Hmmm.
Well. （づ￣3￣）づ╭❤️～
Originally I wanted to try to do a overlapping route game (like a typical episodic game structure) because I've never done one before and I like trying new things. Also releasing huge games with separate routes after years of development is just really hard on me health wise and I'm not sure I can do another game like Gilded Shadows.
But.
I learned that I hate writing in an overlapping route structure. (´。＿。｀) Haha.
I couldn't completely revamp the plot though so. I guess it's kind of like a hybrid of the two styles at this point. The routes do fully split but it's basically during the last act. If Gilded Shadows is on the right in the image below, then When Stars Collide is on the left. (Sorry for the random image - I think better visually).
Chapters in When Stars Collide start overlapping less and less as you go along until they eventually have a full split for the last few chapters.
The big other big difference is that chapters in Gilded Shadows are about 6000-8000 words. Chapters in When Stars Collide are 30,000 - 60,000 words each. I'm trying to make sure that the scenario-based structure is worthwhile for players to experience so that the individual scenarios with the LIs are long enough and unique enough that the romances don't feel the same. 💪
(I feel like that was a way more complicated answer than you probably wanted. 🤣
No, by all means. Its interesting! (Certainly more in depth that expected, but not unwelcome.)
I can't say I've ever played any games that were hybrids but it certainly would be something new. I think Linear stories tend to work if you want to tell a plot with romance as an addition. Routes work best if you want to expirience a unique narrative centralising on the characters themselves. It honestly depends on what kind of story you plan to tell. :)
When you say scenario based story telling are saying that each chapter would be its own mini-story where they are sort of related, but with its own plots with respective beginnings and ends or simply a whole narrative told through mini-missions? Or perhaps something else entirely?
Apologies if it seems a bit forward- I'm simply intrigued by the idea. uwu
((PS: It is a shame that your favorite way of making the game has become somewhat of a hinderance to your health.))
I think 'hybrids' exist - they're usually just framed as 'games with a long common route' rather than a hybrid. I just view them as hybrids of the two styles personally. I think some JVN style otomes are set up like this too!
When I say 'scenario' based, I just mean that the LIs don't get their own separate route but a collection of individual scenarios unique to that LI, which are embedded into a single shared storyline.
In Chapter One of WSC (which is the chapter that I released), there is one LI-specific scenario, which is when the LI walks the MC to their room and you get a unique conversation with them (Asher talks about hearing the cube sing, Raif talks about how he dislikes when people aren't up front with him about things, etc.)
It's a pretty short scenario - about 2000 words per LI (give or take a few hundred words.) They're all also pretty similar in terms of what happens as well - the LI walks Wil to their room and there is a conversation. They say "There's your bed!" and then they leave.
In later chapters, the LI-specific (IE the 1x1 scenes) are more frequent or are longer. So you may get 2 or 3 scenarios per LI in a chapter. Or else you get one really long - like a 6000 word - scenario. And there's a little more variation in terms of what actually happens in those scenarios. Until eventually the routes completely diverge from each other and the final chapters all flow differently and have no overlap in the scenes.
There's a lot less freedom with this game structure and it's honestly way harder than the way I normally construct my games. That's why this will be the only game I write in this way. LoL!
(*￣3￣)╭
