You just made my brain think more than it has in months over the intricacies of typesetting text messages in Choicescript… that’s really something else.
2 Likes
Szaal
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Is this text message as in your usual SMS service or any message written on something (letter, tablet, glyph on the wall, ominous voice in head)?
1 Like
Caught between playing as the series is published and then ‘forgetting’ them and keeping up with the progress on the sequel.
14 Likes
I’m somewhere in between the two as well myself. I’m even avoiding series like the plague at times when the sheer heartache of knowing I’ll have to wait nullifies my desire to play a new game, haha.
2 Likes
I just find new series to pine over 
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I’ve voted ‘Other’ because it really depends on the sequel and platform. Like the game ‘Life is Strange’ was so emotionally draining, I waited but also kinda tried to forget it. And in the end, I never played Episode 5 and see how it end.
On another hand, TallTale Borderland (the game with choices) that I played, was SO hilarious…I couldn’t wait for the episodes to be out and had my saves ready to go! and once it was all out, I kept playing over and over and laughing cause it was sooo much fun.
So it really depends on the game and the content.
6 Likes
I like to keep up with the author’s progress, but I avoid demos. I’d rather read it in its entirety.
3 Likes
Readers: in a combat situation, how many choices, on average, do you prefer there be during the fight from start to finish?
- I prefer to only have one choice during a fight.
- I prefer to have two to four choices during a fight.
- I prefer to have five to seven choices in a fight.
- Other. Please respond.
Considering my story will have scenes where you will be fighting someone or several someones, I figured this would be a useful question to poll data for. I don’t think turn based combat is the right combat system to have in an IF story because I think it requires more engagement with the other senses to be interesting enough.
Curious to see what you all have to say about this.
2 Likes
I quite like how the fights between archons are done in Ironheart! I can’t offer you the specificities of it (because I don’t really know the coding mechanics of it LOL), but it felt… right. Not too short, or dependent on a single stat check, and not too long that you feel your eyes glazing over the text. Outcomes depend on your mech’s “hp”, and also a bunch of other stuff like upgrades, your own skills and also technique/move choices. The game hints at what the correct actions to take might be without being too obvious.
To quote Goldilocks… “It’s juuust right.”
2 Likes
writing combat scenes is a pain in the ass. That’s my truth lol
Combat in choiceofscript stories, again depends on the story and the world and character you are playing.
For example, in Samurai Hyuuga…look I think Samurai and Ronin are cool but in choiceofscript I want the story and don’t care for the description of how I’m holding my favorite weapon the Katana (sexy sexy Katana).
Where I had fun? Superheroes? The choices are simple and melde with the story. And hello…who don’t wanna blast someone like Superman from the sky huh?
Magic stories are fun too, though some go a bit overboard (too many), or not imaginative enough (same old, fire…earth…wind…water…Yawn), or a combinaison of both (they are unique but you barely get to use them, and instead you are in a school hitting tha books…groan).
When it come to combat with guns, I don’t have much to say because I neither love or hate weapons (I hate stoopid who has a weapon lol). It is very muh…although it can become tiresome when someone go all nerd and give me tons of choices of adding Silencer…and what not and I’m like ''This is like cars…I don’t know anything about them! Just give me a green one and lets vroom vroom already! 
)
Mech-Scienfiction is the same, its either overwhelming or limiting.
I think combat should be FUN, just like the story and the characters are supposed to be FUN (and Fun mean : Fun to hate, fun to love, Fun to annoy…etc etc).
In conclusion…that’s what I think 
5 Likes
Based on a previous poll of mine, but with a slight adjustment.
Wanted to see what peoples’ opinions are if there isn’t a save system/check point system in place since the former is only something dashingdon can provide while the latter is a lot of coding pressure to put on the author.
Readers: do you want to see more stories implement character death for the MC when applicable?
- Yes, I want to have the possibility of my MC dying during the story [No save/check point system].
- No, I do not want to have the possibility of my MC dying during the story [No save/check point system].
3 Likes
[This probably applies more to an IF where we're given species options to choose from rather than a pre-determined/species-centric one.]
Humans are generally the best all-rounder types; no big advantages, but no big weaknesses either.
If you implement class systems/specialist streams like rogue, warrior, herbalist, psychic – infringing on mage/witch territory? Maybe. Up to you – etc, you don’t necessarily have to play a “boring” normal human (depending on your setting).
Personality-wise, they might have a bit more freedom to shape as well. You could have tensions between species (vampires & werewolves etc), differing cultural values which would affect your interactions, choices (depending on how involved the human species is with the others).
Some IFs also implement base stats based on your species. Like playing a succubus gives you increased charm/charisma, elf with wisdom etc. If I don’t usually play with those stats, I probably wouldn’t pick that species in my first few playthroughs.
It really just depends on how the author tackles it.
If I really liked a certain species enough though, I might just go through with it straight up, but I haven’t really come across many IFs that have choices to play my favourite or more niche species (siren, orc, gorgan…), so there’s that 
4 Likes
Readers: if you have insufficient stats to be successful during a ‘mission’ (out of several others to choose from), would you prefer if the mission not be available to you from the get-go? Or would you like to still have it available to you but inevitably fail during the ‘mission’?
- I’d rather have the option be available even if I’m guaranteed to fail due to insufficient stats/variables.
- I’d rather have the option be locked off if I’m guaranteed to fail due to insufficient stats/variables.
- Other. Please respond.
2 Likes
I would say it depends on exactly what the missions are like, and what failure entails. If the mission is a long, involved thing, with multiple smaller choices within it, then you should always be able to succeed once you’ve started it (and by corollary, if you won’t be able to finish it, it should be locked), especially if failure leads to death (or means that you won’t get enough stat points to complete later missions).
If it’s a short scene and failing is still interesting, then sure, let players try it.
22 Likes
maybe I’m getting old lol but I’m a bit rigide on that front. If i don’t have the stats, I don’t see why you are showing it to me to begin with. All it does is tell me there is another path I can try, which is a ‘Thanx! I try that next playtrough’ . But thats about it.
I hate fail-stat-scenarios. It leave you frustrated like hell…I’m here to have fun, life is frustrating enough.
11 Likes
I think either lock it out entirely or at least find a way to give an in-game warning telling players that this mission favors those with high X or Y stat.
14 Likes
@ParrotWatcher I’ve never been fond of death = failure since I find it equally frustrating. I did want to make the poll as broad as it could be, so I’m leaving ‘failure’ ambiguous as to what it means.
@E_RedMark Agreed. I don’t particularly fail stat scenarios, especially where failure = death!
@hustlertwo I could see myself personally doing that. Like have an NPC pipe up that the MC isn’t suited to do this mission. YMMV if players are receptive to that though. Some people might view it as railroading I guess.
7 Likes
