2018-05-15 13:54:20

Hi all, especially hi Jayde,

I also wanted to say something about this game. I read most of the posts of Jayde and also his guide, which is by the way very helpful and 99% accurate.
In my opinion manamon is better than Jayde says and also way worse. Here is why:

To end with a positive note I start with the negative stuff. I totally agree with Jayde about the balancing and design stuff. Manamons heart and soul, the battle system, is way to one-dimensional. At least in the normal singleplayer game. Have a strong and speedy manamon and spam the strongest attack and you are fine most of the time. The game mechanics try to open up some nice potential for more variation but it never lives up to that.
Jayde always stresses the point of bad wrighting storywise and in grammar and style. I also very much agree with the first, the story really is the for good reasons unspoken dream of a teenager with no feel for aesthetics, dramaturgy and character design. Sorry for the harsh words, but I really never saw a game story with less credibility and awkwardness on the characterside. It seems to be the developers biggest weakness and he really should consider hiring a writer for his future projects. There is no problem if you can't do everything well, but there is a problem if you try and fail.
He also should have someone check the spelling of his texts. There are some really really weird spelling mistakes all over the place. Typical for a blind person only using screen readers. For example who would write muscles m u s s i l e s? You clearly can hear the correct spelling in the adjective muscular, can't you? And yes, it is unwise from a non-native speaker to point out mistakes in a forreign language. But I am not here to make it better, I am no game dev.
So this is all really no big deal for a small fun project you throw together in your free time. But as VGStorm seems to want to have the reputation of a real game developer there are definitily things to be changed to earn this reputation. Manamon is the most expensive audio game I've ever seen and bought. This price should come with at least some professionalism.

But enough ranting, now the positive aspect:
Manamon is, for some reason, still one of only a hand full of audio games I've had really lots of fun to play. Even with all its flaws it is a game you can sink hours and hours into. It is like McDonalds. Shitty quality but you like it nevertheless. Especially with all the non-existent competitors on the market. If you have no choice, you take the hamburger menu...

So for all the people who. like my, are starving for video games they can play, you really should check out manamon. If you aren't to much into the genre or gaming in general, avoid it like the plague.

P.S.:
I would even buy Manamon 2. Sounds schizophren, I know. But it has to be better than the first one, right?

2018-05-15 18:22:05

I've played it multiple times, and like I've said before, it's virtually bug-free in normal gameplay. The game has always been very stable, and that's a strong point in its favour. Its sound design is also quite solid, with some actively good music as well. Some tracks are better than others, mind you, but many are quite good. I'd love to get my hands on a raw sound track. I can sometimes temporarily half-forget the issues I've hammered on because other aspects of gameplay are really quite good.
I think part of the reason I come down so hard on this game is precisely because it's so good in some areas. It's not all bad. If it were, it'd be easy to throw Aaron and his efforts under the bus. But he's been onto something here, and if he can polish up the large issues that plague his titles, he could be a dev to seriously respect in future.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

2018-05-15 20:09:13

Jayde wrote:

[...] Its sound design is also quite solid, with some actively good music as well. Some tracks are better than others, mind you, but many are quite good. I'd love to get my hands on a raw sound track. [...]

Oh yes, I absolutely love the manamon hotel theme. Most of the sound effects are solid too. The whole sound design is definitely a strong point.

Jayde wrote:

[...] I think part of the reason I come down so hard on this game is precisely because it's so good in some areas. It's not all bad. If it were, it'd be easy to throw Aaron and his efforts under the bus. But he's been onto something here, and if he can polish up the large issues that plague his titles, he could be a dev to seriously respect in future.

Very well spoken. The biggest problem I have with manamon is also that I see what it could be, not what it is. On the one hand it shows the potential there is in the audio game market, on the other side you can see some of the main issues of the products in our niche hobby community.

So maybe we should take manamon as a learning device. That is one reason I put some serious hope into your project, Jayde. If your creative work is as elaborated as your criticism it could become quite good smile

2018-10-19 04:21:34

ok, two things. First, if anyone didn't choose the water type starter, I have a baby one you can have if you give me something useful in return. Second, why are you forced to play as a male? It would have made more sense to give players the option of being male or female, like Psychostrike did. I'm a girl. I would rather stay a girl. Btw, if you want a baby version of your starter, you can take it to the breeder and get one. I also have 3 of those Domestress things for anyone who didn't get to catch one. I can give two of them away. One of them is mine.

