Hello everyone. After a year or two of trying to figure out Choicescript (still a work in progress) I’ve finally finished a demo. I’ve written novels before, not good novels, but novels nonetheless. And I wanted to get some experience writing Interactive Fiction before trying to write some of my more extravagant ideas.
With that backstory out of the way, here we are. This is the first IF project I’ve gotten very far in. I hope you enjoy it, though I’ll warn you, there’s a lot of room for improvement.
Demo (42K words)
Summary
You’re a small-town journalist who’s a bit down on their luck. Until, one day, you witness the world’s strongest supervillain die at the hands of an unknown hero. Setting you on a path to St. Phillip, to unravel the history of a nigh unstoppable hero and a plot to create a new generation of supervillains.
Basically, it’s a superhero story where you play as a civilian. While you won’t be able to participate in most the heroics, if you’re smart, you’ll be able to crack a few mysteries, and maybe make a few friends with certain superheroes.
Features
-Branching paths for every major events of the book. You’ll be able to tackle issues in a few different ways.
-Join a prominent newspaper or strike out on your own with a blog.
-Brand a new hero with a cool name, or one that will make them hate you forever.
-Show up or be shown up by a rival reporter.
-Influence the reputation of heroes and prominent figures throughout the city.
-And maybe uncover grand conspiracies and secrets while you’re at it.
Characters
A list of some of the characters you’ll encounter throughout the story.
Main Heroes
Anomaly: A mysterious, nigh all-powerful hero that only you’ve witnessed. His exact powers are unknown, but extremely powerful.
Stalwart: The newest member of the Heroes Alliance. She’s an unfriendly, but heroic individual with the power of flight, strength, and self-healing.
Constable: St. Phillip’s own local hero, who soon finds himself overwhelmed with the new resurgence of villains. He has the power to charge up his attacks and speed.
Prism/Sparkle: A rookie hero who’s recently come onto the scene in St. Phillip. She wields bright, colorful energy into battle, that she can wield in a number of different ways.
Absolute Zero: A government employed superhero with ice-based powers and high-tech gadgets to compliment them.
Magi: A mysterious hero who appears and disappears seemingly at random. Her powers are likewise unknown but appear to be rooted in her mind.
Nightwatch: A member of the Heroes Alliance who’s come to St. Phillip to investigate the resurgence.
Villains
Bestower: One of the last great supervillains left alive. His only power is to give other people superpowers.
Whisper: A mysterious villain with equally mysterious powers. Partner to Bestower and his ally in bringing about the resurgence.
Other Characters
Melody Brooks: An ace reporter who’s recently arrived in St. Phillip. Are you her biggest fan? Her friendly colleague? Or her rival? It’s up to you.
Samuel and Penelope: Twins and your younger siblings. You were left with them after your mother died years ago.
William: Your grandfather and an old war hero. He’s allowing you to stay in his house at St. Phillip.
More may be added later.
What I need feedback on
Everything.
Okay, in all seriousness, while I appreciate all feedback on my writing. What I’m mainly looking for is help related to the COG format. Is there too few choices? Too many? Do you ever wish you could react some way that you can’t? Let me know. This is my first COG and is therefore very experimental for me.
I’m also trying to improve my prose and dialogue. So, if you have any advice relating to that, please comment below.
Tumblr link
The Not-FAQ
Questions that have, not, in fact, been frequently asked. But that I assume might be asked at some point.
Will there be romance?
Probably not, as I’ve never written it (well) before. Also because a lot of the characters will be either too old or too young for the MC. But that doesn’t mean the MC won’t be able to forge deep friendships and non-romantic relationships with other characters.
The focus of this story (in terms of character relationships) is bonding with, and being able to influence the actions of the various heroes in the story. This will change some of their behavior and even the outcomes of certain plot points.
I suppose I don’t want to 100% rule out romance either. Maybe I’ll attempt it once I get deeper into writing the characters. But in all likelihood, this will not be the case.
"How do skills work?
This is a narrative-driven game. So instead of leveling up different stats throughout the game, you’ll instead pick what your major skill is during the prologue. The two options are “People” and “Investigative.”
These will affect flavor text and occasionally unlock unique dialogue options.
"What are contacts?
Contacts are to add a bit of flavor to the story. Basically, you’ll run across people during your time in St. Phillip who’ll help you acquire information on specific issues. Each will provide you with the perspective of certain other groups in the world.