If you think this is a problem, then you can always have choices about how the character feels about the events - they might influence personality stats (if you’re using them), they might not, but either way it’s a way for you to give the player something to do (other than read) and think about.
9 Likes
I think it depends how much “a while” is. I have a fairly low threshold for wanting to get to a choice, though others are happier about it. I would definitely second @JBento’s comment - allowing the protagonist to have thoughts about what’s going on or, even better, engaging with it in some way, can help players feel more involved right from the start.
That said! As you’re so early in your story, I’d recommend keeping at it to keep momentum, don’t worry about that kind of thing too much until you’re doing editing 
Welcome to the thread and best of luck with your writing!
9 Likes
Exactly one key on my keyboard has decided to give out on me. Unfortunately, it is the t key which means it’s creating problems with all of my *set and *goto commands in addition to being an extremely common letter. Since it still works about a quarter of the time, I was trying to just tough it out, but yesterday I noticed it took me three hours to type what is typically an hour and a half of writing for me. 
Thankfully, my husband had an extra bluetooth keyboard randomly sitting in our closet, so I have a temporary solution. It’s just been an incredibly frustrating set back this week. (Sorry, I just needed to vent about this a bit, it has been a really frustrating past week and a half.)
I think this will probably depend largely on the content of the prologue and your primary audience. A lot of times, I hate long prologues without choices, but in my own project, I wanted to try a unique framing device, so my prologue has no choices at all, but is still fairly short (1600 words total). I’ve gotten lots of positive feedback on it. So a prologue with minimal choices can work, but I think it depends on execution and how it works with the rest of the project.
7 Likes
Luckily keyboards are fairly cheap, at least.
Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be participating in Snippet Day this month. My fever’s down, thankfully, but my brain’s still porridge and producing comprehensible sentences takes extreme effort. But I’ll be cheering you all.
5 Likes
With the amount of variations in this one chapter I’m writing, some which split off for the chapter and some which join up later on, I am getting so lost. Maybe I’m just tired, but even the outline and mind map I made isn’t helping. I gotta take some time and read through others’ codes so I can learn how to be more efficient, but I have the sneaking suspicion that even if I was doing everything perfectly, that can only take me so far when the pathing itself is so complicated
5 Likes
Random question, how would I have to deal with spider-monsters in a story? I’m thinking having the MC be arachnophobic a choice separate from a choice of whether or not the reader is bothered by it, thus allowing a situation where the player wants to have the MC freak out, but also allow the player to pick to not have any mentions of spiders… would that make sense?
4 Likes
This takes me back to that moment where Vtuber Ouro Kronii got a massive freak-out by a spider during her stream. I recommend that you can use the word “it” in place of “spider” itself, and then heavily imply what the spider’s doing.
5 Likes
I’m was planning to call them “creepy crawling shadow creatures” in that case. Also there’s a character who can make them change shape if the MC informs them they’re afraid of spiders, the creatures just default to spider-shape.
4 Likes
I think it’s cool to have a choice about the player character being arachnophobic! If it’s a major part of the game/story though, I’d probably just recommend having a content note rather than completely branching it.
4 Likes
Their existence is an important part (one of the characters summons them from shadows and uses them for housekeeping and scouting), but their appearance in-game is not (since said character can have them take whatever shape they want; the MC’s spouse’s dog is one of them), and mostly they’re just there scurrying around, and swarming when something weird happens which shows the MC that something weird is happening.
3 Likes
Hellooo, checking in with another beginner ChoiceScript question. I’ve broken my stats page into three sections and created a *fake_choice at the bottom of the page to allow the player to navigate between the different labels. My problem: the final option, “#Return to the game.” always results in an extra page break, even though the only command listed underneath is *finish. Is there a way to eliminate this?
5 Likes
I’m confident enough to set a little goal for myself this time now that I’ve made some legwork on my project.
My goals this February are going to be more on the simple side:
- Get my first draft done for Ch 1 (nearing 40k words so far)
- work on coding and getting the hang of how it works/ MAYBE get a teenie tester game out for some quick tests before releasing anything
I’d aim for posting a WIP or adding character art to that goal but I’m going on a 2 week vacation in Japan so I’ll be busy for most of the month 
11 Likes
I had a goal but I took an extended break for intimate reasons. So whatever that one was (I forgot) scratch it.
Half the month is gone so imma be realistic here and since i dont like having word counts as goals (I lose track after 20k) Im gonna complete the prologue of The Wild Hunt this month.
Add some sauce in there too. No rewrites, just SAUCE.
4 Likes
I’d recommend not using *finish or having a return to game choice in your stats page, because the stats page behaves differently to other kinds of files and it may not work as you want it to. There is a built-in button on the page which should work correctly.
