Announcement

[Sage]

"A Business Adventure."

Game Demo:

Note that if you have AVG security it might think the game.exe is an untrusted program, but it is not

Profit Motive Demo Version 4.0 (187MB)


Official Website

http://profitmotivegame.com/

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SPECIAL NEWS AND EVENTS - September 29th, 2012

VOTING IS NOW OPEN for the second Profit Motive Fan Art Contest:

http://www.rpgmakervx.net/index.php?showtopic=56444

Good luck to all entrants.

See the winners from the previous fan art contest here:

Spoiler:

RySpirit:



Promise Maker:



CookieFiend:

BTW, some people entering the competition have asked for links to the concept art for reference, so here they are:

http://profitmotiveg...onceptart1.html

http://profitmotiveg...onceptart2.html

http://profitmotiveg...onceptart3.html
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Game Summary

Profit Motive is a modern day, corporate themed RPG. Players assume the role of Myron Meckler, a one-time executive of a major corporation who has been betrayed by his former supervisor and expelled from the company in dishonor. The game follows Myron as he strives to regain his power and position in the business world.

Players will start out as a small business owner surviving the wiles of unruly and unethical competition and grow into a mega conglomerate vying for power against rival companies in intense corporate warfare.

Key Game Features

• Over the top battles featuring a unique Turn-Based Combat System.
  
• The ability to hire key staff and gain the support of NPCs in the world who can be "Summoned"to your aid in battle.
  
• 4 Stages of Business Development including: Lv.1) Small Business, Lv.2) Franchise, Lv.3) International Corporation, Lv.4) Mega Conglomeration.
  
• Each level introduces new gameplay mechanics and player abilities that add depth and strategy to the battles.
  
• Corporate themed story world with lots of interesting character side stories and open-world missions that explore multiple aspects of running a business.
  
• High quality background and sprite art.

Screen Shots:(Some tiles and sprites shown below are early WIP and will be replaced eventually)





see more Screen Shots in the spoiler below:

Spoiler:

Playtest Questionnaire:

If you have a few free moments to fill out the following questionnaire after plaything the game, we'd really appreciate it. We're looking to do whatever we have to in order to improve the quality of the design and the overall gameplay experience:

Profit Motive: Game Experience Questionnaire

Special Thanks to everyone who has sent in feedback so far! All your thoughtful comments and suggestions for improving the game are being taken to heart and acted upon

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Project Status and Updates


Version 4.0 Updates (August 14th, 2012)
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Here's what's new in this latest version:

• All player suit graphics are in and now show up in battles.
  
• Key Staff also now have different outfits that get unlocked based on leveling them up.
  
• All placeholder character and NPC sprites have been replaced
  
• The Profit Meter, Capital, and PP HUD visuals have been added (Yay! No more number boxes!)
  
• A first pass has been done on all the tileart for Market Town's exterior (still not many interiors done yet...)
  
• The dialogue for the first 3 missions of the game has been revised and edited so there are a lot less spelling errors now and better writing
  
• A first pass of most sound effects are in.
  
• Massive amount of Bug Fixes both graphical and technical.
  
• And finally, a new side-quest and Key Staff character and abilities has been added. Introducing the accountant Esper!:
  
  

There are still issues with the passage settings and some areas, but nothing that should block game progression (save often!).

The next big update will come in December. We should have the location map and new interface for the battle HUD working as well as the revised intro and endings.

Bugs

Please report any bugs you find in the demo and I'll work on getting them fixed.

That's it really. The more feedback we can get at this stage the better.

Known Issues

There are quite a few bugs and polish issues that I'm aware of and will be addressing in the next few iterations of the demo. They are:

• Passage settings are not set for a few swapped tilesets (i.e. Abandoned Market Town).
  
• Some of the text in battles is placeholder and the AI is always showing you what they are thinking (which is just in there so that the battles are easier to debug during the development phase, they will eventually be removed).

Incoming Features

The Metagame

• All NPCs will have Item Gifting or metagame interaction features.
• Proper menu and interface will be developed so that players can track their progress across various aspects of their business.

The Openworld

• More and interesting openworld events will be hooked up.
• Current side missions will be completed and polished up.
• The NPC Metagame will be expanded and finalized so almost every NPC has varied and interesting interactions.

Gameplay

• Random and Infinite Battles will be added soon
• The map will be fixed so that it works properly throughout the whole game.
• All Battles will be gaining context and all of the placeholder "Attack #1", etc. will be removed. The AI will also no longer show you what they are thinking as you play, this is simply in there for debug purposes.
• All of your choices in the dialogue branch will start to matter more and change the outcome of the story. You will also have better choices to make than what's currently been put in the demo.
• 2-Player vs mode will be added to the final version of the demo.

