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Post by crocodile on Jun 26, 2016 5:10:29 GMT -6
I think a strong argument can be made for the strength of the Glyph system - I really liked how that tied into your main form of offense, left + right cancels, etc. However that works at odds with a robust equipment based weapon system and I know that was a large appeal of SOTN for a lot of people and something IGA wanted to recreate here. Given his aims and what the backers were likely looking for, the robust equipment system of SOTN and the Souls system of the Sorrow games was the best choice. I'm already imagining how broken things are going to get though and I'm already laughing. There are going to be some dumb weapon + shard combinations LOL
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Post by crocodile on Jun 25, 2016 20:45:19 GMT -6
That's a lot of clubs, and some quite intricate in design too. The assortment reminds me of the weapon selection assortment in Kid Icarus: Uprising. As an aside I'm hoping the guns are actually useful. Anyway, nice work finding these Capes.... it is possible, however it is a bit more tricky to set up as you will need some third party tools (physX/nCloth). I am assuming they use nCloth for the scarfs. Also about the vampire mod... funny you mention that.. I made a quick sketch the other day of Miriam as a vampire And was considering a Vampire mod at some point. Still pretty rough though. =] Man that fanart is great ! I really love the horns. I'm going to tag Mana just so she gets a chance to see it. I'm sure I'm not alone on this board in being a 90's kid who got caught in the DBZ vortex (among other shows) so stuff like transformations, super-modes, etc. have always been super appealing to me. I think I've said this before, but given what we know about the narrative and comparisons to like the Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow I really do hope we get to see something like "Demon Queen Miriam" either as an adversary - similar to the "bad" ending in Dawn of Sorrow - or, preferably, playing as her - similar to in Aria of Sorrow from when you defeat Graham and officially become Dracula until the fight with Chaos. The "character is half X/half Y or has a secret side/power that is both a complication they have to deal with but also the key to their success" is a well worn trope but I'm a fan of it when it executed well. Full transformations are by far the best though (stuff like Devil Trigger) as opposed to weak stuff like just eye color changes or auras. Let's see Miriam turn her head piece into actual horns
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Post by crocodile on Jun 25, 2016 20:30:26 GMT -6
Just as an aside, if your experience in trying to speedrun the game has made you think about or yearn for the Speed Run Mode and think about what you'd like to see in it, feel free to head to this thread to leave your thoughts! Thanks
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Post by crocodile on Jun 25, 2016 20:05:31 GMT -6
Now that romscout and mecharichter have joined the forums, I just wanted to draw their attention to this thread. Any ideas, comments or criticisms they have (or anyone else may have after trying to speedrun the demo) is appreciated <3
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Post by crocodile on Jun 25, 2016 15:39:52 GMT -6
The other thing to consider is how body equipment will interact with Miriam's crystal and aura effects. The crystal flower on her back is an important part of her design, after all, so I imagine most armors would have to either have the same opening on her back her present dress does, or find another way to deal with the glow, petals, etc. from behind her. It may be more practical to just leave her look as it is, especially since her "basic" dress is so distinctive. Yeah this is something I had been thinking about too. The mark on her chest is also clearly important as well - you even see her jam the demon shards into it. So I'm curious if Pure Miriam is supposedly to play differently from Miriam (no Magic?) or the same and what that might mean for other costumes. If they will keep it all narratively consistent (which I think would be cool and I'd like) or just say fuck it (since it would be easier).
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Post by crocodile on Jun 25, 2016 3:30:40 GMT -6
SourceSource (link has NSFW material so be warned) Would people like Vepar more if she had the following color palate? Source (a bunch of NSFW material on that blog so be careful if you actually go exploring)
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Post by crocodile on Jun 24, 2016 23:25:36 GMT -6
Putting aside the many previous examples of giant monster women bosses in the Castlevania series such as Scylla from Symphony of the Night Medusa from Portrait of Ruin Vepar kind of reminds me of the character Double from Skullgirls (an amazing fighting game with horror elements that you should check out if you like fighting games): The focus for Double (who is probably a design that is impossible to nail in 3D) is more on the Eldritch Abomination side, which makes sense if you're aware of Skullgirls lore and pulls it more towards the "grotesque", and Vepar is more pulling from Mermaid/Siren/Kraken legends, which pulls it more towards the "alluring", but you can still see some similarities. The "sexy" and "grotesque"/"creepy"/"monstrous" mix can be very effective - its something that Castlevania has touched upon in the past (and no I don't mean Succubi or Witches as those tend to be all in on the "sexy" and little on the "monster"/"gross") as well as other series (Silent Hill was one example mentioned in thread). The only question comes down to if you think Vepar is an effective execution of that concept (that seems to be the main source of disagreement I can see). I'm still back and forth on the colors and textures but with regards to the other aspects (toothy midsection, tentacles, large bust, etc.) I think it works very well so I'd be opposed to design changes (I'm curious what her concept art looks like - since we got that concept art for that boss with the camel head in its crotch I've been keen to see more art like that). I guess I'm just reiterating what I've said before but the thread has developed a bit since then so I figured I'd make one more post (also now I have cool gifs). At the end of the day, I think there have been and will be a lot of "agree to disagree" posts in here which is fine so I'm going to let people have at it. At least things look for the most part cordial and respectful which makes me happy even if the topic is kind of worn
