itch.io

Yeah, RPG Maker VX Ace and XP have smaller resolutions by default. Not too bad on a 1080p or lower resolution monitor but on a laptop especially on a 2560x1600 18" screen, it can be very small as seen on this image.

It's the same issue with RPG Maker MV which by default runs at 816x624 although it can be changed to a higher resolution such as 1280x720 while Didnapper 2 runs at 1080x720. On a 1080p, it's not too bad. MV and MZ games can be run in fullscreen by using F4 (or FN+F4 on some computers).

Although not a game issue, I noticed on Microsoft Edge that it's hesitant on downloading it since it's an exe file that it doesn't trust due to "not being a commonly downloaded app" although Windows 11 had no issues with the exe when I ran the extractor. You may want to use a ZIP folder instead to avoid this issue so that Edge/Windows won't have issues downloading it.

Note that RPG Maker MZ allows mobile exporting, but there's no guarantee if it'll work correctly on phones especially if the plugins use special keys (which The Legacy of Hedonia uses). One thing to note is the screen size as most RPG Maker games are designed for computers which is OK playing on a laptop or monitor, but tiles and interface elements can appear too small on a phone at least on 1280x720 rather than the default resolution.

I find it interesting this version is a separate game rather than replacing the Pre-Alpha. I wonder if there is a reason why you made a separate page instead of replacing the previous download. Itch.io allows you to replace downloads whenever a game gets an update.

I had played it before, and I think the game looks promising. The gameplay is different from typical RPG Maker MZ games which I mentioned before. Some changes I noticed is the map is added, you can warp between places, and you can now use the mouse to move in this version.

Although not a con, the trap in the forest caught me off guard. I was trying to investigate the blue ! in the forest and fell into it which resulted in playing a bondage sequence since you can't win no matter what. It can be avoided since there are two warp/save points.

Much like the previous version, losing (getting capture) feels painful due to needing to go through a difficult escape sequence. I do like it's a better alternative than showing a game over screen when Lily is defeated, but the difficult sequences (the one with bandits may lead to players getting stuck) can be frustrating that you'd be better off resetting/loading a save.

As I mentioned in my comment https://itch.io/post/9480586 I actually struggled with the slime girl and the escape sections because I thought you had to mash the key rather than hold it down. Once I realized I could hold the button down, it made it manageable.

Yeah, the slime girl can be tricky especially since once you reach 2 health, you can't attack and must struggle to restore your ability to attack.

The game is Windows only, it won't work on Android.

I have to agree with the difficulty. The Chroma Spring bosses are a massive difficulty spike compared to bosses before them. I had issues with the 2nd and 3rd bosses especially since I didn't think to use Aden's Root Crystal which has a skill that heals the party and raises attack. What doesn't help is their ATB tends to fill fast which can make untying a pain since they will likely use Subdue the moment you Struggle/Rescue since they're still Weakened unless if Seles uses Familiar Restraints with 100 Escape Level or Chelsea uses Nuh Uh (which she doesn't get to learn until Level 70) to cancel Subdue attempts. Oh, and the bosses can also inflict Stunned/Asleep (i.e., the first one has Chromatune).

The third boss also makes it worse as the player can't leave the Katoshi Isles/Shiode due to the locations on the map being disabled so if you don't have enough items and/or done sidequests like the Casino Night or Dancing Mad, the fight could be impossible without using a Story Crystal.

I believe if players mostly relied on Eileen and hadn't figured out they could also use Aden's Mud Spray (Root Crystal obtained from Casino Night) and Liliana's Rationing, they could have a hard time. It can also help that Liliana's Rationing and the Teatime from Seles' and Aden's Maid outfits are Special and are unaffected by Silence which would help with the 3rd boss as she has a powerful attack that can inflict Silence, blocking off Soothing Mist and Mud Spray. Liliana's Dancer Garb can also help especially with Speardance since each strike heals the party but getting a strike in can be annoying since the bosses tend to inflict Blind.

It seems most bugs are fixed in 1.2.1, but I noticed some when playing 1.2.1.

