Can we choose who will be preg or is that all ready decided?
Could being the parent be optional? Maybe raise the kid of a sibling after the massacre, and the other parent is than the brother in law (could still give a lot of drama if he turns out to be a RO or not). I’m unsure why, but games that force me to be a parent make me uncomfortable. So personally I won’t be interested in playing, unless I could be a caretaker instead of the biological parent. If you don’t want to switch it up, I’ll understand. You can’t please everyone. Goodluck with this stories development!
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Curious as to people’s opinions regarding backstory? I’m working on a WIP and can’t decide how out there to go with the concept as I have two options and one allows for a “grander,” story and more of a mystery whilst the other allows for more customisation but with less mystery/plot relevance?
Do people prefer more customisation at the cost of their character’s backstory being less relevant/plot heavy? Or do people enjoy a sort of Fallen Hero-esque fixed backstory and dynamic/varied choices on how you can respond to it?
Apologies if that’s too vague to be asked in this thread! I’m new and might have missed a better thread for that. It is a part of a wider interest check for my WIP but wanted to get an idea of that preference before posting the full thing as I’ve been coding for both scenarios with my demo.
I think there’s appetite enough for both.
- Character customization opinions (polls!)
- Poll: Canonical/Pre-set Significant Other
- POLL - What types of Protagonists/Main Characters are you open to playing in a Hosted Game?
- Poll: Main Character naming preference
- Thoughts on the option to choose the MC’s skin color? (poll)
Advocating for customization/agency/choice is one of my hobby horses, but as long as I am given enough control over the character, I’m able to look past some things being out of my hands or even enjoy them. Good writing buys a lot of good will.
Fallen Hero has a lot of the character’s past, abilities, circumstances, and motivations set in stone, but it immediately and continuously gives the player room to make that character their own within that framework. You can grapple with the things about yourself that are out of your control in-character. You can challenge and struggle with your preconceived motivations. You can define who you want to be, and often there is interplay between making that choice and reflecting on who you were/are and how you are perceived because of those things. When your character is going through with things you’d rather not do, and you as the player are screaming at them to stop, it doesn’t feel like the author’s hand is swatting you down because they have a story to tell, it feels like you are actually having an internal conflict. It’s really, really well done.
Not everyone can write like that. Not every audience or story needs them to.
Sabres/Guns/Lords of Infinity forces you to play a specific gender, insisting that in the world/story they portray, your character could only be that gender. Then, as you go through the story, you run into women planning and strategizing and scheming and plotting and leading and fighting just like you, grappling with similar problems and circumstances along the way. I start to wonder to myself “Did the protagonist really have to be male for this story? Why be so insistent on it?”
If you’re looking to appeal to the customization crowd (or at least my corner of it), while also having fixed elements of the character, just take some time to analyze why this character needs to be a generic white guy protagonist (or whatever you feel they need to be) in your story. Does it really upset things if the player can make the character representative of their own ethnicity instead? Does the character need green eyes because some side character they’re related to has green eyes, or could their eyes be any color, and all you need to do is match their associated variables? Is it really necessary that the protagonist have biological offspring, or could the child be adopted? Is it necessary that they dress like a vagrant, or could they perhaps have their own defined style? If it doesn’t actually affect the story, why not leave it open to the player?
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Thank you for the detailed response and the links! You’ve definitely given me plenty to think about and I appreciate the pov! I’d typically give a far more detailed response but it’s freshly 7am and I have yet to sleep.
The character appearance/gender/sexuality will all be customisable and fluid but I find myself facing the fork in the road of; do I give a range of background options and have the focus in the present and letting the MC be shaped by player decisions and the events of the plot or having a more fixed canon backstory and having that ricochet through. I’ve written a demo for both, just interesting trying to navigate how much freedom to give the player and how much to direct them in favour of the plot. Giving me DM-ing flashbacks.
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You might find this poll helpful:
I’m always up for the option that allows for a stronger story, but I don’t mind playing completely preset PCs, so probably not the most representative player.
I also think you probably couldn’t go wrong posting both demos and getting feedback on which one players prefer.
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INTEREST CHECK
Picture dryads, hell demons and humans living in harmony. You can’t, exactly- because it’s utter chaos. Aside from the half breed children born from a dryad or chaosborn seeing something in a human… the world is in shambles.
Until you come in, the player.
The player will bread and rebuild this world, will it become full of life and balance or crumble to ash.
