Oh sorry @Dragomer , I see where I misunderstood.
1 Like
No issue but yeah, @AletheiaKnights explained it perfectly.
4 Likes
Hello people.
Relatively new to the forum. Iām a writer, but itās my first time making an IF. I have part of the demo done already and just discovered this thread. So, I thought Iād see if people would be interested in what Iām cooking.
Basically, itās a classic murder mystery type of story, but with a sprinkle of supernatural (demons, angels, occultism and such).
The setting is similar to steampunk, but not completely. Mainly inspired by Dishonored.
The plot is that you are a famous retired PI, seeking to start a new life in the newly established colonies on a faraway continent. You travel by airship, which is the most recent wonder of technology in this world. However, your quiet journey gets interrupted when a murder happens on the ship. The captain entrusts you with uncovering the secret behind it.
You will have to gather clues, interrogate suspects and make the right connections. Unfortunately for some folks, this means that there will be a ātrueā and a couple of āfalseā endings. The one you get solely depends on how well youāve conducted the investigation.
As for ROs, I plan on doing 3. As much as Iādāve liked more, I simply canāt see it working. The main focus is going to be the plot, but romance will be as best and as fitting as can be.
You wonāt have special powers or anything, just your own wits, skills and judgement.
Would that be something youāre interested in?
19 Likes
seems promising with its unique blend of classic murder mystery, steampunk setting, and supernatural elements
Though, the genre, lack of special powers are a no for me, but thatās just my personal perference, not so much on the limited romance options, thatās okay
But ultimately, as long as youāre having fun writing it thatās all that matters.
Questions
-
Can you share some details about the three romance options (ROs) and how they tie into the overall narrative?
-
Will the choices players make during the investigation have a significant impact on the storyline, or are there key plot points that remain constant?
-
Are there any unique gameplay mechanics or features that set you apart from other murder mystery games?
-
How do you plan to incorporate the steampunk aesthetic into the gameās atmosphere and design?
-
How complex are the āfalseā endings? Will they feel like natural consequences of certain choices, or will they be more like alternate interpretations of the same clues?
-
Will pursuing an RO affect the main plot or lead to unique dialogue options and scenes?
-
How deep is the character customization? Can we choose the retired PIās background, skills, or personality traits?
Thanks for the reply. I can totally relate to the preference thing. Itās fine if the story isnāt for you, so no worries there!
Question answers
As for questions, wow, thatās a lot! Iāll answer the best I can. Do keep in mind that Iāve only started making the demo recently, so the entire story is not completely figured out and my answers may not be final.
Also, English isnāt my first language, so apologies for any mistakes.
-
Canāt share much about their personalities, since Iām still writing the demo, but I can tell who they are in general.
(1) One of them is a doctor, naturally an important character in a murder mystery story. Sheāll help with the crime scene, the body, provide some important information and share her experiences.
(2) Another one is a war veteran and a former royal guard. Like you, he has experience with crimes and investigations. Will help you, give some insight and valuable info.
(3) Final one is (a bit of a spoiler) an exorcist. Since the nature of the murder is supernatural, there has to be someone to help you uncover that. That will be her.
Also, they can all act as your ācompanionsā during the investigation, meaning you can bring one of them wherever you like and have their perspective.
As for them being gender-locked, the explanation is that I couldnāt see the story working any other way.
(The MC has a selectable gender) -
Iād say it is more of the latter. There will be branching, but towards the end itās gonna tie together into the ābig revealā scene.
-
Honest to god no idea. This is my first time coding. Maybe there will be, once Iām more comfortable with CS.
-
I guess itās the most obvious: the technology, architecture, fashion and clothing, some in-universe terminology.
-
I plan on doing it both ways, depending on the clues. The false endings are definitely going to have variety, but obviously arenāt not gonna be as exciting as the true one(s).
-
For sure.
-
Definitely looks, skills and personality traits. As for background, maybe. Havenāt given it much thought.
Thank you for asking all this. Youāve given me things to consider.
1 Like
Well the inside of a airship is pretty small, and no one will be able to go out, so itās going to be a locked room mystery? itās going to have to be centered on the ship itself with no scenes outside of it.
Thatās right.
1 Like
My sci-fi space-opera adventure story is going to happen. I am working full time on it now and it is nearing 30,000 words already. The prologue is almost complete and will be posted soon as a public demo. I started the project and pitched the idea here about 11 months ago and only returned to the project a month ago. I am mentioning it again here because I am curious about the level of interest that people have for this.