• In Act 4 (aka Chapter 19), having No Talking (Part 2) active causes confusion as Bad News plays during the cutscene, and Carol and Evelyn will appear in the cells when Seles and Kaie fight the Researcher. I think this is due to both the main quest and side quest taking place in the CRC. A workaround/prevention is to not accept the sidequest before boarding The Bound Maiden and wait until the part of the story is cleared or use the Story Crystal to go back to an earlier part and finish No Talking (Part 2) before you board The Bound Maiden (since you can't return back to Iidra or the CRC once you arrive in in the Katoshi Isles/Shiode until you go through the Chroma Spring).
• You can use Nope (Chelsea) and Channeling (Kaie) as well as their upgraded skills from the menu. It seems the "Battle only" occasion wasn't set for these skills.
• In Mirio south of the Collector's house, it's possible to stand on top of the roof.
• Not a bug per se but one of the Ancient Fabrics can't be obtained after progression because the location it's in (Lanylisse) can't be visited unless the Story Crystal is used, or you beat Act 6.
• (Possibly a bug from 1.2 which may have been fixed 1.2.1) It's possible to have a duplicate of Liliana's default outfit.

I'm curious about the bosses' balance changes (without spoiling of course). Are they made harder or easier in this update? I noticed the Chapter 10 boss seems too difficult as I had to do multiple attempts to actually win (I used up most of my items) while the subsequent bosses including the three in Chapter 15 were easier to deal with. I played on Normal difficulty without Cards.

RPG Maker MV and MZ does allow exporting to Android and iOS, but the game has to be designed for mobile and the game needs to be converted to an app. Here's the dialog from RPG Maker MV:

MZ is identical to MV except the Linux option isn't present and the Android / iOS and Web browsers were merged to Web browsers / Android / iOS. Mac OS X was renamed to macOS in MZ since the macOS name has been used since macOS 10.12 Sierra.

Something to keep in mind that most games' UI aren't built for small screens in mind which would make navigating menus annoying, but the game does seem viewable on a small phone screen (I checked my YouTube playthrough on my Pixel 7a). Another issue is the lockpicking and escape system rely on hitting directions which isn't possible on a touchscreen (the mouse doesn't work there).

The Didnapper wiki claims that Didnapper 2 uses plugins that are designed for computers and are incompatible with Android emulation. I don't know if the latter is true because RPG Maker MV and MZ run on Chromium rather than emulation unless if running on ARM-based Windows (which aren't common) or an Apple Silicon Mac which has to emulate the x86 code to ARM. Aside from graphical assets, I don't know if any plugins don't work on mobile or any platform.

I think newer macOS versions tend to have issue with RPG Maker MV games although I don't have a Mac, so I can't verify if even Apple Silicon Macs can run MV games. There is this post Regarding Future RPG Maker MV macOS Support that mentions that MV won't support macOS 11+. RPG Maker MZ games should work although Didnapper 2 is an MV game.

I don't know if MV games are 32-bit on Mac since they are on Windows (RPG Maker MZ is 64-bit only). I know it can be confusing if a Mac app is 32-bit and 64-bit. For example, Discord is 32-bit on Windows while the Mac version is 64-bit.

The platform is too high to reach, so you can get stuck but the Slime Girl is the end of the demo anyway. Likewise, it's possible to skip the scene with Rosaline and instead head down to the room with the two Damsels where you'll get stuck since the Damsel doesn't spawn and you can't open the door to confront the Slime Girl. I believe there is an option in the pause menu where Vivi can be tied up and respawn at the last save point.

As for the door issue, I'm guessing 
Boundforgreatness intended you to touch the orb at the save point where Vivi gets tied up and meets Rosaline and then she would head down after escaping. It could be an oversight in her part if she didn't expect players to skip the scene and head straight down where the end of the demo is at.

I'm assuming it's only this site and DA. Her DA page doesn't mention anything of Twitter, Discord, or Patreon.

The escape mechanic confused me as I thought you have to tap or mash the button similar to Didnapper and Gabrielle's Escape. The game (updated version) does explain you can hold down the button, but I would guess people coming from Didnapper and especially Didnapper 2 may not know this.

I have played the game, and it seems interesting to have a DiD game that isn't made in RPG Maker like Didnapper 2 or in 3D like Eternal Dread 3 being made in Unreal. A Didvania is something that is unheard of and is interesting twist to the DiD game formula.

Anyway, there are some things I noticed:

• The game's page has an 18+ warning similar although I haven't found any 18+ content similar to Didnapper 2. I don't know if 18+ is given due to bondage.
• Enter doesn't advance the text. Only Space does.
• Although A and D moves, S doesn't crouch, and W doesn't interact or aim the whip upwards.
• The game never tells you that bindings are determined by health (Silenced when reaching 4 hearts, Defenseless when reaching 2 hearts, Bound at 0 hearts).
• You can't attack when reaching 2 hearts and you can't talk (i.e., freeing damsels) when reaching 4 hearts.
• Whenever you load the game, Vivi must break the cage. The exception is the save point in Rosaline's/Mistress' room.
• There's no game over or being sent back to the save point on "death". Instead, you must struggle and escape the bondage.
• Interacting with the save point but not saving doesn't restore hearts unlike the Metroid Prime trilogy and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, only saving does. Saving also doesn't remove the statuses like bindings and gags.
• Stamina decreases when struggling even when not holding down (or mashing the button).
  
