Shelter In Place

Join in with competitions to make the best trials... with a twist!

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DJJ6800
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by DJJ6800 »

Maybe once I get the motivation/time to finish it.
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clcman
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by clcman »

Second review! No particular spoilers.
Spoiler : That's the Way the Turnabout Crumbles by AbsurdAttorney :
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Stop networking your convoluted list of items and profiles and lighten up, pal!
- Detective Gumshoe
Overview: Phoenix and Maya gather a bunch of friends by Gourd Lake to celebrate Pearl’s tenth birthday. Then something horrible happens. Then something not quite as horrible, but more personal, happens.

Story: This case is a comedy. I think. The characters approach a lot of strange things with a straight face, even before things go wrong, but I think that’s the idea. So far, there’s a fairly extensive character introduction sequence, then an isolation-introducing sequence, and then right at the end we learn the mystery that will be the focus of the story. The character stuff was generally good, with a number of funny moments and interesting interactions. The plot-causing events are… weird (dare I say ‘absurd’?), and the character reaction that leads to the isolation plot does not really make sense. The second tragedy that leads to the mystery segment is silly, but combined with the other context, it sort of works. The case is also littered with strange moments that might have payoffs later in the unfinished sections, but which come off as very random at the time, such as when several characters discuss dreams they had the previous night.

Presentation: Pretty good a lot of the time. There are fades everywhere, a few custom background arts (like for the dream-discussing segment) and some ‘animations’ that clearly took a lot of work, getting the AAO V6 editor to move sprites in interesting ways. (The “Pin the Tail” part was an especially good example of that.) No custom sprites or location backgrounds, though. Some interesting sound effects. Towards the end, the presentation (unsurprisingly, given incompleteness) broke down a lot, including a piece of evidence that is simply a question mark. There was this weird (maybe) running gag where all of the food pieces of evidence were represented by identical books. Also, two of the main characters never got profiles.

Gameplay: There isn’t a whole lot, but there are some Talk-and-Examine-in-combination puzzles. A fetch quest or two. Could be interesting as things go on, but for now it mostly felt like a click-to-continue movie, even though it had gameplay. For the moment, the Examine puzzle would work better if there was anything to examine other than the thing you needed. There also seemed to be a number of Talk conversations that you could skip and still advance the plot.

Theme Relevance: All the characters do end up trapped in a location due to something that is, at least on paper, a realistic possibility. There’s not really much explanation, though, and it comes off as more of an excuse for trapping them there than an actually important plot element. Also, they’re not really trapped. Still, props for isolating them not in a dark, enclosed place, but in a wide-open outdoor area, which was an interesting choice that works surprisingly well. Also, the core mystery plot would simply not work without having a bunch of wacky AA characters in indefinite isolation together. So that’s a plus.

Conclusions: This is a weird case, y’all. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is A thing. The plot is utterly silly, but the characters were simultaneously true to their canon roots and also amusing to watch interact with each other, so there’s something here. I found the humor a little hit-or-miss, though.
Next up is The Experimental Turnabout by Awsome2464.
What do REAL, NON-BRIBED people have to say about HTB!?
"This really changed the way I thought about Phoenix as a character. ...Wow." - Reecer6
"HTB! contains truths that might be hard to stomach, but had to be unveiled nonetheless." - Blackrune
"This deserves a best plot twist award." - Evo
"It changed my life, and it can change yours too. For the better, I mean." - Calvinball
"I will never look at Phoenix Wright the same way again" - PhoenixRises123
"omg best thing on aao" - AceAttorneyMaster111
DISCOVER THE TRUTH YOU NEVER KNEW YOU DIDN'T KNOW IN HTB! PROLOGUE AND PART 1, AVAILABLE NOW!!


"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov
"For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong." -H. L. Mencken
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AbsurdAttorney
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by AbsurdAttorney »

Thanks so much for the review. You hit the nail right on its head. Can't wait for the comp to end so I can go back and finish that case. There's a ton that I want to edit and change.

Regardless, I look forward to reading your reviews of the other entries!
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clcman
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by clcman »

Third review! Not much to spoil.
Spoiler : The Experimental Turnabout by Awesome2464 :
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Fret not, gentlemen! This trial is simple; even a rookie wouldn't need more than 10 minutes!
- The Game Master
Overview: Phoenix, Maya and Edgeworth have been kidnapped and are forced to take part in a fake trial for lolz. And possibly SCIENCE!

