Interest Check Thread

this sounds Promesing

Detective Claude Miller?

its not like Hercule Poirot ho always has to say im not Hercules i dont fight with lions but you may like this name.

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I one of the titles that I hope is Social Services of the Doomed. If anyone knows where there is more information, they can comment here or let me know in private

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I’d gladly play a game without romance, for what it’s worth. Sometimes I just want a break from that, and a time loop sounds like a lot of fun.

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Hey! First time IF writer but after playing so many amazing published games and WIPs alike, I’ve decided to try my hand at one. Wanted to know if anyone would be interested.

It’s a murder mystery whodunnit with a little twist where you get to play as the killer. I don’t know if many people here have played or have familiarity with Oblivion and its Dark Brotherhood questline but my favorite quest has always been the one where you attend a party as the killer and have to avoid getting caught. It’s a simple idea and I’m not sure if there’s something similar out there, but I thought it might be fun! There’d be some horror elements, four romance options, and three different dispositions your player character can take to. Let me know what you guys think :heart:

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How does a whodunnit work if you play the killer? Doesn’t the player already know who did it in that case?

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Haha yes that’s true. Sorry I’m realizing now I should’ve been a bit more specific. While it wouldn’t be a traditional whodunnit as you are the killer, it’s set up to mimic some of those tropes. As for the player character, the contract and setting itself are meant to be very suspicious. You’ve been left in the dark about many things including your actual employer and the purpose behind it all. Why all this drama of staging a murder party? Why have you not met the host? Why are the waitstaff so creepy? etc.

You should be able to play as an assassin who’s suspicious and determined to discover what’s really going on or you could just be in it for the money and stranger details don’t bother you.

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Apparently not how the story is going to work, but there are several ways to leave the reader in the dark about their own actions that could be used to create a whudunnit with the mc as the murderer. A couple that come to mind are amnesia, split personality and psychosis.

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Sounds fun! I’d be interested

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Well yeah, but my point was (meant to be) that the author needs to know beforehand how to deal with that, especially since (as far as I am aware) mystery readers don’t generally take well being cheated like that (and hiding what the viewpoint character knows is always tricky and needs to be done with extreme care to be satisfying).

That said, the project sounds very interesting, @Jay_May! (Not sure I would call it whodunnit though, probably more whydunnit.)

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Mystery readers are cheated almost all of the time. That’s what makes the stories mysterious; you never know what’s what.

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If it were easy everyone would do it. Or at least more people.

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Just making sure you’re aware, is all :slightly_smiling_face:

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Pretty original I would say :slight_smile: Loved that quest too. Happy writing!

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Lol a whydunnit is probably more fitting.

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Is it going to be a twist like Heavy Rain where you play as the killer pretending to be a hired private investigator, going around and collecting evidence? Like, his dialogue doesn’t contradict anything, but he’s presented in a way as to mislead the player to think he’s just another guy looking into the case (you switch between four characters who all are trying to figure out who the killer is, and there are suspicious NPCs), until it’s all revealed. That’s a cool way of pulling it off if it’s something you have in mind.

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Hell yes would absolutely play.

Thanks!

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Hello all, I’m very new to the forum, but a long time reader of Interactive Fiction.

I’m currently in the very early stages of writing my very first IF. It’s a murder mystery with a heavy emphasis on romance, currently have four RO’s - that are gender-locked, but romanceable no matter the players gender. It is in a university setting, and it’s your last year. I will give the players the choice to take different routes (i.e. athletics, creative, intellectual, etc.) that will of course affect the story in different ways.

There are extenuating circumstances as to why you have to look into the murders further, how prepared you are is completely up to you… will devote your time to studies? Friends? Forgo looking into the murders further because it’s your last year? Every decision must have consequences… The RO’s will also be participating in it all… because of course they were thrown into the fire with you. Everyone loves some good angst… right?

This is just the gist of what I have as I don’t want to overload. Anyways, I would love any insight you may wish to provide!

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Just finished watching a sherlock holmes movie, so I’m very excited to create a crappy bootleg version of him in this game!

