Post by Raven in The Shadow Whisperer comments

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Why is there no choice to agree with your father?
All the choices are the same choice worded in different ways.
Which makes it no choice at all.

I dislike being pushed towards moralizing choices.
And I get the feeling you have no choice but to do what is morally right by modern standards in this game.

The story have the potential to be interesting, but I am not a nice person, and I have no desire to act like one. Especially not in a game.

I think this game WOULD have been good, if you could choose to be ruthless and cold as well. It's an interesting concept.

You're not even choosing to be good in the game, because there's no choice at all --as far as I can tell from the demo.
If you can't choose to be evil, you cannot choose to be good either. It wouldn't be a true choice.

And I do like to be able to truly choose.

(Although the demo IS very short, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)

Mustjoe7 days ago

Thank you for your feedback, Raven. There are two reasons why only one choice leads to the "true ending" and why the main character has "modern views."

First, let’s talk about the narrative reason. The main character is trapped in a vision created by someone who wants to see if her values and morals align with theirs. Therefore, if the main character agrees with her father from the beginning, there is no reason to test her in the vision. In that regard, the main character's views are defined from the beginning. Indeed, even in RPGs, players sometimes assume the role of a character with pre-defined traits and/or beliefs. For example, consider the Witcher series.

The second reason is a technical one. The game was created by three people during their free time, with no funding involved. Therefore, the story cannot branch excessively and must remain concise; otherwise, the demo would never have been completed. If we ever create a full version, the main character will have many more choices and will be able to change her views and morals as the story unfolds. I hope that clears up most of your questions and concerns.

Raven7 days ago

Hrm... I see.

I do get why the branching would be limited at least.
But there are ways to make moral choices possible without it affecting the story too much.
If nothing else, allow for "false choices", which is merely a reaction without impact.
If there is not too many of them they give a good illusion of free will without impacting the gameplay.

But I understand this can be difficult if the whole premise of the game is centered around helping the poor.
You may want to add that to the description tho.
Some people like being nice, some dislike it.
It's always good to know what to expect.

But I have played many games, even made by a single person alone, that allows for moral choices that range from wicked to angelic.
Those type choices do not need to impact gameplay, because if the game needs you to help someone, as an example, you can choose:
1. Help them cuz it's the right thing to do
2. Help them because you need to uphold an appearance
3. Help them because you may need their help later / they look like someone who might pay you.
4. Consider leaving them to die, but concede it may be more beneficial to help them (for whatever reason that fits that scene.)

It lets people choose to not be a nice person, while their actions still remains the same.
Which makes people who want to play the hero feel better about themselves because they chose to act heroic, and the same for those who'd act the villain.

If you use that for your choices you can avoid branching the paths, while still giving the illusion of freedom.
(And I presume SOME choices are true choices that do make an impact. They must exist for this to be a game at all. But you can add false choices to improve the illusion of more freedom. Which improves how the game is received and seen.)

Mustjoe7 days ago

Yes, you are right. There is always a way to add different choices that have no impact on the story; however, we decided to avoid adding too many of them. As you mentioned before, our game is short, and having too many fake choices in a short game can annoy many players. I like that you brought up the idea of a variety of choices based on motivation, and that would have been explored in the full version.

Thank you for such an interesting discussion. It is always refreshing to hear different opinions on this topic. I will definitely keep the things you brought up in mind for future projects.

itch.io

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