Interest Check Thread

Sounds interesting i would love to try it :smiley:

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I appreciate your interest. I should have a demo up by the end of the week for the first chapter.

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I’ll offer my services as a veteran to assist you in writing if you’d like. I know quite a bit about insurgencies.

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This one sounds interesting. “Will you seek a new home for humanity, or help them thrive among the shattered stars?”

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Thank you. Your interest is appreciated.

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I’m totally naming the new planet Bob

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I will applaud you.

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Alright, I have been working diligently on a sports game for the last few days. It will be a new sport called Extreme Ball, it is basically a mash up of American football, Rugby, and keep away. You will start off in your freshman year in high school and your career can lead to several years of pro level play. You will also be able to retire and continue your career in Extreme Ball as a coach, or enjoy your retirement. Also possibly own your own team. I plan on having the freshman year ready for a demo, hopefully within a week.

You will get to pick gender, orientation, weight, height, and skin tone. You will hit growth spurts so keep that in mind. There will be a couple of romantic options available, more opening up later on. You have the chance to get injured. Some games are just stat checks, the scoreboard does change, there’s a rough description of the sport and positions in the stats menu.

EZs/ end zone scores (the equivalent to touchdowns) are worth 3 points, KPs/ kick points (equivalent to field goals) are worth one point, and EZAs/end zone assists (passes to another player resulting in an EZ) are all tracked for your whole career. With your high school stats, college stats, and pro stats being separate from each other.

It is in the early stages of development so some aspects may change later on. If this sounds like something you would be interested in keep a look out for Extreme Ball in the WIP section. Also if you have any suggestions or questions feel free to reply or message me.

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Really interesting :slight_smile: cant wait to read more. Btw, surname Polanski is Russian and surnames change depending on the gender so it should be for a woman Polanska. I wish you good luck with Shattered Stars.

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Appreciate it. I might keep Polanski’s name as is. She’s actually based off of someone I once knew.

Edit: By the way you’re more than welcome to come into the Shattered Stars topic if you want.

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H|o/a|llowed Silence : An Interactive Ghost Story

Afternoon, Choicers.

I’ve never used the Interest Check Thread before, so this is sort of new to me (but I am working on a few projects, each of which has a semi-demo on them – but I’m on the redrawing boards for those two particular stories). For this, I’d like to bounce an idea off of everyone that I’m already working on (but don’t have an active demo up and ready).

The Story Itself, Overall

Readers/Players step into the shoes of the Director, a professional, solo Ghost Hunter (if one excludes the AI which works with them) who is called in to help the Roux Family that has been haunted by a ghost for seven years. A ghost that has murdered every family that has attempted to leave the house after moving in (and killing them even if they don’t try to leave, in many situations).

When the story begins, the players/readers are on the last night of the case. The entity haunting the family is soon to go dormant and it’s determined to take the lives of at least one person in the house before doing so – be it the family or you.

By the end, you’ve either saved the family or condemned them.

Or condemned yourself.

Story Central Genres

Supernatural, Dark Fantasy. Bits of Action. Horror, Definitly.

Sublimentry Genres

N/A (at this time)

How Story Came To Be

This project originally began with me teaching myself to use random choices and gosub/gosub_scenes. I wanted to make an antagonist that’s able to shift and change with every choice the reader/player makes once the hunt begins.

Part of the reasoning behind this is replayability. There are four family members in the Roux Family the player will be able to interact (a mother, Amelia, a father, Harvey, and two children, Jenna and Simon) as the story progresses.

The Ghost will start by targeting one member of the family, which the reader does pick (but isn’t stated outright, but is rather obvious). From there, once the main portion of the hunt kicks into gears, the Ghost is able to keep going after that one person or change targets.

Which comes with an an-game warning, given by the AI which the player has as a partner.

When I began designing this little project, I wanted to do it in a way where it seemed organic and intuitive. Where the “random draw” on the ghost wasn’t obvious unless a reader/player went in a second time and realized it wasn’t the same text they read the last time.

A nice surprise, all things considered.

I wanted to ensure every reader/player is able to respond to these changes and not get locked into a situation where they can’t recover from (unless they make a choice which is initially a “game over” situation, which would be obvious once that choice is there).

This means every “random choice” the Ghost makes, without player input, would have associated, branching pathways where that random draw would be fleshed out. The main goal was to ensure every choice (and random draw) was written in such a way where it wasn’t obvious in any manner. There wouldn’t be any ‘Ghost Chooses This & You Die Cause Stats Don’t Match’ sort of thing.

(Frankly, I hate stats. I don’t understand them. I write my game/stories without stats.)

Which, I’ve realized, utilizes a lot of code. An ungodly amount, really, with lots of gotos and redirecting and lots of extra writing. That’s something I enjoy, frankly, as it makes me think and figure out how to write the codes in question so I don’t lose my place.

