This version of the game definitely has potential, and I love a lot of the new art/scenes. However, for the time being, I would sincerely suggest anyone interested in this game seek out the HTML version under the same name still on Newgrounds. It's a significantly more complete version of this game, despite it being shelved a couple years ago.
(WHOLE BUNCH OF COMPARISONS/CRITIQUE BELOW)
When it comes to content, the Ren'py version is a combination of new writing, old writing from the HTML version, and updated writing from the HTML version to make it better fit the new engine. A lot of this new/updated writing is really enjoyable, and the new backgrounds/art are great! However, the HTML version has far more scenes, NPCs, and art. Playing the HTML version feels like a much more complete experience at the moment, but I'm hoping that as the Ren'py game updates it'll get more fleshed out.
Regarding story: as it is now, the new Ren'py game is significantly more linear, which makes sense given the focus on making the story easier to access. Unfortunately, this has some pretty bad side effects, such as limiting where you're allowed to go and what you can do by story progression. While some elements of that existed in the HTML version, it's still a much more open world to explore. Additionally, while the HTML version's story was harder to follow, it still felt far easier to progress than it does in the Ren'py version. At the moment, the Ren'py version's story progression is based almost entirely on trial and error, and it's sometimes hard to tell if/when you're actually using your time wisely. Gathering clues for the two password puzzles are prime examples of this; it's hard to tell if you have all the clues for the password unless you already know the password in advance. This... kind of defeats the purpose of the puzzle. The HTML version's story is a little harder to follow, but in my opinion, is much easier to actually progress through.
Another story-based thing in the Ren'py version of the game are the fights, of which I've seen a couple comments expressing some disappointment over. In the Ren'py version, fights are currently scripted wins/losses until their chapter is over, upon which they just... stop existing. In the HTML version, though, there were FAR more fights, they were actually repeatable at any point, and had a ton of outcomes based on various methods of winning/losing, unlocked fetishes, etc.. Plus, fights gave you money/items, which is always nice!
Additionally, the game mechanics in the HTML version are way more fleshed out than the Ren'py one, with a bunch of different transformation systems (various species, body part sizes, masculinity/femininity, muscle, etc.) that you could interact with to customize your character. At the moment, the Ren'py version has a scripted transformation that makes you into a mouse, and that's it, I think. There were also far more fetishes, additional fighting types, and optional content/paths to unlock that don't seem to exist in the current Ren'py game.
Lastly, the phone system in the Ren'py version is currently incredibly cumbersome to deal with. For those who don't know, you unlock the phone system after completing chapter 2, and it replaces all of the text prompts you usually use with a phone interface. Instead of clicking the "Talk to NPC" or "Go to location" text prompts on the screen, you click the "app" related to what you want, then click on the text prompt from there. From what I've read, it's planned to eventually make NPC encounters easier to find, so that you don't have to do a bunch of random encounters to find them. This is a great idea! However, at the moment, it just makes going places and interacting with NPCs much harder. Instead of just clicking the prompt to go to a place and being done, it now takes several clicks in different locations to accomplish the same task. Leaving the house, for instance, requires you to click off the NPC app, onto the location app, then click the text prompt, all with little animations. Additionally, the phone system currently removes all random encounters. This means that you can no longer farm items, see random events, or (most pressingly, in my opinion) quickly pass the time. Which ends up making it MUCH harder to get to the right time of day to talk to NPCs, and... kind of undermines the point of having the phone. Why have a system designed for easier NPC encounters make it harder to meet them at the right time? Needless to say, the phone system does not exist in the HTML version. In the HTML version, quite a few NPC encounters are frustrating to access due to being random events, but the majority of important NPC encounters aren't random at all-- you just go to the area at the right of time of day, and a prompt shows up.
I really, truly think the Ren'py version has a lot of potential, and I know making this into a good RPG game in the engine can be done. However, at the moment, I cannot recommend this version of the game over the HTML one.
Honestly, I don't know what do after we get the phone apps, maybe due to my lack of attention or either that's where the wip ends, but trying to wait for a while is so tiresome because of that phone mechanic, it was more easy before.
I was mostly interested in the battles before downloading but they were so few and most of the time we lose on purpose, which was kinda unmotivating.
Also the choices kinda felt irrelevant most of the time for me, like no matter we choose from one of the three options it'll always lead to the same result.
The game has potential, for sure, but most of those things are a letdown.
What you are seeing is that after you have a conversation at 6:10am the time then moves to 3:00pm. There are no options because there is nobody to talk to at that time. The game currently is getting back on its' feet so right now there are a limited number of NPC's you can talk to. Later on down the line once there are more characters you wont encounter this issue ^-^
Depends on what you mean by old version. If you are referring to the SbA VN that was before it got reworked which included areas like the CV arena I believe you can find that on Newgrounds
Not done yet till all the areas are in, and it should be done around when you can freely fight past enemies, which will come after all areas that used to be in the game back in!
So theres an interaction downtown on the PATS system that says "bored." And when i hit it, it turns into a coding error, also, is there an option to hide the text bar on the mobile app?