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Post by crocodile on Jun 24, 2016 3:45:28 GMT -6
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Post by crocodile on Jun 24, 2016 3:25:58 GMT -6
As an amendment to gunlord500 's post on level design, I'd ask IGA to recall the Training Hall he designed from Order of Ecclesia. IGA can do real platforming and traps without endless pits or other nonsense. I think a lot of people would appreciate seeing more of that in Bloodstained and not just hallway after hallway after hallway ad infinitium (though some of that is fine from time to time). We know Galleon Minerva is only the first level but I think this is still worth mentioning. I don't think we should worry about level design at this point. Most first levels (if not all?) from other Igavania games are pretty simple and the difficulty increases as we keep going. Don't forget (can anyone?) the Clock Towers or Labs. Also we can't visit all of Galleon Minerva in the demo so maybe be encounter other difficulties in the finished version. I trust on this I agree with you. I just figured since gunlord500 was using the demo as a jumping off point for level design in Igavanias in general, I felt I had to shout out the Training Hall. Igavanias have often been criticized for their level designs but I felt the Training Hall was one of several spots where IGA SMASHED it out of the park and that it should be remembered and referenced frequently. I'm hoping in trying to recapture SOTN in a bottle, some of the triumphs he has done since then aren't forgotten <3
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Post by crocodile on Jun 24, 2016 2:23:21 GMT -6
As an amendment to gunlord500 's post on level design, I'd ask IGA to recall the Training Hall he designed from Order of Ecclesia. IGA can do real platforming and traps without endless pits or other nonsense. I think a lot of people would appreciate seeing more of that in Bloodstained and not just hallway after hallway after hallway ad infinitium (though some of that is fine from time to time). We know Galleon Minerva is only the first level but I think this is still worth mentioning.
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Post by crocodile on Jun 24, 2016 2:00:27 GMT -6
I dunno if its his PB but romscout just posted this run. This is what you have to beat people. Good luck! <3
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Post by crocodile on Jun 24, 2016 1:30:19 GMT -6
Rixuel just posted this video in the shoutbox of a Miriam that dies: Animation looks straight out of SOTN. I'm sure that will please some people but I think its kind of boring and a meh choice to pretty much copy and paste this. Ah well.
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Post by crocodile on Jun 24, 2016 0:10:10 GMT -6
Ryngar Acia I got an e-mail about today's update and I assume I got one for the others too but I don't feel for looking for them right now. Check your spam folder maybe?
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Post by crocodile on Jun 23, 2016 21:40:26 GMT -6
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Post by crocodile on Jun 23, 2016 20:40:37 GMT -6
See, I don'the really like that because what if I *like* to grind? Now you're just putting an inherent cap on what I find fun. If you solve one problem you introduce another one (or act counter the preferences of a particular audience). I was just proposing potential solutions to the problem outlined in the OP.
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Post by crocodile on Jun 23, 2016 19:10:17 GMT -6
For more people who can't play the demo but want to check out some play-throughs, check out SomecallmeJohnny's Spotlight:
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Post by crocodile on Jun 23, 2016 18:59:00 GMT -6
My memory is a little hazy but I remember Chrono Cross having something of a level cap that you could only increase as you beat bosses. What the OP is describing is kind of an inherent flaw of the game design. To allow people to grind so that they can beat the next boss/rooms, its possible to over-level and make things too easy. Let's say there are 10 bosses in the game. Before the first boss you can't go above level 10. You beat that boss and then get a shard the raises the level cap to 20. Continue for the rest of the game. That allows you some leeway to level up and grind, for those too unskilled to beat the boss at low levels, but it also means there is a cap on how much you can overlevel. If you can't beat a non-optional boss at the level cap, you just REALLY suck
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Post by crocodile on Jun 23, 2016 17:33:50 GMT -6
However, there is a cost-benefit analysis for doing anything. Modeling armor is more extensive and is a lot more work than weapons or accessories. You don't get to say "just stop being lazy and get it done!" In all likelihood, I'm figuring that major outfit changes will be reserved for costumes while stuff like head or feet pieces will be on an item to item basis.
