Hi All,
We’re about to post a series of blog posts breaking down the structure of choices in CS.
I’ve been looking at it until my eyes are crossed. If you have a minute and care about these things, any comments for clarity would be appreciated. ie If I don’t explain something sufficiently, or if a term comes out of the blue.
Thanks!
I’ll take a look at it after I learn how serfs work. 
Lol…
(Looking at the document now…)
since when can you put *set in *fake_choices O_o??
2014-ish?
…
I just finished reading through; I thought the explanations were very clear. I quite liked the discussion on Forking Choices and different ways of implementing them, especially some of the points on repercussions of implementing the various choice styles. I also thought the comments on telegraphing forking choices and using objective choices to establish axes of success were very helpful and illuminating.
(Also, having a sneak peek at the blog was fun.)
For objective choices, I wonder if it’s worth it to note that they don’t have to be just candy, that they can be balanced with, say, a decrease in another secondary variable.
…Unless you are specifically trying to suggest that choices that lead directly to secondary variable gains are usually bad things, period, regardless of whether they are balanced in other ways.
The heck I’m doing wrong then?
No, you have a good point.
I know it’s not really something that technically belongs in a taxonomy of choice, but I wonder if there’s a place for quick mention of TRGR and TPGP rewards somewhere, since people who need to learn about four-point trap need to learn about those as well. Maybe there needs to be a taxonomy of rewards.
That would be really helpful, especially in regards to how different types of rewards can balance/contrast with each other.
Edit:
In contrast an MLTC is a Variable-Difficulty Testing Choice.
Should that be ‘In contrast to’?
A Taxonomy of Choices: Establishing Character
(NB: if I refer to a variable, and it’s not immediately preceded by a + or -, I’ve prefixed $ to clarify that it is, in fact, a variable.)
Therefore, you want to use Fake Choices judiciously, so as to not run the risk of exposing them as being Fake; when players know in their bones that their decisions don’t have any effect on the game, they get frustrated and feel cheated.
Even if there is nothing technically wrong with the structure of this sentence, I would still break it up into two sentences to make it easier on the reader. Like so:
Therefore, you want to use Fake Choices judiciously, so as to not run the risk of exposing them as being Fake. When players know in their bones that their decisions don’t have any effect on the game, they get frustrated and feel cheated.
In the case of our police procedural:
every morning, the PC meets her partner at a diner near the police station. There's a new waitress today. She approaches your table, unaware that you always order:
This bit here seems to conflate the narrator of the document with the narrator of the story. For extra clarity, maybe something like this:
In the case of our police procedural: every morning, the Police Chief meets her partner at a diner near the police station. There's a new waitress today. She approaches your table, unaware that you always order:
Assuming you set $favorite_drink, and then recall the value of $favorite_drink later, this would be a Flavor Choice.
To my knowledge, the $ in front of a variable by itself doesn’t do anything, thus making this sentences confusing. I would change it like this:
Assuming you set a variable called favorite_drink and then recall the value of favorite_drink by typing ${favorite_drink}, this would be a Flavor Choice.
How did you take him down?
*fake_choice
#I talked him into putting the gun down.
*set diplomacy %+20
#When he ran for it, I chased him down.
*set athletics %+20
#I explained, in detail, the consequences of shooting a cop.
*set intimidation %+20
Once you had the cuffs on him:
-I read him his rights. (+principles)
-I took the opportunity to vent some of my frustrations. (+bloodthirst)
-I searched his pockets before I sent him to central booking. (+greed)
principles, bloodthirst, and greed.The next type of choice is an Objective Choice. This may seem like an Establishing Choice, but the crucial difference is that they affect Secondary Variables—variables that describe the world or the consequences of the player’s actions—instead of Primary ones.
There needs to be a brief definition of Objective Choice if you’re going to immediately say that “This may seem like an Establishing Choice.” Since the reader doesn’t yet know what you mean by Objective Choice, we are left with treating Objective Choice as a cognate. Confusion can happen when we figure out things on our own (because the definition we create in our own minds may not be the same as the intended definition).
You can simply reword that passage: The next type of choice is an Objective Choice which is similar to an Establishing Choice (hyperlink this to your definition of Establishing Choice), except for a few key details.
Another minor change: “the crucial difference is that they affect Secondary Variables (SVs) […]” You end up using SVs later, but even though you say Secondary Variables just before you use SVs, the specific usage of SV is not currently defined.
