Completed PS: Time's Edge

Postscriptum: Time's Edge

Description:

In the richest half of the poorest city on earth, a very unfortunate man is driven to catastrophy in part due to his own choices. With cloudy judgement, and perception askewed, he climbs over the big fence technically separating the two halves, which actually leads to the long-gone, destroyed center of the city. Among the garbage in the abandoned construction site, the machinery, and his inner emptiness, he sits there, unmoving. But his body is yet to give up, and suddenly, the bouncing echo of a growling stomach ignites his dopamine receptors yet again. With a mindset stuck on his "late" age, and a complete lack of will for anything, will he ever manage to rekindle the fire of life once lost?

Welcome to Northern Artemisia, where everything runs like clockwork, where efficiency, happiness, and freedom comprise the pride of its citizens.
Assume the role of Arthur, a man with nothing to lose, on a quest that involves nothing particularly exciting.

Actual Features:

• Do mundane tasks that will probably not yield you much money
• Get some work experience
• Relive past memories
• Meet people you haven't met before, mostly
• Run into someone you'd never expect could change the tides of fate
• And if you are lucky, perhaps learn what role Pokemon serve in that part of the world?

Technical Features:

• a custom, original OST (wait that's two "originals", right?)
• original animated character portraits
• 16.2 times the detail
• a minimum number of at least 2 jokes (humor discretion advised)
• a large number of distinct minigames
• a closed-world, railroaded experience

Screenshots:

Spoiler: Screens

Download: (2.0)

Spoiler: Download:

https://mega.nz/file/IXwTQSBJ#rKpbYu1NwsZPtpMxkdtlIU8loWGbPb077W-sG9KNIPc

Made Using:

RPG MAKER XP
Pokemon Essentials v 18.1,

Team:
AenannonDogsky
Ray
Sandy
Manul

Notes:
This game includes a lot of minigames that where made with eventing only, so if you wanna see how they were made simply drop an .rxproject file into the main folder and check it out for yourself! Let me know if there are more efficient ways to implement minigames like these, or if there were any mistakes!

The crashing has been fixed, but if you are still having problems please let us know.

Resource Pack:

Spoiler: Resource Pack Link

PS: Time's Edge Resource Pack

Credits:

Spoiler: Credits:

Links to public resources included in Credits.txt file with the game and resource pack.

====TESTING, FEEDBACK AND IDEAS=======
Manul
Ray
Sandy


============POST-JAM BUGHUNTING=========

• Water
• Yrgulian
• Demice
• ReposefulPallas
• Prajwal_17
• Erun
• Kessh
• Ntc

================== ESSENTIALS =================

"Pokémon Essentials" was created by:
Flameguru
Poccil (Peter O.)
Maruno

With contributions from:
AvatarMonkeyKirby<s>Marin
Boushy<s>MiDas Mike
Brother1440<s>Near Fantastica
FL.<s>PinkMan
Genzai Kawakami<s>Popper
help-14<s>Rataime
IceGod64<s>SoundSpawn
Jacob O. Wobbrock<s>the__end
KitsuneKouta<s>Venom12
Lisa Anthony<s>Wachunga
Luka S.J.<s>
and everyone else who helped out



"RPG Maker XP" by:
Enterbrain



====SCRIPTS====

That Welsh One: Item Crafting System + Interface

NettoHikari = Multiple Protagonists Script

QTE Minigame Eventing : hiddenone

Following Pokemon EX (mostly resources) Golisopod User, Help-14, Rayd12smitty, mej71, PurpleZaffre, Akizakura16, Thundaga, Amrin (Fairies Resource Pack)

Mr. Gela's Name Windows https://www.eeveeexpo.com/resources/197/

Mr. Gela's Portraits in Messages https://www.eeveeexpo.com/resources/23/



==== TILESETS ====

Gamefreak

Gen 4 Tileset - LotusKing

Interior Tilesets - Akizakura16

Gen 5 Tileset - (Alucus, Kyle Dove, Dewitty, CNC, zetavares852)

