Elysium (RPGVX) Version 0.12 - 3/10/13

[pyro32]

I thought the motivation was revenge at fist due to what happened to the princess however now it seems to be more about discovering where the corruption descended from. To, be honest his attitude seems to change alot from the start which im guessing is the 'nights' influence.

[querzis]

Well if you take the evil path, the motivation is just plain revenge/thirst for power but if you take the good path, its more finding answers to everything and trying to get rid of the corruption in the government. And yes, his attitude changed quite fast, what do you expect when you find out that even your girlfriend was into the whole conspiracy to try and kill you? The nightspawn are pretty much the only ones trying to help him regardless of if you take the good or the evil path so of course he changed his attitude about them pretty fast. Overall, I really didnt think his character was hard to understand...now mind you, you can apparently take good decisions even when you kept going down the evil path and vice-versa which is kinda weird. I was really surprised to see that I could make peace with Juliet, try to save everyone, kept your soldiers from killing/raping PoW and still decide to rape/dominate all the magical students and side with Velvet. Seems really inconsistent.

I really think you should do some kind of morality systems like legend of queen opala 2 where certain evil or good decisions are no longer available (and perhaps new evil/good decisions show up) once you start going down a path cause seeing my character try to fight off the nightspawn corruption after the whole deal with general Kathryn only to abduct several students who have done nothing wrong to him a few minutes later is really weird. Otherwise, I have absolutely no complain about the game, love the story, the mechanics and the hentai. Keep it up.

[Seyser Koze]

I thought the motivation was revenge at fist due to what happened to the princess however now it seems to be more about discovering where the corruption descended from. To, be honest his attitude seems to change alot from the start which im guessing is the 'nights' influence.

The Princess is sort of a berserk button for Darius, at least at the beginning. Juliet takes the full brunt of this when she really doesn't deserve it; again, the "apology" scene is on the list to be rewritten. He wants to root out the conspirators (who essentially threw him under a bus and ruined his life for no apparent reason) and get some kind of closure regarding the Princess, who was assaulted on his watch. However, the events of his return to the capital have darkened his outlook a bit.

As for his alliance with the Nightspawn, he's just one guy and not really in a position (at least initially) to prevent them from doing what they want - and even then when he's granted some authority over the others, he still only has as much free rein as Elektra allows him. As a traitor to the kingdom, there's a limit to what he can accomplish on his own, and his major attempt at doing so (Chapter 2) doesn't go so well. In the end, regardless of whether he agrees with them, he needs them.

Anyway, since Mass Effect keeps getting brought up... if you're looking for a Bioware game (where the PC's personality is a blank slate almost entirely built by your decisions, very few of which have any influence on the plot) then yeah, this probably isn't the game for you.

[SpectralTime]

...I guess I see what you mean.

I'm not sure if I was really looking for a blank slate, though, as much as...

I mean, sure, I can understand him getting raped by Ophelia when he was too tired and weak to defend himself, but why stay? Why immediately shift into "Yes milady" mode with that b**** Elektra? Why not leave and try to find allies on his own rather than working with an army of evil rapists who outright state they are bent on world domination? I mean, geez, talk about an overreaction.

I wouldn't harp, except that it doesn't seem to fit his character. After all, fifteen minutes (from the player's perspective) after he says "No more!" and saves Ophelia from gang-rape, he stands by and watches as a whole town gets gang-raped, with no real comment beyond a "..." If he was only worried about self-preservation, then fair enough, but he never actually SAYS that, and the player is left wondering what changed between Point A and Point B. But, hey, at least he refuses to stay.

Furthermore, after he (quite justly) left... That Southern City Whose Name Starts With An E in disgust at the Nightspawn's evil ways earlier, why does he agree to stay with them once he's saved from the palace? Again, what happened between Point A and Point B to change his mind about these Nightspawn? He's a good-looking guy, and he seemed to have an okay time with the ladies BEFORE he got sexomancy powers. Why go along with THEM for power, when he could just leave, run north, go to that coastal town where no one expects him, and seduce some girls there for a power-up INSTEAD of helping Lady Rape Satan take over the world?

...Oh, right. The Fort. Huh. No way around, no way through if Katherine catches him. ...A tricky proposition.

