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Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

So I am going to make a choose your adventure story but I was wondering if you guys wanted know if your choices will have an affect. Its just a basic fantasy choose your adventure story, not very good with coding especially when I am new to the website. Anyway back to the topic, for example, (Choose wisely, there are chances you will die) or like (Your choices will have an affect on your choices later on) or (Your choices will not have an affect on your options in the future) above your available options. Will you guys be cool with it, or does it disturb you guys, or just don't want to know for the sake of fun of not knowing? Or do you guys have other suggestions?

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago
Uh... what?

I can't tell what you're asking. Are you asking if you should put text in the story indicating, specifically, that choices will have an effect? Or are you asking if the choices should actually have an effect?

Yes, choices should have an effect. Many people on the site will, when reading a new story, click on link, then click back, then click another link to see if it takes them to the same place. If it does, the story doesn't really have any choices, and it what is often called a "linear" story -- which few people like, especially on a "CHOOSE" your own story site. For me, when I'm writing and preparing a story here, I often think of different choices as entirely different stories: if you make choice A, you're headed down storyline A, which leads one place; but if you choose choice B, that's a completely different story that leads to B.

On the other hand, if you're asking if you should write the actual words, "Your choices will have an effect later" in the story, you shouldn't need to write that because when playing and reading here, most readers will assume that their choice will have an effect -- otherwise, what is the point of making a choice?

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

Sorry, I wrote this late at night. My English skills drops down pretty low. I thought it made sense but reading my comment again, I am quite embarrassed. Anyway, I will clarify the meaning. I was thinking of laying out a system where I tell you guys explicitly if your choices will have an affect or not above your available choices you get. For example:

Sarah went to the shop to pick up groceries for her mum. 

Sarah's Response? (Your Choices Will have an affect Later on)

Give The Money To Some Stranger

Spend The Grocery Money For lollies

Just Get The Groceries And Go Home

But reading some of the replies I think I just need to re-adjust a bit of my choices right now. Especially do not follow this system. Thanks for the advice and your time, I do appreciate it. 

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago
I'm not 100% certain what you are asking either.

If you're going to have a choice (or several choices) early in the game that doesn't have an immediate impact, but effects events later in the story, such as Choice A, B, and C all lead to D, but in the next chapter A leads to E and F, B leads to G and H, and C leads to I and J then maybe put a blurb in the description that early choices may have a delayed impact on the game. My rationale for that is the same as Ogre's; some people get upset if they don't see an immediate impact from a choice.

An example of a straight shooter doing only this would probably be Life of a Wizard on ChoiceofGames. Scripting/variables are a necessity if the results of two choices meld together to determine a future pathway.

You could combine that with a traditional branching story if you wanted too.

If you mean putting text in the story detailing what a specific choice will do, that spoils the fun.

I hope this helps.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

Read my previous post of me replying to Orger11 to get some clarification on my question. Sorry for the confusion. Anyway thanks for the advice I will keep that in mind for the future if I do use that tactic.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

Do I want to know if my choices will affect the story? >_> What kind of question is that? A Choose Your Own Adventure is defined by the fact that your choices are always expected to have an impact on the story and they should, otherwise you're not really choosing anything.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

Oh, that just questions your asking in the game like:

Sarah's mother gave her money so Sarah could buy some grocery.  

Sarah's response?

"Mum, why do I have to get the grocery?"

"Mum, am I going to die from rapists if I go out there?"

Continuing On And Just Nod

Or like:

Sarah paid the money to the cash lady.

Sarah's Response?

"Are you new?" Sarah Ask Mannerly

Be Silent, Stare At The Groceries Being Scanned One By One

It really doesn't affect the story but more like interact with the world kind of thing. But thanks for your time replying.

 

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

This is what I understand your question to be:

"I am going to be writing a fantasy CYOA. What sort of impact would you like your choices to have on the story? Would you like a story with one path and a lot of death choices? Would you like a story with few death choices and plenty of paths, stemming from the actions you take earlier on in the game? Would you like a story where your choices make only slight changes to the story?"

