The Oval Office : READ LAST POST

[Spyder]

[Trickster]

“chuckles” Good to see you’re back Spyder. How goes the development? How much of the game do you intend to be dealing with normal political situations and how much will be part of a larger narrative?

[Spyder]

Guys ya’ll can chill out. I haven’t said that you guys can’t talk about real life politics. I do reference U.S presidents in the game but come on guys.

Both “sides” are right. Politics is what this game is about. I have gotten several inspirations from real life politics to implement in the game. There is nothing wrong with discussing it. But at the same time, you guys have to be respectful. I haven’t said anything, but some discussions in particular have been somewhat attacking another party, mainly Republicans. You can discuss politics in a normal respectful manner but let’s try not to alienate others based on what we put out there. Someone told me that it seems like this thread in particular is “really leftist” and while people can share their opinions, lets not make others feel bad or threatened based on what party they support.

Please? For me?

[Anubhab_Khanra]

I don’t want to offend or anything, but here’s a extract of a review about this forum:
Choice of Games is a publisher which publishes choose your own adventure stories. You can write stories for them, and possibly earn an income doing it. The forums are a place for people interested in these stories, and people who are writing them, to come together and have a chat.

Perfectly safe, though, some might argue that the users here lean a little far to the left on the political spectrum.

[Spyder]

@Eiwynn

Trump is 70 though, so shouldn’t you add 75 too?

I might add 75, but that’s about it. I don’t want to space it out too much. That’s 5 different age groups and to be honest, Trump is really the exception. Its harder to separate talents or drawbacks with 5 different choices. I might put up a poll, but for now, I’ll probably stick with 65.

[Spyder]

@derekmetaltron

Sounds like that could work pretty well, maybe something about a more youthful president being more attractive, fit and charismatic versus the experience and wisdom of an older president?

That’s exactly my point! Not saying that these values apply to any of our current president, former president, or any of our past presidents. Generally speaking though, what you said would apply to the game stats wise.

[Eiwynn]

@Spyder

@Eiwynn

Trump is 70 though, so shouldn’t you add 75 too?

I might add 75, but that’s about it. I don’t want to space it out too much. That’s 5 different age groups and to be honest, Trump is really the exception. Its harder to separate talents or drawbacks with 5 different choices. I might put up a poll, but for now, I’ll probably stick with 65.

I actually think 65 as a max is fine, after thinking about it. If you have too many choices it will be very hard to code anything deep using so many variables. You’re the author after all… so your limits should be respected.

[Spyder]

@derekmetaltron

I think with 75 it gets harder to imagine the President having any sort of solid romance without it being a wife/husband or considered a tad creepy.

Keep in mind guys, that the ages for the reporter, personal agent/bodyguard and VP are all between 30-50. So the older you get, the less likely you’ll be able to secure a date/possible romance with these guys (or gals).

Unless you have a spouse already. In that case, this doesn’t apply.

[Spyder]

@Wan

Okay, I don’t want to be an asshole, but can you keep your Trump, Hillary and other stuff to yourselves? It’s just annoying when I scroll down and many posts are not even in half about the game. It’s especially annoying for people who are not from America… (Like me) Discuss it on pm or something and not the game page.

Now about a game… Im not good on reviewing… But otherwise it’s pretty K, compared to other stuff on the forum.

Also plz guys, don’t report this post, just cuz you’re some feminist or Trump supporter or I dunno what else, as I’ve said im not interested in these.

I’m sorry you felt this way. I hope my little speech got through to them. looks at them with narrowed eyes and points fingers from my eyes to theirs.

[Spyder]

Now be good guys. I have to go but I’ll be back.

@Wan if any of them misbehave, let me know so I can personally spank the crap out of them.

[CreepyPastaKitty]

@Spyder

Unless you have a spouse already. In that case, this doesn’t apply.

So I take it you can’t cheat on your partner then? That arc/scandal would be interesting to see…also wondering who you will be able to romance now…it’d be good if you could romance another world leader, only for them to use that romance against you somehow .

[TSSL]

I felt like taking a peek here looks intriguing, and I’ve tentatively got my eye on Brian … oh, right, and making the world a better place The singalong in the car was cute…

A few suggestions…

If someone chooses “Mx.” as their title, you might want to give them a choice of pronouns rather than just using one default nonbinary set.

