Beta version of my game now available for playtesting!

I wrote this up over at: http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/blog/97/entry-487-game-post-4-dryantia-beta-1/

However, for the benefit of those of you who haven't signed up to that site, here it is in full.

Well, hello there guys and girls! It's time for me to release the first beta of my game, Dryantia (well, roughly 97% beta and 3% alpha if you want to get technical). This is the full game in a playable state (to the best of my knowledge, given that I've play-tested it a few times). As you may expect from a game in beta, things can change, so don't hesitate to recommend changes you believe would improve the game.

You can download the beta from Dropbox by clicking on any part of this sentence.

I estimate that the game will last you about six to seven hours if you do everything there is to do and about five hours if you speed run. In the spirit of old-school RPGs, there are a myriad of little things that you can discover by experimenting with certain items in certain areas. Also, talking to everyone and exploring all possible locations might make things easier in the long run as well.

On that note, you might not want to eat the first piece of Meat you find in the game (as it may serve a greater purpose if you give it to someone rather than eating it; that's my free tip of Dryantia for the day). ;)

For those of you who played the demo version of this game before the beta, here are the things that change from here to there in the first portion of the game available in the demo:

• There's now an invisible plot wall to the east of Verim. You can bypass it once you talk to the king in Clorant.
• Inner Tlafta Forest (the part after the maze) has been reworked to be somewhat more linear, a lot more lively looking, and have more chests.
• The introduction sequence ends with you warping into the library directly instead of having to walk there.

So, how can you help out?

• Play the beta.
• Let me know what things work and what things don't work so well.
• Definitely let me know if there are any critical bugs in the game (they cause the game to crash, hang, or otherwise freeze, or make the game unwinnable).
• Make particular note of the later areas. The balance there is almost assuredly off, but I need your help to figure out whether said deviation benefits the player or the enemy encounters.

Essentially, the more feedback you can give me, the more information I have to work with. Rest assured that I read all of the comments and such that you write and that I take them into consideration (whether I end up using them or not).

Thanks in advance for your time and help!

Until the next time, take care and have fun! ;)

-Winterfate