[VXA] Menagerie (Ready for play!)

An atomic action-packed adventure that is quite literally... out of this world.

Spoiler for:

This game has been an idea and a demo. The thought came to me when World of Warcraft: Cataclysm highlighted the new race and class combinations, there was quite a bit of controversial discussion on the topic, some believing it to be a detriment to the staple and that the lore may be damaged in the canonical introduction of these so called '"oreign class/race combos".

I thought on the concept of archetypes and how I could skewer them so that Tolkien himself would start spinning madly in his grave, thus the idea of 'Menagerie' was born. Later I had the idea to do even more... a cornerstone of change; wherein tropes, cliches and archetypes are all messed with, this is a game that started with a purpose and has even before it's release, become a success.

I was not proud of the game-play in the Beta, so I have gone to an egregious effort to correct that.

Spoiler for:

Spoiler for:

-An Epic episodic storyline with several optional intermissions.
-Four brand new characters enter the roles, an uneasy collaboration of Dwarf, Elf, Goblin and Galaxion who each have flaws and strengths
-Story-focused game direction, with an emphasis on non-paradoxical time-travel and imminent looming destruction.
-Between the few side-view turn-based battles, there are also several well-performing action battles that push the engine to its limits.
-Cartoony art-style that gives the game it's own message and charm.
-Epic picture cut-scenes that actually force me to pre-cache animated pictures with loading screens.
-Over 30 tracks of custom music to set the stage.
-Planetary exploration and space travel.
-Optional sidequests, intermissions, bosses and dungeons for loot or lore.
-Packed with fun, intense mini-games and events.
-Deep harvesting system, in tandem with a deep Fusion system which allows you to with the right Codex, make several helpful items.

Spoiler for:

The game begins with introducing each of the 4 characters in their own little adventure before they are united at the end of [CS] Spooky: Descend. They all seem to possess flaws and strengths, their real strength however comes from their dissonance with echelon, they have no 'masters' and have been free their whole lives, even if at the behest of others. For this they are considered odd, and when combined they are what creates the 'Menagerie'.

Episode 1
Quaternary

This is where the four main characters are introduced on their own, the episode wraps up as they meet.

Episode 2
Countdown

This is the arc to get the Menagerie towards their goal in 12 hours and face their own trials, once they acquire the Nadinean Warship it's onto Episode three.

Episode 3
Insurgency

Redacted

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Lead Characters

Fatty McLarge
Race: Dwarf
Class: Druid
Power Measure: Derp
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Bright, but not particularly cunning or logical.
Likes: Simplicity, Honesty, His Beard, Food, Insufferable Pricks.
Dislikes: Technology, Complex mechanics, His subconscious, Tofu, Flowery Talk, Superficiality, the temptation of alcohol.
Quote: "Nothing like a good fight to get the derps herpin!"

Fatty is a Dwarven Druid, trained by elves since youth, seeing both the struggles and joys of Elven and Dwarven Culture, he's a lot more open to ideals that aren't stone cold stupid. He gave up drinking but the drink wont give up on him, as he is haunted constantly by his subconscious whenever he sees bubbles. He also is wary of Technology, especially of which he doesn't understand, such as the space age contraptions Spooky and Fyori often talk in-depth about. He does seem to show some amount of cowardice, often when advised by Spooky, whom he considers his best friend.

Fyori Felicee
Race: Elf/Cloud Nymph
Class: Technician
Power Measure: Empathy
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Brash in some cases, mostly fairly level-headed, on par with Galaxion's in Technological Studies, learns fast in fields of which she shows Interest. Slight Signs of Artistic Autism.
Likes: Cute Fuzzy fauna, Uranium Theory, Eco-friendly Solutions, meaningful friendship, technological discussion and even more so, practice. Art to some degree.
Dislikes: The harming of innocent creatures for sport, things that don't look adorable to some degree, the dissonance between elves and Dwarves. A fair few Galaxions, Zardari in particular. Self-centered snobs. Insufferable Pricks.
Quote: "I may look frail, but I'm a tempest of technological triumph!"

