I agree with a lot of Aselia’s criticisms. The worst part to me was the amount of fake choices that did absolutely nothing. Most other authors will at the very least include flavour text for their fake choices, but this one didn’t even bother with that most of the time. It’s as if they finishing writing the plot exactly how they wanted it to be, but then all of a sudden they realised these books are supposed to be interactive! So they just threw in a bunch of questions asking how you feel about things in a feeble attempt to hide how linear and railroaded the story really is. It really isn’t hard to come up a sentence or two of flavour text for all those shoehorned in otherwise meaningless choices we are presented with, infact it’s the bare minimum I would expect. Instead it made me feel like I was just wasting my time whenever I was asked about my opinion on something. It could have been a good gamebook if the author respected the medium.
It was the first of a trilogy it need to set up key plot points and is likely going to be the most linear of the three
When you call people “a bunch of ignorant fools” and use “…” before describing my writing as “writing,” as if implying that my writing doesn’t meet the standard definition of the term, you’ve lost all credibility with me, and I would think, with many others.
But I will say this. Write one. Go ahead and write an interactive story, and try to make it exciting and intelligent, and try to focus not only on grammar and story-telling but also on mechanics and choices. And make it long and wide. Create an entire universe and try to keep it internally consistent. Provide multiple romantic interests for the player. And lay tons of clues and set the framework for future installments without giving too much away. Provide achievements. Go contract for art. Do it all. And if you really set out to create a quality product, you’ll spend 500 hours or 1000 hours or even longer on this project. And I think you’ll realize that it’s a lot harder to create a story than it it to criticize a story.
@tw1stedmind, there is no “they.” There is “me.” It’s not like there is a team of people working on this story. I’m not sure if you realized that or not. It’s just me working on my home computer after the kids go to bed.
And I respectfully disagree with you about the railroading. Yes, the ending is railroaded. No argument there. As @Lightsavior pointed out, it’s the first in a trilogy. It would have been borderline impossible for me to provide different endings for Part 1. Then I would have been forced to just “pick the ending I liked best” as the launching point for Part 2, (which would have angered people reaching the other endings), or else I would have had to start the story from multiple jumping off points (and repeated that for the end of Part 2 going into Part 3). I may have been able to finish the story by the end of the hopefully second Hillary Clinton administration using that approach. And counting dating scenes, study session scenes, side adventure scenes, and achievements, there is a good amount of replayability, better than the average HG or CoG, I would say. Many readers have emailed me or left reviews detailing how many many times they’ve played CCH.
I do “respect the medium,” but there’s no standard definition for interactive fiction. I chose to focus more on story than mechanics. Others may choose differently. You should try writing one! It’s a lot of work but very rewarding.
Are you saying that because of this one flaw that the entire story is now bad?
I really do hope that isn’t the case.
I was waiting to speak until you had your say and I’d like to add one more thing for consideration of @Aselia and @tw1stedmind:
Providing feedback is nice but timely feedback is that much better. There is currently an open WiP thread involving the second installment of the series and if you really wanted to see the changes outlined implemented, you both could have joined that discussion, providing both timely and relevant feedback. Timely, because @Eric_Moser can still change the second installment and relevant because the author has moved to this next installment and you have the ability to effect change now.
I know you both are passionate about @Eric_Moser’s story, because you both took the time to make accounts in this community and time to post on this thread.
CCH felt a bit like role-playing to me. You step into the shoes of your favourite hero (or as close as you can get through character customisation) and enjoy the interactions with other characters throughout the game.
Which medium? Comic-books? Storygames? Novels? Because I feel that the author took (and is taking) a good stab at all three.
And most storygames on this site are fairly linear. Some of the most popular, like Heroes Rise, are telling their own story. The few that do provide a lot of meaningful choices can be counted on one hand.
Again, it’s the first game of the series. The next game might be completely different on multiple levels; you might like it.
I kind of agree with you and the other person.On one hand,I think it’s nice that we get a bit of role play choices.Makes me feel a bit more immersed in the game.On the other hand,they can sometimes get a bit annoying when there are just choices after choices that don’t actually mean anything.
I’m sure that,in the future,Eric will find a balance between role playing choices and choices that matter.After all,just like you and the others said,it’s still the first book.We have 2 more to look forward to (And we are already starting to see a point to some of the role play choices,as seen in the new Motivations stat in CCH 2).
Nor is it hard for me as a reader to give the choices meaning by keeping a consistent character in my head through the story. In a work of IF, I believe that’s as much my job as the writer’s. I don’t need flavor text; of course it’s nice to have, but I wouldn’t elevate it to the point where I’d accuse an author who doesn’t consistently use it of disrespecting the medium.
Indeed, if it’s just “a sentence or two” tossed in without making sure it flows well, for me it’s as likely to be immersion-damaging as helpful; and writing flavor text that flows well is more time-consuming than your post suggests.
Interactive fiction isn’t just one thing. The extent to which authors invite the reader to co-author the character and plot with them varies by work. Many authors and readers are happy with the principle that “a railroad is fine if I like where the train is headed.” It’s fine that you (strongly) prefer your IF with less linearity, but outright sneering at different kinds of IF is a sign of immaturity.
I often see comments implying laziness by authors who don’t end every other page with a consequential choice… and it always makes me want to say, as Eric did: Do you have any idea how much work goes into these things? Or how much additional work it can add each time you make a scene moderately more interactive?
CCH is unquestionably an ambitious work. It’s got a good long main plot; the number of ROs is well above average for a COG, as is the work put into fleshing them out. And sure, it could have been even more ambitious, but you gotta stop somewhere, and stopping a work at the level that CCH had reached doesn’t remotely make the author lazy or disrespectful of the medium.
Personally, I think CCH is terrific, and I really enjoyed reading it from gestation to publication. And yes, that’s despite judging the Hedonist to be a rapist and the school administration as criminally negligent in dealing with it.
Totally agree with everything you said.
@Eiwynn and @Havenstone might like a decision in the upcoming update. That’s all I’ll say on this thread, since it’s about Part 1.
Not surprised to hear it. 
I couldn’t find the answer anywhere, so I’ll ask here. Is it possible to get CW to vote for you if you don’t study secrets in your first study session and warn CW? I expected to get a point with him from succeeding in the second study session with him, but I did not, so I end up with 8.
Well I’ll just swoop in real quick…
Yes. I think you can get up to a 14 score with him in Part 1 (I’m switching to fairmath in Part 2) and you only need a 9 with him to get his vote.
The only other way is to study Defense twice and be an Acrobat or a Soldier.
Being an Acrobat or Soldier helps with his score? I’ve studied with him twice, but the second time doesn’t increase my relationship with him.
The second time you study Defense, you will need to do the Phalanx formation to win. You can only help the formation if you are either a Soldier or an Acrobat, and if you help them, you will rise your relationship with CW and Stoic. If you are a Detective or a Sharpshooter, you will not help them and your relationship will not rise.
Ah, alrighty. Thanks. My Batman expy was having trouble being elected leader without relying on romance.
It’s possible to do it without the romancing anyone, but you will have to lose the Hedonist’s reward or you will need to flirt with Crook once.
Damn I made this too complicated.
Batman Expy doesn’t play the Hedonist’s games anyway. He’s gross and disturbing.