Polls about COG, HG, and IF games

Game Development Writing and Content
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To prevent spamming of the forum, as advised.

Feel free to post your polls here if you want.

RO Catergory:

Do you prefer slow-burn RO’s or “down-to-smash-now” RO’s?

  • Slow burn all the way baby.
  • Down to smash RO’s for me.
  • It depends on my mood, but mostly slow burn.
  • It depends on my mood, but mostly quick RO’s.
  • I like a balance of both so I have more options.
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

What is the most important thing when it comes to an RO for you?

  • The physical descriptions, I have a specific type of RO visualized.
  • The writing, I like to get to know the RO or feel something for them.
  • Plot circumstance, Basically whichever RO fits my MC in the story the best.
  • Whoever is the most powerful. Gotta get that $$$ from Daddy/Mommy, amirite?
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

Do limited RO’s mean better “quality” in your experience?

  • Yes, out of all the CYOA’s I played. The less RO’s, the better the characters.
  • No, out of all the CYOA’s I played. The more RO’s, the better the characters.
  • I haven’t noticed a difference in quality.
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

Plot:

Which genre works the best for you?

  • Action, Adventure, The classic with your cast of characters who journey with you and stuff.
  • Mystery, Horror, You know, the usual detective stuff. It’s fun.
  • Sim/Management, Limited amount of money, expanding as the story progresses and etc. Think Choice of Rebels.
  • Power fantasy, I like being the chosen one, collecting powers and forging a harem along the way.
  • Not a specific category. More like a mix of some listed above.
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

Short stories, Long stories, non-cohesive stories?

  • Short and sweet all the way.
  • Longer the better, more gameplay.
  • Duologies, Trilogies, Quad…gies?
  • A collection of stories within a CYOA is my forte. (Lost in pages)
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

Past, Present, or Future?

  • Past
  • Present
  • Future
  • Alternate Reality

0 voters

Author’s Intent

Is realism important in CYOAs?

  • Yes, it is. It’s my preference for stories to be as realistic as they possible in social issues, plot, and regarding any added fantasy like magic.
  • No, it is not. The others can bend the rules as much as they can, social issues need not addressed, plot doesn’t need to be explained in a way that makes sense, magic need not be treated like it’s out the norm.
  • It heavily depends on the story, and what it calls for, because realistic or unrealistic styles can make or break for me.
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

How do you feel about the author catering more to their comfort zone than anyone else?

  • It is the Author’s story. They should have full control over how they want to tell it, and what they want to include and what not.
  • It is the Author’s story, But I feel they should reach out their comfort zone and cater to audiences they are not familiar with when they can.
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

Should CYOA’s with mature content be excluded from COG/HG (even if the Author treats it with extreme care)?

  • I think they should for possible trigger warnings, or for the inappropriate references, and etc.
  • I think they shouldn’t be treated any differently from PG games, mature content occurs in day to day life, and etc.
  • I personally think they should have their own sections, and not be included with COG/HG.
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

…I couldn’t think of anything else, if I do I’ll post it here from now on.

61 Likes
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Are there too many polls now?

  • Yes
  • Also yes
  • Pie

0 voters

11 Likes
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Oh noes, there was a “pie” option … I clicked “yes” to fast.

26 Likes
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Gluten-free please, otherwise pie is poison for me. :sweat_smile:

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God, I love polls. Voting on polls is so fun and so satisfying to me for some reason. Thank you, @TrashyLollipops.

30 Likes
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I love polls too, very satisfying indeed! And such a great source of info for the community we are writing for

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Mixture of both for this one. Wayhaven, for example, I like romancing N or F because of the faster intimacy (closeness, cuddles, etc.) rather than any physical aspects of the relationship.

Theoretically, maybe. More characters means more coding, more romance options mean more coding etc. and a bigger workload may mean that the author makes compromises.

Is this always the case? Absolutely not! :slight_smile:

Definitely a mix. Sometimes I just want high fantasy, other times urban fantasy, and sometimes I want an interesting twist to an established genre (shout out to the WiP where werewolves, vampires, ghost, etc. are actually aliens!).

Depends on the story.

Intense stories, I feel, probably should be longer i.e. covering a revolution since that’s a big undertaking.

Others, like The Grim and I, felt absolutely perfect at that length (155,000 words btw) since the premise was smaller and more personal and if it dragged on it could’ve lessoned the experience.

And I admit I cried when I finished that game. It was awesome!

Depends on the premise/genre of the story most of the time.

It’s important within the context of the story - like if you say that genies only grant three wishes, stick to it! - , but making it realistic shouldn’t be the priority over making a good story.

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Y’all welcome, I always be upside down with things coming to mind that I need to ask, but then I forget if I don’t put it down… :disappointed_relieved:

2 Likes
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Can I have more sex first, love later ros? Or casual hook ups?

