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[Ren'Py] [VN] Minotaur Hotel [Build 0.3] [MinoHotel]

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Developer: MinoHotel itch.io - Twitter
Version:
0.3
Release Date: 2020-05-22
Last Updated: 2020-06-17
Censored: No
OS: Windows, Linux, Mac
Language: English
Genre:
2DCG, Male protagonist, Furry, Gay, Mystery, Romance

Overview:
Minotaur Hotel is a romance visual novel about Asterion -- the minotaur from the old greek myth -- and what he's been through over the centuries.

During a trip you acquire the deed for a magical, dilapidated hotel sitting atop a cliff overlooking a valley. There you meet the caretaker -- Asterion. As the new owner you will try to restore the hotel to its former glory and bring in guests. Meanwhile you will learn about Asterion, his crime and the sentence the gods imposed on him.

The valley below contains many secrets which will reveal more about the past and the gods -- but it also houses many threats. Send out exploration teams to scavenge for answers and resources.

Changelog:
Build 0.3
  • As of the current build the story evolves into three different "branches." The specifics of which actions lead to which can get a bit complicated, but here's the summary of it:
    • "The Good Master": Treat Asterion particularly well and don't send him out to the valley.
    • "The Friendly Master": Don't send Asterion to the valley, but don't go out of your way to treat him well.
    • "The Ruthless Master": Send Asterion to the valley.
      • There is yet more variation on the "Ruthless" branch, based on whether the player sent Asterion out only once or more times (you can send him out again on Build 0.3).
  • Based on previous choices you will either have Kota or Luke as the lounge's manager. Each option brings a number of unique scenes which contain backstory on both characters. Even if you have a favorite you might want to replay the game with the other option to see everything there is about your preferred boy.
  • Argos makes a return! He has unique scenes depending on how your confrontation with him ended on Build 0.1 — that means there are five ways it can go on Build 0.3, based on the following outcomes:
    • The player signed the contract without contesting it;
    • The player contested the contract, but did not pick the right article;
    • The player contested the contract and got it right;
    • The player tricked Argos some other way (exclusive to Humanities and Leader backgrounds), and
    • The player has the Speedrunner background, in which case he signs the contract to "save frames."
  • Build 0.3 adds the staff management mechanic! You'll have to send your staff members to Research & Development (R&D) or Exploration to accomplish time-sensitive tasks. You can fail and succeed in a number of ways, and for the most complex of the tasks there are in total 7 possible outcomes.
  • On top of that, while exploring the valley you can find old items. For now they take the form of fragmentary writings about Asterion's life over the centuries. There is both strategy and randomness in this process — certain choices will bring you more loot, at a price. There are 25 items to find right now, 18 of which make up a whole plotline when put together. As of this moment you cannot find them all in a single playthrough, which means you'll have to either play it more than once or get together with more people to piece it all together.
  • There are three accessories you can get in-game, which we picked based on a community consultation we did some weeks ago. One of them is exclusive to the Speedrunner background.
  • The player will talk about the Internet with Asterion, the contents of the conversation depend on the background you picked at the start of the game.
And that's about it as far as new content goes. Again, you'll get more out of Build 0.3 if you replay it.

Beyond that, here are a few general changes:

  • It turns out the game was setup to automatically pick the maximum text speed — infinite. Text was instantly being put on-screen, which is not recommended. We actually have been spending some time trying to set up little flags so the text stops here and there, when it would fit the dialogue, and that kinda spoils it. We changed the default speed to a more reasonable one — but remember you can change it by going to the Options menu.
  • Build-a-Moo has been tweaked, which is something you can access by finding the secret VIP Room. Now when fully healed, Asterion can wear jeans while shirtless — previously the jeans were in a package with the modern shirt. This way, eventually, people will be able to mix and match jeans with upper body clothes and accessories without a shirt.
  • Added a files screen to browse contracts and items obtained through exploration and research.
  • A new screen was made for the first encounter with Argos so players can read the full contract while choosing what term to contest.
  • The field of flowers outside the lounge now has an appropriate background.
Build 0.2.5
Sorry for taking so long! From the get go we wanted Minotaur Hotel to have an unique interface. That means custom screens and modifications to the menus... Which we designed with computer screens in mind. That means a lot of stuff would mess up when we tried porting the game over to Android.

We didn't want this to be a rushjob, so we took our time and reworked the menus, user interface, textboxes, title screen, etc. to accommodate for mobile. This was a good excuse to update our UI. The menu now has subscreens to keep track of items, current guests, and more. The ledger screen is still there on desktop to have quick access to this information as well.

