Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

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Harliqueen
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Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#1 Post by Harliqueen »

Image
Mother Nature is dead.

And the process to find her replacement has gone horribly, horribly wrong.

With half of Mother Nature’s power stolen by the outcast, Morcant, the Seasonal Kingdom’s only chance at defeating him is to find the new, true Mother Nature- You.

Sucked into their strange world, and thrust onto the throne, you must take on the role of Mother Nature and bring the kingdom back to stability.

Morcant’s bid for the Gaia throne threatens to throw both our world and the seasonal one into chaos.
Only you can stop him!
By building alliances with the Courts of the Four seasons, discovering your powers, you can bring together an army that will rival any seen before.

But, you won’t be doing it alone! Whilst the fate of the worlds may sit on your shoulders, there are those who follow you willing to help carry that burden.
Image
Courting the Seasons is a fantasy, romance visual novel. It came about from the idea of wanting a great story where the romance was a big part of it, instead of feeling like a separate side quest or bonus material.

There are no stat-raising or visible romance points/bar in this VN; this was because I hoped for it to feel as though you were thrown into a story rather than playing through a game.
The development of relationships and the story will be based much more on how you interact, rather than through building points.

I love Bioware games, the feeling of being a hero in a story, but I’ve always enjoyed the romance part of it too.
What I wanted to do was have something similar, but where the romance was an integral part of the story, so as it all felt more immersive and fun.

For more information or to keep updated, why not check out the links below?
Tumblr- http://seraphinitegames.tumblr.com/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/SeraphiniteGames
Twitter- https://twitter.com/seraphiniteVN
For newest update, please visit this post-
viewtopic.php?f=43&t=33018&start=60#p412534
Image
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Romances
Image
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Image
Image
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Listen to those around you
- Pay attention to the advice of others in order to better influence the rulers and gain the best alliances.
Will you gain strong alliances, or weak ones? Will Morcant steal their alliance from under your nose? Or will the ruler give no alliance at all?

Each Ruler is different
- Each has their own idea of what makes a good Mother Nature, and they will be judging the way you act and speak in order to decide if you are worthy of their allegiance.

What type of ruler will you be?
- The way you choose to handle situations will influence what type of ruler you will become.
Will you inspire the people to stand with you? Will the people’s needs always come first?
Will you choose to always do the right thing, no matter the consequences? Will you look to others for advice on how to rule?
Or, will you rule for your own benefit?

Use your power- How will you use your powers to help in what is to come?
Choose from 3 power types, each one giving you different options throughout the story.

Romance routes that are as strong as main story- 5 romances to choose from (the 4 envoys, and a secret romance!).
Each romance weaves its way into the main story in a unique way.

Cast of interesting characters- Get to know a whole range of characters, from the Rulers of the Seasonal courts, down to the people who work for you.
Decide how you will interact with them; will your personalities clash or compliment?

Pay careful attention- You never know when overhearing idle gossip or having a chit chat with someone may lead to more options down the line.

Your choices affect everything, not just endings- As Mother Nature and ruler, your choices will affect much to do with the upcoming battle, but that is not the only thing it will change.
How you act and respond to situations will affect the course of the game, some having consequences early on or may produce something unexpected later.

There are many outcomes to the battle ahead with vastly different multiple endings!
Images
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Why no stat points or romance bar?

I found in games with points I tended to focus only on point collecting, rather than playing through as I want (even though I enjoy those games very much!).
But, in Courting the Seasons I wanted to minimise that and make it feel much more as though you can make a choice based on what you want, rather than what will net you the most points. This should mean you have more fun with the story rather than worry about building up stats.

I haven’t really put in good and bad choices or ‘true’ endings.
There are a variety of choices, which aren’t necessarily good or bad, it’s just different ways of handling outcomes, some of which will be approved of by certain people and not by others and vice versa.
Each choice won’t just add to a points bar, it will have an effect and consequence in the story, maybe straight away or maybe later on.

Why is this VN commercial?
Though I would love to give it out for free, I am self-employed and will be focusing full time on this VN.
I'm hoping to move into this as my main career path :)

Are there any warnings for this game?
There will be descriptions and images of blood and death, as well as non-explicit, but still heavily implied, (consensual) adult situations both in text and images.

Where will this be released?
I plan for the demo to be released early Summer 2016, alongside a Steam Greenlight campaign.