In our detective’s story, she finds herself with a weekend to do with as she pleases.
-show up at your kid’s ballgame. (+family_peace)
-pick up some overtime to help cover a sick coworker. (+cash, +police_rep, +career)
-shake down some corner dealers. (+cash, +stash, +street_rep)
-spend time documenting my partner’s crimes. (+evidence_against_partner)
+police_rep is directly below - pick up some overtime creating some initial visual confusion as to if these are expanding and collapsing choices.However, one or two instances of an Objective Choice in the early midgame can help establish the different axes of success in the game, as an Objective Choice asks the player to choose between the game’s Narrative Goals.
Yes, I know that axes is the plural form of axis, but people may read axes as if it was the plural of axe, and experience more momentary confusion.
Try this: However, one or two instances of an Objective Choice in the early midgame can help establish a different axis of success in the game, as an Objective Choice asks the player to choose between the game’s Narrative Goals.
Deciding which bar to go to is an immediate consequences; keeping or turning in the drugs may have immediate consequences, but in a “Chekhov’s gun” way, it’s implied that the real consequences unfold later in the narrative.
Do you…
-turn in the drugs to evidence. (+principles, $turned_in_drugs = true)
-keep them for myself; I might need to fabricate evidence later. (-principles, $turned_in_drugs = false)
-keep them; who knows when I’ll need a little pick-me-up. (+hedonism, $turned_in_drugs = false)
A Taxonomy of Choices: Axes of Choice
However, as frequently as possible, you don’t want to record the results of individual tests (road_horse_chp_3 true/false), so instead we recommend the use of Secondary Variables, thereby trading fidelity for efficiency.
fidelity for efficiency and keep the existing hyperlink. You could add a sentence like this to what you already have: “However, as frequently as possible, you don’t want to record the results of individual tests (road_horse_chp_3 true/false), so instead we recommend the use of Secondary Variables, thereby trading fidelity for efficiency.” In other words, instead of trying to keep track of whether potentially hundreds of choices were true or false, pass or fail, yes or no, we will use Secondary Variables as a way of keeping track of the cumulative value of all our choices.*choice
#I kick down the door before she can finish. (Tests $athletics)
Here, there is one objective: catch the criminal before she can destroy the evidence. Success in the test means you get to her before the drugs are flushed (+arrests, +drugs_for_evidence, +police_rep).
Being able to meet or exceed the stat check (success in the test) means you get to her before the drugs are flushed (+arrests, +drugs_for_evidence, +police_rep).”Failure could be several things, depending on how you handle failure in your game: failure could mean that the drugs are entirely flushed, and so you no basis to arrest her (-police_rep)
have no basis”basic Testing Choices can quickly lead to the dreaded Four Point Trap, Scores, and other symptoms of one-dimensional gameplay.
Choosing any of the options from the fleeing drug-courier above, a mid-level test ($diplomacy > 50 instead of $diplomacy > 65) might result in some of the drugs being recovered,
diplomacy (or other) variable(s).MLTCs are great, in that they provide nuance to the game.
In contrast an MLTC is a Variable-Difficulty Testing Choice.
Are you saying that an MLTC is also a VDTC? If that’s the case, then why the “in contrast”? Did you mean to say that an MLTC is not a VDTC? Did you mean to say that an MLTC can also be a VDTC? In contrast to what? was the unanswered question that confused.
Suggestion: “To contrast, an MLTC is not a Variable-Difficulty Testing Choice (VDTC).” This sentence opens up your discussion about what a VDTC is.
Notably, if one test is harder (or easier) than the others, than its consequences (SV-effects) should reflect that:
then its consequences […]then succeeding in that test should have the narrative payoff adequately reflect that success:(SV-effects) may be confusing to a general-audience level readership; they may not remember that by SV you mean Secondary Variable, so I would just use the full term instead of the abbreviation.-shoot to kill, because this trash doesn’t deserve to live. (+bloodthirst, tests $marksmanship)
-shoot to kill, because that’s what SOP declares in this situation. (+order, test $marksmanship)
-despite regulations to the contrary, I try to sneak up behind the criminal and disarm him. (-bloodthirst, -order, tests $stealth)
-alert the criminal to my presence and try to talk him down. (-bloodthirst, tests $diplomacy)
A Taxonomy of Choices: Axes of Success
(This part looks good. The Four Point Trap hyperlink I mentioned earlier can go directly to your PostScript.)