[The Dreaming] v0.9 (Win/Mac/Linux)

[otaku_lady89]

Dear god... V.V I got this game, played through four different endings (I got the second one three times, but I only count it as once, XD) and had to use the walkthrough to get the final ending...

And it made me cry.

I am not ashamed to say that.

THIS GAME IS AWESOME.

Yes, it's hard, but some games are MEANT to be. Some games you HAVE to have a walkthrough to work with. And some, are just MEANT to be dissonant.

I think the Art in and of itself is what MAKES the game. Not breaks it. This is a wonderful game.

I ask that you not change a damn thing.
Except maybe releasing a full walkthrough of all endings? XD

[SyberiaWinx]

Well, of course it matters.O_O

Then...Jane lives? The epilogue is told from her perspective, so you are suggesting she survives? But, if that is the case, I don't really think that point got across.

[Wright1000]

There are some spelling mistakes.

For example-

Institutions is written wrong in some scenes.

[Taleweaver]

I ask that you not change a damn thing.
Except maybe releasing a full walkthrough of all endings? XD

The game is currently under... reconstruction. So to speak. So I won't change a damn thing, but that won't prevent other people from changing a thing or two...

I'll publish the walkthrough as soon as there's something new to report from that front.

Wright1000: yup, there are a few typos here and there. Almost inevitable in a script of that size if you don't have a proofreader. But as Darth Vader would have put it: typos do not concern me, Admiral.

[aestate]

THIS IS GREAT.

I found the plot extremely intriguing, and both the writing and art was very well-done. They definitely succeeded in producing a sort of unsettling feeling (and I guess I probably shouldn't have played the game right before going to sleep! Gah, the White Lady was creeeepy.).

It was challenging and I had to consult this thread a ridiculous amount of times to get ending 6, but I had loads of fun! The game was very original and felt very refreshing (I think this is the first "dark" VN that I've played, too...which is kind of sad, because I adore that genre. xD).

Thank you for creating such an amazing game.

[machinist]

i was gonna wait for the next version but
couldn't resist playing it!

managed to get ending 1-5 myself then looked for walkthrough for ending 6
(i probably would have never figured out how to do get this ending on my own lol)
i enjoyed the game! when i first started it i did not expect to see a monster at all lol

now I'm gonna check out your other games

[Taleweaver]

i was gonna wait for the next version

Gah! Don't! The new version will definitely take a while! I'm going to mention it in this thread when it's done, of course, but don't expect a release in the next few weeks!

[Nimuell]

I wanted to stop by and say how much I loved this game for a long time already... I played it, about.. what, two weeks ago? Without the walkthrough, because my Internet connection was down that day. But I was so much into the story that I kept trying until I got true ending. I was really intrigued.
I also played at night... Quite the unforgettable experience... especially when the monster first appeared. ><

This story really impressed me. The art and the writing, everything was great. Even with some things still unfinished, the game still felt complete.
Thank you.

[Taleweaver]

This story really impressed me. The art and the writing, everything was great. Even with some things still unfinished, the game still felt complete.

Ah, that's really nice of you considering that there are some people who think I shouldn't be making VNs...

...the best OELVN I can think off the top of my head, The Dreaming, would've been better if the branching (good idea, horrible execution) and art (terribly unfit of the game) were stripped off, the story rewritten as a novella and read while listening to the soundtrack.

I particularly T_T'ed at the "horrible execution" part and would have wished this criticism had reached me directly instead of finding it hidden in the devblog of a different VN as an example of bad execution. Really, pointing at other indie projects saying "look at how bad they suck"; you just don't do that as an indie gamemaker.

[Nimuell]

Ah, that's really nice of you considering that there are some people who think I shouldn't be making VNs...

Don't take it to your heart so closely. I can only speak for myself, and my words aren't worth much, as I'm not the kind of expert, the author of that post claimed to be. But I immensely loved your game and your writing. I just feel like that.
"Pure logic is the ruin of the spirit" (c)Antoine de Saint Exupéry

...the best OELVN I can think off the top of my head, The Dreaming, would've been better if the branching (good idea, horrible execution) and art (terribly unfit of the game) were stripped off, the story rewritten as a novella and read while listening to the soundtrack.

I particularly T_T'ed at the "horrible execution" part and would have wished this criticism had reached me directly instead of finding it hidden in the devblog of a different VN as an example of bad execution. Really, pointing at other indie projects saying "look at how bad they suck"; you just don't do that as an indie gamemaker.

That's not nice. Actually, when I read that article I somehow felt, it was all about their pride with KS. "Look how they suck, and we (are) will be great." Something along these lines.

About horrible execution, I don't share their opinion on this. Probably true ending was really hard to get, but I eventually managed to get it (even though I was getting all impatient in the end). And then, as I thought about this, choices make sense to me. They are kind of logical, but that's how you feel only after you've tried getting true ending for some time.
And I found the art very fitting. At first look it caused some dissonance in me, but then I got used to it, and in the end, I can't imagine it any different (btw, really similar to the effect of cute graphics in Higurashi or Madoka)

[nope]

Well, he did say The Dreaming was the best OELVN he played (I agree!), so that should soften the blow.

The Dreaming, would've been better if the branching (good idea, horrible execution)

Many people in this thread complained that the game was two hard, which could be seen as the result of poor branching, since (if I recall) nearly all paths lead to that super-hard ghost.

art (terribly unfit of the game)

Seems like a matter of personal taste.
I agree with him.

[Taleweaver]

Many people in this thread complained that the game was two hard, which could be seen as the result of poor branching, since (if I recall) nearly all paths lead to that super-hard ghost.

All paths led to the White Woman, except for those that ended on an early game over. To get to the True Ending, you had to make the correct decision fourteen times in a row. This is the same level of difficulty as in Kana: Imouto, and yes, it's pretty tough, especially since there are so few clues has to what the right decision is.

However, I didn't interpret the criticism about the branching paths as a matter of difficulty, more like "why does this story branch at all if it has one true ending"? KS has one ending for each girl (plus one ending for no girl), and that's what I think somehow make The Dreaming inferior in Aura's eyes

art (terribly unfit of the game)
Seems like a matter of personal taste.

It is a matter of personal taste. I specifically wanted to go for the Higurashi effect (cutesy art, WTF story) knowing there would be people who dislike the style. The fact that only a part of the art was actually completed was an additional flaw (though some seem to consider it a benefit). I can only ask those people who didn't play The Dreaming because of inferior production values to play it again when it looks like this:

Whoops, where did that come from? Anyone saw where that came from? Strange...

[Nimuell]

Is it the concept for the remake? O__o

[Taleweaver]

Is it the concept for the remake? O__o

Who knows?

[DaFool]

Please no, don't remake it with those graphics. You can never satisfy elitists (which this game smacks right into their favorite genre territory *cough* Saya no Uta). The monsters were by LVUER too, right? Those were absolutely magnificently horrifying.

Finish the unfinished graphics and customize the interface to non-default. And then don't change a damn thing.

Personally, The Loyal Kinsman was my favorite among your works.