The Visuals

• More background tiles for Market Town and all the interiors will be coming soon
• More 2D character art, sprites, and animations are on the way
• The whole interface will be visual and all the debug boxes will be removed.

Additional Story, Character, and World Info

Spoiler:

Story Development

Players start as a small business owner seeking to survive in a sea of rival business and grow to the most successful corporation in the world. They must overcome a myriad of business challenges including things like hiring staff, selling to customers, dealing with externalities, and toppling rival corporations in order to reach their revenue targets. In the end, the player will succeed at becoming the #1 mega conglomerate corporation, but at what cost....?

• The story is broken up into 4 major chapters, each corresponding to one of the four business levels.

The Game World

There are 3 thematic spheres across which the player will encounter different types of challenges. The 3 spheres are: Economic, Social, and Political.

• Political = Scenarios involving the larger world, governments, and political cost of Big Business.
• Social = Scenarios involving people, protesters, human rights organizations, environmentalist, and the social costs of Big Business.
• Economic = Scenarios concerned mainly with being the top dog on Wall Street and corp vs corp espionage, buyouts, take-overs, and mergers. These scenarios focus on the insane war for power and higher profit to ensure a glamorous lifestyle for the few.

Character Info

--Coming Soon--

Credits

Spoiler:

I will be adding the list of people currently working on the project here along with any scripts or sprite characters used in the demo. I just need to gather all of that info together.

Story and Design

Kaz
Bryce Diamond

2D Art

Awagiku (Character Portraits)
Kora (Battle Background Paintings)

Animation

Aubry Mendoza

Writing and Dialogue

Mariana Sabino
Kasan Wright
Maia
Rixis

Greyblock Background

Kasan Wright
Bryce


Scripting and Eventing

Kasan Wright
Rixis

Scripts

Some_Person (various script fixes and custom scripts)
Modern Algebra's ATS2.0, Book Reader, and Quest Journal
Soja Bird's HUD Var
More credits on the way...

Sprites and Tiles

Jose Antonio
Jan Halfer
Mack and [Chiaki]
NZ Nathan
Jalen
Zachy
qtpi0121
Zanyzora (tilesets)
Dinnerman Sprites
Kaz (a few sprite edits)
http://www.court-records.net
PrimeOp
Antifarea
TSR
Shiaoran
gabrielusa911

Music and Sound

Wayne Dineley


More credits on the way...

Support Bar

Copy and paste code in the spoiler:

Spoiler:

CODE

[url="http://www.rpgmakervx.net/index.php?showtopic=32972"][img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7545882/images/Forums/PMsupportBar.png[/img][/url]

This post has been edited by Sage: Sep 29 2012, 04:25 PM

[aphonia]

I like the concept and I enjoyed the demo very much. I really hope you keep up with this.

Did you understand how to fight and win a battle? Yes.
What things confused you about the two battles in the demo? Nothing. I thought it was explained very well.
What's your overall impression of the fighting mechanics? Shows promise, but currently there is a dominant strategy (charge and attack, attack on the last turn).
What would you like to see included in later iterations of the battle system (aside from proper animations, art, and more attack moves, which will be coming soon)? As long as there are more moves, I'm happy.

I'm pretty sure I didn't find any bugs, only stuff that isn't finished.

[Snacks]

hahaha!!!
Well that's different...

More like Pheonix Wright meets corporate business entrepreneurs! xD
Good luck with this!

[Sage]

Thanks for your feedback guys. I'll continue to update the demo on a bi-weekly basis as new features go in

-Sage

This post has been edited by Sage: Dec 30 2010, 02:44 AM

[some_person]

This is looking really nice, as I was expecting.
It does need polishing in a lot of area's, but the overall system is looking really well.

Did you understand how to fight and win a battle?
Yes, it was explained really well. If you continue to explain the rest of the tactics and moves as they come along, it'll be perfectly understandable.
What things confused you about the two battles in the demo?
Nothing, it was easy to understand.
What's your overall impression of the fighting mechanics?
Well, the two example battles are pretty basic currently. But as the player unlocks more, I already know that they turn out pretty fun.
What would you like to see included in later iterations of the battle system (aside from proper animations, art, and more attack moves, which will be coming soon)?
I'm not sure. Especially since so little of it is shown so far.

I really liked this, good work. It was disappointing to reach the marketplace and know that it was over, I'll be watching the demos for more.

[Sage]

Heh. Thanks Some_person. This demo wouldn't even be possible without your awesome support I'll keep you posted on the updates.

There are a few surprises you haven't seen yet, so even though you've played the Lv. 3 business mechanics, you'll still have new things to look forward to

-Sage

This post has been edited by Sage: Dec 30 2010, 02:44 AM

[Xylem]

I might get this a try! I'll let you know what I think about it. Also, how long is the demo?

