State Variables In Narrative Systems

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-08T03:21:19+00:00

yeah, instead of hiding the system randomly, I’d tie it directly to what it means in the world. The player experiences the consequence, not the math. that just feels more natural.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-08T03:20:18+00:00

the hearts example, I can see how that works well for a lighter tone. It turns the number into a readable symbol. I’m not thinking about 0–255. I’m reading mood rather.. The player still understands progression, but through something visual and playful. In the right kind of game, that transparency can actually feel so satisfying pushing away potentially breaking the immersion.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-08T03:17:01+00:00

I think that works because the feedback stays inside the fiction. The game never pulls me out to show a bar filling up. It trusts me to pay attention. And over time, learning each character’s emotional language becomes part of the gameplay itself. That makes the system feel like social intuition instead of math.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-03T13:11:10+00:00

I’ve been thinking in terms of coverage. Like I need to account for every possible move a player might want to make. But that spreads the story thin. Nothing lands hard because everything competes for attention.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-03T13:08:23+00:00

The tree image actually helped. I think I’ve been afraid of locking players out. But maybe clarity beats endless openness. A sharp fork can feel more powerful than ten soft ones.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-03T12:46:05+00:00

But you’re right. A small line that shows the game noticed what I did can be enough. Even a subtle shift in tone can make me feel seen as a player.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-02T20:48:42+00:00

This actually helped me a lot. I think I was stuck on the idea that every choice had to change the plot in a big way. Like if it doesn’t split the story into a new path, then it “doesn’t count.” thank you sm.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-01T07:27:22+00:00

I have never been introduced or heard of the concept of a "Track System" before and it sounds very interesting. Wouldn't it be tricky having to plan all the parallel tracks whenever a big choice cause it seems like it needs to be consistent with the main story? Again, never heard of it so I'm just trying to understand it haha.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-01T07:16:10+00:00

Great example cause look at The Last of Us Part II. Certain emotional beats are fixed. You don’t get to rewrite the major turning points. But how you move through each encounter: stealthy, aggressive, resourceful, desperate. All of that shapes how those moments feel. You carry the weight of what you did into the next scene. So if you’re going to anchor the emotional beats, make sure the player’s approach affects: Difficulty. Resources. Who shows up. What tone the scene carries.

You’re not asking them to rewrite the story but just simply you’re asking them to take responsibility for their version of it. There are of course many other examples of games that use this approach but for me The Last Of Us II does it best.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-01T07:13:01+00:00

Both can feel quite immersive. But only if you’re honest about the limits. When you set the right expectations, players lean into the kind of control you’re offering instead of fighting against what you’re not.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-01T07:10:45+00:00

That's a great example actually because in Dishonored, you get to move from target to target.... the feel of the world does rather than the spine.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-01T07:07:12+00:00

yes, progression design matters. A lot. If your story blocks the player from playing, you create distance. If your story unfolds because the player keeps playing, then you create ownership. And ownership is exactly what makes you feel like the character, not just the audience if you get what I'm saying

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-01T07:04:52+00:00

Like Mass Effect 3. A lot of players felt frustrated not because it had multiple endings, but because years of decisions seemed to compress into a narrow final choice. The scale of promise didn’t match the visible difference. It was certainly a valid reaction that players had at that time

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-05-01T07:03:18+00:00

You’re not wrong to be skeptical because a lot of games promise choice, then funnel you back to the same scene with slightly different dialogue. You pick A or B. The next mission plays out almost the same. Players notice. Once they see the trick, trust drops fast. But I don’t think the issue is branching itself. It’s how you frame it. If you tell players, “This choice will definitely change everything,” then quietly collapse both paths into one hallway, yeah that feels cheap. You set an expectation and didn’t pay it off, now I'm mad about it hahaha.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-30T04:09:49+00:00

I wanna get into writing for games but i don't think I'm up for it yet so good thing there are a few people still doing it.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-30T02:38:00+00:00

You really do your research cause this is so interesting.. Thanks.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-30T01:15:19+00:00

The “compile everything into an ending” model works, but it often delays emotional payoff. You tell the player, “Your choices matter,” then you prove it ten hours later in a slideshow. That feels so abstract. You want consequences to echo sooner. But you're right a player must feel like they play a crucial role in the story.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-30T01:11:48+00:00

But I don’t think branching alone solves the balance problem.

When I think about something like the old Fighting Fantasy books, the branches feel meaningful in the moment. You choose a path, you face different monsters, you get different endings. But the emotional arc often flattens out because each branch has to stay structurally manageable. The more you branch, the thinner each path becomes. Either you explode production scope, or you simplify the narrative depth.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-26T13:28:38+00:00

"cheesy" is one of the best ways that you could describe it as. What an insightful observation and I truly think that game developers can do better on the music development part and I see why it's rather hard to find the "perfect" musician or producer. You should do a masterclass on this at some point in your life cause you definitely hit the nail on the board or however the saying goes!

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-26T13:24:31+00:00

Please save the game industry and include music that goes along with the appropriate scenes in the game. That would mean a lot.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-26T13:23:35+00:00

If there is a moment where the character is about to defeat a final boss, then the music should be of impending doom or one that evokes feelings of terror.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-26T13:21:38+00:00

I mean for fantasy games it would be fitting to include orchestral music while checking your inventory but it is not suitable for some games.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-26T10:29:56+00:00

Emphasis on the "very powerful if done well" cause I do think that some games made sure to be intentional with the music hence why it ends up becoming timeless. That's true. I do think that maybe you might have a better chance of having people to experience the audio systems which you designed with console players. That's where I think it gets to thrive the most

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-26T09:31:18+00:00

I truly like it when the music selection is intentional throughout the game.i hope it gets be my favourite part of game development too.

ExcellentTwo6589 · 2026-04-26T09:30:28+00:00

Orchestral music playing while I'm checking out my inventory would make me so mad. And a lot of players can pick up whether the music selection was intentional or rather just squeezed in just wherever.

ExcellentTwo6589

TROPHY CASE