BW BUILDINGS TILESET - Wesley FG

BW NATURE TILESET - Wesley FG

Gen 5 tiles - Ultimospriter

Hydrasis - Hospital part 1

Cafe, Restaurant, Bar Tiles - PeekyChew

Hi-Res Interiors - Akizakura16

Public Interior Tileset - ThatsSoWitty

Tileset Ver. 3 - Magiscarf

HGSS Tiles - Cleystation (zetavares852, Gardevoir2203, EpicDay, Dewitty)

Essentials Default Tilesets (FR/LG, Gamefreak)

Dot Day18 - Dark Ruins Tileset - Phyromatical (magiscarf, evolina, midnitez-remix, phyromatical)


=================== SPRITES ===========================


- Gen 5 OW Pack, Spriter's Resource - rips of overworld sprites, Radical Raptr - compilation and creating RMXP ready spritesheets

- Hoenn People OW in BW style WesleyFG (public as stated in his comment, but permission also granted anyway)

- Enterbrain RMXP RTP

- Resources | Food and Objects - mimihgfh

- Resources | Food and Objects 2 - mimihgfh

- Follower Pokemon Charsets (Taken from Thundaga's Tutorials, probably originally ripped from Spriters Resource?, No other credit is mentioned in the files)

- Primal Dialga PMD ET/D rip (Naokohiro) recolor by redblueyellow

- Shadow Groudon, SnakeMasterz


==================== PORTRAIT BASE =======================
Nephae's Sun and Moon, and X and Y pixel tracing of VS sprites (Gamefreak)


=========== FOGS ============

- standard RMXP grey fog, edited (Enterbrain)

- Simple Colored Particle Lights - pauliuw

========== FONTS ===============

- Greek House Symbolized


=========== MUSIC =================
- Ai vis lo lop, 13th-14th century composition, (remade), Final Battle

=================SOUNDS======================
mixkit free dog sound effects - dog sad whimper, happy puppy barks

Post-Jam Bugfixing Changelog:

Spoiler: Version Updates:

v1.1

• Fixed a small bug making Samantha appear when getting Arthur to job
• Fixed grabbing the box with the lights out not turning said lights on

v1.2.
- Fixed a tile bug in a construction site building

v1.3
- Fixed a small tile bug in a southern building

v1.4

• Added a couple more savepoints
• Added missing door SE
• Reduced volume of Liepard's cry
• Fixed an NPC shadow
• Fixed lingering SE post-boss fight
• Refined cutscene flow
• Fixed a whole bunch of typos and some grammar
• Fixed a couple of tile errors
• Fixed lingering rain BGS
• Split starting map into two non-connected maps to increase performance
• Corrected some cutscene and transition mistakes

v 1.5

• fixed crashing, game should no longer crash. Nameboxes have been removed for now. Please let me know if there's any problem
• fixed Samantha's dragging sprite pixel problem
• fixed typos
• fixed a couple of bugged tiles in the sewers
• fixed glitchy green goal tile
• fixed worker not turning right to face player upon completion of minigame
• fixed facing direction when looking away in sewer
• fixed wonky interior carpet tile
• fixed wrong portrait during in an NPC dialogue
• fixed a couple of wonky building tiles
• fixed follower not appearing instantly after two particular cutscenes
• fixed customer not looking at you during the delivery quest
• fixed music not fading out before the transition to the garden
• fixed improper spot respawining in B3F
• fixed an event late-game not turning to face the player
• fixed a background panorama minor pixel problem
• fixed Samantha walking sprite shadow error
• fixed extra ellipses
• fixed arthur not turning to face samantha during the claw scene
• fixed interaction with claw indicator not showing anything pre-samantha
• altered opening scene without infringing on Jam Rules (due to similarities with a pre-existing story approach).
• removed unecessary pbs listings, and footprint icons
• included the PBS files which I forgot to do for the previous versions, so most people won't have problems if they want to mess with the game
  
  v 1.6
• fixed typos
  
  v1.7
• should have taken care of the vast majority of crashes
  
  v1.8
• fixed arthur's OW bug
• fixed dialogue bold formatting issue
• fixed credits scene not returning to title screen
• fixed skyscraper tile passability bug

v. 2.0

• Fixed 1.9 stem event menu and interaction freeze
• Reworked much of the janky writing, but kept the unique parts
• Fixed being able to save during the waiter minigame
• Added a prompt informing the player they may hold down X to skip button mashing during the dishwashing minigame
• Added prompt informing the player they need to interact with the boxes first in order to push them
• Added prompt implying switching to Samantha to see where you're going
• Made an actual cutscene for Arthur's old friend
• reduced required amount of button mashing for minigame
• fixed some volume discrepancies
• removed some pillars that were obstructing game flow in old artemisia
• fixed incorrect intro scene portrait

