Hearts of Grimoire (New game in development)

[SpiritShard]

Hello everyone! While Hearts of Grimoire updates will always be running through my Patreon I'll try and update this thread as often as possible. I've set up a sort of 'post archive' on my google drive for when this post reaches it's maximum length. [ docs.google.com/document/d/1aOpKaTsdnnL939_35WfTv48HT33CoPQW6zXQc5EiRfI/edit?usp=sharing ]

Media Links
michaelpstanich.com
DeviantArt - michaelstanich.deviantart.com/
Twitter - twitter.com/Michael_Stanich
YouTube - youtube.com/c/michaelpstanich

Succubus Heart (Skyrim Mod) - loverslab.com/topic/38187-succubus-heart/page-1
Patreon - patreon.com/michaelpstanich


Update Post (Oct 10, 2015)

Over on Patreon I made a summary of the feedback from the forum threads, which I'll spare here. I also posted some sketches however I can't post images here yet so make sure to check out Patreon or the Forum Archive to see those.

Build News :

I've created the 'base' build for Heart of Grimoire's UE4 build! Right now it consists of a lot of placeholders and a single test map. It's not currently playable and won't be for a while longer as I build a few essential assets.

Original Post (Oct 5, 2015)

Hello everyone! I'd like to announce here that I've started development on a new Erotic (Hentai) Game project called Hearts of Grimoire! I'm currently looking for feedback on the concept and suggestions for what people would like to see included. I've been a lurker here for quite a long while and in the past I've seen some great feedback/suggestions from you guys. If you're interested in who I am and what I do feel free to check out the media links.

Hearts of Grimoire​

Questions and suggestions are all greatly appreciated! Also I apologize for some of the formatting, I'm not able to post links to images so I had to remove them, if you want a more visually appealing post you can check it out on my Patreon ( patreon.com/michaelpstanich ) or on my google drive at ( docs.google.com/document/d/1STf2tJihAw7LVCddO6ySfVvvLQ78iF0FOLIFaL_oTkY/edit?usp=sharing )

Because of posting limits I couldn't include everything, you can view the full presentation on my google drive at ( docs.google.com/document/d/1STf2tJihAw7LVCddO6ySfVvvLQ78iF0FOLIFaL_oTkY/edit?usp=sharing )

Omitted Sections

• Rewards (Patreon)
• Community Input / Suggestions
• Donations Model

Development Plan

What is Hearts of Grimoire?​

Hearts of Grimoire is a tactical action RPG set in a high fantasy world where the player follows Katyra after she and another character named "Hunny" are banished from their home. Players will control Katyra and a large array of other characters as they build a new home and travel the world looking for answers to the mysterious mist that has covered most of existence. Hearts of Grimoire will introduce players to classic JRPG style free-roam areas with interactions to NPCs and loot finding while having random battles introduced inside fields which shift the gameplay into a Tactical RPG mixed with Action elements.

Technical Aspects​

As both a developer and gamer I really want to make Hearts of Grimoire the best it can be, and that doesn't just cover mechanics and gameplay. Primarily I'll be focusing on a mid-ranged system build with a 1920x1080 60hz monitor as my baseline however I hope to have it running on much weaker machines by mid-Beta.

Confirmed

• Built in Unreal Engine 4 in a full 3D environment
• Both DirectX11-12 and OpenGL version (Will run on Windows, Linux, and
• Mac)
• Built in support for Gamepad, Keyboard/Mouse, and just Mouse control (for those with only one hand =^.-=)
• Fully rebind-able control scheme, even for the controller. Also support for mixed inputs (ex. Controller + keyboard)
• Uncapped framerate and resolution
• Scaling UI options for different size screens
• Physics! Cloth and body physics will be included (This includes bouncing melons... and boobs.)
• Wide array of graphical options by mid-Beta

Possible

• VR support, I have a long ways to go design wise for this but if demand rises I'll look into it

Unlikely

• Console versions may be impossible given some of the game's content
• Mobile versions won't exist for technical reasons

Development Cycle​

I can't give exact dates to when things will be done because, quite frankly, it depends on how much funding I can actually get. While the project will move along without donations regardless development will speed up drastically if I'm able to afford proper tools and work on the game full time. However, regardless of my funding state my development plans will always be openly available.

• Game will progress without funding but funding will drastically speed up the development cycle
• Monthly development goals will be posted and be publicly available to everyone
• The full development plan will be openly available however this document will change as features do

Erotic Content Approach​

I have always believed that story and gameplay should strongly compliment each other, every aspect of a game should improve other aspects across the entire experience and erotic content will be seen no differently. We honestly see a lot of Erotic (Hentai) Games which tend to either make all erotic with little game or the other way around and create a decent game but lackluster erotic content, I hope to create a game which doesn't sacrifice one or the other.

