Shadowcrest (the game)

Write the first paragraph of your page here.

Conception
Write the first section of your page here.

Premise
Shadowcrest Gardens is a large botanical garden built on a small island, open for the public to enjoy. The gardens, which make up the majority of the island, are owned by the aristocratic Hortense family. The story is set in a vaugely Victorian-esque time period. When the player registers for an account, they are immediately pulled into the story as they get to create their character who will be staying in their own house supplied by the Hortenses, in return for their internship as a studier of the magical fauna that are unique to Shadowcrest, particularly Dandipuffs. It is from there that the player is open to a wide variety of activities on the site and may choose to play the game in a way most suited to their interests.

Features
Story- The player has the option of learning about the fully fleshed out mythos of Shadowcrest and its inhabitants through exploration and quests.

Education- Players are certain to be enlightened on such subjects as horticulture, botany, mythology, money management, and more. Creativity is encouraged in the design of their homes, avatars, and dandipuffs. There will also frequently be contests that encourage player participation. Players also have the option of writing and potentially publishing their own books for other players to read!

Dynamic Gameplay- Parts of Shadowcrest will change appearance depending on the season, holiday, time, moonphase and tide, meaning that even if the player has explored every nook and cranny of its vast world,  it would take an entire year of dedicated play to see every area in all of its stages. Appearance is not the only thing affected by these factors, as every aspect of gameplay will grow and evolve along with the times.

Optional Game Enhancing Payment- Players will have the option of spending real money to enhance their experiences, but the majority of the game will be available to everyone so nobody will have to feel left out.

Community- A (hopefully) vast communinity of players from around the world, able to connect to one another over their shared interest in the game. They will be carefully moderated so a peaceful and safe experience can be enjoyed by all.

Dandipuffs- With a near unlimited combination of shapes, sizes, and colors, no two dandipuffs are alike and each one is unique and special.

Gameplay
Virtual Pet Game- players are given the opportunity to obtain, care for, and bond with their virtual pet.

Breeding sim- a virtual pet sub-genre, the player may breed their dandipuffs to produce offspring. Although, unlike breeding sims, this is not a very important part of the game in the same sense. However, what Shadowcrest has most in common with this genre is that each dandipuff has a unique look by layering different markings on generated images, just that these traits are not inherited through breeding.

Hidden object game: another key part of the game is finding items for quests, collections and for using in hatching baskets, magic and such. Items can be random and are well hidden.

Dress up/design: the player can customize the looks of their pets, home and character that represents them through the creation and arrangement of items.

Questing: the player can interact with npc characters and do quests for them, a common element in many games.

Exploration game: another genre Shadowcrest embraces is exploration. The user can explore a wide variety of areas just for the sheer excitement of discovering new and sometimes well-hidden places. The world of Shadowcrest also has a detailed backstory that players can optionally learn about through exploring.

Crafting: through following certain procedures the player can make a variety of items out of other items obtained in the game, another common element players enjoy in all sorts of games. Unlike other games, though, the crafting elements of Shadowcrest are more in-depth and rewarding.

Collecting: many games give the player the option of collecting and trading special items on the side, and others are exclusively about this feature. Shadowcrest would be the former. Players can purchase, find, earn and collect teacups, spoons, dolls, and other decorative knickknacks to win prizes, decorate their houses with or just brag about to their friends.

Farming: players can grow their own items like in farming games and gardening sims.

User generated content: players can write and publish books, enter art and poetry contests, sell art on the forums, etc. or they can keep a private journal for themselves.