Fyori has always possessed an uncanny knack for technology and despite being raised by elves, she never managed to become a druid even though she wanted to. She can brashly jump into things without a second thought when it means enough to her, which has ended up in some dire situations. Her personality is for the most part, caring and fragile. Despite her emotional tenderness she swiftly learns how to deal with Spooky's bullshit. Throughout the majority of the game her and Spooky have disputes, though later on they warm up to each other a little.

Gerald Gelati
Race: Goblin
Class: Paladin
Power Measure: Courage
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Sort of dull, but he does have his logic.
Likes: Divinium, his friends (Fyori in particular), that he gets to save the world, fairy tales, magic.
Dislikes: Evil stuff especially of the stabbing kind, alcoholic beverages, cowardice, lying, lack of care on his or others part.
Quote: "It's like Scott Pilgrim all over again, except you explode into cowbells instead of coins!"

Gerald is the first and only Goblin paladin in existence, his ambition to follow the divine powers was by what he thought was simple gold, which gave him a really nice feeling. At 15 he left to search the world for how he could feel more of this nice feeling which deviated from his devious instincts as a Goblin to hoard all that was available. He came one day upon a Paladin who followed Galdath. The Paladin told him that it probably wasn't gold his kin were finding, it was likely Divinium. The Paladin explained that the "light" was reaching out to him, and that if he wished to fulfill his destiny, he should initiate himself with the "Order of Yor". He accepted and graduated after 8 years of training and worship. He has a beard and much more grown features, but you can still see the kid underneath. The Halo above his head was placed upon him for a desire to be different and courageous. Many of the Paladin's of the order look up to him with either pride or inspiration.

All that said, he does have his flaws, he isn't too keen on perception... and is brave to a sometimes dangerous degree. He also lets his emotions interfere with practical process. Spooky states that "He has all the most qualificatory talents of a dangerous moron."

Spooky Schema
Race: Galaxion (Extraterrestrial)
Class: Mage
Power Measure: Apathy
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Incredibly Intelligent, easily able to manipulate people to his bidding, seems to be the only one who fully understands temporal mechanics. Simple thinking and outdated appliances make him sort of cringe a little.
Likes: Clever quick thinking, Getting his way, snappy remarks, Technology to a degree, being right, Temporal Studies, Jolly Fatmen.
Dislikes: Being wrong, walls of dialect which could be summarized in a sentence, lack of forethought, Religious conspiracies, not getting his way, Fast food chains and fast food in general.
Quote: "Everything's possible. Sadly there are very few who realize the possibilities."

Unlike the three preceding it, his archetype is not atypical. Spooky is Intelligent but doesn't use fancy wordplay to get that across, at least not most of the time. He's often fairly rude and early on he's a jerk to almost everyone barring Fatty. He doesn't like not getting his way especially when it is relevant to his interests. He often uses sarcasm and cutting edge "OH SNAP" technology he invented by "using his brain". His DNA-related Mother is the only person he seems to really look up to and respect as a superior, he does seem to enjoy Fatty's company and appreciates being on the same page with Technology as Fyori. He doesn't engage Gerald in conversation often unless it's to scold him, which he does often.

Major Characters

Tac Talismina
Race: Galaxion (Extraterrestrial)
Class: Sylph
Power Measure: Prognostication
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Incredibly Intelligent, psychologically perceptive, has minor and very vague visions of the future.
Likes: Utopia, freedom, her genetic son, Cloud Nymphs
Dislikes: The Directorate, being directed against her morals, people not listening to her advice.
Quote: "You wouldn't be saving just yourselves, per se... you'd be saving everything."

Tac is one of the most 'human' Galaxions, possessing both charisma and a rebellious attitude, she was once one of the directorate, but left her status and Utopia behind whilst pursuing her moral beliefs.

Zardari Zitei
Race: Galaxion (Extraterrestrial)
Class: Anarchist
Power Measure: Disgust in Others
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Incredibly Intelligent, mentally unstable, dangerously cunning with both time manipulation and his own powers.
Likes: Being free, killing things that resemble not being free, killing other things for no real reason at all. Doing other acts of evil or lighthearted drama for fun.
Dislikes: The Directorate, being directed against his wishes, almost everyone and everything.
Quote: "Cat in the Hat."

