Cozy Test

Originally started off as a basic test to see if I could recreate the gameplay mechanics of the Gameboy Advanced release of The Sims: Bust'n Out, as I really enjoyed how that life simulation game was done on the Gameboy Advance.  There were a lot of interesting and quirky characters to talk to, whom would give you quests, and that you could also befriend.

You were also able to buy items at a local store, and furnish your in-game homes, which kept growing until you moved into a large mansion.  It has a really fun gameplay loop, and don't really see many games like this, so I wanted to make my own.  However, this didn't turn into that, and turned into something completely different as I kept playing with various engine features.

The game starts with you the player getting a house and a mortgage on this island, similar in vein to the Animal Crossing series, but the catch is here, is that you can then rent smaller rooms in this house to various tenants whom becoming coming out of this portal, that isn't named a Moongate, but is very similar in design to the pre-Ultima VII style of Moongate.  In this game, they are merely referred to a portal, although they do appear in the center of a circle of stones...  Sue me Richard, I'd love to meet you in person, even if it's in a court room.  All hail Lord British!

I make that last remark, as I was highly tempted on turning this into more than just a demo, and more into a full series of sorts, so out of respect to Ultima possibly coming back, maybe, just maybe, in a sellable game, I'll tone down the portal just a bit.

The first part of the story takes place on the island, where new tenants begin moving in.  The first two are Betty, and Horance.  The latter is a special name, and some people reading this might know exactly where this name is from.  Betty however is the main focus of this story, where after awhile she exhausts her funds and needs to make money so she can continue paying rent, and decides to take on portal quests through the portal.  This is where the story gets rather interesting, and I don't want to spoil anything.  Some people who might have been smart enough to decode my Linux PC in the Website JRPG will know my future plans for the story.  I will be writing a longer post here, but in a separate document for people who might not care about spoilers.