Part 1 is “Choice Of Romance”. If you don’t choose the king/queen, the story ends with you choosing your romance. If you do, you move on to participating in court intruigue more generally in “Choice Of Intruigue”. With the others, you’re not in a key position and in the game of thrones you’re a piece rather than a player.
3 Likes
Posting this pre-emptively:
These threads come up a lot, and while it’s good to constructively discuss and compare what people like/want to see in games, do try to keep it constructive. A lot of the authors frequent this forum, so let’s be careful not to let this devolve into a simple bashing session.
17 Likes
One good way to avoid railroading would be IMHO to look at how one words choices and where and how and to where one railroads the player around.
Example:
If you need the MC to get to place A, but have choices that would get them to B, think about how they can smoothly go from B to A. Don’t tell them that ‘you thought about going to B but then decided on A’ or ‘you headed out to B but then something came up and you went to A instead’
Or if you need to provide a certain bit of information:
Check if there can really be only one source for said info. Is that ancient tome at A really the only source? What speaks against a stonetablet at B providing the same info?
5 Likes
Which ultimately is the issue there. Choice of Romance alone was marketed as a romance game with three paths, and then…whoops, only one (and a half, counting the Torres marriage) of the romances is an actual choice that will let you go on to the full game.
Calling it “Choice of Romance” when there’s no real choice was a poor design decision in an otherwise-entertaining game, and I think much of the effort spent on the Torres and Mendosa romances in the first part could have been focused on enhancing the relationship with the monarch.
3 Likes
I remember it being marketed as one complete game with three full paths, with sequels following from one of the paths. That’s what I’d understood it to be before Choice of Intriuge even existed. It’s hardly unusual for sequels to games with multiple endings to follow on from only one of the endings.
Plus in a sense that’s part of the choice to begin with: Torres and Mendoza can’t provide you with a position of political influence, but that also means you aren’t a target for ambitious courtiers who’d view you as an obstacle. By picking them you choose to fold rather than go all-in on becoming royalty.
3 Likes
I’ve never laughed so hard in my life.
1 Like
You know what game was seriously railroaded?
Railroad Tycoon 2
5 Likes
Sounds like good advice! 
Can you elaborate more on this or use a more detailed/complex example?
Mhnnn… can I use Heroes Rise as example again?
3 Likes
Sure!
Send it to me in a PM!
Gonna use discord if that’s ok. forum is wonky atm
Comrad or Czar. It felt like a train going in circles. The train cargo consisted of failed history tests. The passengers disappeared spontaneously. Most of the rails were barricaded or outright broken. The ride reminded of player’s own mortality. Even if the player completed it.
10 Likes
That has to be the most disliked game I have seen since I started posting here.
3 Likes
I feel like I have to make a detailed review of it, just to get it out of my system.
3 Likes
Detailed review you can die in literally the first three or four choices
3 Likes
This. I mean, if you’re going to give us a choice, at least make it a real one. If you absolutely can’t and the story won’t make sense if we choose the other option, just explain why. I’d rather have a “next” button with a story that flows well than a choice that leads to a dead end. 
3 Likes
I agree. I forgot what game it was but these words stuck in my head and I even still get annoyed thinking about it, “Someone is about to punch you but also another person is about to punch your friend from behind! What do you do?” Picks a choice “But before you can move, your shot in the face by another hidden person!” Sigh
“But before you can move” had become the bane of my existence. If you as the author want something to happen then let it happen, don’t waste a readers time with that and generally leave them with a bad feeling. Especially when the choices on a major looking decision are hard to choose from so you may sit for minutes trying to really consider what to do before choosing…all for that phrase to just pop up after. I mean there are quite a few games I have even replayed a dozen times, not for the ideal thing such as I heavily enjoyed the game, but just to be sure there wasn’t a “correct” choice I had to make so I just end up seeing it was unavoidable and wasting my time.
9 Likes
Interesting to hear this take because I totally get where you’re coming from, but as a writer who has a scene like this I’m curious to hear a little more.
In my scene, your choice has a skill effect, so all the options go to the same plot point, but the choice allows you to build your character. Is that meaningfully different for you? Or do you still consider it a waste of time?
1 Like
It’s all about how well you pull it off. As per the example, we have a case where what dos happen was never displayed as a possibility to the reader beforehand.
If there’s a ‘you have these options, but something might happen’ feeling, then you should be off fine.
2 Likes