• People have mentioned you can get stuck in the area with the two damsels and the Slime Girl since the platform is too high for Vivi to reach. This also means you can get stuck if you skip the scene with Rosaline and head down to the area.
• The download is not marked for Windows. This should be clear as some people with Mac or Linux have asked if the game is available on those OS.

I initially found the required struggle sequences with Rosaline and the maids or being pulled by the enemy difficult because I didn't realize I had to hold down the button instead of mashing it. The Slime Girl could be hard if the player doesn't know you can hold to escape bindings or press X to cancel escaping.

It was made in RPG Maker MV.

RPG Maker MZ does have an option to export to mobile. However, most games for RPG Maker MV or MZ aren't optimized for the small mobile screens as most are designed for Windows rather than Android and I don't know if some things will work with the touch screen.

I do have to admit that developing an RPG takes a long time mostly because not only do you write the story and code the game but also design the maps and graphics assets. My characters, for example, are resized to 48x56 and I do some editing which can take a long time as I have to do it with 12 characters (frames). I don't know how long the game is supposed to be other than the clue of 200 days. The game does mention a "year" which could hint future years like how Harry Potter spans 7 years across 7 books (or 8 films).

I know taking too long to develop a game could draw away interest. For example, Paralives got interest because if the state The Sims is in with The Sims 4 constant pushing in DLC costing over $1000 and the dissatisfaction of Eletronic Arts' handling of the game, not helped with The Sims Freeplay and The Sims Mobile being viewed as bad games among the series. TS4 is already 9 years old as of this writing and there hasn't been a new Sims game since Mobile in March 2018. However, Paralives hasn't gotten a confirmed release date although Life by You is confirmed to have a release date. Another RPG Maker game by the name of Didnapper 2 took a long time since it was going to be finished in 2019 than 2020 and finally 2021 (and that game did have a 3rd demo in May 2020 that covered Chapters 1-3, and they didn't release a new demo after that).

On the other hand, Hogwarts Legacy took a long time to release after its announcement before eventually releasing on February 10, 2023. Despite the long wait, it was regarded as a successful Harry Potter game especially since it was the Harry Potter game released on PC/console since LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 from November 2011 (fun fact, the US/Canada release date is the same as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) and the mixed reception of Hogwarts Mystery mostly because of the Energy mechanic and microtransactions which is an issue with mobile games.

The Nintendo Switch is an interesting question since RPG Maker MV doesn't have a way to export to consoles. Both MV and MZ can export to Windows, Mac, and mobile while only MV allows exporting to Linux. There is a console version of RPG Maker MV (also known as RPG Maker MV Trinity in Japan) but the console version of MV isn't compatible with the PC version of MV and vice versa. I don't know about RPG Maker Unity since I haven't used that version before (only RPG Maker MV and MZ is what I mostly use). Yes, RPG Maker MV and MZ does have mobile exporting, but the game is meant to be played on a computer since the UI elements aren't designed for a small phone screen (I watched my playthrough on my Google Pixel 7a and it looks viewable although the tiles [48x48] and the battle interface look too small compared to my AORUS 15G 15.6" screen).

I do hope to revisit Lawmage Academy and try to do a Syle only run (and maybe another with just Syle and Alyssa) which you have mentioned in 0.8 (some people complained it say 0.7; it's basically the same as 0.7 except with new backgrounds and cutscenes reflecting you only having Syle). I haven't done Lawmage Academy since late 2021 (I also covered Didnapper 2, Eternal Dread, and Eternal Dread 2 as well).

I do agree about Twitter. Ever since Elon took over Twitter and renamed it to X (and killing the Twitter Bird), it has gotten worse than it used to be. For example, you can't view a Tweet's replies anymore which you used to be able to do. The fact that Elon is planning to charge everyone to use the server isn't helping and could be driving people away from the site.

I have encountered some issues when I played the game.

In the Alverona farms as seen in 8:36 in this video, Seles' head clips through the hay. I believe this is because the top half is set with a "★" which in RPG Maker MV means the tile is passable but the character or Event appears under the tile.

