Interest Check Thread

Hosted Games Works In Progress
5232

Thank you for the response! While I do think that I decided on making them NB in part because of the fact that I just felt it fit, there is a larger reason for it as well and I want to be able to explore gender without having to write too many variations on important scenes for Cyril. I don’t want to give too much away, but I am stubborn about it for an in character reason. I just don’t think it would as well work if Cyril was made into a female or male character. Since the other two are gender selectable, I think it’s probably fine, though personally if I was romancing characters and I wasn’t attracted to NB people I know I would be abit frustrated (since Cyril is by far the closest to the type I like to romance.)

Regarding the personality thing, I am thinking it is more subtle, it’s about how you present yourself to the romantic interest more than all your decisions in the game. Basically, you can have a reserved character who is brash and a bit cruel, but lets say hypothetically Cyril finds that kind of personality very abrasive. Cyril will not be attracted to the MC if they see them acting that way, particularly toward them. I’m planning for a kind of point system based off of the behavior the MC uses around the Love Interests. However, there is specific actions the player takes that if a LI finds out about, they will confront and potentially cut off romance for. (Let’s say, hypothetically, attempting to poison their sibling or lying about something very important.)

A large part of my inspiration for this game is the fact that a lot of romance games don’t feel like there is any impact at all based off gender. In a historical fantasy game… It feels very… Shallow? For there to be no difference, particularly in queer relationships, and there isn’t enough exploration of how that might be different. (I’m really inspired by I, the Forgotten One, though I don’t think my story will have as much graphic material.)

Edit: Also, now that I think about this, and tell me what you think, but having a LI have a response depending on if you are going out of your way to treat them a bit differently might be very interesting. (Let’s say, for example, that Marcy will be confused if they know you are generally a warm person, and you suddenly give them the cold shoulder). So much to think on!

Edit 2: I just got a very cute idea for a Nonbinary MC scene with Cyril, and now I’m more stubborn about it than ever.

To summarize:

Cyril will be NB for plot and character reasons (to explore the dynamics of that kind of relationship)

Romantic Interests will become attracted to some types of people more than others (I will include a guide in game for people wondering generally what they need to do to attract their love interest.)
6 Likes
5233

Superhuman/Superhero WIP about dealing with guilt and maybe finding love?
Finally gotten some writing done and got the Romance info out. If interested you can find more out over Here

12 Likes
5234

(ͩͯ͌̇͑̈́̍̐͊̌̅҉̝̳̝̦̫̭͇͓̻̺̝͉̗̠͊̿̒̃͑̑̍̓̃̉ͤ̊̒̚≋̝͖̺̺̮̙̭̙͔̙̩ͬ͆̊̅̒̎ͦ̾͊͌̚͜҉̨͖̞͎͙̽̆͋̈̀̅̕͢͠҉̟̺̬̂̒͐≋͓̼̣̪ͩ̓̒̈́́҉̲͜͟͝҉̶̟̦̠͔͙̰̝̯̻̜͔ͩͩͦ̾̀́ͣ͋ͥͤͭ́͝≋̸̼͙̻͙̭̲̯̞͍̳̀͡҉͐̎̓ͭ̓ͩ░͈͔͈̹̯̹̥̳͔͓̬͛ͭ̃ͭ͐ͭ̊͗̀ͦ̾͢҉̧ͫͬͪ͠͏̯͎̰≋̶̧͆ͩ͊҉̨̇ͥ͂̅̓̎͋̆ͥ҉̛̅҉̈́ͥ̄ͦ̅ͪͩ͑ͦͬ̋ͣ͏̸͠≋̢̣̻҉̭̹̯̻̰̪̹̖̲͍͓̟̯̲̘͔̠͙̠͖̼̠͈̦͓ͭ̾̍̉͌̄ͤ̑ͤ̑̅ͯ̆҉ͤ͒̏̀͂̋͊͛͏̧≋̷̺̻̤͓̮̃̀̆ͫ̑҉̵̝̂͡)̘̜͓̞̻̯̙̯̬̖̂̈́́ͪ̋ͨ̈́̍̓̈́҉̶̧̣̘͍͎̼͕̈̄ͮ̔ͪͯ≋̪͚̙̼̣͈͎̬̮͇̘͔̤̈ͨ̒͂ͩ͂̈́̒͒̃͆̒̓҉̅ͨͯ́ wow. not safe huh?

