Frequently Asked Questions

(Last updated July 11th, 2024)

Sections

→ Technical FAQ
→ Compatibility and Ports
→ Other Common Questions
→ Fan Content Policies
→ Old Pre-Release FAQ

Technical FAQ

Controller support?

RPG Maker VX Ace officially supports standard PC and Xbox gamepads. We cannot guarantee other types of controller (such as Switch and PS4 controllers) will work. Steam controller profiles will likely not work and may need to be disabled, as the engine is incompatible with the Steam Overlay.

Controls can be configured via the engine-standard F1 menu, but for more options (such as the ability to use the D-pad, which RPG Maker doesn't support for whatever reason) we personally recommend you look into a keymapper program like JoyToKey.

The functions assigned to your keyboard/gamepad from the F1 menu are:

"A": Sprint
"B": Menu/cancel
"C": Interact/confirm
"L"/"R": Toggle between pages in certain menus. "L" also opens the Quest Log.

I got a crash mentioning an "EFFECTUS" script when bumping into an enemy!

Later patches feature some additional script work done to try and resolve this particular crash, so make sure your game is up to date!

If you did somehow encounter this rare issue on the latest patch, it's unlikely it will happen again in the same spot if you reload your save.

(Steam only) I get a crash on startup mentioning a "Chainsawkitten Disable F12" script!

This third party script requires a specific C++ redistributable from Microsoft, which Steam is supposed to install for you alongside the game. In rare instances, it will fail to do this, which means you may need to get it from Microsoft here. (Specifically, get the x86 version of the file when given the option.)

If the problem somehow persists even after installing the correct redistributable, I would recommend uninstalling and reinstalling the game. If that doesn't work, you're welcome to refund the game on Steam and get the itch.io version instead, which doesn't have the script at all.

The menu key randomly stopped working for me!

This is an obscure RPG Maker issue. Holding Shift and mashing the menu key a few times is reported to fix it, somehow.

Some of my arrow keys are stuck!

Another obscure RPG Maker issue. Some potential solutions:

Hold Shift and mash the key in question a few times
Make sure you don't have another input device (like a controller with analog stick drift) connected
Update your Steam controller profile (yes, even when playing on keyboard)
Go to Device Manager -> Human Input Devices and try disabling unused "USB Input device" items

The game has no music and/or sound effects!

The most likely cause is the game inheriting settings you used on another RPG Maker game. Press F1 to open the engine's settings menu and check the two boxes enable "BGM and ME" (music) as well as "BGS and SE" (sounds).

Compatibility and Ports

Steam Deck compatibility?

The game isn't Steam Deck verified, but it runs. Due to RPG Maker restrictions, the game needs a virtual keyboard to be brought up for initial setup.

We've also received word of odd lag spikes during dialogue on Steam Deck, and recommend that you set text to appear instantly and/or disable the text sound effect once you've started a new game and are able to access the in-game options menu.

However, we cannot offer technical support for further issues specific to the Steam Deck, as the game and the engine it was made in only officially support Windows.

Mac version?

Unfortunately this isn't possible at this time. SLARPG was made in an old 32-bit engine, and Macs can no longer run 32-bit apps, so the conversion options that previously worked are no longer possible. (Thanks, Apple.)

If you have another operating system installed on your Mac via options like Parallels or Boot Camp, though, you can always just play SLARPG on that other OS.

Linux version?

We've received word that the Windows version on Steam runs decently well via Proton. However, it may have some of the same small technical issues as the Steam Deck listed above. Again, we cannot offer technical support for Linux-specific issues as the game does not support Linux officially.

Console ports?

Sadly out of the question for the time being due to engine restrictions. The game would almost definitely need to be remade from scratch in a new engine. Don't wait around for a Switch port! It should run on just about any modern Windows PC, though.

Fan Content Policies

Streaming, longplays, speedruns, etc.

Totally, 100% encouraged! You don't need our permission for this.

Fanart, fan fiction

We welcome fanart of all kinds!

Fan games

Fan games (including those using SLARPG's assets) are absolutely welcome, so long as they aren't sold as commercial games on any digital storefronts and are clearly labeled as fan projects to avoid confusion.

Selling fan-made merchandise

What's okay:

Generally speaking: independent artists making merch with their own SLARPG-inspired artwork/designs and selling it in limited quantities. This includes the usual things you'd sell at a convention like prints, stickers, pins, charms, standees, etc.

For example: if you draw a piece of Melody fanart, and you print 100 copies to sell at a convention, and then you sell the leftover stock on Etsy, that's all totally fine.

Basically anything handmade or one-of-a-kind. Cosplay items, hand-sewn plushes, Perler bead sprites, etc.
Fan zines, comics, etc. consisting of original artwork.
Also, if you're selling these things online, please try to make it clear that it's unofficial in some way, just to avoid confusion. A simple shout out in the description telling people to check out the game will probably suffice.

What's NOT okay:

A company (as opposed to an independent artist) selling unlicensed merch.
Mass-produced unofficial merch. I don't have a specific number for what counts as "mass-produced," and if something sells out I won't stop you from making more. But, y'know, please don't order 10,000 of something.
Designs sold via online print-on-demand services such as those provided by Amazon, RedBubble, CafePress, TeePublic, etc. where they can be mass-produced indefinitely.
Selling printings of official artwork from the game, presented as-is in a non-transformative way. For example: selling a poster of one of my illustrations of the cast, or stickers using the character sprites.

