2345: Sci-Fi Project [WIP]

Hosted Games Works In Progress
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UPDATE- 3/03/2016

First of all, I want to apologize to anyone who’s already gone through the demo, I haven’t been able to work on this for quite some time. Anyways, I’ve been able to get back to it recently, and hope to have more content soon. In the meanwhile, I was able to patch up the stagecraft extracurricular, give the friend a gender option, and do a tiny piece of chapter 3.

UPDATE- 1/24/2016:

I finally got done a little piece of the game, which you can find here:

2345: Sci-Fi Project

Like I said before, I’m new to all this and devoid of any kind of natural talent, so I’d welcome any feedback you can give. Not just on bugs and typos, but concepts and situations that don’t make sense, etc.

Thanks! :grin:

Original Post:

So… after my millionth play-through of Heroes Rise, I decided “hey, why not start my own project”. Of course this is a terrible idea, but I’m gonna give it a shot, just for fun.

The setting is actually this idea I’ve been kicking around in my head for quite a while now. Not just for a choicescript game, but just kinda floating around in the back of my mind. I only have an outline of a story so far, but I’m hoping to flesh it out as I go along (by the way, is that a good approach?).

It’s a sci-fi story set in a post-apocalyptic future (2345 is what I’m rolling with for now). The MC (Late teens? Like junior or senior year of high school?) is the child of some high-ranking politicians. A rival faction assassinates the parents (long story, but to the general public it looks legitimate) and forces the MC on the run. The MC flees the city into the desert (In the same way as Fallout or Borderlands, the desert is a wasteland).

That sets up the rest of the story, which I only have a vague idea of right now. I’m hoping to have a working demo up by next week or so(?) schedule permitting (oh yeah, I’m gonna need help with that too. I’m not sure how to use dropbox or such). So far I’ve only got a tiny bit started, about 1045 words of text and code.

Major issues I need to work on:

  1. This is my first choicescript project of any sort.
  2. I’m not a particularly talented writer.
  3. I suck at all things coding.
  4. I’m a straight guy. So if I want to write from a female or gay perspective, as many people like these games to go… I’m gonna need help with that.
26 Likes
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Good idea just don’t bite off more than you can chew I’ve seen some great WIPs that the author couldn’t finish.

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Sounds cool. Glad to see another Heroes Rise fan.

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A couple of thoughts on this issue:

  1. In my experience (testing, writing and gaming) the author does best if he writes the story as best he/she can using his own perspectives and then branching out as she grows. A prime example is: > Sabres of Infinity
    The author @Cataphrak has really grown in his ability and confidence to write from alternative perspectives. Growing is part of the process of writing (which is extra hard if you are a perfectionist like me). You might want to contact different authors on how they dealt with this issue too.

  2. If, after writing, you still feel unsure, look for specific testers with the appropriate background to advise and help you with feedback. Just like you would want to talk to a real law enforcement officer if writing a crime drama, talking with people who have the traits of those your characters posses will help. I know, I sometimes (well more than sometimes) need help in understanding guys’ perspectives, so when I have testers go over my work, I pay attention to a few guys that can give me honest feedback without the bs.

An open beta us always a fun experience but you might want specific focus testing as well. It does help.

PS. I am not talking about a good copyeditor - the work they do is more generalist but they are as necessary as your focus groups.

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A different thought on the issue: there are loads of different female and gay (and male and straight) perspectives, all the more as we look beyond a particular culture with its rules and roles. In 2345, why would we expect gender to look the same way as today? If you want players to have a different experience playing characters of different sexes and orientations (and note that that’s a nice-to-have, not a necessity – cf. much of Heroes Rise), you decide what that’s going to look like in 2345 and have fun with it.

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In my opinion Dashingdon is much better than Dropbox. Try it out.
http://dashingdon.com/index.php

You just create an account, create a game, and then upload your scenes. That easy. It was specifically made for choicescript games. It’s free and all that.

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Yeah, men and women or straight and gay people aren’t inherently different species. We still have the same worries and fears - unless you plan to include homophobia or sexism, which, as I see it, is not needed in a game set in the future.
(Speaking for myself and as a gay woman, literally the only thing I want out of a game is to be able to choose to have a f/f romance. And preferably the romance option to not have gender restrictions. But that’s pretty much all. I don’t want a gay PC to be treated differently from a straight one. I don’t want homosexuality to be treated like something strange and different - all I want is a classic story with all the classic tropes, except the PC and the love interest happen to be female.)

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Seconded. Only with m/m relationships.

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Thanks for all the responses, guys!

@Branton Yeah, I’ve seen tons of WIP’s that had potential but never went anywhere. I’m gonna try really hard not to end up like that, even if progress is slow.

@Shawnheatherly Thanks!

@Zolataya 's mention of @Cataphrak made me think of something. In Mecha Ace, the player can choose NPC genders, for the purpose of writing a romance, I’m guessing. I think I’m gonna try doing something like that, so that I can write it in a way that makes sense to me, but also works for anybody, like @blackrising and @DarthDovahkin said.

@Dark_Jester thanks for the suggestion, that sounds like a good idea.

@Havenstone Thanks for the input!

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I feel that perhaps @blackrising and @DarthDovahkin may have misinterpreted my intended message in my prior post. I did not wish to convey that a pc should be treated different because of who they are or are not.

As an author/developer, I really strive to find the little things to attribute to my characters, their relationships and their personalities that bring them to the “next level” of authenticity. Sometimes, people with different life experiences can add perspectives to my writing and coding that will help my game/writing to that next level of perfection I am always seeking.

I am always learning and discovering things about my fellow human beings that I did not know before.

Anyways, @user22hundred seemed to benefit from my feedback, so I am glad my feedback was somewhat useful.

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I wasn’t referring to you in my answer. I didn’t read your post prior to answering, in fact. :wink:

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I am feeling defensive today I guess, sorry. :slightly_smiling:

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Idea seems a bit too vague for me to get behind but I’ll keep an eye out for this one.

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IF you every need a tester just let me know.

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@Inepted12 Yeah, I’m still working out details as I go, all I’ve got now is an outline and maybe half a chapter. Working on it every day, though.

@Branton Thanks! I’ll let you know.

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So: I’ve written a little bit, but I’m gonna hold off on uploading a short demo for a few days, there’s a point that I want to reach before doing so. Also, I’d like to thank everyone for their responses.

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I am working on my first project too!

Says you! Your readers shall prove you wrong! :relaxed:

This and number two - want to start a club? :wink:

I don’t think this matters much, gender is a genetic effect and personality mostly a socio-political creation. Neither is flawless or absolute. While I myself am straight I believe love and lust is the same [for all regardless of gender], the only difference is in who-does-what-to-who. :grin:

Looking forward to what see you will offer us. :slightly_smiling:

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Thanks! Maybe we can help each other out sometime.

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Maybe that we can, @user22hundred.

Also, you’re most welcome. :relaxed:

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@user22hundred @Taylor_Enean
If I may get in on that, working on my first project. I reckon I’m not too bad at writing. I’m pretty good at coding. As regards to the ‘gay’ RO, that I believe is for the most part up is up to the player anyway…