In many works, especially those with magical beings coming from their own magical world or plane something like Jötunheimr as being separate from Midgard, or fire elementals from the plane of fire, “Interdimensional aliens” isn’t all that inaccurate a term for them, though it would not be the first word most people would reach for, as it has more of a sci-fi connotation.
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Hm, I see. Sci-fi connotation was intentional in this case, though. 
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I, personally, love the intersection of fantasy and sci-fi (read: Shadowrun), so I’m here for it. Others may prefer a crowbar separation of the two, but that feels limiting.
In this case, one of the alien species in my space opera is descended from the elves in my fantasy world. Sometimes they come back when they die. And sometimes they come with reentry in their spaceship when they botch an emergency jump.
Sometimes they are part of a prophecy.
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Guys, maybe start a workshopping thread or something? This has gone a bit far beyond “interest check.”
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Hey all! I’ve had an idea for a short game–50k words or so–rattling in my head for a while, and I would like to see if there’s an audience for it. Regardless of who likes it I’m going to complete it. I love this idea.
Working Title: Vera’s Restaurant (seems ill-fitting for the tone of the story, makes it sound like a restaurant management sim. I’ll have to think harder later.)
Genres: Drama, Action, Realistic Fiction(?)
Summary
In the near-future American Southeast, you play as a person fresh out of prison and running out of options. You thought moving to the city of New Garner could give you a fresh start, a new life, but the only paying job you found was that of a fixer— for an ambitious young diner owner. This diner owner is insistent on the destruction of a rival restaurant. You’d do it for the money, but someone seems to be standing in your way…
Mechanics
Choose your character-- male, female, nonbinary, with the option of being trans. Nothing too crazy with the details, I’m thinking of also including race, height, and gender presentation. Those details are where I can see flavor text opportunities the most.
Choose the gender of your boss and rival. I may cut this (so Vera’s a man and Ollie’s a woman)… I wanted the ability to choose so the player would like them more, in the limited story length I imagine this to have. May or may not actually work.
As for stats? Nothing too complex. Just choose who will you trust and who will you obey. This game will also record your character’s ruthlessness… These two variables will influence the ending.
Setting
When the banks moved out of the New Garner, so did opportunity. The spirit of the nation has moved on to the West, leaving those who cannot move with the times behind, leaving them to deal with the rising sea levels and extreme weather.
In the course of this story, everything takes place within a neighborhood. It’ll probably be Vera’s restaurant, the rival restaurant, a house or two, a train station, and a motel. Maybe a church?
Characters
Vera (m/f) - the young-adult diner owner who hired you. Having watched too many mafia movies as a child, they have developed ambitions that are borderline unrealistic. It doesn’t help that their diner is successful too. A feminine, calculating, nice-on-the-outside sort of person.
Ollie (m/f) - the young-adult nephling of the rival restaurant’s owner. Feeling like they’re is stuck at a dead-end, they’re is trying to make the most of it, supporting their uncle’s business. A masculine, loyal, and sometimes thoughtless person.
Anthony - the rival restaurant owner. An old man who can’t let go of his pride and joy, The Hot Plate. He can’t admit it’s failing, and is blind to the fact that Vera’s out to end it for good. A stubborn, kind, man.
Potential Content Warnings
Violence, with you as the perpetrator; arson
What are your thoughts? Any potential issues, missing info? Let me know 
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Just one question - do you mean “short game idea” as “idea for a short game”, or as “game idea that is currently short”?
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Idea for a short game! Thanks for the clarifying question.
Hey all!
I’ve been hard at work on a title I first unveiled in this thread quite awhile ago. I don’t often post in here and do not yet have a WiP thread for that title (lack of a playable demo at this moment) for Once in a Lifetime.
Once in a Lifetime is a life-simulator built in ChoiceScript.
Whilst evaluating scope and breadth/depth of content, I’ve realized that releasing OiaL with three eras from the get-go would be brutal to undertake as each will work with unique content of its own.
As a result, I wanted to put a little poll. I’m not someone who likes talking about pricing or anything involving it until I’m much further along, but it’ll help me get an idea for interest.
Right now, I am considering shelving prior plans and focusing on releasing the 2004 Era for Once in a Lifetime, this would include:
- Playability from 2004 onwards until player death (maxing at 115 years old).