Add me on Skype, search for The Evil Chocolate Cookie

2018-10-19 04:44:56

@ElizaBaez I'm not sure why playing as a male or female matters. I've played games in the past as a dwarf, a troll, a dragon, gender, race or not having horns or firy breath doesn't really come in to your enjoyment of the game. it doesn't change the story line.

Who's that trip trapping over My bridge? Come find out.

2018-10-19 05:16:18

When I am trying to get past these boxes and flip the switches after I have past the masters no matter what I do I am unable to get to the final door to get out of the hideout below the arcade.  Did anything major change?

2018-10-19 20:05:30

Ha, I'm not even sure Aaron still looks at this topic.
That Dormanoid is still probably even up there, do I need to check? smile

2018-10-20 08:57:46

I found something that wasn't in the Manamon guide. I'm guessing the writer, like the rest of us, didn't know about it. There is a very super small chance of catching a manamon that is guaranteed to have at least one perfect stat. this is indicated by a special sound when the manamon is summoned for battle or attacks you. I found my first one today and didn't understand the weird noise until the game explained it. This is just a valuable tip for anyone who hasn't found one yet. Don't even start asking me for it. This one is mine. I'm open to trading most things, but this is a very firm NO!

Add me on Skype, search for The Evil Chocolate Cookie

2018-10-20 10:01:13

Awesome!!!!

Hearthstone Tag ID: RobotWizard#1265216

2018-10-21 01:09:16

No. I didn't mention it because it's not consistent. I've bred manamon with perfect stats which didn't make the stupid annoying shiny sound, but every so often it shows up. It's random and half broken, and I really didn't see any point in adding it to the guide.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

2018-10-21 17:19:14

That's something I've noticed about VG Storm. They tend to develop games that have a lot of potential, but it invariably never gets reached because Aaron gets bored with it or something and just stops working on it. That's how it seems to me at any rate.

But wait, what's that? A transport! Saved am I! Hark, over here! Hey nonny non, please help!

2018-10-21 19:31:37

I have no problem admiting that, despite it's flaws, I really enjoyed the hell out of this one! Probably because I love the pokemon concept so much, and I don't really have to patients to bump my way through most of the mainstream titles. I know I'm just repeating myself at this point, but manamon just had wayy too much potential, and knowing that will always be a thorn in my side heh. I'll most likely continue lerking around this topic, just in case, a man can dream right?

2018-10-21 19:46:44

That's the weird thing in my case. I've had zero interest in the Pokémon franchise since it first came to my attention and yet, warts and all I still enjoy the hell out of Manamon, even if some areas are downright brutally unfair (I'm looking at you, Shadow Kingdom). I'm also not entirely thrilled at the fact that you absolutely must! use the online functionality to complete your Manapedia, simply because depending on your system setup or some bizarre quirk of fate or whatever it can be difficult to get both computers speaking to each other. Aside from that I consider Manamon an enjoyable experience overall and don't regret buying it.

But wait, what's that? A transport! Saved am I! Hark, over here! Hey nonny non, please help!

2018-10-28 21:04:51

does any one know if this game by chance has cheat codes?

joseph weakland, the crazy party fan:P

2018-10-28 23:31:20

It doesn’t

kind regards and have a nice day,
marro

2018-12-16 01:46:52

Is there even a changelog for this game?

I bought it a while ago, thinking that hey it might be updated quite often since it is, after all, quite an in depth game. Surely there will be bugs but tttthey'll get ironed out.

And yet, I hear nothing about it. It's really quite frustrating - throwing $30 USD down on a game that, at most, has maybe 2 updates in the first few months than just disappears into obscurity makes me feel like it's purely a money grab. I have a hard time justifying paying any money for games that, in theory, are now abandonware simply because there is absolutely 0 news given in the last 2 years.

Sorry if this is coming off as harsh - but it's really frustrating to see a game with this much potential just die off and get 0 attention. It's like hey the financial goal has been met so to hell with it. We're not releasing a new version, adding/updating/changing features, or performing any bug fixes.

Something something something insert canine related comment here

2018-12-16 02:41:54

There is none from what I've seen.

