Lemma Soft Forums

Hi all!

So I realize I'm a few months late but I really enjoyed playing through this game and thought it was criminal to see no replies here.

- Did the game work on your machine? Did you find any bugs/errors?
Yup, working fine on my Windows 10.

- What do you think of the main character?
Overwhelmingly loved her - there's a lot going on under the surface. I think she's a great example of how strong characters don't always need to be "strong". At first she seemed like she was going to be a non-character doormat, but when she , etc., those moments really sold her inner strength to me. And I love that she has a real flaw that actually causes real problems.

- Which character(s) do you like?
All of them!
Cain: You did a great job of making me hate the stuffing out of him at the start! I was going to go with Matt out of spite, but then he softened up and in the end I wish I'd gone for him. That moment when Akira just straight up was pretty amazing.
Matt: Although he was the last person I wanted to romance, he was actually sorta my favorite guy, in that his relationship with Akira felt the most real. Usually with the childhood friend trope, - it was really refreshing. Neal: He showed up pretty late in the game, so I didn't think there was going to be a third choice before then. I was also internally crying everytime Akira interacted with him because she mistreats him so badly. I certainly liked him but I couldn't focus on the romance because I was too busy feeling sorry for him haha!
Vic: The sweetest little baby, the bestest best friend one could wish for. She makes a great foil to Akira and Matt in their friendship circle, and I was genuinely sad to see her leave the mansion.

- Are the choices clear enough? Which ending did you get on your first play through?
I got the bad ending for laughs, and then got the default (I think?) ending, I assume because I tried to three-time it Some of the choices were clear and others I had to think about.

- If you know about MBTI (16personalitytypes), what do you think the type for each of the characters? (I'm a fan of MBTI)
Uhh
Akira: INFP
Cain: ISTJ
Matt: ESFP
Neal: ISFJ
Vic: ESFJ
!?!?

And just some general critiques -
I think the opening scene was little weak compared to the rest, where the two doctors are talking and there's a lot of exposition - the dialogue didn't really seem like something two people would really say.
The dialogue drags in places. Sometimes a character will try to convince another one to do something and there will be many back-and-forth sentences before a decision is made. Also, there are a lot of continuous "..." which can be reduced.
I was almost deterred by the graphics / different sprite styles - which is unfortunate because the story is gold, but it's the art that makes the first impression. Although if you need art assets, hit me up and I'd be happy to draw some!

But yeah, overall I thought this was a diamond in the rough with really deep characters and an engaging plot! Congrats on basically finishing it!

First of all, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENT!

Haha I tried not to expect too much when I first posted this, but whoa, finally knowing that there is someone, somewhere out there who did play my first game...I just... *overwhelmed in feelings* (T_T)

saddest-willowby wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:35 pm - What do you think of the main character?
Overwhelmingly loved her - there's a lot going on under the surface. I think she's a great example of how strong characters don't always need to be "strong".

Wow...thank you! I did try to make her as a strong girl , but still realistic, so I'm glad that I managed to convey that to you ^^

saddest-willowby wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:35 pm Cain: You did a great job of making me hate the stuffing out of him at the start! I was going to go with Matt out of spite, but then he softened up and in the end I wish I'd gone for him.

I had him sort of like the arrogant rich boy type in my head, but ended up kinda cute. Hehe. Glad you like him!

saddest-willowby wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:35 pm Matt: Although he was the last person I wanted to romance, he was actually sorta my favorite guy, in that his relationship with Akira felt the most real. Usually with the childhood friend trope,

the girl is sorta oblivious, but in this case Akira knows and Matt knows that she knows and both of them play off that

- it was really refreshing.

I had an inkling he might have been a baddie, but that didn't even change my opinion of him because I was so convinced of his feelings for her.

Yeah...I sometimes feel sorry for him because for me, he was like Lol I tried OTL But yeah, all in all, I can say that Akira is most comfortable being with Matt.

saddest-willowby wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:35 pm Neal: He showed up pretty late in the game, so I didn't think there was going to be a third choice before then. I was also internally crying everytime Akira interacted with him because she mistreats him so badly. I certainly liked him but I couldn't focus on the romance because I was too busy feeling sorry for him haha!

Haha! Interesting that you said you were too busy feeling sorry for him...I should probably tone it down a bit ^^; With Neal, honestly it was a test of some sort. I was trying to push the limit to see how much is needed for the player to like him and replay the game to get his route. I wanted to make him the loyal, too good bishie/pretty boy almost doormat type (think Miketsukami Soushi from InuxBoku SS) that I think a lot of girls would like, so I made it For me, his route was the hardest to write because I set his personality to be the complete opposite of the MC.

saddest-willowby wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:35 pm Vic: The sweetest little baby, the bestest best friend one could wish for.

