well, I guess our grading was fair here then, heh.

Dev's first game + didn't know anything about game design

If they were just gonna pay someone to make a game, why use this engine? I guess it's cheaper and faster but still took them 6 years?!

Archeia and them did a lot of the heavy lifting, hence why there's so many custom scripts

Well, dang. Imagine having OG's on your project. Maybe I'll just ring up Yanfly while I'm at it, heh.

I would kill a man or even two to have art like this, like this game is gorgeous in every aspect.

At some point Tony describes the game as being "carried by its art." The more I think on it, the more I buy into this idea. And it's not just art but animated art in a lot of cases. Ooh, baby!

It's interesting because Omori is actually 20 hours long, and apparently it's quite the slow burn game if the overwhelming praise I've heard about its endgame content is anything to speak of.

Welp, I probably won't be finishing it then. Tony might get around to it since he can just use my gamepass. But if I'm curious I'll just watch a long play. I just get really flustered by the start and stop nature of the gameflow which makes the player stuck every 10 minutes (which I guess is thematic of depression and all but... whatever, man).

Looks like I got homework to do. First Woootbm's video and then all the bonus features on disc 2.

Yes, me first!

 

[RCXGaming]

I'm pretty sure I know who/what this is a reference to. Personally, I would probably give BotW a 7... or less!

This man lives for spreading chaos. Not that I know if BotW deserves a low score because I've never played it. Just that Tears of the Kingdom is Better(tm)?

If they were just gonna pay someone to make a game, why use this engine? I guess it's cheaper and faster but still took them 6 years?!

Well, dang. Imagine having OG's on your project. Maybe I'll just ring up Yanfly while I'm at it, heh.

The creator OMOCAT had the express purpose of making a game in RPG Maker because it promoted DIY storytelling. Which, you know, fits in regard to why the game is the way it is. I think it boiled down to her picking the most accessible medium to make a game with.

As for how long it took... again, it was her first game - she had no idea how to manage scope and wasn't in this to make a game-game, as far as I know. It's like the most realized version of the "art game" that's usually made in RPG Maker, which explains... quite a lot, actually.

There were also a few other issues like switching from VX Ace to MV and all of the plugin conflicts that caused.

 

[bgillisp]

Yeah I think we both know who I was talking about. Still it is annoying how fandoms think everyone should sing the praises of their games far and wide and give nothing less than a 10/10

BTW on Unites sample game. Sadly yes you have to buy Unite to get it, or find a copy of it deployed by someone who owns Unite. I have the 2nd as someone on the GGG server deployed it for us to see what it was like. Can send the link via DM if curious.

 

[woootbm]

This man lives for spreading chaos. Not that I know if BotW deserves a low score because I've never played it. Just that Tears of the Kingdom is Better(tm)?

I don't wanna start a rant here, heh. But I definitely feel like loving these games has a prerequisite of being a die hard fan of the franchise. If you aren't... it'll just be a boring open world game with features you've seen done better in other games

As for how long it took... again, it was her first game - she had no idea how to manage scope and wasn't in this to make a game-game, as far as I know. It's like the most realized version of the "art game" that's usually made in RPG Maker, which explains... quite a lot, actually.

Ah, scope. The killer of many projects, both big and small. I could definitely see that. Looking at the combat screen and saying "I wanna animate xyz and have abc change based on mno" and everyone else going "whoa, lady, please! Slow down!"

There were also a few other issues like switching from VX Ace to MV and all of the plugin conflicts that caused.

The old Duke Nukem Forever syndrome. At least they stopped at one! DNF might still be upgrading engines if they had infinite money

Yeah I think we both know who I was talking about. Still it is annoying how fandoms think everyone should sing the praises of their games far and wide and give nothing less than a 10/10

A lot of people have this strange need to have something infallible in their life and defend it to death. Whether that's some spiritual being, a sports team, or a product... I'll never understand.

BTW on Unites sample game. Sadly yes you have to buy Unite to get it, or find a copy of it deployed by someone who owns Unite. I have the 2nd as someone on the GGG server deployed it for us to see what it was like. Can send the link via DM if curious.

