Hey guys Ausar here
I want to make my game long like over 45 min a playthrough or longer but still have choice pathways and it not being linear
I want some opinion on this aim lije is it a good idea im not sure if my writing skill is upto it but we will see
So opinions would be greatful
Ill be back on here more in a few days my last exam is two days from now but it is chem i shant expect to survive
If you guys could help with the length dilemma it would be great
It might just be me… but I feel like most of the games that I play last several hours. I don’t think it’s very hard to make a long game…
Am I just slow?
The problem with setting out to create a non-linear game is that with every choice mandating a nuanced route of its own, the sheer quantity of branches required to qualify a game as being non-linear can overwhelm an author. Best to begin with one, fairly linear plot route, and then possibly return to add new branches as the game develops.
@Drazen advice is wise, but i couldn’t write that way cuts all my flow i have to write a scene with all the options even if i only write bare-bones of some choices. Think in all variationand mixed variables is overwhelming at first, so start slow
@Drazen so do the basic story line that you foll and then put in the many paths for the different skilll combinations so you have a few anchor key events in place thatcall paths converge and diverge on ?
That could work.
@Lithium no I do t think so Slammed talkesforever to playthrough and life of a wizard takes a while
Im thinking of trying to mkae it life of a wizard length or a bit longer for the first and have the second and third games as a generation ahead and the third about five orvsixgenerarions after the fisrs game is set, with the events in the first and second game are now legened and obscured by the passage of time and in that game you as a decendant with a destiny must uncover the truth of what happened for closure of the legacy you have inherited
Thats the basic plan but i haveto get the first written first
But if this does not die amd my skills are upto it that is what I am planning to do
@Drazen @Marajade any thoughts suggestions or changes to the plan you think will improve it?
I welcombe scarhing critisism, the complete destruction of my feeble plan as long as it comes wiht a few good suggestions
And just some comments or ideas
45 minutes is relatively short in terms of gamebooks; I’d say that’d be about 50k words at most. Most of these gamebooks are around 150k
@Ausar I don’t think you should worry about linearity and length. Just write the story you want to write. However, I have a few advices if you are interested.
An advice for a very simple form of nonlinear gameplay:
Lets say you have a linear story: Prologue -> Chapter 1 -> Chapter 2 -> Chapter 3 -> Epilogue = Ending.
Add an optional mission/quest/goal in one chapter. If the player solves the mission/quest/goal their reward is an item/stat increase/additional ability etc. Later on, in another chapter, the players could use that reward to make a very important choice they otherwise couldn’t.
Then you’d get: Prologue -> Chapter 1 + Optional Goal Solved -> Chapter 2 -> Chapter 3 + The Important Choice -> Epilogue = Ending 2
The end result is the same overall plot, but with some additions that change how a later chapter and the ending play out.
Even simpler thing to do is to have the completely linear story, but give the players one or two alternative paths through each chapter. Each chapter will end in the same way, but the gameplay up to that ending would be different and the players could get different items on each path that they could use in different situations later on etc.
Or you can do a mix of both. That is what I do for my game. It is one linear story, but there are optional and alternate routes that give the players unique or rare items and abilities. Example: The player can become either a wolfman or a vampire. However, depending on how they play, they can avoid both fates. If they become one of the creatures, however, the overall plot doesn’t change, but a quest to find the cure is added and untill that quest is fulfilled, the gameplay is changed to accomodate strengths and weaknesses of those creatures. (monster hunters are after you, can’t go outside during the day, weakness to silver, vampire invitation etc.)