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Post by crocodile on Jun 23, 2016 17:26:41 GMT -6
Welp time for me to make my one and probably only post on the subject First off, I'm sorry if Noiry felt in anyway they were being attacked or disparaged. I don't think anybody had that intention. I can assure you this place has been and will continue to be a fair, welcoming place, especially the moderation. Speaking of the boss design, I might question its color palate (not at all a big deal but what is the boss made of?) or its textures (they look a bit unfinished - or is it going for a "this is made of water" vibe which I could understand) or the fact that its way too easy (but hey its a demo I'm assuming/hoping that will be fixed later and will press on that) but I have no issue with its bust. As far as I can tell, the boss is a mixture of the alluring and the grotesque as it takes inspirations from the demonology that serves as the background for much of this game (That Lesser Book whose name I've forgotten) as well as the legends of the mermaid, the siren and a touch of kraken (what ever gender the source material may be, let's not pretend this isn't female). To that end I personally think the boss design works and would be strongly opposed to changes on that ground. Of course you can't please everybody and I respect differing opinions who have every right to be heard just as my own. When it comes to aesthetics, unless something is legitimately offensive (or even if it doesn't offend me I can at least emphasize with those who it does), completely breaks suspension of disbelief (I think this is what tripped most people up who have any issue with this), doesn't accomplish its goals or there is a strictly superior way of accomplishing those same goals (though this is somewhat subjective) I'm usually opposed to changes - again you can't please everybody and moves to please some people are going to piss off others no matter what you do. That's how I feel at least, others don't have to agree. To provide some context without going into too much detail, previously we had a thread regarding Miriam's bust size. For a time, it was the most active topic in the entirety of the forum, and didn't get anywhere besides opposing sides throwing varying levels of names and insults at each other. We didn't really enjoy that kind of negative attention for our forum and the game, and it just makes a lot of extra work for moderation without really producing something constructive. It's a subject about as sensitive as politics or religion at this point, especially with how related topics have been at the forefront of gaming media sites lately. I don't think we should necessarily shy away from or hinder the discussion, but putting it in a separate spot so as not to flame up a main feedback thread was a good idea. I feel this is a bit of an exaggeration. Things only got heated when some trolls hopped onto the site for a bit but they were quickly expelled. I think the issue was more that the same people kept making the same arguments over and over again and thread wasn't really going anywhere. That and every few weeks after everybody pretty said what they needed to say, someone new would join, post in the thread and basically make a post someone else had already made 20 times over. The topic overall was repetitious in a cringeworthy way, not really hostile except for a short bit. Sometimes I wonder when everything went so wrong. Nowadays people make a fuss because "diversity", "depiction of women in games", "prejudice", etc, and forgot about the most important thing on game: the fun/entertainment element. I'm not saying we shouldn't give feedback about minor things, but the boobs of a demon is just a god dammit little thing that doesn't make any difference at all. It's just a matter of an artist's vision, and we should respect that. Unless if it made any difference in the gameplay, which isn't the case. I'm just going to interject and state that these things matter, these things are important and it is good for the industry that these conversations happen. Yes, sometimes people on either/both sides can be dumb. Yes, sometimes people might complain about things that realistically are complete non-issues and that can be frustrating or lead to the occasional decision I disagree with. Overall though, those sorts of conversations are important and have been a boon to the industry. Games might may an excellent escape medium but they don't exist in a vacuum and their influence doesn't exist in a vacuum.
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Post by crocodile on Jun 23, 2016 13:23:14 GMT -6
Aside from Elizabeth Bartley in Bloodlines (who gets usurped by Dracula in the end - though I guess that's true in almost every game) I can' think of any female that had a headline role as "the villain" in a Castlevania game. Carmilla is just the second in command to Dracula, "the Succubus" doesn't even have a name (which should tell you how far up the totem pole she is), the Lecarde Sisters are basically under Brauner's spell, etc. Since I'm 99% convinced Gebel is not the true villain of this game, I'd be super down for female villain <3 well, theres at least 2 bosses in the game (one has concept art that has been revealed in updates, the others in the demo) so far that look pretty feminine to me as for main hero and villain, so far miriams the main protagonist and gebel is believed to be the main antagonist and theres 2 extra playable characters slated with 3 known possibilities for them, and a whole slew of enemies we havent seen yet honestly though id rather the enemies and characters be interesting and have a sort of personality to their movements and actions and dialogue than have them go through a checklist of "must have x number of things with x traits to be progressive enough" which actually serves to hinder the devs ability because it shackles them to specific traits that are considered 'progressive' (not fixing the problem, just shifting it to the side a bit) cool that youre here with us, think i found your channel and it looks interesting ^_^ This is a false dichotomy. Nobody wants shitty characters but there is no reason or realistic fear that a character designed because of a desire for progressiveness has to be shitty or hard to incorporate or anything. You might not get what you want if you ask for something, assuming what you're asking for is reasonable or sensible, but you 100% won't get it if you don't ask. That's all this ever is. Sometimes people are dumb or unrespectful and sometimes what they are saying or asking for can be dumb - those people deserved to be called out. However at the end of the day expressing a demand for better representation isn't an inherent usurpation of artistic creativity or independence. It's just saying "hey I'm here, I like your work and I think it would be super cool if X happened and it might me like your work even better. Just think about it <3"
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