[ Reformatory Exposure ] - Beta Test Build

[Arnal]

Okay, I wanted to finish the game before posting, but I'm not sure I'm able to.


I am getting spotted at the top floor, near the elevator, while crouching behind the flower pot (in the lower tile) and the textbook boxes (in the lower left tile) and letting the guard pass me by. Sometime it work perfectly and the guard doesn't notice me. Sometime I get spotted and it's instant game over.



I thought at first I had to spacebar the box to get the "this box is full of..." dialog but no, this doesn't seem to affect the odds.



I also try to crouch on the next tile (with the box on my lower tile and the flowers on my lower right), and I also get spotted, although at least I get spotted consistently.


I never move, or stop crouching, and the guard seem to have a predictive path. The box dialog also seem to point toward it being the correct solution. So the only explanations I have is: 1) the detection system have a random factor baked into it, or 2) the detection system is bugged.


Maybe the later parts of the game are great, but so far it has been a linear path of frustrating trial and error. Finding out that even the "one true path" is either bugged or pure luck is a bit disheartening, tbh.

[antoniorossani]

my god man! i appreciated the story but the gameplay was a torture imho... to difficult

Originally Posted by you

I realize that save points are not ideal, however I am basically hacking the engine to do something it wasn't designed to do. There are complex parallel scene routers that control movement of the actors around the room and the in-built save system cannot save all of their states, positions, directions, and so on. If a player saves in between scenes, it just all goes haywire. So I basically restricted saving to only be possible in-between scenes.

I guess a skip option for some of the scene intros might be a good solution.

so i saw that you already realized this issue and you are looking for solutions... i think that it would be sufficient make some parts a little bit easier... it's ok hard, but i think that a mechanic in the impossible games style, where you have to do the right moves in the perfect moment doesn't match well with a spanking game.. anyway congratulation, all in all a good game

[HuracanGT3]

So where is the entrance? I kept being spotted but not knowing where the entrance is.

[SariaSong]

I think the issue with the difficulty in my opinion is that...

1. it's reliant on speed and precise movements to run past guards and to hiding places, which are a bit difficult to do with RPG Maker controls; and

2. There's very little margin for error. The range from which guards can see you is pretty big, even when it seems like you should be hidden.

[HuracanGT3]

Originally Posted by HuracanGT3

So where is the entrance? I kept being spotted but not knowing where the entrance is.

it is on the ground. i have reached the door and i need to find another way. but where is it exactly?.

[dragoonleon]

Originally Posted by HuracanGT3

it is on the ground. i have reached the door and i need to find another way. but where is it exactly?.

From what I've heard there are 2 different ways in. But the one I used was to the right of the door. It's an open window not very from from it. Like just slightly offscreen from the door.

[GodSpankers]

A complete black screen after i escaped from the ground floor and went in the classroom where I broke the window into after using the girl as distraction. Its a great game but extremely frustrating to play with so many bugs

[Izumi]

How do you use the girl as a distraction?

Nevermind I figured it out, now I need to get past the guard that is walking back and forth quickly

[Aether]

Sorry I can't get back to everyone at the moment.

Originally Posted by dragoonleon

The camera in the lobby to the left of the front desk. Moving any direction, even under the cameras blindspot results in the alarm being sounded. I've seen the cameras moving occasionally but both cameras after it's mentioned by the MC don't move at all.

That is definitely a bug, that camera should be the fastest moving in the game. Like below every second, and the timing is required in order to be able to make it. I've re-played that part a few times and couldn't reproduce your issue, making it hard to fix… maybe it's a performance issue? That only appears on some computers?

Ca anyone here confirm the same issue? Or anyone being able to successfully escape via the elevator? (requires to not give up your clothes when first entering the building)

Originally Posted by Spanker121

So completed the game and loved it because it was so challenging loved the doctor spanking scene btw i loved how it got worser for Claire now i want to ask how to get the worst and the best ending i read it at the end of the game but playing all the frustrating parts seems like a hassle so can you implement a way for us too see all the endings or skip a sneak sequence in NG+ or something like that

Thanks! No best ending yet. Worst one is reached by having too much damage when you reach the headmaster, absically to prevent savegames with a state that can only ever result in a regular game over. The full game should have more failure conditions to reach that ending, for example not having anything to trade with Jay at the end.
I like that NG+ idea, I'll put it a s a nice-to-have on the todo list.

Originally Posted by Arnal

I am getting spotted at the top floor, near the elevator, while crouching behind the flower pot (in the lower tile) and the textbook boxes (in the lower left tile) and letting the guard pass me by. Sometime it work perfectly and the guard doesn't notice me. Sometime I get spotted and it's instant game over.

When first getting upstairs, you first need to hide to the right behind the wall. The boxes can be crouched behind, but that will only help you when the guard moves back to the right. Crouching behind the flower pot has the issue that there is a diagonal gap the guard can spot you through.

Originally Posted by GodSpankers

A complete black screen after i escaped from the ground floor and went in the classroom where I broke the window into after using the girl as distraction.

Interesting. Can't reproduce that one yet. Does anything else happen during that black screen? Any text/error message? Were you already trying to escape or was this before going to the headmaster?


General Note

Some areas do have a "one right path", yes, but most of them I made sure have at least two. For example in the headmasters office you can also just run around the table and crouch when he turns, though right before the end you have to dash away from the table before both converge on it.

It's a divisive game. I know now that to broaden the appeal I'll try to find a way to mitigate the difficulty for more casual players before adding more stuff to it.

I personally don't mind the challenge, but I'm also the type of person that grew up playing Super Mario where you had to restart the entire game after dying three times. Or replaying darksouls boss fights until I can figure them out. But not everyone is like that. I still hope to preserve that challenge for players who like it though, with some extra payoff for doing it. I'll try a few things. It will take time though.

I also had someone offer to help out already But there's room for more.

I like the concept of the stealth gameplay, and by the looks of it, this game certainly has the potential to be good, the game over sequence was a nice surprise as well, i'm looking forward to future updates on this proyect!