Here’s a stress-test of the stockpiling system after I made some performance improvements to it. Its much faster but there are still some issues with how the AGVs choose spots that I have to address.

🌸 REMEMBER (DEMO) IS OUT! 🌸

I just posted the demo on itch.io, rpgmaker.net is weird and the game is still pending, but who cares? Itch.io is my main man.

The demo is quite short, but I’m happy that something is finally out, even if it’s not much. I included a walkthrough in the files, if you’re stuck (and believe me, you will be).

🔻 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD 🔻

Review: Pentiment

𝕸𝖞 𝕻𝖚𝖕𝖎𝖑𝖘 𝕰𝖛𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝕱𝖚𝖈𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕾𝖚𝖈𝖐𝖘 𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝕴 𝕬𝖒 𝕲𝖔𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕿𝖔 𝕲𝖊𝖙 𝕶𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖉

 This review is gonna be a short weird one for two reasons. First is it is extremely difficult for me to talk about why this game has it’s hooks in my brain without robbing others of discovering those brainhooks for themselves. Second is I feel weirdly insecure about my ability to discuss stories, and Pentiment is all about stories and how stories be stories. Pentiment is definitely by and for history guys and personple who write good and read gooder. But, I feel like I lived 25 years in 16th century Bavaria against my will and felt and loved and suffered all of it, like that star trek episode, with the flute.  There is no greater feature games love to pretend to have than “Your choices matter.” In Pentiment your choices matter so hard you will be laying awake at night in either pride in your foresight or guilt in your meddling. The peasants you live with and monks working along side you can found guilty of murder by the state or remembered as heroes by their ancestors, depending on what you learn, what you say, and what you choose to believe.   Despite this amount of “control” it sounds like I’m promising, the line between your character and NPC feels blurred. The people of Tassing aren’t skill checks that you can mold by saying the flattering or even honest thing. The dialogue choices you’ll have by deciding your character is an Occultist are often perturbing to others, and as a university student your characters knowledge is as useful for recognizing something as it is to get someone to say “stop being pedantic asshole”. When you do succeed or fail to persuade someone, your actions that helped or prevented you from doing so are shown. Everytime this happened I either thought something like “Oh yeah that’s how an actual 16th century christian pig farmer would react to that, huh” or “Oh I guess I actually didn’t have this guy figured out”. It’s all real. I legitimately don’t think I’ve ever appreciated characters being so real in a video game this much since the Fallout New Vegas DLC where you lock the old man in the gold vault of a haunted casino.   No flowchart bullshit about “well if you like these kinda games if its on sale if you’re a wise ass tree” on this one. Xbox Gamepass is like one crunchwrap worth of money. Play Pentiment, and leave the fancy text styles on if you’re able to.

Envy! 1920s Murder Mystery Escape Room Game

Envy! 1920s Murder Mystery Escape Room Game

This post details a gorgeous top-rated 1920s themed escape room game, Envy! A printable murder mystery escape kit to download, print and play at home. From Lock Paper Scissors. All the work’s been done for you, everything you need to play this escape game is included, just print out, follow the instructions to set it up and you can be ready to play in just 20 minutes! For top free full escape…

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Unleash Your Inner Dinosaur: Introducing Clever Girls

Clever Girls story-driven turn-based RPG game shows solid signs of Linux support with Windows PC. The skilled team at Ossifrage Games has shared exciting details about their latest project. Due to make its way onto Steam next year. I just stumbled upon this new title, Clever Girls from Ossifrage Games, and it's something quite unique. Players will step into the scales of a dinosaur, not just any dinosaur, as you outwit, ambush, or simply destroy your human captors. This is a blend of a Tactical RPG and a Visual Novel, which sounds like a fresh twist. Set in a bio-engineered, near-future Earth, Clever Girls lets you play as a renegade squad of dinosaurs. You're not just mindlessly rampaging; you're thinking, planning, and strategizing. Each of the four distinct dinosaurs has its combat style and abilities. As a result, each character brings something unique to the table, or in this case, the wild prehistoric landscape. On top of that, Ossifrage also has an interest in bringing Linux support to the table:

We're using Unreal Engine 5, which has a lot of out-of-the-box support for Linux, so making a Linux build shouldn't be too difficult of a technical task.

