There sure are a lot of RO’s… is it wise? I mean, I would prefer fewer choices but well-developed relationships. With so many options it could be difficult to create realistic romances with weight. Not impossible, of course, but it’d be a lot of work and I fear the result in these cases is usually the romances being poorly written.
I’m realizing it’s a bit ambitious for my first outing. I’m planning to at least write and program the beginning interactions with them, and if it becomes too much branching to handle, I’ll put up polls for who to keep.
That said, regardless of if I keep all of them or not, there’s going to be a fairly large cast of main characters. Most of them being diplomatic hostages.
1 Like
It’s clearly going to be terrific, so make sure it’s a manageable, finishable scale. You can do a lot with the concept, and it doesn’t all have to be in one game. 
6 Likes
Agree with @havenstone. Make it finishable, I’d like to see it. Just take a look at all the half done wips (even in people who have completed games). It’s really easy for scope creep to happen, so start smaller as it’ll probably end up bigger than you plan anyway. If there’s more to tell you can always write a second game
2 Likes
After a good deal of both thinking and writing (coding being almost entirely off the table because of my current situation, but hopefully my laptop comes in soon), I decided to cut down the ROs to half, and give my reasons for the ones that stayed:
Esmeray - most involved with the current plot.
Levan - More important as a political hostage. Also, spoilers.
Ganbaatar - Again, more important as a political hostage. Plus I like how his personality turned out.
Alia - Jibril and Alia was a toss-up, both would be valuable as political hostages, and both I took a shine to. I ultimately went with Alia because I felt like her perspective on Azif would be more interesting.
The others may show up, but they’ll be less central.
3 Likes
Even with the trimming ofthe cast, dialogue trees are slow-going. Here’s something to show: an excerpt from Alia’s conversation, about the Dancers-on-Lightning.
Are they human, or dancer?
“Ah, I knew this question would come up. It is a rather cumbersome title, isn’t it?” Alia nods to you, taking a sip of her tea. “It’s from the Scriptures. Let’s see if I can’t remember the right line…”
Clearing her throat and puffing out her chest, Alia continues in a dramatic tone. “‘Thus, the Anointed are marked. Their mouths shall drink in the seas. Their hands shall pluck fruit from the fire. Their feet shall dance upon bolts of lightning.’”
Her posture relaxes once more, smile carrying a small hint of amusement. “I wouldn’t give myself that much praise, but I would say I’m capable.”
Also, demo is up! Woo!
6 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 91 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
This is so exciting!! Can’t wait for your next update!!
1 Like
Thanks! Work and depression have taken turns kicking my ass, but I’m shooting to update it at least once a week.
To add to the lore and make up for how sparse the demo is: explanation on the sashes.
There are four officially recognized divisions to public workers in Mirajin: bureaucrats, scholars, soldiers and laborers. While the law technically dictates that workers in every sector wear their sash at all times while on duty, in practice, wearing a sash is done on a case-by-case basis. The red-sashed soldiers are allowed to wear their uniform and bypass the need for a sash, with any wearing a red sash being marked as non-combat personnel such as logistical and intelligence officers. The blue-sashed laborers rarely wear their sash while on the job due to the intensive nature of their work, and have no need for it while they are off-duty, so it is often easier to identify them by the fact that they are working. The white-sashed scholars, meanwhile, are often cloistered in their areas of study; the most visibke personnel outside of libraries and laboratories are doctors and medics. The ones that most consistently wear their sashes are bureaucrats. Even then, if a bureaucrat occupies a high enough position, they are required to wear a badge of office in place of their sash in order to distinguish themselves.
In terms of whether or not they are Marked: almost the entirety of the bureaucracy consists of Marked individuals, and a significant portion of the army is also marked. Most of the scholars and laborers, however, are free.
3 Likes
Suck to hear about depression, but I’m glad you’ve recovered from it.
Just read the demo now and read through most of the thread, so I’m looking forward to future updates c:
2 Likes
This is a great demo! Quick question: Will there be ROs and political/court intrigue?
Intrigue? Absolutely! I more or less created the game around the concept of intrigue. RO’s and other side characters are detailed on posts 18 and 24.
3 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. If you want to reopen your WiP, contact the moderators.