One tricky part about writing for visual novels like Aurora\u2019s Nightmare, or any game which offers a high degree of player choice, is making sure that the story stays consistent no matter which path the player takes.\u00a0 For example, say that at one point you want the characters to mention a conversation they had earlier in the game.\u00a0 In a regular linear story there\u2019s no problem with that.\u00a0 But in a game with a branching path or open-ended story, it becomes much more difficult.\u00a0 Was the player given multiple dialogue options during that conversation?\u00a0 If so, do you need to change the current scene based on what the player decided to say back then?\u00a0 What if the player was able to skip that conversation entirely?\u00a0 \u00a0In another scenario, what if two or three branches all lead into the same scene.\u00a0 You need to make sure that the opening for said scene create a proper transition no matter which branch the player was on.<\/p>\n
Some writers handle this better than others.\u00a0 And, in some cases, there are so many possible variables involved that it\u2019s pretty much impossible to provide a fully consistent story for every possible path.\u00a0 Fortunately, visual novels with their branching path stories, provide enough structure that keeping things consistent is always possible, though the writer does need to lay out the scenes carefully and always keep the different possible paths in mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One tricky part about writing for visual novels like Aurora\u2019s Nightmare, or any game which offers a high degree of player choice, is making sure that the story stays consistent no matter which path the player takes.\u00a0 For example, say that at one point you want the characters to mention a conversation they had earlier … Continue reading Avoiding Inconsistencies<\/span>