Death Rule:lost code [RELEASED]

[Hijiri]

Dropping by to say that a second demo will be out within the next couple of weeks. This time it should include part of the first episode: The Final Rule. Also, all the new artistic elements and stuff shown in the screenshots should be inside as well.

[Hijiri]

Well, all the art is now finished. CG's and all. Everyone, give Katon a round of applause!

[Hijiri]

The new demo is out. Go download it now from the first post!

[frederic09]

hi, i just downloaded the demo and there's a part i didn't understand.

What is the meaning with the episode choice ?

I've read the game will be cutted (or something like that), will there a be a full uncut version one day ?

It looks like there's a lot of background and stuff in your story, but taking the train as late as now made me lost.

Could you explain me and make me understand between all theses versions and stuff like that ?

By the way, i loved the concept, the sprites and the sound effects
I completed the quizz with 2 errors on the 1st time.

So i'm watching for your final version of the game ^_^

[Hijiri]

hi, i just downloaded the demo and there's a part i didn't understand.

What is the meaning with the episode choice ?

The episode select is deciding which of the two stories in the game you want to read. While both stories feature the same setting and characters, both are rather different in which direction their stories will go. Also, one (lost code) is more focused on the Game as a whole (thus the jumping narration) while the other (The Final Rule) is more focused on one specific person.

I've read the game will be cutted (or something like that), will there a be a full uncut version one day ?

Death Rule: lost code ORIGINS will contain cut CG's and a bonus story. It will be released sometime after the main release.

It looks like there's a lot of background and stuff in your story, but taking the train as late as now made me lost.

If you have any questions pertaining to the background of the story, feel free to ask. Of course, there are some things I can't reveal since they may spoil some parts of the story.

Could you explain me and make me understand between all theses versions and stuff like that ?

Death Rule: lost code will be the main release. And I already explained ORIGINS up above.

By the way, i loved the concept, the sprites and the sound effects
I completed the quizz with 2 errors on the 1st time.

So i'm watching for your final version of the game ^_^

Glad you liked it. I Hope to release the full version soon as well!

[ketskari]

So far the story flows very smoothly, although I just started. The thing that strikes me the most is how the sounds tell the story, something I've felt to be lacking in some other VN's I've tried.

There are a few things that hang me up. The use of the third person pronoun ("they") to talk about the unknown person is a little distracting for me, at least in prose. Bloodcurdling is misspelled as bloodcurtling. And the blinking next button is really bright.. because of the high contrast (it's often the brightest thing on the screen), it draws my eye while I am trying to read the text. Maybe tone it down a bit? Like make it transparent or a few shades greyer or something? These are all niggly things...

Must say again that the sound design is amazing.. the overall design and art is very attractive, and the characters I have seen so far are intriguing. Will play more of the demo tomorrow.

[Hijiri]

So far the story flows very smoothly, although I just started. The thing that strikes me the most is how the sounds tell the story, something I've felt to be lacking in some other VN's I've tried.

There are a few things that hang me up. The use of the third person pronoun ("they") to talk about the unknown person is a little distracting for me, at least in prose. Bloodcurdling is misspelled as bloodcurtling. And the blinking next button is really bright.. because of the high contrast (it's often the brightest thing on the screen), it draws my eye while I am trying to read the text. Maybe tone it down a bit? Like make it transparent or a few shades greyer or something? These are all niggly things...

Must say again that the sound design is amazing.. the overall design and art is very attractive, and the characters I have seen so far are intriguing. Will play more of the demo tomorrow.

Glad you like it so far
Sound design is something I feel is important for storytelling, particularly in a medium that relies on static images and music. What I can't show with imagery, I'd much rather play the sounds and let the reader imagine it on their own.

Well, there is another reason I use 'they' when describing that mysterious person....
As for the CTC Icon, I'll be sure to fix that as soon as possible. Since I spend so much time with the game, I hardly notice it myself, which is why these demos help.

Hope to hear your opinion once you finish

[ketskari]

"They" as a pronoun makes sense the more I read into the story. :)

Typos I spotted:

"He should have ran when he had the chance"
"He check checked the ground"
"Dwight twirled around" might be better if it was 'whirled' since twirled kind of implies dancing.
"...trade insults for a while longer until they heard a a noise from"
"Combat Prohibition Zone and discussed what accoured to them"
"If you saw the Player Ability information screen, you could see that one ability scrutinizes with my own" - Did you mean "synchronizes" instead of "scrutinize" here?
"Abigail strafed again, but the knife"
"Abraham's still sleeping sillouete"

And my thoughts. I took notes as I played:

The Final Code
Dwight is a likable, well-rounded character. I genuinely felt for him, and I liked that the single viewpoint allowed me to get to know him. I look forward to reading about how Dwight handles his objective/death rule.