Zardari is the primary antagonist of the game, his personality is a mix of seething hatred and whimsical jest. His mood shifts in a manner similar to those with bipolar disorder, he can be patent and quite vaudevillian at one moment to a quaking mass of rage the next. It's possible he's been this way for the majority of his life. Despite his inconsistency in mood, he is a cunning and calculated mass-murderer with several chips on his shoulder. His snappy attitude, vicious demeanor and seething contempt in others is readily apparent, the blade he carries was forged personally for him in secret by the Sunsmiths of the Xeraphar Moon.

Slik Vendesse
Race: Galaxion (Extraterrestrial)
Class: Director
Power Measure: Curiosity
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Intelligent and logical.
Likes: Utopia, The Directorate, adorable things, curly fries, order, routine, linearity.
Dislikes: Chaos, anarchy, straight fries.
Quote: "I'm telling you! We can't begin the invasion proper until the countdown is over, it's one of the rules!"

Of the two Directors, He's a more carefree forgiving kind. The Assassination of the old Directors he only participated in because he wanted a more orderly routine, though he had no grudge with doing it. He seems to have an inherit knowledge of the unwritten rules of the Universe, which Vind agrees to, but not without chagrin. He often calls Vind an arse for being too swift with judgement. Slik is all about nice orderly routine, he just enjoys linearity and peace. He is easily amused and enjoys puppet shows, fast food (particularly curly fries) and simple pleasures.

He commissioned the construction of Postmartia and decided that it can also serve as a refuge for the remnants of races they'd conquered so the hapless would have some sort of home in the Universe.

Vind Sashayon
Race: Galaxion (Extraterrestrial)
Class: Director
Power Measure: Irritation
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Perceptive psychologically, fairly intelligent.
Likes: Utopia, The Directorate, being right, oppressing minorities, conquest, action, the unwritten rules.
Dislikes: Being patient, being proved wrong, minorities, people who outwit him.
Quote: "What rules!? Where are these rules written? I thought we made the rules."

Much more of a Taskmaster then Slik, Vind beleive in running things with an iron fist, Slik constantly has to remind him that everything is running fine as is, so why change it. He gets tired of Slik's compassion for the rules, the only rules Vind likes are the ones he makes. He is always suspicious and hates it when he is proven wrong. He is cruel when left to his own devices, Slik serves as his conscience. He commissioned the construction of The Sovereign and monitored it's construction until completion.

Orsa Overkill
Race: Galaxion (Extraterrestrial)
Class: Juggernaut
Power Measure: Honor
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Low perception, im in several regards.
Likes: Feeling smart, feeling authoritative, being strong, Mayeena, fast food.
Dislikes: Targets who are faster than he is, cowards, healthy food, yo' mum jokes, smart asses.
Quote: "Watch your mouth you little worm! I am the Leader of the Juggernauts, you're lucky I don't rip you in half with my bare hands right now!"

Orsa is the leader of the Juggernauts, genetic creations of his build unlike all others are not designed to hover, Juggernauts are the only Galaxions who walk on their feet, Orsa's strength is legendary, he is the only Galaxion strong enough to wield the incredibly powerful Juggernaut greatsword, 'Saynomore'. He seems to be interested in the Martyr Mayeena, and it's made evident that he admired Tac before she left.

He is the least intelligent member of the Directorate. He's more brawn than brain.

Mayeena Milda
Race: Galaxion (Extraterrestrial)
Class: Martyr
Power Measure: How many times she dies.
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Socially unwary, but otherwise very bright.
Likes: Her job, Adashi.
Dislikes: Zardari, assertions that she and Zardari may have been a thing.
Quote: "No, it's not like that. Just... seriously, doggone that guy."

Mayeena is very much focused on the tasks she is given, a workaholic some may say, because of this detachment from social procrastination, she's never noticed Orsa's romantic advances which for Orsa's well being, are subtle. She does show inner conflict when confronted with the fact that her old colleague might be the genetic mother of one who she was about to detain, but she snapped out of it and carried on regardless.

Unlike the others of the Directorate who seem to enjoy the fame and wealth of being in the Directorate, Mayeena seems to care little for both of those, seeing them as extras, she really enjoys her actual tasks more. She seems to be romantically invested in Adashi, but she knows that she can't allow a relationship between them to blossom, her work means too much to her.

