[Criticism] "God Options" and why they ruin interactives.
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Re: [Criticism] "God Options" and why they ruin interactives
I'm here to beat it not to go on an adventure
Do everything with all your effort!
Becuse if I catch you doing things half-ass,
you'll be halfway up my ass!
Becuse if I catch you doing things half-ass,
you'll be halfway up my ass!
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KaZe_DaRKWIND - Been posting for a bit
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Re: [Criticism] "God Options" and why they ruin interactives
KaZe_DaRKWIND wrote:I'm here to beat it not to go on an adventure
Well, nothing kills a boner for someone who likes unwilling vore than to have an option literally say, "THE PREDATOR GRABS YOU."
I don't want that choice damn it. It's not unwilling if I chose it to happen!
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Aces - Advanced Vorarephile
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Re: [Criticism] "God Options" and why they ruin interactives
Aces wrote:KaZe_DaRKWIND wrote:I'm here to beat it not to go on an adventure
Well, nothing kills a boner for someone who likes unwilling vore than to have an option literally say, "THE PREDATOR GRABS YOU."
I don't want that choice damn it. It's not unwilling if I chose it to happen!
I somehow didn't see this post until now.
Your statement is true for a specific group of people, that is prey focused people that directly identify with the character. Basically this rules out third person interactives and writing. I think your advice is sound for traditional CYOA type interactives, but there is so much more out there, and frankly, some of the most successful interactives have been third person.
There are a tremendous number of problems with first and second person interactives, they work well when well constructed and well written, but only for a small group of people.
- Aleph-Null
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Re: [Criticism] "God Options" and why they ruin interactives
Aleph-Null wrote:Aces wrote:KaZe_DaRKWIND wrote:I'm here to beat it not to go on an adventure
Well, nothing kills a boner for someone who likes unwilling vore than to have an option literally say, "THE PREDATOR GRABS YOU."
I don't want that choice damn it. It's not unwilling if I chose it to happen!
I somehow didn't see this post until now.
Your statement is true for a specific group of people, that is prey focused people that directly identify with the character. Basically this rules out third person interactives and writing. I think your advice is sound for traditional CYOA type interactives, but there is so much more out there, and frankly, some of the most successful interactives have been third person.
There are a tremendous number of problems with first and second person interactives, they work well when well constructed and well written, but only for a small group of people.
I really don't see how the choice of using a third person narrative equates to what I am talking about. Why would I deliberately spoil what's coming next in any story? Smut or not.
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Aces - Advanced Vorarephile
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Re: [Criticism] "God Options" and why they ruin interactives
I have to add in, how hard is it to take this criticism to heart? You just need a different mindset from writing a non-interactive story. Even making the outcomes obvious without controlling the character is acceptable to me. How hard is it to write "Turn away and run" and "Move closer" as options over "she eats you" and "you get away?"
Writing.com even in its glory days had the same problem. Tons of choices for picking a character or whatever with nobody actually writing a story was even worse there because the 3-5 choice limit made them think that had an excuse for it. With Eka's the problem stems from abusing looped choices and no ability to delete chapters. It's the problem with interactives in general unless they get well moderated.
Bright wrote:Personally my main gripe about interactives on Ekas Portal are that you have 100 ones that go bloody nowhere because people expect others to write for them.
Writing.com even in its glory days had the same problem. Tons of choices for picking a character or whatever with nobody actually writing a story was even worse there because the 3-5 choice limit made them think that had an excuse for it. With Eka's the problem stems from abusing looped choices and no ability to delete chapters. It's the problem with interactives in general unless they get well moderated.
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Jayezox - ---
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Re: [Criticism] "God Options" and why they ruin interactives
Jayezox wrote:I have to add in, how hard is it to take this criticism to heart? You just need a different mindset from writing a non-interactive story. Even making the outcomes obvious without controlling the character is acceptable to me. How hard is it to write "Turn away and run" and "Move closer" as options over "she eats you" and "you get away?"
I think you just hit the nail on the head there and clearly outlined it as a writing quality problem rather than a preference problem.
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Artemis - Advanced Vorarephile
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Re: [Criticism] "God Options" and why they ruin interactives
Oh my, what's this? Reasonable people?
Yeah agreed OP, and Jayesox.
The options are options, not synopses, and it doesn't matter if it's first, second or third person, though I have a hard time thinking of first person in any other way that past tense in this case as a recollection thing "And I decided to ...A:,B:,C:..."
Personally I have a really hard time with second person perspective, since it nine out of ten times becomes a sea of "you", and the problem that a thread ends when the character does, or you have really forced changes of perspectives. (There's also the issue of people putting words into one's mouth and other oddities. But then I can imagine fans of the form finding third person perhaps feeling disembodied and unpersonal.)
All writing have the problem with short ass lazy chapters and people looking for pandering of their tastes. That's why I try to promote things that showcase actual stories and writers. It's not just interactives that have the "Ohh look at me I have 200 chapters!" *Goes to look and finds 200 options and not one actual chapter.* The forum has been littered from the start with people starting new threads saying "Ooh look I wrote this story!" and you go and look and find a badly written paragraph with none-existing grammar. And every time I think "Ehh...you could have at least tried... Why did you post this and waste our time?"
But back on topic, yes, choices, choices, not outcomes, not synopses. Not just as a reader is it horrible since you've killed all suspense, but as a writer too, why would I add to a point where I have no say in the action and no artistic freedom?
Sometimes you need boring chapters to get to where you need to go, but bad options is a good way to get bad action. Everything is decided and spelled out...Ok, let's get it over with...
Yeah agreed OP, and Jayesox.
The options are options, not synopses, and it doesn't matter if it's first, second or third person, though I have a hard time thinking of first person in any other way that past tense in this case as a recollection thing "And I decided to ...A:,B:,C:..."
Personally I have a really hard time with second person perspective, since it nine out of ten times becomes a sea of "you", and the problem that a thread ends when the character does, or you have really forced changes of perspectives. (There's also the issue of people putting words into one's mouth and other oddities. But then I can imagine fans of the form finding third person perhaps feeling disembodied and unpersonal.)
All writing have the problem with short ass lazy chapters and people looking for pandering of their tastes. That's why I try to promote things that showcase actual stories and writers. It's not just interactives that have the "Ohh look at me I have 200 chapters!" *Goes to look and finds 200 options and not one actual chapter.* The forum has been littered from the start with people starting new threads saying "Ooh look I wrote this story!" and you go and look and find a badly written paragraph with none-existing grammar. And every time I think "Ehh...you could have at least tried... Why did you post this and waste our time?"
But back on topic, yes, choices, choices, not outcomes, not synopses. Not just as a reader is it horrible since you've killed all suspense, but as a writer too, why would I add to a point where I have no say in the action and no artistic freedom?
Sometimes you need boring chapters to get to where you need to go, but bad options is a good way to get bad action. Everything is decided and spelled out...Ok, let's get it over with...
Last bumped by Aces on Fri Aug 07, 2020 7:11 am.
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Throku - May I take your order?
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