Magical Camp: CE - Development Plans (Patreon)

Hello, and a big thanks to all you old/ returning and new supporters!

My intention today was to make a map in 'Magical Camp: MC' which would let all of you know what the crystallization of plans was now that I am out of the 'pre-production' phase of Magical Camp.
But... as I have made several events within the camp that shall be a pain to undo/ re-do,  and the more I thought on it, the less sense it made to stick to that plan. So I've outlined some of my plans below instead.

For those not savvy about how a game is developed there are generally three stages:

- Pre-production.
- Production.  <- We are here!
- Post Production.

Though these are categorized as progressively moving forward, there can be some dipping into a prior stage at any point of production, it isn't a hard rule.

So now that I have that out of the way, here are some potential spoilers SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK FROM THIS POINT OUT.


Mechanics:

The original 'Magical Camp' presented an interesting dilemma to the player: either allow the MC to become feminized for more power, or suffer a little bit by applying a self-imposed goal of not being feminized, or at least partially be. I like this mechanical concept, but, let's be honest here, people who play these games WANT the MC to be feminized. I cannot account for this, no matter how much I cast my intellectual eye to the problem, so I've put another spin on things:

- Camp hub upgrades!

I plan on creating permanent status buffs that apply to the MC on the condition that specific materials are delivered to key actors in the camp and the upgrades are met.

Examples that I have thought of so far are:
- Want a small max HP increase? Better talk to Pim about getting better quality beds!
- Found a new species/ race that can help out towards some big end-game climactic battle? Gotta find someone who can create an environment close to their indigenous home world in camp!
- Sick of those smaller pesky magico infiltrating the camp and eating your hard-earned currency/ items and even draining HP while you sleep? Time to scout for something to help bolster security around the camp!
- Want better weapons and 'armour'? Unfortunately for the MC there is only one crafter, and she devoutly believes that a girl's body is a temple that should be decorated and venerated as such... You still need to find such a useful ally, however!

Of course, the permanent upgrades can help out a player who wants to do a 'TF-less' run, but they also stack with feminization. This keeps options open to me as a dev to make super bosses that are optional, but have some extremely potent rewards. To counter the necessity of requiring feminization I am adding something that allows the MC a short-term edge for these specific fights, but with major long-term drawbacks. I'll elaborate more on this when it is closer to being implemented.

Magico Cores are still a thing that can transform and upgrade, as is Phyre's Tower, and, as the wiki states about Magico:

"Like something out of Lovecraft, Magicos are interdimensional horrors spawned forth by a universe-spanning mindless evil that seeks out living creatures to parasitize, enslave, and/or devour. They are the primary antagonists throughout most of Magical Camp. Marianne's crusade to train up Magical Girls at any cost is motivated entirely by her desire to destroy all Magicos, even driving her and Phyre to use Magico arcano cores to better fight against them.

Magicos as encountered on various worlds seemingly come in two types: regular Magicos that are more or less the foot soldiers of Arcanos, and Magico Lords, which act as its generals. The difference is not only in their power but also the shape of their cores; regular Magicos' cores are dodecahedron-shaped, while those of Magico Lords are octahedron-shaped instead.

There are also Magico Leviathans, colossal creatures closer to living starships than soldiers. While Leviathans don't have unique cores, upon death they release millions upon millions of null (empty) cores which, once they enter some form of suitable environment, eventually mature into true Magico Cores. In this sense, Leviathans can be seen as interstellar transport craft."

I am not deviating from this established lore in any way, so that's that.

The world of CE takes place in an alternate universe and an indeterminate amount of years (for now) after the original happenings of 'Magical Camp'. I've done this so I can have greater liberty in my storytelling and not step on HLF's narrative toes when it comes to their pre-established lore and worldbuilding. HLF may come back after all. (Crosses fingers).

More planets have been found containing prospective magical girls, meaning that far more 'alien-looking' races have been scouted from a larger pool and shall be present within the camp.
This also means that magic has advanced further during this time, allowing for more advanced spell casting and effects. Though at the look of the camp...

One of the major breakthroughs in magical innovation was the discovery of one of Phyre's once thought long-lost tomes - the 'Arcanum Translatio'. The research in this book allows deceased magical girl spirits to enter the bodies of alive fully-fledged Magical Girls and trainees alike.
This cohabitation has been known to restore ineffectual bodily functions, including constricted magical circuitry, plus the ritual has also been shown to be effective in healing dying magical girls. The amount of these lingering spirits is extremely finite however, only being used on the most promising of magical girls.
Both the tome and the case study of the human 'Erica' proved that this practice worked.

Pim (the camp's ex recruitment fairy), having dragged our MC back after being mortally wounded on Earth has grabbed 3 'bottles of spirits' that 'she' (you) can choose from to save the MCs life:

- A motherly cow magical girl: whose milk restored the health of her allies. She was aggressively nurturing at times...
- A seductress witch: who fastidiously prepared herself for any eventuality... even the one that led to her death. She was a master alchemist and manipulator who enjoyed spandex.
- The spirit of the unknown: A girl who didn't manage to even get registered in the camp prior to her demise. No one knows her name or origin, but she was a trickster who primarily enjoyed two things in life; her friends and fried tofu. The former being why she sacrificed herself.

Each spirit alters mechanics and plot to some degree... but you shall see how in the future.

Now... onto the camp followers.

After much theory crafting and deliberation, I've decided that there shall be FIVE party members available, including the MC. The worlds are much more dangerous now.

I have a list of character archetypes and their races ready for you to vote on after the next MC update. You can choose two characters archetypes and their races!

Some of them have silly cultures, such as being a subservient race that is under the protection of more dominant ones so they dress as maids, for example.

If you have any ideas for specific archetypes then post below.
Shineypooface has already given me an idea that shall be in the poll!

I think that is everything outlined that I wish to divulge...

So I'll speak to you all Friday!