In some rare occasions, Seles' graphic may show her carrying someone when she drops the captive as seen in this video and the captive disappears. This can be fixed by grabbing another female captive and dropping her which returns Seles' graphics to normal.

As mentioned here https://itch.io/post/8237972 You can swap Aden with Eileen or Kaie which results in the character turning to Aden when grabbing someone as well as resulting in another Eileen or Kaie in the cutscene. This is because Formation Access (Page 3 of Event Commands) isn't disabled nor is Aden's slot locked.

Something I noticed with RPG Maker MV games, including Didnapper 2, is that running with HDR turned on in Windows results in the game being darker. Here's a comparison with HDR turned off compared to the game running with HDR turned on.

I don't know if anyone encounters it, but sometimes I encounter stuttering in some places. Please note I'm using an AORUS 15G which uses an Intel Core i7-10750H with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 which can run Didnapper 2 just fine. I do have the game running on microSD which has no problems running. I somewhat fixed the issue by editing package.json and capping the framerate to 60 fps. I do remember the Ambush system tended to lag when I played on 1.0.5, but it performed better on 1.1.2.

I'm not sure if that's possible given that the game is meant for computers and larger screens and isn't optimized for the smaller screens used in phones. RPG Maker MV and MZ does allow Mobile exporting, but the game needs to be optimized for mobile as the UI and controls are typically built around keyboard, mouse, or controller input.

I believe that part in Chapter 13 is due to DID Games not locking Aden's slot. Interestingly, the game doesn't crash on me with Eileen or Kaie, but both will load Aden's graphic. What's actually happening is that every character has a Carry graphic which is a duplicate of Aden's graphic. I'm guessing maybe in some point in development that you could carry more than one captive (one for each party member) or that DID Games considered allowing you to change the party leader which is usually Seles (the game does allow changing the party starting in Chapter 13, but you can't change Seles' position).

If you swap Aden with Eileen or Kaie and defeat the two Crimson Scar women, the cutscene will show a duplicate Eileen or Kaie. This is due to how Didnapper 2 shows party members in cutscenes; when a cutscene triggers, the party members would pop out of Seles and then merge into Seles similar to Final Fantasy VII when the cutscene is finished.

It's theoretically possible to export on Android since RPG Maker has Android/mobile export. However, DID Games would have to rework the game, especially the lockpicking and escape systems, since the game is designed for desktops in mind, and I'd imagine the menus would be a pain to navigate on a small screen since RPG Maker MV by default isn't optimized for mobile screens.

I had encountered a similar bug in the Stromm Marshes where Seles was carrying someone but couldn't drop the enemy. I could fix this by ambushing a female enemy to grab and release which resets Seles' graphics.

I've heard later macOS versions (Big Sur 11.0) have issues with RPG Maker MV games. See https://www.rpgmakerweb.com/blog/regarding-future-rpg-maker-mv-macos-support Maybe that could explain some issues.

RPG Maker MZ could be a workaround for macOS, but it would take a lot of work to get Didnapper 2 to work on MZ since the game uses plugins which don't work on MZ. Theoretically, FOSSIL (for MV plugins) and the VS plugins (to replace the YEP plugins) could be used, but Events would need to be redone due to code differences between the YEP and VS plugins.

I have played the game and finished the main game on version 1.0.5, I also had played Didnapper 1.8.1 5 years ago. Compared to to the first game, Didnapper 2 feels more like an RPG with exploration rather than being mission/level-based though still using the bondage theme and the battle mechanic from its predecessor. A notable difference between this game and its predecessor is that cutscenes are very frequent in Didnapper 2 though RPGs are usually story driven and it's not uncommon for RPGs to have a lot of cutscenes, take the Final Fantasy games for example. Another difference is that Seles/party gets tied up more often than Suki did in Didnapper. The escape system also gets more use in this game which I felt was underused in Didnapper unless you lost battles.

My review

Below is my review and thoughts of the game.

I do like how the game has an entirely original soundtrack with each town and field location having unique tracks compared to Didnapper using some tracks from RPG Maker XP. I also like the voice acting for the major characters although they're not fully voiced.

I also do like the art for the enemies and some CG scenes as well as the bust graphics being animated. The maps are also neat with the FSM tilesets and parallaxing being used although the Desert areas seem to use the default MV tilesets. I like the taller characters which are close to the RPG Maker XP characters than the chibi characters made by MV/MZ's character generator. Much like Didnapper using the battle backgrounds from XP, D2 also uses the backgrounds from MV maybe with some exceptions like the ship interior.