That's how it works. Zorro should have told you you're walking weird for not having your face in your phone all the time. Later once all the areas of old are in, we're planning on having multiple npcs to be able to talk to instead wandering around and hoping you run into events randomly. This time you'll just be able to go to a place at a certain time and encounter them. We're still implementing all the areas and features. We're hoping we should be done with mostly all of it by march or april.
I think the whole thing is really clunky, It's really annoying moving your mouse across the screen just to move around. The pats app jumps onto the screen immediately, so If you're trying to get to the bedroom from the downtown area, it takes like 8 total motions when it could simply be three.
I know I was frustrated with the way the story went last time I played this, perhaps you have changed it, perhaps not, but I think I'm willing to try it again soon at least. It is never a good feeling to be made to feel like you matter, when the fact is you don't, and the one's who can tell you keep it a secret, instead of being a little more straight. To be given freedom, yet expected to fall in line without anyone even asking. It presents the feeling like the story had o direction, if you are not told what you can do to help, then what is the point of expecting one to do it, if you are given freedom like all is right in the world? I just hope you changed up either the initial prologue part or part of the way the first major event happens/is worded to account for this. I don't expect hand holding, but how can one expect another to do something specific for them, if they don't even know they are expected to do something? If we were just trash, we should be treated like it right away, and if we have potential, we should be given hints or clues as to a means to gain some approval. A little direction would be nice, but I never expected everything about this game to be warm and fuzzy though. Don't think too much about this, for this is just me rehashing what I said awhile ago, so my concerns may no longer be as valid, if even valid.
This is one of my favorite games, and it's overflowing with potential, but there are some serious problems with the story itself and with the cues to the player regarding what his next task / options are; not to mention all the spelling and grammar mistakes. What I think you need is a good editor.
I've played GameOver as well, again a favorite with great potential, and it has the exact same problems - with the possible exception of spelling mistakes. I posted the same feedback on the GO page.
Once we've finished adding in all the old areas, we'll have a skip button for you to just jump straight to the open world bits like it used to be if you don't want to go through the tutorial.
The prologue will not change as the fact you are a stranger who just entered into their world through a portal left open by Zorro and them having no clue who you are or what you'll do or tell people. Their lack of trust of you lends way to a tutorial that shows you how things work while also letting you make mistakes during it to show if you mess things up, the story will continue on.
It also states they have no real exception of you and are just using you whether you come out on top or fail. The first task is just merely telling you to explore and do other things before doing the main quest without telling you. Then the second is have you done that and puts it in a more obvious way, more than just getting the puzzle right. The only point of those was just to explain go do others.
However, the fact others are willing to help knowing your plight while not putting themselves in danger for someone who they barely know for no good reason considering the line of work they do. The fact they keep pointing out you're not the first person to find themselves in this position is supposed to tell it's sort of a common thing that happens, and they've become less sympathetic, aside from Duilio, to your issue other than doing the bits to help you while they continue to do things they want to.
For Gen's case, while he knows your situation, your not the first. He had to change his plans ever since you got here and isn't the most happiest of guys having to do so. Having to constantly having to change his plans to accommodate the next new guy who wandered into Zorro's portal isn't something he wants to do, so dusts anything he can off to others, while just giving you the need to know information.
I could have just outright said all the context hints going on, and with the amount of people not catching onto them probably would have been the more obvious answer. Idk, maybe I'll put it somewhere else of someone telling you what you should have picked up and see how people react.
The previous plot was you wander around and stuff happens as it was made based off of Aqua Team Huger Force's original plot, but that upset a lot more people. So for people who already know about the group being not the most legal of people, and doing things that would otherwise land them in jail, them treating you as they do is a more realistic option especially when later on when you learn of this and more people start to tell you this like they used to.
Ultimately having you stuck in their group somehow because you worked with them and knowledge you know preventing any ignorance is bliss.
I could have conveyed this better with putting characters who naturally would just tell you more outright, instead of the ones who tell you by action, at the start. But I never really liked how people just tell you everything in games while knowing nothing of you.
Yes. I never expected any hand holding. My whole issue is Dullio attempting to dispose of you because you weren't doing anything he wanted, but no one even tells you about any of this, so it ruins the story with broken logic. If he has given you fee will at first, how the hell can you be expected to do something at random for him? Roughly it would be better to be vaguely forewarned that he will test you, giving you the sense that the free will roaming is a grace period, then once you beat the first boss, explains that, rather than trying to get rid of you (Jealousy for no reason, when he is the one calling the shots), that this was the initiation test, and that failure would have meant being disposed of as a mercy because of the characters that roam around could cause fates worse. This could give the feeling that he was giving you the chance to earn a place by a trail by fire and that failure would result in something that benefit everyone because you would no longer be a concern or random variable. These subtle shifts in tone would make it feel more like, now the game and its story truly begins, and "Welcome to he team", while still maintaining the same air of his personality. He seems more like he is principled and calculating, not rash and judgmental, and that is exactly how he came off with his dialogue sounding of pure jealousy and contempt for no good god damn reason!!! Because of the way that was done, it makes it pointless to even EXIST, because now you can no longer trust ANYONE, but since this is a GAME, it means QUIT. There is a big difference between being treated like your low on totem pole, and being treated like utter trash. And oh god does it make you feel like jumping off a cliff!!!
