I have decided to write an interactive story using ChoiceScript, this will be my first time writing a book and I doubt I could do it well as I lack the vocabulary and stuff to write a good one but still it’s all for fun so it doesn’t matter if the book doesn’t turn out great but I’ll surely try my best.
Plot - “Survival in an apocalyptic world, where basic type of infected are similar to “zombies” while there are different types of mutated zombies with different abilities”.
I know I should be more creative with the idea and it is a cliche or whatever but for my first book I’d rather choose to write about this.
First of all, the thing that concerns me is if people are playing a survival interactive game then do they care much about the cause of outbreak ? Because I was not sure if I even have to think much about a justifiable reason or just give a simple reason and make the game more about an experience in this world rather than the a satisfying cause of out-break.
Secondly, I see how in most movies/books/games of similar genre, the electronic devices and stuff like cellphones don’t work (can work but no signal) and there is no electricity. But when I get into the shoes of a writer I can’t understand if this all needs a good scientific explanation, or can it just stop working just like that and no explanation for now and later some weak explanation will be given for everything and that’s it ?
If it was an actual novel or movie then I understand it would require a good explanation for everything but in an interactive survival book is it really necessary ?
Also, it could really help if you guys could link me to similar games hosted here.
Make the story good enough, and people won’t necessarily care about the reasons. I don’t think Cormac McCarthy’s The Road ever did much to explain its fiery apocalypse, and it didn’t need to – the point of the story was the father, the son, the landscape, and the soul-crushing despair.
Is it bad to say I think that looks more exciting than the original?
What’s with all the weird zombie movies around. I’ll take your zombie pride and prejudice and raise you zombie nazis riding dinosaurs around hollow earth. (Or is he meant to be reptillian, hard to tell, maybe a zombie reptillian, who knows, probably makes as much sense as anything in these sorts of movies.)
So, biologist/engineer hybrid here. Undergrad, but I’m the type of person who almost compulsively needs to analyze sciency-explanations you give me.
In zombie games, I’ll accept that there are zombies. I’ll assume that some science-virus did it unless otherwise specified because science-viruses usually do it. If you give me enough reasons why it happened (say, hint at international tensions), I’ll explain to myself what’s going on and leave it at that. If you get into too many details… well, it’s great to some extent. There’s some fascinating explanations and if you really think you can manage it, give some meat. But the second you start BSing beyond my suspension of disbelief just to give a full explanation, I’ll start doubting everything and it’ll throw me.
Not that everything needs to be perfect. Radiation does not do the things it does in the Fallout franchise, but the games are fun, and the science vague and comedic, so I’m able to have a conversation with my lobotomized brain without really giving two crepes about how that’s not possible.
Same with electronics. I’m assuming there’s not going to be good reception, because maintaining cell towers isn’t a priority when half of Verizon’s employees are eating the flesh of their coworkers. Give me some vague details, mention that the power plant is overrun, but you don’t need to flesh it out if you feel like your explanations are weak.
You can. You can have fun with it, and add details when the plot demands, but don’t do it out of some misguided sense of necessity. I’m playing as a single character in an apocalypse setting. If they’re not put into a position to learn why zombies, then I’m not going to be put out that I don’t get a full backstory. Give me an idea of zombie rules so I don’t feel like you’re making things up as the plot needs, let me know the cell towers are out before that feels like a contrived way to up tension. And let me stumble through the apocalypse as a terrified soul with only a vague understanding of the world built off rumors, speculation, and whatever random things the character and I remember from the Walking Dead.
Why does everyone do viruses? I get they’re the obvious choice but there’s plenty of parasites around that take over brains and sometimes even transform their appearence. Parasite zombies could be a new way of writing them with extra creepy factor
Once I got over my initial knee-jerk association between parasites and alien invasions (I didn’t even read that much Animorphs as a kid, but here we are), and also got hypnotized by the freaky snail zombie eyes, I realized how on board I am with this.
Parasites are terrifying. We need more parasite zombie invasions. Err… fictional ones.
They actually are a bit terrifying. Heaps of them do the zombie mind control thing. (And the eaten alive thing). I reckon a lot of the alien invasion movies actually got their cues from parasites. Here’s a few more from a National Geographic talk. (Not for anyone too squeamish). They seem to be doing mainly insects, spiders and crabs but there are ones around that infect mammals.
Ok, I have this creep and I’d like to rub my head with my both hands, now.
But either way, good watch. I never know that some parasites isn’t that evil (infect something, kills it, infect other things, kill 'em).
Oh wow that really helps and makes me feel better about not having a strong explanation, because that’s not the point of my game, thanks a lot to all who shared their views and suggestions. The ‘parasite zombies’ part really got my attention and I’ll do my research on that and see if I can make it believable.
How far into Armageddon are we? Are we a few days into it or are we years in to it? was the MC born in the end of the world or experiencing the rise of it?
Using that information I think there isn’t really a reason to care what caused Armageddon as long as you are surviving. At the start what are you more worried about: finding food and water or finding reasons why your life is hell. I mean next book maybe you introduce it or something, but the first or start doesn’t really need a reason.