I am hoping to release it on itch.io, and (fingers crossed) Steam if it gets through Greenlight once I put it up.

How much will it be?
It will be around $15.

How can I get in contact or ask you questions?
You can contact me here via PM, or post on this thread.
You can also contact me via Tumblr, or email me- seraphinitegames@outlook.com
I'm always happy to hear from people! :)

----
Yay for finally getting this ready to share, been working on it for months already, so I've been anxious (very nervous!) to put it up :D
First impressions and thoughts are very welcome!

I will be updating once a week on this thread (summary of the two updates I am planning to do over on my Tumblr).
Last edited by Harliqueen on Thu Apr 14, 2016 10:34 am, edited 16 times in total.
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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#2 Post by Rosstin »

This looks cool! I look forward to playing the demo if you put one out!
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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#3 Post by Ammeh »

Oh wow, I love the art for this! And fantasy alliance-building? Yes please!

I'm intrigued by the directions you seem to be taking the seasons--they're definitely not falling into any standard season-personification stereotypes from what I can see.

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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#4 Post by Harliqueen »

Rosstin wrote:This looks cool! I look forward to playing the demo if you put one out!
Thank you so much! :D It means a lot to hear that from you (Really excited about the deluxe release of Queen at Arms!).

There will definitely be a demo, and still shooting for the August date for that! :)
Ammeh wrote:Oh wow, I love the art for this! And fantasy alliance-building? Yes please!

I'm intrigued by the directions you seem to be taking the seasons--they're definitely not falling into any standard season-personification stereotypes from what I can see.
Thank you! I was trying to go for an art style that was something different to what's out there :D
The alliance building is one of the main parts of the game, so it's good to hear it's something people will enjoy!

As for the personifications of the seasons, I'm so glad you said that! When I came to deciding the look of each season's court and outfits, I really wanted something fresh and different, rather than the typical designs and colours associated with each.
I will be revealing more of each as time goes on before release! :)
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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#5 Post by Harliqueen »

First update!

Finally managed to get all the links for social media done. To follow development on Courting the Seasons, why not follow me at the following places?

Tumblr- http://seraphinitegames.tumblr.com/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/SeraphiniteGames
Twitter- https://twitter.com/seraphiniteVN

As said in the first post, I will be giving updates twice a week on Tumblr and summarising them once a week in a post on this forum thread :)

If you have any questions about Courting the Seasons, feel free to ask in this thread, PM me, or contact me on Tumblr! I'm super friendly, I promise :D

Next week I start on the GUI, so keep an eye out for screenshots!
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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#6 Post by victorita9 »

This sounds really amazing, I can't see more updates.

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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#7 Post by Harliqueen »

victorita9 wrote:This sounds really amazing, I can't see more updates.
Thank you so much! :D I will probably give updates more frequently than once a week depending on what I'm working on and how much I have to show (don't want to give away spoilers!), but this thread will definitely be updated regularly.
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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#8 Post by UsaBerryHime »

Wow, my first impression is amazed! I really like this concept a lot! And the character designs are really unique! I think I've fallen for Theo already- because I love the name and his look~ but really all the characters are really nicely designed!

I love the theme that you have going on as well, it ties everything together with the rainbow-ish color words and tree/ leaves design. I really like it! And the font too~
Sorry I was rambling there!

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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#9 Post by Harliqueen »

UsaBerryHime wrote:Wow, my first impression is amazed! I really like this concept a lot! And the character designs are really unique! I think I've fallen for Theo already- because I love the name and his look~ but really all the characters are really nicely designed!

I love the theme that you have going on as well, it ties everything together with the rainbow-ish color words and tree/ leaves design. I really like it! And the font too~
Sorry I was rambling there!
Ahh, thank you so much for the kind words :D I'm really glad you like the designs, I wanted something different to what is out there right now, and I hope I've managed it!

Theo was one of the first characters I designed, he was a lot quicker to come up with than the rest (I think I must have already subconciously known exactly what I wanted him to be like) :D
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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#10 Post by Harliqueen »

I've posted all the profiles on the top post to my Tumblr, but added a little extra information on the romance interests to those posts if anyone is interested in checking them out! - http://seraphinitegames.tumblr.com/

Will hopefully have some screenshots of the GUI design I'm working on at the moment later this weekend. Hope everyone has a great weekend! :D
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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#11 Post by Harliqueen »

Update time! :D

Image

(Above- Very quick sketches of pose ideas for the mini cgs and panels for when Mother Nature is using her powers).

