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![]() So, what's all this then? This is Unterwegs in Düsterburg, an RPG Maker game by Ingmar Hahnemann. Being an RPG Maker game, there's not too many surprises here as far as gameplay goes - a standard tile-based SNES-era RPG with old-school Final Fantasy style combat - but nonetheless the game does a few interesting things with the engine, although that will come much later. I would describe it as "cliché, but in a good way". "Unterwegs in Düsterburg"? Oh, right. As you may have noticed, the title is German and translates out to "Out and About in Düsterburg" (Düsterburg being a location). And it's not just the title of the game, but the entire game is in German. Around the first half of the 2000s, there was a fairly large RPG Maker scene in Germany that produced its share of garbage (as with every scene revolving around something where it's easy to create content), but a good amount of gems as well. The German RPG Maker movement was spearheaded by the two Vampires Dawn games, which in my opinion could give the SNES Final Fantasy games a serious run for their money, and Unterwegs in Düsterburg was one of the second-tier games - the ones that aren't quite as popular as the big ones, but are good in their own right. So why pick this game in particular? I had a great deal of fun exploring this game back when this type of game was the hot new thing and they actually came on CDs with PC game magazines, and I believe it's a shame it's only been available to German speakers. So, it's in German? How's that going to work? Well, I'm both a German and English native speaker, so understanding the whole thing and transferring it between languages shouldn't be a major problem. Still, here's a few notes on what I'm going to do: - My translation will be purely written in text in these posts. Editing my images would be an option, but I believe adding more steps to the translation process will only increase the chance of severe LP burnout. - Because of that, whenever I post an image with text, the next thing I post will be the translation of that line, and then I'll simply proceed with the rest of the text until a change worth screenshotting happens. This should be obvious, but I'll say it just in case. - Because of the way RPG Maker works, pretty much every line has a face attached to it. That means it shouldn't be a problem to distinguish my commentary from the dialogue. - For the German speakers: I'm going for substance over style. What this means is that I won't break my neck trying to find a translation that preserves all the facets of the original text, because sometimes that's more trouble than it's worth, and at the end of the day, I'm not a professional. Not even close. - ![]() - Additional note: As the LP went on, I started dropping some of the response options we have, mostly when it simply came out to yes or no, and instead just put in the answer we ended up choosing. Just thought you should know. And how will the LP be set up? The idea is that I'll be going with screenshots and nothing but screenshots. I originally planned to do videos as well, but after some feedback, I came to the conclusion that GIFs would be able to do the job just as well, so you'll be getting some of those too. But enough waffling, let's get on to the game! Update I - Aller Anfang Ist Schwer (The First Step Is Always The Hardest) Update II - Zoinks, Scoob! Update III - Such A Lonely Little Man In A Cold, Cold Wasteland Update IV - The Reaper Is The Riddler? Update V - Everybody Bless The Landlord, Everybody Bless His Spouse Update VI - ![]() ![]() ![]() Update VII - Let's Do The Time Warp Again Update VIII - Because This Game Wasn't Heavy Enough Yet Update IX - Elementary, My Dear Grandy... Update X - Go To The Mirror, Tarius! Update XI - It Made Sense At The Time Update XII - Welcome To Castle Rabenstein, Enjoy Your Stay Update XIII - Spooky Priest Parties Are The Best Parties Cause Spooky Priest Parties Don't Stop. Until Everybody's Dead. Update XIV - The Malthur Gambit Update XV - What Could Have Been Update XVI - A Delayed Update Is Eventually Good, But A Rushed Update Is Forever Bad Update XVII - Doing It Like Rabbits Update XVIII - Don't Call It A Comeback, I've Been Here For A Couple Of Months Update XIX - Well, That Is Not How You Make A Risotto, You Stupid Cow Update XX - Roll To Bluff An Entire Castle Update XXI - One Ring To Solve A Quest Update XXII - Quadrophenia Update XXIII - The Grand Finale Update XXIV - Sounds Like A Great Idea To Me Update XXV - Königsberg Ist Deutsch Update XXVI - What Do You Mean, I Already Did A Sherlock Holmes Reference? Update XXVII - In An Octopus's Garden, In The Shade Update XXIIX - Yes, Non-Spooky Castles Exist Update XXIX - The Terrible Old Man Update XXX - Facts Concerning The Late Wilhelm Von Junzt, But Not His Family Update XXXI - Vampires: Masters of Seduction Update XXXII - The Place That Sends You Mad Update XXXIII - While Reyven Krähenschwinge Gently Weeps Update XXXIV - Endspurt Update XXXV - The Search For The Box Of Dirt Update XXXVI - The True Grand Finale Update XXXVII - Ende Gut, Alles Gut (All's Well That Ends Well) Bonus - Goons Chatter About Other RPG Maker Games TheMcD fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Nov 1, 2014 |