Ossifrage are eager to bring the title to a wide audience, but they need your help. They're considering multiple platforms, and Steam wishlist stats are crucial in their decision-making. So, they're encouraging all Linux players looking forward to Clever Girls to add the game to their Steam Wishlist using the native client. Also, check out the trailer, it's kind of hilarious.

Clever Girls Announcement Trailer

Now, here's where it gets even more interesting. This title isn't just about combat and strategy. It has a deep, evolving relationship system within your dino squad. These aren't just any team members; they're friends, and maybe even rivals. As their relationships change and grow, you unlock unique Teamwork Abilities. Imagine how that could turn the tide in tricky situations. As for the Clever Girls world itself, it's described as a gorgeous, stylized prehistoric world. So, you're not just playing in a bland setting; you're roaming through a beautifully crafted environment that brings the past and the future together. Tactically, you've got options. You can go stealth, use vocal mimicry to deceive, or just rely on good old brute strength. It's up to you how you want to approach each challenge, which adds a lot of replay value. In essence, this isn't just a playthrough; it's an experience that combines strategy, relationships, and a visually stunning world. For those who like a bit of strategy mixed with character-driven storytelling, the title seems like a must-have. Keep an eye on it, especially if you're into dinosaurs and tactical challenges with a twist! Clever Girls story-driven turn-based RPG has just been announced and is available to Wishlist on Steam. Plus, it's part of the Dinos vs Robots Festival, which sounds like a blast. Hoping to make its way onto Linux and Windows PC.

A Discussion About “Filler” Episodes in Cartoons

One Urban dictionary entry defines “filler” as “A segment of anime, whether it be an entire episode or part of one, which does not appear in the manga of the title. Fillers, as the name implies, "fills" an episode with non-canonical material which has been written usually by the same company which animates it.”

As anime has become more prominent and easily available in the U.S. and otherwise, some people have started applying the term “filler” to specific episodes in American cartoons.

The bulk of Japanese anime is adapted from popular manga. Most American cartoons are the original brainchild and story of the creator, staff, writers, and team working on it. The closest equivalent American cartoons have are cartoons inspired by DC or Marvel comics. Even those adaptations take heavy creative license with the source material. These aren’t usually a direct retelling of the comics. They’re just as varied and dramatically different from the source material as the comics can be themselves. The best way to describe this: Comics have a set of loose templates and generally known stories that get adapted and re-adapted in ways that vary dramatically between authors and artists working on it. Anime tends to be a retelling of the manga with stylistic changes or cuts/changes made to the story to fit the constraints of animation vs the constraints of a manga page.

Also, most American cartoons within the past 10-20 years have been episodic. The most common structure of said cartoons were disconnected, self-contained stories and it was rare to see any kind of overarching story let alone plot elements or details that remained consistent throughout the series. Enter game-changers like Adventure Time or Steven Universe. Story-driven cartoons are popping up far more often. And it’s not outside the realm of possibility for an episodic cartoon to shift gears and adopt more story-driven elements. It’s not a given end result and there’s even separate debate about whether or not a linear story format is a stronger choice for certain cartoons vs an episodic format. I’m not chiming in on that particular debate for now. If anything, the point of bringing up cartoons that tow the line between episodic and story-driven are that they’re the most common targets for having episodes dubbed “filler.”

With cartoons, every episode is technically part of the “lore” or “canon” of the overall media. When someone calls an episode of a cartoon filler, the impression is that it’s inconsequential to the overarching plot. It gets sticky pretty quickly. If a cartoon has a key character interaction or significant plot moment, albeit brief, in a “filler” episode, that development carries over. It will pop up again and get addressed. With anime, viewers can safely skip entire arcs without missing important plot details. The characters, concepts, and plots in filler may as well not exist.

Even if a “filler” episode in an American cartoon has elements that are dropped or never addressed again, it’s still fundamentally different from a filler episode of something like a shonen anime. It all comes back to the anime being a retelling of a specific story with specific story beats where a cartoon, even with more story-driven elements, has an overarching story that’s getting actively worked on and developed over the course of the cartoon’s run. At the very least, “filler” feels like an odd or inadequate word. It needs further context when used to describe a cartoon episode. Does the viewer need plot-related cliff notes about what was covered to skip the episode or will these notes get recapped or called back to in a way they can easily piece things together?