I'm a smalltime creator trying to make ends meet, and SLARPG and any related projects are my livelihood, so in some regards I have to be a little precious with these things. But I also get that fan artists are just trying to make a living themselves, and this stuff is usually made out of love for the source material. So I wanna allow as much as I reasonably can.

If you have further questions, feel free to contact me (Bobby) through the usual social media channels or by e-mailing me via ponettplus@gmail.com.

Use of the soundtrack

The SLARPG soundtrack is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 license.

In simple terms, typical noncommercial use of the music is fine with credit. You're free to remix the soundtrack, make mashups, play it in the background of your Twitch stream, use it as part of a YouTube video, mod it into another game, etc.

As for commercial use, we don't care if you run ads on videos containing the music, and if you make a remix you're welcome to sell it. However, please don't resell any part of the soundtrack as-is, use it in another commercial game, etc.

We also ask that derivative works be released under the same Creative Commons license as the soundtrack. If you have any questions, feel free to contact composer Beatrix Quinn.

Old Pre-Release FAQ (for posterity)

The Basics

What specific engine is this being made in?

RPG Maker VX Ace! Ol' reliable. The same iteration of RPG Maker that gave us modern classics like Hylics and Lisa: The Painful.

How long is SLARPG?

I would estimate an average playthrough is around 10-15 hours total. This will vary based on your playstyle and how much of the optional content you seek out.

Is Melody the only character you play as?

The party lineup is dictated by the story. Outside of battles, you’ll be playing as Melody most of the time, but not all the time. In battles, you select actions for the whole party, as you’d expect.

Can you choose who you date?

No! Sorry, this is not a dating sim. Melody and Allison are already dating at the start of the game. I intentionally wanted to subvert the traditional romance story arc where the characters only get together at the end and they live happily ever after by instead telling a story about the ups and downs of an ongoing relationship already in progress. (You can ship whoever you want in your headcanons, though.)

Okay, you’ve got heroes. What about villains?

You’ll have to wait for the final game to learn about them! I want the game to have lots of surprises instead of spelling out the whole plot ahead of time.

This game seems familiar…

SLARPG is the successor to a freeware RPG Maker game I made in 2013, which is no longer available for a variety of reasons. That old amateur project ended up being the short proof of concept for this bigger, better game. Some things have remained the same, but the story has been drastically reworked from the ground up, the gameplay is deeper and more challenging, the amount of content has quadrupled, and in general there’s a much higher level of polish. If you played the original to completion (or watched someone else do it online), you’ll have a vague idea of what SLARPG is like, although trust me when I say you haven’t seen anything yet…

Accessibility

How mature is the content? Any content warnings?

As an independent PC release SLARPG won’t need an ESRB rating, but it would probably be rated T for Teen. The game has no nudity or explicit sexual content, but it contains mild suggestive humor, PG-13 swearing, alcohol and tobacco use, mild fantasy violence, some emotionally intense scenes, depictions of anxiety, a couple indirect mentions of transphobia, and sequences of unreality.

How hard is SLARPG?

Not particularly hard, but combat is challenging enough on its default difficulty to encourage you to think about your moves and your character loadouts a bit, instead of just spamming your default attacks and healing when necessary. That being said, you aren't expected to grind (although you can if you really want to), and the story tends to tell you where you need to go next to progress.

An easy mode is available for those who just want to get through the fights with less trouble and focus on the story. Easy mode can be enabled or disabled at any point outside of combat with no penalty. On the flip side, there are also a few optional challenges for those who want them.

Will SLARPG be colorblind-friendly?

The game doesn’t really have anything that requires you to differentiate hues, so you should be fine.

Is there anything that relies entirely upon listening to sound cues?

Nope! And all of the game's dialogue is conveyed exclusively through text.

Will the game be translated into any languages besides English?

No plans at this time - this game has a massive script for an indie project, and a high quality localization would be a huge undertaking. But things could change after the game is released in English.

Representation

Are the trans characters’ identities addressed directly in the game? If so, how?

Yes, it’s stated plainly in the game that Melody and Claire are trans. It comes up in conversation several times, and it says so in their in-game character bios. Being trans isn't the entirety of their character arcs, but it's relevant to their growth as people, so it comes up. It's also just important to me as a trans writer.

Are there any male characters? Do men even exist in this world? (yes we get asked this all the time lol)

Yes, although 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 because this is very much a story about sapphic girls, but we’ve only revealed a fraction of the game’s cast.

What about nonbinary characters?

There are several recurring nonbinary characters! The bard duo Beth the Beast and Mary Ena from the demo are both nonbinary, as is the plant elemental Noel who runs the Sanctuary.

Are all of the characters in the game gay?

This is not a world where every single person is gay, no. Most NPCs' orientations aren't even commented on one way or another. But Melody's social circle (which comprises a large portion of the main cast) has a lot of LGBT+ people in it because, well, we tend to gravitate towards each other. I'm speaking from experience there.