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Aight, it's time to start a new story. Jam's due date is coming in just a couple days... gotta make something simple. Something that hits hard, and fast, too.
But what? I'm dry on ideas.
[[I need to come up with something...]]
<<set $firsttime to "yes">>
<<set $scrapped to (0)>><<if $firsttime is "yes">>Alright, one thing at a time. I should get a theme first. There's no way that you can have a good story without a theme, at least I think.<</if>><<if $firsttime is "no">>Okay, let's try this again. A theme, I need a theme. What would be a good theme? <</if>>
<<set $presenceinsetting to random(1)>>
Needs to be something interesting... something that touches people.
<<set $antagonistwrongdoings to random(3)>>
I could make the theme...
<<set $gameplaystyle to random(5)>>
<<textbox "$theme" "I gotta write the theme down..." "Ah, yes! That'll be a perfect theme.">><<if $scrapped is 0>>Yeah, yeah, I'll tackle the subject of $theme in my next game! I don't think I've tackled that one yet, so it'll be nice and novel.<<elseif $scrapped gte 1>>Yeah, maybe $theme would be a good hook. Seems a bit easier to write, at least...<<else>>Okay, maybe now I have a good theme to work with. If I can't make a good story with $theme at the center, then who knows what I'll do?<</if>>
Okay, I have that down. What next? I need some more material...
the setting, right! I still need a setting for this game. I've covered a pretty wide basis already, but I could definitely go further. But... where do I go? And when?
<<textbox "$setting" "What setting do I use?" "That setting would work.">><<if $scrapped is 0>>Yes, yes, $setting would work like a charm! I haven't seen it done too much recently. I'm sure it would complement the $theme theming quite well, too.<<else>>Sure, I'll make a story within $setting. That could be fun! <</if>>
Alright, what next? I have setting and theme...
<<if $scrapped is 0>>what about the main conflict? What's a good story without some form of conflict, right? It's gotta be something with tension, with stakes! Something that keeps the players' attention!<<elseif $scrapped is 1>>well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try and come up with the conflict again. Hopefully I get something more interesting than $conflict this time...<<else>>I'm starting to run dry on ideas for conflicts to tackle. I need to come up with something, //anything//, that will work in $setting with $theme at the center of everything.<</if>>
I think the main conflict will be... <<textbox "$conflict" "Insert the conflict here..." "A solid conflict!" >>Alright, yeah! A good old case of $conflict would be great fun to explore. <<if $scrapped is 0>>I think I've started to get a solid framework here...<<else>>Alright, I'm getting back to where I was before. Maybe I can still write something good.<</if>>
<<if $scrapped is 0>>Wait, shoot, I need characters! I almost completely forgot! Rats, who's actually involved in the conflict??<<elseif $scrapped is 1>>Wait, shoot, I forgot about the characters! ...Again! I need to stop doing that. Okay, I need to focus. Focus. Focus!<<else>>Wait, right, characters. I keep forgetting about the characters...<</if>>
<<if $scrapped is 0>>Well... let's get down to the basics, first. I need a protagonist. I need someone whose shoes the players can really slip into without too much trouble. Someone who's interesting and likeable...<<else>>Okay, let's start at the logical point. What kind of protagonist will this game have? Let's get something good...<</if>>
<<textbox "$protagonist" "The protagonist should be a..." "Protagonist decided">><<textbox "$protagname" "and this protagonist's name will be..." "Protag is done">><<if $scrapped is 0>>Alright, that's a protagonist!<<else>>Phew, okay, making progress!<</if>> We'll have a $protagonist named $protagname who has gotten involved in $conflict within $setting.
<<if $firsttime is "yes">>I'm starting to get a pretty solid core set up here. Now I just need an antagonist, and I'll be all set to start writing.<<else>>I have a fairly solid core set up here... again. For real, this time. Now to get that antagonist.<</if>>
<<if $scrapped lte 1>>So, first! What is this antagonist going to be? Ideally, they'll be a solid foil to $protagname.<<elseif $scrapped gte 2>>Okay, the antagonist. What kind of antagonist will we have? They will be...<<else>>I need an antagonist, and I'm gonna get an antagonist. At this rate, I just need to come up with something.<</if>>
<<textbox "$antagonist" "The antagonist will be a..." "Now for the antagonist's name">><<textbox "$antagname" "The antagonist's name should be..." "And that's an antagonist!">>Alright, I think I have it all! The legendary $protagonist $protagname in a gruelling $conflict with the vicious $antagonist $antagname... now //that's// gonna be a good story.
