Starmen.Net

“Mother TRD” or “Mother: The Return of Darkness” is a fan sequel of Mother 3.
In this new story the world has been destroyed and in the middle of the chaos a girl and her friends travel in time to find the heroes of the past to warn them about the future and ask for their help.
During their adventure they’ll find many dangers, discover some secrets and make some alliances.

Are you ready for this new adventure?

- The opportunity to travel to different times and to be able to do many sidequests.
- New systems applied.
- Huge maps to explore.
- A good story.
- And many surprises more.

- Linabell Hinawa Thower (Lina): The rude and wild blond hair girl with gold heart.
- Yaki Thower: The rash, bold, sympathetic and also rude mage dog.
- Rexius Nate Boyameg (Rex): A somewhat introverted, shy, playfull, insecure, clumsy and also a smart innocent boy with a dark secret.
- Claus (AKA Masked Man): You know him well.
- David Johnatan Switcher: Rex’s cool, charming, fabulous, womanizer and annoying cousin (but a good man)

There are other characters with witch you’ll play later when the full game is ready, so I’ll leave you with the surprise.

(They’re screenshots from demo 1, when I have more I will replace them.)

The first demo is ready and you can play it (although you may find some errors during the gameplay.)

• Not available for now (Making some modifications) •

In case you get the error: “missing RGSS102J.dll”
You’ve to follow these steps to make it work:

You’ve to download the RPG Maker XP RTP from this page over here:
http://www.rpgmakerweb.com/download/additional/run-time-packages
And follow the steps that the page mentions to install it.

Why you ask?

It’s supposed that the demo shouldn’t ask for the RTP, but hey, failures are failures.

What’s a RTP?

A RTP (Run Time Package) is all the files necessary for RPG Maker games to run without errors.
It’s a common error that usually happens with certain RPG Maker games.
In summary: You should add them whenever if you’re making a demo or a full game.

Having clarified everything, I hope you enjoy the demo.

1. Moves serve a good purpose and the player is able to take advantage of a decent arsenal of attacks to perform better in combat, however moves like Brute Force and Song 2 cost nothing to use, effectively making them overpowered. Just a neat idea, maybe experiment with elements a bit. Brute force can be tied to an element that certain enemies are weak too, making the regular attack more powerful given a good situation. All of this can be done in the database, no scripting required. You can do either that or make Brute Force cost PP, but I can see why it wouldn’t since it’s not really a psychic attack of any sort. A few other moves share this problem…
2. That chase section got a little frustrating at first, but after one or two attempts it was easy. I’d lower the amount of enemies chasing you just a TINY bit,
   but overall it didn’t stop me from enjoying the game at all afterwards.

I’m well aware English is not your native language so I wouldn’t take these corrections too seriously. Overall you have correct spelling and grammar in most cases, and your writing is serviceable.
Just a few things here and there. Corrections are in the parentheses.

“I don’t think I have enough PP to defeact (Defeat) them” in intro after opening present and defeating enemies.
“Yaki: Come on, I’ve (got) a plan” hiding behind house in intro
“Pigmask 2: Aren’t those (the) brats we’re looking for?” same area
“Lina: Look, I think I know where she (went).” after waking up
“Yaki: Man, (so much) crazy stuff is happening here.” in basement
“Lina was (worrying) about you, so she came to find you!”
“Lina: I must not let it burn. I’ve (got) to go!” after picking up photo album
“Lina: What was he talking about(?)” in burning house

I think you get the idea. I believe Seresute had a translation team or something on her last thread? Where did those guys go?

1. Enhanced movement options are a very nice feature. Jumping is something not commonly seen in 2D RPGs but this game puts it to good use. Momentum is factored in when making jumps, so you’ll need to sprint before jumping to clear holes in the ground and other obstacles. Sprinting has stamina attached to it, making it a little awkward until you get used to it.
   I would also like to see bumping into trees and such give you items, and making jumping over pits a mandatory action to get past some areas, but very impressed with what’s here so far. Plus I have no idea how hard those ideas can be to implement.