Story: The case pretty much throws its characters into the action, which is fine, but so far things aren’t really that different from a normal, run-of-the-mill trial-only fancase. Phoenix even keeps saying that he keeps forgetting about the overarching plot in place of the probably-not-that-important fake court case. I will note that the entry right now is really not that long, so there is plenty of room for that to change. Characterization was fine, but nothing special. The humor generally worked.

Presentation: Not too much to say. It uses the standard court backgrounds, sprites and music. The few new sprites were from the Random Characters for People to Use thread, which is fine (it’s what they’re there for, after all), and they seemed to fit the characters. There was a custom piece of evidence (a poster) that looked good and was relevant. And there were a few nice visual flourishes here and there, like Phoenix having a flashback and “remembering” Maya saying something that she’s actually saying as he has the flashback, or bits where part of the background goes black for story reasons. And one very funny bit where a sprite was swapped out for another one.

Gameplay: One cross-examination. While it is mostly a press-all-to-continue, there was a present puzzle that, while simple (only like 5 pieces of evidence to choose from at that point) still made the player feel like they were making some progress. It was also nice that, when I noticed a big hole in the prosecution’s argument, the game actually let me point it out instead of making me wait 4 more cross-examinations, so that’s a plus.

Theme Relevance: Phoenix, Maya and Edgeworth are trapped, I guess, and in a pretty unique way. However, because they are trapped in a courthouse that looks exactly the same as the normal one, doing a trial in exactly the same way they normally do, it starts to feel like the isolation plotline is an excuse to do a normal trial in this comp, rather than the focus of the case itself. That could very well change further in, of course. I feel like replacing the Judge and detective with more… unusual sorts would have helped in that regard.

Conclusions: Right now there really isn’t much other than a basic Phoenix-vs-Edgeworth court case, but if it continues and leans into its special circumstances rather than focusing on the not-that-important trial, it could be a very interesting and unique case. All similarities to one of my own unfinished cases, The Book of Turnabouts, are no doubt purely coincidental. I should finish that case.
Next up is A Worldly Turnabout by Tiagofvarela.
What do REAL, NON-BRIBED people have to say about HTB!?
"This really changed the way I thought about Phoenix as a character. ...Wow." - Reecer6
"HTB! contains truths that might be hard to stomach, but had to be unveiled nonetheless." - Blackrune
"This deserves a best plot twist award." - Evo
"It changed my life, and it can change yours too. For the better, I mean." - Calvinball
"I will never look at Phoenix Wright the same way again" - PhoenixRises123
"omg best thing on aao" - AceAttorneyMaster111
DISCOVER THE TRUTH YOU NEVER KNEW YOU DIDN'T KNOW IN HTB! PROLOGUE AND PART 1, AVAILABLE NOW!!


"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov
"For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong." -H. L. Mencken
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Awsome2464
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by Awsome2464 »

Yeah, due to my late start and not as much free time as I had hoped, I didn't really get far enough along to properly take advantage of the theme relevance, as well as the main plot concept, as it is better showcased later down the line. Still, I suppose the best I can do is take your advice to heart and finish the case when possible
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AbsurdAttorney
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by AbsurdAttorney »

Awsome2464, kudos for your entry!
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clcman
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by clcman »

Awesome2464 wrote:Still, I suppose the best I can do is take your advice to heart and finish the case when possible
That's the spirit! All criticism I give is for the purposes of making a better story. Go for it! (And believe me, I've handed in a LOT of unfinished comp entries. I understand your situation.)

Fourth review.
Spoiler : A Worldly Turnabout by Tiagofvarela :
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How come she's been around for 500 years!? What's that even MEAN!?
- Secretary Gaudee Loks
Overview: Ambassador Taylor of the Royal Kingdom of Teria, aided by Secretary Gaudee Loks of the Sovereign Republic of Leutaria, attend a meeting of world leaders held in the secretive, totalitarian Kristoval Empire. And absolutely nothing will go wrong.

Story: This case does not take place on Earth at all, but some new world that seems to have Victorian/Edwardian styles and technology but also a little bit of magic and some number of immortal "Undying" who can be hundreds of years old. I liked the "pre-WWI world powers meeting" concept, and I can see a lot of interesting ways things could go. The characters were interesting enough - the pragmatic but kind Taylor, the excitable but out-of-her-depth Gaudee, and the mysterious and quiet 603-year-old Queen Magna. The visibly accented Baron Von Kuish was a little flat, but no doubt he will do a great things later in the story.