Asarath Azara
Race: Galaxion (Extraterrestrial)
Class: Vizer
Power Measure: Wisdom
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Incredibly perceptive, both socially and psychologically. Intelligent beyond what he lets on.
Likes: Utopia, Tac, Practicing Magic, learning new magic, tutoring younger mages.
Dislikes: He seems pretty neutral about everything, I don't think hatred is an emotion he's capable of.
Quote: "I bet this is all rather exciting, you seem so in your element with what you're doing. Which raises the question, what do you think it is you're doing exactly?"

Asarath is one of the most forgiving members of the directorate, even to those he considers enemies, his social and psychological perception and understanding made him one of the few who not only befriended Zardari, but did so against the warnings of everyone else in the Directorate.  He also caught on instantly that Spooky was a stowaway, but given that he doesn't beleive in conflict without a proper diagnosis, he let him be until he was able to talk to him in private.

He seems to be entirely uninterested in conquest, he enjoys luxury and the leisurely research of magic above all else. His demeanor is often welcoming and he is likely the most sensible and level headed of the Directorate. Even after her exile he seems to heavily respect Tac.

Adashi Airhop
Race: Galaxion (Extraterrestrial)
Class: Assassin
Power Measure: Blinks
Basic Reading of Intelligence: Inperceptive though cunning when it comes to battle tactics.
Likes: Utopia, The Directorate, Technology, Teleporting, Laser weaponry.
Dislikes: Staying still, being patient.
Quote: "So this is the almighty Menagerie... what a joke."

Adashi is the leader of the Galaxion Strike team, his talents are based on infiltration, acquiring data and teleporting when things get too hot to handle. His tone seems mostly detached... though he does seem to show emotion in rare scenarios. He is heavily inspired by Asha from Iji.

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The first half of the game is played mostly on Nadine, it is a paradise planet much like Haven and Earth. With foliage, water, breathable air and no weird rules. It's dominant species is humanoid, consisting of Elves of three varieties, Dwarves, Goblins, Halflings, Sahagin and as hinted at briefly, Saramarin Humans at one point.

A frigid planet home to the Galaxion Empire, the only legitimate life that grows on the planet is in the dark blue wilderness which is mostly barren outside of the occasional mushroom oasis. The planet is littered with impressively-sized Cities that hold no name, they are simply numbered. The only City visited in the span of this game is City 17. Galaxia's dominant and only inhabitants are the Galaxions, they value conquest above most else, though some take simpler careers such as Frycooks or Vendors of some description. A Galaxion's job can easily be identified by those fluent in the Galaxion Algebraic Branding (GAB), each Galaxion is mandated to wear a Galaxion Artefact of Branding (GAB also) which displays a holographic symbol dependent on the actions and thoughts of the equipped Galaxion. Galaxions are mass produced through spawning vats, because of this they are able to survive without nourishment, air, sleep or water. They are also able to withstand extreme temperatures to the point where drifting through suns or colliding with comets might be described as mildly painful or exciting and fun.

An artificial planet designed and created by the Galaxion Empire, it's an incredulous postal planet capable of sending 'parcels' to any location in the Galaxy with the power of High Ordinance Cannons, it also serves as a refuge for survivors of Galaxion conquest. It's where Tac is located for the majority of the game.

While not a Planet, it could certainly serve as one... The Sovereign is the hegemonic flagship of the Galaxion Empire, commonly the Directorate are at the helm. It's larger than all of the other varieties of ships in the fleet combined and several times over. It contains several bays for Time Racers and refueling/repairing stations for ships of all Galaxion varieties, it itself generates Energy perpetually. Though it's very rare for a Galaxion Warship to be damaged to the point of combustion, the Sovereign is even tougher. It has enough Heavy Carapaced Plating to withstand a Blue Sun Energy Storm even when on emergency power. The Sovereign stands the tests of time and tribulation, it functions well beyond the Menagerie's time.

The home planet of the Cloud Nymphs, the one race that even Blu isn't ashamed or scared of. The Planet has a Dark Core where-in dwells Shadow Pixies and other mysterious spectres. Typically the Cloud Nymphs and the Beneath choose to not mingle with each other in any fashion.

