Hello everyone! I am new to the site, so I thought I’d like to say hello to you all!
While I am not new to the CYOA format (I played, for example, the Lone Wolf series about 30 years ago) I have totally no idea what is the status of the hobby nowadays. If you a couple of minutes, here are some questions:
Can you name the 3-4 books that are considered the pinnacle of this website? So that I can buy them and get an idea of how all of this has evolved.
Can you name 3-4 books that utilize the ChoiceScript source at its most? So that I can buy them and check out what it’s possible to do and not to do with the software.
Talking about ChoiceScript: does the software allow the possibility to generate random events? For example, let’s say that I know that in the next scene there’s gonna be a fight. Can I have ChoiceScript roll on a table of 1d12 to randomly choose which monster will appear?
And finally: how does Choicescript handle conmbat? Can it keep track of lost Hit Points, or add a modifier to my hit roll if I have a magic weapon, or tells me if I am dead?
I can only answer the first one: the Heroes Rise series, Way Walkers 1 and 2, Zombie Exodus and Community College Hero. However, all the choice games are exceptionally good, so I recommend trying the genres you like.
EDIT: Actually, Vendetta made use of random events, so I think you can.
Hi @Vassago_Ekdahl. First of all, welcome to the forum. Second of all, please take a few minutes to read the forum rules. (Here: https://forum.choiceofgames.com/faq) One of them just happens to be that it’s strongly discouraged to create I’m new to the forum topics.
1/2) Not sure about either of those, but I’d recommend Sabres of Infinity, Unnatural, the three parts of Heroes Rise and Choice of the Dragon (you should probably do that one first, since that’s where it all started). All four of them are in a completely different setting, so that should give you an idea of what’s possible story-wise.
Yup, there is a command to generate numbers at random.
You can, but ChoiceScript isn’t the most suited for that purpose. It would require some serious coding skills to pull all of that off.
Hello, I’m new too. I just finished reading the entirety of the Make Your Own Games section which I highly suggest doing because it’ll answer a lot of questions about what you can do. I’m not familiar enough to answer 1 and 2 but I can answer 3 and 4:
“rand” sets a variable to a random number. With if-statements you could generate a random number then jump to the scene.
Yes to all of these things. You’ll have to create combat yourself but all numbers are stored in something called a variable which you can freely modify. ChoiceScript supports a “stat page” which shows you whatever information you want like name, hit points, strength, whatever you want to create.
Actually building working combat will require a bit of advanced programming. Ideally you’d want a scene separate from everything else called “combat” which pulls up information about the creature you’re fighting that’s stored in a variable. This way you don’t have a specific scene for each enemy, you can just reuse the same scene but change the descriptions.
Again, read the tutorial and play around with the sample game. I read it in an hour and I’m pretty ready to write a game.
Pinnacles? I’d say Heroes Rise trilogy, Zombie Exodus and recently the Lost Heir.
Each game uses the choicescript is their own special way. Play each game to get a feel for them.
Combat in choicescript can be used in a variety of ways, I plan for mine to use stat checks. Some use certain choices that are correct and incorrect etc.
Here’s some of my recommendations of my favourite games here:
Community College Hero.
Unnatural.
Choice of the Deathless.
Tin Star.
Mecha Ace.
Friendly reminder also, rules state to avoid I’m new to Forum topics and just jump right in. By technicality, you also asked a few questions relating to the script so it’s not all bad!
IDK, sorry One set of books I really do like is the Hero’s Rise ones, as @TheTrueKing said.
Let me see. Um, I know that @Sashira’s WiP utilizes a lot of code, even in just the first couple chapters. Choice of Vampire might be good too. For beginners I’d recommend Choice of the Dragon, since its easy to see what it is.
*temp monster
*rand monster 1 12
*if (monster=1)
You encountered a Vampire!
*if (monster=2)
You encountered a Werewolf!
*if (monster=3)
You encountered a dragon!
*else
You encountered a fairy!
You would keep going after three, of course, but for a demo, I thought that was enough.
4) There are some CoG games that do use combat (Choice of Dragon does a “play” on it. Here’s what I would do. (In this case, the magic weapon variable is created in the Startup, and so I don’t need a temp variable.
*title Combating
*author J.B.
*create magic_weapon true
*create dead false
*create monster "vampire"
*temp win false
*temp your_hit_points 0
*comment if hit points goes above 2, you lose.
*temp monster_hit_points 0
*comment if hit_points goes above 2, you win!
Oh, no! The ${monster} is coming towards you. You:
*choice
#Run
You barely survive his attack.
*set your_hit_points +1
*goto attack2
*if (magic_weapon) #Use your Magic Weapon
Yay, you hit him hard!
*set monster_hit_points +1
*gosub dead_yet
*goto attack2
#Attack him
He hits you pretty hard back.
*set your_hit_points +1
*gosub dead_yet
*goto attack2
*label attack2
He looks ready to pummel you. You:
*choice
#Block it.
Oh! That looks like it hurt!
*set your_hit_points +1
*gosub dead_yet
*goto attack3
#Duck.
Nice job! He hits himself in the face!
*set monster_hit_points +1
*gosub dead_yet
*goto attack3
*label attack3
*if (dead)
*goto dead
*if (win)
*goto win
*else
*goto final_round
*label final_round
You and the monster both have one hit point. You:
*choice
#Go offencive.
He doesn't expect that. You win!
*set monster_hit_points +1
*set win true
*goto win
#Go defensive
He doesn't expect that. You win!
*set monster_hit_points +1
*set win true
*goto win
#Just stand there.
Well that didn't do anything. You lose!
*set your_hit_points +1
*set dead true
*goto dead
*label dead_yet
*if (your_hit_points>=2)
Well, you died.
*set dead true
*return
*elseif (monster_hit_points>=2)
Yay! You win!
*set win true
*return
*else
*return
*label win
*goto end_ch1
*label dead
*label end_ch1
Hollywood Visionary does an amazing job of presenting a story that happens in linear fashion, but still allowing a surprising amount of customization and interaction with the elements. The reader doesn’t so much change what happens but how it happens, and the degree of success at the end.
I beta-tested Metahuman Inc. and while initially not interested in the subject matter, it drew me in and I was very invested. I felt the choices were weighty and that the calamitous ending was truly my fault.
I also liked For Rent: Haunted House a lot in that the reader isn’t overwhelmed by gender and customization choices - that story relies less on what you tell it at the beginning and more on the actual choices you make in the story to vary the path.
I noticed the games I like tend to not be packed with the standard fantasy and hard SF tropes, which is my normal preference in story subject matter anyway.
Thas easy my good man if you like the medieval theme then the lost heir saga is your game in my opinion the best game around, also I recommend lords of aswick and the way walkers
Since I am not a coder, I can only answer the first question.
These are my favorite HG and CoG games.
The Heroes Rise trilogy is very well regarded due to its characters and some branching out.
Sabres of Infinity has a lot of choices and a good story. I imagine that it was quite difficult to code.
A Study in Steampunk is another game with a great story and good length for your money. It also branches out by the end of the game and offers different endings depending on your choices.
Pendragon Rising is also very good but it isn’t very long.
Choice of Robots has a whole plethora of choices. You can spend days finding all the alternatives.
Honorable mentions: MetaHuman Inc., Life of a Mobster, A Choice of Romance, The Lost Heir 2 (although it is quite hard), Mecha Ace, Choice of Broadsides, and Lords of Aswick.
My favorite WIPs: Guenevere (This is awesome), Best of Us, and Dragoneer
One set of books I really do like is the Hero’s Rise ones, as