I'm sure it's only stated that your results are going to be reported to Duilio, while Zorro's the one trying to push and hurry you towards being in a team. It's more hinted at that Zorro's trying to get you in his good graces, not Duilio having you do these things to get in his.
Brass and someone else might mention working for Duilio is good, but the hints especially when you start to talk to him about it, is supposed to be pointing towards Zorro setting all of this up and Duilio just preventing Zorro from doing too much.
Duilio tells you at the start he's only allowing Zorro to keep you as a toy till he has time to dispose of you.
The introduction / tutorial portion of the game seemed excessively long to me - many scenes convey no substantive information (such as being forced to sign a document you can't read) then moving into a very long linear series of episodes with few meaningful choices and a lot of days that have no content at all besides going outside, 'investigating' a a few of times until the option to sleep becomes available, then repeating.
The actual training scenes are good - very fun - I'd suggest keeping that and the other story rich bits and cutting out anything that doesn't actually advance the introduction. Maybe clarifying the opening scene with Duilio so it conveys this sense of 'oh not another one' a bit more clearly.
I found the reactions of the story characters to the player's arrival varied, interesting and credible - and it is fun to meat them.
My frustration as a player was in the other direction - the PC seems incredibly passive for someone that was sucked into an alternate dimension and is told absolutely nothing about why this happened, if or when he's going to be sent back, and what he's expected to do in the meantime. It just doesn't feel like a plausible reaction to me - why isn't he angry, or sullen, or uncooperative, or looking for someone that will give him a bit more information? There are a huge range of realistic and believable possible reactions by the PC.
It's true you don't want to just dump a bunch of exposition onto the player; however, you do need to provide enough of an introductory framework to give a sense of realism to the PC and provide initial guidance to the player.
I dislike giving unsolicited advice - it's too easy for it to be perceived as aggressive or condescending or similar. If you find what I'm saying useful and I can be of any help to you at all just say the word, I'd be happy to help out. Beyond that, I'm going to keep my nose to myself and stop sticking it into your game uninvited.
Hello there Black Cat Studios and team, I just wanted to say a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a joyous New Year to everyone that is making this game grand! I sincerely hope that every one of you has an amazing 2023, a mystical rest of 2022, and good health to you all for the foreseeable future! I hope I can speak for your entire fanbase when I say that we are at the edge of our seats watching the progress of this masterpiece of a game, and we are incredibly grateful to have you all with us!
Hey! Just started playing. Dunno if you already know this but at the beginning when the lion walks in, it's bugged. The model is huge, making onli his feet visible on screen.
sooo, i dont really get the point of the phone GPS/Dating app gimmick. it just seems like an unnecessary extra step to get things done. why click on the phone extra when you could do things dierectly before? also always having the phone on the site now for stuff is kind of...eh.
i dont try to critic, maybe its necessary for stuff that comes later into play, that could be possible. i am just curious.
Once all the areas and starting npcs are in, there are some places where you can go to 4 places from one area, and that will eventually increase.
Combine that with being able to meet different npcs around the same time. The screen will become cluttered with options. We're moving away from rnging meeting the guy you want through the events and just talking to them when they are at x location at x time, as people were annoyed with rng trying to meet the guy they want to with the old.
Also it adds a bit more of overtone that the fact the player and their phone are linked.
so I dont know if this is happening for anyone else, but as soon as Zorro adds the apps to my phone in game I cant exit from the phone because the dialogue box is covering the button to close the phone and I cant leave the house or do anything because theres no options to. If I try hitting the x it asks me if Id like ro go to sleep and then the game closes out.
Yeah, it's part of the tutorial. There will be a 3rd time but the fight will be drastically different since by then you'll know 3 fighting styles and you'll have multiple ways to lose and different win scenes.
The first time I tried this game, it was an open world. The second time I tried this game, it changed into an RPG on rails. I'm reticent to try it again since it seems to be a different game each time I play it.
Sorry about that. It's slowly going back to open world like it used to be. We just had to move from html because we could no longer support it, so we thought as the new coder started to put all the new systems and old events in, we'd give more of a story since people complained a lot of having no clue what to do.
Personally I thought just having freeroam and discovering things on your own was nice, but kept getting complaints on what to do. We also decided to try to do away with the rng of trying to meet the guy you wanted as well.
Now once the systems are in proper order and all the areas are back in, which we're currently putting them back in, you'll be free to do as you please. Meet guys or do the story as they get added in.
The main issue why it's taking so long was stated in dev logs as we've been open about it. The coder who started to move everything to renpy has rl issues he needed to take care, then we got another coder who didn't workout very well with us, and now we're on our current coder who's working hard in putting in content and getting the systems in order!