A digital planet which can't be landed on generically, you must instead proceed to the docking ring and take a digitransmaterializer to make contact with the planet's surface. This planet is home to the Bytepets and The Glitched, originally it was a Paradise Planet like Earth but while 'The Glitched' were testing virtual reality it caused the virtual world to become their world, though it's evident they didn't mind. They could easily undo it, but they don't want to.

This Planet also has a far more ominous purpose.

Home Planet of the Dragonar, Wyrms and Galleons, the citizens of Draik are neutral and are typically unwelcoming to outsiders.

Home base of the Monkey Space Pirates (MSP's), this Planet is one that is truly free, the inhabitants are typically neutral to outsiders who don't give them reason to carry a chip on their soldier. The populace is a jolly constitution of thieves, drinkers and gambligants. They do what they want, whenever they want, at all times. The majority of the Space Pirates are Monkeys native to Haven, who wanted more excitement. But any race is welcome among the space pirates if their teeth be gold, their avarice bold and their appetite like mold.

A lush jungle-laden planet of which Monkeets, Ratwring, Crocidilus and several other mammals call home. The Monkeets are the dominant species, often just called Monkeys (in slang) and have several lit towns dotted across the planet. It's common to find outsiders at Haven, largely due to it being run by a worldwide democratic union.

The Shattered Empire... It might have been a Paradise Planet at one stage but now it is --outside of the refuge in Postmartia-- all that remains of the Zirkovian Empire, among one of many planets the Galaxion Myriad have conquered. Despite the lack of a core the planet is still rampant with life, it's quite scenic, really.

The Prison Planet of the Ancient Ones, currently it's just a scenic walk about in game, given it's atmosphere as a Gas planet it's unlikely that anything mortal lives on it or anything immortal would choose to.

Yeah that's right, it's Planet Jupiter. That's all there really is to say on the matter.

It's the source of the Cloud Nymph's power and is the light and heat source for the 6 planets of the Magenta sector and their moons. Its rays shine on Spriteopia, Byteopia, Galaxia, Nadine, Draik and Tekerlek.

The Heart and House of Origin, in this powerful star the creator dwells, this 'Sun' is more important than I care to let on. It lights Haven, Postmartia, Gaseous and Zirkov along with their moons. It is the power source the Galaxions pull from.

Spoiler for:

Spoiler for:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rem9jAhX1jE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rem9jAhX1jE</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ragf2Hk1cDY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ragf2Hk1cDY</a>

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Given Menagerie's fairly convoluted plot and lack of egregious explanation, it's quite possible I've skipped a few details, or you aren't quite up to speed on the plot dspite playing the whole game, you might simply have other questions. I'll answer some here that I think of, but for the majority, these questions will be from players.

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Q: Are you trying to offend people with Gerald's intro?
A: No. The intent was for the humour of both parties, I am agnostic myself, and the idea of "God" being a huge troll just makes me chuckle, and since he's made every move to show us no different (if either bible is to be believed) I don't really see the harm. I knew it was a bit of a gamble to do any sort of religious tomfoolery, but I figured it would only offend extremists who I have no qualms of offending because they want to find offense in everything.

Q: What does the "Offices" option do in the main menu?
A: You can find out.

Q: Spooky seems inconsistent with knowing the plot at some intervals despite playing the whole "adventure" in advance.
A: He does know what's going to happen, but he'll do what he was going to do regardless of what he knows, he's just doing what he would naturally in the situation. Who better to know, I mean, he is me.

Q: He's you, what?
A: He's me in personality. I designed his character off my apathetic stonecold don't give a damn side. He is also the easiest character to write given that a fair few of his phrases are things I say or would say in the situations in which he is presented with.

Q: I think your meta goes too deep for some people...
A: They'll be able to get passed it, if not, they can always ask what the deal was.

Q: Holy hell the meta is convoluted, so Spooky is playing a game when you first see him, then when he steps away from the credits at 12:13:18 to -12:13:14 he's playing the game in reality?
A: That's spot on. I even had him insert a coin in the opening splash.

Q: What will you come up with next?
A: Leave that to the Crazy Chimp Collective Live Q&A later this month.

