Serafina's Crown [Fantasy][Romance][GxB][GXG]

[storykween]

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This game is now released!
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SERAFINA'S CROWN

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Otome, Adventure
GxB, GxG

Summary:

Serafina's Crown is a visual novel sequel to Woodsy Studio's first release, Serafina's Saga. In a fantasy world constantly unbalanced by the gods of chaos, the kingdom of Darzia struggles to elect a new monarch after Queen Belatrix is assassinated. You play as a new character, Odell Perin, who is unwittingly thrust into a position of power amidst the chaos of court. Due to her neutral stance, Odell Perin is elected to serve as Regent long enough to settle the ongoing disputes, and therefore determine who will become the next ruler of Darzia.

The story branches depending on the player's decisions, allowing the player to form romantic relationships with other characters, find Belatrix's killer, and determine the next monarch. The gameplay will also feature a dynamic debate system that allows Odell to argue certain points in court based on her accumulated stats.

Special Features:

• Voice acting
  Court debate system with Divinity Dial mini-game
  Limited costume system

Branching Style:

With Serafina’s Crown, I’m pulling inspiration from both Dragon Age: Inquisition and Danganronpa to design the story interaction. Much like Dragon Age, the player will frequently get an opportunity to select how Odell responds to another character.

In this example, Arken has just asked Odell how she intends to use her authority as Regent:

If you choose – for example – "I’ll accumulate power," you’re not necessarily locking yourself into a specific story path. You will have many chances to change your mind later, or break your word to Arken and do something different. The game judges you more based on how often you choose a certain thematic category. Each colored option corresponds with a specific emotion, and each time you pick a certain color, you get a point for its category. The points you accumulate will affect the difficulty of the Divinity Dial mini-game.

Frequently, the story options will simply change your conversation with a character, depending on your choice. Similar to Danganronpa, you often have a chance to spend time with a specific character of your choosing. On each playthrough, you will have a limited number of chances to spend time with the characters, so you must choose wisely!

Your choices, as minor or significant as they might be, always yield a reward of some sort. They will always give you a point in the associated category, and they always change Odell’s hair color slightly (a fun little feature you can turn off if you so choose). Other times they will result in the conversation of your orchestration, and perhaps even a romantic relationship…

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Feedback Requested:

You don't have to answer all of these questions, but if you have opinions on any of the following, please let me know what you think! Every bit of feedback helps a lot.

1] Would you rather pay a flat, upfront fee for a game, or play it free with limited features, and pay for desired extras (costumes, extra story branches, etc.?)
2] Does $5.99 sound like a fair price for this game?
3] I will probably release this game for both desktop computers and mobile devices. What is your platform of choice?
4] Do you enjoy changing characters' costumes while you play? If so, do you have any costume suggestions for these characters?
5] Do you like the idea of having a mini-game debate system, which will affect the plot along with your story choices?

List of characters: http://woodsy-studio.com/serafinas-crown/characters/
For more info and Credits: http://woodsy-studio.com/vn/serafinas-crown/

I hope to release the game circa April 2015!

[Fenrir34]

Hey, it's cool to see a third game from you =). Played Serafina Sega and really enjoyed it. Also got into Quantum Conscience but still need to finish the final route XD.

1-I'd rather pay up front =).

2-I think so if the game is on the shorter side. However, if it's longer like between 80,000+ you could sell it for a bit higher. Also from what I've read a while back you've put a lot of art into this as well specially on the extra things. Given the time you put into it maybe that's another reason to make it a bit more higher.

3-Desktop XD.

4-I think it's a cool idea to have characters be able to change clothing. The only thing is that some of the character's accessories look a tad off to me, though it could just be my eyes. An example is Kallias's fur scarf. It doesn't fully go with his shirt. Pops out more. But like I said though this might be my eyes. .

5-I'm not sure really. I'd first have to try it out to know. Still I think it would be kind of fun to have one. Makes the gameplay something new for me =)

[underbliss]

Aw this is exciting I love sequels, and the first game was fun!

