I loved the last one, the RO using the MC like bait lol
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I really liked, but i donât understand why everyone have to be so young, unless the elite force usually doesnât survive for long and have to be replaced it often by new blood lol anyway, i loved the premise
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Right?! Iâm a sucker for antagonistic romances.
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My idea was that being âpoweredâ in this universe cuts the personâs life span by 75 years. Most of the agents die young from the âcurseâ, and their jobs, but there are special exceptions. Iâm still ironing out the kinks for my story so itâs liable to change. 
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Thank you kindly for the lengthy reply, actually. Youâve given me points to think about. I have actually stumbled across your WIP in the past, and - do take my views with a grain of salt, Iâve absolutely zero experience with reviews/criticism of interactive novels - I enjoyed the company of NYMSâs narrative voice far more than Iâve enjoyed others, definitely product of the extensive use of humour. A great way in which to include humour in a story without getting sidetracked is to simply make it par for the course, which youâve done, I think, very explicitly. I suppose thatâs the unspoken second part of my question - in which form does humour serve interactive fiction best? You can, of course, make good use of stand-up comedy by narrating clumsiness, for example, but intellectual humour? Multiple plot threads, layers of irony, like those of Shakespeareâs works? Difficult. I see your point there.
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Regarding Romance: Thereâs nothing wrong with sticking with what you know, but youâd be surprised how far you can get with the simple pronoun swap.
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Regarding Romance: Thereâs nothing wrong with sticking with what you know, but youâd be surprised how far you can get with the simple pronoun swap.
Yep, this is what most WIPs do anyway, and no one has a problem with it. From a practical standpoint, it also naturally expands the audience of the game. Gay relationships arenât inherently different from straight ones, so you definitely donât have to write them any differently if you donât feel like it or donât think youâre equipped to (in fact, the majority of the time itâs better to leave them the same).
The only time there would be a necessary difference is if you wanted to deliberately go in-depth on the impact of heteronormative assumptions/sexism/homophobia/etc. on relationships, but from the blurb I donât think(?) thatâs what you were going for, since this isnât a romance-focused game anyways. However, everythingâs always up to you as the author!
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First of all, thank you and nickcotton. I think I posted that around 2am, so my goal was to finish it as coherently and quickly as possible so that I can go to sleep. And I am just absolutely shocked that the first responses are something related to romance. Who would have thought that would be the case in the COG forum? 
Regardless, I guess some clarifications should be made in response to the two replies:
- I meant not familiar as in âI do not know how I am going to write a compelling and believable non-heterosexual relationship in the context of late 16th century Korea, which was a society compared to its contemporary neighbors, was far more stringent on what we would call a heteronormative systemâ - had my setting been different and my intentions anything other than trying to be faithful to historical realities that people had to live in, I agree that a simple pronoun swap would be helpful. Unfortunately, in this historical period, I believe I do not have the luxury to do that, as it was not for a large number of nameless individuals in that period.
- My WIP operating in an internal logic of heteronormative culture will not = there are no non-heterosexual characters in the story or that the MCâs true orientation is set in stone. I have left the latter open-ended for the player-reader to decide, but without spoiling much, the MC will go through a lot, and so will the people around the MC. All of them will be very busy, and have little time or opportunities to develop a romantic relationship during the course of the Imjin War.
- And in case someone raises my point about the Royal Watch being flexible with societal norms, it meant that they are not stringent about using anyone by any method to accomplish their objectives - they have their own set of rules and culture which are strictly enforced.
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Ah, that makes more sense. I was also wondering, since I believe Korea pretty much won and forced Japan to withdraw, is it still possible to âloseâ the game? I know you mentioned that you wonât be implementing alternative history paths, so how much variation is available in terms of how the MCâs successes and failures can impact the Royal Watch and the greater fate of Korea?
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Gameplay wise - you lose when you die a horrible death, and within my outline, I have planned many scenarios where the MC is in mortal danger (it wonât be single wrong choice = you die, the end).
Story/historical lore wise - I am not prepared to give or promise the exact number of variations at the end, because the story is about the personal struggles and triumphs of the MC, providing a spy experience, and providing a living history of the Imjin War. But I will try to specifically answer your question about the Royal Watch to the best of my ability - the Royal Watch is not a fictional organization that I simply fitted into this story only so that I can write a CYOA that can permit both male and female MCs in a historical setting or because I wanted to write a spy story. It is a fully fleshed out organization that (I hope) can seamlessly fit into the culture and political realities of the mid-Joseon dynasty. For the sake of my drafts, I have essentially created the entire history of the Royal Watch since the foundation of Joseon up to the Imjin War. In this lore, the Royal Watch would be the chief instigators behind some very important events in Korean history, including several ones mere years before the Imjin War. One of the major plotlines in the story is the organization and some of its members having to bear the consequences of their past over the course of the war. The MCâs involvement will determine the shape of the Royal Watch by its end, and influence what kind of role the organization would continue to play in the history afterwards. However, Koreaâs history will ultimately not change from the real one, if that makes sense.
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Iâm sad Iâm in the minority on this one as I absolutely love the idea of Option One.
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I say that it is a rare genre and audience need more of that. Iâm absolutely looking forward to it, even if it wonât be absolutely accurate historically.
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So i guess Land of slaves will Not have more than one Charter then⌠I Likes the one Charter, and what you Had in mind die it to continue
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Interest check:
Iâm currently working on a new project and Iâm debating making it into a choice script game.
Essentially you would play as a elf who comes from a clan of wolf shape shifters who reside in a forest of eternal autumn. The plot centers around an ancient seal being broken and a dangerous sect of elven shape shifters escaping from a prison world. As the only child of the elven king, it is your duty to assemble a team and stop them.
Would you play a game like this?
My first game totally flopped so, interest check this time.
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Itâs very possible. I have content, just never put it out. I never finished the updates I had planned, nor did I place milestones for myself.
As for the future, I may come back to it one day, but Iâm not certain when that will be, and if ever.
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I am working on game, the main premise of which is basically âprotagonist is stuck in timeloopâ. While main story is slowly being written, I have doubts - and mainly because I dont want to include romances in the game. As it seems, the possibility of having a romance is almost a main point of interest for the majority of players. So, should I try to shoehorn RO or try to roll as I see fit?
If anybody is interested in âgroundhog dayâ type of stories.
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Iâd advise not to force it. As you progress more on your planning, you might see opportunities for that, but itâs probably best to only include ROs when they have some importance in the story.
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100% honest I am in same position. You have to ask yourself.
How hard I want my game be popular? or How hard I want to follow up my artistic vision?
No romances no public no feedback
So in base of that think what is your focus. I personally donât want to make romances but If someday I want public something I will shoehorned them as crazy last moment.
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@poison_mara @Shai_Manahan thanks for the answers! I think I will finish the story first, download demo and act next depending on feedback.
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I agree that is the sensible approach. You can see what your audience wants to romance and then see if aligns with your own vision
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