The concept is a small crew with a space ship that chooses what missions to go on and in what order. You are the captain of the ship and you can build relationships with your crew between intense missions. Inspirations include Star Wars KOTOR, Mass Effect, Firefly, and others. I would like to complete the prologue and maybe three missions before publishing as a hosted game. Potentially I could release sequels that give the player more missions to go on with their crew. Feel free to message me if youād like to try the current incomplete private demo which includes about 75% of the prologue. Those who have tried it have given very positive reviews. Thanks all 
17 Likes
The Damned of Hythe:
Have you ever thought of what would happen if the zombie apocalypse mixed with fantasy and D&D?
You had worked under the renowned alchemist and cleric, Aeson Levesque. His adventures and medicines helped the entire world of Afala up until his untimely death last year. Now having to fill his shoes, you find yourself on your first adventure, one that will decide the fates of everyone.
The province of Hythe had declared its independence from Theaca decades ago. More conservative than their parent country, Hythe still clung to the old gods, specifically the god of Rebirth and Destruction. Gathering around the god Athos, everyone in the province was soon cut off from the outside world. Once the correspondence between the knights and the Queen stopped, she sent another group only to have one knight returned. With his last breath, the knight says one thing. āThe dead are living.ā
You and a group of adventurers must go into Hythe and cure the infection, die trying to contain it, or let the entire world of Afala crumble to its knees. You accompany a half-orc barbarian, a noble wizard elf, a changling artificer, a lycanthrope general, a mercenary guild leader, and a fairy bard. You can romance anyone in your party and even have a special romance with some of the elder gods.
18 Likes
Hi, long time member here, way back to 2011 when I was only 15 (hence the cringe username) and tried working on a CoG at the that time. However being at that age, like most teenagers, I eventually dropped it. Fast forward to now and with my birthday recently having just passed, Iāve been really feeling a new urge to write a book since it feels almost like a lifelong milestone that I want to get out of the way. This is especially true now that Iāve saved up quite a bit of money, and having quit my longtime job a few months ago to begin to do things that Iāve been personally meaning to do, with writing being just one, but other stuff as well, such as taking care of my health and spending more meaningful time with my family.
So not to ramble on too long and make this post tiresome to read, I was just wondering if the community now that is it substantially larger than 2011, clearly, would you consider a classic fantasy still interesting as a setting or perhaps, what Iāve been considering and have somewhat started on with jotting down a lot of notes (lore and writing sections of key events in the story), is a Wuxia genre as I feel that is hugely underrepresented in the west. The last, and biggest Wuxia film Iāve seen cracking mainstream media and easiest answer for those who do not know what that genre is, would be: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Hope to get at least one or two response, as Iām making this post just to give myself a sense of accountability that I did start this, and I will finish this. Thanks for reading my random post, and so glad to see how big CoG has become.
14 Likes
Medieval fantasy (which is what I assume you mean by āclassicā) is definitely still popular. Not just in IF, but in most mediums. I had to look up wuxia, but I think it could be interesting. I love historical fiction, wherever said history took place.
3 Likes
I would be interested in reading your IF, I been getting into the Wuxia genre from Path of marital artists and Aura Clash so I would love to see more
2 Likes
I am very glad to hear there is someone else also trying to promote Xianxia and Wuxia, as again I truly believe it is underrepresented in the west, and definitely deserves to be shared and enjoyed by a bigger audience.
6 Likes
Really would love to see more Sci-Fi IF stories so wanted to quickly reply to this! Definitely seems like an interesting concept and reminds me a bit of The Battle of Hoag's Object (WIP) (I'm back again. No Updates yet, sorry lol, 8/23/23). It seems similar in the sense that itās āopen worldā with the ability to progress through a main storyline with other side-quests.
Either way best of luck!
5 Likes
Setting: The Imperium of Arkadia was formed over 1,200 years ago by Alric the Conqueror. Originally a Republic, Alric Tinadell rose to prominence as a military-general, statesman, and the most powerful battle-mage that the Republic ever produced. Uniting the Arkadian City-States under his banner with diplomacy, war, and fearsome displays of both martial and magical prowess Alric was able to leverage his acumen into ensuring that these formerly quarrelsome city-states became a unified Polity. Alric and his children then embarked on further campaigns. Covering themselves in even more glory so that by the time that Alric was on his death-bed the Imperium of Arkadia was only contested by the Ythari Potentate and the League of Lydus. The Potentateās attempts to smother Arkadia in the cradle were defeated while the League was conquered in the next fifty-years in a series of wars by Alricās son Therion and his granddaughter Lydea.
When the MC is born, the Imperium is the most powerful nation in the known world. The Potentate has been humiliated and reduced, losing two of its provinces to the Imperium during the time of your grandfather. However, to the wise amongst the Arkadians, it is clear that problems are arising. Less and less money is pouring into the treasury as magnates and governors pocket more and more of it or bribe officials for tax exemption. Furthermore- the Imperium is overstretched. While the conquests in the Potentate did much to ensure the pride of their people, the campaign itself was extremely costly in manpower and lives. When the Potentate struck back, it did so hard and forced the Emperor himself to take the field. The Imperium prays for his success and that of his legions. For if they were to fail- who knows who will be able to withstand the wrath of the Potentate.