The questions..
1 > It really depends on how much I want the content. I don't tend to care much about aesthetic options in games that I'm not going to be spending like 60+ hours in, (I say this because I've only ever cared in mmorpgs or those massive huge RPGs you spend a lifetime in), but story content is a huge pull and it really depends on if the particular content is something I'm interested in.
2 > That said! That price is more than reasonable and at that point, because I like supporting creators of projects, I'd probably rather just pay for it outright.
3 > I like to play these games on my phone just because it lets me loaf around the house wherever I want while reading, but I don't mind the desktop, and games with more visual stimulation and general interactivity are better on the desktop than phone.
4 > Well, assuming I was playing a version of the game where the optional outfits were already included, I would probably just pick my favorites and stick with them through the whole game. I may be wrong, though, it's highly subjective - and I think if all the outfits were personally appealing I'd be more inclined to switching them around (but usually I have a clear favorite and stick with it, if that makes sense?)
5 > I think it would be fun! I play all kinds of games, though, and mini games don't tend to scare me away the way they do for some people, so I may be a poor opinion in that regard. That said, that particular style of mini game falls so easily in line with the general spirit of VN's I don't see it as a mini game as much as a feature of your VN, but that's me!

I'm excited! Haha, Serafina's still got that thing of hair that sticks up, hm? XD

[storykween]

@Fenrir34: Thanks for the feedback! As for #4, I wonder if adding more shadows to the accessories would help them blend better? That tends to be a challenge with drawing dynamic costumes, for me at least! And I'm glad you think that perhaps the price could be higher; I'm investing a lot into this VN, and if I can't make it back + a legitimate profit, I might have to stop investing so much time and energy into future projects

@underbliss: Haha, yep, Serafina still has that unruly piece of hair =p Thanks so much for your feedback!

[Mad Harlequin]

1] Would you rather pay a flat, upfront fee for a game, or play it free with limited features, and pay for desired extras (costumes, extra story branches, etc.?)
2] Does $5.99 sound like a fair price for this game?
3] I will probably release this game for both desktop computers and mobile devices. What is your platform of choice?
4] Do you enjoy changing characters' costumes while you play? If so, do you have any costume suggestions for these characters?
5] Do you like the idea of having a mini-game debate system, which will affect the plot along with your story choices?

1. I'd probably prefer to pay for it up front.

2. It sounds quite fair! But as Fenrir said, you want to make sure you recoup your investment, too.

3. I use my PC for games because my phone is just a phone.

4. I don't really play with costumes in games that often, so I can't say I have any ideas . . .

5. Debate? Yes! I think it'll work well with the political intrigue element of the story.

Anyway, I've played the original Serafina's Saga (as well as the demo for Quantum Conscience) and I'm excited to see what else you do with Serafina as a character.

[Erikka]

I loved your previoys game about Serafina) Can't wait to try this one!

1. Would you rather pay a flat, upfront fee for a game, or play it free with limited features, and pay for desired extras (costumes, extra story branches, etc.?)
I would rather pay a flat fee. I don't like to pay extras.

2. Does $5.99 sound like a fair price for this game?
Yes)

3. I will probably release this game for both desktop computers and mobile devices. What is your platform of choice?
Desktop)

4] Do you enjoy changing characters' costumes while you play? If so, do you have any costume suggestions for these characters?

I would like to have optional outfits and hair-styles) I'd like to have long-hair and pony-tail option for men) I really love guys with long beautiful hair)) But I wouldn't change them during the game. I think I just would choose my favorite outfit/hair-style and stick with them through the whole game.
+ It would be really nice to customize the main protagonist too. But I don't really understand how will CGs look if the player can customize all the characters?

5] Do you like the idea of having a mini-game debate system, which will affect the plot along with your story choices?
I'm not a fan of mini-games but it sounds good)

[victorita9]

1] Would you rather pay a flat, upfront fee for a game, or play it free with limited features, and pay for desired extras (costumes, extra story branches, etc.?)
I would rather pay a flat fee, but I would pay for for an expansion pack
2] Does $5.99 sound like a fair price for this game?
yes
3] I will probably release this game for both desktop computers and mobile devices. What is your platform of choice?
Desktop
4] Do you enjoy changing characters' costumes while you play? If so, do you have any costume suggestions for these characters?
I don't care about character's costumes. If you had to choose between writing more scenario's for the game or dresses, I would prefer more writing.
5] Do you like the idea of having a mini-game debate system, which will affect the plot along with your story choices?
I love it