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Choices

5 years ago

So, question. Maybe doing some shit with werewolves, and the whole point is that you’re going through transformations against your will. There’s various sequences where you do evil werewolf shit, and I had an idea, but I couldn’t tell fin it was any good. I wanted to, in comparison to the human sections where you make choices that can kill you or branch out toward different endings, to have the werewolf sequences to be without choices, to use the whole choosing mechanic as a thing reflective of your situation. These wouldn’t be too long, what maybe three or four pages at most with the chance for the choice to resist or give in, which would branch, and maybe some choices where they’re all basically “do the thing your human self doesn’t want to”. 

So, anyhow, does anyone think that would work? Is it a cool or even just alright idea, or would it’s just it just stink of linearity? What’s your opinions?

Choices

5 years ago
If you're going with them not having control over what happens i think the werewolf sections would be more interesting if you don't see them at all, or only get brief pieces, and then have to try and piece together what happened the night before.

Choices

5 years ago

This is also a good idea.

Choices

5 years ago

They’ll still have minor control, I suppose, but since there’s definitely going to be sections where they can do shit as a werewolf, I don’t really think it’s an option.

Choices

5 years ago
I'd go with this. Maybe snippets of memory but I'm not sure multiple pages are needed.

But then the human remembering in detail what happened when they were a werewolf or even realizing right away that they're a werewolf at all is pretty unusual. Otherwise it's one of those things that could happen only like, one time without some responsibility on their part for not just locking themselves up or something.

Choices

5 years ago

They’ll have a motive for not locking themselves up, as they’ll be trying to accomplish something while rapidly changing back and forth. Hopefully it makes more sense in game.

Choices

5 years ago

I think that's a good idea as long as they're only limited parts of the storygame and don't take up many pages. It gives more realism to the situation so that's cool, just be sure not to be too predictable (i.e the two possible choices always leading to a single page; in this case after the first time the reader might become bored and wish you had just put a single link and saved time).

Choices

5 years ago
Its a tough call, knowing the audience here. I've been thinking about a story similar to this. However, if there is a section without any choices, would it make sense to simply make it one page? Even if that page is 2,000 or so words? To me that makes perfect sense, but I know some here I don't think really like reading, so a large page like that is something... intimidating? Difficult? I don't know.

At the same time, if there's no choices, why are there additional pages? Sure, if there's a major scene change or something, that would make sense. But more than two pages in a row with no choices doesn't make a lot of sense to me. So my suggestion is to avoid the linearity simply by putting more information on a single page.

Choices

5 years ago

You said yourself the werewolf sequences aren't going to take too long, so it should be alright to keep it that way. At least for me.

If you still feel it's too linear, you could make fighting choices or make the PC choose different options for the evil shit that happens.