LORE
This world, watched over by ancient massive bug-like deities, is in trouble. The dryads should be creating endlessly and the chaosborn destroying endlessly but the balance is off. The humans are meddling with things they don’t understand too and creating a new race of humans to rule and control the world- a disgusting mutation of dryad chaos and human all at once. The metal boned royal family are power hungry humans who want to take over the world with their bustling, indoctrinated kingdom.
The deities, now on the verge of resetting the world to rid it of evil, must be convinced there is good- with the dryads who give and the chaos who take not doing their jobs.
The dryads and peacekeepers (human dryad offspring) are desperately trying to create more life while chaosborn and serpents (chaos and human offspring) forever cull the growing population.
RACES
The human player will be a special decedent of the first Metal royal and will be able to become any race they choose except for deity.
- Peacekeeper- dryad human children, beaver like passive and friendly mediators
- Dryad- born of the trees and unable to produce more of them until a new tree grows, timid, tall and paternal they create and create life endlessly
- Human- human
- Chaosborn- new ones are created when emotions peak negatively, strict aggressive and determined, they are there purely to destroy life till none remains
- Royal Metalic- a strange combination of the three main races human dryad and chaos that many seem to be nervous of
STORY/GAME
A gemblood princess is being taken to the main peacekeeper lands to discuss her orders to burn the forest, using the created chaosborns to send the world into a terrible war. It’s up to the player, who accompanies the princess (with a few others) to influence this trip and decide who lives or dies.
There will be customisable pronouns and best friend options, plenty of romance candidates along the way, resources to manage in order to do certain things and stats.
After words
Currently I’m so brain rot about this, I’ve been brainstorming for aaages so many ways to do the stats and all the possible relationship options.
So far I have a they/he serpent mercenary who has a hard shell from their past life, the she/her snobby brat of a princess, your best friend you grew up with, a he/him shy but determined dryad, etc etc
I’m still wondering what sort of people I should add in, does anyone have any ideas on personalities they’d love to see? Any other ideas or questions or literally anything please ask I’m so excited to expand I’ve began putting things in place for the various endings I plan on there being!
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sure 🖒
-
How long has this world been out of balance?
-
Did the bug-like deities create everything?
- What are the origins of the metal-boned royalty? How did they gain their power?
- What are the relationships like between the different races? Are there any historical conflicts or alliances that shape their current interactions?
- What stats will the player have, and how will they impact gameplay? For example, will certain stats affect dialogue options or combat abilities?
- Is there any character/s who will play a significant role in the story?
- Will there hidden secrets or alternative paths that players can discover through exploration or specific choices?
- How many possible endings are you considering for the game, and what factors will determine them?
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-The world has been out of balance since the first metal royal became what he is- when he experimented on the first and only recorded forced dryad-chaos child. Before this point in time the dryads and chaosborn hated eachother as they always have/will- but they were in perfect balance of the right amount of create and destroy. After he did his experiments and was appointed king due to the power he gained, the dryads and chaosborn were unable to keep their flow going. The influence of the royals and their messing with the land has ruined things.
-The bug deities did not create the world, but they were the first creatures to live there and so took on a very logic driven watcher role. They don’t really have morals they just think what’s best for the mass, greater good type deal.
-As said above the first metal boned was made when some crazy guy experimented on a dryad and chaos born. The forced union ended the two beings lives but created the only ever chaos-dryad child, which the man then forced to do cruel tests, him being in very close constant proximity when this child died caused its power to flow into him and change his bones to metal. He was crowned king by the human kingdom due to his displays of power and knowledge.
-The humans are relatively neutral alignment, though under the rule of the metal royals they tend to be more rude. The dryads and chaos hate eachother, and are both rocky with the humans but occasionally can make friendships that even can blossom into more hence the peacekeepers and serpents. The peacekeepers (dryad human children with small nature powers) are very passive and peaceful, they want the world to be happy and work together nicely so they do their best to be kind to everyone. The serpents tend to be a bit spiteful that they exist because of the night terrors and light mind powers they have- they have a huge range of personalities but tend to dislike the more good aligned races because everyone has a negative view of serpents. Bug deities are seen as weird but deserving of respect by everyone except metal royals who want to experiment and destroy them so the metals can reign, and the bugs themselves are so mighty they are everyone else as nothing really- seeing as the bugs have lived since almost the start of time. Lastly, metal royals believe they are better than everyone so are prissy assholes that everyone dislikes (even bugs think they’re annoying).
-At the moment the stats will be related to the character’s alignment, so certain nice/mean important choices will be available if they previously picked nice/mean stat changing options. I’m also thinking of there being some combat stats yes, this will depend on the character creation in the beginning and if the player decides to train in spare time or chatter instead.