Q: Some of this music isn't new, what happened to the full custom soundtrack.
A: My composer got held up due to family intervention and other interferences, so instead of trying to shit out the last 7 tracks in a sloppy mess and hope that they syynced well to [CS] Mutiny, [CS] Slaughter, [/CS] Descent, [CS] Ad-infinitum Gaming Paradox and [CS] Galaxia's End we decided to just finish off all but 40 Prequel and the remaining sync tracks for the cutscenes listed above and just make do with that, the credits and track names have been modified to distinguish credit where credit is due.

I have a question that is so far unanswered!
Splendid, either reply to this thread or send an email to crazychimpcollective@gmail.com and I'll get to you. If I deem it worthy of public interest I'll place it here, too.

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Given the games original public beta release date, the number 12 is featured prominently within the game, as is Pie and 314(in accordance to Intelligence's release date on the 14 of March, 2011)
-Every Galaxion's full name (Branding not included) is 12 letters in length.
-All of the Main characters have 12 letters total in their name.
-The Menagerie is formed on the strike of 12:00:00 until invasion. Spooky's Descent begins at 12:03:14
-Spooky finishes the game on 12:13:14, when he first inserted the coins it started at 20:00:00, meaning it took him over 7 hours to beat the game.
-Every main stat has 6 letters, which is 12 halved.
-Several important dates have the number 12 or 314 in them.
-The game takes place 400 years before the Mayan Doomsday calendar summons Maw to attack Earth (2012) which makes the game relative to the Earth year of 1612.
-As of the game's present, there are 6 within the directorate (Slik, Vind, Asarath, Adashi, Orsa and Mayeena) and 6 who oppose them (Tac, Spooky, Fatty, Fyori Gerald and Zardari)
-The Galaxion ships collectively have 12 thrusters across their variety, the Time Racer has one, the Planet Eraser has 2, the Sovereign has 3 and the Warship has 6)

For me personally, Fyori is the most fun character to draw, but Spooky is the most fun to write.

314 applies to how many characters of the main caste you start with, how many are left and many are killed off by the end of the game in reverse order.

Several employees procrastinated heavily, the Employer also procrastinated heavily.

Anything that looks realistic or really good is not by me.

Looks cool. I actually really enjoyed what I got to play of Intelligence. Looking forward to playing it once school is finally done with. (I've got a backlog of games to try and give opinions on)

Wow, Bizarre!! You forgot to tell people they are likely to get colourblindness from your game this time!!
WARN THEM PLEASE 


Also, looking forward to play it!

@dudeguy119: Thanks, and I look forward to it. ^.^

@Amycha: The Kiddy gloves are off, there's a bright blue disclaimer at the top for those with sensitive eyes though, hee haw hee.

If my reply is late which it probably is, rest assured I stayed up 23 hours to bring you this on time, then I slept for 6 and woke up just now. ;3

Okay, so I played the demo a bit.

I loved the humor and the lampshading. I liked Fatty's power to transform into a bear, though, I should point out that, even though his stats and attacks return to normal after the transformation time is up, his graphic doesn't change back.

I like the characters, too, I think. Something intriguing about having a character warn them that they might take away their shotgun...again.

When I figured out that you could get crafting supplies from just about anything on any map, I was quite surprised. No one I know has ever thought of dismantling a bed for crafts.

I actually like a lot of the graphical elements. Sure, the battlebacks are...interesting. I understand your goal ins't to create great graphics, but the still scenes actually feel kind of epic. It might just be the music. But I still like them. How did you pull those off? Was it just with pictures and the picture display event?

The only problem is that the game crashed when I went into the crafting screen for the first time. As soon as I selected the potion book, it crashed, saying it could not find "Flash2" or something like that.

Anyways, I'll try to play it more later. By the way, am I not allowed to save or did I just not get to a save point?

Okay, so I played the demo a bit.

I loved the humor and the lampshading. I liked Fatty's power to transform into a bear, though, I should point out that, even though his stats and attacks return to normal after the transformation time is up, his graphic doesn't change back.

His graphic should after you return to the map, if he doesn't then something has gone wrong since my last play test. (Just tested, it does change him back after battle, currently changing him back in battle before the victory scene is a tad difficult and rather pointless outside aesthetic) I'm so very glad the humour appealed to you, and I'm not quite sure what lampshading means, But I'll look it up assuming you aren't being incredibly literal.

Okay, after looking through urban dictionary I found this, which is what I assume you mean.