​

 

[Voltseon]

Really great story, highlight is definitely the writing.

The gameplay loop is very refreshing, which is accompanied by an amazing story. It really hooks you in the very first minute of the game.
I really enjoyed the animated faces of the characters when they were talking, looks amazing!
The tileset was a bit all over the place with pixel density and style, but it gets the idea across. But other than that an A+ game!

 

[AenaonDogsky]

Really great story, highlight is definitely the writing.

The gameplay loop is very refreshing, which is accompanied by an amazing story. It really hooks you in the very first minute of the game.
I really enjoyed the animated faces of the characters when they were talking, looks amazing!
The tileset was a bit all over the place with pixel density and style, but it gets the idea across. But other than that an A+ game!

Wow, thank you for the kind words, glad you liked it!

I was afraid it'd have gotten a bit too exposition-ary at certain parts due to workhours having shifted towards the assets rather than the writing. I also wanted to include more jobs, which would in turn have fleshed the writing out, but alas. Not to mention that the number one challenge was making each job unique, and you can't have both that, and many jobs too. Rule of thumb was: if it's not a unique minigame every time, it's not getting in.

I overworked myself with the portraits but I think it was worth it!

Regarding the tilesets, 1) they had to adhere to the main game's overall design choices, since this game technically serves as a side episode to the aforementioned (this also had an impact on certain plot points, so it can get a bit weird if you haven't played the others), 2) despite that, I would have gladly strayed from it if I had enough time to do more tile work. Though getting the point across is everything I had aimed for, so that's a plus for me xD. A small confession I have to make is that pixel density inconsistency stopped feeling weird after a while. Could such a thing also be a habit?

What do you think of the music?

Thank you for playing!



Version 1.4 is out

Spoiler: Changelog:

• Added a couple more savepoints
• Added missing door SE
• Reduced volume of Liepard's cry
• Fixed an NPC shadow
• Fixed lingering SE post-boss fight
• Refined cutscene flow
• Fixed a whole bunch of typos and some grammar
• Fixed a couple of tile errors
• Fixed lingering rain BGS
• Split starting map into two non-connected maps to increase performance
• Corrected some cutscene and transition mistakes

 

[King_Waluigi]

Heya! I really enjoyed playing what I could, but the game crashed... I'm not sure from what though lol!
From what I played, I'll write my thoughts, though!
Pros:

• The game is really interesting! I love the gameplay and the little features everywhere!
• The music is really nice! It fits the game perfectly!
• The portraits are amazing of course!

Cons:

• Honestly, the only things were the tilesets, which weren't at the same pixel density. It really wasn't a problem tho, cause it all looked good, just different densities!

I liked what I could play, so good job!

 

[AenaonDogsky]

Heya! I really enjoyed playing what I could, but the game crashed... I'm not sure from what though lol!
From what I played, I'll write my thoughts, though!
Pros:

• The game is really interesting! I love the gameplay and the little features everywhere!
• The music is really nice! It fits the game perfectly!
• The portraits are amazing of course!

Cons:

• Honestly, the only things were the tilesets, which weren't at the same pixel density. It really wasn't a problem tho, cause it all looked good, just different densities!

I liked what I could play, so good job!

Hi, as stated right after you first start the game, and on the notes section of the thread, this is due to a problem with the Portrait Scripts + Ess. 18.1 (unidentified issue) but here's a patchwork workaround: 1) if you simply start up the game again, it's gone (might only happen once or twice again) and 2. the game autosaves before and after every cutscene, so no progress is ever lost. The game isn't really long, so could I ask you to get through it so that I can get a better picture of your experience? Thank you!

