Future Project Ideas (Patreon)

We just wanted to share some of the ideas we're batting around for our next project or future projects. 

You'll notice that I really like writing worlds and settings that have some form of magic or ESP – and ability users in general. Mostly because settings where people can blow stuff up with their minds are just kind of fun. 

Though Changeling is more of a general magic setting with magic creatures – where some people do exhibit magic but there's not necessarily a focus on "abilities" - both of the ideas below focus on "ability user" type setting because I just think they're fun to write.

Here are two of them (not in any particular order).

Endgame

Endgame is an existing project that I started working on prior to Changeling. Like Changeling, it started as a traditional novel. But I see a lot of potential in it to become a visual novel. In fact, I actually really, really want to make this into a visual novel because of, well, the visuals. It's such a pretty world in my head that I would love to see it come alive as a visual novel.

The setting is Solarpunk and the story is set on an earth-colonized, tidal locked planet called Altair. 

For those unsure what tidal locking is, it just means that the planet is locked so that one side always faces the sun (for instance, our moon is tidal locked to earth, which is why we only ever see one side of it.) So on Altair, one side of the planet is constantly bathed in sun while the other is shrouded in perpetual night.

Society exists within bio-domes that protect them from the harsh climate. These domes were on the planet when earth ships found it - remnants of an ancient civilization that either abandoned the world or somehow died out. Most of the current colonists have never been outside the domes. 

The nation on the day side of the planet is Cessolis. The cities are wealthy, bright and full of promise. There is very little petty crime on a day to day basis. The only worry most people have is the political tension between Cessolis and Delphine, the night side of the planet - and the ever present threat of things dissolving into violence.

Oh. And the terrorist group known as Crimson, who occasionally causes trouble.

Delphine is darker, poorer and rife with political upheaval and violence. Though some of its cities are wealthy and decadent, many of them have fallen into disrepair with huge portions of them that have become slums. 

Delphine and Cessolis have always been at odds - since the first years of colonization. They both vie for control of the vast solar array that powers much of both nations. Though Cessolis currently maintains control of this power source - and isn't that generous with what they share with Delphine, there are many people who would love control of those systems. 

The sole force keeping war from breaking out is Endgame, a group of powerful Espers that keep the peace on Altair. Though they are headquartered in Cessolis, Endgame is neutral and works to protect civilians - as well as several critical systems that keep the bio-domes up and running. Systems both governments as well as Crimson would love to gain control of.

And beneath all the upheaval, another group has started to make its moves as well - a shadowy organization known as The Court.

Our MC is Mia Leone (name subject to change), a young woman who Endgame attempts to recruit. She is somewhere between 19-21 and is currently studying in one of Cessolis' universities. 

Regarding mechanics:

The goal is to allow the player to choose whether Mia joins Endgame or Crimsson. There are two other possible paths we could include - one that would lead her into the heart of The Court, and the other of which would lead her into the outside world and the Caravans that travel the strange twilight region where day meets night. 

The setting for Endgame is massive and the story possibilities pretty expansive. This project is one of the reasons I wondered how people feel about "route at a time" type releases. There are so many possible story routes that it might be necessary to release a smaller game with a few routes, then slowly add onto it with updates over time.

Other info:

One aspect of the story that's difficult to explain in a short summary is that the setting is quite diverse. Cessolis is bright, colorful solarpunk while Delphine is darker, grittier, with more of a cyberpunk feel. While the Caravans outside have an almost neobedouin feel. The vastly different look and feel of the different groups in the story are one reason why I'd like to do this as a Visual novel.

Also, there are a lot of chess references and thematic elements woven into this story. The systems that control the bio-domes are controlled by an artificial intelligence that was dubbed "KING" by the first colonists (this was due to a symbol on the mainframe that reminded someone of the chess symbol for the king piece).

KING is the founder of Endgame and when he created it, he began to class the Espers using chess pieces as a frame of reference. 

Pawns are those with basic abilities. Most of them never reach more than average power levels. But pawns are capable of becoming very, very powerful through adjustments to their nano-machines.

Rooks are those with biokinesis that allows them to enhance their physical abilities (such as speed, strength, senses.)

Knights possess defensive and teleportation type skills. Most possess some form of low level telekinesis as well. 

Bishops are powerful telepaths and clairvoyants with precognition abilities.

Queens are the strongest ability users and, in addition to their own powers, can mimic the abilities of other pieces. They can also completely conceal their psi-waves, matching the brain patterns of normal humans (which makes them rather tricky to find and identify.)

Kings possess "technokinesis" that allows them to interface directly with machines. Namely, Kings can interface directly with, and even control KING. Which is why it's necessary to keep them protected from groups that might use their power to take over KING's systems. Control KING - and the entire planet is as your mercy.

There are also Faerie pieces that are basically zombie-like mutants whose nano-machines have been corrupted with a rather nasty virus that is spread around by the very mysterious "Titania."

So yeah. Big world, big setting. Would be a fun project. 

Unnamed Steampunk

This is a new setting that Sprocket and I came up with as a potential future project. We have discussed the possibility of doing a darker project - one with more horror elements (but not full on horror - just some scarier moments and darker plot points.)

This would be that setting.

This is a dark, Victorian steampunk that would be set in a sort of AU earth.  It would be set in an England-like setting, but not England per se. (We may or may not name the country or specify the setting.) This would be what we call "functional steampunk" in that it would have the anachronistic industrialization - airships and other strange inventions while still relying heavily on the Victorian era for how society is portrayed. 

As we imagine this setting, there are several types of people that exist:

Ability users (that would probably get some kind of collective name). These are people who, well, possess strange abilities. Someone might, for instance, be able to control fire. Others might be able to create objects from drawings or make plants grow by touching them.

And then there are normal humans. Who are just...normal. They have no idea ability users exist due to an innate quality possessed by all ability users that makes normal people forget (or even fail to notice) any ability they actually witness.

For years ability users existed in plain sight. Some used their abilities to harm, some to protect. Some just tried to live normal lives or even research where their abilities come from.

But then a third type of person came to light - someone who is neither an ability user nor a normal human. They have no unique powers that anyone has detected yet - except one. They remember. To normal people they may just seem like madmen. To those with abilities, they may well prove a serious threat.

The MC would be a young woman between 19-22(ish), who works at her aunt's bookstore by day. By night, she searches for answers regarding a strange incident several years ago that resulted in the deaths of her entire family – her aunt excepted. An incident no one else seems to quite recall the same way she does…

Mechanics:

Much of this story is unplanned or in the "very sketchy idea" phase. We do know that each route would be entirely stand alone. Unlike in Changeling where the routes follow similar paths where Nora explores her origins, these routes would all go totally different directions and encompass completely unique plot development.  (But not to the point we'd have to utilize the "alternate dimension/world" element you sometimes see in visual novels. LoL)

Other:

Like Endgame, I think this is a game we could release with a few routes and actually add onto over time. There are pretty much endless possibilities for routes with this one.

Anyway, those are just two of our potential future ideas. I won't say that either one is a definite go. And those are just two of them.

I have at least three other steampunk ideas, two other stories that occur in the Changeling universe, and another Faerie themed story that has nothing to do with Changeling.

So let us know what you think! As always, we would love to hear what you guys want to see next, too.