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# ? Feb 15, 2025 16:12 |
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Update I - Aller Anfang Ist Schwer (The First Step Is Always The Hardest)![]() Let's take it from the top. ![]() In the beginning we get a few options. First off, we have the movement speed (text or the character on the map, I don't know) - either normal or fast. Next, we can let a clock count the time I spent playing this game in exchange for a minor performance hit (in fact, on anything that isn't classified as a toaster nowadays, you won't notice it at all), which I enable for interest's sake. Finally, we get an option to skip the intro, which is nice, but of course, we don't want this right now. And then... ![]() Foreboding. ![]() Then we get our intro scene - two guys overlooking whatever the hell they're seeing beyond the castle walls. Thanks to the way the view angle works, we can't tell. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() So now we've got names for both of these guys. The ninja dude is Rank, and the guy with the seriously too long bangs that looks like Valnar from Vampires Dawn (which is because that portrait is a default RPG Maker one - a lot of people like to use those because these projects rarely have large teams, so using premade assets is an easy way to cut the workload in half) is called Lazalantin. And gently caress calling that guy Lazalantin, he's just Laz to me. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And then the credits start, so let's recap a bit: So far, we've got Laz and Rank. They apparently seem to be some sort of revolutionary force fighting against the Duke (whoever he is), and apparently things haven't been going quite well, considering everybody except those two has been killed. And Laz is waiting on some sort of savior to come and bail them out. Odds are that we're going to be either running into that savior or we're going to be that savior. After the credits roll, we get our first chapter: ![]() CHAPTER I: THE EASTERN MARCH ![]() ![]() Next, we find Laz and Rank sitting at the local (wherever "local" is) pub, continuing their discussion: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() With that, we leave wherever that place just was, and shift our focus over to the eponymous Eastern March, where we see a fellow walking out of some fog. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Our intro is finished and we can finally take control of Grandy, our main character! So far, we know pretty much jack poo poo about him, as that fog bank was so kind as to give him amnesia, that old chestnut of a plot device. Oh well, at least it means we'll be getting the exposition piecemeal as he rediscovers things about himself. First off, you might have noticed a dog running around here: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Our first choice, and it boils down to "do you want a new party member y/n?", so let's take her along with us! And then the dog simply disappears to show she got added to our party. A new party member's as good a reason as any to take a look at the menu screen: ![]() Everybody who's ever played the SNES Final Fantasies should find this very familiar. The whole system is pretty much wholesale ripped off, but what the hell, it works fine. ![]() The first menu is our item menu. So far, all we've got is the watch I enabled at the beginning. Let's check the time! ![]() Four minutes. Nothing special about the watch, just a basic timer. ![]() Next, let's check out Grandy's skills: ![]() Only one special attack so far, a sweeping swipe that harms all enemies, but harms them less than the regular attack, since it would otherwise make the regular attack totally redundant. The dog doesn't have any skills. ![]() The next menu option lets us take a look at our equipment. Grandy has two short swords and a cape to his name right now, which is the most baseline equipment possible. ![]() Julie, on the other hand, only has her teeth. "Julie's teeth... better not remove those...", the description says. Words of wisdom. ![]() After that, we have the save function, which works as advertised... ![]() ... and the quit function, which also does. With the menu done, let's venture to the north. ![]() Here, we run into our first enemies. Enemies actually are represented on the map and move around, so you can avoid them if you wish. ![]() ![]() And there I spot some orcs, which I thought were a league above me, and legged it back to the east, where I run into some rabbits. The combat system is very basic (you select an action for every character and the fastest people attack first), but it has some fairly neat animations and a thing I'm going to call "banter". There's a good bit of dialogue spruced in with battles - in this battle we have the following: ![]() ![]() And here's a few animations: ![]() ![]() It's definitely a few cuts above the average RPG Maker combat animations. Anyway, since the combat is very basic, I'm not going to go into any real detail when it comes to it except in the few cases where it becomes interesting. With