- Major world events listed in a month-by-month news fashion. This will focus on real events that occurred up until 2024, where I will begin changing the content provided to fit a realistic theming but still produced by hand.
- Dynamic events of a modern era. This could be anything from wars to activism, life events of health (cancer, etc), lottery winnings, morally ambiguous choices, crime, and much more.
- Modern assets (properties, cars, and much more!)
- The modern United States as a playable country in the beginning, with major cities sprawled throughout the US. Experience dynamic events tied specifically to those cities, and unique interactions based upon your starting/current city.
- Much, much more.
There’s so much already burgeoning under the hood for planned content in Once in a Lifetime that it’s going to take a few years of development as is. Nonetheless, I wanted to propose my future plans and garner what interest would be (should the original release be loved/successful).
Once in a Lifetime: The Wild West (Paid Expansion #1)
- Experience the Wild West era of American History, beginning as a newborn in 1842.
- Major world events listed in a month-by-month news fashion, delivered through unique flavor text and fonts that emphasize the press era of the Wild West.
- Experience the Civil War of the United States as it happens, with unique careers and events tailored explicitly to it.
- Dynamic events that focus on the Wild West. Towns held hostage, gangs and robbery attempts, diseases that existed prior to the invention of modern medicine, and much more!
- Careers fitting of the Wild West. Become the Sheriff, a bounty hunter, a Pinkerton, a masked robber on horseback, and much more!
- Wealth and Asset management fitting of the Wild West. Is your horse a prized pony? Do you own your own ranch? Maybe you’re a poor lad flitting through the trash.
- 26 States, sprawling from Maine to Louisiana. Experience the naturalized expansion of the United States throughout your lifetime.
- Much, much more.
Once in a Lifetime: A World at War (Paid Expansion #2)
- Experience massive change in a world thrust into War, beginning as a newborn in 1921.
- Major world events listed in a month-by-month news fashion, with headlines and flavor-text stylizing the era.
- Experience World War II as it happens, with unique careers and events tailored explicitly to it.
- Dynamic events that focus on a critical era of American history. Will your family fall from grace under the oppressive environment of the Great Depression? Or, will you rise above to snag riches and wealth by pumping the production machines of a US Military Complex?
- Careers fitting of a World at War. From wartime generals to industrialist buffoons, directly place your thumb on the scales of history as you shape it in your image.
- Wealth and Asset management fitting of this period in American history. Buy an old-fashioned car as you flaunt the engine rev through the streets. Perhaps you’ll buy a factory and directly influence the next era of American manufacturing?
- The U.S. reshaped to fit the era. You’ll experience plenty of content, plenty of cities, and plenty of areas to go.
- Much, much more.
So, here comes my poll. If Once in a Lifetime’s base game is huge, and well built/crafted. Would you be open to purchasing the additional eras as DLC given they’ll essentially be new games in size? They’d be reasonably priced, of course.
- Yes, if I end up liking the base game!
- Not a chance.
0
voters
Thanks, everyone!
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My opinion is “Yes, if I end up liking the base game”.
Altered the poll to make the Yes option indicative of that more clearly!
I would definitely go for the expansions! Though as someone born in 2002, the 2004 version will probably be my least favorite. There are some “what was life like when…” questions with the other two that simply don’t exist in 2004 version. But I think all versions will be very good and interesting!
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Hey Anna!
I hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what is up my sleeve. I’ve got a lot in the pipeline to be implemented.
On the bright side, the project already has a vast amount of code as I’ve gone to task implementing systems. So hopefully a WiP will be on the horizon in good time.
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Good luck making that. You have paid expansions already planned before a demo.
Sus.
I’m planning a significantly expansive base game that’ll take several years to make. Originally, I had wanted to spread this across 3 eras of planned content, but that will significantly pad out dev time.
The point of my poll was to engage the community on their feelings before I even considered that plan. I can split the two eras up into something much more manageable over time when planning them as separate ‘games’. I marked them as expansions because they could be added onto the already existing base.
At least in terms of what my thoughts and ideas were, they’re not any different from what a sequel would be like. Development does have to end at some point on the base project, if that makes sense.
I merely felt that I could package these additional games worth of content into the base game with a tag on it and reduced price compared to what a sequel would be.
I’m open to feedback.
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Dont talk about expansions if the base game not even started yet is all.
Hi!
This content was talked about in the original post announcing the game.
