October 2026 Writer Support Thread

Game Development Writing and Content
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This is a nitpick, but the wording here is ambiguous. Most of the time, the “or” in the “Play as” line is an exclusive or, so it sounds a bit like you’re saying you can play as gay or poly, but you can’t play as gay and poly. Additionally, “Poly” can be short for polyamorous, polysexual, polygender or Polynesian. I’m guessing you mean the first?

If so, I’d personally rephrase as “male, female or nonbinary; gay, straight, bi, or asexual; poly or mono” for clarity.

Never hurts to consider areas to improve in. Just because something is standard doesn’t mean it’s the best, or even good.

Multiple COG games are already using clearer “Play as” bullets. E.g.:

Play as male, female, or nonbinary; gay, straight, or bi; aromantic, asexual, or both, with many shadings of asexuality.

Play as male, female, nonbinary, or genderfluid; gay, straight, pan, bi, ace; poly or monogamous

Play as male, female, or nonbinary; cis or trans; gay, straight, or bisexual; asexual and/or aromantic; allosexual and/or alloromantic; monogamous or polyamorous.

Play as male, female, or nonbinary; cis or transgender; gay, straight, bi, asexual; monogamous or polyamorous.

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83

Ah ok fair enough. It really is the harmony always route then, no one can stay angry for that :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

That’s fair, keep the bullet point if that’s the case. I was assuming it was a bit grittier/rivalry than that, but that’s what the description is for to correct that!

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Isn’t that just the standard tagline COG uses when all options are open?

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For that sentence, I just copied it directly from the CoG description guide. I’ll keep this issue in mind if I submit it and they’d like to ask about it.

lol the comic you posted is the exact romance storyline for two of the three characters! I really like romance/intimacy where people just gradually get to know each other, like each other, and fall in love like it was meant to happen all along. It’s so sweet!

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85

I realized when using the *bug command, I can still use ChoiceScript to show me what value the variable is set to in the notification window to better fix the issue.

That saves so much time. I can’t remember if this is ever documented publicly or if I am foolishly slow.

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86

How would you feel about finding out at the very end of a (short) game that you’re stuck in a time loop without being able to resolve it?

You may or may not have solved the mystery presented in the game (so there’s different endings in that regard), but you’re stuck all the same and don’t get a chance to do anything about it.

I like the idea, but I could see it being unsatisfying as a reader all the same.

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87

Hey, as long as the journey is satisfying to get there I would be fine with an ending like that I think, especially if the game is relatively short.

12 minutes is a game like that and it pulls it off pretty well.

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88

i think the idea is interesting for sure, but i’m confused i guess as to why that would be information the player only gets at the very end of the game. i don’t know exactly what you’re thinking for execution, but it feels like that would feel random and off-putting as a reader because…there’s kind of no ending, no resolution. like you played a whole game thinking the game was something totally different than what it ends up being, because you’re never given the context of “this is a time loop.”

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89

Yeah, a sudden reveal at the very end may need a little something extra to supplement the experience. Maybe some foreshadowing or mini time loops throughout the story so the rug isn’t completely pulled from underneath the readers… but, if you want to surprise the reader like that, don’t be scared to try it out if it’s your vision!

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90

I should definitely give that story a read. Thank you.

It is meant to be a Halloween adjacent short story, so hints along the way (and the final confirmation) are meant to create some unease/dread. But that what you did turns out to be futile in the end seems a particularly hard sell for IF. Maybe I’ll just turn it into a regular short story.

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91

12 Minutes is an actual video game, but it’s an interactive one. It probably could have worked well in text format too, honestly!

Also, maybe instead your ending just being a time loop where nothing you did matters, it could be a time loop with different endings, and the player character is affected in different ways. Maybe they go into the next loop conscious of what they had just gone through, or maybe they are happy to find out it’s a time loop because what comes next will be worst than the past.

