Apparition v2.0 - 5/13/2021

Hey everyone!

First off, I'd really like to thank anybody who downloaded and played Apparition v1.0. I really was expecting a much smaller response, I really cannot express how much it means to me that anyone would play my games. 

That being said, I'm also a little embarrassed about how unplayable v1.0 was for so many people! I had planned to address the bugs much sooner once people started reporting them in, but to be extremely honest, I'm a hobbyist game maker. Apparition was a spur of the moment project entered into a beginner-level game jam and was meant as a means to learn game software for my future projects, which are much meatier in concept and in content. I had other, more significant projects taking up my time the past few months, one of which being the film Apparition was based on, which I completed this week and sent off to festivals after many grueling months of post production. The films' completion gave me some much needed time to focus on other things, and that's where I sat down yesterday and decided to make this game something I can be proud of.

TL;DR, I was busy working on other things, and I finally had time to address a mountain of bugs. Let's get to the fixes!

Major updates:

1. Scrapped the old ending and scripted an entirely new end scene.
2. Deleted mobile download as it didn't work, and coding for mobile is beyond me unfortunately.
3. Game now available to play in itch.io browser.
4. Addressed a glitch that prevented game progression and repeated cutscenes.
   
5. Addressed tiles that stuck players on walls and ceilings.
6. Mixed and lowered overall game volume.
7. Clarified puzzle and progression instructions.

I'd like to explain my decision to write a new ending. In fact, v2.0's end is actually truer to the film's end than v1.0's. I was majorly burned out by the time the end of the jam came along, and had to write the end sequence in just one day. Because I wanted to experiment more with RPG Maker MV's capabilities, I decided to go with an ending from an earlier draft of Apparition, where [Spoilers] Heather falls out of the window and dies, and makes a pact with an angel to rescue Eden before the demolition begins. I had the same issue as most players that complained about the ending: it sucked. It felt unfinished, out of nowhere, and took away from the game's themes of love and trust. 

I had written it because I had the idea to make Apparition a longer game once I'd gotten more dev chops, where Heather and Eden explore the afterlife and combat with angels and demons in order to have a happy ending. While I still like this idea, I have no current plans to adapt it and I realized it was unfair to the player to leave them with a tragic, half-inspired cliffhanger, that also was completely devoid of context. My bad! 

Hopefully, you all will like the updated ending much better. After spending the last month every day with these characters in the original film, it dawned on me why I made these characters in the first place. Heather and Eden are in love, first and foremost. Their love and devotion to each other is what drives both of them throughout their story. So, I expanded on the film's ending, giving credence to the feelings they carry for one another.

What else is new in v2.0:

• After credit scene and new map.
  
• Added new music tracks.
  
• Customized bedroom wall tile to match title screen.
• Adjusted map design to see character sprites better.
• Fixed bug that'd show outdoor overlays inside.
• Fixed event that made Eden disappear during ritual scene (This one drove me absolutely beyond insane).

And that's it for my fixes! As always, if anything doesn't work right, feel free to leave a comment and let me know. I can't say when I'd have time to make another update, but if something major comes up, I'll get around to it when I can.

A little shameless self promo at the end:

You can find the original film's official page here on film freeway, the project isn't fully available until it's gone through festival circuits, but you can check out the film's trailer along with the poster and some other information. As well, I'll be posting updates about the film on my main twitter @cartercav_film. 

If you're interested in my art and future game making, you can follow me @cartyrs on twitter, tumblr, instagram, ko-fi, and of course here on itch.io. 

My current game project is a medical horror/mystery visual novel following 10 terminal patients trapped in a death game. If this sounds interesting and you'd like to get updates, check out my development blog!

That's all from me!

Thank you all so much again for playing. It really means the world to me. All the best, and keep staying safe everybody!

- cartyrs, 05/13/2021