3 Likes
5235

Hey everyone.

It’s been a while since I posted about Offshoots and the idea of doing (fun) indirect results to decisions. (Although, thanks to a very good suggestion, I’ll be changing the title).

Story Update

To me, this has always been an high concept project that’s very continuous. It’s gone through a lot of metamorphosis and I’ve carved out the bits of it I think will work best as Interactive Fiction. I’ve written about 20k words so far.

Also, I’m just naturally secretive so if you think I’m being a little to vague with the details, that’s why. Don’t worry though, I’ll be fixing that when my WIP thread opens later this year.

Delays and Issues

The most interesting thing about this concept is it leaves a lot of room for branching and randomness, and I’ve been trying to keep that under control. For the past month, I’ve struggled a bit with just how far I want to dive into the idea. Too little and the story isn’t true to itself or too much and the story is too complex or completely out of control.

I’ve also been trying to take things a bit steady to avoid an overflow of bugs and plot holes. This is my first IF after all.

I’m happy to report though, that the writing process is going strong and I have the upper hand against the issues.

I was writing a moment ago and I had a crazy idea that might destroy the story on the first playthrough but would be excellent on a replay, (of course, I can’t tell you what it is yet) and it got me a bit divided on the best thing to do.

After some thought, I’ve decided to resolve it like I plan to resolve all my IF issues. With a poll.

The question is, how important is replay value to you?

  • Very important
  • Kinda Important
  • Not that important
  • The first playthrough is all that matters

0 voters

5236

We need a good story about a powerless Vigilante

1 Like
5237

Hey, it’s me again, with yet another poll.

Question of the day: what story length do you prefer?

Edit: To clarify, I do not mean Total Word Count, but rather Single Playthrough. Word count can be 3x or more.

  • <25k words (<3 hours readtime)
  • 30k+ words (<=4 hours readtime)
  • 50k+ words (<= 7 hours readtime)
  • 75k+ words (<= 10 hours readtime)
  • Even more

0 voters

5238

Dorian seems cute, I usually like fashionable ice princes, he sounds kinky as well, which is another potential plus.

5239

I like to get immersed in the world, and really get to know the characters. The shorter the story, the less time you have to focus on that kind of stuff. The plot really takes priority. So the longer the better, in my opinion
(This is with everything, not just IF. These 10 episode seasons from streaming services are killing me)

2 Likes
5240

I understand your perspective. A story should definitely be as long as possible, so long as its not being forced.

You’re right, the ten episode thing is a new trend. Maybe it’s an attempt to account for short attention spans.

Thanks for the reply

2 Likes
5241

They definitely know what it is that they like! I feel writing for them is going to be a bit of a pain in the dick though since I’m going to have to change the way they flirt based off gender (they can be a lot more open and advanced if male, I presume, but I’m still thinking on that part.)

I’ve actually started on the first draft of the actual game, I underestimated how time consuming it is to write things. I’m glad that I’m keeping Dorian and Marcus as male/female though because oh my lawd it’s a pain doing plural/singular swaps for pronouns (they/them pronouns).

2 Likes
5242

I miss weekly shows. The ‘bulk drop’ format is a lot less fun to me.

1 Like
5243

Hmm, something I’ve been wondering. How important are ROs in a story, do you all think? Do you feel they should be a major thing, small/mostly flavored, or do you just not care at all?

1 Like
5244

I would say that on this platform everyone is already used to having RO but they could simply be a secondary factor in any type of story that is outside of romance.