Lost Code
When the option to look at the player's PDA came up, and I clicked the map option, it immediately clicked the player option instead? Not sure what that was about. Might be my crummy netbook. I liked having a few more choices here, although, haha, didn't expect to die by helping her...

George stood out as an interesting and well-developed character--esp. with the way he made Abraham feel uneasy and then challenged Dwight. I also liked Abigail, and the way she influenced the other characters.

I enjoyed the plot twist where the game/hunters began to malfunction. And I absolutely loved the music at the end. Also, the character deaths did not surprise/upset me, because it was clear from the beginning that all the characters could potentially die.

OVERALL
I liked the variety in the rules. When I first learned Dwight's rules in the Final Rule, I figured everyone else would have some variation of the same, so I appreciated the creativity with the different death rules.

As for my reaction... I seldom try survival horror, but I did enjoy the demo of this VN. I liked the characters and their reactions.

And, of course, it flows really well, although I would say there were some minor inconsistencies, such as when Abraham goes to investigate George's death. Simple curiosity doesn't seem a compelling enough reason to endanger oneself... unless that was a character's fatal flaw or something, whereas investigating because it's a) his companion and b)a potential danger he needs to learn about, are reasons enough.

Other responses--sometimes it would have been nice for the picture to stay up a little longer before the NVL mode kicked in and I liked the futuristic design, which contributed to the immersion in this story.

[Hijiri]

Typos I spotted:

"He should have ran when he had the chance"
"He check checked the ground"
"Dwight twirled around" might be better if it was 'whirled' since twirled kind of implies dancing.
"...trade insults for a while longer until they heard a a noise from"
"Combat Prohibition Zone and discussed what occoured to them"
"If you saw the Player Ability information screen, you could see that one ability scrutinizes with my own" - Did you mean "synchronizes" instead of "scrutinize" here?
"Abigail strafed again, but the knife"
"Abraham's still sleeping silhouette"

Whoops, I'll be sure to fix them ASAP.

Lost Code
When the option to look at the player's PDA came up, and I clicked the map option, it immediately clicked the player option instead? Not sure what that was about. Might be my crummy netbook. I liked having a few more choices here, although, haha, didn't expect to die by helping her...

George stood out as an interesting and well-developed character--esp. with the way he made Abraham feel uneasy and then challenged Dwight. I also liked Abigail, and the way she influenced the other characters.

I enjoyed the plot twist where the game/hunters began to malfunction. And I absolutely loved the music at the end. Also, the character deaths did not surprise/upset me, because it was clear from the beginning that all the characters could potentially die.

OVERALL
I liked the variety in the rules. When I first learned Dwight's rules in the Final Rule, I figured everyone else would have some variation of the same, so I appreciated the creativity with the different death rules.

As for my reaction... I seldom try survival horror, but I did enjoy the demo of this VN. I liked the characters and their reactions.

And, of course, it flows really well, although I would say there were some minor inconsistencies, such as when Abraham goes to investigate George's death. Simple curiosity doesn't seem a compelling enough reason to endanger oneself... unless that was a character's fatal flaw or something, whereas investigating because it's a) his companion and b)a potential danger he needs to learn about, are reasons enough.

Other responses--sometimes it would have been nice for the picture to stay up a little longer before the NVL mode kicked in and I liked the futuristic design, which contributed to the immersion in this story.

That menu that appears isn't supposed to be a choice. That was just so the reader can see how the menu looks like to the cast. I don't rely on imagemaps in-game, except for that episode-select screen.

That was a sort of 'block' while I fixed a few errors and worked on fixing the music room. I'll be updating the demo in a short while to change where that option will take you.

George and Abigail's strengths lie in how they affect others. One can say that that side part was me trying to show them off a bit, since they get a bit less screen time later on in the 'main' path.

Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh, and about that inconsistency:

Abraham is a journalist, and a rather nosy one at that. He has the urge to see what's going on.

Hope that cleared it up. I'll also be sure to take into mind that about the nvl mode.

[Hijiri]

Dropping by to say that there is a possibility that my co-writer will be streaming his path sometime next week. Keep watch for news....

[Hijiri]

Friendly reminder that this project is still alive and well. Just been rather slow with the writing due to issues at home. Hope to have more to show soon.

[Hijiri]

Dropping some screenshots:








Also, new logo added to the first post
Someone please say something, its sorta depressing just talking to myself here. Orz

[Hijiri]

It brings me great joy to tell you all that the writing is now complete!

All that's left is coding and editing, then we'll start beta testing.

[Asceai]

Congratulations on finishing the writing!

...I need to get back to that myself >_>

[Hijiri]

Trailer I