2018-12-16 06:09:35

from what I can tell development on this game has stopped at this point. Still a great game that is worth playing but it is over now in terms of new stuff I am pretty sure.

2018-12-16 11:52:01

haven't you guys gotten used to this developer releasing something, kind of paying attention for a while, and then abandoning it. Listen up, if you're going to abandon things, then we shouldn't have to pay. You're cheating us out of money for abandonware. No smart person sells abandonware. Most people make things free when they abandon them. I know I certainly would. I know how it feels to get cheated out of money, and I certainly wouldn't do it to anyone else. This needs to stop, in 2014.

Add me on Skype, search for The Evil Chocolate Cookie

2018-12-16 15:11:57

Well, I agree that this game needs update, and new maps. but I think, that we will not receive new update, or something good.

2018-12-16 21:58:30

Yep. I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed. I'm not expecting groundbreaking changes. I'm not expecting you to spend hours a day on this game perfecting in. I am however expecting a bit of support here and there, some minor tweeks to make the game even more enjoyable and to make it worth our while for the purchase. What I'm not expecting - and going back on this thread, I happened across at least a bit of outrage that we dare ask for new features - a developer to simply abandon a game after a few initial updates because it's to 'their' standards. We're the players. We paid for your software and, as a customer, I should have at least a small amount of say in further development and improvements that can be made. I shouldn't have to read about you bitching. Again let me reiterate I feel like you got to a certain financial goal and said the hell with everything, this game is complete. I'm bored of it.

Your reputation proceeds you, Aaron Baker - and the next time you release a game, I'll certainly be thinking thrice about purchasing it, as I'm sure several others will.

Something something something insert canine related comment here

2018-12-17 00:02:50

I disagree with you guys on this one about not charging us about it even though development has stopped.

Take for example the original Red, Blue, and Yellow Pokémon games this game was inspired by. If you were to find the cartridges today in some store, you would have to pay for them to play them, even though Nintendo has long-since stopped interacting with the Gameboy and the original versions of those games. However, they are complete products even though development on them is no longer a thing nor are they associated with any new products like the Gameboy player for the gamecube or anything like that.

Manamon is no longer undergoing changes, but it is a complete game that a person invested a lot of resources in. Just because it no longer updates doesn't mean it ins't complete. You paid for a complete game and you are still getting one, just one that doesn't have a future in that form. Doesn't keep you from having fun on it though.

So Erin has the right to charge for this game, even though they are no longer updating it. It is just like when a major game company stops making a particular game cartridge, they still can and should charge for it if they so like.

2018-12-17 10:52:16

Hello,
@Bookrage I fully agree with you on that one. Of course many things in manamon could be balanced, and probably need to be. But I've spend about sixty hours playing manamon to complete it, fully explore the map, find out every secret and so on, which is far more than I did in many games I paid for. There are, in audiogames development, many things to complain about, many situations were we paid for products that were absolutly not worth spending any dollar on them. But here's the thing, we paid because we wanted to support game devlopment and, of course, because we're in desperate need of new games, and because we're stupidly hoping for the best each time a new fps clone is released.
So to go back to manamon, this was the first time I bought an interesting game since long. If you guys want to shout in frustration about something you paid for and that really stole your money, complain about audiodefense, which we bought, which was going to be amazing even with such a simple gameplay, and which disapeared with all its content, with no chance to get it back. In this situation I fell like I've waisted my money.

Best regard,
Simon

2018-12-17 14:48:48 (edited by Chris 2018-12-17 14:49:27)

This game needs a central server for online functionality. It's sad when a commercial product makes people jump through so many hoops to play online. We should also be able to play with more than two players. If the offline game lets you battle up to 4 more tamers at once, why can't we do the same in the online mode? It would make it more fun.

Grab my Adventure at C: stages Right here.

2018-12-17 18:53:11

@bookrage, I haven't actually bought the game myself. But I would agree with your point if it wasn't for one thing... lol Manamon was not a physical release, nor are we in that age of games any more. It doesn't take shipping a complete new product out to stores to make, say, a balance patch that doesn't even have to add anything major. We're not in the Street Fighter II era any more.

"You know nothing of death... allow me to teach you!" Dreadlich Tamsin
Download the latest version of my Bokura no Daibouken 3 guide here.