1. I like how the characters are expressive as they talk, utilizing various sprites and such. Setting that up for all dialogue is very tedious so I commend Seresute for that.
2. The game utilizes effects to add to the atmosphere of areas, whether it be fog, rain, or even both!
3. Map design is very symmetrical (as in the maps seem to mirror themsleves). This works well in urban areas, but for natural areas this can look strange. It looks like you’ve mastered the “Three Tile Rule” which is good, but don’t be afraid to have some empty, uneven space in your natural maps. Not every map needs to basically be a square too. I’d like to see you experiment with hills and other forms of terrain in this first area, especially if you can get jumping to work well with it. If it looks off you could always draw some tall grass or bushes and place those down.
4. Graphics are mostly reused from Mother 3, but what’s worth focusing on are the new sprites for various characters, especially in battles. I like the original spritework in this game, it has a sense of personality to it.
5. Another aspect I like is the approach to displaying moves on the screen in battles. Yaki uses her paw when using dog tricks, which is visible from a first person perspective. Rex’s music notes are animated nicely and since it’s difficult to rip the PSI animations I’d say the new ones created for this game are neat too. They lack the psychedelic approach of mother, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

1. When Yaki tells Rex to follow her, you could temporarily disband Yaki from the party and make her an event that leads the player to the Pigmasks. No big deal though, and I imagine that would make equipping the red ribbon you get to the north more difficult. She could also say “let’s tackle those pigmasks to the west” or something similar to that.
2. This game has a lot of charm and funny character interactions within it, thumbs up for that.
3. The code was another frustrating part of this demo. I found where to get the numbers, but still figuring out the code after that was annoying. I just tried brute forcing a bunch of numbers but still couldn’t find the patience open it, the code likely has to do with Mother lore but unfortunately I’m no expert on that subject… I have tried subtracting all the numbers, using only the single digit numbers, etc. Took me a bit to realize I had an unexplored area, so I guess this is all on me.
   (EDIT: Those numbers are for something else…code is given to you after completing the demo.)
4. The demo came with a nice readme file, which I think is often left out of indie games, especially ones that are supposed to be retro. Maybe it’s my love for old computer games but I think that’s always a really nice touch.
5. Some cut scenes allow the player to move Lina, which can cause problems sometimes with how characters interact on screen. I don’t know if XP has a “Autorun” option for events like Ace does, but I do know using Autorun for event cutscenes and then erasing them when finished will bar the player from making any inputs. Super helpful if say for example during a cut scene a player needs to stand in a specific place or walk a specific path and you don’t want the player to move somewhere where the cut scene will break a little.
6. It had taken me approximately 1 hour and 18 minutes to complete this demo, which is a good amount of time to show off the game. I am very excited to see a fully complete project from Seresute and her internal team! There are some good story elements that build off of the Mother series’ lore and even incorporates some from Cognitive Dissonance from what I remember. Gameplay is honestly a lot better than most demos I’ve played, it’s good that Seresute was able to put out a quality demo. The Mother fanbase is really good about doing that.
7. Overall Seresute’s demo is great, it does a good job of illustrating what the final product may look like, and what she has so far is VERY good. I anticipate being able to play more of this game along with the others being created by the phenomenal people on starmen!

Thanks for being understanding and if you want to do that then go for it, I don’t mind.
With regard to that thing that I talked about the other time I already resolved it and I decided to do something short to avoid some problems and frustations.

Now, the answer to your question:

Do you mean port the whole demo 1 to rpg maker vx ace?
I’m sorry, not now, I’m working on demo 2 right now.

Check if it works well and…
Are you Argentinian too? I didn’t know.

When I was very young I always dreamed with this place.
I always appeared here and a person was coming to me.
I don’t remember why I was there, who was that person or what his face was like.

Every time I try to remember it everything gets blurry.
I know sometimes you can remember some dreams or sometimes not, but…

Why don’t I remember it and why am I here…?

Well, the people who came to the end and saved a file in the omake there is something that maybe you haven’t discovered yet, but it’s time to tell.

Follow the next steps:

1- Put on the first door the password: Rex
I mean: 18-5-24
2- Wait until the event is over and when that happens, go here and keep going.

And that’s it, if you followed all the steps correctly then you’ll get an extra ending.

1- I had to remove the tutorial rooms at the request of the beta testers because they didn’t see it like something necessary and also because it was somewhat tedious.
I also thought that, so I removed it and moved some things from there to the omake.
If you go and talk with Rex in the omake, he’ll tell you a little bit of that.
(He was a seller and he had filled the room with things he liked, also cameos and references.)

2- The origin of the mooks that appear in the omake is this:

In addition, each one now has its own story and their names arose from the item they wanted in that side quest of the the tutorial rooms or based on what they do and their personalities.

3- Originally David also appeared in the naming screen and he was going to participate more in the events, but I took him out because there really wasn’t anything he could do in the plot of the demo.

David: Hey, I’m important too!

4- It seems that while I was making the final changes and arrangements I forgot to add Rugrenet (that emo mook) in the omake, alonside his companions. You can still find his sprite in the game files.

5- The song that appears in the title screen is a remake of the song it had before.
Both made by me of course.

1 – The artificial shields the yellow Pigmask from the cave sells are, in fact, shields their army used to use to protect themselves from Lucas and company in M3.
(The only difference it’s that they’re more stronger now.)