• Erotic content will be fully disable-able if so desired (Saves will be separate)
• Erotic undertones and moments throughout the main story
• Fully Erotic side quests
• Erotic gameplay integration
• No 'slapped on' hentai for the reasons of, "Just Because"

(Specifics available in the other sections under "Ero")

What's Allowed/Disallowed​

I feel a quick disclaimer is required here, I want to make it 100% clear that I do not judge people for that they like/dislike and my inclusions/exclusions are not in any way an attack on individuals or groups that like/dislike these types of content. Inclusions are simply things I personally want to include, things the game needs for balance (ref. Bestiality), and things communities expressed they wanted to see. Exclusions are simply things I don't want to work for either personal feelings or legal reasons.

Confirmed / Included Erotic Content (Content included through-out the game)

• Vanilla Sex (Straight)
• Lesbian / Yuri
• Beastiality / Monster / Furry
• Seduction / Entise / Desire / Lust
• Masochism
• Minor BDSM / Tied / Minor Ryona (Found in traps and spells)
• Tears / Crying (Only accompanied by joy)
• Cum / Squirt / Facial / Bakkake / Creampie
• Clothed / Uniform / Cosplay + Cloth Destruction

In-Question / May Appear (Waiting on community opinion / Creators)

• Pain / Blood (In reference to virginity loss)
• Pregnancy (Mechanic Undecided)
• Male Homosexuality (In regards to animations and interaction. Gay characters are in the game)
• Oppai? - Super Breasts! (Technical limitations make this difficult)

Banned / Excluded Content (Content that will not show up in the game)
WARNING : Some content below may cause unease or disgust in some people, if you read through the allowed/included content and saw all you wanted then please skip this section, however if you didn't see something you'd want to see proceed with caution before making a request!

• Lolicon (Visual Style)
• Underage / Child
• Pain Torture / Pain Rape
• Gore / Mutilation / Necrophilia / Vore
• Scat . Fart / Excressions / Waterworks / Bowel Trad or Works
• Bloating / Pain Inflation / Gorth
• Birth / Abortion - note : I support abortion, deal with it. *puts on shades* (Births/Abortions will always be off-screen)
• Diaper (Someone mentioned this as a joke, I added it to this list to shut-down their joke... Muh ha ha)

All About the Game

The World​

The world of Hearts of Grimoire is one of high fantasy introducing a large amount of fantasy type environments and cultures ranging from futuristic sci-fi and steampunk to gothic structures and old-style villages. Within Hearts of Grimoire's timeline this realm has been covered by a strange mysterious mist which slowly removes beings of their consciousness and begins altering lifeforms, forcing them to act on pure instinct alone, the only thing keeping people sane are these even stranger crystals called "Hearts" which seem to ward off the mist. Now villages and towns either rely on strong magical portals to travel between locations or they hire mercenaries to travel through the mist. While the mist has shortened supplies and taken many lives it has also completely broken up the war which plagued the land before the mist's appearance...

• Fantasy World with a large variety in style and culture
• Various locations with different aesthetics and game mechanics
• Portals system connecting far off pieces of land
• Small to large towns filled with NPCs and shops

Ero

• Several Erotic locations and cultures

The Story​

At the start of Hearts of Grimoire we find Katyra, our main protagonist, in a bit of trouble as her home town is under attack by strange, never before seen creatures. While attempting to escape she notices large black pillars surrounding her escape, after a quick observation she notices another person standing, giving these creatures a fight. Katyra decides running is a pointless agenda and joins in the fight. After warding off the invaders the civilians of the town quickly demand this character who was defending the town to be banished for suposidly starting the invasion in the first play. In a short defensive move by Katyra they also opt to ban her from the region, casting them off to the mist.

• Full Main Story questline following Katyra and her friends to discover the mystery of the mist
• Character development through-out the story and all quest lines (Will have impact on the characters)
• Special side questlines for each Unique Character
• Special character interaction missions
• Ever-expanding list of Missions to complete with small story implementations

Ero

• Erotic undertone through-out the main story
• Erotic scenes and scenarios
• Special Erotic side quests
• Erotic character development

Artstyle​

Hearts of Grimoire will be crafted in my own unique art style which I've described as "gothic anime". The game itself will be rendered in 3D using cell-shading with all hand made textures giving it a some-what painterly feeling to the whole game while still keeping that crisp cell-shaded look. (For more on the artstyle check out some of my past and future art and you may be able to get a general idea. I'll be posting both final and concept art as development goes on.)

1. All custom made assets
2. All art will be made in my custom "Gothic Anime" style
3. Game will be fully rendered in 3D using cell shading with some artistic additions
4. "Painterly" textures giving the world a slightly painted feel
5. Clean and Scale-able UI

Ero

• Suggestive art (Not really sure what else to write here)

Gameplay​

The gameplay mechanics of Hearts of Grimoire are rather expansive so for easier explaining I've divided it into 3 general sections, Free-Roam, Combat, and Home Base. A lot of elements will cross over between them (such as movement from free-roam being in all sections).