the rabbits dispatched, we check out that mound of dirt at the top of the screen: ![]() ![]() Memo to self, find shovel. Next stop, the orcs over to the west: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() These guys are quite a bit tougher, but still within our skills right now. Banter also ensued: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() As a result of this fight, we get our first level! No new skills, though. With those guys dispatched, let's check out the western area. ![]() ![]() Well, that was disappointing. Time to backtrack, I suppose. ![]() Next stop, the south. ![]() Oh boy, a house! But first, taking a look around the surroundings, there's one thing in particular that's interesting, and that's that grave: ![]() Sounds awfully high-class for this kind of dump. Let's take a look inside, then. ![]() Looks about as run-down as expected, apart from the pristine sets of armor. Odd. Let's have a talk with the owner: ![]() As we walk into the room, he moves up. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() No reason to be a dick here, we pick the first option. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Picking the second option because meh. I don't think there's any real consequence here. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() As an aside, if we go back into the fog, we end up dying, so he's got good reason to not want to go back. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Let's get the full story on this character here first before we go out searching for the other character - option 2 it is. ![]() ![]() ![]() Oh boy, strap in folks, we're in for the long haul here. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() This is where Dankwart's wife, Doria, makes an appearance. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And then Dankwart nails him again with the Amulet. ![]() Exit Wahnfried. ![]() ![]() A scream is heard. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And once again, he busts out the Amulet. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Well, there's no sense in asking him to come along - he's just an old fart vegetating away. Let's get some directions. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And then we leveled up. Still no skills. ...well then. Let's talk a bit about that exposition flood. To sum up, that old coot used to be the duke of what is now known as Düsterburg, but the vampire Wahnfried swooped in after getting driven out of Königsberg, stole his duchy, stole his wife, and basically ruined his entire life. Also, Dankwart was working on some Frankenstein mad science poo poo and trying to find the secret to immortality. To add to that, Grandy can't get the name of some woman named Libra out of his head, she just happened to have passed by after just happening to have suffered the same bout of amnesia Grandy did, and now we're going to be going into the Icy Wasteland to find her and the Holy Amulet that can apparently deal with that vampire problem. ![]() ...but that will have to wait. Next time, hopefully less talking.
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Tin Tim easily claims the first post ![]() I'm going to take a seat here, because I know this game like the back of my hand. It's really charming, and has a lot of good humor, a neat story and tons of things that you can find off the beaten path. If you're into Rpgmaker games and can read German, you really should have played this.
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Diggin' the background artwork for some of the locales. I've never played an RPGmaker game because I just assumed they were all like Awful Fantasy. This game looks pretty interesting though. Lookin' forward to seeing how it unfolds.
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So right off the bat we get into Dr. Frankenstein trying to fend off a vampire with a holy talisman. Yes, this is gonna be the good poo poo. And it might help a little with my German!
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If nothing else this is really making me wanna play Vampires Dawn again. VD was the only RPGMaker game I played when they were a big deal here, and even then only because it was practically impossible for a while to buy a gaming mag that didn't include a cd with the game on it. I was only dimly aware of UiD because it usually got mentioned whenever VD came up, but by the time I completed VD I was pretty burned out on RPGMaker stuff already so I never bothered with it, so I'll be following this thread closely. fake-edit: I just checked the VD website, the first game got a novelization last Halloween. It's kinda amazing how long a somewhat obscure RPGMaker game series managed to survive.
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a cartoon duck posted:I was only dimly aware of UiD because it usually got mentioned whenever VD came up, but by the time I completed VD I was pretty burned out on RPGMaker stuff already so I never bothered with it, so I'll be following this thread closely. I don't wanna derail the thread right from the start with other games, but there are a couple of German RpgMaker games that are really good!
