I feel there’s a trend lately with defining moral stats with choices and not by breaking the 4th wall. In CoDeathless, your first few choices alter stats which are used later to flavor text with what the game has programmed as “your archetype.” This also occurs in Rock Star and Nola, though not as well.
Eleazzaar, I think you’re already on the right path–let actions speak louder than words. It’s just more work. It’s easier to code evaluation of “What is your sexual orientation?” than to code in a scene were Jessica flirts with the main character and your system determines orientation.
Since I started reading this thread, I’ve started to come around to the other camp. I played through my intro again, and I’ve got pretty straight forward “gamey” questions atm, name, surname, name of your country, whether you look good or not, hair color and eye color. It doesn’t seem like it’s all that much, but choice after choice like that, it just… It gets really frustrating. I’m not sure if this is because in the process of play-testing, I’ve done it so many times, but it feels like it ought to be smoother somehow. I’ve included quick starts with randomized stats/names like I mentioned but still.
I appreciate that in a game where the whole dynamic is centered on making choices, people can legitimately want a lot more up-front awareness of who they are and what’s going on than they’d want in a novel.
If you have time, @eleazzaar, it would be great to hear on my WiP thread about any specific moments where you felt you had to make decisions which the game text to date hadn’t prepared you for.
If you have time, @eleazzaar, it would be great to hear on my WiP thread about any specific moments where you felt you had to make decisions which the game text to date hadn’t prepared you for.
I don’t think it was any particular decision, but more the fact that unfamiliarity with the world multiplies the disorientation when combined with unfamiliarity of who i am. At least that’s my ad hoc self psychoanalysis.
But i’ll pay attention to that next time try your game and let you know if i learn anything.
Well I think so. It deepens immersion for one thing, plus I’ve got a few instances where hair/eye color can make your overall impression better, for instance red hair with a green dress or blue eyes and a blue dress.
Yeah I’ve also seen something like that, never tried it though, but the problem is I’m also offering custom colors, if I didn’t do that, then two choices at once would be great for that particular thing. It might still work though I suppose, somehow…