Other new features:
  • Revamped title screen! Big buttons to make it easier for people playing on mobile.
  • Added chapter transitions: We added a short screen before a new chapter starts, stating the chapter's number and name. Hopefully this will make time skips and changes in point-of-view more clear. Plus, it gives us the chance to build some tension with each chapter's name.
    • This also gave us a chance to move around the points where a new chapter starts for better pacing.
  • Added skip button to certain chapters: Not everyone wants to see content for the guests, now you can skip it.
  • Save files now display the chapter you're currently in as well as your player's background. Additional information about your save file is available on the save and load screens.
  • Some people found the scrolling patterns that are all over the UI distracting. We've added the option to disable them, check the Settings.
  • The help menu, which previously only displayed the controls on the PC and Linux version, will now additionally present information such as an explanation on stats, what your current background does, and more things coming down the line in case players need a reminder.
  • Speaking of which, we had players complain about not knowing the effects of choosing your player background. We added a new screen to display what each background does when selecting it to help players make a more informed decision.
  • Much needed refactoring and cleaning up on the backend and frontend to make the game easier to maintain.
  • Minor updates like increasing text size or adding black background to white text for extra visibility
Modifications to content:
The single most important modification relates to a point a number of players raised. People were asking about how mythical creatures fit in with this setting, pointing out how weird it is for people not minding Kota and Luke while being surprised at Asterion.

So, here's the thing... What we originally had in mind was a kind of urban fantasy where mythical beings are known to exist, yes, but generally kept at the margins of society and seen as an oddity. But after we analyzed the reactions we got from our poll we had to face that I didn't do a very good job on that front. Thanks to everyone who filled the the feedback form, by the way, that was essential for us to improve the game.

While making Build 0.2 we had considered another possibility... That mythical beings use a "charm" to pass off as humans. Coupled with the reaction we gathered, we figured out this would ultimately be the better option, as it would also allow us to more effectively explore a number of themes we wanted to tackle.

I edited the game to account for that. In other words, this is a retcon, yes. Sorry for the trouble, but we figured it's best to address this now instead of letting a troublesome element bog the story down on the long term! If you want the short version of what these changes are about, here it is: mythical creatures use a charm to pass off as humans, and more often than not this charm is a passport.

Now, let's see the changes to content.

  • Prologue:
    • We revamped the setting of the prologue. Our original idea for it was not coming through, people were feeling confused, so we changed it. Now the prologue happens on a bus station, instead of the player having a choice on where it happens.
    • Beyond that, some dialogue was added to the Prologue. It is mostly on world building to clarify a few points people raised -- a brief conversation about the supernatural.
  • Chapter 1:
    • When the MC is exploring the room near the reception where he finds the ledger with the guests and their check-in dates, he now also has the option to investigate a safe -- it contains some stuff which relates to world building. That scene has been slightly rewritten.
    • If you treated Asterion well until the infirmary scene it will change slightly depending on whether or not you were overbearing. This was intended from the start but it got left low on the priority list.
    • Before accepting Asterion's oath I had added a choice to pry for more information. In keeping in line with the points people raised about the world building not being clear enough I decided to integrate it into the linear narrative. So now everyone will go through that dialogue.
    • After Asterion wakes from his nap you now have the chance to ask a few questions. They revolve around how the Hotel and contracts work and some world building about the role mythical beings play in society outside the Hotel. This is one of the ways we are addressing some of the criticism we received - first, that the MC wasn't really reacting to the fantastical things happening around him and confusion about how the story's setting works.
  • Chapter 2:
    • Modified how the scene at the underground storeroom plays out. Previously you had the choice for touching/not touching anything. This time around you are given the choice to "Examine" which will give out an unique outcome depending on the MC's background.
  • Chapter 3:
    • If you decide to hand Asterion over to Argos the story continues from there with different dialogue to account for this. There are a few dialogue variations peppered throughout the rest of the game. Fair warning: this isn't a whole new route by itself. It changes a bit how your relation with Asterion progresses.
  • Kota and Luke's Chapters
    • They were slightly edited to account for the change in worldbuilding -- namely, now mythical creatures keep charms that make them pass off as humans. This lead to some small changes peppered over their chapters.
    • Again, you can skip these scenes if you want.
  • Others
    • By extension some of the scenes where Luke and Kota appear (arriving at the Hotel, overhauling the lounge) had slight modifications applied to them to conform to the new worldbuilding format we are going for.
Build 0.2
N/A

Build 0.1
Initial release

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Windows - MEGA
Linux - MEGA
Mac - MEGA
Android - MEGA

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