It's part of the story, after you do Boss' deal at night. You just need to go to your house around 2-4 am I believe? Then the story mission will auto start or you just need to talk to Trald or Gen.
I don’t know if the new grounds version is up to date or my game is just bugging, but I can’t seem to forward any of the routes after i fought Ruvin, and i still can’t talk to Kuri because Zorro won’t let me.
We moved from html to renpy mainly because we were having storage issues. Then the SbA curse went into full effect, which is something always happens to the coder which has them stop working on the game to handle issues in RL. Once the game's systems are finished being put in and all the areas are back in, newgrounds will update again.
You might want to see about joining the Discord for more hands-on help. Otherwise try paying attention to the shop hours for your rat-related exploration.
i think that some of us long time fans are more upset cause that is not the first or second time that this game got a new engine. and most of the time got completly reworked in the process. starting from scratch. if there was just somekind of reasurance that the next time this story gets worked on, it will be worked on for good without anymore restarts. that would help calming the nerves.
It couldn't be helped. With all the changes in staff, compatibility, and game engines, it would have been a miracle for everything to go off without an issue. I'm just happy they didn't need to start over completely from scratch as they did with the Renpy change.
thats what i am saying. update take a long time to come out, and when a story gets start over from scratch, much of the first months is put into "worldbuilding" and "character introduktion" and when it seems it finally starts to get somewhere content wise(which can take 6 months to a year)...boom,another engine update.
wether it can be helped or not, it should be understandable why this is kind of frustrating for some people ,since that happened more than once. that why i said, an official message to reassure would be nice. thats all.
The team switched to a new engine to address that very issue. Patreon backers will be getting the long-awaited release soon. Itch.io will be getting said release next month.
They had to change game engines to make the phone work properly on androids. Patreon subscribers are about to receive a long-awaited update. Itch.io will receive said update one month later.
We've been hard at work getting things fixed up and we're really excited to get back to regular updates. Your patience will (hopefully) be well rewarded 😈
As posted below, SbA will be back shortly! Early Viewers will be the first to see the revitalized game, then the general public afterwards. We know it's been a long time and we're sorry for the wait, but stay tuned! We'll be updating regularly (again) from here on out!
Sewer passcode hints would’ve been better if we can check back with a certain rat’s store after getting hints so we wouldn’t have to roll back. OR ask someone in game for said information. Also consider the PM version of time as I would’ve assumed 4 is incorrect since PM for 4 is 16 when you can’t type AM or PM.
Don’t just leave it up to people having a save or google so we don’t feel stuck.
OH! AND the hints need to show up in my phone. I started screenshotting after my struggle with Mac’s code but I literally thought it was 6am and 6pm and that’s just woefully incorrect according to these comments. XD
Is this game still being worked on or did something happen to one or more of the people working on it? If something bad did happen, I hope things get better soon.
from my experience, i would say its still worked on, but it is also not unusual for this team to have loooong update pauses when they do some engine upgrade stuff as they tend to do that every so often and never seem to feel satisfied with the system they got. You decide if that is good or bad news for you
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This version of the game definitely has potential, and I love a lot of the new art/scenes. However, for the time being, I would sincerely suggest anyone interested in this game seek out the HTML version under the same name still on Newgrounds. It's a significantly more complete version of this game, despite it being shelved a couple years ago.
(WHOLE BUNCH OF COMPARISONS/CRITIQUE BELOW)
When it comes to content, the Ren'py version is a combination of new writing, old writing from the HTML version, and updated writing from the HTML version to make it better fit the new engine. A lot of this new/updated writing is really enjoyable, and the new backgrounds/art are great! However, the HTML version has far more scenes, NPCs, and art. Playing the HTML version feels like a much more complete experience at the moment, but I'm hoping that as the Ren'py game updates it'll get more fleshed out.
Regarding story: as it is now, the new Ren'py game is significantly more linear, which makes sense given the focus on making the story easier to access. Unfortunately, this has some pretty bad side effects, such as limiting where you're allowed to go and what you can do by story progression. While some elements of that existed in the HTML version, it's still a much more open world to explore. Additionally, while the HTML version's story was harder to follow, it still felt far easier to progress than it does in the Ren'py version. At the moment, the Ren'py version's story progression is based almost entirely on trial and error, and it's sometimes hard to tell if/when you're actually using your time wisely. Gathering clues for the two password puzzles are prime examples of this; it's hard to tell if you have all the clues for the password unless you already know the password in advance. This... kind of defeats the purpose of the puzzle. The HTML version's story is a little harder to follow, but in my opinion, is much easier to actually progress through.
Another story-based thing in the Ren'py version of the game are the fights, of which I've seen a couple comments expressing some disappointment over. In the Ren'py version, fights are currently scripted wins/losses until their chapter is over, upon which they just... stop existing. In the HTML version, though, there were FAR more fights, they were actually repeatable at any point, and had a ton of outcomes based on various methods of winning/losing, unlocked fetishes, etc.. Plus, fights gave you money/items, which is always nice!
