Artificia (Dating Simulation)
Project: Dating simulation game
Type: Group Project (Koidev Games)
Duration: 2021 spring - present
Role: Programmer, Character Designer
Introduction
Artificia (dating sim) is a visual novel game that includes dating sim elements and branching storylines. It was deisned based on previous 2D platformer game. Featuring 8 suitor characters (6 male and 2 female), the story is a main focus in the game, covered throughout the 5 “main story” chapters. Each "main story" chapter also features a "side story" chapter for each suitor. With over 40 endings influenced by the player’s choices in-game, the player can make moral choices that were influenced by our take on morality and ethics regarding robots, advanced technology, and mega-governments. Koidev Games is currently attending the RIT incubator program, aiming to release the game on Steam in 2022.
Story
Set in the cyberpunk, near-future dystopian world of Myvia, in the city of Mensonia, a powerful government controls the means of production of robots, called ‘bots’. These bots back every aspect of everyday life, but the story unwinds as robots begin to defect against their human owners.
You are Luna Ashfall (first name changeable), the pink-haired, industrious daughter of Orvis Ashfall, the lead engineer of bots. Your father was just arrested for suspicion of treason for implanting a bug within robots that allowed them to rebel. How will you save your father and prevent a disaster from happening between the bots and your government?
Gameplay
1. Basic layout
The basic layout of text was designed based on classical visual novel template, including background, choices, text and animated characters.
2. City Map
After each chapter, there will be Free Time for Luna to explore the city.
There are seven areas in total, each character will stay in certain area based on the chapter and story branch.
Player can choose to interact with different characters, triggering different side stories before using up action points and enter the next chapter.
During side stories, player can usually find secrets of the character and potentially increase the relationship and even change their future actions.
3. Relationship Values
Different from other dating sim game, in Artificia, player has to manage two values of each character, which are Romance value and Rebel value.
Romance value represents their current attitude towards Luna, which will affect characters’ personal ending.
Rebel value represents how much they hate/support the government, which will affect the main story ending.
Player can compare the values changes with previous chapter, to track the potential ending they are reaching.