Premise: You are a scion of the Imperial Line blessed or some might say cursed with the surname: Tinadell. Youāre descended from Emperor Arcadius Rindal or Longsword. Famed for his combat ability with a blade, at this point according to the genealogical charts you were forced to memorize since you were little you were third cousins to the late Emperor Valerix. He himself was elected to the throne in a contentious Diet meeting after Empress Lyra āSilver-Armā and all her children were killed when a plague wiped out 10% of the Imperial population and over half of Arkad Cityās populace.
Notice how I said late Emperor, this is important because Valerix was only 65, a young man by the reckoning of the highborn Arkadians. As your father told you when the Diet chose him to ascend the Palatine Throne he was selected because of that. He was young and the Diet hoped they could manage him. Turns out to the surprise of many that Valerix proved to be a competent choice. While he was young and inexperienced he selected a coterie of capable officials to head up the administration. Under his purview the finances of the state began to be reorganized and consumer confidence began to rise. While he also reviewed the legal code and implemented a modest judicial reform that was lauded for beginning to ease up on the court backlog and once again begin to unify the realmās judicial code.
All of this to say that it was very unfortunate when he was ambushed and killed alongside half of the Southern Army. It was even more unfortunate for you because you had to be the one to inform the senior Tribune (because life isnāt hard enough with just a dead Emperor nobody knows what happened to the Senior Military Staff).
This is where we find ourselves, you made it back to the city of Leonus Minorum with the body of your Emperor and some 3,000 men you managed to rally and the knowledge that behind you is around 100k-120k Ythari Potentate Troops and you only have around 40-60k (give or take stragglers are still filtering in like you).
In this first book, you will play a young Arkadian as they struggle to imagine a world in which the nation they grew up in is no longer the uncontested power in the known world. You will struggle to lead your men into battle, learn more about the politics of Arkadia, make a name for yourself, find love (or perhaps just a good and advantageous match), and finally perhaps you will find a reason to keep fighting for Arkadia or perhaps realize that, in time, all things come to an end.
Something Iāve been mulling over for a while in a couple different mediums. I just need to learn how to code but I do have a script. Need to figure out how to integrate romance in of course.
18 Likes
- slow-burn romance with a political edge?
- forbidden romance?(Romeo and Juliet effect)
Though I have one question will there be multiple branching paths or endings based on the playerās choices?
2 Likes
So are we like a general in the Imperiums military, also whatās the line of succession for us?
Also whatās the aesthetic of the Imperium? Is it Roman because the refer to their military units as legions also they have the rank of tribune which is a rank of the Roman Empire
The Imperium overall is very sex-positive in general. Since thereās no direct aristocracy except for the Imperial Family (which is defined as the descendants of Alricās firstborn son Therion. Alricās half-siblings are extremely powerful magnates but are not nobles. So forbidden romances would be tied more to someone who is not an Arkadian Citizen. Which can be something we do, but itād probably have to be later.
I suspect that book one will probably be linear to varying degrees. Since its premise is contained towards trying to master a serious threat to the Imperium while preparing yourself for greater purpose down the line.
You start off as a Captain in the Emperorās Bodyguard Regiment. A prestigious position that would have theoretically started off a solid political-military career for you later in life due to your proximity to the Emperor.
Thereās going to be flavor from many different places. The Imperium has a āprofessionalā bureaucracy with appointed magistrates and officials. The army is organized and run through a theoretically meritocratic and professional apparatus. While the Diet is directly elected and has authority over the āOldā Imperium the parts of the Empire directly conquered by Alric and his children. The āNewā Imperium is administered by Governors and officials appointed by the Emperor who possesses a military staff, a civil staff, and a series of household ministries.
Furthermore, the Army has a centralized command structure with the Emperor serving as Commander in Chief with a Field Marshal of the Camps below him and it is further broken up into various āCampsā which are basically military-districts. Each legion is assigned one of these districts which it recruits from. These are just administrative units where the Tribune is based. A Tribune is a military-bureacurat who in charge of equipping the legionnaires, supplying them with food, overseeing the maintenance of fortifications, and recruitment. The Legate is the field commander who is in charge of leading the legion into battle. When the Army takes the field it is then organized into something like this: āThe Southern Armyā which is led by a Field Marshal and he is in charge of strategy, coordinating the legions, planning, and executing the kinetic part of the war. Namely trying to crush the enemy.
5 Likes
But still whatās our position in the line of secession, also could we take over as emperor sense the old one is dead?