I might do that, thanks! I think the next game is a submission. Other than that, me and Tony might try to hit another titan. It's kinda fun!

 

[RCXGaming]

I might do that, thanks! I think the next game is a submission. Other than that, me and Tony might try to hit another titan. It's kinda fun!

Be prepared, by the way. The Unite thing... uh... to put it in less polite terms, I've seen better fangames.

 

[woootbm]

Another dev log!



I know everyone loves dev logs, especially when they're about math!

Have you ever wondered why that piece of loot hasn't dropped yet? You read that it has a drop chance of 10% and you've fought that boss 10 times already! What gives! Today I answer that question and dip my toes into statistical probability stuff.

 

[bgillisp]

I'll see if I can get the Unite Sample game for you then if you want to take a shot at it. Prepare yourself. Its...something.

 

[woootbm]

A new game review is here!



This week we play Single Malt Apocalypse, thanks to @wilpuri !

Trying out some things to mess with the algorithm, so hopefully ya don't mind being the guinea pig a little bit.

 

[pawsplay]

New episode!



This week we found a real gem; almost as bad as Radolf!

A bit of a warning for this one: this game features insensitive and tasteless humor. Nothing hardcore, just likely crosses a line for some.

OMG so they actually went for minstrel show humor in this game. That's what the odd story description comes from. I'm not going to explain, just google it if you want.

 

[wilpuri]

A new game review is here!



This week we play Single Malt Apocalypse, thanks to @wilpuri !

Trying out some things to mess with the algorithm, so hopefully ya don't mind being the guinea pig a little bit.

Hey, thanks for playing it! I'm super glad you liked parts of it and some of the flaws are very easily repaired. Of course some criticism goes against what I'm trying to do, but many changes will be made. So thanks! You made the game better.

Random thoughts:

- Silver mining: Clearly the biggest flaw in the game seemed to be one line of text. Not knowing how to get silver out of the walls ruined almost everything else. I need to fix that right away. It needs to say "PICKAXE!!!"

- Graphics: I'm glad you warmed to the visual style. I've been drawing comics my whole life and this was originally a comic book idea. I've never released anything, but I'm currently making my first comic that I actually try to get published. My drawing style is rough and "underground". The sheer amount of stuff you have to draw even in a game this small is incredible. I got better and faster, but damn... I definitely understand a little better those who try to skip that phase. Just a little.

- Combat: If someone is really against the traditional menu based combat then this game is going to be bit of a slog. What I tried to do with it was having the different weapon elements and the items you can use to do massive damage. The weapon elements clearly need to be introduced somehow (now they are just in the item descriptions). For example the bugs in the tunnels take a lot moe blunt than blade damage. The idea was that roaches are crushed. The numbers fly by so fast you might not see who did the biggest damage, so I think the elements need to be stated clearly. The levels are also very significant, I don't know if you noticed, but after the level ups the combat got instaly easier.

- HeIp: think it was just some random comment in the video, but a Help-item will be added to the inventory. For me this game seems so tiny and simple, but there's clearly so much systems, status effects, damage elements and all that stuff that you need a way to go back to those. There's a Reference Guide in Steam, but I need to add item you can use to remind you what does what.

- Story mode: I'm not entirely sure how I'll implement easier mode, but I will add that. I don't think it takes anything away from those who want to have the Ass Kick Experience. My main test players seemed to be real gluttons for punishment, because they ate up that crap with a smile.

- Cosmic Nausea: This status effect seemed to be a big pain in the butt. The skill to get it removed is actually pretty new addition. That's why only those in the party get it. It was not supposed to be a big deal, more like a happy accident that you get a skill for some characters and they don't need a doctor. The status wasn't even that critical, but you couldn't remember that, because there was no in-game way to check again what it does.


SO, thank you again. Its sure was absolutely frustrating to watch at the some moments, but that is the only way to learn how different people approach the game. Especially in a game this open there are many pitfalls. I'd say 1/3 of the three and a half years of developing has gone to creating the world in away it takes into account all kinds of approaches. And it still doesn't always work.

The game will be out 4th of August in a much more better form!


Hey, maybe Wishlist this turd! It will be polished!