Story Modes : Soft & Default

The last part of this post covers Soft Mode and Default Mode.

Knowing that there are many people who don’t like random events because of the lack of control, I created a “Soft Mode” where all those random draws become player choices. This was also originally designed for testing purposes so that every route can be played through to ensure nothing was broken. Makes it easier to get an idea of how the story unfolds.

I decided to leave it in as a Story Feature so readers/players who don’t like random events don’t feel left out of a story they might otherwise like. At this point in the story, I’m focusing on Soft Mode because it helps me figure out the pacing as I write and cuts out the frustration of having to restart a hundred times to get the scene I’m wanting to test.

What I'm Looking For

General input.

I’m writing the story because it’s something I’m really into. I love ghost stories and horror and fantasy, I adore world-building, and, for whatever reason, applying it to Interactive Fiction is easier than trying to do it as a standard, traditional novel. Also gives me so much freedom.

I’m interested to see what everyone else thinks about this. Any part I’ve discussed, if someone would like to talk about it, I’m all ears. I believe that part of any creative process, open communication, and honesty (and being polite) is the way to go.

Also, please ensure you’re targeting my name in the discussion so I can keep track of who is discussing this project. Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out which project people are discussing because there are no quotes or a highlight to the person they’re responding to. I would really appreciate it, as it does make it easier for me to know who I am, and am not, talking to.

I’d feel horribly embarssed if I responded to someone who wasn’t actually discussing my pet project or was discussing another project I hadn’t yet looked into. Misunderstandings are very easy to come across over text, as tone of voice isn’t there to give us insight.

Thanks In Advance,
– Brittany N. Miller

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~Oooohh… I am looking forward with this one… such an interesting plot for me, specifically horror. I’ve been looking for this type of wip :sneezing_face: thanks hehe (am I only one who loves scary theme?)

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I can say, with utter honesty, that you are one of many. From what I’ve seen and observed, the majority of humanity loves horror. It gets the heart-pounding, gets us rooting for the characters being hunted, and also gives us a taste for something that we may never experience ourselves.

People like being scared, as long as it’s under their control.

Hence the popularity of movies and video games that are horror-based. Also a very good look into why Lovecraft is so popular. The first movie, video game, and story I ever read and/or played were horror-centric. And I was, like, five when I was introduced.

Ghost stories are my all-time favorite, hence my interest in this current project.

The characters, the ghost, the MC – I like them all.

My hope is that others will like as much as I.

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I seem to enjoy the Medieval interactive novels, but I feel like something more could be done with that kind of era, like making a story of a kingdom with magic where you work your way from Peasant down multiple paths and become king or queen, and war other kingdoms or make peace, all while facing never ending peril. even adding a balance mechanic where you need to maintain buildings, armies, and relations.
I would be interested in what others think of that.

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Hey CoGers, I have about 7 WIPs in different developmental stages (some I will have to go back and clean up code) one demo out now and one on it’s way within the next few days. I had a couple of different new ideas… I know I should focus on one project at a time, but that’s just not how my brain works. So my first one has to deal with running a TV station, you pick the programming etc. and everything, avoiding audience slumps and grasping onto audience spikes. Would anyone be interested in this? I had this idea a little while back, just wanted to see if it would be worth devoting any time into.

I also had the idea of a superstar one, where you can choose your path in either acting or music working your way up in that career. Neither one of these ideas are in development at this time, wanted to see if it was something worth working on.

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I’m working on one in a Roman Empire type era, undecided on magic though. Leaning towards “favors from gods,” type deal or just nothing like that at all. But instead of just peasant you get to pick from I believe 5 or 6 social classes, with some having sub-classes. But with mine your rule doesn’t last long if you choose to be a ruler (but you will be able to come back into power/ gain power) so I think if done right you’re idea would be a hit. I’m working on doing mine right, hopefully :rofl:

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I think the ones related to the operation of TV stations are interesting. I think it has the advantage that no such game has been created on this forum, and there are few competitors in the game industry as a whole, as it rarely exists.

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Thanks for the feedback.

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I’ve been jonesing for a cozy space settling sort of game, the kind where you find a nice little planet or space island and found a pleasant community there. You could farm or mine or raise animals (or space fauna) and interact with your fellow settlers. It’s kind of like Stardew Valley in space.

Of course, here’s where things begin to fork and get a bit uncertain. Do I want to keep conflict small scale and keep things about making the best darn space village? Do I want to raise the stakes and introduce a bigger enemy after a while? Can I do both? I’m not even sure who the player character is supposed to be, regarding whether they’re an expedition leader or just another person along for the ride. For the sake of simplicity I’d rather not do both, but I’m not sure which path would be more interesting.

How does this sound?

