Interest Check Thread

[extremecouponerbb]

Ok I’ve been tossing around a few ideas that would still fit the basic main plot, but that would (hopefully) appeal to more readers. Please vote if any of these sound of interest to you (if none do, I’d love to hear why). Again, I’m very much still in the idea stage, so I’m open to any feedback.

The basic plot idea is this: an estranged group of childhood friends, now in their late teens, comes together to try to solve the mystery of their “missing” (I’m putting missing in parenthesis because as you can see, them being dead is an option) friend. Each has a secret. Each has their own motivation for finding said friend. Your choices determine where the investigation goes, what they discover, and who lives to tell the tale.

I have most of the main characters mapped out already so if knowing the details of them would affect your choice, please let me know.

Would you play from any of the following perspectives?

• You play as the “missing” friend, who is actually deceased, and is now stuck in their hometown. Choose to help your old friends, go solo, or haunt them just for shits and giggles (because you’re a dead anyway, so who cares if they avenge you?)
• You take turns playing from the perspective of each friend. Some customization of them would be available, but not as much as a normal single player game. The perspectives, relationships, and secrets of each character would be revealed as you play. Use this information to either help or hurt the investigation, and determine the fate of your missing friend.
• You play as your own unique character with your own chosen motivation for joining the group. Same as the others, you would be making choices to help/hurt the investigation, but favorable outcomes for the friend would be much more difficult to achieve (given your lack of ghostly powers and ability to act as the others on the team)

[extremecouponerbb]

I appreciate it-and thanks for the feedback! It’s helpful

[CorvusWitchcraft]

Honestly, all three ideas sound interesting to me.

The “make your own character” version is definitely the closest to a “normal” IF game, so it would probably have the broadest appeal, but the others seem more novel, in a good way IMO. I think I would give all three a try, at the very least.

A few questions that I think would help me narrow down which appeals to me the most:

• Can you elaborate on how much control we would have over characters in the “switch between perspectives” version? It’s clear that we wouldn’t be able to customize the characters’ backstories and basic personalities too much, but how much choice do we have in how each character develops? Would we be able to affect their relationships with each other, for example? Would there be romance, either between player characters or with NPCs? Romance is a big draw in IF, so this would probably have a big effect on your target audience.
• In the version where we essentially play as a ghost, how much interaction would we be able to have with the physical world? Would we be able to find ways to directly communicate with the other characters? Develop our relationships with them? Or would it be more like giving them vague signs that they have to interpret on their own? The latter might be a harder sell for people who play these games for the characters and relationships (which is a lot, I think).

[Frankex_2272]

Well, in being a ghost, you could interact with people who are perceptive to this type of thing, as in Beetlejuice, The sixth sense or ParaNorman

[Xarthery]

Or with being a ghost you have a bond with your friends that could allow in depth interaction, and only normal ghost interactions with others.

[Clara_Wolfenstein]

Correct

[Clara_Wolfenstein]

The ghost idea could be interesting depending on how much we can interact with world. We could explore the type of ghost we want to be. A helpful ghost or a mischievous ghost or somewhere in the middle. Having a character that has their own motivation for joining the group could also be interesting as we the player could explore why we either want to help the group or hinder them. Taking on the perspective of each person in the group can be tricky & depends on how many people are in the group as if we have too many it can get confusing or jumbled up too easily but each idea would be interesting to play

[extremecouponerbb]

I appreciate the feedback, thank you!

To answer your questions:

• I would like to add as much choice as possible if I went this route. Character relationships would be already established, but would be heavily impacted by the choices you make as each character. I’d like the story to be more character focused than goal focused, so relationships would have variation. There would be one established romance, and I’d like to incorporate other optional romances, but I would have to think a bit about how to do that, as it would involve a lot of variation. If you were playing, what would you find preferable? Would being able to control both sides of a romance option be appealing, or would you rather pursue an NPC?

• I was thinking to do something similar to Ghost Simulator if I went this route. The MC would be able to choose from a few ghostly powers (apparition, poltergeist, possession, etc) that would affect the physical world and the investigation. I was thinking to have those interactions contribute to an “Investigation” stat that would determine the success of the group investigating. You would be able to decrease that stat if you wanted to play a sabotaging MC.