I usually go for who seems the most fun, with a secondary focus on looks. I generally exclude long haired people.

I usually treat them like a stat.

Fantasy.

LONG

Fantasy? So whenever?

If the author says it is. I mean how many people made Skyrim mods to make it more difficult and tedious citing realism, or just RDR2?

Of course they should! It’s theirs.

Nope, but that depends on the publisher ideals now.

4 Likes
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Personally I think all COG and HG should have content ratings. COG could follow general guidelines for games, or just make up their own. Trigger warnings & sexual content should be specified.

Honestly, I can’t see how excluding them entirely would be smart. It’s alienating an entire audience of people who would enjoy/prefer more mature stories.

29 Likes
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Meme

Ah

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Genre

I’m a big fan of Cronenburgian body horror and science fiction. There are surprisingly few stories in those genres.

Length

Shorter, not longer! There aren’t many contained stories with a limited scope and a clear vision.

4 Likes
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I mean, I really could go for both and enjoy having some variety, but all else being equal, a slow buildup can be really interesting to develop and also really romantic too.

You could probably mix-and-match these in a lot of ways too… like a fling that does start out really casually but has a slow burn of developing into a romance :thinking:

Personality, really, so that comes down to “the writing” :thinking:

I guess I’m gonna be a bit selfish here, inasmuch as I’d like a ton of ROs who are really well-written, but I realize that can be a lot of work. Some authors can definitely pull it off, though! If it’s just a theoretical question where I’d have to choose between quantity and quality, I’d probably pick the better-written but smaller cast, but I think it’s definitely possible to have a big cast without sacrificing their quality. That said, I do think it’s preferable to have at least a couple romance options, if romance is to be featured, because just having one option is going to leave a lot of people unsatisfied, no matter how appealing that one character is.

I’m not sure any of the genres listed there are what stands out to grab me :sweat_smile: I’d certainly read things with any of those elements, but they’re not what attract me to a story. I’m looking for a premise that seems interesting to me, but most of all I’m looking for characters that I care about, and quality prose.

Aw, this one didn’t have an option like most of the other ones did to say “all of the above are good” :anguished:

Which is my answer. Long stories are great. Short stories are great. Just give a story the amount of words that it needs to fully realize itself :persevere:

As in setting? I mean, these (plus the “alternate reality” listed) can all be really cool. I’d probably put “present” last, just 'cause I’m used to it and there’s less room for developing a divergent setting, but any of them can host a fascinating story.

Yeah, this one’s extremely contextual. Just, generally be consistent, I guess. And don’t just use “realism” as an excuse to stomp on people :unamused:

There’s nothing wrong with people making suggestions to an author on how to expand their horizons and improve their work.

I guess my opinion’s gonna fall in the middle here; I wouldn’t want to see these excluded, or even separated, but ensuring content warnings seems entirely reasonable.

But what kind of pie? :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

  • Apple
  • Pumpkin
  • Pecan
  • Rhubarb
  • Cherry
  • Pizza
  • 3.14159265359…
0 voters
9 Likes
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Just to expand on this: I can’t think of an occasion where I’ve been disappointed by a romance when I’ve had three or more options, but there are a lot of times when I’ve been disappointed by a romance when I’ve only had two (real) options. Having fewer ROs to write about may give the writer more time to write them, but that means nothing if the player doesn’t like them.

Apple and blackberry, surely? :confused:

8 Likes
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The lack of key lime pie is…disappointing.

3 Likes
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Another RO Category:

Do you like “explicit” scenes between the MC and the RO described?

  • Yes, I love reading sex scenes.
  • No, I’d rather it not go into detail.
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

How do you feel about sexuality-locked RO’s?

  • I think all RO’s should be playersexual.
  • I think it’s realistic not all RO’s will be attracted to your MC.
  • I think all RO’s should be romanceable, some harder than others depending on your MC.
  • I think RO’s who genderflip are the best way to go about this.
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

More Plot:

How would you feel about a game that only has bad endings?

  • I could see the potential in that.
  • I wouldn’t play that game.
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

How emotional are character deaths to you?

  • I think the majority of them are always of importance and had an impact on me.
  • Character deaths don’t have an impact on me, but from what I played they definitely were important.
  • At least one or two COG/HGs that involved this plot element had an impact, but I’m not a fan of it.
  • This never works for me. I don’t see the appeal of it.
  • (Other Opinion)

0 voters

Bonus:

Given the option between a blank state MC or an MC with an established personality… which one would you choose?

  • Blank State: An MC that doesn’t talk much, or really have any set characteristics and you are meant to insert yourself in their place.
  • Established Character: The MC has a personality of their own, but still offer the player choices to develop them further.

