Guides for all games?

[Charles_Parkes]

Hi all, I’m fairly nervous about putting up a view against the trend (considering this thread’s heavyweight contributors and the line of COG in general),

But there are fairly well reasoned out arguments for ‘back buttons’ too. (see below)

But the rightness of the thing aside, CS does not operate in a vacuum. I believe it attracts the majority of its new readers from paper or ebook traditions. These readers are used to being able to flip back a page to clarify, to re-experience (without the joy of having to do a full re-reading of War & Peace).

Yes, in choice driven narratives this is open to abuse (and in my experience can even reduce the reading experience of someone who is in favour of saving.) BUT we’re attempting to attract readers from a wider literary context. This means some CS should be easier to transition to. And for some people that means a back button.

I’m testing a new chapter return and chapter sub-section return system for my WIP ‘The Aegis Saga - Blood’. Will this mean Cog won’t be interested in hosting?

Older development thread (The Aegis Saga - Blood)

BACK BUTTONS!! So a major bother for demo readers who are used to paper or ebook reading is that choicescript doesn’t accommodate a back button. . . .I have not solved this - seriously, it’s hard What I have done is code the Beta (not the demo) to allow a reader to go back to the start of a chapter they have read, or a sub-section they have read in that chapter Stats screen: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47183494/pics%20charles/Screen%20Shot%202016-04-12%20at%2023.46.30.png St…

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@Drazen

There have been numerous occasions where I’ve selected an option, only to find the author had loaded it with numerous unforseen consequences, which I didn’t wish to accept. If a game had a list of professions, and choosing ‘Saggar Maker’s Bottom Knocker’ was taken to mean “You are a member of Occupy Hampton-on-Sea,” you can bet I’d be reloading the game to find an option allowing me to truncheon the crusties, which is a bit of a faff.

If having the option present before you makes you feel a little too tempted to savescum, as it were, then just do as @Magma suggested, and leave it at user discression whether to turn it on or off.

Disliked Elements, Mechanics, and Tropes

@Nukeboom123 laughs I shall endeavor to add a toilet scene into the game I’m working on. Just for you. XP I guess for me… it would be not having a ‘back’ option. Like, okay- so I wouldn’t want this the first time I play through a game… but after I’ve finished a game, it would be kindof cool to be able to backspace to your last choice and read how making a different choice affects the story. It would also help for times when I accidentally double-tap the next button.

@RVallant

@Havenstone - Didn’t mean to say ‘each choice is inconsequential’ but rather, say, I’d like to keep 90% of the choices identical but the very last one different! Cos y’know, I want to try beef with gravy instead of on its own even if it might only be a flavour blurb. The problem is, because it’s lengthy (and that’s fine) it usually means excessively clicking to get to the point where I can pick the choice, partially as I don’t need to re-read or, completely forgetting how I got to that point in the first place.