[CorvusWitchcraft]

@extremecouponerbb

There would be one established romance, and I’d like to incorporate other optional romances, but I would have to think a bit about how to do that, as it would involve a lot of variation. If you were playing, what would you find preferable? Would being able to control both sides of a romance option be appealing, or would you rather pursue an NPC?

I actually find the idea of playing both sides of a romance very intriguing, personally, but this would definitely be more difficult coding-wise. There are a lot of ways this could get complicated; one obvious question is what happens if the player portrays one character as very interested but the other less so (and whether or not the player gets to later change either character’s mind, etc.) NPCs romances would definitely be simpler for both you and the player. Still, if you pulled it off, I think two-sided romance could have the potential to be really interesting and novel.

As an aside, would the pre-existing romance be locked in, or does the player get some say in how that relationship develops as well? Could those characters break up over the course of the game, or even eventually end up with different people?

@extremecouponerbb

I was thinking to do something similar to Ghost Simulator if I went this route. The MC would be able to choose from a few ghostly powers (apparition, poltergeist, possession, etc) that would affect the physical world and the investigation.

I think I would have to see how this played out in practice, but to be honest, I’m not 100% sold on this take. What appeals to me about Ghost Simulator is that the premise is baked around the idea of playing a classic manor-haunting spirit; the character relationships are inherently secondary and largely reactive to your shenanigans, and that’s okay because the game is ultimately about the ghost MC’s presence in their daily lives (and how that affects them), and the driving mystery behind their existence.

Here, though, I feel like a big hook of the premise is the different perspectives of, and relationships between, the main characters, and I worry that this is going to take a back seat to the investigation if the MC is in the background all the time nudging them toward (or away from) the right answers. Even if the MC does get some say in how the characters develop personally or interpersonally, those elements are always going to feel a little out of the player’s control as long as the MC doesn’t get to directly interact with anyone. Maybe that’s the point, to an extent, watching your friends process grief and not being able to just step in and talk to them like before, and that does sound compelling, but I feel like it could also eventually get a bit old.

I’m willing to be proven wrong, though? I do still think the idea has potential. But like I said, it’s gonna be a harder sell for people like me who really like the character interaction aspect of IF.

Personally, I think right now I’m leaning most toward the multiple POV version and least toward the ghost version (a bit ironic, I’m aware), but this is also the opposite of how the poll is currently going, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

[lisamarlin]

I think it would be nice to see a breath of fresh air and have a game from 4 perspectives too.

@CorvusWitchcraft

Personally, I think right now I’m leaning most toward the multiple POV version and least toward the ghost version (a bit ironic, I’m aware), but this is also the opposite of how the poll is currently going, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

People are very resistent to change so I do not think you will find the poll going the other way any time soon unfortunately.

[Clara_Wolfenstein]

As Corvus pointed out trying to do something similar to Ghost Simulator would be tricky & has the potential to get old fast since in that game ur stuck in one environment trying to interact w/ the family that has moved into ur home & figuring out why ur there but we could be proven wrong. Seeing a romance from both sides could be interesting since we could explore how the two people feel in love of if they’re still in love.
Personally I like the idea of being the new person in the group & discovering our reasoning behind why we’re helping or hindering the group. I feel like it just adds more to the mystery aspect. Not that the others can’t do this too. Take the game Duskwood for example. A group of friends get in contact with u (the player) after one of their friends goes missing because she gave them ur number. At first they think u might have something to do with her disappearance but it’s up to u to decide ur character’s motives & discover if ur truly innocent or if perhaps u may have something to do with her disappearance. The one I think will have the least mystery to it is ironically us being the dead friend. Not saying it can’t be pulled off but more that it will be trickier to pull off than the multiple perspective or the newcomer to the group since u as a ghost can only do so much & u could easily end up being in the background of the story since this isn’t a visual medium were we the player are see ourselves play as ghost like in Murdered Soul Suspect or Ghost Trick.
In terms of customization of characters or the MC do what u feel like doing & don’t worry so much about every tiny detail of it since the more u add to the customization the more coding u have to do for that section. Most customization is name (predetermined and/or inserted), color of hair & eyes, skin color, style of hair, & gender identity. Anything extra is generally just added details & some games just have the name, hair color, & gender identity. So it depends on what u as the author want to put into the game

[Mott]

Would anyone be interested in an otome game? Is gender-locked Romantic Options popular in CoG?