 

[King_Waluigi]

Hi, as stated right after you first start the game, and on the notes section of the thread, this is due to a problem with the Portrait Scripts + Ess. 18.1 (unidentified issue) but here's a patchwork workaround: 1) if you simply start up the game again, it's gone (might only happen once or twice again) and 2. the game autosaves before and after every cutscene, so no progress is ever lost. The game isn't really long, so could I ask you to get through it so that I can get a better picture of your experience? Thank you!

Sure, absolutely! I just started Shikari, so once I finish that, I will!

 

[ReposefulPallas]

Hi! This is one of the first Game Jams I've played so far and here are my current thoughts on the matter...

If I had to explain this game in one word, it's 'exhausting'. I know this is a game that's supposed to tie into your other games in the PS series but I really feel like this should have been a great opportunity to introduce us to the world in a way that might captivate us in the same way that you seem to love the world. However, any attempts to explore the world and seek out information are constantly being denied. Seemingly random words like Forthbringer and Ascended Beings are thrown in without context given to them. You're often just expected to know the impact of these words. And times where these things could be explained, such as when you're playing as the little girl, seem to actively punish you for being interested in the setting.
Secondly, it's hard to empathize with Arthur. The first scene given to us are Arthur's parents dying and we're never given any context to his life before then. You've essentially picked up some roadkill and kept pointing at it while screaming about society. I get this is a guy who has been given the shittiest hand at life, but maybe a glimpse into his normal life before it all goes to hell would make the parental death and homelessness much more impactful. Beyond that, Arthur is a drag to go through in the early game. Every time he talks follows and is followed by at least two boxes of "..." which frustrates me to no end. If you wanted to portray him as hard to open up and barely giving Samantha and others the time of day, simple use of ellipses before he speaks is a good indicator.
The map-work for this game feels off as well. Sometimes it's hard to interact with everything the game might expect you to. It took me a good five minutes walking around the map before I realized that one of the windows was open and tried to peer through there to progress the story. The other indicators with the orange footsteps were a good idea, so I expected the clue to get the rope itself would have something like that.
Finally, my biggest gripe with the game is that it feels like the Pokemon themselves are a last-minute addition. This doesn't feel like a Pokemon game. You don't interact with Pokemon as far as I got without the unstable crashes. There was a place that looks like Amity Park's entrance that says to play with 'Ascended Beings' but the vagueness of that term was never explained. The only times Pokemon themselves were ever implied in my playthrough was when the abandoned building talked about Garchomp attacks. I don't feel like I'm asking for the world for at least a curious Trubbish poking at Arthur to wake him up or a Rattatas to scatter when Samantha jumps through that window.
This feels like the equivalent of a Nintendogs fangame but the dogs themselves are a complete afterthought and only tacked on to ride the coattails of the series. I don't want to say you have a bad world here in general, but rather that it feels like you wanted to tell a story and only considered the impact Pokemon might have in it very late into worldbuilding.

 

[AenaonDogsky]

Thanks a lot for your review!

Game jam rules state that the game should be a novel work (not an extension of previous works) therefore almost all of the terms and objects or characters, except "Nanny" and "Purple Shirts", one character that appears much later (with a different sprite that was created anew), and the name of the city obviously, do not exist in the main game. The North section you can traverse does not exist in the main game. Even if you have played the other games first, you won't really know what these terms mean, or what the North is like, or almost anything else. No player who's played the other games knows anything about "Transcended Beings" or "Forthbringer". But you can surmise that these are the equivalent of Pokemon and Trainer before this is (sadly) hastily explicated by Samantha later.

Also, the game began with the "rejuvenation" theme first in mind, and then was placed within the PS setting because it was much easier to work with due to the very little time I had in July (both graphics wise due to available public tilesets, and music-wise since the most difficult track to compose for, the city's theme, already had a similar basic melody to the main game's despite it being made from the ground up). It'd have been much better if the game didn't share the same setting with FE, but given the time I had it made development much faster.
Thanks again!