The gameplay is also improved with the player being able to save anywhere and being able to dash. The battle system uses ATB (which RPG Maker MZ would later include) along with the RPG Maker MV mechanics and battle mechanics from Didnapper like tying up female enemies to win and the party members not being able to be knocked out though with changes like the Tied state operating on points that is affected by Struggle and Rescue. The Escape System is also more complex with different restraint types and tie types which is otherwise similar to the Didnapper 1.7/1.8 escape system. Lastly, Seles can ambush male enemies which Suki couldn't do in Didnapper.

Difficulty

As for the difficulty, it can seem harder than Didnapper (especially 1.8) due to the ATB battle system which works similar to Final Fantasy X where not everyone gets an equal turn, characters no longer being healed after battle, enemies being smarter with Subdue (no longer wasting it on a healed character), and Rescue longer removes Tied instantly. However, you get a lot more Gold, get a character who has healing spells later in Chapter 3, can ambush male enemies which you couldn't in Didnapper, and some areas also have beds to restore HP/CP. Also, the player can easily escape guards due to Seles being able to dash.

I believed enemies used to be focused on using Rescue on the Demo 2 (2019) and possibly the old Patreon versions which made tying up their allies ineffective. In the final game, they don't seem to use it often.

I haven't found anything in the story that's too difficult or easy although things starts getting harder as of Chapter 6. The bosses can be challenging especially in the later half of the game, but I haven't found them too difficult or easy (except the end of Chapter 13) which is a contrast to Didnapper which had difficult bosses like Hyranda in Chapter 3 and the pirate ambush in Chapter 6. Even the final boss is improved to be challenging with having damage resistances, a lot of health (2nd part having 7664 HP on hard), and powerful attacks. It's a vast improvement over the final boss in the first game who didn't seem hard when I played it.

Issues

One complaint I have is that you can't escape non-boss/scripted battles which gets worse later in the game where enemies have a lot of health especially on Hard which can drag on the battle considering that most enemies don't have elemental weaknesses and your attacks don't do high amount of damage even with 4 characters, not helping that Eileen initially lacks damaging spells to match Seles' damage output. On the other hand, you can choose not to fight them (or ambush them instead) though it won't help in areas like the Miu Miu Forest due to the trees, Stromm Marshes with the hidden bandits, and pretty much any location where you can't easily avoid the enemies without triggering a battle.

I've found debuff skills to be pretty much useless in the later game especially against bosses since the enemies' ATB tends to fill quickly before the player can get a turn. It limits usefulness of skills like Kaie's Darken which lasts for 2 turns, but the enemies will usually get those 2 turns before you can cast it. However, status effects are still effective.

Aside from Eileen's Soothing Mist (10% HP) and Liliana's Ration (with healing item), there's no way to heal all characters. It becomes a problem in the later chapters as the multiple enemies can lower your HP with multiple strikes or have skills that hit the party which makes healing to prevent being tied difficult. It doesn't help that Liliana only gets used in 2 chapters and isn't usable until Chapter 13 (who then gets removed until late Chapter 14). Even then, the Ration can be impractial to set up since she needs 30 TP and and two turns which will likely give enemies enough time to weaken and/or tie up the characters.

Despite the issues mentioned above, it's a very good game that improves on Didnapper's gameplay mechanincs especially with Didnapper 2 being built on RPG Maker MV that's more flexible than what RPG Maker XP can achieve. The macOS and Linux versions are also a nice addition although RPG Maker MV is no longer supported on macOS Big Sur 11.0 and later (not sure about games deployed for Mac).

I can admit it can take a long time to make a game especially if you're making an RPG with length close to Final Fantasy, Pokémon or even The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, even more if you're adding in exploration.

Take my perspective, I have planned several dungeons, field maps, towns, regions, enemies, and bosses so trying to work on them can take a long time especially for a solo developer. I know Lawmage Academy is different from other RPGs due to the day-based system while other games don't use time-based events.

I managed to beat 0.8 with just Syle in the Soulstice House with Enburn as her first spell. It's definitely a challenge to fight with just Syle due to the game's formations being suited with 3-4 party members in mind. Here are my experiences on it:

• Combat Basics (both visits) are doable though the Fire Spirit can be difficult depending on what spells Syle has.
• Aura Breaks starts getting difficult as the enemies there can easily defeat Syle. Level grinding to around grade 8 is needed to defeat the Ogres who can be difficult since they have two attacks that stun Syle. I used the Golems to level grind using Enaqua which Syle can learn from Spellcasting: Basics (using the Provision option) or completing Lost Book. If Syle doesn't Alyssa and/or Ein when reaching the bridge, the game will skip the battle.
• The Fairy Forest is doable since you have Uni who can easily defeat the fairies. The Fairy Clip is helpful even though it only gives 50 MP rather than 100. The Earth weakness is not a downside since no enemies as of 0.8 (probably except the Gnome) use Earth attacks. Breaking the crystal may be helpful due to the two items but I didn't break the crystal in my playthrough.
• The Headmaster is nothing different in a soloist run. It can be challenging but anything Snofawks is weak against should work. Using Enaqua should be avoided.
• The third visit to Arashya Forest can be challenging since the Buraflux and Venoflower will initially outspeed Syle and the latter has poison attacks. A good way I level grinded is to use the two Buraflux encounters in the map east of the save point, and using Guard, Enheal, and Strafe. It will take a lot of battles to get Syle to Grade 15.
• First Mission to defeat the Garuda requires getting Syle to around Grade 15. I couldn't use the Enheal Crystal since the Garuda will otherwise stun and kill Syle. The issue would be the Poison Feather which poisons Syle, and Double Peck and Talon Slash which can do a lot of damage. Saving before the battle and using Health Potions will help.
• The Buraflux fight in the Exam didn't seem difficult at Grade 17. I just used Strafe and Senburn to defeat them.
• The Paslime and two Slimes is similar to the Garuda fight. After killing the two Slimes, it's probably easier than the Garuda since the Paslime doesn't have a followup attack and doesn't hit him/her twice. Toxic Sludge can be a problem due to poison but using Health Poisons will help.

The other issue would be the obstacles that require spells or shards. Since Syle can only get two elemental spells (one from Spellcasting: Basics and the other from completing/failing Lost Book), one of them will require a shard. In my playthrough, I started with Enburn and learned Enaqua from completing Lost Book. Enheal can be obtained from the Trader but you can get the Enheal Crystal.

I was on Steam and saw about the Terraria wiki moving to wiki.gg. It me think that we and anyone making indie games could use wiki.gg to host a wiki. I believe from Year 1: The First Step from November 2019, it mentioned about a wiki, but the wiki network I mentioned could be great if you don't have your own server and don't want to use Fandom.

I had planned on a wiki once my game gets developed and shared, but I didn't want to use Fandom especially since they forced the FandomDesktop/Mobile skin and retired the Oasis/Hydra skin, a change that many people didn't like. I also found you on Discord and added you as a friend.

My progress has been slow for me especially since I gotten an Xbox Series X and I have been playing Brookhaven recently. Of course, Black Mesa and Didnapper 2 also took several years to be completed. I don't know how progress with LA is like given you're probably the only one working on the game besides Puzxle working on the art. Yes, the battlers would be time consuming since I'm assume you're using Yanfly's Animated Sideview Enemies for the human enemies which has 54 frames.

However, over the past months, I have been making some progress on my work such as creation of several maps (although most are based on the FSM maps) like Alexandria and the Magic Academy, as well as creation of some of the characters. I could easily share it through Discord to make it easier.

It can be disconcerting to use the term CG for 2D art since CGI typically refers to 3D graphics or live action films/series using CG effects (Harry Potter being an example). Technically, digital art is made entirely through computers including the graphics for RPG Maker. I don't know how image or video scenes would work in Lawmage Academy given that the scenes would have to account for Syle's gender and house, and the party members (e.g., if Alyssa is in the party or not) in which the in-game scenes would work better. I know images are used in some scenes like the opening but otherwise, all the scenes are done in-game which isn't bad.

RPG Maker MV and MZ do allow mobile exports though the game would need a lot of edits to work on mobile especially since phones tend to have smaller screens (a large screen tablet or Chromebook would be no issue) than computers. Another issue is that Lawmage Academy runs at 1280x720 which works perfectly for most Windows laptops and 16:9 monitors (although some computers, such as Macs, use different aspect ratios), but phones often have wider screens like 19:9, Android tablets are typically 16:10, and the iPad is 4:3. RPG Maker MV can work on a device's different resolution but the game will be letterboxed or pillarboxed. It can be more complicated for games that rely on files or plugins that are intended for a specific resolution where they may not work well if the project is edited to use a different resolution.

I believe Apple and Google do require some hoops similar to Steam, although iOS would require a Mac while Android development can work on Mac, Windows, and Android. There is a thread about this, Exporting to Android (MV Android Client). On a similar note, it's possible to upload Android games through itch.io which can be ran on any Android device, but the device will need to allow non-Google Play apps. In theory, they could also work on an Android emulator, a Chromebook, or Windows 11 if support arrives.

