The Last Boarding Call (#igmc2017)

**December 19th 2017 - NOTE: This game was made for the Indie Game Maker Contest 2017 (RPG Maker software jam thingy) which has now concluded judging and the game pages have been unlocked. Unfortunately it does feature a very small handful of typos within the game dialogue and narration. I do not plan on fixing these or any other bugs if they are potentially discovered (knock on wood). I enjoyed having the deadline and cutting down my idea to fit within the time constraints and rules. However, I seem to lack much interest in building it back up to something outside the context of the jam or polishing it in any way for the few wandering souls that happen upon it. Thanks.**

Original Description;

The world is dying quickly but luckily humankind has constructed a spaceship to travel to a new world. The only catch is that seats are limited and just one in five people get to go. As of now you, your wife, and child are not one of those people. But, if you can make the right connections at a dinner party you just may gain enough influence to secure a ticket. Maybe, just maybe, you can be one of the so-called "Lucky Twenty" percent to travel aboard the flying saucer spaceship Variola!

This game is an interactive story featuring non-linear conversations. And there are only so many of those conversations you can have. My hope is that every player experience is unique. While I spent a lot of time writing, the game can be completed in 10 to 30+ minutes depending on your reading speed and who you choose to talk to and how.

I made this for the Indie Game Maker Contest 2017 Jam. This is my first game ever of any kind. I bought RPG Maker VX Ace in a previous Humble Bundle years ago meaning to participate in a jam at the time. I never did. So when I saw it happening again I forced myself to 1. Learn RPG Maker VX Ace from the very basics, 2. Make a functional complete game that was interesting and worth playing and 3. Actually publish and participate. I think I may have actually achieved that!

I knew I couldn't become a RPG Maker VX Ace expert within just one month so I leaned heavily on my story telling. And even snuck a few MSPaint creations in as well to give the player something to look at. But while the game is story driven, reading heavy and not a traditional RPG, I did put in the effort of learning VX Ace to implement all the game functions I needed. It was a very interesting month long learning experience and I got way way further along than I had ever expected.

Please leave comments and critiques below!

(Sorry for the filesize, I didn't have the time/expertise to learn how to remove RTP and then also bug test it)

Programs used;

Game: RPG Maker VX Ace
Non-Linear Writing: Twine
Linear Writing/Notes/Planning : Notepad
Background Art: MSPaint
Faces (and four character sprites): Game Character Hub