Presentation: The backgrounds were very good. Tiag has clearly scoured the Random Characters for People to Use thread to fill out their world leader list, but most of their pictures matched their descriptions and aesthetics, which is good. At lot of use was made of Gaudee Loks's exaggerated expressions. Music was nice. As demonstrated above, there was a custom-made map of this world and all its countries, which definitely counts for something. The case did hit you with ten profiles in the first frame or so, which is an awful lot, and not long after gives you a 14-page Atlas to read through (12 pages if you exclude the table of contents and map). This is all information that appears likely to be important later in the story, but it was a little annoying to get right at the very beginning. The fact that somehow, in all this, the protagonist gets no profile or a stated full name struck me as a little baffling, but it wasn't a dealbreaker.

Gameplay: There were two choices in the case, and while one was a standard "change a few lines of dialogue and then get back on the main track" choice, the other substantially altered the next scene, adding/removing a character from that scene and completely changing its dialogue. This promises actual branching paths, which would be very impressive if implemented in any substantial way.

Theme Relevance: Taylor and Gaudee are locked on the grounds of a mansion in the capital of North Korea Kristoval with no one allowed in or out except 10 other representatives, all of whom have their own agendas. That is isolating, though nothing has happened so far to take advantage of that. It's very early on, though.

Conclusions: Despite being the shortest of the entries so far, this one strikes me as the most original and intriguing. A lot clearly went into the worldbuilding process, and I'm always up for using the AAO editor to make things besides more court cases (not that there is anything wrong with court cases, of course!), and am very interested to see where this goes, if it, in fact, goes anywhere.
Last, but hopefully not least is Turnabout of the Final Day by Super legenda!
Utterly useless trivia: This is the first of these reviews where the picture and the quote did not have the same speaker. It's been a complete coincidence every time, I promise.
What do REAL, NON-BRIBED people have to say about HTB!?
"This really changed the way I thought about Phoenix as a character. ...Wow." - Reecer6
"HTB! contains truths that might be hard to stomach, but had to be unveiled nonetheless." - Blackrune
"This deserves a best plot twist award." - Evo
"It changed my life, and it can change yours too. For the better, I mean." - Calvinball
"I will never look at Phoenix Wright the same way again" - PhoenixRises123
"omg best thing on aao" - AceAttorneyMaster111
DISCOVER THE TRUTH YOU NEVER KNEW YOU DIDN'T KNOW IN HTB! PROLOGUE AND PART 1, AVAILABLE NOW!!


"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov
"For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong." -H. L. Mencken
Super legenda
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by Super legenda »

Oh my, I'm both so excited and nervous!
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Tiagofvarela
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by Tiagofvarela »

Alright. Those are some of the things I wanted to figure out. Profiles should be revealed as you meet the people in question.
Still wondering if I'll reveal the notes before or after meeting everyone, but I will make it clear that reading it all at once is by no means necessary.

As you might've guessed, I revealed everything right at the start because otherwise the entry would really have nothing at all.

(Also, is this the first time a review of one of my entries has not commented on the name? ;P)
A Laggy Turnabout ★
A Batty Turnabout ★
A Tricky Turnabout ★
Upcoming: A Worldly Turnabout, A Courtly Turnabout, A Clumsy Turnabout, A Needy Turnabout
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clcman
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by clcman »

Final review! Of the Final Day, no less!
Spoiler : Turnabout of the Final Day by Super legenda :
Image
Yup, I'm getting crazy, presenting evidence to no one... Wait, I've always done that though... Have I been crazy since always?
- Athena Cykes
Overview: After a terrible tragedy, Athena and Trucy attempt to cope in different ways. Athena's way is... not working.

Story: The case starts off with a whammy of a cutscene and then shifts into its new status quo, from which things evolve. That opening sequence really hooked me. Unlike a lot of entries, this one isn't really a mystery. It's an emotional story about a character trying to deal with hard emotions, and that was a nice change of pace. The case also goes for a very creepy, psychological-horror-like tone, which it generally accomplishes. Atmosphere and character stuff is the focus here, and it handles it really well. I also think this case got much further along in its intended arc than the other entries, which were pretty much all just concept set-up, so that definitely helps it.

