WRITING THE SCRIPTS, CHARACTERS AND OUTLINING A CHOICE'S MATTERS GAME
Difficulties:
Honestly, the most difficult part, besides mapping was actually writing out the script. Since the early game is carried by the narrative, I needed it to have strong characters, feel immersive, and that couldn't be done if I reduced the characters to the usage of the plot. It was also one of my first times actually writing for a narrative-branching game, and so I had to really understand what should affect what and not just add a new branch of story for every line of dialogue. The game didn't just exist around the player, it also had a world and history of it's own; and if I didn't understand every character who was going to appear, it would lack the depth that would make up for the game's default assets.
I didn't want to write the other characters to just end up as plot challenges for the protagonist, I wanted them to have actual reasons for saying what they say, and doing what they do.
After about three or four days of brainstorming, drafting and slacking off on the narrative. I eventually managed to wrangle out something I truly believe was compelling, compiled it into a flowchart and spreadsheet (for later usage) and finally was able to jump back into the game. Have a look!
Similarly to the example I made prior, depending on whether the player took the subtle hint to tidy up their room, perhaps do a little bit of exploration. The mother's dialogue changes, (and a variable increases)
If the player selects the bottom option, the story progresses as usual, and the two sits down for a meal. However, if the player took the time to explore their bedroom and tidy it up, they won't need to go back and do so!
THE SIGNIFICANCE
It was very important to me that the player gets the agency to decide their own speech immediately, and also; that the moment they start the game in the bedroom, the world is already paying attention to them. The idea is that something as mundane as 'tidying up your bed' can cause a dialogue change is the proof of concept of the game; It is very subtle now, but everything that the player chooses to say or do will eventually have great ramifications on how their protagonist views the world at large; but the important thing is. It's not about which worldview is right or wrong, It's about who you choose to be in this world.
ALARIC'S BEDROOM UPDATE
Also, I improved on my last iteration of the bedroom, trying out more parallax mapping for light/shadow.
NEXT:
- Finishing the Breakfast Scene (Alaric's Father comes in)
- Starting the Town Market Scene (Will be the first instance of player reward, where they get to explore the town a little before meeting up with one of their companions and childhood friend.)