[extremecouponerbb]

Ok, thank you to @Clara_Wolfenstein, @lisamarlin, and @CorvusWitchcraft for all your feedback and advice—it is hugely appreciated! Based on your comments, I have decided to nix the ghost POV idea. It is the most popular option on the poll, but I have to agree that it limits options for such important elements to the story, like relationship building. It would be fun to write, but it’s not fun to play a game in which you can’t develop relationships imho. At least not with this plot. I’m planning on making the character relationships highly influenced by player decisions, especially if on the different perspectives route, because personality choices would be more limited.

That being said, it is now down to the different perspectives and the single player-controlled character options. I think I’m married to the idea of the different perspectives because in the bit of drafting I’ve done, it’s been fun to see the individual thoughts/feelings of the currently controlled character. And how they contrast the others. But I’d like to write a story that people will enjoy playing, and I understand if I’m in the minority in this.

I’d like to do one more poll to gauge interest now that the options are narrowed down. What I would like to know is, if I went the route of making your own character, would the option to occasionally see other perspectives be a turn off or on to reading it? This would be in the format of mini scenes/flashbacks. I’ve formatted the poll to be a single choice this time, so I can see for sure what is the most popular vote. As always, I am open for any feedback! Thank you!

Which story sounds most interesting to you? Original plot/poll linked here. Before you vote, please keep in mind that the ability to sabatoge or not aid in the investigation would be available for all three.

• You play from the perspective of 5 different childhood friends, all working together to find the missing part of their group.
• You play as an original MC, part of the group but with your own motivations and strengths. This option DOES include scenes from other perspectives.
• You play as an original MC, part of the group but with your own motivations and strengths. This option DOES NOT include scenes from other perspectives.

[will]

It’s not the most popular, but the 5 different childhood friends idea is something I haven’t seen anyone else do. Your game would immediately have a unique selling point.

[FabricSeat]

I’ve had an idea for a story that I’m contemplating making a first foray into ChoiceScript with. It’s fantasy, centring around a small island nation that was conquered in the recent past. The story starts off with the conqueror going missing and continues with various members of the conqueror’s circle trying to get control of the situation in their own ways, various commoners taking their own action, the previously deposed ruler coming out of the woodwork and the complication of what happened to the conqueror in the first place.

That came out sounding like it’s more of a political story than it will probably be, but anyway, this isn’t a general interest check. If I do decide I want to do this, I will regardless of interest.

My real dilemma is that when this first came into my head, it was not as a CS game, and so it didn’t need to have only one viewpoint character (of course it’s possible to do more than one in CS but I want to try to keep things simple for my first attempt). Initially, I saw the story focused on a duo of two characters: One the sibling of the conqueror, but in hiding after falling out of favor, the other one of the commoners of the island. So, if I were to make this into a game, I’d like to know which one you all would find more interesting to play as, with the other still a closely associated NPC.

• Commoner
• Conqueror’s sibling

[Mechanical_Rose]

Hello everyone, I’m currently working on a high fantasy adventure with subplots of mystery and political intrigue that takes place in a galactic empire spanning several planets where you play as the heir to the throne sent to fulfill a seemingly impossible task. I have the blurb below if that interests you. I’d like to hear your thoughts if you’d like to see more of it, thank you.

Blurb
Your mother Empress Vasha is known for her stunning beauty. With her grace and charm she seized the heart of the Emperor and with an enchanted dagger she killed her husband and took over his Empire.

Now she rules the empire of Kartha with a frozen fist, keeping it in eternal winter with her mystic gifts. But her beauty begins to fade and strangely, so do her powers.

She instructs you to descend into the Darkness where the goddess Resha supposedly resides and steal her tears which grants those who use it eternal youth. The only trouble is, the goddess has never been known to cry.