Presentation: Both the case's strongest point and its major weakness. Visually and audibly, this case is very strong. There is a lot of custom art, clever editing of existing assets, and some creepy effects, like video static occurring on the screen. The music was generally creepy as well, though there was one or two instances where I felt a song didn't quite fit. All high marks there. On the negative side, I understand that English is not SL's first language, and that showed. A lot. There were a lot of phrasings that just didn't sound right, and sometimes it undercut the tone. For example, the line "I could shot you before you can even think" (should be "I could shoot you before you could even think") made a threatening and suspenseful situation seem kind of silly. The good news is that moments like these can easily be corrected with the help of an editor, so I'm not holding it too strongly against the case.

Gameplay: Mostly some Examine/Move/Talk segments, though a fair amount of it is the characters automatically moving from room to room without player input. One kind of odd sequence had an enormous amount of interesting and plot-important dialogue stored in optional Present conversations, with nothing to indicate how crucial this is. It does appear that there will be at least one cross-examination sequence, though, as is always the case, it was cut off due to the comp deadline. Still, this is mainly a story game, not a gameplay game.

Theme Relevance: This one's a little weird. There is one singular location (a house), but there's nothing really keeping the protagonist from leaving it. At the same time, though, the protagonist doesn't want to leave, and she feels very, very isolated even when interacting with other people. So I'd say it fit pretty well in a pretty creative way.

Conclusions: It was a really fun experience watching Athena's life get ruined again. You can say that makes me a bad person, but I say that YOU are a bad person for not also enjoying it. I am very interested to see how SL continues and concludes this.
Well, my reviews are done. AwesomeYears is still playing through cases and isn't sure if he will post reviews or not. And then someone will win something, probably.
What do REAL, NON-BRIBED people have to say about HTB!?
"This really changed the way I thought about Phoenix as a character. ...Wow." - Reecer6
"HTB! contains truths that might be hard to stomach, but had to be unveiled nonetheless." - Blackrune
"This deserves a best plot twist award." - Evo
"It changed my life, and it can change yours too. For the better, I mean." - Calvinball
"I will never look at Phoenix Wright the same way again" - PhoenixRises123
"omg best thing on aao" - AceAttorneyMaster111
DISCOVER THE TRUTH YOU NEVER KNEW YOU DIDN'T KNOW IN HTB! PROLOGUE AND PART 1, AVAILABLE NOW!!


"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov
"For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong." -H. L. Mencken
Super legenda
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by Super legenda »

Well then, I'm glad that you enjoyed it! Yeah... I'll definitely need a tester before publishing it, thanks for pointing out that spelling mistake.

I was getting really nervous about this review, as this is the first Horror story that I've made, so I was unsure about if it worked or not.

Well then, now waiting for the Awards ceremony as a christmas gift, may every entrant do well too! Good luck!
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by Awsome2464 »

I find it pretty funny how at least three of the entries used the same custom character sprite in their story
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by Super legenda »

Awsome2464 wrote:I find it pretty funny how at least three of the entries used the same custom character sprite in their story
He just works really well often, but is true, lol.
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clcman
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by clcman »

Awsome2464 wrote:I find it pretty funny how at least three of the entries used the same custom character sprite in their story
If you think that's crazy, The Experimental Turnabout and A Worldly Turnabout both featured the same sprites using the same name (Delia Kartmann) for the virtual defendant and the head of state of not!Las Vegas, respectively.
What do REAL, NON-BRIBED people have to say about HTB!?
"This really changed the way I thought about Phoenix as a character. ...Wow." - Reecer6
"HTB! contains truths that might be hard to stomach, but had to be unveiled nonetheless." - Blackrune
"This deserves a best plot twist award." - Evo
"It changed my life, and it can change yours too. For the better, I mean." - Calvinball
"I will never look at Phoenix Wright the same way again" - PhoenixRises123
"omg best thing on aao" - AceAttorneyMaster111
DISCOVER THE TRUTH YOU NEVER KNEW YOU DIDN'T KNOW IN HTB! PROLOGUE AND PART 1, AVAILABLE NOW!!


"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov
"For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong." -H. L. Mencken
Super legenda
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Re: Shelter In Place

Post by Super legenda »

clcman wrote:
Awsome2464 wrote:I find it pretty funny how at least three of the entries used the same custom character sprite in their story
If you think that's crazy, The Experimental Turnabout and A Worldly Turnabout both featured the same sprites using the same name (Delia Kartmann) for the virtual defendant and the head of state of not!Las Vegas, respectively.
Ok, this is getting absurd.
... This is Ace Attorney though, of course things get absurd.
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