[Sage]

It's about 5-10 minutes depending on what you do. Just the first few battles.

Thanks

-Sage

This post has been edited by Sage: Dec 30 2010, 02:44 AM

[landis17]

Yeah I played the demo. It's a bit short...and really strange.

A couple of things to note:
*At a couple of points, the dialog was too long and got cut off
*The battle system is a bit bare at this point. You definitely need to add more stuff into it. Perhaps you could learn skills, or 'strategies' that have different effects.
*During the intro scene, after the guy who betrays you finds out about the investigation, the scene changes back to the main character. And nothing happens.
* Finally, and I believe this is at the end of the demo, when you talk to that job fair lady, she then transforms into a foriegner. I was like WTF?!

Any way, besides that, this is probably one of the more unique ideas I've seen around. You should be proud of what you've done so far.

Finally, that battle system is going to kick ass once you spruce it up a bit!

[sgt massacre]

Awesome job I could see many ideas for this battle style oooo the fun I could have with it lol I hope you make this system public lol

Bugs:-

The Market:- The Mission Lady changes sprites after giving you your first mission
The Market:- The Mission Lady (now wearing a wedding dress) talks in a foreign language
The Market:- The GM after you talk to him does nothing, you cannot complete the first mission #
Your Menu:- HP terminology has been replaced by the word "Money" for some reason
Your Menu:- The $50,000 investment that you receive does not affect you balance it is only displayed in the HUD during play.
Your Menu:- You have a Global ($) Sign next to Myron Meckler's name, don't know why this is but I'm guessing it has something to do with it being a large sprite rather than the original 32x32

[gkenzx]

I know this is off topic, but instead of using periods, I think Sgt_Massacre uses the tongue smiley in replacement, thats why there is so many... but nothing can be that funny

Back on topic, looks really fun, I'll download when i get home

[Sage]

Thanks guys,

Yes, the Market Place is currently just a sandbox area for testing scripts. It will be hooked up to be working properly by next month. Also, there are quite a few moves the player will be learning in the next series of battles that will add a layer of depth and strategy to the gameplay (which should also be playable in the demo by next month).

*During the intro scene, after the guy who betrays you finds out about the investigation, the scene changes back to the main character. And nothing happens.

Hmm, sounds like a new bug. I'll look into it. Thanks!


Thanks for taking the time to play through the game and provide feedback. It's really appreciated:)

-Sage

This post has been edited by Sage: Dec 30 2010, 02:45 AM

[Sage]

Just a quick update on the project:

The demo has taken a bit longer than expected. We should have it up by the end of November. The game has developed quite a bit since the first sample shown here and we look forward to releasing it for another round of playtesting.

Cheers,

-Sage

This post has been edited by Sage: Dec 30 2010, 02:45 AM

[A.M]

•Did you understand how to fight and win a battle? Yeah, the tutorials were really well done.
•What things confused you about the two battles in the demo? Nothing. I thought it was explained nicely. =)
•What's your overall impression of the fighting mechanics? Haha; fun, unique, interesting. I loved the battle music, lol. Although, I think the text after using an attack can get kinda long and confusing.
•What would you like to see included in later iterations of the battle system (aside from proper animations, art, and more attack moves, which will be coming soon)? Hmm. Prolly a way to make reading the goal box at the top easier. Pictures or a different layout, maybe? '^' Or maybe a gauge or some sort of clock thing.

I love your game's idea. I thought it was great! Modern, too. The music, mapping, dialogue, and RTP edits were really well done, as well.

This post has been edited by Ahahaha: Oct 2 2010, 05:55 PM

[Sage]

Thanks for the info and feedback!

We should have the latest version of the demo up by next month. It has come a Looooooooong way since last version we posted.

I look forward to hearing your thought about it when it's up.

Cheers,

-Sage

This post has been edited by Sage: Dec 30 2010, 02:45 AM

[Sage]

Hi all,

Version 2.0 of the demo is finally up.

Any feedback on the gameplay or any bugs you come across, please let us know. Also, please see the Project Status section for important information if you are running into lag in the game.

Thanks!

-Sage

[some_person]

I'll be the first to test this out, feedback soon.

[Sage]

I'll be the first to test this out, feedback soon.

Awesome. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

-Sage

[some_person]

Pretty Lengthy Demo. I must say I enjoyed those 3 hours though.

Trying to remember the things I picked out..

Spoiler:

Grammar and spelling errors, lots of them, more than I could count. Missing spaces, misspelled words(Notably "Assult" is spelled "Assault", but there were more than that). Also a few instances where there were too many words in a line and the box cut them off.

And, "Hun"? I don't understand why almost every character said that. "Short for honey, an endearing term", I'm certain most characters who said that weren't in a position to call Meckler that. It also made the dialogue kinda static, having all the characters overusing the same word.

