Right, I was planning on steering clear of that one, and what with choice involved it might not always be the case anyways. Was planning on going for a bunch of other clichés for a bit of if not fun, something meta like the, jerk jock, dizzy blonde (a little worried if people might be put off by that one too though) cops are useless. That sort of thing. Expect them to act like they’re in a movie, is what I mean. Maybe with the exception of the MC.
Edit: two ideas in my head and I can’t decide which I like better!
I know there is a separate forum thread for this but just wanted to ask for quick opinion here, are you guys typing and coding as you go or are you going to code after you’ve got a story in place?
I type and code same time most of the time except some mayor complex situation. But the other way around is common too. You should do what resonates better with your style. Just try and found what is best for you.
After having read this thread, the voice inside my head yelling at me to pick up Choicescript again is now wearing a witch hat, has acquired a megaphone and is rapidly pumping Halloween themed ideas into my brain.
Alright fine FINE gimme that Elf costume. I’ll have a go, no promises. Looking forward to reading what everyone else will come up with, can’t remember the last time I read a good spooky one.
At the moment, I’m too busy with my own project to join - which is really unfortunate because I would love to try my hand at writing an interactive horror story - but I look forward to reading all the submitted games! I don’t know if there will be a place to discuss them afterward, but if there is, I’ll be sure to leave a comment.
I think this is an amazing way to get people into writing or just start experimenting with choicescript, and can be a really positive mark in the COG community. So kudos for the idea, @poison_mara!
For all participating, good luck and happy writing!
I really like the idea of such a small game jam. It sounds like it could be a lot of fun and a great way for new authors to test the waters before writing a full story.
I can’t really help it but I might already have come up with an idea for what I would like to write. Though, my story would probably be less on the horror side and more on the comedic/adventurous side. The story is basically about a MC who was on their to a Halloween Party, but gets lost on the way and accidentaly enters a portal that sends them to a world inhabitat by supernatural creatures and now the MC has to find a way back home before they are revealed as a human, with the only thing disguising them being the Halloween Costume they choose prior. (Does this sound good? I hope it does.)
Well I have to see. I’m still working on a story right now, but if I get enough progress done I might set my little idea into action. Plus it might be a nice little way to relax a bit and blow off some steam.
My only thought is that you may want to set some stakes for this premise to give it more of a sense of urgency. If the victim is dead and it is a one-off, finding the killer before the Halloween party isn’t super necessary. Like, it would be great because closure and justice, but nothing will happen if you don’t.
If the person who promised to go to the Halloween party with you is missing and the threat from the killer is they die if you do not find them by Halloween, that gives the game a sense of urgency. OR the character does die, and there is a threat of another murder on/at the Halloween party.
I think this story could absolutely work. The Cops are Useless trope is particularly perfect. The Ditzy Blonde wouldn’t bother me, and neither would the Jerk Jock so long as you skip over the part where the Jerk Jock would usually be a raging racist homophobe irl.
It is a Game Jam People would rate in a poll the 3 games they prefer. But is not a contest as there is nothing to win or judges beyond the popular vote. The poll serves authors to see what the public prefers, and also animates the public to leave feedback
Oh OK, I’ve just never really been good with contests. They always had a habit of tearing down my self-confidence in the past. Won’t stop me from giving it a go though.
This is so exciting! Is there a sort of set-in-stone timeline/due date (aside from the final day being Halloween)? I love the idea of working on short games with little stress and the community cheering you on; it makes it a lot easier to start.
It is not a revenge or justice story. I would try to write a ghost story. Literal and/or methaphoric. After all, it is a halloween story. XD I guess it is also about grief. That is why I’m not sure I would get the tone right.
The reason it would end at the halloween party has more to do with the fact that if there is a ghost it would appear there. Of course, for the player to do things and not just wait, you need to lay “crumbs of bread” or hints that something might or might not happen.
I guess I could have gone with the route of the vengeful ghost too, who knows, I can still go there. But for now it is just about “what if that someone you lost could came back”. And of course, about the fact that it could come back as something different and not nice at all.