For the vice president options, the text describing the picks all appears as part of the choices… I think it would display better to have them described in the main text, and just have the names in the choice section. Especially if someone is going to read this in mobile, long choice texts can get a little weird.
I also note that there currently isn’t any variable tracking who you pick for vice president.
It’d be pretty significant if someone’s vice president were from a different party than themself… you might want to do something with that…

If you say this to Brian/Brianna…

“Watch it!” you say indignantly.

I think it might make sense to have a relationship drop. The reaction certainly seems like it.

So, when choosing the surname for one’s spouse, it has it so that if you have a husband, taking his last name is traditional, and if you have a wife, it’s traditional for her to take your last name. This won’t really make sense if it’s a gay marriage.
The option for a hyphenated last name could be cool, too. You could have the question of what the spouse’s last name is, with a variable ${spouse_sur}, and whether it came before or afterwards, and then *set sur “${spouse_sur}-${sur}” or *set sur “${sur}-${spouse_sur}.”

On the topic of a gay (or bi) president… that’s something the media would be remarking on as much as they would about a female president… so some references, at least coming up, could be nice. Maybe allow the character to note if they’re openly gay/bi even if unmarried, at about that same point I could also easily see the character being closeted, though.
This would also be an even bigger deal for a Republican character… so that could be interesting to deal with.

I was wondering, when you choose your background, politics, business, military, it’d also be interesting whether they’re more self-made, or whether they’re from more of an old money background

So far the reactions to the media are basically either “bad media! ” or “I don’t like it, but I tolerate it ” I wonder if one could have a character who actually really likes the attention? Someone who’s really playing to the crowd, more of a star type president… charisma could have some connection with this.

The part with the nuclear codes is worrying It’s ominous that this might come up

Some grammar things:

its rights for everyone."

This should be “it’s.”

“Only for your protection ${sir}.”

"Aww shucks $!{mx} $!{sur}.

In both cases, you need a common, before ${sir} or before $!{mx}. When addressing someone, whether by name, title, nickname, or even just “hey you,” it is necessary to set it off from the rest of the sentence with a comma.

The driver an old,

Comma after “driver.”

“Thank you Mr. Lincoln.” You say appreciatively.

This needs the comma before “Mr. Lincoln,” again… and it also needs a comma at the end of the sentence, with “you” in lowercase, because the dialog tag is part of the same sentence.

“Alright. I already did this over at the Capitol.” you say with an air of finality.

Same here… comma after “capitol.”

you are greeted by General Stevens ,

You have an extra space before the comma here.

Good luck on future updates

[derekmetaltron]

As far as other presidents past and present go I think all the game really needs is achievements which reference them in some way if you’ve played not unlike they would do. That’s probably it.

[Spyder]

No no no. I mean that if you don’t have a spouse, it is just a little harder to win affections of others if you are considered “elderly” (65-70). Plus many of the other romance options remembers the name “Monica Lewinsky” and probably won’t want to be involved in a potential scandal. But if your Charm and Will is high enough… anything can happen folks. Anything can be.

[derekmetaltron]

I’m pretty sure a President having a genuine romance with a reporter, his/her Chief of Security or his/her VP is going to be as shocking to some as them doing it in secret behind the first lady/first gentleman’s back.

[Spyder]

@TSSL

I felt like taking a peek here looks intriguing, and I’ve tentatively got my eye on Brian … oh, right, and making the world a better place The singalong in the car was cute…

A few suggestions…

If someone chooses “Mx.” as their title, you might want to give them a choice of pronouns rather than just using one default nonbinary set.

For the vice president options, the text describing the picks all appears as part of the choices… I think it would display better to have them described in the main text, and just have the names in the choice section. Especially if someone is going to read this in mobile, long choice texts can get a little weird.
I also note that there currently isn’t any variable tracking who you pick for vice president.
It’d be pretty significant if someone’s vice president were from a different party than themself… you might want to do something with that…

If you say this to Brian/Brianna…

“Watch it!” you say indignantly.

I think it might make sense to have a relationship drop. The reaction certainly seems like it.