It might be a good idea to post your choice code in the ChoiceScript Help section of the forum to double check.
9 Likes
Have a random design note
”Oh, for the love of – I’m surrounded by idiots. Want something done right, have to do it yourself.” [proceeds to pull a heroic sacrifice]
6 Likes
Currently writing some more choices that let players be more evil/vengeful. Took me down a long path because I gave the choice of killing off a character that caused the main twist of the ending, but this can happen like three or four chapters before the ending. I’m wondering if it’s worth making a separate ending or using a previously set up item and Chekhov’s gunning it. As for what’s more satisfying from a reader’s perspective, it’s probably another ending. Man, I’m drowning in endings
Here’s a snippet, since it’s the 15th
You shake your head as you get closer. “I want you to be afraid. I want you to feel every inch of the pain you’ve caused.”
Her hand suddenly encircles your neck, a weak grip.
You put your hand over hers, gentle. “Do you think this is enough?”
9 Likes
Sorry for your loss and congratulations on the progress.
5 Likes
Hey y’all, it’s me again. 
I finally finished the prologue—27k words! Now comes the hard part: editing, coding, and testing to make sure everything runs smoothly. I already respected writers, but after experiencing firsthand how much work goes into this, I have a whole new level of appreciation for you guys.
11 Likes
I can’t believe I forgot about this! I’m a whole day late! Since I’m still slowly revising Dawn of Heroes, I haven’t written anything new to share.
This is more from what little I wrote during NaNoWriMo.
The King's Island First Draft
$!{Name} recognizes the new combatant as the elven woman from the ship. The man she tackled rolls her over before he starts to smash his fist into her repeatedly. $!{Name} dashes for the man assaulting the elf as Aster continues to beat down the man that was hit by the rock.
Once dismounted from the elf, $!{Name} and the elven woman gang up on the guy until he is nothing more than a bloodied mess on their fists. The three rise and look about the beach to see if there are any others looking to join the melee. Once the three felt comfortable enough that they were safe each one plopped to the ground to catch their breath.
Aster turns towards the woman.
“Thank you,” he says between pants. “You’d nothing to gain from helping yet you did.”
“That’s not true,” the woman explains as her breathing steadies. “I’ve not an idea what manner of creatures hunt here. I’ll feel more at ease with trustworthy allies. Yet on an island of killers I found two willing to defend each other. I’m Symarin.”
“Aster.”
“$!{Name},” $!{Name} says joining in the introductions.
“Oh good, here I thought I’d have to wait for the knight to leave before I went searching for you,” the soothing voice of Thaynor says but none of the three spot him when they look. “One moment, let me pull myself back together.”
Before their eyes the makeshift bag Aster carried to the shore moves as the bones housed inside slowly piece themselves back together through odd blue energies that vanish as fast as they appear once the joints lock in. It only takes a few seconds before a naked skeleton stands before the three.
The figure moves and stretches a bit as if it had muscles to test. Once done it picks up the sack which $!{Name} now recognises as the clothes Thaynor wore when on the ship.
“What in the moon mother’s name is that?” Symarin asks as she starts back to her feet.
The skeleton waves his hand for her to sit again.
“No need to fight, I was hired by $!{Name} here in the assistance of avenging ${HisHer} father,” Thaynor’s voice is gentle as he kneels over and yellow energy gathers around his bone hands. “So long as you remain ${HisHer} ally, you’ll remain mine.”
*page_break
From the sand the magic weaving through his fingers shapes a mask that is shaped more like a helmet guarding the front of his face. He places the helmet-like mask over his skull before surveying the beach. Two slits remain in the mask leading $!{Name} to believe that the undead’s vision is still out of his eye sockets.
Symarin settles back down to continue resting, but her muscles do not relax. The three watch Thaynor with concern but if he was aware, he did not make it evident.
“I’d request that once we are able to acquire a robe of some kind, to do so,” Thaynor says before giving a chuckle. “I enjoy walking around in the buff as much as the next dead man, but the living tend to be turned off by such crass displays.”
8 Likes
Here is a little snippet from when I was writing earlier this week. Warning for… I guess magical gore? Either way it’s not very nice but a lot of the other stuff needs more context to make sense 
Snippet here
In the dream you’re looking over her body again, and this time you cannot look away. But within the dream, sapphires and emeralds and amethyst crystals have bubbled up like stalagmites through her opened ribs, the brightest and most vividly colorful jewels you’ve ever seen. As you reach down to touch one, her voice echoes from her mouth, saying something you cannot hear.
When you wake, you’re choking for breath, your hands clenched on your blanket so tight that it’s painful.
12 Likes