0 voters

9 Likes
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Pretty much said “Other” for every poll so…

I like them because I can use them as an example of how I could describe sex scenes between characters and make it sound like artwork rather than a lesson about anatomy, porn, or some weird pile of purple prose.

I don’t mind; it’s how the way it is in real life. Why should I let some fictional character affect me more than just a mental shrug? Point is, if a character isn’t into my MC, then that’s not the worst thing in the world and there are probably other compelling things about an IF that make it worthwhile besides just this one character.

Depends on the IF and what the definition of a ‘bad ending’ is in that context. I think that if the IF established right from the get-go, somehow, that there’s nothing but bad endings, I’d be okay with that.

I would draw the line at being ‘bad’ with being the equivalent of the author dropping an anvil on the player, being preachy, or scolding the player. Like… I know murder is wrong… I don’t need you to tell me it is wrong, especially since I hold the same view.

This is entirely based on the character and the manner of their death.

I mentioned this in another thread, but each different type of MC has their place.

Blank Slate’s work for IFs that, in my opinion, have a cut and dry plot line (say… big bad army on the horizon? let’s make an army!) or if the IFs is basically a simulator instead of being a story (Runt of the Litter).

Established MC’s are more appropriate when there are complex themes that the author wants us to explore or when the IF is more story-oriented than game-oriented i.e. more linear plot structure (obviously this is Samurai of Hyuga).

The degrees to which I like to play as them depend on if the IF is more of a simulator/RPG or if it’s more of a story and, of course, if I prefer to be in an RPG or if I want to engage with a story.

5 Likes
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Okay, I’ve said this before, but this is something that I’m always in two minds about. Having explicitly gay ROs – ROs who will reject straight players – is good for representation in a way that making the ROs all playersexual is not. (Now, explicitly bisexual ROs is also good for representation, but in that case they have to be explicit about it, e.g. by mentioning same gender exes or crushes.) That said, I’ve seen far too many games give gay players far worse options (whether the gay options are far fewer, or feel like afterthoughts, or are just the least pleasant characters, or all three) to actually strongly recommend this.

I would generally say that if any player has at least three options to choose from then you’ve probably got enough ROs to give a few explicit sexualities, but if you have fewer, it might be best to leave them all bi/pan or playersexual.

(Also, you probably shouldn’t do things like this for “realism”, since “realism” is often used to back up making a story less favourable to minorities, and is also often not actually that realistic.)

I don’t think that IF is a good place for a tragic story; or rather for a story which can only be tragic. Tragedy works best when it’s the culmination of a character’s own choices, and in IF, those choices won’t necessarily be right for the tragedy.

Character deaths do have an impact on me, yes, but quite often it’s not the one I think the writer was intending. In IF especially, I find it far easier to root myself in my character through their interactions with other characters, rather than in their interactions with the world. Consequently, if a character that I’m very invested in (especially an RO) is killed off*, then I lose a lot of my investment in the story, and may not want to keep playing.

*Specifically an unpreventable death; if it’s as a result of a poor choice I’d be more annoyed at myself.

26 Likes
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Other – this depends so much on the writing. If the writer is uncomfortable or otherwise not into it (so that it’s an obvious departure in quality from the rest of the work), I’d way prefer a fade-to-black. I’d also prefer a fade-to-black to the writer making a bunch of assumptions about the MC’s behavior. Obviously the player can’t control every action, but some choices about general dynamic/tone would be appreciated!

Other – I agree wholeheartedly with @ParrotWatcher on this one.

The only game I can remember with character deaths is Study in Steampunk, where it was a major plot point. I found it very impactful because the MC was deeply impacted, and the writing/game bore that out really well. In general, though, I think it can feel cheap.

Without some degree of established personality, I think there are often too many variables and writers may have a hard time establishing character dynamics, because you end up having to write several vastly different versions. I prefer more character-driven games, so I’d rather have those dynamics down than have a bunch of wildly different, but more shallow, options.

8 Likes
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I’m mostly just going to second @ParrotWatcher here, who snuck in and responded before I had a chance to :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

But to sum it into a basic principle, just ask yourself: is this game written so that a gay playthrough will have a worse experience than a straight playthrough? If that’s the case then… don’t do that? :sweat_smile: And that can happen by having fewer romances, shorter romances, less pleasant romances, etc.

If this isn’t the case, I’m all for explicit representation.

I put down “other” because I’m not going to absolutely say I wouldn’t play such a game, but it would be harder to sell me on it.

Generally I would go for more customization in characters, I say, like a hypocrite, as I am starting work on a project with a preset protagonist.

(Okay, but really, either can be good. On balance I enjoy playing customized MCs but both can be fun. I mostly just don’t like it when preset character means forced heterosexuality.)

(Also, poor pumpkin and rhubarb from my pie poll… only one vote each :disappointed:)

6 Likes