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Lampshade Hanging
To purposely mention and point out a distracting cliche in your work, and then to move on like nothing happened. Used to have the audience of your work be less likely to murder you for using the cliche.

That was the only meaning that made sense, and I'm glad you like it. I admit I did abuse it on purpose for humour rather than having knives at my neck. (my fans aren't that zealous yet. )

I like the characters, too, I think. Something intriguing about having a character warn them that they might take away their shotgun...again.

Thanks for the support, and yeah, I think that line of dialogue is more hilarious since the wielder of said shotgun is a pretty elf with petite fairy wings.

When I figured out that you could get crafting supplies from just about anything on any map, I was quite surprised. No one I know has ever thought of dismantling a bed for crafts.

This idea was originally in Terra, which also features featured a similar crafting system and wasn't as diverse or everyday object abusing. This idea never saw the light of day because that game was complete shit and only two people I know of saw past the first 10 minutes. In Menagerie, I decided to go back to this old idea since it was one of few ideas in that disgrace of a game I didn't take off from FFX.

I actually like a lot of the graphical elements. Sure, the battlebacks are...interesting. I understand your goal ins't to create great graphics, but the still scenes actually feel kind of epic. It might just be the music. But I still like them. How did you pull those off? Was it just with pictures and the picture display event?

A lot of what I say about the graphics is a defense mechanism, since there are a lot of artists who are better and case in point the graphics seen are rather simple, but simplicity can be made epic if utilized in the right way. A lot of the artists who can make really amazing graphics also have trouble grasping that when you put artwork over fun you are basically making a watered down version of Crysis.

Epic should never be seen the same thing as Art, because they couldn't be more polarized. People have been able to make great artworks but miss the epic factor either because that's not what they were going for or they don't understand what epic is.

I've played many things I'd consider epic, and Ratchet & Clank stands strong as a good example of when good art direction and an epic feeling can really make you jump out of your seat.

For the most part, things with good art direction can be epic, but it does not mean that simple art or just downright shitty art cant be epic too. If the cutscenes in the part of the game you have played to have gotten you impressed, just wait until I release 0.2.0, that will be when you ask how the hell did I do some stuff.

For the scenes in which could be classified as epic, pictures are mainly used, in some cased I use parallaxes and animations when it would be unspeakably strenuous to animate such things with pictures. Examples of this can be seen in the splash screen, it's all picture commands except the water animation that plays shortly after the company logo.

I only said the game was not built on graphical splendor, that does not invalidate the charm of the graphics used and generally, its all down to preference anyway. What I said just means I put fun first, which is a rule any Developer should follow. But very few big wigs actually do.

The only problem is that the game crashed when I went into the crafting screen for the first time. As soon as I selected the potion book, it crashed, saying it could not find "Flash2" or something like that.

My curiosity was piqued at this bug because it is very strange. I play-tested to find out what the story was, it was in fact a custom sound effect called "Flash" simply, and I feel dumb for not catching this but the crafting script doesn't seem to recognize custom sound effects as existent and gives an error stating that something is missing which isn't. I'll get my agent to inform Mr Bubble about it but for now the work around is to use an RTP sound effect, which works fine.

I tested another custom SE and the same behaviour is returned, while an odd bug its very easy to see why it would be missed, since no one tests scripts with all custom items.

I will upload a new version ASAP.

Anyways, I'll try to play it more later. By the way, am I not allowed to save or did I just not get to a save point?

It depends, if you have gotten up to Spooky, due to the canonical way the save system works you cant save unless Spooky is in the party, which thankfully is only a problem for the first 12 minutes of the game. (Less or more depending on how much you like stripping beds, draining lakes and executing trees.)

A save point typically looks out of place except for the first one, which is a dumb error I will correct in the next version.

Actually you would have been past a save point, because unless i missed up somehow you cant access alchemy or the first Codex until the menagerie is formed, if you lost all of your progress I am terribly sorry, and my apology will be backed with a bugfix patch.

That said this is a beta, but I do still hate it when a good devoted play-tester is walled by my stupidity.

The new version is uploading to my dropbox, if you wish to play in the meantime with the small swathe of bug fixes implemented, you can grab the attachment below and simply copy the folder labelled "Data" into the project's Root directory. (Its the one with Game.exe present.)

