While I am still a far cry from being published, I was wondering what everyone’s thoughts are on adding content after the initial publication for a cs novel. Personally, I am setting all my stories in the same world and certain NPCs will make more than one appearance and sometimes I update their backgrounds and adventures they have.
I ask this, because sometimes their actions drive a lot of hidden factors in my stories and I plan on adding “bonus stories” in my works that you can view after unlocking an achievement or so. These stories are going to be standalone and show the rest of the world, outside of your PC’s adventures and the background events that affected events in the story or affected the NPCs that appear.
I do not plan on changing any important stuff concerning the main stories, but instead adding new content after initial publications. I do not believe I have seen any Hosted Games or CoG do this before, so I was wondering on the general thoughts on this and if it would be allowed.
Well, Jim did add new stuff in Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven a month or two after publishing it (making it possible for the MC to save Tommy). So I guess it’s fine (as long as you don’t make HUGE, story-changing additions)?
I’ve seen published works modified before, mostly in post-release copy-editing and changing up the images used on the CoG website.
I haven’t seen changes as major as what you’ve described, but I think it’s fine so long as there is some sort of indicator that it has been updated. (Changelog, subtitle, etc.)
I have to send some updates to CoG on CCH Part 1. I realized I had used some mechanics that couldn’t be carried over into Part 2. I also realized that there were some decisions in Part 1 that weren’t saved as a variable, and I really wanted to be able to mention them in Part 2, so I had to add some variables to Part 1.
It’s not optimal, obviously, but it’s better than marching down a less desirable path and being locked into some mistakes made as a newbie writer.
I added a couple thousand words to one of the scenes in Trial of the Demon Hunter after it was published to give it some more flavor and character interaction.
Oh, I didn’t realize that. I haven’t been keeping up that often but that explains all the updates on steam. I won’t be making any major changes, at least I hope not.
Ok, great! Glad to know it has been done before.
Like an expansion, basically? I’ve thought about that honestly.
In your experience, how long does that normally take on average?
That’s good. Could saves that had the old variables still be used or would it no work for part 2?
I’m actually currently in the process of doing this myself. I’ve earned enough now to hire an editor the extremely talented @Fiogan who not only is helping improve the quality of the writing she also makes suggestions either codewise or storywise that helps as well. Sure these additional edits take time and delay work on season two but making season one the best it can be is what the readers deserve and what I as a writer want to give them.
Some old saves can work in a sequel depending on the game. The only thing is that it obviously wouldn’t reference the changes.
However, drastic enough changes can make old saves null and void with later expansions. And it doesn’t help when some games actually have a limit on the saves. I ran into this with the Steam version of Sabres of Infinity/Guns of Infinity. Any new save on Sabres will just replace the very last instance…and with being unable to delete old saves…it is a right mess.
It’s actually pre-planning for myself for much later. But, say if I want to create a DLC for a story that adds more to the story, which requires additional code in the original story… would I need to code in that additional code before publishing the original story, or would a DLC patch/replace that? The importance here is in the thought of save games, and the possibility that the additional code would make old saves incompatible or cause consistency bugs. I mean, something like this:
Game:
Original code.& story
(+additional code for DLC?)
DLC
Original code & story + additional code for DLC
DLC additional content
If I know ahead of time adding preparation code for the DLC would invalidate original game saves, but I don’t know until I get there what that additional coding I’ll actually need is going to be… what should I do, in the long run? Hold off on the original publishing until update preparation is done, or just publish and then update when the work for it would get done, even though it may mess up old saves?