As for where the game is, I’ve got many posts out showing significant development of it and showcasing features as they’ve been built. I brought this post up to get the community’s feelings on my severing the original 1842 and 1921 Era’s of the game from the plans as they’d take too much time to make to include in the base game.
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I’m not clear from a quick look at the Tumblr post whether this is planned to be a ChoiceScript game, but if so, this is the thread for it as there is no demo:
If it is planned to be a ChoiceScript game, once you would like to share a demo please create a WIP thread with a link to to demo then.
If not, please post in the “Other Interactive Fiction” category once the game is completed. Thanks!
Hi all! I’ve had an idea for a game bouncing around for a little while but I can’t decide between Twine or Choicescript. Thought I’d post it here.
This game is a fantasy drama inspired by Spirited Away and Japanese mythology. It is character- and romance-driven, and doesn’t have a title yet.
Summary
You are the only human in the spirit world. Being there was once your only desire. It is a beautiful place full of yōkai and kami, living in splendor under endless moonlight. It is somewhere many can only dream about reaching.
But you had to give up everything for it – including your own freedom.
To exist in this realm, humans must live in servitude under a spirit forever, never to return to the human world. After a tense parting with your previous kami master, you have found yourself working under a new master as a geisha at a ryokan frequented by important and powerful yōkai. Now you must navigate your life as an outsider and the strange world around you. None of it was what you had bargained for.
You are caught between two worlds and two masters. Which will you choose? Will you find a way to escape the spirit world, despite it all?
Features
- Play as male, female, or nonbinary.
- Customize your MC’s appearance and personality.
- Romance one of two gender-selectable ROs.
- Choose your speciality as a geisha, each with their own advantages. (Charms boosts persuasion, performance boosts agility, debate boosts intelligence… I haven’t thought stats out too much yet to be honest)
- Choose your MC’s backstory and why they are in the spirit world.
- Try to escape the spirit world… or don’t.
ROs
和希 Kazuki [f/m] — A powerful kami and your ex-master, with whom you have a tense and complicated past. Known for deals and exchanges, they live a life of luxury surrounded by that which humans have given up to them. They are as mysterious, stoic, and unchanging as the moon – and yet they seem strangely attached to you. Could there be room for love in their cold heart?
湯 Yu [f/m] — The yōkai owner of the ryokan you now work for. A mischievous and free spirit, they take a flippant, laissez-faire approach to their business. They are bright, friendly, and very affectionate while somehow still holding you at an arm’s length. Disliked by most yet charismatic and influential, Yu is full of contradictions. And rumor has it they used to be human… Can you discover the truth behind all their smiles?
Concerns & Notes
My concerns: I love exploring complex relationships and power dynamics. However I know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and I’m worried about people being offended by the only ROs being people who seem to have a lot of power over the MC. The actual power dynamics are complicated, as despite being a servant neither Yu nor Kazuki will treat the MC like one or exert power over them. But will people be open to that complexity or will they expect a weird master/servant dynamic and call it problematic? At the same time I don’t want to write perfect relationships I find boring. IDK.
Also I have no idea if this concept counts as slice-of-life, because I want to focus on the MC’s job in the spirit world, their daily life, and their relationships, but there is also the dramatic undercurrent of possibly finding a way out (if the player chooses that route). This isn’t necessarily cozy slice-of-life, I guess.
I only have two ROs because this is my first game and while having 4-6 ROs seems to be popular… I’d rather spare myself the pain and keep things approachable! I may add more later as characters come to me.
I’m very attached to the idea of the MC being a geisha but this doesn’t necessitate a gender-lock, because historically geisha were actually men. I plan to briefly mention this in-game because I know some may be confused and think geisha have to be women. I also hope a geisha working in a luxury ryokan makes sense, since they’d need entertainment for high-class guests.
Apologies for how much I have written… I don’t realize how much I’ve been thinking about this game until I put all the details down and realize I’ve been a freak about it for the past few weeks lmao
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As for the audience for your RO’s, you have me totally on board! I love media that explores how power affects relationships. I’m working on a project that deals with similar topics myself, hehe. But anyway, I don’t think you can fully protect yourself from people who don’t get it, or think it’s problematic. But on the bright side, the audience that your work is for definitely exists! I believe that you should write what you are interested in, regardless of everyone’s reactions. You can’t please everyone, after all.
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