Writing choicescript with a mental problem

i’ve always wanted to learn how people code and make choice of games games. i’ve tried, but it always falls through. i even tried ren’py or whatever a couple years back but that too didn’t work out.

i’m autistic and anxious (not the best mix as the latter makes the former worse) and the problem is that i cannot look or read long pieces of text bunched together at a time, much less organise them, which is basically what the good choicescript is in these games…
i’ve thought about doing one for years; downloaded the stuff, read a bit of the “how this choice works”…

…but when i get to the actual, you know, writing, i have a plan in my head and all that and i start but… as soon as it gets complex or a little over basic choices (even choices that add stats or start flags seem really hard to me), it becomes like a mountain and i get… i suppose you use “overstimulated”? i even get a bit weirded out looking at the number of files in the zip! but i can take that at least.

i’ve gotten by writing things as big as this because i copypaste from other docs but when you’re looking through code or writing it it’s inevitable so… yeah. askin for a coder is not allowed on this site and i doubt there is a different way to write code, because code is code.

i was wondering if there was ever a solution or workaround or somethin to alleviate this? anyone else got a similar problem? im not the most experienced person, as i bet you can guess…

I think a lot of people have a hard time with a lot of things when it comes to writing or coding… and some people might pick stuff up faster than others and some might take them a LONG time to get it and get good at it…the key is determination and consistence because I think anyone with hard work can keep on with something and get the hang of it. So I guess it depends if you think it’s worth your time to stay with it and fight the battle even if it’s harder for you! :] I think humans can do amazing things they never thought they could if they just keep trying and don’t give up. good luck to you!

@FairyGodfeather I’d feel like a complete loser if i didn’t do what i wanted to do, and only had to settle for a shoddy version of it
i don’t know what twine is and the “[Tool] Chronicler - ChoiceScript Visual Code Editor” topic contains too many words. i mean you’re writing a lot of words and then linking me to a lot of words when i say that my main problem is a lot of words so :confused:

I’m sorry. I just removed all the words. I hope someone else can help.

Could you not just write shorter games like the default example choicescript in the unzipped file?
I personally still found the thing quite interesting even though it contained no more that pretty much 3 sentences per page. Maybe you should start with something small like that and then move forwards in a bigger version if you wish.

Another work around or atleast i believe should be a co-op project. Even though those are harder to keep organized if you get stuck on a part you can just ask your partner to help you across that certain “mountain”.

As someone who has ‘mental problems’ themselves and gets easily overwhelmed and frustrated, the simple but extremely difficult to actually do solution to your problem is self-discipline.

I know how it feels to get overstimulated; it’s part of the reason why I get ‘overwhelmed and frustrated’ in the first place. And regardless of the advice given, I’m still at a lost as to what to do—well, not really. 'cause I practice something called ‘self-discipline’.

There’s no workaround to choicescript if you’re working it solo. You really need to sit down, be patient, and comprehend the language, not just try to learn it. Coming from a person who programs little robots in an engineering room where there’s a lot of screeching and breaking and just pure noise, you can imagine the sensory overload.

I struggled with C (programming language) because there were too many lines of code I had to implement and I was trying to block out the cacophony at the same time. Eventually I just had to deal with it all because another class was (still is) using the room nextdoor.

Without self-discipline, I wouldn’t have gotten anything done; my robot’s arm would still be flopping around due to there being too little torque (or was it actually too much…?) on the gears; there would be no coding for the autonomous program; the control-stick wouldn’t work; basically, nothing would get done and I wouldn’t have this cool robot to show off.

Now, with choicescript, if I hadn’t dealt with the annoyances it brought me, I would be one of those authors who can’t code and need to rely on others for said coding. (Or perhaps you’ll end up never finding a partner and never get your game made at all.)

Honestly, I feel that if you’re passionate enough about something, you’ll get it done instead of generating reasons as to why you can’t get it done. But, er, I’m sorry if you wound up pissed instead of inspired by my post.

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I’ve got a similar problem for a different reason. I’m schizophrenic, which means that if I go beyond a few basic sentences my mind starts to cloud and I can’t push forward until I spend some time doing something else. So, not exactly what you’re going through, but similar in practice.

Unfortunately, my only solution is what you’re already doing: copy paste. I separate things out a lot, and work on tiny chunks one at a time before copying them into the bigger file, and I do all of the coding as bare-bones as possible, often without even putting stat changes in until everything else is complete.

It takes a long time, but I eventually get things done.

I know that’s probably not much help, but hopefully it at least shows you aren’t 100% alone. Good luck finding a way, though!

It’s nice to see someone else with autism trying to write a game in choicescript. My nephew, who’s also got autism, has got a similar problem. He can’t read books because he can’t handle the sheer amount of words.

As for the actual writing, well, maybe plotting out a rough outline before you begin writing can make it a bit more structured. For me seeing where the story is supposed to go on paper helps to push onward.

You could also try to make the screen you’re writing in smaller so you see less words at a time. Not sure if it’d work, but it might be worth a try.

For the coding, just keep it simple, and keep the ‘chapters’ short. If you’ve only got one or two choice moments per file it might be easier to wrap your head around it. It makes the scene list in the startup file a bit long though.

Also, maybe it’s better to just stick to basic coding for now. You can get a long way just using choices and labels. If adding stats gets in the way of that it might be better to just leave them out entirely.

That’s all I can think of right now. Good luck.

@ThisIsSymbolic you must have realised your post would piss me off judging by your last few sentences, and you were damn right.