But I STILL feel that the generals (Kat's an abuse victim, lashing out at others to mentally cope with it, Xenia and Chastity obviously have SOME reason behind all the evil things they've done, which is more than I can say for the Protagonist who mostly just does them because a jerk told him to, Velvet... is the exeption that proves the rule) are, on the whole, better written than Darius. They had ONE girl raped ONCE for a genuine reason. HE (accidentally, admittedly) raped and enslaved a WHOLE TOWN, before agreeing to do whatever the jerk behind it all wants, for... no real reason. MAYBE saving the princess, but... yeah. Kinda hypocritical of him.

Now, if she's affecting his mind or otherwise manipulating him, fine. I'm not asking for a tabula rasa here. But... look, when that one girl in the Inn outright SAID "You've only traded one master for another, and look at what my mother's done to all these people with your tacit permission, and now you're going out to gather MORE rape fodder so you can beat MORE rape fodder..." I'm not left feeling like she's being a jerk. I'm left thinking that she has a point.

Mass Effect 3's ending is what I keep bringing up, when an established character acts in a very out-of-character way to fit the needs of the plot. Hence, you know... complaint.

[iamnuff]

apparantly im a goddamn retard.


how do i get out of the proloug, "protagonist(tm)" just decided it would be a fun time to slack off work, and i have been everywhere and talked to everyone and i have no idea what to do.


all i can see is 5 guards, a priestess, a maid a cook and that guy in the armoury, everyone keeps talking about bella, but where the hell is she?

[Savyar]

talk to the nun again all the options head to the basment in kitchen

[SpectralTime]

Yup, what he said. The next hang up'll probably come when you're walking around the Capital. If you're stuck, make sure you've: a) examined the doors to the palace, b) talked to the Hat Lady near the entrance, c) talked to the mage lady in the inn, and d) found the crooks hiding in the lower left hand corner of the upper level. The rest you get told.

[Seyser Koze]

Well if you take the evil path, the motivation is just plain revenge/thirst for power but if you take the good path, its more finding answers to everything and trying to get rid of the corruption in the government. And yes, his attitude changed quite fast, what do you expect when you find out that even your girlfriend was into the whole conspiracy to try and kill you? The nightspawn are pretty much the only ones trying to help him regardless of if you take the good or the evil path so of course he changed his attitude about them pretty fast. Overall, I really didnt think his character was hard to understand...now mind you, you can apparently take good decisions even when you kept going down the evil path and vice-versa which is kinda weird. I was really surprised to see that I could make peace with Juliet, try to save everyone, kept your soldiers from killing/raping PoW and still decide to rape/dominate all the magical students and side with Velvet. Seems really inconsistent.

I really think you should do some kind of morality systems like legend of queen opala 2 where certain evil or good decisions are no longer available (and perhaps new evil/good decisions show up) once you start going down a path cause seeing my character try to fight off the nightspawn corruption after the whole deal with general Kathryn only to abduct several students who have done nothing wrong to him a few minutes later is really weird. Otherwise, I have absolutely no complain about the game, love the story, the mechanics and the hentai. Keep it up.

The game actually does track your alignment, but the problem with locking the player into one route or the other (especially this early in the game) is that the player essentially gets one or two early choices and then that's it, because they're locked into being a good/bad guy for the rest of the game. Unless you allowed them to somehow "buy" their way back to the other side by saying nice/mean things in less-crucial situations (like repairing your terrible rep by donating to the temple in a more traditional game), but I personally think that's an even sillier mechanic than being able to act inconsistently. I don't think the possibility of inconsistent behavior is ideal, but I don't really like eliminating all the meaningful choices any more, particularly since the alignment decisions are going to get bigger, by and large, from here on out.

[Seyser Koze]

apparantly im a goddamn retard.


how do i get out of the proloug, "protagonist(tm)" just decided it would be a fun time to slack off work, and i have been everywhere and talked to everyone and i have no idea what to do.


all i can see is 5 guards, a priestess, a maid a cook and that guy in the armoury, everyone keeps talking about bella, but where the hell is she?

I'll probably have to edit this at some point, since a couple of other people have been hung up in the same spot. Marguerite being the only NPC you have to speak to twice to move the story along (when most of the NPCs just repeat their lines if you keep bugging them) is a bit obscure.