I assume on a modern Apple or good name brand device (Google, Samsung, and OnePlus), the games could work well but I can't guarantee how it'll perform for older or low-spec devices especially cheap no-name devices from Amazon as their specs tend to be poor for an Android 10 device.

I have finally finished Lawmage Academy and I was surprised I got mostly everything aside from Enaqua from Lost Book and the crystal/armor from Fairy Forest. Here's the playlist of the videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJBpY9PQYmDtYaSN3-VLyaOIfRdlQX0Q

I was impressed how mostly every NPC has a name similar to Fallout and Elder Scrolls. Most RPGs generally only games to major characters while the rest have generic names. After playing your game like 3 times, it seems like a coincidence how I have ideas similar to Lawmage Academy like the Lawmages (though my version is more like a magical version of law enforcement or guard), the prison/capture scene, and a large country though mine has several countries whereas LMA only has Magusgaia. In the case of the magic academy, the idea was inspired by Lawmage Academy as well as the Harry Potter books/films.

Issues/notes

I remember people reporting an issue where the game picture would freeze although the music and sounds doesn't freeze. I suspect it may be a bug with RPG Maker MV since it can happen with other RPG Maker MV games (I had it happen when playing FSM Castle and Town's sample game).

Also, I discovered an oddity with Windows 11 when recording RPG Maker MV games due to how windows are rendered. When recording on Windows 11, there will be a black space on the bottom left and bottom right of the video when rendered through OBS' Window Capture which is due to having round edges in windows. On Windows 10, corners are sqaure and they're shown. A workaround is run the game in fullscreen (F4 or Fullscreen option) and record at the resolution you're running at. In my case, I set my monitor (which I have connected to my AORUS 15G) to 1280x720 which is the resolution for Lawmage Academy. Another option is to run it fullscreen and use F3 to run it at a normal size and try to position OBS so that the entire game will get captured. You can see the differences in this image although may need to download and zoom to see the differences.

I was wondering if a full solo run is possible since some parts of the game have a character join Syle: the first Aura Breaks class adds Alyssa midway (I assume if you choose to help), Aura Skills has a battle with Jin joining Syle, and the Fairy Forest adds Uni. I assume a soloist run means only using Syle in missions and not adding Alyssa, Ein, etc.

I have joined the Discord server (I'm also GothicSimmer there). As promised, I'll give you instructions for the Quest autoview option. With skillful eventing/scripting, you could make any option which I learned from this video from Driftwood Gaming: How to Add Custom Options Using Yanfly Option Core. Here's how I did it:

First, download Olivia Meta Controls and install it (you don't need to configure the plugin). Next, paste in <Global Meta> on the of the Switches (in my case it's, <Global Meta> Quests), remember the Switch ID you're using.

Next, open Plugins (🧩), go to YEP_OptionsCore, Options Categories, General (or whatever Category you want to use), Options List, and the lowest blank space to create an Option.

For me, I changed the Name to Quest Autoview and Symbol to quest. Description can be anything but this is what I typed:

Automatically open the \c[4]Quest Journal\c when you get a new \c[4]Quest\c.

Leave Show/Hide, Enable, and Ext as is. Under Functions, some parameters will be changed:

Process OK Code

var index = this.index();
var symbol = this.commandSymbol(index);
var value = this.getConfigValue(symbol);
this.changeValue(symbol, !value);
var catalyst = $gameSwitches.value(x);
if (catalyst) {
  $gameSwitches.setValue(x, false);
} else {
  $gameSwitches.setValue(x, true);
}

Cursor Right Code

var index = this.index();
var symbol = this.commandSymbol(index);
var value = this.getConfigValue(symbol);
this.changeValue(symbol, true);
$gameSwitches.setValue(x, true);

Cursor Left Code

var index = this.index();
var symbol = this.commandSymbol(index);
var value = this.getConfigValue(symbol);
this.changeValue(symbol, false);
$gameSwitches.setValue(x, false);

Change x to whatever Switch is used. In my case, it was 46.

Next, on an Event that give you the quest, make a Conditional Branch with "If Switch is ON" and in that branch, I simply put in a Plugin Command with Quest Journal Open To x.

This isn't required but I made an option to instead show a notification when a Quest is unlocked that I discussed in an earlier comment. You just need two Parallel Comment Events, a Switch (to trigger the Common Events), and a Variable (this will be set to the Quest. For the Branch that has the Plugin Command, change it to an Else Branch containing the following:

Text for Plugin Command for the Quest, a Switch for the Common Event set to ON, and a Variable set to the Quest.

