05/06/2023 WSC Ramble/Update (Patreon)

At my last ramble here, I was getting started on Daaz's scenes! I'm currently finished with his content through the shared "common" path and am now setting out to complete his three character-exclusive chapters.

I'd had a new idea and was considering if it was possible and how it would work.Honestly, I wasn't quite sure as it's a bit of a departure from what happens in the other routes (all the routes resolve a little differently but they're somewhat similar - and this idea will be a stronger deviation from that.)

One of the issues I have is not wanting to go so far to the outfield I need 10 exclusive environments that'll only get used in one route. That's an expense I do not think is worthwhile. But I do want the resolutions to be different enough players will enjoy reading through all of them.

I did a lot of brainstorming for this idea and decided to move forward with it. It will need only one additional environment and I may revisit the possibility of doing something with in it another route as well.

One difficult thing about writing in this game structure compared to something like GS or Changeling is that it can be a little difficult to explain why MC might do X instead of Y when they've been exposed to the exact same chain of events through the game. In Gilded Shadows, it was easy to explain why Morgan might learn to long distance teleport in one route while she never perfects it in another. The events across the routes are very different and she gets exposed to different things and focuses on different things through each route.

But in When Stars Collide, Wil gets exposed to very, very similar events and outcomes through the first 2/3 of the game. So it's a bit more difficult to explain why he might attempt a particular story resolution while pursuing one character and a totally different one while pursuing another character. Why do they feel that X is the right path in one route and feel Y is the right path in another route...even though the same events led to that point?

This is, I think, the reason that overlapping route games often don't deviate too much from a common story. It can be difficult to explain those deviations narratively.

(I have a lot of thoughts about game structure and I sometimes think about sharing them but then am just not sure anyone wants to hear them. Rofl).

Ultimately, even though the happy ending is somewhat similar across the routes (N situation gets resolved, everyone is happy. Wil gets her happy relationship, etc etc), I do want players to get to explore different story climax scenarios that make replaying worthwhile.

I feel like there's always some level of "butterfly effect" going on with my games where you can't fully explain why one or two small decisions makes the outcome so wildly different but I may just have to lean into it more fully for this game. And just have every accept that one small decision can have an unpredictable snowball effect of change. And THAT IS WHY. LoL

Something else I did for this project was start solidifying revision plans, changes, and fixes.

For anyone who has not followed me or been with me for my previous projects, my revision process tends to be pretty extensive.Extensive revisions are hardly uncommon but in my case, the amount of things that will change across drafts is one reason I can't release this game as I write it.

There are several problems in the script I know exist and have already been thinking about how to address.

For instance, I know I'll be adding a scene into chapter 6 to allow for some fun character moments but also to put some space between two dramatic events that happen too close in succession.

And I finally accepted that I have to inject an additional chapter prior to the love interest getting locked in. The pacing has been bothering me for a while - just a quite voice of discontent at the back of my head. And now I finally decided I have to address it.

So I have been plotting out that chapter.

As it stands, it looks like the revision process will be more extensive than I was hoping but it's honestly not a surprise. This is my first time writing in this game structure and it's *very* different from what I am used to. So there's a lot of trial-and-error and re-learning now to do things.

One thing I'm still struggling with, for example, is organisation. These overlapping structures are so complex compared to the style I'm used to that I keep feeling like I'm getting a bit lost in the story. There are so many variables and world states that I'm still trying to find a good way to get myself organised so that when I revise, each story "route" is coherent.

With Gilded Shadows, it's really easy to track each "route" as well as the overall game structure because the routes are independent and fully self-contained. But in When Stars Collide, the routes overlap each other and overlap the 'common route' as well. They all kind of exist within the same space-time.

As a result, it's hard to get a feel for the story as a whole and all the individual 'routes' within the story. So I'm just having to learn new organisation methods and try out some new tools. This has been an on-going problem. I got a handle on it for a while but now that the project has grown again (I just have more of it written), I can feel myself starting to lose my grip on it again.

So yeah. A lot of what I've been doing for WSC has been organising and planning and now I'll probably go back to finishing up Daaz's route. Three chapters left!

Then it'll be Noel's turn.

On another note, I have started thinking about the possibility of replacing the backgrounds. I have multiple reasons for this and am undecided at the moment as I'm really attached to a few of them but I realised as I was going through them that...it's not that many that I truly love.

I'm still not fully decided but I'm leaning that way at the moment. If I do have them redone, it'll be by an artist I've worked with before and really enjoy working with.

Anyway, that is all for now. Hopefully by my next ramble, I'll be working on Noel's scenes.