-The princess Aeila is probably the most ‘important’ character but everyone has a role to play and there will be consequences for how the player treats eveyone.
-I’m not sure about secrets, but certain endings will be harder to get than others, neutral endings will be much easier than a 100% good/evil ending.
-There will be a few neutral ish endings, and true good/evil endings depending on the stats that will be much harder to get to. There will also be whoever you chose as your romantic option at the end.
Hope that answers everything, please feel free to ask anything else! You might find a gap and help me further develop this project. :))
Yeah, I like that in “When life gives you lemons” my mc is the much older half brother who takes on the parent/guardian role for his much younger half brother when their father dies.
I quite dislike (cis) male pregnancy (and I’m not sure my mc would want to even if he is trans)…why not just have an artificial womb technology?
But it can also be your story just won’t be for me.
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This seems interesting
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what kind of slice of life would you guys like?
or a reality show?
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Adult siblings navigating the sale of their childhood home. Circumstances with the parents could be from a set of options: sudden death, failing memory/other disease or condition requiring care, empty nest/downsizing, retire somewhere warmer/colder, spend a few years travelling before moving to retirement community.
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I’d be down for almost anything(with comedy), although specifically for me, anything with superpowers like Ordinary People (WIP) (Ch.1 12/9/23) for example
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Thank you @annewest and @coal8!
I’ve developed a storyline that should reflect both of your recs!
You’ve been hidden from the world and you escape one day.
You one day are taking a walk and a figure comes and shoots you with a syringe and runs off.
A few moments after the police are chasing the figure, but you’re passed out on the floor. You go to the ER and they say nothing is wrong. But you wake the next day and you have (power), you get a response from the IHL (International Hero League) you get a job and meet romance on the way.
And (battles?!)
(This was generated by my brain in 5 minutes, def needs some work!)
super power choices:
Hypnokinesis
Psychokinesis
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Oh! What a pleasant surprise to see this in my email! Thank you for enjoying my story!! 
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A stroy driven quarterback game is needed
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Interest Check:
Working Title: To Catch a Spy
Overall theme: A Romance-based Spy Thriller
Setting Modern day, near-future
Hook: This is not a story where you are the hero, swooping in to rescue the innocent and save the day. You are a newly minted secret operative for a shadowy organization known only as the Group. Your work is dangerous, highly illegal, and often morally bankrupt. You have no recollection of your life before the Group, and its training methods encourage suspicion and caution of all others.
It comes as a surprise to you, then, to find out you have been assigned a partner who will live and work with you from now on. What comes as an even larger surprise is the Group encourages you to bond, emotionally and physically, with your partner. Can you overcome the odds by surviving increasingly dangerous assignments as you get to know your partner? Will you earn their trust? Can they earn yours? Maybe you’ll even get the chance to learn more about yourself and the organization you work for.
Premise: I have been heavily inspired by the “spy meets spy” genre of romance entertainment and wanted to make a high stakes interactive game around the subject. I want this to be primarily a love/friendship story focused around suspicion and betrayal with high-stakes action and intrigue as the glue that holds the characters together. Thus I will go into this project with the following priorities:
- Slice of life - Spy Edition. What does a spy’s life look like between the stealth missions and explosions?
- One RO - I would like to explore more mature themes with this: loneliness, suspicion, codependency, trauma bonding, jealousy; things of that nature.
- An emotional rollercoaster: Lighthearted, comedic, and romantic scenes intermixed with darker more suspenseful “missions” set up in an episodic manner.
- Mystery and power to be uncovered: It’s clear the Group did something to you to make you… Extraordinary. You’ll have the chance to find out more about the Group and yourself, should you so choose. This investigation will link directly to you synergizing the abilities granted to you by the Group’s experimentation.
Implementation: I’d like this to be a fairly linear story, with optional branching stories that grant you more resources and abilities to affect the end game. All of the slice of life and non-story critical missions will be optional, but heavily encouraged. I am planning 3 main endings right now, with those endings being directly affected by how you interacted with the optional content. This being a spy story, most story options and endings will be bad or at the very least not good. I am, however, a sucker for a good ending, so expect there to be a hard-to-get happy ending.
Let me know what you guys think of this!
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It sounds really interesting! I’m definitely going to check it out
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So glad you’re considering making the missions optional. It’s always disappointing to realize that you can’t stand the idea of playing one second more of a good/fun game because you hate the mission/combat aspects so intensely.
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