Project ME was designed as a gatcha game, so getting characters was the main mechanics for that project to make money. When we started making Evershine, we debated on how much of the mechanics (without the gatcha) we wanted to keep. Do we allow the storyline and sidequests to introduce all the settlers and have less player agency, or do we spread the characters throughout the land and let the player have full control? Eventually, we said "Why not both?"
We will employ a tier system, where a small group of characters are the core romanceables. They will be introduced by the main story and have the most content, be it the main story or their own relationship arcs. Other than the core characters, there are some 20 plus named characters that are introduced by the main quest, through sidequests, and through recruitment; some are even hidden. They also have unique relationship stories but less content than the core group. Now if any of them become super popular, of course we're flexible. Finally, there will be a selection of random NPCs with random traits. They will mostly be introduced through recruiting. They might share some common relationship arc, but not any unique ones.
With this design, we hope players can have unique experiences through multiple playthroughs, as the settlement makeup will never be the same. Different character sets in different scenes will provide different dialogue, it'll be a doozy for you completionists out there.
Once you have settlers in town, you can put them to work at the jobs they're best suited for. A good fighter may not necessarily be a good farmer, so you'll have to be a good leader and choose roles wisely! If you don't, you'll know soon enough! Your people will let you know if the cook is ruining dishes, they aren't getting enough sleep, or if the entertainment isn't particularly... entertaining. We're also considering a "hard mode" where all the settlers are extra cranky and hard to appease.
Finally, the director wanted me to also touch upon the relationship building a bit more in this article. One of the things that made the My Time series standout was the play date system. This time, we want to make it even more dynamic. There will be more poses, more interactions, as well as more flirting options. We're also attempting some form of dynamic interaction between characters depending on their relationship with the player. Just imagine, if you have three followers and they're all in love with you. What kind of side comments will they have directed at each other? At you? Would they compete to take a hit for the player or get jealous at everything? Fun times ahead!