12 Minutes trailer that explains the premise of the game pretty well!

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92

I googled it and realised I actually played it. :sweat_smile: Well, I should say part of it. I never finished. Maybe I’ll give it another try.

If I end up making it an interactive story, changing the ending up a bit might be good… I’ll be honest though and say I don’t know how. Yet. Maybe it’s just not meant to be. I’ll see if I come up with slightly different endings I guess.

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93

The game Oxen Free did this. The game even had slight variations per play through. I found it very fun the first few times I played. But after awhile, I started feeling dissatisfied that there was literally nothing more to do. I was hoping there was more information hidden, and eventually we’ll have enough to break the loop.

So, to answer your question. Players will find it fun and satisfying. But some players may become frustrated

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94

That awkward moment when you think of a new, fun and dynamic intro/prologue for your story after struggling to write the original one for a year :weary_face: (not that I was actively working on it that whole time but still)

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95

I’ve had a few requests lately on Tumblr that have really made me realise the positive value of feedback that I don’t think should be acted upon.

Some stuff I’m used to (new RO requests!) and some other adjacent stuff (new / alternative features).

I’m finding it a surprisingly valuable exercise, to sit down and think ‘do I understand why I do / don’t want to add this? What are the merits and downsides’ and sometimes I find it teaches me something about my own work and thought processes that I can carry forward! Regardless of whether the conclusion is ‘yes, I can add this’ or ‘on balance I was right not to include this’…

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Intros are always easier for me after I know where I’m going with the story, so all my intros are temporary until proven otherwise.

(Which is one of the reasons I don’t want to post a wip without having written a full draft.)

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The only real flaw I found with that game was that I solved everything, saved everyone, and felt satisfied with the ending on my first go, so the idea of diving back into the time loop just felt a bit mean-spirited.

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98

I love time-loop games. That said, if you don’t telegraph this either through tone or some kind of parallel sub-plot, I would feel pretty unsatisfied.

There are also a great deal of time-loop stories and games that follow this trend, some of which listing would be a spoiler since the loop is supposed to be secret.

Readers are typically drawn to time-loops and other progression fantasies because they want a feeling of accomplishment! Either winning or discovering secrets.

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99

Would you share some of your favourites with me? Maybe hidden as to not put any spoilers on her for unsuspecting readers.

I suppose you’d be discovering a secret. But you can’t win (mostly because I want to keep it a short story). That said, I’m starting to like the idea of just keeping it a regular short story. I’m still interested in playing some of the games you mentioned though.

No experience with Tumblr, but it’s something I find generally helpful in any feedback on writing. It forces you to make an active decision on some of these things you might not have given much thought while writing, even if ultimately you disagree with the person giving you the feedback.

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100

Hello everyone, happy October! :jack_o_lantern:

An update from me, this Halloween will be the 1 year anniversary of when I launched TMOTD for the public. When I launched, it had only 36k words. My goal is to drop the next update on the anniversary this month, which will bring the game to 100k words!

And for this month’s topic, since horror is the primary genre of my game, I’ll consider how I use that along with suspense for my thoughts.

For TMOTD, my strategy is all about build-up/payoff. I try to start the scare setup as soon as possible, then slow down and distract readers with something else. I keep small bits of spooky moments in to remind readers that something bad is usually hiding right around the corner, so they can’t quite relax. Then, once I feel like it’s built up enough, I tie in all the threads to deliver the scare. Taking my time like that has actually served me well, and suspense is such a big tool.

Also, thank you @raywilson for setting up the thread and starting the discussion!

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101

Have you watched The Residence (trailer) on Netflix? It’s an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery set in the White House dealing with this exact theme. Entertaining case study, if you haven’t seen it.

Re: Tension

I don’t have any insights, but one of my favorite IF examples is my father’s long, long legs. It makes good use of stuff I normally find gimmicky and distracting in IF – fancy CSS, audio, images, timed text – to build tension. NB: If you have a darkmode plugin for your browser, be sure to disable it for this game.

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