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I’ve been planning on writing a game for… Years, by now. And my indecisive mind finally got set on two different stories, of which I will choose the first to present now, just to gauge interest. Also, the summary includes heavy language because this is the same pitch I sent my proofreader (Bless her <3)

Summary

The world’s gone to shit. The old books call it the Fall, but you wouldn’t know anything about the trauma those humans went through, all those thousands of years ago. You’ve only known the aftermath of the Fall, your life, as it is now; Burning skies of orange, rust coating every surface as far as the eye can see, dilapidated buildings seconds away from collapse. The Habitat homes the descendants of those who survived, but crime runs rampant and you never know when you’re going to succumb to the corruption sweeping over the wasteland. You’ve lived your life on autopilot so far, going with the motions, but something stirs in the horizon, and it’s time for you to decide if you’ll go down in history as a hero or a villain. Then again, that depends on which side of the rebellion you ask, doesn’t it?

Setting

You begin the game in the Habitat, a city that’s your home in this world. It’s horrid, a disgusting place filled with degenerates and criminals doing anything to survive in a world where water is scarce, plant life is gone, and breathing agony if not used to the sandpaper air. Taking place in the future, there are many wonders that dip into a sci-fi setting, with technology beyond our imagination. “Enhanced” people, fused with mechanic parts to give them a boost in strength, mental fortitude, stamina, or just for cosmetic reasons. Old world guns have been abandoned, tech weaponry favorable for relying solely on energy to function, although some of those that honor the Old World still hang onto the things we now hold dear.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Coliseum, a sprawling metropolis with lush greens, fresh air, and running water. A paradise on earth, a safe domed bubble of sanctuary for the rich and powerful, and those born from them. Run by a “benevolent” monarch, the Coliseum thrives, crime is non-existent, and people are happy. If only you could see beyond the pristine marbled walls and flowing waterfalls, and hear the cries from deep below. No one gets in, and no one gets out.

ROs, gender variables, endings

The game would have six romance options, three male, and three female. One male RO will be gender specific, as well as one female. Or no romance at all! The wonder of choices. EDIT: By no romance I meant a choice for no explicitly sexual romance, I’m 100% planning on respecting my asexual peeps here. Gender-choice will be included, with male, female, trans, and nonbinary as options. I’m also currently thinking about adding a “genderless” (robotic, ken-doll type) option that would drastically change the game from the get-go (Maybe something as an unlockable after getting a specific ending? New game plus, of sorts), but that would be a massive thing to add for my first game.

The romances include:
Your boss, a sarcastic, 30-something ex-mercenary now running a “repectable” delivery business/dive bar. (M)
An enemy, programmed to obey the rules implanted in his brain, but on the brink of breaking free. (M)
A stranger in town, easy-going and fun-loving but deflective and secretive about why he’s there in the first place. (M)
A mercenary, an angry soldier of fortune with fists and heart of steel (except when it comes to her sister), and a mission no one can dissuade her from. (F)
A runaway that sees, hears, and knows too much even if she doesn’t want to. Haunted and skittish, hopefully naive. (F)
An ethereal being, pristine in her looks, yet cold and calculating. A silent companion laced with divine violence, holding on to her secrets without even trying.(F)

All of them can befriended instead of romance.

You’ll also have a choice of having your character start out as Enhanced, which will alter stats (Physical, mental, social) to your liking. Could be a normal human as well, or get enhancements later in the game (depending on if you have unlocked the variables for it). Looks are entirely customizable, and height will play a role in branch outcomes.

The endings are still in planning, but I’m planning on a major branching for each ending, depending on what side you, well, side on.

A little snippet!

Example

Your body is begging you to stop and rest, but you fight through the pain and force your legs to run faster, enduring the shooting pain every footfall brings.

The edges of your vision blurs at the agony and you can hear the rush of blood in your ears, tuning out the command of your pursuers. You blink your dry eyes to clear your vision if only for a moment, but them you manage to rid the blur something darker envelops your vision; A telltale trench coat of an Enforcer Agent. The momentum is too great to divert, and all you can do is brace for the impending impact by throwing your hands up before you. A crack sounds from somewhere when your palms hit the solid mass of the Agent, and you’re thrown back onto the ground with a loud thump.

fake_choice

You grit your teeth and push yourself up as fast as you can, ignoring the pounding in your head, the pain in your wrist, and the residual rattle in your teeth. As hard as you try, you’re not quick enough to evade the hand that reached down and wraps around your throat, ripping you off the ground like you weighed nothing. Your feet leave the ground, and all you see is the seamless, cold mask of the Agent looking straight through your soul. A mechanical whirr is the last thing you hear before your ears start to hiss, and the Agent’s face contorts enough for you to see a bright light peeking through, scanning you for processing.

I hope this makes any sense. It’s a big world, and a dark setting, but I’m excited to share it with you even if it might flop <3

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