2- Yaki’s weapons are sticks because dogs usually raise them with their mouths and, since Yaki is a mage dog, sometimes mages need their magic wands.

Right?

3 – Even if she tries, Lina isn’t able to create shields and sometimes it frustrates her a lot.

4 – Rex doesn’t want to use his Psi powers because they’re too dangerous and could kill or seriously hurt somebody.
That’s why he prefer to use his bat to attack physically and sometimes he has no control over them (Except for Pk Chrono and Teleportation)

5 – It can be said that Lina inherited her Brute Force from her grandpa Flint.

Welp, I think I should start by introducing myself so you can know me better:

• My full name is David Johnatan Switcher, I’m 14 years old and I live in a department on Kagayaku’s city, in one of the New Nowhere Islands.
• I’m the grandson from one of the famous hero of the past and I’ve some Psi powers too, although I don’t use them much.
• My family seems to have some secrets, but I’ll tell you with the time.
• I like to go out for a walk and flirt with ladies, although many times I ended getting hits from them and none of them seems interested on me (Call me the modern Johnny Bravo, haha)

Well, I don’t do that all the time.

• I also have a job as a Paper Boy, sometimes I sell lemonade or some clothes I no longer use or even play my harmonica so I can get money to buy some good stuff or go somewhere to eat.
• Also, many times I stay in the care of my lil baby bro “Rexy” and my parents…
Well, they’re kinda jerks (later I’ll explain.)
• I like sometimes to pick up some stuff people don’t use, fix them and keep them for myself (That’s how I got a cool laptop and my cameras)
• The reason for why I’ve this bionic arm it’s a long story:
You see, I got an accident while I was practicing with my powers at the same time I was recording myself with my camera.

In short: I crashed, I fell and some rocks fell on my arm.

Luckily Rexy found me and when my parents took me to the hospital the doctors had to amputate my arm because it was pretty broken.
My parents were very upset because this nonsense I made cost them a lot of money and they didn’t have how to pay it.
I was very hurt and I thought I was going to stay forever with one arm, but…
Like an angel descended from the sky Mr. Lucas appeared, paid for my operation and asked the Pigmasks if they could give me this cool bionic arm you see now.

Amazing, isn’t it?
I owe this man so much! (In another post I’ll tell you more about him)

• I’m also a gamer, kinda otaku and sometimes I buy some material to make my awesome clothes or some costumes to make cosplay.

Well, I think that’s enough.
I hope we have a good time together!

Now, let’s talk about Lina’s pet: Yaki

• What do you expect me to say about this doggie?
She doesn’t do much, although she’s kinda weird.
• I think she’s a grumpy Golden Retriever who gets angry more easily than her owner.
• Her name should be Jackie, but I guess someone gave her that name because some Japanese foods have “Yaki” on it.
• She sleeps and eats a lot and seems skilled in some things.
• She knows some magic tricks and believe me I’ve seen some (She’s pretty good at it)
• The red bandana she always wears was a gift that Lina gave her the day she was adopted.
Before that, she used to be a street puppy and her life wasn’t very nice to say, but now she’s with a good family that loves her and she’s happy with it.
• She is also very loyal and overprotects Lina and Mr. Lucas a lot (Lina and her are kinda like Fionna and Cake from Adventure time)
• I can confirm that her fur is very soft.
• Sometimes she accompanies us when we walk with Lina and really has something against Rexy.
She seems to hate him a lot and maybe it’s because she’s jealous that Rexy gets Lina’s full attention or because she already knows what my bro really is.
Either way, they’re like the dog and the cat and she even once bit and rip Rexy’s pants.
(It was funny, but I had to fix them later)

Such a doggie, uh?

But in the next post I’ll talk about someone important that you’ll surely know.

Alright, let’s go with part 2:

• Mr. Lucas is good at fishing, swimming, writing stuff in some books, cooking and playing the harmonica
(I learned from him how to play this instrument and let me tell you I’m pretty good myself.)
• He still has a hard time getting used to modern stuff.
The other time I wanted to show him something about internet and he was pretty confused.
(Well, he’s a farm boy and he has other customs.)
• Talking about farm, he has: Two sheeps, three chickens, one dove and Yaki.
And they have names too!:
■ The sheeps: Wooly and Needle (Sometimes I joke with him about Needle)
■ The chickens: Ionia, Tandoori and Nugget (My favorite one is Nugget)
■ And the dove: Birdy.
• Lina sometimes goes to the club when he’s working to bring him a sandwich or something, although he told her many times not to because it’s a place for adults and she can’t enter there.
(Says the one who entered Club Titiboo with a dog, hehe)
• He likes sunflowers and nature very much, he always remind us we should take care of them.
• In his spare time he walks, plays and trains with Lina, spends time with us and does other stuff.
• Sometimes he talks with lizards and frogs (Dude, that’s odd.)
• When he gets too angry he can be pretty scary cuz his eyes turn yellow like he were about to use his Psi or something (I’ve witnessed this and believe me you won’t like it.)
• When he’s very sad, he locks himself in his room or goes outside to breathe some air.
• He doesn’t seem to be interested in any girl, although Lina tried to pair him with Nana (It didn’t work plus she talks so much)
• He’s a good father although there are times he has some trouble taking care of his little girl.
(Many times he had to ask my grandma for help cuz of the girly stuff.)