Free Roam​

Wait, Free-Roam? Is this an open world game? Well, sort-of. The game world will be divided into sections which can then be traveled to, once inside a section you can travel freely with full 3D movement. Free-Roam is going to be where most of the non-combat gameplay will take place where the player will control their selected character through various environments, talking to NPCs and interacting with objects.

• Use portals and other transportation to enter fully explore-able environments in various settings
• Full 3D movement similar to action games (8-direction movement, jumping, climbing)
• Take control of any Unique Character in your team, changing interactions and dialogue
• Interactive environments and puzzle implementations
• Town and Field exploration with NPCs, shops, and a nice dose of exploration
• Get missions from NPCs and receive special Side Quests to recruit Unique NPCs
• Customize your team and switch leaders at any time

Ero

• Enter 'special' shops and trades
• Seduce NPCs for items, money, or new information and missions
• Follow Unique NPCs on special occasions

Combat​

While all other parts of Hearts of Grimoire play like a non-combat action game, just slightly more complex than free-roaming found in JRPGs, when combat initiates the game switches to a tactical turn based system while keeping a lot of those action elements found in free-roam. Between turns and whenever an action is taking place everything runs in real-time and this clock only freezes when a turn is initiated but no actions are being taken (In other words when the active character is idle). The game runs off an Action Point system where Act generates over real-time, triggering a turn when their Act is maxed. During a turn, instead of having a set amount of actions which can be taken instead every action takes up Act and a turn either ends when the character runs out or the player chooses to end the turn.

• Enter combat in various fields and environments
• Randomized encounters in all fields and missions (With rare hunting)
• Real-Time counter based Turns and Effects
• Take full control of characters in their turn with 3D movement
• Sudo-Aimed attacks and abilities (Assisted Aiming)
• Set traps and environmental hazards
• Accuracy based range limitations with Sight and Cover playing a huge role
• Summon characters and resources from the Home Base
• Gather loot from victories and fallen enemies
• Mix various strategies from super passive to hyper aggressive

Ero

• Seduce enemies and drain their energies
• Use desire and lust to your advantage, or watch it be your downfall
• Special traps and spells which capitalize on desires
• Use attraction to turn off/on characters, effecting overall aggro

Home Base​

The home base in Hearts of Grimoire is going to act as a sort of centralized hub which at first will be pretty bare but as the game progresses will grow as the player recruits more unique characters and completes more quests. Some people may be sad to read this isn't necessarily a base building aspect in the traditional sense, instead structures in the home base are tied to unique characters recruited and what quests have been completed. Different characters will have different additions to the town and more than often non-combat characters will bring a profession with them allowing them to request/build a new structure, adding functionality to the base. In the end the base will act as a sort of village as visitors will come by for trade and services as the village grows in attraction.

• Manage resources to keep your home running at full speed
• Unlock new structure and functionality by recruiting Unique NPCs or completing special quests
• Use the base as a central hub and portal center to reach any visited location
• Partake in special missions for resources and to increase the base's reputation
• Receive visitors of several types who wish to trade or use services
• Free-Roam around the base to interact with characters and use structure functions (Such as a blacksmith)
• Set characters to train in specific roles, granting them experience
• Set character to jobs to gain them experience and improve function efficiency
• Ward off close-by invasions to keep the base safe

Ero

• Run 'special' services
• Train characters in Ero activities
• Follow Unique NPCs on special occasions

Characters​

Hearts of Grimoire is going to have a huge focus on characters for both gameplay and story which makes characters extremely important. This means there will be a large variety of Unique Characters along with a large list of preset normal characters to fill the enemy lines and towns. Normal characters will be what you expect, simple designs with generic dialogue, however Unique Characters will be those with special traits, unique dialogue, and very different personalities from one another. I'll be talking with the community often on what types of characters they want to see and what traits they think would be useful/fun.

• Large variety of Normal Characters with different colors and cosmetics with some stat variation
• Expansive list of Unique Characters with unique specialties and personalities
• Unique story and past for every Unique Character, some stories crossing over
• Special relations between different characters (family-friends-enemies)
• Overall character development an relation changes as stories progress

Ero

• Special relations may lead to 'special' interaction and relations
• Characters which focus heavily on Ero concepts

Character List
Small sample list​

Katyra - The Magic Machinist
-- -- Despite her reactions always being quick and on-point Katyra has never really been one to know what she wants, instead she just focuses on getting as much as she can whenever she can. This trait may sound a bit cold, and in reality that may describe Katyra to the average eye as few have managed to break her social shell and even less have managed to see her smile. Katyra's focus has always been on personal intellect and she tries her best to make other things seem useless to her, although she fails on that front quite often, especially when someone is found in danger. "We're wasting time with introductions, say your names and lets be on our way."

