Challenge and how it can be met - in text games

[Charles_Parkes]

Some links to other discussions and examples…

1/ Nice visual maze challenge from @choicehacker here: Randomized maze - now with graphical map!

2/ Lots of different challenges here,

@Szaal

a simple managing sim, a similar maze escape thing, a logic-gate kind of puzzle, and many other puzzles

from @Carlos.R Missing Wings

3/ Variable images (like a different combat pose for a monster dependent on a variable set on the previous page)

Variables in image paths?

I find an indirect way to do it with gosub_scene. just create a new scen called images. then use gosub_scene variable and go to a label that just contain the *image path and return.

4/ Whole topic about death and challenge (I guess rogue-likes often draw on this kind of challenge to lend impact to your decisions) which I’m also categorising as part of the whole challenge intensity thing - how important is it that you suceed? What are the fail criteria and rewards/punishment of success and failure.

Death and Game-Overs

Hello, I’m curious as to the board’s opinions on what you like the most regarding death in stories. If a game is hard, and you die and are forced to go back from whence you started, is this frustrating for you even if there are many different avenues for you to try, or do you like the challenge? Also, how long is too long? Do you put down books and pick them up again or do you run through the whole thing at once?

5/ Timer system. It doesn’t provide a forced page turn for that ‘ah I’m running out of time’ sensation, but might be helpful for a less pressured time management challenge (similar to the resource management challenge).
@JimD’s Zombie Exodus - Safe Haven has a really good passage of time mechanic that does sucessfully make you feel the pressure as you try to fit multiple actions into a limited day. Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven

Creating an in-game timer / countdown?

I use a similar event system, and have resorted to putting all of the checks and timer stuff on a completely separate scene that sorts it out: *set timer1 - 1 *set timer2 - 1 ~and so on~ *if timer1 = 1 *goto_scene event1 *if timer2 = 1 *goto_scene event2 ~and so on~ *set jumped true *if current_scene = "scene 1" *goto_scene scene_1 *if current_scene = "scene 2" *goto_scene scene_2 so I only have to put something like this in every scene: *if jumped *set jumped false …

6/ Think I’m also going to use Zombie Exodus - Safe Haven as an example of one of the more memorable inventory systems, and challenge reward systems, where exploration and combat challenges resulted in rewards for your home/camp.

7/ Relationship balancing. A social challenge where you try to appeal to one or other npc, or try to balance and mitigate the effects of your actions on your relationships with them (or their relationships with each other). Good example in The Superlatives: Aetherfall by Alice Ripley of conflict between a Venusian and a Martian character and if I recall correctly, ro.