Additionally, the game mechanics in the HTML version are way more fleshed out than the Ren'py one, with a bunch of different transformation systems (various species, body part sizes, masculinity/femininity, muscle, etc.) that you could interact with to customize your character. At the moment, the Ren'py version has a scripted transformation that makes you into a mouse, and that's it, I think. There were also far more fetishes, additional fighting types, and optional content/paths to unlock that don't seem to exist in the current Ren'py game.
Lastly, the phone system in the Ren'py version is currently incredibly cumbersome to deal with. For those who don't know, you unlock the phone system after completing chapter 2, and it replaces all of the text prompts you usually use with a phone interface. Instead of clicking the "Talk to NPC" or "Go to location" text prompts on the screen, you click the "app" related to what you want, then click on the text prompt from there. From what I've read, it's planned to eventually make NPC encounters easier to find, so that you don't have to do a bunch of random encounters to find them. This is a great idea! However, at the moment, it just makes going places and interacting with NPCs much harder. Instead of just clicking the prompt to go to a place and being done, it now takes several clicks in different locations to accomplish the same task. Leaving the house, for instance, requires you to click off the NPC app, onto the location app, then click the text prompt, all with little animations. Additionally, the phone system currently removes all random encounters. This means that you can no longer farm items, see random events, or (most pressingly, in my opinion) quickly pass the time. Which ends up making it MUCH harder to get to the right time of day to talk to NPCs, and... kind of undermines the point of having the phone. Why have a system designed for easier NPC encounters make it harder to meet them at the right time? Needless to say, the phone system does not exist in the HTML version. In the HTML version, quite a few NPC encounters are frustrating to access due to being random events, but the majority of important NPC encounters aren't random at all-- you just go to the area at the right of time of day, and a prompt shows up.
I really, truly think the Ren'py version has a lot of potential, and I know making this into a good RPG game in the engine can be done. However, at the moment, I cannot recommend this version of the game over the HTML one.
where is the html version I can't find it
This should be it! You'll need a Newgrounds account that can view adult content to play it.
https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/754727
Its between 2 am to 4am meet up at home with Trald and Gen for a couple of days looking for anything that might tell you the code. I think..
Code is 11000400 if don't wanna look around
i cant remeber the time when to met but the code is for the rat den if you want you can check your phone as it gen tells you what to do
The phone has a system that tells you what to do.
It’s so sad having to wait for this to update on newgrounds cuz I don’t have laptop. :(
There's an android version
what the password for Mac computer and the password for rat hide out door lock
goblinsarerealman
11000400
thank
Honestly, I don't know what do after we get the phone apps, maybe due to my lack of attention or either that's where the wip ends, but trying to wait for a while is so tiresome because of that phone mechanic, it was more easy before.
I was mostly interested in the battles before downloading but they were so few and most of the time we lose on purpose, which was kinda unmotivating.
Also the choices kinda felt irrelevant most of the time for me, like no matter we choose from one of the three options it'll always lead to the same result.
The game has potential, for sure, but most of those things are a letdown.
So I think there is a bag on the Phone version. When you talking with someone in pats after conversation there is no other buttons. That's what I mean
What you are seeing is that after you have a conversation at 6:10am the time then moves to 3:00pm. There are no options because there is nobody to talk to at that time. The game currently is getting back on its' feet so right now there are a limited number of NPC's you can talk to. Later on down the line once there are more characters you wont encounter this issue ^-^
Is there an archive for the old version?
Depends on what you mean by old version. If you are referring to the SbA VN that was before it got reworked which included areas like the CV arena I believe you can find that on Newgrounds
how do you complete army in the making?
Not done yet till all the areas are in, and it should be done around when you can freely fight past enemies, which will come after all areas that used to be in the game back in!
So theres an interaction downtown on the PATS system that says "bored." And when i hit it, it turns into a coding error, also, is there an option to hide the text bar on the mobile app?
Not supposed to happen in the public version. Thanks for the report.
That's how it works. Zorro should have told you you're walking weird for not having your face in your phone all the time. Later once all the areas of old are in, we're planning on having multiple npcs to be able to talk to instead wandering around and hoping you run into events randomly. This time you'll just be able to go to a place at a certain time and encounter them. We're still implementing all the areas and features. We're hoping we should be done with mostly all of it by march or april.
I think the whole thing is really clunky, It's really annoying moving your mouse across the screen just to move around. The pats app jumps onto the screen immediately, so If you're trying to get to the bedroom from the downtown area, it takes like 8 total motions when it could simply be three.
Hmmm... Definitely what's not planned to happen. Thanks for the report.
I know I was frustrated with the way the story went last time I played this, perhaps you have changed it, perhaps not, but I think I'm willing to try it again soon at least. It is never a good feeling to be made to feel like you matter, when the fact is you don't, and the one's who can tell you keep it a secret, instead of being a little more straight. To be given freedom, yet expected to fall in line without anyone even asking. It presents the feeling like the story had o direction, if you are not told what you can do to help, then what is the point of expecting one to do it, if you are given freedom like all is right in the world? I just hope you changed up either the initial prologue part or part of the way the first major event happens/is worded to account for this. I don't expect hand holding, but how can one expect another to do something specific for them, if they don't even know they are expected to do something? If we were just trash, we should be treated like it right away, and if we have potential, we should be given hints or clues as to a means to gain some approval. A little direction would be nice, but I never expected everything about this game to be warm and fuzzy though. Don't think too much about this, for this is just me rehashing what I said awhile ago, so my concerns may no longer be as valid, if even valid.