That take feels pretty disrespectful, too, though. There’s a unique charm to episodic cartoons and media; one that a stricter, linear structure has trouble replicating without pacing issues. When a cartoon has both an overarching story and a scattered episodic structure, there’s room for more one-off stories about characters, world-building, and other smaller details that the main plot doesn’t have room for. For example, these smaller, bite-sized stories feature characters and dynamics that viewers love to see more of from romances, to friends buying birthday gifts, to ridiculous goose chases through the village, town, or general setting the story is in at the time. Episodic content gives the bigger story and characters room to breathe.

“Filler” episodes do piece in to a discussion about story-driven vs episodic content. Without delving too far deeper into that, I think it really depends on the creative team’s overall goals and intent. Some stories are meant to be one consistent chunk, others are episodic, and some are trying to strike a balance between the two. If anything, shouldn’t the discussion be about how successfully executed a story is based on the goals and intent behind it rather than how skippable it is?

anyway, Elden Ring is about love and hope

Marika burns everything she has build out of sorrow

Ranni banishes the Outer Gods and also fucks off the Lands, giving agency back to the normal beings of the Lands

Fortissax endlessly fights Death for his friend/lover

Melina burns herself and Erdtree in hopes of a better world in the hands of the Tarnished

Blaidd fights against the very reason he was created out of love for his sister

Ranni and Rykard always keep an eye on their mother, protecting her

Radahn evokes so much love from his troops that they organise a whole festival to give him a honorable death even in his madness

Radahn learns an entire new school of magic in order to still ride his favourite horse

Boc's love for his mother, his mother's love for him

How all but two endings are build on the hope that this new era (whatever it might be) will be good

Miquella attempting to create an whole new world-tree to host the forsaken and the damned

Miquella turning on the faith he was raised and even believed in to an extent, when it was unable to cure his sister's curse

The Cleanrot's loyalty to Malenia and their endurance of the Rot, only to stay in her service

Malenia marching through the entire continent in search of her brother

Finlay traveling all the way back on her own, carrying the incapacitated demigod on her back

Tanith's love for Rya

Dialos' entire questline

Edgar being driven mad after his daughter dies

Vyke embracing, to a point, the Frenzied Flame in order to save his finger maiden

or you know, that's just how I see it

Hello Tumblr-ers! I’ve decided to start posting more CyberThreat stuff here, I can’t wait to share more of the game with you!

CyberThreat is a solo developed, turn based, modern-day RPG set in the fictional city of Edendale. You play as a student who arrived for their final years of study amidst what’s known as the serial disappearance cases. While the city is gripped by these mysterious cases, and the police are scratching their heads for a lead, you will discover the digital world of Cyberspace, and how it ties all of these disappearances together.

Play as a normal student by day: Attend class, hang out and go on inclusive dates, play mini-games such as fishing, cooking, gardening and more!

By night, play as ‘Ghost’, and lead your team of Hackers to battle in Cyberspace against the computer viruses, to save their victims from the jaws of despair.

Please check out the game’s official Steam wishlist page to get an idea about the game. I hope you’ll like it, and I look forward to sharing more with you soon!

It's the end of a story driven Disney TVA era

Whoops! Mark's having that problem again!

I’ve been working on the fleet selection screen, where you can refine your selection by removing ships or view statistics about each ship by selecting it on the left. I’m close to running out of vertical space so I may have to do something about that once there are more ships or ships with more stats.

Best Month Ever! - Road-Trip-Adventure jetzt erhältlich

Best Month Ever! – Road-Trip-Adventure jetzt erhältlich

Mit Best Month Ever! hat Warsaw Film School Video Game & Film Production Studio und Klabater ein Road-Trip-Adventure veröffentlicht.   Dazu heißt es von offizieller Seite aus:   Begleite Louise beim aufwühlenden Roadtrip ihres Lebens durch die USA der späten 1960er Jahre, bei dem sie versucht, ihrem Sohn Mitch zu zeigen, wie man sich in der oft grausamen modernen Welt zurechtfindet. Was braucht…

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like!!!!!!

Nine Noir Lives - New Fun Feline Point-and-Lick Detective Game!

Nine Noir Lives – New Fun Feline Point-and-Lick Detective Game!

