A Regency Tale (Commercial, Otome, Simulation, Historical)

[Byron]

A Regency Tale

Hi, this is my first game, so a little nervous about posting... but here goes!

This game places the player in the role of a young woman living in the Regency Era
Navigate the elite world of the haute ton, where words are the weapons of choice, and reputations are destroyed within minutes.
Of course it is not all bad, you may dance with dashing gentlemen, become the belle of the ball or hone your intelligence at London libraries.
The opportunity is yours to take, so use it well. Will your name be remembered or will it sink into obscurity?

MAIN CHARACTERS

Clara Hartwell (Protagonist - first name changeable)

A mature young woman who has had a lot of responsibility placed on her shoulders from a very early age. The eldest daughter of a family living in genteel poverty, Clara is the main caretaker and tutor for her younger siblings. To the world at large she is kind and responsible, and yet she does not show her true feelings easily, if at all. When her estranged, yet wealthy aunt enters her life and decides to take her to London for the season her life changes completely. Though whether it is for better or worse remains to be seen.

Ambrose Yewbeam

A somewhat mischievous young man who is incredibly popular with the ladies. Born into an illustrious family, his Grandfather is the Duke of Valenroy, a man who is incredibly reclusive - and who for some reason dotes solely on his youngest grandson. This is unusual since he is quite far down in the line of succession, and will probably never inherit the title. Lots of gossip abounds about his circumstances, but no-one says anything to his face, and he appears to remain oblivious to the workings of the rumour mill.

Geoffrey Davenport

A stoic gentleman with a penchant for sarcasm. Despite his lack of expression his schedule is incredibly sporadic, to the extent that there is a betting pool on which events he will attend, if at all. The other distinguishing factor he possesses is that he never seems to recall a ladies name the over the course of the following days, and frequently has to be introduced over and over again. He is also a renowned intellectual, though this is seldom acknowledged when his eccentricities are so much more interesting.

Vincent Rutledge

The 5th Duke of Rhodrian recently returned from France upon the outbreak of war and is an active participant in many sports, with fencing, shooting and riding seemingly being his favourites. No-one knows why he was so reluctant to return, nor why he refuses to dance with anyone, regardless of the social consequences. Otherwise he is perfectly happy to talk about serious matters and socialize, which when combined with his massive fortune has made him the target of many ladies affections.

Leon Solay

This incorrigible flirt is Clara's cousin by marriage, and her aunts stepson. Previously he served in the royal navy as a captain, but the death of his father forced him to return to inherit the Earldom of Juncourt. His manners are impeccable, and his fans are many. With a desire to live life on the wild side, only his stepmother is able to get him to stop and listen, the reason for that being a closely guarded secret that only the two know.

MINOR CHARACTERS

Lady Abigail Solay, Dowager Countess of Juncourt - Clara's aunt who for some reason loathes her sister (Clara's mother) with all her being
...
More to be shown later!


PROGRESS

Script: 10% complete (20,000 words)
Outline: 50% complete
Art: ??? (I don't know how much is needed quite yet)

GAMEPLAY DETAILS

Simulation: Stat raising and checks
Schedule management: Choose which events to attend
Interactive branches: You are not locked onto one path at any point
Achievements: Ranging from trivial to tricky
Inclusive Epilogues: Discover what other effects your choices had

ARTWORK

Sprites/CG's - Nobutsuna
GUI - ?
BG - ?

QUESTIONS

I'm thinking of doing a kickstarter when the demo is finished... what do you think of that?
Do you like the character's, if so why... or why not?
Is there anything missing from the gameplay that you think should be included

Thank you very much for reading!

[fleet]

I'm a bit surprised that you are going commercial with your first game. I wish you success.

[Pastel.Lulu]

I'm thinking of doing a kickstarter when the demo is finished... what do you think of that? That seems like a really good idea, plenty of other games do that and if you need it then go for it!
Do you like the character's, if so why... or why not? I love the characters so far, the gentlemen seem really charming and Vincent reminds me of Mr.Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. The MC looks lovely and I absolutely love everything that concerns the Recency Era.
Is there anything missing from the gameplay that you think should be included? I don't think so!
I'm looking forward to seeing more of this game and playing it, how much do you think this game will cost?

[alylt]

I've always thought more games should be set during the Regency It's got all that fictional time period fans to draw from, and is a great time to focus on dialogue and romance. I think your game should have a lot of potential!

(Also I recognize your awesome artist <3 HI BANA~)

Best of luck with your project, I'll be looking forward to it!

[trooper6]

QUESTIONS

1. I'm thinking of doing a kickstarter when the demo is finished... what do you think of that?
2. Do you like the character's, if so why... or why not?
3. Is there anything missing from the gameplay that you think should be included

1. I think you can do anything you want to do. I would not give you any money at this point, though. Why? This is your first game and you can't even know what your budget is considering you don't know how much art you need. If you are going to do a Kickstarter, what are you doing it for? I assume for art and music costs? If you are going to do that and you are the writer/programmer, I wouldn't recommend Kickstarting until after you've written the entire script and know exactly what art assets you need. I'd even recommend coding the whole thing with dummy assets before Kickstarting. I love of people have big plans for their first VN but then find they can't finish it. So make sure you have done everything you can personally do and know exactly what your costs will be before Kickstarting. Even then, there will be people who won't support the Kickstarter...I mean, I don't like to give money to people with no track record of finishing work.

2. The characters are standard romance clichés. Which I'm sure will please bunches of people. There isn't anything special enough about them to draw me in though. But, remember, I am not the ideal audience for this, I imagine.

3. For what you've outlined, it seems you've all the gameplay you need for a standard dating sim.

Good luck on your project.

[VocaloidsRCool]

If you think a kickstarter will be helpful to you, then by all means, go for it.

I do like the characters, and Ambrose is my favorite.

I don't think there is anything missing.

[Amberbaum]

Oh, a historical otome game were you play as a young woman set in the regency period. My Jane Austin senses are tingling . *Very much anticipating this*

QUESTIONS
I'm thinking of doing a kickstarter when the demo is finished... what do you think of that?

If you think you can do it, then yes. Don't forget the Kickstarter fees you have to pay. Most people just don't do the maths beforehand. But if you really doing a Kickstarter campaign don't forget that people want to see something. That's why, I think, finishing the demo first is a good idea. Just don't forget to upload it here first and let us try it out so we can give you a feedback .

Do you like the character's, if so why... or why not?

Yes, I do like them. Especially Clara. Pretty, pretty art*drools*. It's good to have a set of variating personalities for an otome game.

Is there anything missing from the gameplay that you think should be included

Nope, I can't think of anything right now. I just hope the stats play an important part in the game for succeeding an obstacle or an event, like in Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem or 1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum. Because I see no point in grinding stats so I can get a "better" ending with one of the bachelors.