Hunny - The Seductress
-- -- A rather mysterious woman Hunny has always been. Hunny is the type to always know exactly what she wants but would never tell you what that is. She is the type of sweet talker to get whatever she wants, whenever she wants, and the munipulated may never even realize her deceptions. Mystery has always been her game, and she doesn't intend to stop playing anytime soon. "You still don't know the color of my eyes, do you? That's fine, I don't know yours either.. <3"

Rivio - The Mercenary
-- -- Pure strength meets pure intellect, or at least that's what the legends say! Rivio, known around the world as the most famous mercenary to ever exist. Given his fame it seems almost typical that his over-the-top confidence shrouds his actual personality but in reality no one really minds. Rivio is best known for his work with the Queen when he was the last man standing before her after a 300 to 1 invasion, after which is popularity only grew. "You see, I've got a job, and that job is to make sure fools don't get themselves killed."

Mango - The Purrfect One
-- -- Phia's number one friend! This furry Lynx is instantly recognizable by his strong yellow and orange strips over his white fur. Not only are pure white lynx' rare but this particular fellow is even potty trained! (and demesticated.. sort'of). Mango is a super curious feline with strong magical abilities and he has a unique connection with those he follows, one that has facinated all those he meets. His loyalty is unmatched to Phia and her friends. Mango-"Mrowrowraraw row nyar mrow" Phia-"He forgets he's not people sometimes."

+ Many more!

Outfits and Gear​

Characters in Hearts of Grimoire will be able to equip 1 Outfit Set (which has their personal touches) and a Weapon Set (either a 2 handed weapon or two 1 handed weapons) however they will also equip gems in 3 slot types, Soul, Mind, and Heart. Gems will not have specific slot types, instead their context will change dependent on the slot they are put in, Soul will add offensive bonuses, Mind will add special effects, and Heart will add defensive bonuses. Different characters will have different slot amounts of each type but always add up to 5 total slots.

• Change-able outfits which customize the look of a character
• Change-able weapons for different playstyles and visuals
• Unique Characters may add personal touches to outfits (Such as Katyra who doesn't like sleeves, so she often removes them)
• Gem Slots system to add various effects and customize status
• Unique Characters will have different stlot counts for different types
• Gems will be visually represented by color on most outfits
• Outfits can be re-colored in presets for added variety
• Characters may refuse to wear outfits based on personality (You're not going to see Hunny walking around in a suit of armor!)
• Outfits can be damaged and must be repaired, they can also be fully destroyed requiring all new clothing!
• Weapon durability system which allows weapons to fully break, requiring new gear!

Ero

• Some (read-most) outfits will have suggestive features
• Clothing can be damaged in combat, getting to be quite revealing
• Ero actions won't remove clothing (Unless it's part of an Ero skill used, such as "strip-tease")

Progression and Skills​

Being an RPG Hearts of Grimoire is naturally going to have lots of progression. Hearts of Grimoire has 3 stages of levels, Core, Class, and Proficiency. Core is experience gained from all actions, Class is experience gained from using specific types of skills, and Proficiency is experience gained for a specific action. Progression is going to be very focused on specific characters and their specialties, therefore different characters will gain more status for specific types of levels. Characters will also have access to all skills granted they learn them first which can be done through either leveling up related lower level skills or through special training.

• Multi-level types system which progress different stats based on character actions
• Individual class levels which further customize stats based on actions
• Proficiency levels for skills which improve their effectiveness and allow the learning of other, higher level skills
• Open class system where all characters have access to all skills
• Characters can 'train' outside of combat to improve levels and learn skills
• Unique Characters will gain more status for leveling their specialties and will naturally be more effective with them

Ero

• Ero has it's own level improving the character's effectiveness in Ero actions
• A variety of Ero exclusive skills

My Funding and Community Model (Patreon)

Patreon​

I'll be funding Hearts of Grimoire's development along with a few other of my works using Patreon. While Patreon funding won't be the be-all or end-all of the game's development it will vastly speed up the process if I'm able to afford better tools and devote more time to the project. One of my core pillars as a creator is transparency and I'll be treating my patreon with as much transparency as possible, this means patrons will know exactly where their donations are going to and how it helps the project.

Multiple Projects (Patreon)​

I mentioned Patreon is used to fund multiple projects, so how does that work? As a creator I like to work on various projects and just because I'm working on one doesn't mean I won't work on another at some point, so ultimately it's for transparency. I have a system where there is a primary project which recieves very frequent updates (Hearts of Grimoire in this case) and then a few secondary projects which will get updates here and there depending on what I want to work on and community demand.