And now I’m playing Slammed again…and happy to have found a new path. =D>
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The thing with replayability is that it also benefits the single play-thu, since they get a myriad of choices to choose from. Yes, it’s a challenge to write a story with this, and yes, you have to return to certain anchor points or you’ll be writing a thousand different stories with no hope of completion.
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I find it very difficult to play a game more than once.
I realize I’m resurrecting this dead thread, but I usually only read a CoG novel once (because I like to view that as the “real” story) unless a sequel comes out (in which case I’ll read the debut again before the sequel), or if it’s really addictive (like Life of a Wizard or Zombie Exodus)
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Since it’s back from the dead, pun and all, I must say I tend to play games over and over - if they at all have that in them. If they do not I tend to be a bit disappointed and feel it missed the idea of CYOA, as all it did was tell a linear story where I was not a participant, but a passive reader, more akin to reading a book than playing a game. Not that books are bad, not at all, but that is not the idea behind a CYOA.
I have probably worn out Zombie Exodus and Choice of the Vampire, for instance, and played all other games I bough many times over too (I bought almost all, ahem!). I love finding new things I had not seen before.
Things I do early on can affects things much, much later, and that is, to me, among the most interesting things about a good CYOA, the ability to actually affect events. Hence the ability to replay is key to me.
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The more choices the betterer. I like heavy replay value and finding new paths. You have no idea how many times I played Life O’ Wizard (same brand as the SNL kid’s toy from the hazardous toy skit: Bag O’ Glass)
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i like multiple strong story in one if i like something enough i will play it gain but i need to be able to have a different just as strong outcome
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Even one or two major crossroads of choice would work so long as the others aren’t so obviously fake and the main ones really, really take the story in opposite directions. Such as either moving to the center of Las Vegas, the outskirts of Alaska, or the Amazon Forests. Or either venturing into a never ending Roguelike dungeon-cave or venturing through the wilderness of a MMORPG open world. Ohhh yeeeeaaaah…
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Yeah, I try to have at least a few choices that send you on an entirely new path, and then the rest of the choices actually have an effect, even if they aren’t massive.
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Since it got up and started walking around as a zombie I’ll voice my opinion: I like a hybrid of both. Even though it takes longer to make I like to replay several times, and each one having a excellent story. As in zombie exodus I replayed it many times. finding an excellent story each time.
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On the subject of diverting paths:
Can I ask here what people opinions were on ‘The Race’? Did you look for the alternative paths? Did you find them? We’re they too hard to find? Which was the most interesting?
I am writing a sequel and would like to know which of the paths was the most intriguing.
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@andymwhy
I actually haven’t done any paths beside winning, because I see my first play through as the “real” story.
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I only could find two paths losing and winning. But the Race was an excellent game I still have actually and play it regularly.
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