To answer, look at the best fantasy game on this site, Eternal. In Eternal, there are some choices that lead to death pages, but then there are choices that lead to different paths. There are a few good stories on the site that focus more on story than game, in which choices only make minor differences throughout the story. Still, I find a combination of the first and second options to be the best.

Edit: In the chance that I misinterpreted the question and you meant instead "Would you like me to warn you of the impact that the choices on a page will have?", I have to say that it is unnecessary and would probably take away from the immersion of the story.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

 Ok, I will kick the system out of the way of telling you explicitly that your choices might or may not have an affect. Thanks for the advice and your time.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago
I don't think there's a need for you to explicitly state a choice will matter later on. Usually it's implied the choices you make will have some sort of impact.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago
Unless the story is written with grammar akin to...

u r a membr of iceclan!!!? yay. woood you lik to be a she=cat or a tomandjerry cat?

In which case you will infer all choices are irrelevant.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

Sure thing I will destroy that system. Thanks for your response.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

As much as I like the Telltale games, I do sort of find it annoying when you make a choice and it says something like "Clementine will remember that" giving away some of the unknown factor before it may come into play. It gets even sillier when they do this and the character dies the very next scene. Though I suppose they do that to keep people guessing, but it probably would be easier just for the game developers not to put any potential foreshadowing of your choices at all.

So I'd rather not have what a choice is going to potentially do spelled out so obviously.

Now if you're talking about choices that don't actually do anything to the overall plot, but just lead to slight alterations of dialog or some other similar outcome that rejoins a "main path". That's a different situation.

These are commonly known as "fake choices" and Bioware overuses them a lot.

I think a few fake choices are fine and sometimes they might even be necessary. You can get away with more of them depending on how large your over all story is, but you really shouldn't over abuse them.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

I think it really depends whether the "fake" choices are good or bad. Sometimes these types of choices, although leading to the same story branch, affect how other characters interact with you. It can also build up to different endings based on your interactions with the characters and the world around you.

To be fair, creating a story where the choices actually lead to a completely different path/branch is very tedious and difficult to do.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

Yeah, I found that annoying in the Walking Dead game. The things you said were supposed to have some kind of effect on certain characters, but most of the characters died before you got to see the results of that effect.

As for the "fake choices" thing, I actually like those, but only when it comes to dialogue. I just like having the option of making my character be sarcastic all the time, even if it doesn't actually have an effect on the overall game.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

Well in the case of video games, there is usually action to make up for an excessive amount of fake choices, so it isn't quite as bad as a traditional CYOA where the choices are everything.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

Thank you for your advice on "fake choices." Have a great day to you sir. 

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

Create a variable for the choice, and bada-bing-bada-boom, you can make restrictions for later depending on what you did. Here's an example:

We can save Andy or let him die. Create a variable named CHOICE# (Replace the '#' sign with a number). If we let Andy die, change it to 1. If we save him, keep it at 0. Later on, we meet Andy's brother. If the variable is at 1, we can tell him that Andy died, and he'll react to it. If the variable is at 0, we can't tell him that Andy died because he didn't.

There you go. It can be a helluva lot more complex than that, but that's the basics.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

Sorry if this is troubling but can you explicitly show me. I am more of a visual learner which is why I am terrible at understanding codes on this website because I have to read the instruction. But if you can't that it is ok. I will just go for the extra step and choices. 

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

I can't really show you, sorry.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago

No problem, don't doubt yourself. You have good intentions anyway so thanks for trying. Hope you have an awesome day.

Want To Know If Your Choices Will Have An Affect?

10 years ago
Read this:
http://chooseyourstory.com/help/articles/article.aspx?ArticleId=1

And this:
http://chooseyourstory.com/help/articles/article.aspx?ArticleId=106

And you should be able to do it. There's no actual scripting required for what you want to do.