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Looking through the What genre of game do you feel is most in need of more representation? thread, there was a mention of historical fiction, political fiction, and stories set in non-western cultures. I do have a setting in mind that covers those, though I probably won’t be writing this myself. First because I don’t think I’m the right person to write it, and second seeing as how I’m still fully occupied with my other WIP…

This story is set during the Indonesian War of Independence. The Empire of Japan has surrendered and their military disarmed. Indonesia declared her independence, but everyone who have had a taste for power is scrambling to be the new leader amidst the power vacuum. The British have handed de facto control of the archipelago back to the Dutch, but they are still lending their military support as the Dutch have been severely weakened by WWII. Meanwhile, Republicans, a nationalistic group that was born out of the education opportunities offered by the Dutch’s Ethical Policy early in the century, has now been spurred on by the recent Japanese occupation. They rapidly earn supporters from every corner and grow in numbers, and meet the Dutch with resistance.

But of course, everything is not so black and white. Complicating things, America with their conflicting loyalties, currently funding the Dutch’s post-WWII rebuilding, while also wanting in to Indonesia as they see a potential anti-communist ally in the Republicans. The Japanese, despite the terms of their surrender, are also still trying to re-establish control, clashing with the locals and the Allies. A third faction also gaining traction, the Communists, are a vocal group who are dissatisfied with Republican leadership, considering them to be America’s puppets, and so are taking an even harder stance against foreign powers in the fledgling Indonesia. With no one dominant enough to maintain control, tensions quickly boil over and the situation falls into violent anarchy as every side does anything to justify their ends in the struggle for power, damn the atrocity of their means.

Great changes are happening. But your story takes place on a smaller scale, nevertheless still shaped by these winds of change. You are a fictional raja, the ruler of a group of ethnic South Celebes people. Your father has just passed away, leaving you to lead during these turbulent years. Your subjects obviously would like to know in what direction you’ll be leading them.

As an educated noble, living on these islands you can’t help but feel a sense of national identity. But on the other hand, you also feel abandoned by the Republicans. Your people have lent their support in the past, only to watch the Republicans now focus their disorganised efforts on Java, leaving you hanging. Meanwhile, you’ve heard of a ruthless Dutch soldier - although allegedly a Muslim, like you - campaigning around South Celebes, and wiping out entire villages if they are suspected of being pro-Republican or by refusing to capitulate. But collaborating with the Dutch is not something you’d easily accept, either. The elders still remember the annihilation only four decades ago when the old rajas refused to yield to Dutch demands. Even today, you certainly still can’t expect to meet them with force and win. There are a small number of Japanese deserters, well-trained military men, who appear to be sympathetic to the Republican cause and are willing to volunteer to fight on your side. But with the Empire of Japan so eager to first retake the islands outside Java, you’ll have to decide if you can trust them.

The revolution cannot be stopped. There will be four long bloody years ahead. Whoever you side with, there is no way you’ll please all of your people, and you will make powerful enemies. Where will your loyalties lie in the present, and will you be open about it, or deceptive despite the difficulty in keeping up a facade? What kind of leader will you be remembered for in the future: a national hero in the making, a collaborator who betrayed your own country, or a hapless victim of circumstance?

Man, is this a text wall :sweat_smile:

If anyone is interested in developing this idea, feel free! Please let me know if you’re creating something out of this. Interesting as this may be, I don’t think I’m the right person to write this - it’s very complex and definitely beyond my skill to write, much less to branch it convincingly. History is very messy, and I’m sure I’m still missing a lot things here (I’m mostly going off what little I remember and a few quick Wikipedia readings), though hopefully I’m not wildly wrong on anything.

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This is really hard to say, but again I come to you guys with a heavy heart. Just over a year after the death of my grandfather, my grandmother has now passed away. With everything that’s been going on in my life and the world around us this year, it has been very difficult for me to motivate myself to work on any of my passion projects. I know that some may have been looking forward to seeing the concept I’ve been knocking around come to fruition, but to be transparent I really don’t know how much work I will be doing on it for a long while. I can say I will still be around on the forums. To read the works of others, because some of y’alls stories have actually truly helped me to heal in the past and I refuse to forsake a community I so greatly enjoy… This sucks to do. I really wanted to make something others could see instead of keeping to myself, but I need to do what I feel is right. For my family. For myself. To honor my Poppy. To honor my Nanny. Thank you for being patient and understanding. -LT signing off.

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