The list of things about Mr. Lucas goes on and on, but I think it’s better to leave it here.

In the next post I’ll surprise you because the next two people I’ll talk about you know them pretty well.

• Do you guys wonder if my grandparents don’t miss their time, their friends and family?
They do, especially my grandpa since he’s very nostalgic.
• What happened to Jeff and Poo?
The last thing my grandparents knew about them is that:
■ Jeff became a good inventor like his dad, married Tony and both adopted a son.
■ About Poo: He has been ruling Dalaam for quite some time and had three children.
Too bad we can’t meet them, I would have loved to see how they were.
Well… not everything is lost because we were able to meet Dr. Andonuts in person.
• Dr. Andonuts is an old friend of my grandparents and he was the one who helped them in Giygas’s defeat long time ago.
• He was kidnapped by Porky against his will and was forced to do many bad stuff, but now he’s fine.
• He now has a new lab in some part of the Sunshine forest and two robot guards called Malva and Nitive (They’re also his assistants)
• He’s a nice and intelligent old man and likes to eat donuts a lot.
• When he heard about our case, he took the Phase Distorter to his lab and until today he tries to find out what happened and how to make it work.
• He assures us when he repairs it we’ll able to return to our respective time and he’ll go back with his son, but I don’t know if I really want that.
Don’t get me wrong, it scares me and I prefer to be here since we don’t know what could happen if we do that, but I don’t say anything because I don’t want to bother my grandparents.
They seem very excited with the idea of returning home, I don’t want to ruin that.
• Changing the subject, Rexy and the Doc have become very good friends.
• Sometimes he even goes to visit him to talk and do some experiments together.
• Their conversations sometimes confuse me since they talk about maths, biology, etc.
• It seems the Doc likes Rex because he probably reminds him of his son (Also when they’re together they’re kinda like Marty and the Doc Brown from “Back to the future”)
• Sometimes, Mr. Lucas also visits him to see how he is doing and he says that thanks to him he was able to oppose Porky and go ahead.
• Lately he seems interested in knowing more about the Psi powers and how to use them as energy to do good stuff.

Hi, I’m here again.
Sorry if I fell asleep in the last post, I have been working on some stuff lately.
Anyway, before starting, I forgot a small detail:

• In Iwatoi and Rifu the DP is still used as our money.
This has been established since that fat Gypsy left the concept.

Now, returning to the subject, let’s continue with the other islands:

■ Murasaki island:
• I don’t know anything about this island, but I can tell the things that are said about it.
• It has been flooded with so much water that now it looks like a forest with a huge river.
(Something like Deep Darkness, but clean)
• There are rumors that new creatures have emerged there.
• There are also rumors about some claymans living in the abandoned factory, but nobody is sure.

■ Tanetane island:
• Some call it “The Island of Horrors”, but it’s just a normal island.
• I don’t know about this place either, but I’ve heard it looks almost the same, but it has some modifications too.
• In the upper areas a strong wind blows and it can take you flying away.
• Mr. Lucas has already warned us that if we go there we shouldn’t eat the purple mushrooms.
He says those ones are dangerous and can take you to a trip of nightmares and bad stuff.
(They can literally break you mentally, that really give me the chills.)

■ Hitokori island:
• It’s that place where the volcano and the snowy mountain is.
• I don’t know this place either or what changes it had, but I know there is a kind of valley where Mr. Saturns live.
• I’ve never seen a Mr Saturn, but my grandpa says they’re intelligent aliens who have a very particular speech and they seem pretty innocent.
(My grandma says they’re cute and huggable)

■ Last, but not least: The unnamable one:
• It’s actually the ruins of New Pork city.
• They call it like that because everyone wants to forget about the bad stuff they did there because of Porky’s manipulations.
• The island has a vast desert and the ruins are located somewhere around there.
• There are rumors that some people have stayed around, but it isn’t known for what reason.
• You can call it now: New Pork island (Get it?)
• It isn’t known what happened to Porky and his capsule, but it’s said he’s probably buried under the ruins (Who knows?)