A question of laziness (or efficiency)!

Soooo…I’m working on this superhero game, where at the character creator you pick one out of 40 different powers you can have for the game, buuuuut…in the actual story itself, this means I either need to make 40 different versions of the same events with slight alterations via copy-pasting, and have the game lock in on one depending on what you picked, or…?

Did I totally just make something way too huge to even do, or is there a way to actually make this work in a way that isn’t going to be mega messy and super long? :smiley:

P.S EDIT: I USED BOOLEAN TRUE/FALSE for setting the power. :slight_smile:

My game’s gonna have about as many power options in total, and i have it that the powers can be used when it would make sense.
Like, if you are a ferrokinetic there’s not much you can do to keep yourself dry when you forgot your umbrella and have no metal to make into on.
But a hydro- or aerokinetic can do stuff here.

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Oh hey Penguin! :slight_smile: CUTIE!!!

So you like, have one set path written out, with intervals where you could use a power if you had it, but otherwise the game would pass by that moment without giving a choice or something? Or what? :slight_smile: You didn’t copy-paste 40 different versions of the story did you?

*choice
  #Flight.
    *goto history
  #Invisibility.
    *goto history
  #Super speed.
    *goto history
  #Super strength.
    *goto history
  #Rapid cell regeneration.
    *goto history
  #Space-time manipulation.
    *goto history
  #Supercharging.
    *goto history
  #Technopathy.
    *goto history
  #Telekinesis.
    *goto history
  #Cryokinesis.
    *goto history
  #Pyrokinesis.
    *goto history
  #Terrakinesis.
    *goto history
  #Electric manipulation.
    *goto history
  #Telepathy.
    *goto history
  #Shapeshifting (humans only).
    *goto history
  #Shapeshifting (animals only).
    *goto history
  #Spider mutation.
    *goto history
  #Sound manipulation.
    *goto history
  #Spontaneous disintegration (of objects/people).
    *goto history
  #Sedation (puts people to into a sleep state)
    *goto history
  #Puppeteering (control human motor functions)
    *goto history
  #Precognitive dreaming.
    *goto history
  #Precognitive drawing.
    *goto history
  #Body possession.
    *goto history
  #Phasing (intangibility; walk through walls, floors and ceilings)
    *goto history
  #Persuasion (force others to obey spoken commands)
    *goto history
  #Mental manipulation (erase memories in others, or even cancel out the abilities of others around you)
    *goto history
  #Lie detection.
    *goto history
  #Radioactivity.
    *goto history
  #Illusions.
    *goto history
  #Healing/Killing touch.
    *goto history
  #Gravity manipulation.
    *goto history
  #Enhanced hearing.
    *goto history
  #Replication (ability to create clones of one's self)
    *goto history
  #Clairvoyance (see distant people/places)
    *goto history
  #Animal communication/control.
    *goto history
  #Activation/deactivation (turn on/off objects, people, and ASPECTS of people - organs, nervous system, powers)
    *goto history
  #Alter ego (a secondary mind exists within your own, another conciousness, with their own thoughts, emotions, and sense of identity - and powers; a true, real world case of the hollywood depiction of multiple personality disorder)
    *set alterego true
    *goto alteregogenerator
  #Ability replication (copy one ability at a time by way of physical contact with another superpowered person; if you take one ability, then take a new one after that, you will lose the first one you had)
    *goto history
  #Ability absorption (permanently steal another's ability, rendering them powerless in the process - can absorb and hold as many abilities as you want)
    *goto history
  #Empathic mimicry (The ability to duplicate the powers of others within proximity and reproduce them at will; you're a human power sponge, and there is no limit to how many abilities you can hold at once)
    *goto history
  #Intuitive aptitude (the ability to analyze and understand complex systems instantly, without any prior training or understanding; when applied to the human brain, someone with this ability may be capable of replicating the powers of others...)
    *goto history

*label alteregogenerator

Destiny decides who and what else exists alongside you...

*rand alter_name 0 1

*if alter_name = 0
  *set alter_name "Jessica"
  *goto alteregogendergen
*elseif alter_name = 1
  *set alter_name "Erica"
  *goto alteregogendergen

*label alteregogendergen

*rand alter_gender 0 1

*if alter_gender = 0
  *set alter_gender "Woman"
  *goto alteregopowergen
*elseif alter_gender = 1
  *set alter_gender "Man"
  *goto alteregopowergen