So, when choosing the surname for one’s spouse, it has it so that if you have a husband, taking his last name is traditional, and if you have a wife, it’s traditional for her to take your last name. This won’t really make sense if it’s a gay marriage.
The option for a hyphenated last name could be cool, too. You could have the question of what the spouse’s last name is, with a variable ${spouse_sur}, and whether it came before or afterwards, and then *set sur “${spouse_sur}-${sur}” or *set sur “${sur}-${spouse_sur}.”

On the topic of a gay (or bi) president… that’s something the media would be remarking on as much as they would about a female president… so some references, at least coming up, could be nice. Maybe allow the character to note if they’re openly gay/bi even if unmarried, at about that same point I could also easily see the character being closeted, though.
This would also be an even bigger deal for a Republican character… so that could be interesting to deal with.

I was wondering, when you choose your background, politics, business, military, it’d also be interesting whether they’re more self-made, or whether they’re from more of an old money background

So far the reactions to the media are basically either “bad media! ” or “I don’t like it, but I tolerate it ” I wonder if one could have a character who actually really likes the attention? Someone who’s really playing to the crowd, more of a star type president… charisma could have some connection with this.

The part with the nuclear codes is worrying It’s ominous that this might come up

Some grammar things:

its rights for everyone."

This should be “it’s.”

“Only for your protection ${sir}.”
"Aww shucks $!{mx} $!{sur}.

In both cases, you need a common, before ${sir} or before $!{mx}. When addressing someone, whether by name, title, nickname, or even just “hey you,” it is necessary to set it off from the rest of the sentence with a comma.

The driver an old,

Comma after “driver.”

“Thank you Mr. Lincoln.” You say appreciatively.

This needs the comma before “Mr. Lincoln,” again… and it also needs a comma at the end of the sentence, with “you” in lowercase, because the dialog tag is part of the same sentence.

“Alright. I already did this over at the Capitol.” you say with an air of finality.

Same here… comma after “capitol.”

you are greeted by General Stevens ,

You have an extra space before the comma here.

Good luck on future updates

Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for all of your input. OK, lets go down the list shall we?
OK, as for the Mx option, you are right. Will address more pronouns in next update. I apologize as I am not familiar with other terms for a gender-fluid or queer person.

2. The VP options are only written that way because I can’t really separate all of the choices in the text above. Plus, the character is describing the VP to the press. It would seem a little to clutter-ish to me in the text.

3. As for the VP party option, the only reason why the parties are set is because it causes it to be a little more random. Sometimes you have to compromise when you select a VP. Though, you are right. If enough people would rather set the party the VP belongs to, I will change it to be set by the character. I will put up a poll soon.

4. There is a relationship drop! Unless there is a bug, it reduces your relationship -10. Be careful however. Just because you don’t want to flirt, doesn’t mean you have to alienate them! Be mean enough, and your “loyal” agent just might be a little slow to react to an assassination attempt! Or worse, facilitate one!

5. @DUNGEON_MASTER is it possible to not have this choice available if the user chooses to be gay in the game? @TSSL is right. It wouldn’t make sense for a gay couple. If it is possible, the option won’t be activated.

6. Well, at first I didn’t want to offend others by drawing attention because of their sexual orientation… but like your example stated, if there is a woman president, she will draw as much attention as a gay one. Come to think of it, Barack Obama received more attention because he wasn’t white, so I guess it is OK for more media attention or questions related to your sexual orientation. It won’t drop your media relationship however, don’t get me wrong. Just be prepared to answer more questions. As for a Republican going against one of their own most strongest values which is generally no to gay marriage, that would be a media firestorm! I’m just kidding

7. I’m planning on updating the personal backgrounds. I will add Celebrity, and Citizen. I understand that the backgrounds need more occupation so let me know about any others that are interesting and bring benefits to the presidency.

8. After looking it over, you are totally right. I will add an option where you embrace the media and love to bask in the attention. For example when more media is assembled in the White House lawn, there will be a third option that your character will basically run to the media

As for all the grammar issues, I have taken notice and will fix in the next update which is in about… hmm… two weeks? (Actual release date guys, just sayin)

P.S: You are right about the nuclear codes. They are there for a reason. No spoilers!

Thanks so much for all the lovely suggestions! See ya buddy!