“And regardless of the advice given, I’m still at a lost as to what to do—well, not really. 'cause I practice something called ‘self-discipline’.”
i’m not here to listen to you blow your own trumpet. you could have worded that in any better way. ‘well, not really, haha!’. please don’t.

"There’s no workaround to choicescript if you’re working it solo. You really need to sit down, be patient, and comprehend the language, not just try to learn it. "
where did I say I had a problem learning choicescript? I have a problem reading and writing english, not just code, because of the amount of words.

@Eternalfire @Cecilia_Rosewood thankyou for your suggestions.

a lot of people tell me to stick to easy coding and small chapters. but i know what i want to do, and i can’t put my all into it if what i want to do is big. you don’t know how frustrating it is for me, watching everyone pass me by because my head is so messed up. i struggle with exams, i dropped out of high school due to chronic illness, i’ve nearly been kicked out of college for low attendance bc i’m mostly bedbound.

i don’t want to have to be confined to something small or simple. i love writing. i’m a brilliant writer, straight-a student, almost university level comprehension, i know this. i can do good if only i weren’t so… well. you know.

i try. but i’ve never been able to write more than a little each day. my head just… stops working. and… if i have so many ideas, and i get them out in a shoddy form… i’d rather do nothing than try and see myself fail or do any less than i wanted.

making the screen smaller might work. i’ll try but i’m not sure how well that will go. maybe i’ll need to get a friend or helper to read stuff out to me. if anyone wants me to join with a co-op project, i guess i’m available.

Hehe, my bad? In my head, it sounded far less egotistical. But I forget that you can’t hear what I hear. This is awkward.

And I figured you had trouble learning choicescript as well given these parts of your post:

along with

At any rate, I have failed to be of any assistance so I’ll just quietly withdraw. But at least consider what I said about self-displicine.

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Symbolic’s point stands, in my opinion.

If you truly wish to accomplish something in spite of your handicap, then you will find a way to do it.
There is no try. Do or do not.

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Maybe someone could just send you the Chronicler download straight without the rest of the post. Either way, I wish you a ton of luck. If you want to do something big, I think you should but don’t be afraid to fail. That’ll happen because you’re human. Keep writing and doing your thing. Don’t stop trying.

Do whatever you’re inspired to do. Though, you know, there’s no shame in starting small. A lot of people start with short stories before they write a novel.

Um and I don’t know much about this, @ThisisSymbolic but I think you should stop mentioning self-discipline to them. It’s condescending.

That on its own isn’t condescending, but how I tried to explain myself was, as pointed out by @Bagelthief.

okay i’ll clear this up

i am a martial artist. I study muso jikiden eishin ryu and have been practicing for years. i used to do archery before i dropped it to focus on my exams last year… which i passed with nearly the highest marks in the class.

i battle with depression and disassociation. most days i am emotionally drained from not grabbing something i shouldn’t drink and downing it on impulse. keeping alive and bettering oneself: that is self-discipline. don’t shove your perfect healthy-person ideals in my face.

you don’t look at a man with an injured leg and go “keep trying to get up those stairs”. you point out easy, smaller ways of working with it until they heal over. i’m trying. i am getting better. since being abused a few months ago my autistic traits have actually intensified as i have become more and more mentally unstable (hence the reason i took a huge break out of the forums). they will never completely go. i will never be normal.

while what @TechDragon610 said at first was better worded than @ThisIsSymbolic and, actually, fine, after being accused:

“excuse me? condescending? It may have not been directed at me but I have to beg to differ on the importance of self discipline. From Martial Artists down to your everyday Joe, controlling the body and mind in synchronization is a display of Unity, not condescendence.”

“i beg to differ” is condescending. it’s also “condescension” btw.

are you saying i am not disciplined? that i am not as “unified” with the world? am i somehow weaker because i need alternate ways of dealing with things than normal people at the moment, rather than pushing through, is this what you’re trying to tell me? what the heck are you on about? i have no idea.

Like you said, discipline’s pretty much common knowledge and this sounds like a serious problem they’ve had for a while. They’ve probably tried discipline already. It’s like asking a depressed person if they’ve tried smiling. @Bagelthief may not even care and disagree with me, but that’s my opinion.

@pyla8 autism is not a problem i’ve had for a while (bc it’s just me), because it’s a mental state. though if you mean intensified by the other mental problems, then yes. i’ve tried a lot of stuff.

yo can we just. forget about this whole discipline shebang now…

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I don’t know about autism. I just meant the whole thing and yeah sure, I’m not even a fan of it but for different, irrelevant reasons.

Yeah it’s becoming a bit heated and off-topic…

Anyways I think i understood why a co-op project won’t work to help you?

hmm, interesting assumption, but you seem to think of me as incredibly hostile here. I personally don’t have Autism, but I’ve have my fair share of problems, and I’d switch out in a heart beat for Autism. I was simply pointing out to the other individual that self discipline is not an evil practice. Also, please explain how “I beg to differ” is condescending. Last I checked, it was a statement used very frequently in rebuttals. I’m not saying you are weak. I’m saying that something like this is a workable barrier, Human beings have amazing potential, as a whole, we never use this potential though.

@Eternalfire sorry. i ain’t my best anymore. being the really bouncy person i was back when farside was on forums seems kind of. not me and. i get angry a lot. i apologise.

i thought a co-op project might work, especially in a group of a few people, but do you have an idea why it might not?

I’m just gonna ignore anyone who goes on about discipline or tries to explain to me “what autism is” or “why it’s better than ____” any more.