As Mother Nature you will have a choice of 3 types of powers: Destructive, Protective, or Sensitive.

Your power choice will open up different choices throughout the story, or some options being cut off completely.

After you’ve made a choice of power type, you must then decide the best way to use that power.

For example, if you choose Destructive and come across a group of enemies, your choices might be- force them back with a blast of air, hurl fireballs at them, or encase them in the mud beneath their feet.

Whereas choosing the Protective power type might open up options such as- camouflage your group, use nearby vines to trip up your enemies, or hold them at bay with a wall of air.

Just because you only choose one power type, doesn’t mean you only have one choice on how to use it.
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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#12 Post by Heiden »

Wow! I really like the plot synopsis here, I can't wait to see what happens. And how my decisions will impact my Mother Nature's rule. I wanna try being a totalitarian ruler, haha :'D

Someone else mentioned it, but I also really like your interpretations of the seasons, it's very unique.

I'm interested in seeing more of Gretchen, she seems really interesting~

Looking forward to the demo! :D
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All available to play on my itch.io page!

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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#13 Post by minyan »

Harliqueen wrote:
Image
Mother Nature is dead.

And the process to find her replacement has gone horribly, horribly wrong.

With half of Mother Nature’s power stolen by the outcast, Morcant, the Seasonal Kingdom’s only chance at defeating him is to find the new, true Mother Nature- You.

Sucked into their strange world, and thrust onto the throne, you must take on the role of Mother Nature and bring the kingdom back to stability.

Morcant’s bid for the Gaia throne threatens to throw both our world and the seasonal one into chaos.
Only you can stop him!
By building alliances with the Courts of the Four seasons, discovering your powers, you can bring together an army that will rival any seen before.

But, you won’t be doing it alone! Whilst the fate of the worlds may sit on your shoulders, there are those who follow you willing to help carry that burden.
Image
Courting the Seasons is a fantasy, romance visual novel. It came about from the idea of wanting a great story where the romance was a big part of it, instead of feeling like a separate side quest or bonus material.

There are no stat-raising or visible romance points/bar in this VN; this was because I hoped for it to feel as though you were thrown into a story rather than playing through a game.
The development of relationships and the story will be based much more on how you interact, rather than through building points, though the romances can still take different paths in their route. (See FAQ for more explanation).

I love Bioware games, the feeling of being a hero in a story, but I’ve always enjoyed the romance part of it too.
What I wanted to do was have something similar, but where the romance was an integral part of the story, so as it all felt more immersive and fun.

For more information or to keep updated, why not check out the links below?
Tumblr- http://seraphinitegames.tumblr.com/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/SeraphiniteGames
Twitter- https://twitter.com/seraphiniteVN
Image
Image
Romances
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Listen to those around you
- Pay attention to the advice of others in order to better influence the rulers and gain the best alliances.
Will you gain strong alliances, or weak ones? Will Morcant steal their alliance from under your nose? Or will the ruler give no alliance at all?

Each Ruler is different
- Each has their own idea of what makes a good Mother Nature, and they will be judging the way you act and speak in order to decide if you are worthy of their allegiance.

What type of ruler will you be?
- The way you choose to handle situations will influence what type of ruler you will become.
Will you inspire the people to stand with you? Will the people’s needs always come first?
Will you choose to always do the right thing, no matter the consequences? Will you look to others for advice on how to rule?
Or will you rule for your own benefit?

Use your power- How will you use your powers to help in what is to come?
Choose from 3 power types, each one giving you different options throughout the story.

Romance routes that are as strong as main story- 5 romances to choose from (the 4 envoys, and a secret romance!).
Each romance route is completely unique and links in with the main story.

Cast of interesting characters- Get to know a whole range of characters, from the Rulers of the Seasonal courts, down to the people who work for you.
Decide how you will interact with them; will your personalities clash or compliment?

Pay careful attention- You never know when overhearing idle gossip or having a chit chat with someone may lead to more options down the line.