Family-friendly crime-solving game for PC, Nine Noir Lives by indie devs Silvernode Games. New on Steam for PC and Mac download. Including free demo. Play as Cuddles Nutterbutter, a feline private investigator in Meow Meow Furrington, capital city of cats! For more family-friendly mystery-solving games to play, see my posts listed below. (more…)

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Play the Updated Memory Lost Demo Version 

Memory Lost Demo updated for the story-driven action shooter game coming to Linux and Windows PC. Developer Magic Hazard's innovative work has greatly contributes to the project's success. Available to play on Steam via Proton. Memory Lost a new title from indie title publisher ESDigital, is getting a lot of attention. It's a story-driven action shooter, a style where you look down from above on the action, set to release in 2024 for both Linux and Windows PC. What's exciting is that you can now try out the first chapter of this game for free on Steam. This demo, which first came out in December 2022, lets you experience an updated version of what the full version will offer next year. The developers, Magic Hazard, have spent the last year improving Memory Lost based on feedback from players like you. This shows they're listening to what players want and are using that input to make the final version even better. Now, let's talk about what makes Memory Lost stand out. The story takes you to Detraxis, a futuristic city filled with high-tech wonders and intense corporate conflicts. The unique twist is how you fight your enemies. Since you don't just shoot at them; you actually take over their minds and use their bodies and abilities. This means you have to be smart and quick to adapt to different situations, doing so by using your enemies' strengths against them.

Memory Lost - Official Release Window Trailer

Survival in Memory Lost is challenging. You don't get health packs, and your weapon only has one magazine of ammo. To stay alive, you need to constantly switch bodies, each offering new gameplay styles. This mechanic is central to the title – so you need to keep finding healthy bodies with ammo to stay in the fight. Another unique aspect is how you collect memories from the enemies you take over. These memories help your character, the Neural Network, develop its own personality and skills. Since your Memory Lost character is learning and evolving as you play. Your choices in the title also matter. The way you interact with the world around you shapes the Neural Network and leads to one of three different endings. This means you can replay the game with different strategies and see how your choices change the outcome. Memory Lost is more than just shooting – it's about strategy, adapting to different situations, and seeing how your actions impact the story. It's a story-driven action shooter that challenges you to think differently about how you approach obstacles and enemies. So, if you're into action games that make you think, you might want to check out this demo on Steam and see what it's all about! Scheduled for release in 2024 on Linux and Windows PC.

I think what particularly annoys me with the "zelda was always gameplay before story" is that... it's not true? At least I don't think it's true in the way people mean it.

Zelda games were always kind of integrating story based on the standards of the time. When game stories were in game pamphlets, Zelda's stories was in the pamphlets. ALTTP tried to tell a pretty complicated stories with the limitations of the time. OoT was actively trying to tell an epic, cinematic tale packed with ambiance and expand what 3D could offer that 2D games struggled with. Majora's Mask is deeply character-driven in many, many ways. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are both pretty concerned about their stories, down to the point that some people were bored by TP's cutscenes in particular. Skyward Sword, from what little I have played it, is very very invested in its characters and their journey (and 2D Zeldas have Link's Awakening, Minish Cap... None of them are visual novels, but they are concerned with emotional journeys, character arcs, mysteries about their own world...)

What is true is that the narrative wraps around the mechanics, and not the other way around. The mechanics drive themes, aesthetics, emotional beats and character journeys; and that's great. The world is a puzzle, and the world is delightfully absurd when it needs to be, full of heart when it calls for it, dark and oppressive when it suits the player experience.

That does not mean the games aren't invested in their stories. Even BotW has a pretty complicated story to tell about an entire world rather than one specific tale or legend --all of it at the service of the gameplay, which is exploration and mastery of your environment.

So. Yes, none of the Zelda games are million-words long visual novels that care deeply about consistency and nuance; but stories don't need consistency or deep lore to be meaningful and serve an emotional journey. Again: gameplay is story. The two cannot be so easily parsed from each other.

And Zelda as a franchise obviously care deeply about story, characters and setting (and still does right now --otherwise there wouldn't be a movie), even if it doesn't try to imitate prestige narrative-driven games, which is great and part of why I love this series so much. Doesn't mean it couldn't have done better in the past, it obviously could have, but I feel like pretending that nobody ever cared about story or character is just... false? It's a huge disservice to the devs too. Some of them obviously cared immensely.

The "gameplay above story", at least in the extent to which it is paraded today to defend TotK, mostly, is a really recent development. And I think it's one that deserves to receive some pushback.