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a cartoon duck posted:If nothing else this is really making me wanna play Vampires Dawn again. VD was the only RPGMaker game I played when they were a big deal here, and even then only because it was practically impossible for a while to buy a gaming mag that didn't include a cd with the game on it. I was only dimly aware of UiD because it usually got mentioned whenever VD came up, but by the time I completed VD I was pretty burned out on RPGMaker stuff already so I never bothered with it, so I'll be following this thread closely. Yeah, VD was fuckhuge, and VD2 was even worse. I spread the game out over months and still ended up burnt out. There are even plans for a third part being made, but they're stalled after a failed Kickstarter. Tin Tim posted:I don't wanna derail the thread right from the start with other games, but there are a couple of German RpgMaker games that are really good! Go right ahead. My threads have little activity as a rule anyway, so anything related is cool with me.
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Someone is going to have to LP this "Vampires Dawn" thing and show what all the noise is about... Anyway, this particular vampire game looks pretty interesting so far. I've never liked ATB and RM2k3's version is basically all the worst parts of the system, but I at least like the way it looks here. That dog attack animation... Also the dialogue in battle is neat. "ORK SOON WITH MY ANCESTORS!" ![]()
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vilkacis posted:Someone is going to have to LP this "Vampires Dawn" thing and show what all the noise is about... I might actually do VD after this. I think that if I can make it through this without going crazy, then I'll probably be able to do VD as well, just given more time. And this game isn't using the ATB system, since it, like Vampires Dawn 1, was made in RM2K, which still used the older, FF1-style combat. EDIT: Actually, Vampires Dawn 1 was popular enough to get an English translation that was only released in 2012: http://files.brianum.de/vampiresdawn/VampiresDawn1_English.zip So by all means, check that out, it's well worth a look. TheMcD fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Feb 16, 2014 |
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I can already tell I'm going to spend most of this LP frustrating myself by attempting to translate the text in the screenshots before scrolling down to find out if I was even close. Not complaining mind, I wouldn't have you do this any other way. I've just got two years being surrounded by the language as a young child (US military base in Germany, joint NATO op), and one year of jr. High german making my brain go "Hey I can read that! Wait, oh mein Gott, vas ist that word!?"
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Update II - Zoinks, Scoob!![]() So, the last time, we got a bunch of exposition and some directions to follow. This time, we'll finish exploring this area. ![]() And just a little bit west from Dankwart's shack, we find a grave with a ghost! ![]() But for now, we're going to ignore that guy and instead move north. ![]() Here, we have the inn! My favorite part about this whole place, because it's cheap full healing, and cheap full healing is never a bad thing. ![]() As you can see, we've got an innkeeper at the counter and a cook in the kitchen. We'll be making use of both of their services soon enough, but my HP isn't in terrible shape right now, so for now... ![]() ...I murder some more rabbits for XP and spare change. ![]() To the east of the inn, we find a little shop and one big burly armored motherfucker. Let's talk with him! ![]() ![]() ![]() Well, maybe he'll let us through? Let's pick the first option. ![]() ![]() Yeah, I'm not loving with this guy. Mostly because I know he fucks your poo poo sideways, and even if by some miracle you managed to beat him, it would only lead to the evil creatures from Düsterburg flooding the Eastern Marches and a non-standard game over. Instead, let's take a look at the store. ![]() ![]() ![]() Well, the equipment here is an improvement, but I'm kind of strapped for cash (the best helmet costs 370 bucks, the best armor 620, and I've got 175 right now - and yes, I'm going to be calling this currency bucks, because I prefer the term over the generic "gold", and keeping it as "Taler" just sounds stilted), so let's leave for now. ![]() At this point, I figure I might get into a bigger fight, so let's head to the inn to heal up. ![]() ![]() ![]() You can't beat that price! Let's have ourselves some of that. ![]() 30 HP restored, not bad. Grandy's HP are in the 50~60 range right now, so that's a full heal for 20 bucks. Now, let's talk with the innkeeper, because that guy always has something to say in games like this - number two information source after the bartender. ![]() ![]() ![]() We want some information! ![]() ![]() Might as well go down the line. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Well, that was interesting. Now with more information and a topped off HP supply, let's head back south. ![]() ![]() Yeah, these guys look pretty badass. Instead, let's go around murdering some more orcs and rabbits... ![]() ...and heal up when necessary. After some of this, I think we can take a look at what that spooky ghost down there is doing. ![]() ![]() ![]() So we can skip right to the exorcism by sword, but that's not the RPG way, so let's find out what his problem is. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Once again, no reason to start swinging. ![]() No idea why you'd want to leave here. Let's see what he'll have us do. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() EDIT: Thread to the rescue: HenryEx posted:As i said, never played before and i don't know the script - but if it was something like "geistliche Belohnung", it's probably a pun on "fürstliche Belohnung" - which means to reward someone royally (as in, very lavishly / handsomely). But since he's just a ghost and not royalty, he can only reward you ghostly. TheMcD posted:The original line was along the lines of "ich werde dich geistlich belohnen", so yeah, you might be on to something there. Good catch. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() This game really seems to be doing that thing where accepting quests or progressing the story by talking to people grants experience, and our dog levels up. ![]() At this point, I head back to the store and buy a grappling hook, some pitons and a rope, because I remember we're going to need those. ![]() While murdering some more enemies, Grandy picks up a new skill - the Sword Dance. This makes him throw his sword like a boomerang, and it has a very specific use - it wrecks flying enemies. ![]() And with that level up, I feel I can probably take on these wolves. ![]() ![]() And surprisingly enough, they don't put up that much of a fight and go down fairly easily, netting us a bunch of wolf pelts we can sell. ![]() With the wolves gone, we can make our way to this... thing you can only half see right now (we'll see it fully later) which signifies something we can pick up. ![]() And in this case, it's five hundred bucks! ![]() ![]() With that cash and the money we got from selling the pelts, we get ourselves some neat armor upgrades that will help a bunch later. ![]() Next, let's take a look at this cave here. ![]() There's got to be some good poo poo in there, get in (after saving, of course)! ![]() ![]() ![]() Hm, that doesn't seem safe, but nothing ventured... ![]() ![]() You might be able to sneak up on it, yes. It involves moving one square at a time with breaks in between. However, I didn't figure that out at that point, and... ![]() But there's another one of those item container thingies there! Run, Grandy, run! ![]() Yes! The longsword is a great upgrade over our short swords, but there's only one problem... ![]() ...we couldn't equip it because this saber-tooth tiger caught us before. This might be bad... ![]() 40 HP DAMAGE? NEVER loving MIND, THIS IS BAD. ![]() And yeah, it goes about as well as expected. ![]() We try again, and this time it works better. It looks like the tiger caught me, but he moves semi-randomly while going towards you, and he moves away for a bit before I close the text box. ![]() RUN RUN RUN ![]() Now that we made it outside, check out that upgrade! 57% increase in combat power! Now all we need is another one of those... ![]() South: The Icy Wastelands East: Dankwart's Farmyard North: The Talkative Innkeeper Well, it looks like we've got nothing much else to do in this area, so it's time to head to the Icy Wastelands. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And then we spend a day walking to the wasteland, not that time plays any role here. ![]() With that, we've made it to the Icy Wasteland - or at least the pre-area. ![]() The enemies here look a bit tougher... ![]() ...but they go down just the same. ![]() ![]() ![]() Get on up there, man! ![]() ![]() And move on we do. Up there we find... ![]() ![]() He's not going to need that crap anymore, is he? ![]() This is the Phoenix Down item of the game, smelling salts. Comes in handy. ![]() Then there's one more ledge to use our grappling hook on, and then we've made it to the end! ![]() The end of the pre-area, that is. Next time, we move on to the actual Icy Wastelands! TheMcD fucked around with this message at 22:02 on Oct 14, 2014 |
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Whoops! I wonder why I thought it was 2k3... Well, even better, then. ![]() The VD translation is news to me, will check it out - thanks. I like that blue haired shopkeeper. She looks so happy to be selling the former belongings of fools who got whupped by her husband.
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This looks really cool. I'll definitely be following along.
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Huh, those overworld (troll? Dead body?) sprites are Rand from Breath of Fire II with a slight pallet change. I wonder how many other sprites are recycled into the game? Regardless, this LP definitely looks interesting.
