Would adding new variables post-release require to start from the start?

Game Development
1

Conceptualizing a mystery game and wondering if it’d be possible to add new cases post release.

some games do similar iirc, but I wonder if it would require the player to restart from scratch if new cases and thus variables would be added post-release.

6 Likes
2

I don’t know about the technical aspect of whether the player would have to start again or not.

But could you use generic variables that are re-used for each case? It might be a whole world of pain to figure out, but if you were able to have variables like:
suspect_name_1
suspect_name_2
clue_location_1
clue_location_2
puzzle_solved_1
and so on…

Then for each new case, you can just re-set the variables and go from there.
It might make it impossible to have the level of individuality you might want from each case though

3 Likes
3

thing is there’s an ongoing plot amongst the cases. (ROs, and overarching plot etc)

1 Like
4

Any new permanent variables would require players to start again. I think asking players to start again after any update it best otherwise they could miss out on something new.

3 Likes
5

damn it.
i had hoped I could just add new cases and let people continue as it is.

1 Like
6

The only way I think you could do it is if you use *temp variables. That way you don’t need players to go through the startup to create the variables.

7

I started thinking and I think a password system could actually do the trick

8

Using the inbuilt password system could work to let the reader save their place so when they restart (to trigger any new variables) they could enter the password to get back to where they last were.

9

I did this:

a while ago, and for what I want to do, it could work pretty well. As the internal password system might now carry over all needed things?

even though the passwords could become quite long after a while, depending on what variables are carried with them

10

As far as I remember the password retains all the current stats at the time you save it. But yeah the passwords get longer the more variables you have.

11

also the internal password is quite a chaotic string, if the wiki is anything to go by.