This is one of my favorite games, and it's overflowing with potential, but there are some serious problems with the story itself and with the cues to the player regarding what his next task / options are; not to mention all the spelling and grammar mistakes. What I think you need is a good editor.
I've played GameOver as well, again a favorite with great potential, and it has the exact same problems - with the possible exception of spelling mistakes. I posted the same feedback on the GO page.
We got people working on the spelling and gammar issues now.
Once we've finished adding in all the old areas, we'll have a skip button for you to just jump straight to the open world bits like it used to be if you don't want to go through the tutorial.
My gripe was the story writing, had nothing to deal with mechnics.
The prologue will not change as the fact you are a stranger who just entered into their world through a portal left open by Zorro and them having no clue who you are or what you'll do or tell people. Their lack of trust of you lends way to a tutorial that shows you how things work while also letting you make mistakes during it to show if you mess things up, the story will continue on.
It also states they have no real exception of you and are just using you whether you come out on top or fail. The first task is just merely telling you to explore and do other things before doing the main quest without telling you. Then the second is have you done that and puts it in a more obvious way, more than just getting the puzzle right. The only point of those was just to explain go do others.
However, the fact others are willing to help knowing your plight while not putting themselves in danger for someone who they barely know for no good reason considering the line of work they do. The fact they keep pointing out you're not the first person to find themselves in this position is supposed to tell it's sort of a common thing that happens, and they've become less sympathetic, aside from Duilio, to your issue other than doing the bits to help you while they continue to do things they want to.
For Gen's case, while he knows your situation, your not the first. He had to change his plans ever since you got here and isn't the most happiest of guys having to do so. Having to constantly having to change his plans to accommodate the next new guy who wandered into Zorro's portal isn't something he wants to do, so dusts anything he can off to others, while just giving you the need to know information.
I could have just outright said all the context hints going on, and with the amount of people not catching onto them probably would have been the more obvious answer. Idk, maybe I'll put it somewhere else of someone telling you what you should have picked up and see how people react.
The previous plot was you wander around and stuff happens as it was made based off of Aqua Team Huger Force's original plot, but that upset a lot more people. So for people who already know about the group being not the most legal of people, and doing things that would otherwise land them in jail, them treating you as they do is a more realistic option especially when later on when you learn of this and more people start to tell you this like they used to.
Ultimately having you stuck in their group somehow because you worked with them and knowledge you know preventing any ignorance is bliss.
I could have conveyed this better with putting characters who naturally would just tell you more outright, instead of the ones who tell you by action, at the start. But I never really liked how people just tell you everything in games while knowing nothing of you.
The spelling and grammar errors will change.
Yes. I never expected any hand holding. My whole issue is Dullio attempting to dispose of you because you weren't doing anything he wanted, but no one even tells you about any of this, so it ruins the story with broken logic. If he has given you fee will at first, how the hell can you be expected to do something at random for him? Roughly it would be better to be vaguely forewarned that he will test you, giving you the sense that the free will roaming is a grace period, then once you beat the first boss, explains that, rather than trying to get rid of you (Jealousy for no reason, when he is the one calling the shots), that this was the initiation test, and that failure would have meant being disposed of as a mercy because of the characters that roam around could cause fates worse. This could give the feeling that he was giving you the chance to earn a place by a trail by fire and that failure would result in something that benefit everyone because you would no longer be a concern or random variable. These subtle shifts in tone would make it feel more like, now the game and its story truly begins, and "Welcome to he team", while still maintaining the same air of his personality. He seems more like he is principled and calculating, not rash and judgmental, and that is exactly how he came off with his dialogue sounding of pure jealousy and contempt for no good god damn reason!!! Because of the way that was done, it makes it pointless to even EXIST, because now you can no longer trust ANYONE, but since this is a GAME, it means QUIT. There is a big difference between being treated like your low on totem pole, and being treated like utter trash. And oh god does it make you feel like jumping off a cliff!!!
I'm sure it's only stated that your results are going to be reported to Duilio, while Zorro's the one trying to push and hurry you towards being in a team. It's more hinted at that Zorro's trying to get you in his good graces, not Duilio having you do these things to get in his.
Brass and someone else might mention working for Duilio is good, but the hints especially when you start to talk to him about it, is supposed to be pointing towards Zorro setting all of this up and Duilio just preventing Zorro from doing too much.
Duilio tells you at the start he's only allowing Zorro to keep you as a toy till he has time to dispose of you.