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Zore posted:Huh, those overworld (troll? Dead body?) sprites are Rand from Breath of Fire II with a slight pallet change. I wonder how many other sprites are recycled into the game? Probably a bundle. RPG Maker games are always a hodgepodge of sprites, artwork and music from all sorts of different sources. For instance, in the few music tracks I've recognized, we've got stuff from Batman, Kingdom Hearts, Castlevania (Super and Dracula X), Final Fantasy (2 and 4), Wild Arms, the N64 Zelda games, the theme from Halloween, and that's only skimming the top. Like I mentioned in the first update, usage of pre-made assets or making minor changes to those assets allows tiny teams to get a full game out. We're here for the story and a fun game, not for unique sprites and music. Actually, speaking of music, there was a plan for a version of UiD with an entirely unique soundtrack, but it fell through after only a few pieces could be completed. Those pieces were thought to be lost, but were found in 2006 and were posted up on the official website. Give them a listen, they're kind of interesting. http://duesterburg.rpg-atelier.net/dl/Tarius-Ostmarken.zip http://duesterburg.rpg-atelier.net/dl/Tarius-Eisoeden.zip http://duesterburg.rpg-atelier.net/dl/Tarius-Dankwart.zip http://duesterburg.rpg-atelier.net/dl/Tarius-Wahnfried.zip http://duesterburg.rpg-atelier.net/dl/Tarius-Duesterburg.zip http://duesterburg.rpg-atelier.net/dl/Tarius-Kampfmusik-1.zip
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Wow. This looks pretty good for an RPG Maker game. Good work on those gifs and translation, by the way.
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Some of these assets look pretty high effort, do you know how long the development cycle took for this game/other high effort RPGMaker games?
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TheBrigand posted:Some of these assets look pretty high effort, do you know how long the development cycle took for this game/other high effort RPGMaker games? Also, I really like the idea of a badass, unbeatable knight who guards a pass that's two steps away from his house and his wife.
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Nice, this really takes me back. I'm not sure if I ever completed Düsterburg, but I do know that I spent a lot of time looking through it in RPGMaker.
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Never played this game before, and i don't think i even heard of it. And if, then only in passing. Looks kinda promising. TheMcD posted:
As i said, never played before and i don't know the script - but if it was something like "geistliche Belohnung", it's probably a pun on "fürstliche Belohnung" - which means to reward someone royally (as in, very lavishly / handsomely). But since he's just a ghost and not royalty, he can only reward you ghostly. ![]() HenryEx fucked around with this message at 12:53 on Feb 16, 2014 |
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TheBrigand posted:Some of these assets look pretty high effort, do you know how long the development cycle took for this game/other high effort RPGMaker games? As a rough estimate, I would wager somewhere between three to five years for the likes of UiD and VD1, but there's not a lot of data available. HenryEx posted:As i said, never played before and i don't know the script - but if it was something like "geistliche Belohnung", it's probably a pun on "fürstliche Belohnung" - which means to reward someone royally (as in, very lavishly / handsomely). But since he's just a ghost and not royalty, he can only reward you ghostly. The original line was along the lines of "ich werde dich geistlich belohnen", so yeah, you might be on to something there. Good catch.
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Goodness, I remember playing this game just a few months after it was completed. Before I played VD, even. I barely remember anything though, so I'm going to follow this. Maybe some things will come back to me. Looking forward to the next posts, McD.
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Haha, that drat tiger. I remember how hard I tried to power-game and beat him early. It's almost possible when you grab the sword and spend some time on grinding cash and xp. Overworld enemies respawn iirc, but it takes a pretty long time till they do. But the tiger has like a 50% crit chance, so even the most insane grinders need to be real lucky to get through that. It's best to get back to him when you're done with the Wastelands and the little sidequests there. He has a shiny drop that you shouldn't forget about! Also, I'm not sure if you consider game mechanics to be spoilers, but I'm going to play it save for now. You should buy the things for your dog before going forward. Julie can't use normal healing items! TheMcD posted:The original line was along the lines of "ich werde dich geistlich belohnen", so yeah, you might be on to something there. Good catch.
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Tin Tim posted:Also, I'm not sure if you consider game mechanics to be spoilers, but I'm going to play it save for now. Game mechanics are cool, it's not like there's anything really major there. As for Julie, I'm not even sure I'll bother, since she probably won't be staying in the team for long anyway, and she's such a big tub of HP anyway that she's the one that needs items the least.
