Coterie™ is a Visual Novel-RPG hybrid done in a true "Choose Your Own Adventure" style, inspired by the book series and classic 2D character portrait JRPG series such as "Tales of" and "Atelier".
► Genre: RPG-VN, Fantasy, Adventure . . . with a splash of Otome/Galge
► Status: In early production
► Demo: Planned, will be available Feb 2017ish
► Estimated Release: Winter 2017
► Platform: PC via Steam
► Will be: Commercial
► Price: TBD
► Rating: Pending. Currently planned for "Teen - May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language."
► UPDATES:
01: Weather! [Pg2]
02: Dialogue and Choices [Pg2]
03: Field Maps [Pg2]
You are Zhen, a Cardsmith sent to join The Heroes on the frontlines as they take on the latest Dark Lord - The Dreaded Demon of the North! Or so you had hoped... Instead, you are
Adventure! Friendship! Romance?! Journey across the Eastern Continent of S'en Lucere as you complete quests, gain guild renown, and make friends (or not). And who knows, you may even meet a god or two along the way.
- ► Male/Female Protagonist
- Play as either gender of Zhen (re-nameable), each with their own unique character interactions, events, and endings.
► Choices matter- Unique story paths will unfold and change based on your decisions (I dare you to be a jerk to everyone).
► Affinity System- A point based relationship system that allows characters to form bonds with each other, adding additional benefits & content such as character events, battle bonuses, and new skills.
► Skits- Party members chat with each other, providing additional dialogue and party interactions outside of the main story
► Romance Options- For everyone. [GxB] [GxG] [BxG] [BxB] [or none at all for the lone wolves out there.]
► No Invisible Speakers- Every NPC has a unique character portrait and name - yes, even Male Guards 1 & 2 have been promoted.
► Additional features- ...such as Explorable Maps, Turn-based Combat, Monster Hunts, & more.
- ► Male/Female Protagonist
► Sprites: Concept Art complete, character variations tested and working
► Script: Events and Paths Outlined
► Backgrounds: All locations/maps planned, with concepts
► CG: Not started
► GUI: Prototyped and working, needs final art
► Music: Not started
► Programming: 30%
Creator/Designer, Writer, Programmer, Artist
Harle
There is no "I" in Team, but there certainly is a "me"! (Sorry I can't help myself.)
Resume for the skeptical: I have a Bachelors degree in Arts in Multimedia, with personal experience working on preproduction teams for both indie films and game development as an artist (concept and lead). I've also pursued creative writing, and heck I even aced all my programming classes. Anything I know I cannot handle will be delegated as I get there. I also have a crack team of minions that make a wonderful sounding board. ^_^ /
Composer
TBD
Sound Designer
TBD
Quality Assurance / Testers
TBD
It's ok, be honest! I am open to constructive criticism. Part of the reason for me sharing in early production is for the feedback!
I thrive on it.
► Premise/Story
- I suppose there should be more than just pretty faces to entice you to play it...
► ► Does the story seem interesting? Or cliché, boring, not explained well so you really have no idea, etc?
► Protagonist
- The goal is to incorporate dialogue choices that will trend toward different play styles (if you're being a jerk, your character should probably sound like a jerk). So out of curiosity:
► ► What are your favorite personalities to play as? (Personally I enjoy playing the snarky jerk who is sometimes nice and heroic.)
► ► Would you be more inclined to play as male or female? Or would replay for both?
► Characters
- They've always been the most important aspect to me, and I'd love for you to love them too.
► ► Any characters that pique your interest or simply don't like?
► Romance
- I do understand I won't be able to make everyone happy in this department, but I would love to reach a happy medium! (Romance options are indicated in the upper right corner of the characters cards, blue hearts for male Zhen, pink hearts for female Zhen. Don't worry, you don't have to woo anyone you don't want to, in fact you can all just be friends/frenemies - Friend Events and Romance Events are separate, and based purely on Affinity.)
► ► For those that would pursue a love interest: would you be happy with the options provided?
► Art
- I want to keep true to my own style, but I also want it to look both professional AND appealing. Currently all the character images are concept art- additional art will be provided in future updates. With that said,
► ► Do you find the art style appealing (so far)?
and of course...
► Open to questions / comments / suggestions
- Ask me anything! There will be plenty more updates and content shared in the coming months, but if you're curious about something now, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer (or answer around it if it's super secret or spoilerish!)
If interested, please share or follow! Updates will be posted concurrently here and on the following for convenience:
- http://www.ethyrfox.com/
http://facebook.com/ethyrfox
http://twitter.com/ethyrfox
http://ethyrfox.tumblr.com/
Thank you for your time and interest, please stay tuned,
<3 Harle