I played this on my old labtop, which may account for it, but Market Town had significant lag. This labtop lags a little with VX anyways, so it's already poor.

There were numerous mapping mistakes, both with passibility and design, but mostly passibility. When you enter east market town from a higher tile, you get ported to the top tile on the left opening, but theres an impassible tile right beside it. It was annoying to have to walk around an object that was placed right in front of me. You also used the sidewalk tile as a ceiling tile for a park fence, resulting in the player being able to walk from the road on top of the fence and back, not good.

There was an icon for a mission close to the hardware shop, but there wasn't any event there.

When you take out a loan from the bank, you don't get a chance to change your mind after you say you want one. You should have an option after he gives you the rate to change your mind, instead of only accepting it or haggling.

Halfway through the Demo, the players Map Icon went completely out of place.

Is the Map parallel process? I don't know why, but it bugged me like that, just felt inefficient. I'd have to look at the event, but I have a hunch it's not done as smoothly as it could be.

The battles lagged a little too, but again, bad computer.

I thought it'd be interesting if there was a dictionary somewhere in your game. One that gives definitions of things like Predatory Pricing, Supply and Demand, and such. Being put into the context of this good game, that stuff would be interesting to read in it.

I noticed my name wasn't in the credits, even though everyone else is. I don't require being put there, but I'm just reminding you in case you meant to and accidentally missed me.

Oh, I forget who's idea it was to have "Rounds" and "Total Rounds" on the battle screen, but merging them together into "Remaining", or "R. Turns", sounds like a better idea. It'd only take a minute for me to do if you wanted, I could even do it in a way that wouldn't require you to change your variable set ups. Just a thought.

I thought some of the battles could be spiced up more, instead of them all being either 8 or 10 turns, it'd be more interesting to have a 4 and a 6 turn battle once, since that'd make the player have to change up their strategy a little more.

Oh, I don't get why computer players turn doesn't finish when they try to attack your powerbase if you have security. Or I'm assuming the same thing with defamation and insurance. It makes the moves feel kinda useless. You could lose a turn fixing a stat decrease that they lost a turn to decrease, or you could lose a turn for insurance, and they never lose a turn unless they bribe.

I also don't get why it shows a lot of "attempting" messages before they settle with an attack. It'd be more appealing for them to just use an attack(even if they go through an attempting process that wasn't shown).

Money(outside of battle) so far seems useless. I think there should be more ways to spend and earn it as you expand on this, which I'm sure you're already planning.

The battle tutorial pictures are off-centered. So things move a little picture when you switch to a picture from the actual screen, and back.

After the battle with Mamasan, a character event runs right through you, which kinda sticks out amongst all your other very well done eventing.

A lot of the Mack characters had pieces of one frame accidentally stuck in another frame. Which I guess doesn't matter if they're all placeholder graphics, but for now it's not the most visually appealing.

I think 180Mb is getting pretty big for a download file size, especially when there's more being expected to be added. I'd just recommend being mindful of that as you carry on.

"project 1", being this far in the game, I find it interesting that you never bothered to change the name in the system tab. Only bothered me for a second though.

Last thing I remember that was a problem, was that the file was still named version 1. After it took an hour to download(Because of the large file size), I had to go back and check everything to make sure I hadn't wasted that time on the wrong download.

-
Overall, unfinished, and definitely unpolished game. Still great to play(Best of the few games I've seen made in VX so far), and probably gonna amount to a lot once it's finished.

I hope my bug feedback proves to be helpful.

This post has been edited by some_person: Dec 15 2010, 11:05 PM

[Sage]

Excellent, Excellent feedback and suggestions Some_Person! Glad you enjoyed the demo, and yes ,it is VERY early and rough and unpolished heh. We consider this Version 2 of an estimated 10 based on what we want to accomplish but it's valuable to get it playtested at this stage so we can continue to improve it

I'll make sure your name gets into the credits ASAP. It's possible that it was missed because the credits were added into the demo at the last minute. We'll get that and the lag issues fixed in the next minor update (hopefully released during the Christmas break).

Here are some specific responses to some of your other points as well:

• We do indeed have a Business Glossary Collectible planned, which will cover a lot of business terms and concepts.
  
• I think getting the map to work properly is definitely something we'll need scripting help with. I'll PM you more about that to see if you might be able to help us with it (Paid work of course).
  
• The future Metagame update in the next version of the demo should take care of the Money being useless issue, as you will have lots more you can do with it outside of battle.
  
• We will be doing more grammar checks / editing passes with each minor update.

Thanks again for taking the time to play through it. Your feedback is greatly appreciated

-Sage

This post has been edited by Sage: Dec 30 2010, 02:45 AM