This seems ambitious, but also really cool!
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Hi Anna!
Definitely not going to deny that it is, haha. The game overall will probably be in dev for quite awhile, and thatās something Iāll always communicate honestly about. That said, Iāve worked on Estheria since 2013 and itās pretty-much my life-work. Discovering ChoiceScript and the Choice of Games community allowed me to finally begin development on something proper for Estheria in an interactive fashion and has lit my drive higher than it has ever been before. Iām really excited to be working on it!
Iāll be working with the community when I get an official WiP page up (once the Demo is ready) and taking suggestions, incorporating feedback and generally keeping an open dialogue as I move through the process.
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Iāll be honest, the code can be a pain sometimes, especially if you have as many branching paths as you seem to be suggesting here.
But the works that have the most work and love put into them end up being the best ones.
Hope for the best. 
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Thanks for the response, Leinco!
Iām definitely taking a lot of research into account to try to structure my code the best. I donāt disagree with you though haha. Some of the pathwork already is a bit of a pain, haha.
Thank you for the kind words!
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Can I get a solid and have someone link me to the equivalent version of this thread where people tossed ideas for writers to use. Iām looking for some inspo that isnāt just the recent books Iāve read 
@LiliArch
Thank you 
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So Iām looking to start a second project [Chaos mode, I know] but I want to get my feet wet in a completely different setting than the one for Shengzhang. So Iām thinking of setting a game in some version of the modern world or a post apocalyptic setting [or anything that feels immensely different to me] with a slightly smaller scope than my primary project.
Concept 1: Back in the Limelight
Genres: [Superhero] [Mystery]
Description: You are a washed up superhero who was put on the shelf almost a decade ago, left to rot with your powers put on a form of ādecomissionā as a condition for you to be allowed to retire in piece. You were luckier than most in that regard, given you had the chance to leave at all. Still, after a particular āincidentā you find yourself embroiled in political/superhero conflict all over again and are pulled back from the shadows whether you want to or not in a conflict that seems to only grow in scale.
Concept 2: Dancing on Mirrors
Genres: [Sport] [University]
Description: A story set around ice-skating. I havenāt decided if the MC would become a coach of an ice-skating team or be an ice skater themself, but both of these could have some different implications. I think that it would be interesting, and perhaps it is a little more inspired by me having watched Yuri on Ice than I would like to admit. In terms of conflictā¦? I am much more of an intrapersonal writer than one interested in just having them win their prefecture, so I would think that the end goal of the story would be more about the characters than just winning a competition.
Concept 3: Through Anotherās Eyes
Genres: [Isekai] [Historical]
Description: You thought you were doomed, when you saw your own life flash you knew it was overā¦ But after everything goes dark you find yourself slowly coming to only to realize that the ceiling is painted in an intricate series of colours and patterns you donāt recognize, and there is a scattered array of alarmed people you have never met who seem in awe as your bleary vision clears enough to see your hands are not your own. You are in someone elseās body, and it is not until a knight comes in that you learn the significance of whose body you appear to have taken overā¦ What does it mean? Have you stolen it from them? What are the implications of such a thing anyway? [Setting is historical, not any magical elements outside of the body swap planned.]
Note: All concepts would have character customization in some form as an integral part of the story, I really value being able to make the MC feel how you want them to in a story. And now, an obligatory poll to try to figure out what idea in particular peeps enjoy.
- Concept 1: Back in the Limelight
- Concept 2: Dancing on Mirrors
- Concept 3: Through Anotherās Eyes
- None of these appeal to me
0 voters
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I would LOVE the third one! Iām a sucker for that kinda thing
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I also like the 3rd one best. I feel like we donāt have enough good Isekai games, and i think that a lot can be done with the concept beyond just the initial idea of an Isekai.
Iāll also be honest, i feel like the first just kinda feels like itās Fallen Hero, but if Sidestep never became a villian and just kinda retired.
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I mean, thatās fair, but I think a lot of the resemblance is because there is a surface level summary of the concept. I definitely donāt think it would end up as similar as it might seem at first blush [MC wouldnāt be a telepath for one, and considering a lot of what we know about Sidestep there is a lot that you could decide to go a different direction on lol. Spoilery things]. I just think there isnāt really a story about what happens to heroes after they are done taking front stage so something a bit different would be interesting on that regard.
There is so many stories centering around the act of becoming a superhero in the first place, I feel as though having more stories about either every day people in a superhero setting or of heroes or villains after they are done with taking center stage would be a compelling direction to take things. A detective who also works as a vigilante or villain undercover would be fun too me thinks [detective could be powerless, lending some interesting situations]. There is a lot of superhero stuff in general in IF, but I am just looking to make something very different from what Iāve done before so 
Response to @LiliArch :
Honestly as much as I like concept 3 I am just leaning back onto the idea of concept 1 because I want it to feel really distinctive and another historical setting might make it a little harder for it to feel like a breath of fresh air versus Shengzhang and that is the point to begin with is to make it a kind of break. I just donāt know what kind of story to write in a setting about superheroes, but the idea of a retired hero turned jaded detective seems amusing to me.
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Well, Iām always ready for more superheroes. Not going to take a vote though, you should write what you want.
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OMG THESE BOTH LOOK LIKE SUCH COOL IFs I WISH I HAD SEEN IT EARLIER TO VOTE BUT JUST READING IT MAKES ME IMAGINE !! Plz dont overwork yourself
As long as itās not involving Car-Chan or suicide then 3 could be fun, like 1 as well though.
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Car-Chan?? Also what about what was written thusfar implied anything about suicide? XD
Sorry it was Truck-Kun! 
Basically the whole trope that so many Isekai stories start with the main character being hit by a high speed vehicle, usually a big truck (which disturbingly implies that all Isekai is the MC making sense of death via some construct as their brain diesā¦ awkward.)
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Hey Phenrex!
I think the third one sounds wicked. It also feels the most fleshed out so to speak of the concepts. That said seeing your further replies, obviously go with what makes you feel most fulfilled as a creative. Regardless, I will check out your first project and wish you the best!
I donāt think we have enough detective centred stories (or mysteries) so I would love to read that. Also the idea of being just an ordinary person -kind of- instead of having to save the day is a nice change (never been a fan of superheroes anyway haha).
Political intrigue you say? Even better
Ć tĆ£o gratuito ver que ecistem brasileiros empenhados em ajudar uns aos outros! <3
@Phenrex lol all three are good concepts so hard for me to choose one and they have good points in there favor so would play all of them if they cane about.
Hey everyone, back again!
Iāve been having some discussions with a few friends, as well as a Reddit posting that led me to draw a poll here.
With Estheria: A Realm Divided, I had cut the race count down to five from seven for scope purposes after further exploring the engine. Each race is currently planned to have their own individual starting areas. Eventually, each of these starters will link up with the main plot.
While I do have things scoped out developmentally, and have plenty of dev and writing experience, I wanted to hear from the community on what they thought on this. As such, Iām going to roll with a poll on if you feel this should be kept in place, or if I should cut things down to two races for faster development time.
If the major five races are currently kept, then the plan is to develop and release each of them into the expected Demo build one by one as each area is built. They will be fleshed out, have their own unique NPCās that arenāt carbon copies of one another, and have some of their own gameplay aspects and unique choices/storylines.
I appreciate any and all feedback!
Kind regards,
~Zach.
- Iād be willing to wait longer for five fleshed out races with their own unique starting points!
- Iād prefer to cut this down to two for scope purposes.
0 voters
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