Developer's Journal 4:27
Added 2024-09-01 04:57:24 +0000 UTCHey everybody.
I spent this week going through the content I've already got for Episode Four fixing, filling in holes, adding branching, etc. One of the big struggles is keeping the branching manageable by balancing the power of player choice vs the workload and strength of the narrative.
Giving the player choices has multiple benefits. One, players just like knowing that they are having an impact on the story. That's one of the big draws of this genre.
Two, by making the player a part of the story through choice, it increases player immersion, thus helping the player to connect emotionally with the story.
Three, knowing the alternative outcomes of a choice can enrich the story. This may come in multiple forms, but one example is that a player who knows the fate they avoided may have a greater appreciation for the fate they ended up with.
Fourth, sometimes what's relevant is simply having a choice at all. For example, in Episode Two, in Jamie's courtrooms scene, over 90% of the players chose to stop the brother from attacking his dad. One might say that because the result was overwhelming, it's not worth the extra time needed to render and otherwise factor in this alternate branch for that mere 10% of players who chose to let the brother assault his father. Why not just have the MC stop him? But it's the fact of choosing that makes this story point so significant. The MC's stopping the brother is not an inevitable outcome. The MC's character is not fixed or static, and he is constantly making choices that shape who he becomes. In the case of that trial scene, it may be that merely having been faced with this choice at all will be relevant later on.
Despite these positive benefits of giving choices, every meaningful choice creates additional work for the developer. Alternate branches require alternate renders and alternate dialogue. But the real challenge is that when alternate branches start to interweave, it becomes incredibly difficult to keep the storytelling both consistent and strong. I tend to agree with an opinion I've seen stated before, that the more an AVN branches and the further it gets from a core narrative, the weaker the storytelling becomes. I'm not sure this is inherent in this form of storytelling, but it may be the inevitable result of the limitations faced by a solo or duo developer team.
I bring this up because there is a way I envisioned a particular story thread going in Episode Four--what we might call the core narrative of this particular story thread. However, during development of this episode, I saw an opportunity to give the player a choice--a very meaningful, emotionally driven choice with powerful storytelling potential. So, I coded the choice and set about rendering the alternate path. In truth, however, this alternate path was already branching from an alternative set of paths, so I was actually turning two paths into four paths. That's when the shit really started to fuck with the story, though, as I realized how this new branching was going to have to change future content I had planned, potentially increasing the pathing exponentially. From a storytelling perspective, I felt there was plenty of room to work with the narrative and turn it into something great on each alternate path. But from a developer perspective it was just getting too complex for my solo (admittedly slow) brain to keep track of, and I realized that the amount of work involved was going to be too much. So, with great reluctance, I will be removing this particular choice.
Fuck, I really hate being vague in my journals like this because I'm sure you're just left wondering what the hell I'm talking about. But I figure you guys enjoy a peek behind the curtain of how all this shit gets put together, even if it frequently ends up with me rambling. Anyways, after Episode Five (yes, Five) is released, ask me about the choice I removed from Episode Four.
That's all for this week. Thank you for your support!
--Monk
P.S. for my upper tier supporters, the August monthly renders will be rendering overnight. They are running very long, but hopefully I'll have them for you in the morning.
Comments
This is probably one of the hardest things in development: scrapping ideas and sometimes even work already done because of limited resources. As a player, it always hurt when I read about great things that couldn't be realized. If only we all had more time… Anyway, this was interesting to read, thanks.
Callisto
2024-09-02 06:20:04 +0000 UTCGreat comments so far. I want to add to the discussion that the developer and we as players always need to keep in mind that there is the cold hard reality of time limitations. A single developer with a day job simply will not have the time to pursue a widely branching story in a quality avn. Ideally, a developer will find a balance of branching content to overlapping story content that works for the author and that particular story. However, since tales tend to grow in the telling and it is difficult for even the author to foresee every implication of a choice beforehand, limiting the extent and number of branches, especially early in the story, is often a necessary choice to avoid burnout and or infeasible amounts of content.
Fox MSF
2024-09-01 15:51:31 +0000 UTCThe entire reason for an AVN is to have meaningful choices. Otherwise just right a novel. I always play every path in an AVN for a couple reasons. One, the dev had a reason for making those paths and I want to see where they lead. Even if in does not seem to be the "preferred path". Second, I do not want to waste the work the dev went to to make those paths in the first place. This usually requires multiple saves and a detailed log as to what is going on so I do not confuse my brain too much. Because of this I completely understand what you are saying here. Of course there is the law of diminishing returns for the dev which says "is it worth that much effort?" but without at least some branching for the Li's, and choices for the MC, is the AVN even worth it? Yes, I think that is the point when it really becomes art and not just another story.
Merlin
2024-09-01 15:21:32 +0000 UTCYou are 100% correct, and I received some criticism for not including what some felt were obvious spots for player choices in the early game, such as when Gina invites the MC out for an adulterous drink. But the entire purpose of including that scene was that MC did NOT have a choice at that early point in the story. I needed to establish his character traits first so that choices that came later would have both context and emotional significance.
Impious Monk
2024-09-01 12:13:12 +0000 UTCYou've put your finger on the most crucial dilemma in crafting story-centric AVNs -- balancing player agency and narrative integrity. I think your summary is spot on, and would only add that your lodestar should be the MC's personality and those of the main LIs. There are a relatively narrow range of things that well-drawn characters will do, and quite a lot of things that they would _never_ consider even in stressful situations. The mistake that some Devs make is to allow too much player agency outside this narrow range, which is unrealistic and tends to destroy the characters' integrity. (This is the main reason why tabula rasa MCs never work, and why most harem games fail to maintain credible narratives.) Within that narrow window of player agency, though... I entirely agree that meaningful choices are a critical part of why these games appeal to me... even if I never see or pursue the alternative path. It gives me a sense of possibility and of discovery... and of jeopardy, in the sense that the MC might fail to become a better, happier version of himself -- and his friends/LIs might suffer for it. It is not, I hasten to add, a question of good/bad paths. One of the things that the best AVNs -- like your game -- do is to show how small distinctions can have a major impact on character and destiny. For example, one version of your MC might remain more emotionally closed off; but that quality might allow him to have more relationships and achieve career success. Another set of choices might allow him to open up more and achieve deeper, more meaningful relationships (particularly with one LI) -- but inhibit his career advancement. (This version of the MC might do more 'good' as a prosecutor, though!) Again, it's not a question of good/bad, but of narrative insight, player agency and change. I can't wait to see what you do.
Raife
2024-09-01 09:06:39 +0000 UTC