<<if $firsttime is "yes">>...Wait a minute. I just realized... I forgot about the actual game part. I need a game mechanic. <<else>>Okay, now I need a gameplay style.<</if>>
What kind of game would this story even be?
<<if $firsttime is "yes">>Okay, I should come up with a gameplay hook. How will this story play out? <<else>>Time to come up with a gameplay hook. How will this game play?<</if>>
<<textbox "$gameplay" "I think the gameplay will be..." "okay, NOW I have everything.">>Alright... here's hoping that works. How does this all come together?
<<set $antagonistwrongdoings to random(2)>>
So $protagname the $protagonist <<if $presenceinsetting is 0>>arrives after a long drive<</if>><<if $presenceinsetting is 1>>is living a life<</if>> in $setting, only to gaze upon a scene of utter despair. $antagname the $antagonist has <<if $antagonistwrongdoings is 0>> usurped power for their own gain thanks to their impressive $gameplay skills<<elseif $antagonistwrongdoings is 1>>stolen the town's resources and thrown the people into $conflict driven chaos<<elseif $antagonistwrongdoings is 2>> put $setting on lockdown and founded a monopoly upon a foundation of $conflict<</if>>. They must be stopped, but how can it be done?
<<set $whostartedit to random(3)>>
Simple. <<if $whostartedit is 0>>$protagname must challenge $antagname to a rigorous bout of $gameplay<<elseif $whostartedit is 1>>$antagname will offer to right their wrongs if $protagname can best them in $gameplay<<elseif $whostartedit is 2>>The residents of $setting will call for $conflict between the two rivals<<elseif $whostartedit is 3>>The Great Lords in the sky will call for the $protagonist and the $antagonist to settle their $conflict via a formal competition in $gameplay<</if>> in a heart-wrenching tale of $theme.
<<set $personalstakes to random(5)>>
<<if $personalstakes is 0>>$protagname winces at the prospect; they swore to never approach the dark art of $conflict after what happened all those years ago...<<elseif $personalstakes is 1>>$protagname has a long history with $antagname, as they used to be good friends back in the early days of $theme. However, that is in the past now, and both of them have changed. $protagname can only hope that $antagname hasn't forgotten the true meaning of $theme... <<elseif $personalstakes is 2>>$protagname has had to see this same story happen so many times. There have been too many times where a cocky $antagonist tried to play with the powers of the gods, only to forget what it truly takes to be a patron saint of the art of $gameplay. A needless $conflict has been the result too many times. At this point, the $protagonist's biggest hurdle will be finding motivation to continue the cycle...<<elseif $personalstakes is 3>>$protagname is shocked with what lies in front of them. Many people have been foolish to attempt such crimes in the past, but $antagname was always a wiser folk. To see them fall to the same vile temptations stings, and it shows that no soul is perfectly infallible to the temptations brought on by proficiency with $gameplay. Whose to say that, when achieving victory, $protagname will not succumb to the same demons?<<elseif $personalstakes is 4>>Regardless of the power that the vile $antagonist has procured, they are still mortal. $protagname has been manifested in the world to show these sort of folk the horrid truth: no mortal soul, however capable, can ever escape the divine reckoning of $theme.<<else>>More than anything else, this is a personal attack. Anyone attempting to challenge $protagname's proficiency in $gameplay is playing cards with fate, and fate has a very good hand.<</if>>
And so, the $protagonist and the $antagonist engage in glorious $conflict-driven-$gameplay action within the gripping tale of $theme that is...
<<textbox "$title" "..." "You know what...">><<set $conclusion to random(4)>>...Wow.
<<if $conclusion is 0>>This doesn't even make any sense. The ideas just don't gel together. I need a better idea of what the actual whole I'm making here even is...<<elseif $conclusion is 1>>There's no way that I could code a $gameplay kind of game with this kind of plot in just a few days. This would need far more time to cook.<<elseif $conclusion is 2>>I feel like I may have lost track of what I was writing along the way somewhere... looking at it all together, a $protagonist is a really questionable fit for the main character.<<elseif $conclusion is 3>>I can't remember where I was even going with some of this. It's just a garbled mess of disparate ideas. I'm not even sure if $setting is the right setting for a story like this...<<else>>This whole thing sounded so much better in my head. Looking at it now, I am not cut out to tackle $theme in any of my stories yet. Not with writing like this.<</if>>
You know what? Forget it. This idea isn't going to work. I need something else.
[[Let me start over.|I need to come up with something...]]
<<set $firsttime to "no">>
<<set $scrapped to $scrapped + 1>>