Frequently Asked Questions
When and where can we buy the soundtrack?
- The soundtrack will be available for purchase on composer Beatrix Quinn’s Bandcamp and Steam in January! We didn’t have enough time to set it up with the release of the game, but we’re glad people are enjoying the music.
Controller support?
- RPG Maker VX Ace officially supports standard PC and Xbox gamepads. We cannot guarantee that other types of controllers (such as Switch and PS4 controllers) will work, even with a Steam controller configuration.
- Controls can be configured via the engine’s standard F1 menu, but for more options (like the ability to use the D-pad, which RPG Maker doesn’t support for whatever reason) we personally recommend You can check out a keymapper program like JoyToKey. .
The functions assigned to your keyboard/gamepad from the F1 menu are:
- “A”: Sprint
- “B”: Menu/Cancel
- “C”: Communicate/Confirm.
- “L”/”R”: Toggle between pages in the specified menu. “L” also opens the quest log.
I had a crash mentioning the “impact” script when hitting an enemy!
- This is a known problem. It’s thankfully very rare and seemingly impossible to repeat the same place twice, so hopefully if you reload your save you should be fine.
- This is unfortunately a third party anti-lag script issue that I am unable to resolve. The creator of the above script disappeared years ago, and it’s hard to get support because it’s a paid script for which you can’t just share the code.
Steam deck compatible?
- The game isn’t confirmed with the Steam deck, but it does launch. Due to RPG Maker restrictions the game requires a virtual keyboard for initial setup. We’ve also received word of odd pause spikes during dialogue, and recommend that you set the text to appear immediately and the text sound effect once you access the game options menu. Disable the
- However, we cannot offer technical support for further Steam Deck related issues, as the game only officially supports Windows. (We also just…don’t own a Steam deck to test these things.)
Mac version?
- Unfortunately this is not possible at this time. Previously, Wine was a known way to run RPG Maker VX Ace games on a Mac, but the Catalina update that disabled 32-bit apps has put a damper on this.
Linux version?
- We have received word that the Windows version on Steam runs well through Proton. However, it may have some of the same issues as the Steam Deck listed above. Again, we cannot offer technical support for Linux related issues as the game does not officially support Linux.
Consoles?
- Sadly that’s out of the question for the time being due to engine restrictions. Don’t wait for the switch port! It should run on any modern Windows PC though.
Will you add steam achievements?
- Possibly in a future update! I wanted to do this for 1.0, but I didn’t have time.
Pre-release FAQ
The basics
In which specific engine is it being built?
- RPG Maker VX Ace! Reliable. The same iteration of RPG Maker that gave us modern classics like Hylux and Lisa: The Painfull.
How long is SLARPG?
- I would estimate an average playthrough to be around 10-15 hours total. This will vary based on your playstyle and how much optional content you seek.
Is Melody the only character you play?
- The party line-up follows the story. Outside of battles, you’ll be playing as Melody most of the time, but not all the time. In battles, you choose actions for the entire party, as you’d expect.
Can you choose who you date?
- no! Sorry, this is not a dating sim. Melody and Alison are already dating at the beginning of the game. I intentionally wanted to do away with the traditional romance story arc where the characters only get together at the end and live happily ever after instead of telling a story about the ups and downs of an already ongoing relationship. (Although you can send whoever you want in your headcanons.)
Well, you have heroes. What about the villain?
- You’ll have to wait for the final game to find out about them! I want the game to have a lot of surprises instead of spelling out the entire plot ahead of time.
This game looks familiar…
- SLARPG is the successor to the freeware RPG Maker game I created in 2013, which is no longer available for various reasons. That old hobbyist project ended up being a brief proof of concept for this bigger, better game. Some things have stayed the same, but the story has been heavily reworked, the gameplay is deeper and more challenging, the amount of content has quadrupled, and the level of polish is generally much higher. If you’ve played the original to completion (or watched someone else do it online), you’ll have a vague idea of ​​what SLARPG is like, though trust me when I say you’ve yet to find out. Did not see…
access
How mature is the content? Any content warnings?
- As an independent PC release SLARPG will not require an ESRB rating, but it will probably be rated T for Teen. The game contains no nudity or explicit sexual content, but contains mild humor, PG-13 swearing, use of alcohol and tobacco, mild fantasy violence, some emotionally intense scenes, depictions of anxiety, some transphobia. Indirect mention, and its related unreality
How hard is SLARPG?
- Not particularly hard, but the combat is challenging enough on its default difficulty to encourage you to think a little bit about your moves and your character’s loadout, rather than your default. Spam fixed attacks and heal when needed. That being said, you’re not expected to grind (although you can if you really want to), and the story tells you where to go next to progress.
- An easy mode is available for those who just want to go through combat with less hassle and focus on the story. Easy mode can be enabled or disabled at any point outside of combat without penalty. On the other hand, there are also some optional challenges for those who want them.
Will SLARPG be color blind friendly?
- There’s really nothing in the game that requires you to distinguish colors, so you should be fine.
Is there anything that depends entirely on listening to sound cues?
- Nope what! And all of the game’s dialogue is delivered exclusively through text.
Will this game be translated into any language other than English?
- There are no plans at the moment – this game has a huge script for an indie project, and a high-quality localization would be a huge undertaking. But things may change once the game is released in English.
Representation
Are trans characters’ identities directly addressed in the game? If so, how?
- Yes, it is clearly stated in the game that Melody and Claire are trans. It comes up several times in conversation, and it says so in their game character bios. Being trans isn’t the entirety of their character arcs, but it’s relevant to the development of their people, so it comes up. This is also important to me as a transcribe.
Are there any male characters? Do men even exist in this world (yes, we are asked this all the time)?
- Yes, even though they’re all NPCs, and most (not all, but most) of the major characters in the story are girls.
- Most of the characters shown so far are female since this is very much a story about safic girls, but we’ve only revealed a fraction of the game’s cast.
What about non-binary characters?
- There are many recurring non-binary characters! Both Beth the Beast and Mary Anna, the bard duo from the demo, are non-binary, as is Noel, the plant elemental who runs the sanctuary.
Are all the characters in the game gay?
- It’s not a world where everyone is gay, no. Most NPCs’ orientations are not even commented on in one way or another. But Melody’s social circle (which includes a large part of the main cast) has a lot of LGBT+ people because, well, we’re attracted to each other. I am speaking from experience there.
Other questions
Can I make a fan of these characters?
- Yes, and I will love you forever. I track the #SLARPG hashtag on both Tumblr and Twitter and love sharing fanart for others to see!
How to pronounce SLARPG?
- I just verbally spell SLARPG, because it’s an acronym, or say slar-puh-guh. But you can say slarp-gee or slar-pee-gee or slurp or whatever your heart desires.
Any plans for DLC after release? Sequels? etc.
- There are no concrete plans at this time. I would like to do more with these characters and this world in the future, but I can’t say what form it will take. Right now we’re focusing on finishing the game before figuring out what we want to do next.