The introduction / tutorial portion of the game seemed excessively long to me - many scenes convey no substantive information (such as being forced to sign a document you can't read) then moving into a very long linear series of episodes with few meaningful choices and a lot of days that have no content at all besides going outside, 'investigating' a a few of times until the option to sleep becomes available, then repeating.
The actual training scenes are good - very fun - I'd suggest keeping that and the other story rich bits and cutting out anything that doesn't actually advance the introduction. Maybe clarifying the opening scene with Duilio so it conveys this sense of 'oh not another one' a bit more clearly.
I found the reactions of the story characters to the player's arrival varied, interesting and credible - and it is fun to meat them.
My frustration as a player was in the other direction - the PC seems incredibly passive for someone that was sucked into an alternate dimension and is told absolutely nothing about why this happened, if or when he's going to be sent back, and what he's expected to do in the meantime. It just doesn't feel like a plausible reaction to me - why isn't he angry, or sullen, or uncooperative, or looking for someone that will give him a bit more information? There are a huge range of realistic and believable possible reactions by the PC.
It's true you don't want to just dump a bunch of exposition onto the player; however, you do need to provide enough of an introductory framework to give a sense of realism to the PC and provide initial guidance to the player.
I dislike giving unsolicited advice - it's too easy for it to be perceived as aggressive or condescending or similar. If you find what I'm saying useful and I can be of any help to you at all just say the word, I'd be happy to help out. Beyond that, I'm going to keep my nose to myself and stop sticking it into your game uninvited.
-Rick
anyone know the password for the door to the rat den? I’m kinda stuck thx in advance.
11000400
Hello there Black Cat Studios and team, I just wanted to say a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a joyous New Year to everyone that is making this game grand! I sincerely hope that every one of you has an amazing 2023, a mystical rest of 2022, and good health to you all for the foreseeable future! I hope I can speak for your entire fanbase when I say that we are at the edge of our seats watching the progress of this masterpiece of a game, and we are incredibly grateful to have you all with us!
Sincerely
Bittersweetstateofmind
Hey! Just started playing. Dunno if you already know this but at the beginning when the lion walks in, it's bugged. The model is huge, making onli his feet visible on screen.
sooo, i dont really get the point of the phone GPS/Dating app gimmick.
it just seems like an unnecessary extra step to get things done.
why click on the phone extra when you could do things dierectly before?
also always having the phone on the site now for stuff is kind of...eh.
i dont try to critic, maybe its necessary for stuff that comes later into play, that could be possible. i am just curious.
Once all the areas and starting npcs are in, there are some places where you can go to 4 places from one area, and that will eventually increase.
Combine that with being able to meet different npcs around the same time. The screen will become cluttered with options. We're moving away from rnging meeting the guy you want through the events and just talking to them when they are at x location at x time, as people were annoyed with rng trying to meet the guy they want to with the old.
Also it adds a bit more of overtone that the fact the player and their phone are linked.
I see, now i understand. Thanks for the informative answer.
Mine Did The Same Thing To me Lastnight ; ;
I've got the same issue, are you also using the android version?
No i was on the pc verson
me too - pc version
Will there ever be another update to the new grounds version?
Once the game gets all its areas in and the new systems aren't causing a mess, yup.
11000400 sewer
goblinsarerealman mac
it took way too long to realize
Question, do you need to actually fight Mac the second time or is there way to skip it?
Yeah, it's part of the tutorial. There will be a 3rd time but the fight will be drastically different since by then you'll know 3 fighting styles and you'll have multiple ways to lose and different win scenes.
Oh ok, thanks!
The first time I tried this game, it was an open world. The second time I tried this game, it changed into an RPG on rails. I'm reticent to try it again since it seems to be a different game each time I play it.
Sorry about that. It's slowly going back to open world like it used to be. We just had to move from html because we could no longer support it, so we thought as the new coder started to put all the new systems and old events in, we'd give more of a story since people complained a lot of having no clue what to do.
Personally I thought just having freeroam and discovering things on your own was nice, but kept getting complaints on what to do. We also decided to try to do away with the rng of trying to meet the guy you wanted as well.
Now once the systems are in proper order and all the areas are back in, which we're currently putting them back in, you'll be free to do as you please. Meet guys or do the story as they get added in.
The main issue why it's taking so long was stated in dev logs as we've been open about it. The coder who started to move everything to renpy has rl issues he needed to take care, then we got another coder who didn't workout very well with us, and now we're on our current coder who's working hard in putting in content and getting the systems in order!
is it supposed to look like this?
Would there be a 32.bit version ?
I can ask the coder.
Never have I been so happy to see an update!
I feel as though I'm stuck in a loop. I can't find the sewer entrance despite investigating everywhere in the neighborhood and western districts.
It's part of the story, after you do Boss' deal at night. You just need to go to your house around 2-4 am I believe? Then the story mission will auto start or you just need to talk to Trald or Gen.
I don’t know if the new grounds version is up to date or my game is just bugging, but I can’t seem to forward any of the routes after i fought Ruvin, and i still can’t talk to Kuri because Zorro won’t let me.