[Animelover]

This game has a lot of potential, but polish it a bit better. The game lacks depth to me. But I feel like you could make a good game with this concept.

[Spyder]

I appreciate your thoughts! Trust me, what I’ve released so far is JUST the beginning!

[TSSL]

@Spyder

Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for all of your input.

My pleasure [quote=“Spyder, post:249, topic:23325”]
Will address more pronouns in next update. I apologize as I am not familiar with other terms for a gender-fluid or queer person.
[/quote]

Some games allow players to input their own pronouns, so you could just keep the ones you have now, plus maybe “they,” and then allow write-in pronouns without having to make a big list [quote=“Spyder, post:249, topic:23325”]
As for the VP party option, the only reason why the parties are set is because it causes it to be a little more random. Sometimes you have to compromise when you select a VP. Though, you are right. If enough people would rather set the party the VP belongs to, I will change it to be set by the character. I will put up a poll soon.
[/quote]

I’m mainly just thinking that if, say, I play a Democrat with a Republican VP, that’s something that would definitely draw a lot of comment and attention, since it’s so unheard of…

Actually, speaking of these VPs, will the characters who you don’t pick still exist as senators/governors? The senators in particular, I could see as being people you might still run into. Or not, if that’s too complicated

@Spyder

There is a relationship drop! Unless there is a bug, it reduces your relationship -10. Be careful however. Just because you don’t want to flirt, doesn’t mean you have to alienate them! Be mean enough, and your “loyal” agent just might be a little slow to react to an assassination attempt! Or worse, facilitate one!

It looks like it’s currently just affecting the stats.

By the way, I’ve also thought a little more about why I really like Brian so far… I think part of it is that, when I think of the stereotypical security guard, that’s someone very serious, but Brian seems actually to be rather silly
Of course, my opinion is subject to change, since we’ve just had the teeniest glimpse so far.

@Spyder

Well, at first I didn’t want to offend others by drawing attention because of their sexual orientation… but like your example stated, if there is a woman president, she will draw as much attention as a gay one. Come to think of it, Barack Obama received more attention because he wasn’t white, so I guess it is OK for more media attention or questions related to your sexual orientation. It won’t drop your media relationship however, don’t get me wrong. Just be prepared to answer more questions. As for a Republican going against one of their own most strongest values which is generally no to gay marriage, that would be a media firestorm!

It’s a tricky question, since opinions vary, so there’s really no “right answer.” Some people would prefer not to deal with discrimination-related issues at all, while others would prefer something that deals with those issues more. And it can depend on the context of the game, too. For my part, I’d say that the kind of thing you’re describing would probably be the best way to go. Sure, realistically, it would present a whole lot of difficulties for a presidential candidate, but that’s not really as fun… but I’d feel a little disappointed for it not to be recognized at all. (And having a cute security chief defend my character from homophobes could make up for it, too )[quote=“Spyder, post:249, topic:23325”]
I’m planning on updating the personal backgrounds. I will add Celebrity, and Citizen. I understand that the backgrounds need more occupation so let me know about any others that are interesting and bring benefits to the presidency.
[/quote]

Well, with the business background, there could be a distinction between someone who started poor and forged their own business, and someone who inherited a rich family business
A legal background might be another possibility… like Hillary Clinton before becoming a politician [quote=“Spyder, post:249, topic:23325”]
After looking it over, you are totally right. I will add an option where you embrace the media and love to bask in the attention. For example when more media is assembled in the White House lawn, there will be a third option that your character will basically run to the media
[/quote]

Fun [quote=“Spyder, post:249, topic:23325”]
P.S: You are right about the nuclear codes. They are there for a reason. No spoilers!
[/quote]

I look forward to seeing where this goes

[Spyder]

@TSSL

By the way, I’ve also thought a little more about why I really like Brian so far… I think part of it is that, when I think of the stereotypical security guard, that’s someone very serious, but Brian seems actually to be rather silly
Of course, my opinion is subject to change, since we’ve just had the teeniest glimpse so far.

It seems you’ve decoded the reason I made Brian/Brianna so laidback and fun! That’s exactly what I was thinking. Sort of the exact opposite of what a professional bodyguard would act like! I was worried that some may not like the way Brian/Brianna is presented but I at least have one fan!