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TheMcD posted:Game mechanics are cool, it's not like there's anything really major there. As for Julie, I'm not even sure I'll bother, since she probably won't be staying in the team for long anyway, and she's such a big tub of HP anyway that she's the one that needs items the least. ![]()
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Is there a little "you are here" marker on that burnt-parchment-lookin' map, or is it just an interstitial screen?
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Glazius posted:Is there a little "you are here" marker on that burnt-parchment-lookin' map, or is it just an interstitial screen? There's two ways that map shows up. The way you just saw it was what appears when a new region is unlocked (where the new region fades into existence) which doesn't have a marker, and there's a different mode when you're traveling between areas that you'll see in the next update that has a marker.
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Update III - Such A Lonely Little Man In A Cold, Cold Wasteland So, last time we made it to the Icy Wasteland proper, and now it's time to take a look around! ![]() ![]() Time will tell. The first thing we do is engage in combat with one of these birds flying around. ![]() These vultures are pretty drat tough - in fact, they take only 1 HP damage at best. This is probably supposed to simulate how they're flying and really hard to hit. The solution? ![]() The new attack, called "Sword's Dance", entails flinging your sword at the enemy. It's got one use and one use only, and that is attacking flying enemies. However, it quite excels at that. ![]() And with big damage like that, taking this guy out is not a problem. ![]() This here... ![]() ...is something... ![]() ...that happens a lot. Running back to the Eastern Marches and using the inn is a lot cheaper than buying healing items, so I regularly make use of it. ![]() Back in the Wasteland, we run into these demon-things. ![]() They seem tough, but they still go down fairly easily. Next up, we make our way east. ![]() Over there, we've got something down that cliffside, but we can't seem to get it. Also... ![]() ![]() This rock seems important somehow, but I can't figure out exactly what to do. Next, we have a grave: ![]() ![]() So that's the second dead wife we've come across. I bet we're going to get the story behind this one in that nearby house! ![]() A guy, on his own. Seems familiar... ![]() ![]() ![]() Once again, no reason to be a dick, so let's go with the first option. ![]() ![]() ![]() Dada and Dudu, born to Bernhelm and Brunhild. Now that's a weird shift in naming between generations. ![]() Wow, dickish. Once again, we go with the standard RPG player's answer. ![]() ![]() So with that, we'd leave. But before that... ![]() ![]() ...Grandy gets his Columbo moment. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() We decide discretion is the better part of valor and just leave. The guy's got enough problems. ![]() Next, we move south... ![]() ...and find a kid! Wow, that guy didn't try looking around at all, did he? However, I expected a big battle when it comes to bringing back these kids, so I backtrack a bit... ![]() ...and fight some more demons! ![]() The sword attack that hits all enemies makes short work of them, and one trip to the inn later, we're back to the kid. Getting a hold of him is tougher than it seems, since he runs around fairly erratically. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And then he starts running around even more erratically. We get a hold of him again: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Right, so we've got a lead. And if I'm not mistaken, it seems like there's a cave down there. ![]() ![]() And now I spend about ten minutes bopping around before I figure out what I have to do, since I still have the mountain climbing equipment on my mind. However, it turns out that's not needed at all! ![]() ![]() Oh, come on, ya pussy! If you gently caress up, I can just reload anyway! ![]() Do it! ![]() Boing! ![]() ![]() Man up! It'd not like you can just get back up anyway! ![]() ![]() Boing! And we've made it to the cave! ![]() Oh my, that's a lot of bats. And guess what? They don't do anything at all. So let's rescue that girl! ![]() Yeah, there was actually a hole behind the snowman we could have used to get in here too. Only found that out after recording this. ![]() Now, how could we get out of here? Could it possibly be related to the very distinctly different looking part of the cave? ![]() ![]() Oh come on, I've got to tell you to look at this again? ![]() Alright, let's get out of this joint and have some progress. ![]() ![]() ![]() And one screen further north... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And we get some plate armor that's better than the armor I just spent a lot of money on. Them's the breaks, I guess. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Well, he said west, and west we go! ![]() ![]() Not exactly a lot of options here... ![]() ...and suddenly, there's a ladder here! If we went here before, then there wouldn't have been a ladder, so we had to resolve the missing kids subplot before we can move on. ![]() And for some reason, we suddenly ended up in the Frost Palace from Paper Mario or something like that. Getting all frosty up in this bitch. But before we explore, a chest! ![]() Two small healing items and what I think is one MP regenerating item. Nice, but not really useful to me. Now, let's go through that big gate. ![]() And at this point, I finally remember to equip the new armor, which is a great improvement. Now, let's go through the gate. ![]() ![]() ![]() Oh, come on, we're totally a servant! ![]() ![]() What? How does a servant look, then? We're still totally a servant! ![]() Oh fuckshits. Totally forgot we can get into a fight with these guys. How strong are they? ![]() OH FUCKSHITS. ![]() Well then. Wait, when did I save the last time? ![]() OH DOUBLE FUCKSHITS. However, that gives me an opportunity to re-do the missing child subplot and press Bernhelm for his secret this time. ![]() ![]() So let's go all pressure on his rear end! ![]() ![]() We're not backing down this time! ![]() ![]() What does he mean by that... ![]() OH gently caress IT'S MORPHIN' TIME. ![]() Oh poo poo, he's a werewolf. ![]() ![]() I still crit him in the face and he goes down. ![]() ... Hm... so what's going to happen if I head to his kids now? ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ... ![]() ![]() ...I reloaded and did that properly. Next time, we're going through whatever this place is.
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A few things about this update: 1) This update is one of two I recorded in the same batch as update 2, and I only found a very comprehensive walkthrough of this game later. So I'll be showing a few things I'll be missing here off in update 5. 2) The next update might be a while because I'm currently doing a programming course for university which is quite tough. 3) Catch the reference in the update title and win some of my respect!
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That was... unexpected, but pretty cool. Does the path you take have consequences later on, or is it just there so you can be a jerk if you feel like it? Also I gave the other game a try. ![]() Welp! (Everything else seems to be working though.)
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vilkacis posted:That was... unexpected, but pretty cool. Does the path you take have consequences later on, or is it just there so you can be a jerk if you feel like it? As far as I know, there are no consequences to murdering that family. After all, they were driven out of their previous residence and are living in a wasteland all alone. Odds are, nobody would even notice if they were gone. However, there is a way to find out their secret in a peaceful way. It wasn't possible to do that at that point, though, and I only found out about it through the walkthrough. We'll be seeing it in update 5, probably. vilkacis posted:Also I gave the other game a try. Bizarre... ![]() My copy seems to be doing just fine. I hope that it was only that map in particular that was corrupted, because it'd be a shame if that came back to haunt you later.
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Wow. That's...that's dark. I take it you aren't supposed to fight the demon toads?
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SSNeoman posted:Wow. That's...that's dark. I take it you aren't supposed to fight the demon toads? Yeah, there's a way around them, and it involves the whole "not looking like a servant of the king" thing.
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TheMcD posted:Bizarre... At a closer look, one of the map types was set to use the wrong tileset - it was "house" instead of "house_1". Changing that fixed this map, as well as a couple of other weird-looking ones I found poking around the files. It's weird, but probably harmless.
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![]() The textbox border is a bit much.
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TheMcD posted:As far as I know, there are no consequences to murdering that family. After all, they were driven out of their previous residence and are living in a wasteland all alone. Odds are, nobody would even notice if they were gone. ![]() Looking forward to the next update, because the solution for the gate is kinda funny. SSNeoman posted:
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Tin Tim posted:Oh yes there are! The father ties into pretty much the longest sidequest chain of the game, and killing him blocks a good deal of content. I dunno what kind of walkthrough you use the help out(there are several), but I can recommend this one Oh gently caress me, I was actually using that walkthrough. Guess I didn't read properly enough.
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TheMcD posted:Oh gently caress me, I was actually using that walkthrough. Guess I didn't read properly enough. ![]() But it's good that you already use that one, because it has every little quest and secret in it. And this game has a fuckton of little things thrown all over the course.
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# ? Feb 15, 2025 16:12 |
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Like most of the good RPGMaker games this is coming over as a big labour of love with the unusually high quality combat animations and the dialogue for every enemy type.
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