[yillsemkcuf]

This is the plot as I see it (And it makes sense to me. Maybe I'm a crazy freak but, eh. Aren't we all?)
1) protagonist is unhappy with his place in life and wants something more. (wow that description covers everybody EVER)
2) gets caught with his pants down... snicker
3) someone believes in me? Oh joy now I cant fai... Never mind shes a bitch.. Never mind that Never mind.
4) free pussy! Hurray!!!
4 cont.) Oh S**** WTF wheres my BFF? WTF who are you. RAGE!
4 cont. cont.)princess fucked... Friends position unknown... unknown number of enemy's... RUN AWAY!!!!
5) WTF it looks bad but seriously how stupid do you think I am?
6) wait some one betrayed the kingdom! Who?... That answers that question.
7) Wait the higher ups are in it too? wait stop!! okayyyyy... could you at least try explaining? I mean It Might be possible that I would agree the ends justify the means.
7 cont.) slim chance but still you can at least TRY to get more ally's?
8) F*** that hurts! Trade soul = get revenge and not hurt? Hell yeah I'll take that deal!
9) WTF Don't touch Her!
10) Free pussy? (Its not like it all went bad the first time why not try again?) </sarcasm>
11) Well I didn't expect that but still. TOLD YOU SO!
choose 1 (not sure witch)
12 a.) Well I cant stop 20 demons by myself can I ?
or
12 b.) ooooooooh Pretty Demon make head fun (x.x)

12 cont.) Your the good guy and you did WHAT?!?! Well FUCK you . .... well that wasn't well done.
13) I must discover the truth!
14) Stealthy....
15) Oh S**** thats a Bad guy!
15 cont.) That went much better than expected...
16) stuff junk blah blah blah... (wait! Dis-colored ice? And Relics!) .... That's hot! .... screech! Don't turn me in! ;_;
17) You mean EVERYONE BETRAYED ME!
18) Well that's not as bad as I suspected. lets weigh this on a scale eh?
demons.
Good ----- (Kids = safe) +1 (Farmer = Happy) +1 (Demons = help with work )+1 (demons = haven't betrayed me) +2 (demons = lots of sex) +1 (demons = I'm in charge kinda) +1 (don't hurt people physically / don't abuse woman) +1
Bad ------- (Whats in that room?) -1 (people high on sex x2)-2 (relationships ruined) -1 (they do rape people [it is rape even though they like it]) -1
totle...
+3
For humans
good -----(dont ruin relationships) +1 (human) +1 (people hapy + kids safe) +2
bad--------(They ALL BETRAYED ME!) -2 (little sex) -1 (no power + wanted dead or alive) -2 (theifs muggers ect) -1
totle
-2
.....
DEMONS WIN!
P.S. I'm Part Demon Now And have little to no control over my body! (-2) (new totle = 1)

fight - win! (+1) another druged chick (-1) (new totle = 1)
fight - win! (+1) another druged chick (-1) (new totle = 1)again?

visit witch

you want to give me 20+ slaves who you have striped of there freedom? ok
give 20+ people freedom in exchang for haveing sex (I duno is this good or bad?)
either way (leader of humans has no qualm at enslaveing and selling teenage girls to get whatever she wants) (humans -1) (new totle -3)

humans -3 v.s. deamons 0 OR 1
I know who I choose at this point... do you?

[SpectralTime]

...What about the part that that's hardly all humans, everywhere, forever? What about all the soldiers who WEREN'T jerks, just decent people doing their jobs? What about Mother Maugerite, Captain Elaine, the Pilgrim folks?

I think you're weighting the argument here. Also, "protagonist is himself a demon" shouldn't earn any points, and neither should winning fights. Vampires who have become vampires aren't necessarily immediately on the vampiric side, after all. Also, how do they get a "don't abuse women" point when they're clearly seen gang-raping crying girls all the time?

Now, if Elektra's brain-shocking him, as it was established eventually she COULD do when he was human, and prying into his thoughts to keep him loyal, hey, I'm fine with that. I just wish it was better projected, much the same way I wish it were better projected when she picked him up at the inn. At the time, all I could think was, "What a cheating jerk," but, you know, after he starts wondering WHY he did that... it clicks.

[Lucky777]

...Yeah, still sounds kinda great.

Damnit, now I have to give the thing just one more shot.

I swear, if this guy pussies out just one more time, though, I'm deleting the goddamn videogame.

This bitch with her saltpetre magic had BETTER be on the goddamn menu later. She's a sweet old gal, but that's not how you handle an erection.