0.1.1
Bugfixes:
- Made a visual and audio cue for the first save point. But by no means does it hold you hand, it only grabs your eyes, it is also now relocated to an area before an enemy encounter.
- Changed the sound effect for crafting an item from "Flash" to "Bell2". This should prevent crafting an item crashing the game.
- Updated one line of dialogue spoken by Spooky which failed to follow the usual cyan color present in his dialect.
- Made a few less 2x2 trees and more harvest ready 1x2 trees beyond Frigid Pass.

Edit: I'm not sure if the above method works. If it doesn't let me know, and I'll see if I can get a mediafire version ready.

Edit2: First Dropbox Upload done, Non-RTP version updated.

I'm still around, just been busy, both with Dev on this and other life altering things, here's the largest cinematic cutscene I've made to this day.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTDxwjsqRPs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTDxwjsqRPs</a>

Enjoy. There will be some impressive gameplay footage to show later, also both versions of the game have been updated to 0.1.1 not only the Non-RTP version.

The Release (that's next patch.) won't feature two builds, it will have only one with necessary RTP components included, I'm getting tired of bugs in one and not the other and having two test two games before I can release.

I've already done an extra hour and a half of progressive content and am now working on space travel, its amazing what i can do without a looming deadline. ^.^

As stated; here is a portion of delectable evented action gameplay; I've been spared from the University this semester, so I can finish this thing. Enjoy.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynh1zldclNE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynh1zldclNE</a>

No, I'm not dead. Not yet. Just been spectacularly busy with stuff and haven't had time to make regular updates over here, but now is the time.

Menagerie is being released as a full game in less than a month, on 12/12 this year, an exact year after it's beta release.

Since then and now I've gone through a rebranding, have a whole team at my beck and call and together we are really making something quite cool here.

To give you a small snoop on what's been updated, here's a trailer...

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0h_oyMZG9U" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0h_oyMZG9U</a>

Here's an optional Evented ABS boss that is really hard.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWkDhV98_rQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWkDhV98_rQ</a>

For more stuff, you can check out the CCC youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/CrazyChimpCollective

Edit: Updated OP.

So here is the trailer for the release of Menagerie, you may get hyped if you wish.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rem9jAhX1jE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rem9jAhX1jE</a>

Special thanks to Andinator, Xzygon, TktheKnight, Apoc, Usagi Shinobi and FelicitousArtisan for the VA assistance.

Finally finished!

36 minutes late, but it's here fellas! See first post.

New build uploaded and updated, see OP.

Menagerie Patch 1.0.1
-Fixed the Vertical position of Tac's eyes in [CS] Mutiny.
-Recompiled in a fashion to eradicate the game-breaking cache error.
-Corrected a missing file error crash, the game should now be crash free!
-Two fridges in the Ironstep Inn were functioning as impassable barriers post-harvest, this has been fixed.
-Corrected some odd picture behaviour in [CS] Solitaire
-Fixed a small cosmetic tile error in the Galaxion Game Cafe
-Did some work on syncing for [CS] Heavenbound
-Parallax fixes for [CS] Solitaire
-Several bits of odd sounding dialogue corrected.

Really dumb bug again, sorry for the screwup.

Patch 1.0.2
-Relocated start position to it's correct area.

In case anyone is interested:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8gHZKC9BT4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8gHZKC9BT4</a>

Great game. If I may suggest one thing, it would be to change logo a bit to remove G.

Reason being that alien's head looks kinda like g, so title of your game reads like Menaggerie and text in your sig like Getcha' ggame.

Otherwise, I like it very much and will certainly play it once it is released.

Great game. If I may suggest one thing, it would be to change logo a bit to remove G.

Reason being that alien's head looks kinda like g, so title of your game reads like Menaggerie and text in your sig like Getcha' ggame.

Nah, I'm not all that worried about it. Considering that logo is Plastered everywhere it would mean redoing near every marketing image.

Otherwise, I like it very much and will certainly play it once it is released.

It is released! Just open the spoiler labeled 'Downloads' and click the image that is revealed.

Here's another trailer because I LOVE MAKING TRAILERS.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy-It5Tukj8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy-It5Tukj8</a>