We moved from html to renpy mainly because we were having storage issues. Then the SbA curse went into full effect, which is something always happens to the coder which has them stop working on the game to handle issues in RL. Once the game's systems are finished being put in and all the areas are back in, newgrounds will update again.
That’s good to know! Thanks
Can pleaze someone tell me the Sewer passcode or at last how to get it!!!
You might want to see about joining the Discord for more hands-on help. Otherwise try paying attention to the shop hours for your rat-related exploration.
To whom it may concern,
No, the game isn't dead. They needed to change game engines because the phone, in the android version, was broken.
They are finishing up final tests at the time of this post. An update will be made for backers soon with Itch.io a month after.
I know this game is fantastic, and we are all itching for an update, but we need to remain calm.
If you need to be in the know, join the discord and converse with the community.
i think that some of us long time fans are more upset cause that is not the first or second time that this game got a new engine. and most of the time got completly reworked in the process. starting from scratch.
if there was just somekind of reasurance that the next time this story gets worked on, it will be worked on for good without anymore restarts. that would help calming the nerves.
It couldn't be helped. With all the changes in staff, compatibility, and game engines, it would have been a miracle for everything to go off without an issue. I'm just happy they didn't need to start over completely from scratch as they did with the Renpy change.
thats what i am saying. update take a long time to come out, and when a story gets start over from scratch, much of the first months is put into "worldbuilding" and "character introduktion" and when it seems it finally starts to get somewhere content wise(which can take 6 months to a year)...boom,another engine update.
wether it can be helped or not, it should be understandable why this is kind of frustrating for some people ,since that happened more than once. that why i said, an official message to reassure would be nice. thats all.
I started playing again but I still can't pull up the phone when I see comments that it's working what is the key or keybind to pull out the phone
If it's the p key then it's still not working on mobile
The team switched to a new engine to address that very issue. Patreon backers will be getting the long-awaited release soon. Itch.io will be getting said release next month.
Is the game done for? :(
Certainly feels like it. It's been over a year since the last game update.
How unfortunate
They had to change game engines to make the phone work properly on androids. Patreon subscribers are about to receive a long-awaited update. Itch.io will receive said update one month later.
Correct! I'm not sure what prize you win though.... 🤔
Also, good news! The phone mechanic now works on Android! 🎉
I'd settle for early access but that wouldn't be fair to backers. Also, that gif is hilarious.
😭 we know! But, we'll be back shortly!!
Sorry it's been so long 😭
We've been hard at work getting things fixed up and we're really excited to get back to regular updates. Your patience will (hopefully) be well rewarded 😈
As posted below, SbA will be back shortly! Early Viewers will be the first to see the revitalized game, then the general public afterwards. We know it's been a long time and we're sorry for the wait, but stay tuned! We'll be updating regularly (again) from here on out!
Is it posible for this game to be on windows and android ?
it does work on windows but not through the itch.io app. you will have to download it from a browser
We hope to have the option to download through the app soon. I know I (personally) use this option whenever possible.
Yep! The next update SHOULD function properly on Android. We're still doing some testing to make sure.
Just wish was an easier way to go between the night and day. Really hate that by a certain time, just seems like everything just ends.
Unfortunately, for the time being the night/day cycle is story-locked. You should be able to choose between your night owl and early bird selves soon!
I know this is a silly question and I know your making another game that is absolutely yummy. but when are we gonna get an update? ;_;
Sewer passcode hints would’ve been better if we can check back with a certain rat’s store after getting hints so we wouldn’t have to roll back. OR ask someone in game for said information. Also consider the PM version of time as I would’ve assumed 4 is incorrect since PM for 4 is 16 when you can’t type AM or PM.
Don’t just leave it up to people having a save or google so we don’t feel stuck.
OH! AND the hints need to show up in my phone. I started screenshotting after my struggle with Mac’s code but I literally thought it was 6am and 6pm and that’s just woefully incorrect according to these comments. XD
Hi, I play first time and I played pass to event rat in sewer after that I couldn't find another event . I spent many hours😭.
I don't know where I made a mistake Anyone have any advice? what to do next? I don't know where to go next. I feel so lost
ps. I want know the route Trald anyone have some guids?
Is this game still being worked on or did something happen to one or more of the people working on it? If something bad did happen, I hope things get better soon.
from my experience, i would say its still worked on, but it is also not unusual for this team to have loooong update pauses when they do some engine upgrade stuff as they tend to do that every so often and never seem to feel satisfied with the system they got.
You decide if that is good or bad news for you
If that's the case, it's better than it being abandoned then. Was just a bit worried because of how quiet it's been.
Sorry we've been so quiet. I JUST picked up development recently after a few engine issues so we're back in business again! Stay tuned :D
yay! Happy to hear! :D
Heard there was watersports in the game, where is it?
A friendly goblin is your way to unlock it relatively early on. I won't spoil it further, but pay very close attention to your options ;)
How do you access the rats layer haven't found it yet
Im using the newgrounds version so if theres a difference let me know
Pretty sure Newgrounds is behind on updates. You'll want the version here on Itch if you want the rat lair.