And hey, at least Velvet is kickin' ass. Things are totally starting to look up.
AND we've got a badical assist, right when we needed it.
Thus far I'm only regretting my hasty discarding of this damned thing earlier, but I have yet to see if this guy serves like he should.
And wait, we get to take a proper crack at the swordswoman that we failed so INCREDIBLY DISMALLY at earlier?
Apology accepted, videogame.

All right. All right. Things are looking far, far up. I hope we get a crack at Charity, too. She and the nun have some srs workings over coming to them.
(A little amusing that Yolande has Night Energy, even though she can't use it XD)
And Charity gets hers. Super great, but this protagonist guy is WAY too fucking hung up on that princess. He better not turn on the nightspawn when it's their turn with her.

...Oh, and Kathryn doesn't seem all bad either, although that stunt with the guards earlier ticked me off.

Wait a minute, was that a little snuff from Meridia? Oh, she's gonna fucking GET hers, too.

...Oy, this happened because Darius failed to stay in Kat's pussy where he belonged. The guy's still a fucking idiot, and he had BETTER change.

...and he STILL keeps bitching about the Princess. Listen man, that's just poor reasoning. Telling Juliet to shut the fuck up is fine and all, but that ragged useless excuse...

...AND he leaves perfectly good sloppy seconds lying around. Man, which audience is supposed to fucking approve of this guy?

Ah, damnit, I couldn't catch Francesca when she flaked out. That's scripted, right? I didn't want to reload and have to go through all that other slogging just to find out.

Also, I can't seem to get at the paper behind the history of the arcane during the school takeover. Even if I haven't got time to READ it right then, he should at least pocket it, no?

...Wait, what is this absolute fucking bullshit? Is Francesca INVINCIBLE in that bedroom group fight? I'm going to have to re-load and find out when I'm not late for class.

Anyway, all in all, I'm glad Spectral and yillsemkcuf managed to resurrect my interest.
Seriously though, what the DEVIL does the main character mean by leaving the swordswoman half-done in the beginning.
That unacceptable behaviour nearly had me perma-ragequit this game right there.

[Lucky777]

(Yeah, Francesca is essentially invulnerable in that bedroom fight, while she has no reason to be so in the plot and no indication that she is so, in the gameplay.
I'm going to assume you forgot to add in the "flee after losing a certain amount of HP" bit of code to her in that battle.
If it was a conscious choice I'm afraid it's one that lowers the objective quality of the game.)

Anyway, while the game is obviously MUCH more driven by story and gameplay than by H, and while those priorities preclude it from standing amongst my favourites, the game is DEFINITELY not bad for what it is.
Apart from the protagonist's strangely compulsory unlimited failworks in the beginning, and the stuff already mentioned in the post above, I found nothing wrong at all.

Leaving this thing in the garbage pile would definitely have been my own loss.

[yillsemkcuf]

...What about the part that that's hardly all humans, everywhere, forever? What about all the soldiers who WEREN'T jerks, just decent people doing their jobs? What about Mother Maugerite, Captain Elaine, the Pilgrim folks?

I meant my list to be written as how a person living in real time, without the benefit of slowly thinking things through, would most likely react. In my experience people rarely make great and thoroughly thought out decisions any of the time, let alone when put in stressful situations. I tried to take that into account. I do admit however that viewing the situation thus can change the results drastically.

I think you're weighting the argument here. Also, "protagonist is himself a demon" shouldn't earn any points, and neither should winning fights. [....] Also, how do they get a "don't abuse women" point when they're clearly seen gang-raping crying girls all the time?

In most cultures people reject those who are different. That is to say if he goes any more demon people would probably start trying to burn him at the stake. Witch hunt anyone?
&
Do you like to be on the side that's always loosing? I know I don't.
&
what I meant by that, is that, judging from all people being talked to, and books being read, It seams to me that under the rule of demons things like wife beating, and hurting woman on a purely "skin and bone level" don't happen. you should notice that I later went on to point out on the human side that there was still rape.

Now, if Elektra's brain-shocking him, as it was established eventually she COULD do when he was human, and prying into his thoughts to keep him loyal, hey, I'm fine with that. I just wish it was better projected, much the same way I wish it were better projected when she picked him up at the inn. At the time, all I could think was, "What a cheating jerk," but, you know, after he starts wondering WHY he did that... it clicks.

Honestly? I totally agree in this regard. *Tip hat towards you*

[WiLd]

How can i use the keystone for the arkanum?