Your choices affect everything, not just endings- As Mother Nature and ruler, your choices will affect much to do with the upcoming battle, but that is not the only thing it will change.
How you act and respond to situations will affect the course of the game, some having consequences early on or may produce something unexpected later!

There are many outcomes to the battle ahead, and a large variety of endings.
Image

Why no stat points or romance bar?

I found in games with points I tended to focus only on point collecting, rather than playing through as I want (even though I enjoy those games very much!).
But in Courting the Seasons I wanted to minimise that and make it feel much more as though you can make a choice based on what you want, rather than what will net you the most points and have fun with the story than worry about building up stats.

I haven’t really put in good and bad choices or ‘true’ endings.
There are a variety of choices, which aren’t necessarily good or bad, it’s just different ways of handling outcomes, some of which will be approved of by certain people and not by others and vice versa.
Each choice won’t just add to a points bar, it will have an effect and consequence in the story, maybe straight away or maybe later on.

Why is this VN commercial?
Though I would love to give it out for free, I am self-employed and will be focusing full time on this VN.
I'm hoping to move into this as my main career path :)

Are there any warnings for this game?
There will be descriptions and images of blood and death, as well as non-explicit, but still heavily implied, (consensual) adult situations both in text and images.

When and where will this be released?
The goal for the release date is September 2015, with a demo being released (hopefully) sometime in August, but this may change.

I am hoping to release it on itch.io, and (fingers crossed) Steam if it gets through Greenlight once I put it up.
I may put it up on Googleplay and iTunes if there’s interest in it, and also if I can manage it :D

How much will it be?
It will be around $10.

How can I get in contact or ask you questions?
You can contact me here via PM, or post on this thread.
You can also contact me via Tumblr, or email me- seraphinitegames@outlook.com
I'm always happy to hear from people! :)

----
Yay for finally getting this ready to share, been working on it for months already, so I've been anxious (very nervous!) to put it up :D
First impressions and thoughts are very welcome!

I will be updating once a week on this thread (summary of the two updates I am planning to do over on my Tumblr).
I am in the process of getting social media sites up together, once I do I will share links.

Oh gosh this sounds so cool. I'm also a huge fan of bioware games, so hearing you explain it that way gets me excited in and of itself. xD The art is beautiful, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the characters. Can't wait for a demo!
ImageImage

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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#14 Post by Harliqueen »

Heiden wrote:Wow! I really like the plot synopsis here, I can't wait to see what happens. And how my decisions will impact my Mother Nature's rule. I wanna try being a totalitarian ruler, haha :'D

Someone else mentioned it, but I also really like your interpretations of the seasons, it's very unique.

I'm interested in seeing more of Gretchen, she seems really interesting~

Looking forward to the demo! :D
There will be many times throughout the story when you are faced with how to handle difficult and tense situations, or how to reply to nobles who linger at court (for example: throwing back a snarky comment at a noble who doesn't approve of you may not be the best course of action, but still, the satisfaction sometimes is hard to resist :D), or even how you plan to deal with the concerns of the general people- it's those moments that will decide what kind of ruler you'll eventually be.

Totalitarian ruler should make for some interesting results! :D

Thank you so much for commenting and your kind words, makes me even more excited to release it! And rest assured, there will be more of Gretchen to come as development continues...
minyan wrote:Oh gosh this sounds so cool. I'm also a huge fan of bioware games, so hearing you explain it that way gets me excited in and of itself. xD The art is beautiful, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the characters. Can't wait for a demo!
Bioware is a huge inspiration for this, as I love the character interaction, romances, and stories they create. So, I certainly hope to create something that gives more of what I want from those games (romance!) without compromising on story or development.

The demo won't be too far off, a couple of months maybe! Thank you so much for commenting, it's really appreciated :)

--

Update time... though not much on actual game progress. I am busily coding the GUI, and I'm really quite pleased so far, will hopefully have some screenshots to show at the weekend.

Until then, here are some warm up sketches I've been doing this week!

Image
Super-duper secret romance tease ;) Not sure there will be much more info on him until release, no spoilers after all!

Image
Elisedd not too pleased at being the subject of warm up in such a... compromising position :D
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Re: Courting the Seasons [Romance- GxB,GxG][Fantasy]

#15 Post by godman85 »

ethnic characters is always a nice mix up. The premise is interesting enough. Mother nature is dead kind of sets the mood.

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