Vigilante

by p0wn3d Games profile

Episode 1 of the Vigilante series
Action
2009

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It may be a little confusing, but Vigilante 2 will explain the story much better.
Again, it may seem pointless, but cut me some slack.
IT'S MY FIRST GAME!!!!!
Vigilante 2 will focus as little on the killing as I can make it, so sit tight.

Note: this rating is not included in the game's average.

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Ryusui, November 14, 2009 - Reply
Right, right, I think it's time I moved on to some more constructive advice.

First of all, "it's my first game" is not an excuse for shoddy implementation. There are plenty of good games here on IFDB written by people who had never written an IF before.

Don't underestimate the value of playtesting. For starters, playing the game yourself does not count as playtesting. It counts as far as making sure your intended solution works, but if you want to make sure your game can actually be enjoyed, find some friends or willing guinea pigs and have them play your game. Ignore their suggestions, comments or complaints only at your own peril. A beta tester who has nothing negative to say is doing something wrong. No one is infallible, not even the IF legends, and their works are legendary because they had people critique and criticize their work. A good beta tester will test to destruction: better if a game breaks messily before it's out in the wild rather than after.

The correct response when someone tells you there's something wrong with your game is to fix it. Even if it takes hours just to figure out how. You don't get bonus points for speedy completion: if your first reaction to a bug is "forget it, no one's going to care if my game's not perfect", then you really don't have what it takes to be an IF author.

Here's a protip for you: forget about Vigilante 2 for now and instead fix the issues I pointed out. Better room descriptions, more solid implementation...the game can still be a mindless killfest for all I care, but you should at least give enough of a damn about your own game that you'd take my criticisms to heart and spruce it up a little.
Ryusui, November 12, 2009 - Reply
I wasn't confused by the story at all. I was confused as to how anyone could consider this game anywhere near finished, let alone release-worthy: at the very best it could be considered a rushed mock-up of a decent game. As noted in my review, the basic concept of the game can be done well: on paper, it's not terribly different from Attack of the Robot Yeti Zombies or Gun Mute, but the actual execution and implementation (or lack thereof, in this case) leave something to be desired.

Maybe Vigilante 2 will be better; I'll reserve judgment until then. But the fact remains, this is not a five-star game by any stretch. It's more playable than some efforts I've seen; certainly better-conceived than some, but if what you're trying to say here is that I'm being maliciously unfair to the next Plotkin, Short or Cadre, then I dare you to play one of their games - any one - and then come back to me saying that Vigilante deserves to have its name in lights next to anything they've done.

Perhaps if you spent less time insulting your detractors and more time trying to prove them wrong, you'd actually have something worth playing on your hands.
Matt Wigdahl, November 12, 2009 - Reply
So it's confusing by your own admission, and has egregious bugs as pointed out by Ryusui, yet you feel it's a 5/5 effort? Vigilante 2 may be much better, but we're supposed to be reviewing _this_ game.

I guess I'll have to play it and see for myself whether it's closer to Ryusui's 1 star or your 5, as Ryusui seems to be a bit harsh and you have obvious bias... :)
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