As you set out on your journey and observe life as you’ve never seen it before, everything you have ever been told slowly falls apart and your loyalties are called into question as you unravel a web of lies that goes deeper than initially perceived.

[Frankex_2272]

Hello dear user.

I have seen a lot in the forum that this platform is missing more historical fiction stories and I thought that this platform could be the place to present this alternate Universe where Germany won the First World War with a multimedia channel called Kaiser Cat Cinema that has very multimedia content. interesting giving possibility to many options of stories in Choicecript such as being a person involved in a conflict being a soldier or war commander on the battlefield or being a spy for the many sides of the world in different nations.

1. Composition of 4 sides in the next American Civil War
2. Construction of the future conflict between British Royalists and French Republicans exiled in Canada and West Africa against their socialist counterparts in Europe.
3. The effort to maintain the German Empire as a dominant world power while preparing for the socialist threat in Western Europe and Russia in the East as well as from the Japanese in the Pacific
4. The effort to unify Italy again after losing the Great War divided between two republican factions of different ideology and two Monarchist factions from two different royal houses.
5. Choose whether to maintain or dissolve the Austro-Hungarian Empire while dealing with the cultural divide present in the Habsburg Empire
6. Reform the Ottoman empire while preparing for future conflicts against the Arab nationalism of his empire led by Egypt, Iran and Arabia.
7. Support some of the reforms of the Russian Provisional Government after Alexander Kerensky is assassinated after the White Russians defeated the Bolsheviks. If the empire is restored, a republic while order is restored
8. Establish ties with one of the sides of India to choose whether to remain again the jewel of the British crown or free yourself from its rule to choose whether to reestablish or reform the pre-colonial regime or be a Hindu nation with attempts to join the communist international.
9. The immersion in the conflict resulting from the Chinese Civil War and the disintegration of the Qing empire into war lords as the main sides try to restore or establish a new order while they are involved in the interests of Germany and Japan in the Zone. You decide whether to restore the empire by being reformed or restored in the process or to establish an independent republic. Then you choose if the empire / republic remain independent or formalize their ties or with the Germans or the Japanese while they drink tea and smoke opium in a commercial city like Shanghai being a commercial nexus while the rest of China is far from the hand of God.
10. Foster the success of expansionist aspirations while influencing the reform of the Japanese empire.

All while exercising a profession as an agent or mercenary of an intelligence and espionage agency. What do you think of the possibility of Choicecript stories being made of this alternate universe in the mid-1930s through the late 1940s?

[Alexthelame]

Alternative-history fiction game? um yes please Would love to see that, just so happens that I just finished rewatch The man in the high castle for the third time,love that series but unfortunately bad ending 🤷

[literary_warrior]

Evil mother? Possible betrayal? You have my attention

[Thfphen110]

I think the 1920s-1940s provide ample material for such stories, especially in alternate history settings. Though while I do enjoy Kaiserreich, but I’m not sure whether it would work so well given how the mod gameplay (it originated from a Darkest Hour mod, and there’s now a version for Hearts of Iron IV) allows you to shape the destiny of your selected country through events and stuff.

Before they got rid of certain elements, I’d have felt the Union of Britain was excellent material for an intrigue-heavy game, but I think they’ve gotten rid of the potential for a Monarchist revolt or UoB agents agitating on the continent (which are referenced in the Kaiser Cat videos, but aren’t part of the “official” lore, I think).

All of the other major conflicts branch significantly and have multiple sides (usually 3+), which might make it hard to convert into a more character-based game with a more set story. The lead-up to the 2ACW could work, something like the old United We Stand WIP leaving the actual war and post-war for the epilogue. But the others might be too branching.

Take Russia, for instance (ignoring the in-development(?) rework). There are what, 3 potential military dictators, 3 Tsars (constitutional and absolute), various flavours of democratic and the Soviet revolt. Choices are good, but having too many branches could dilute them, and I think generally people prefer longer but fewer branches rather than more branches which are shorter.

Also I think the KR devs can be a bit protective of their universe, so if the intent is for such stories to be published, then you might want to take a look at their usage policy or contact them directly.

Depending on what you’re going for, it might just be better to devise an original interwar setting.