[SpectralTime]

...Ya know what? I'll go through the rest when I've got some free time. Now that, you know, time has healed the wound. I may dislike the main character's complete lack of motivation, but, God help me, I want to see what happens next, and I can always chant "Electra's Mind Control" like a grim mantra every time the plot stops making sense and I wonder why on Earth Darius is working with that jerk.

[moonblack]

More like "The Beast's Influence". I haven't had the time to try out the latest version, but in the previous ones there have been hints that Darius is being influenced by the Beast (and Elektra is aware of it, unlike Darius).

[SpectralTime]

Having played through the rest... well, not really hints so much as outright statements, but the Dark One's influence is always of the overt, all caps, "PUT THAT FILTHY WOMAN IN HER PLACE! CRUSH THE WEAK BENEATH YOUR HEALS TO SLAKE YOUR THIRST FOR VENGEANCE AND BLOOD!" sorta thing. It's not very subtle, and you can usually tell when it's happening. No, I was referring to his inability to sit down and think, "Am I really okay with turning into a demon and helping these evil rape monsters take over the world and use us all as a combination of food and breeding stock, enslaving dozens of my former-fellow guards who are just trying to stop the end of the world and do the right thing in the process?"

After all, the opening scene has already established that Elec(k?)tra can fiddle with Darius's brains so subtly that he never becomes explicitly aware of it, like when she seduced him in the tavern at the beginning of the game, and he's suddenly perfectly fine with abandoning his post, cheating on his girl, and leaving the princess he obviously cares a good deal about, if the REST OF THE GAME is any indication for a quick shag with a stranger in a closet.

Hmmm.... I wonder if his devotion to saving the princess isn't another of Electra's mind-tricks, to keep him docile and easily-controlled so that she can use him to conquer the continent, then dispose of him if he won't keep cooperating and find some other fool who knows the lay of the land to put the Dark One's influence into to start things up again on their continent.

Maybe THAT'S why that northern country's so expansionist all of a sudden. Maybe she went there first, and Xenia's plans involved getting the Queen to beef up security so as to prevent their taking over the country and turning everyone into brainwashed rape-slaves, figuring that, hey, better for one woman to get gang-raped once than all women, everywhere, forever. Be a terrible thing to do, but I can see why she'd do it.

[Seyser Koze]

Having played through the rest... well, not really hints so much as outright statements, but the Dark One's influence is always of the overt, all caps, "PUT THAT FILTHY WOMAN IN HER PLACE! CRUSH THE WEAK BENEATH YOUR HEALS TO SLAKE YOUR THIRST FOR VENGEANCE AND BLOOD!" sorta thing. It's not very subtle, and you can usually tell when it's happening. No, I was referring to his inability to sit down and think, "Am I really okay with turning into a demon and helping these evil rape monsters take over the world and use us all as a combination of food and breeding stock, enslaving dozens of my former-fellow guards who are just trying to stop the end of the world and do the right thing in the process?"

After his run-in with Bella at the end of Chapter 2, Darius isn't giving any of his former fellows the benefit of the doubt until he's dealing with them from a position of strength.

[Lucky777]

You've got it wrong.
Darius was never the kind of moron who wouldn't be fine with multiple women.
One of the options he HAS to choose to progress past the beginning of the game is an attempt to seduce the nun.

He also left his post ANYWAY to get dinner, and he left the princess in a no-danger situation, in a village surrounded by her fans, guarded by his best friend who is actually a better swordsman than he is.
15 minutes more doesn't make a difference, and EVEN Regardless of all that, it's not that he was "fine" with leaving his post for the whole time, just that he conked out.

The only odd thing about the closet-shag situation, in those circumstances, is that he DID conk out - that he passed out afterwards.
Of course, I'll assume that's because he was fucking tired: Our Lady Elektra can't possibly be a low-stamina activity.
He probably had Night potential from even before the Rez, though, as her dialogue will show you, and as his lack of interest in his life as a human will also notify you.

After being rezzed, he actually IS of the Night, and despite the existence of a "light path" as it's called, I wouldn't be surprised if that continues to manifest itself, with effects both subtle and the ones you've already noticed, which are...
EXCEEDINGLY UNSUBTLE.

This isn't "the intolerable rise of some fucking prudish imbecile", or "the rise of the church of Alendis", after all.

Whether or not you pick the right side and thereby choose to zealously pursue the goal of turning everything into pleasure-drug-sex-addicted sex-toys who enjoy their status,

This game is called RISE OF THE DARK KING.