Basically it displays a Notification and allows you to hit Shift (or X) to open the Quest Window. However, the player may open the Quest Menu if they try to run after regaining control but 3 seconds could be enough.

Not related but I also revamped the Options and the descriptions in my project from the defaults provided by the plugin. It seems interesting that Yanfly's Options Core includes descriptions whereas the VisuStella version for MZ does not.

I think I remember the game screen freezing if I leave it idle. I would have to restart the game to get it working. I don't know if it's a Lawmage Academy specific issue or if it happens with other RPG Maker MV games.

Speaking of bugs, I discovered that running Lawmage Academy on a display that operates higher than 60 Hz causes the timer to count at least  twice as fast. You can see it between 0:00-2:30 of the video below where I demonstrate the bug with one of my RPG Maker MV projects (it's actually a different game I'm working on).

I was loading some of my existing saves I use for playtesting and I noticed the time read NaN:NaN:NaN after installing Accurate Playtime (saving the old save and then loading will fix but reset at 0:00) but it works correctly with new saves. Some plugins do seem to have some odd behavior with existing saves (i.e., made before the plugin) for example, TAA_BookMenu may not work with old saves and Felskis autosave may not allow saving at least with Yanfly's Save Core.

Also I was messing around in YEP_Options and thought of making my own custom options using Javascript and Olivia's MetaControls plugin to revamp the quests so a player can toggle between pressing a button/manually viewing the quest (an idea I suggested in a previous comment) or autoviewing the quest like in Lawmage Academy. If you have saw part 5 of my video, you may have saw a Quest Autoview option. Hopefully I may join the LA Discord server since Discord would be more easier to discuss things (like code or achievements) than using itch.io's comments.

I actually found a plugin that can fix this https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/accurate-playtime.104735/ It also fixes where running below 60 fps causes it to count slower. It seems to be a MV-only bug as RPG Maker MZ seems to have fixed this at least with the speed-up.

Also on part 3 of my video at 6:36, I mentioned about a minor spoiler where talking to Alyssa after gaining control of Syle would say Alyssa instead of Candidate which seems to be fixed in 0.7 since it shows the latter name. I remember playing 0.6 where it said Alyssa even though Syle hasn't learned what her name is at this point.

I'll be sure to check it out.

I might have been wrong about the times on my comment. I noticed when doing a video that the play timer counted too fast (when I finished Combat Basics with Alyssa, I got around 5 hours but that wouldn't be possible based on the lengths of the videos I made) then I realized it may be due to my display being over 60 Hz since my Aorus 15G laptop has a 240Hz display (my ViewSonic XG240 has a 144 Hz display). RPG Maker MV seems to have a bug where the game runs faster if the monitor is over 60 Hz which commonly affects gaming monitors and some gaming laptops. While Lawmage Academy runs fine since it has the YEP_FpsSynchOption plugin, the play timer will count too fast when over 60 fps (the Event Timer is unaffected although nothing in the game uses the Control Timer command) due to the monitor being over 60 Hz.

This could be fixed by either changing the monitor's refresh rate to 60 Hz or editing the package.json file and adding the line "chromium-args": "--limit-fps=60" to cap the game to 60 fps. I tested it with my game where I edited the file and the play timer works correctly.

I have uploaded 2 videos of Lawmage Academt (0.7.8) on YouTube which can be viewed on my Playlist, Lawmage Academy (0.7). Here I'll play Lawmage Academy and maybe do other videos such as the game I'm working on. Here are the first two videos:

Part 1

I would imagine a solo run on an RPG would be difficult though the obvious obstancles would the Garuda who could hard to kill with just Syle (trying to fight it with Alyssa and Ein was impossible for me) and the Paslime who has an attack that deals around 1/3 of Syle's Health. Lastly Syle may have to use Shards to get past obstancles until he/she gets those spells since you won't have Alyssa, Ein, or Jin to take care of them for you. Also I assume the party earns less EXP with 2-4 members (I think previous versions had the same EXP distribution regardless of party members) but you mentioned that Grades (Levels) don't give much stats since most stats are from equipment similar to Terraria.

I would wonder how some scenes would look with just Syle (i.e., without other party members or NPCs) since it would look wierd without Syle speaking/thinking.

When I play 0.8, I'll try to comment on it. As for macOS, I'm not sure how Lawmage Academy will work on Big Sur due to Apple deprecating OpenGL support as mentioned here on RPG Maker Web (Windows and Linux are unaffected and should still work).