*label alteregopowergen

*rand alter_power 0 40

*if alter_power = 0
  *set alter_power "Flight"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 1
  *set alter_power "Invisibility"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 2
  *set alter_power "Super speed"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 3
  *set alter_power "Super strength"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 4
  *set alter_power "Rapid cell regeneration"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 5
  *set alter_power "Space time manipulation"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 6
  *set alter_power "Supercharging"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 7
  *set alter_power "Technopathy"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 8
  *set alter_power "Telekinesis"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 9
  *set alter_power "Cryokinesis"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 10
  *set alter_power "Pyrokinesis"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 11
  *set alter_power "Terrakinesis"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 12
  *set alter_power "Electric manipulation"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 13
  *set alter_power "Telepathy"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 14
  *set alter_power "Shapeshifting-Human"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 15
  *set alter_power "Shapeshifting-Animal"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 16
  *set alter_power "Spider mutation"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 17
  *set alter_power "Sound manipulation"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 18
  *set alter_power "Spontaneous disintegration"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 19
  *set alter_power "Sedation"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 20
  *set alter_power "Puppeteering"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 21
  *set alter_power "Precognitive dreaming"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 22
  *set alter_power "Precognitive drawing"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 23
  *set alter_power "Body possession"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 24
  *set alter_power "Phasing"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 25
  *set alter_power "Persuasion"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 26
  *set alter_power "Mental manipulation"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 27
  *set alter_power "Lie detection"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 28
  *set alter_power "Radioactivity"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 29
  *set alter_power "Illusions"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 30
  *set alter_power "Healing-Killing touch"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 31
  *set alter_power "Gravity manipulation"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 32
  *set alter_power "Enhanced hearing"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 33
  *set alter_power "Replication"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 34
  *set alter_power "Clairvoyance"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 35
  *set alter_power "Animal communication-Control"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 36
  *set alter_power "Activation-Deactivation"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 37
  *set alter_power "Ability replication"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 38
  *set alter_power "Ability absorption"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 39
  *set alter_power "Empathic mimicry"
  *goto history
*elseif alter_power = 40
  *set alter_power "Intuitive aptitude"
  *goto history

This is my character creator.

And this…

*create flight false
*create invisibility false
*create superspeed false
*create superstrength false
*create rapidcellregeneration false
*create spacetimemanipulation false
*create supercharging false
*create technopathy false
*create telekinesis false
*create cryokinesis false
*create pyrokinesis false
*create terrakinesis false
*create electricmanipulation false
*create telepathy false
*create shapeshiftinghuman false
*create shapeshiftinganimal false
*create spidermutation false
*create soundmanipulation false
*create spontaneousdisintegration false
*create sedation false
*create puppeteering false
*create precognitivedreaming false
*create precognitivedrawing false
*create bodypossession false
*create phasing false
*create persuasion false
*create mentalmanipulation false
*create liedetection false
*create radioactivity false
*create illusions false
*create healingkillingtouch false
*create gravitymanipulation false
*create enhancedhearing false
*create replication false
*create clairvoyance false
*create animalcommunicationcontrol false
*create activationdeactivation false
*create alterego false
*create abilityreplication  false
*create abilityabsorption false
*create empathicmimicry false
*create intuitiveaptitude false

is my startup.

Yeah. I guess I could write one single narrative, and then copy-paste *if *elseif list of all the powers at only certain times, like a fight sequence? I don’t know! Not sure how to make this wooork…

Former. It’s a few set points.

So do you think I should do that too for mine?

Have a bunch of generic choices with a few special situations for each?

Or give the mc something like absorption so you can add the powers at your own pace. The beginning of your story should be easier at least.

I do think 40 is a little much though but if you think you can achieve it go ahead :blush:

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Your choice.
I have a variable that states the power and basically checks like this:

*if (pclass1 = "cryokinetic")
   Text

Etc

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I was thinking about that. Just having absorption, then all the others can be obtained along the way. :slight_smile: But still deciding.

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Hmm. Well the main character uses true/false for power check in mine, BUT the secondary character uses kinda that (alter_power = “super speed”) string version of variable. Sooo I got both in mine. :blush:

Gonna keep thinking on it, and just try stuff and see which one i think works better!

Yeah, boils down to the same.
Note though: in my game you cant pick from all 58 (if i didnt miscount) powers. You do a test first and get a selection to pick from.

1 Like

Well um, good luck with yours Pengyuin! :slight_smile: Thanks for talking it out with me!!

Welcome.
And yeah. Both methods boil down to the same. And it might (hopefully) up the replay value if there’s scenes for certain power but not for others.

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That’s a good point! <3 And a good idea. :slight_smile: Like Mass Effect where you go back and play as the soldier or the biotic. <3

Ahhh, Penguiny! Ums, question! :blush: How are you displaying your power selection in your um stats screen? :slight_smile: Cause see, I’m using TRUE/FALSE for power selection, so how would I display true/false in the stats? I know how to show string variables and numbers ("" and 0), but what about true/false? How do you show those in the stats?

As said, im using a variable that displays the name.
So the stats read

Primary Class: ${pclass}

With true false itd be a lot harder i can imagine.

Hmmms. :frowning: So should I go through all the true/false’s and change them into “” strings instead?

Mnnn either change it to one variable like i did, or create a display variable. Like
When the power is picked:

#aerokinesis
 *set aerokinesis true
 *set power "aerokinesis"
 *set herotype "aerokinetic"

And then in the stats

CLASS: ${power} or ${herotype}

I think I’ll change it to one. I think that’d at least cut down on copy-pasting insanity?