What would be important would be that they are characters that contribute to the plot of the MC both in a narrative and personal way of the principal character (which we interpret)

4 Likes
5245

I feel like it really depends on the genre and how much empasis is put on relationships between characters. In a story where your side cast plays a major role it can be a great asset. But it is important to not force them just because almost every game has them.

3 Likes
5246

Personally, I love romance. If it was up to me, all games would have detailed romances that take up a good chunk of the game. I’ve played games where the romances were just flavor text, and I almost wish they’d skipped the romances all together (but not quite). They were so unsatisfying

My general advice for people:

  1. Have the ROs be important to the story, rather than just ROs.

  2. Don’t try to make as many ROs as possible. If their are only 2 characters that could be ROs, only have 2 ROs. If there are 8, then great, have 8

  3. When choosing RO genders and sexualities, try to keep in mind that different types of people will want to pursue romance when playing the game. It sucks when one group of players gets 5 and another gets 2, for example. Personally, I think making characters gender-choosable and/or not giving them a specific sexuality is the best, but there are differing opinions

  4. Make the romance as prominent and detailed as you can with your genre and plot. Not all stories are the same, so you have to work with what you can

21 Likes
5247

I’ve been thinking of creating a dating game similar to the Love Island tv show and I’m wondering what types of personalities people prefer in their romance options!

I came up with a huuuge list of characters but I really want to narrow it down yet still have a little something for everyone. Obviously it’ll be heavy on the romance but I don’t want to overwhelm myself with too many endgame options. There would be no set sexualities so they’re open to everyone, but I still want an even number of male/female.

12 Likes
5248

I spent a while working on a Love Island dating sim and something we always thought about was how the characters might play off each other, cause friction, or have unexpected similarities and differences as well as how they interact with the MC. So it could be fun to think about “which characters would cause the most drama” or “which ones might create dilemmas for the MC?” It’s a fun format because with a reality show you can always think about what the producers would choose to do at different points when bringing in new characters. What might make the MC feel under threat or tempted away from a partner they like?

This isn’t very specific but in general some of the most popular romanceable characters I’ve made are ones where I didn’t worry so much “will everyone like them?” but “what about them is appealing in this particular way” - that way they feel more rounded and you’re not trying to make characters where everyone will love them, because that’s impossible!

11 Likes
5249

A good starting point, especially since you’re doing a kind of dating show, would be to look up romance tropes and character archetypes. Those can be the exterior personality, but then you can make them more and more complex and real the further into the game (or game and theirs :joy:) we are.

I think a good number would be 3-5 per sex. And I’m not sure if there are eliminations in these types of shows, but I think there should be some nonRO characters that get eliminated first. (And depending on the spice level, you can even have them be hookup options before they’re eliminated)

3 Likes
5250

Unless it’s explicitly a romance-focused story, not very (to me). Too often, “romances” (aka maybe one or two scenes with virtually zero proper buildup) are tacked on because authors feel like they have to shoehorn it in somehow.

Character relationships are going to likely play a large part in most stories and games, but those aren’t necessarily romantic. They could simply be friendships, family, acquaintances, antagonists, etc.

1 Like
5251

Just to shoot my shot.

Infiltration - Unbinding Shackles Of Deceit

Everyone has a secret and you’re no different. After witnessing the gruesome murder of your mother, you were forcefully married to the Lord of the underworld.
This marriage is just a ruse for a greater scheme.
You have one mission and one mission only
What will you do in order to survive?
Will you complete your mission at all cost? Or will you fall inlove with the devil himself?

Features

  1. Gender choice character. Customizable Npc
Romanceable Npcs

1 genderlock RO and 2 Gender selectable RO

Sascha Esposito - Ruler of the Underworld | Age: Early 30s

Alonso/Alannah De Luna - Family Friend | Age: Late 30s

Anais/Arrius Cattaneo - Overseer | Age: Late 20s

Tick. Tock. Nothing to gain nothing to lose. Remember trust no-one.

22 Likes