Right? I love her too! >< I based her on my best friend ^^

saddest-willowby wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:35 pm - Are the choices clear enough? Which ending did you get on your first play through?
I got the bad ending for laughs, and then got the default (I think?) ending, I assume because I tried to three-time it

It IS possible just slightly trickier than other ending.

saddest-willowby wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:35 pm - If you know about MBTI (16personalitytypes), what do you think the type for each of the characters? (I'm a fan of MBTI)
Akira: INFP, Cain: ISTJ, Matt: ESFP, Neal: ISFJ, Vic: ESFJ

Hey, good guess! I definitely tried to portray Vic as ESFJ. What's your MBTI, if you don't mind me asking?

saddest-willowby wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:35 pm And just some general critiques

Thank you again for these. I agree, the opening scene was my desperate attempt to weave in lots of info while turning a blind eye on the flow itself...will make sure to be more careful next time.
I also admit that writing is not my strongest point that sometimes unnecessary dialogues were not edited out. The continuous "..." was intended to give a sort of 'long silence' situation, I wanted the player to experience real time pause, if that makes sense, rather that writing it out as words. Perhaps there are better ways for me to do it.
And again, I agree, the graphics are not that pleasant to see ^^; I was using free stuff, and it's not easy searching for sprite set that really fit what I needed (like having eyes, mouth, hair etc. on diff layers for maximum sprite customization). But for me, as this is my first game, I should produce it on my own first, sort of a proof that I am serious in making games, before I start requesting people to come up with custom sprites/GUI. But hey, I really appreciate that you offer to draw art assets for me! I'll keep that in mind for if I wanted to make sequel for this game...hmm that's an attractive idea hehe

Thank you again for playing and commenting on the game! Do you have DeviantArt account/Tumblr etc. for your art? I'd love to check it out!

Edit: I just noticed that this is your FIRST post on LemmaSoft forum! Your first post on my first game! I'm honored!
Welcome to LemmaSoft

effenelle wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:06 am First of all, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENT!

Haha I tried not to expect too much when I first posted this, but whoa, finally knowing that there is someone, somewhere out there who did play my first game...I just... *overwhelmed in feelings* (T_T)

Aww, no probs!! I'm just giving credit where it's due. I didn't know if you were still active, but I thought more people should be playing it!

effenelle wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:06 am Haha! Interesting that you said you were too busy feeling sorry for him...I should probably tone it down a bit ^^; With Neal, honestly it was a test of some sort. I was trying to push the limit to see how much is needed for the player to like him and replay the game to get his route. I wanted to make him the loyal, too good bishie/pretty boy almost doormat type (think Miketsukami Soushi from InuxBoku SS) that I think a lot of girls would like, so I made it

so that the main character's personality clashed with him big time, and made him appear quite late in the game.

For me, his route was the hardest to write because I set his personality to be the complete opposite of the MC.

Ooh, interesting, I didn't know I had to replay it. I'm curious about why he's so devoted, so yeah, I'd play it again!

effenelle wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:06 am It IS possible just slightly trickier than other ending.

Well, it's time for me to replay. LOL

effenelle wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:06 am Hey, good guess! I definitely tried to portray Vic as ESFJ. What's your MBTI, if you don't mind me asking?

So does that mean I got the other four wrong? Hahaha!
I'm INFP. According to this website I'm idealistic and reclusive, which is pretty spot on.
What about you?

effenelle wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:06 am I also admit that writing is not my strongest point that sometimes unnecessary dialogues were not edited out. The continuous "..." was intended to give a sort of 'long silence' situation, I wanted the player to experience real time pause, if that makes sense, rather that writing it out as words. Perhaps there are better ways for me to do it.

I totally see that. I think some "..." definitely make the pauses more immersive, and I use them a fair amount too for the same reason you said, so maybe it's more about finding a balance.

effenelle wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:06 am And again, I agree, the graphics are not that pleasant to see ^^; I was using free stuff, and it's not easy searching for sprite set that really fit what I needed (like having eyes, mouth, hair etc. on diff layers for maximum sprite customization). But for me, as this is my first game, I should produce it on my own first, sort of a proof that I am serious in making games, before I start requesting people to come up with custom sprites/GUI. But hey, I really appreciate that you offer to draw art assets for me! I'll keep that in mind for if I wanted to make sequel for this game...hmm that's an attractive idea hehe

Makes sense! Yeah, I forgot about how much technical work has to go into making sprites work. And on the other hand, I thought the characters matched their sprites really well, and the backgrounds were really pretty, especially the ones in the mansion.
And seriously, congrats for actually finishing the game - there are so many projects that never get there, so this is automatically a huge achievement!
A sequel? Sign me up!

effenelle wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:06 am Thank you again for playing and commenting on the game! Do you have DeviantArt account/Tumblr etc. for your art? I'd love to check it out!

I do, here and here, but they're a little ancient haha. I recently drew two of my dudes though, here and here.

effenelle wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:06 am Edit: I just noticed that this is your FIRST post on LemmaSoft forum! Your first post on my first game! I'm honored!
Welcome to LemmaSoft

Hehe, thank you! I was lurking for a while and then I played your game and felt strongly enough about it to make a post