 

[AenaonDogsky]

Version 1.5 is out, fixing the crashing issues!
I kinda fell for a really derp mistake there, turns out Steam wanted to replace rgss on its own...
Also, I think I have managed to fix the portrait script, so I will update the resource in a minute.

Spoiler: Changelog:

- fixed crashing, game should no longer crash. Nameboxes have been removed for now. Please let me know if there's any problem

- fixed Samantha's dragging sprite pixel problem

- fixed typos

- fixed a couple of bugged tiles in the sewers

- fixed glitchy green goal tile

- fixed worker not turning right to face player upon completion of minigame

- fixed facing direction when looking away in sewer

- fixed wonky interior carpet tile

- fixed wrong portrait during in an NPC dialogue

- fixed a couple of wonky building tiles

- fixed follower not appearing instantly after two particular cutscenes

- fixed customer not looking at you during the delivery quest

- fixed music not fading out before the transition to the garden

- fixed improper spot respawining in B3F

- fixed an event late-game not turning to face the player

- fixed a background panorama minor pixel problem

- fixed Samantha walking sprite shadow error

- fixed extra ellipses

- fixed arthur not turning to face samantha during the claw scene

- interaction with not showing anything pre-samantha

- altered opening scene without infringing on Jam Rules (due to similarities with a pre-existing story approach).

- removed unecessary pbs listings, and footprint icons

- included the PBS files which I forgot to do for the previous versions, so most people won't have problems if they want to mess with the game

 

[Sailorxraven]

It was a nicely written story. The music went great with what was going on at the time. I did find myself getting lost quite a lot, but I'm terrible with directions so that's more likely a me issue than anything with the game itself.

 

[AenaonDogsky]

It was a nicely written story. The music went great with what was going on at the time. I did find myself getting lost quite a lot, but I'm terrible with directions so that's more likely a me issue than anything with the game itself.

Thank you for playing. Have you had any crashes?

The game has been updated to 1.7, hopefully people won't be getting crashes anytime soon. It should be noted that the crashing seems to occur once or twice on "older" CPUs, but only if you don't shut the game down during long play sessions. So if for instance, you saved the game after playing for 20 minutes, and then reopened it, the crash wouldn't occur.

 

[Sailorxraven]

Thank you for playing. Have you had any crashes?

The game has been updated to 1.7, hopefully people won't be getting crashes anytime soon. It should be noted that the crashing seems to occur once or twice on "older" CPUs, but only if you don't shut the game down during long play sessions. So if for instance, you saved the game after playing for 20 minutes, and then reopened it, the crash wouldn't occur.

I don't recall having any problems with crashing.

 

[AenaonDogsky]

I don't recall having any problems with crashing.

Am bamboozled... Anyways, thanks for telling me. Also, glad you found the music fitting!

 

[Sailorxraven]

Am bamboozled... Anyways, thanks for telling me. Also, glad you found the music fitting!

I have a really decent computer so that might be part of it

 

[PrincessAether]

no offense but this feels like it didn't need to use pokemon
any animal or mythical creature could of replaced them and the story would feel exactly the same
i mean their never even one pokemon battle in the whole game

 

[AenaonDogsky]

no offense but this feels like it didn't need to use pokemon
any animal or mythical creature could of replaced them and the story would feel exactly the same
i mean their never even one pokemon battle in the whole game

None taken, the PS series follows the beta RBY lore (check DYKG's videos on beta lore), mostly.

 

[PrincessAether]

i mean if ur refering to using a sword that was cool but it felt like i could of been fighting any other creature
but even with this small complaint i did over all enjoy the story for what it was
i do not regret playing as it was a really solid story all things considered

 

[TheDudeCubed]

Just finsihed the game and there was some routes that was blocked off in the city on the left and right side, can you not go there or the south side in this game? or does it just end at that last scene. Great story

 

[AenaonDogsky]

Just finsihed the game and there was some routes that was blocked off in the city on the left and right side, can you not go there or the south side in this game? or does it just end at that last scene. Great story

Thank you, unfortunately those areas are blocked-off in Time's Edge, but will be fully explorable in the main game's upcoming episodes.

 

[Pokemaniac Zaheer]

Hello, when was this updated to V1.8??