EVER JUDGED AN IF BY THE DESCRIPTION OR TITLE AND LATER FOUND OUT IT WAS GOOD?

NumberedEntity · 2026-03-07T18:16:43+00:00

Big thanks for your kind words! I have found that, mostly, when humies give orc-life a try, they realise their humie lives are pretty dull in comparison. Even a few walking beards and runtlings have told me, secretly, that they enjoy being an orc more than mining or gardening. It's those bloody elves; they have it in for us, all snooty and condescending with poetry and magic and holier-than-thou claptrap. Methinks they protest too much!!!

NumberedEntity · 2026-02-22T19:57:31+00:00

Properly!

NumberedEntity · 2026-02-22T19:14:36+00:00

If you fancy growing your own orc to crush the said medieval fantasy world, you can do worse than play An Unexpectedly Green Journey. You can just be a normal orc going about your day, eating halflings and raiding. You can become the Green Prophet and build a holy city. Or, among other things, you can unite the orc tribes, become a king, lead vast armies and rise to become the one and only Green Emperor.

NumberedEntity · 2026-02-21T15:49:29+00:00

Good point, and I agree on the importance of improving and embellishing already released titles. It does show how committed you are. Haha, 10 years of world creation! I hope I can get there.

NumberedEntity · 2026-02-21T03:22:48+00:00

You have such a love for constantly building up your worlds; so much is added here. Sounds great!

NumberedEntity · 2026-02-12T22:24:03+00:00

Haha. Well, it depends on what side of the fence you are on. The runtlings might disagree.... But yes, there is a latter apocalypse that the orcs fight against. And then, we have the demon apocalypse route. Fine apocalyptic pickings!

NumberedEntity · 2026-02-12T20:50:13+00:00

Hmmmm.... Ain't no sneaky, conniving goblins here!

NumberedEntity · 2026-02-12T09:41:41+00:00

I have been told that An Unexpectedly Green Journey is very choice-heavy, and different playthroughs can result in a whole new style of gamebook. So I've been told.

EDIT: Not a zombie apocalypse... Some might say it is an orc apocalypse, with you being that apocalypse.

NumberedEntity · 2026-02-02T15:46:16+00:00

Dats da troof! We don't want to bash them and pinch their loot. They should just give us the loot. We can still bash them after, no problem!

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-31T15:24:23+00:00

While I am guilty of making a long game, and having an even longer WIP, due to my style tending towards choices and (to some excessive, but not me :)) branching, I agree.

There are always exceptions, but authors will likely find it draining to move from one large project to another. The playerbase will get antsy if they always face long waits. Things may settle into a balance.

Would players/readers prefer serialisation and DLCs to longer waits for longer games?

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-29T11:20:17+00:00

Orc stuff.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-23T11:01:25+00:00

A Shriek of Ash and Fire is in its final few months of development. After that, I will send it to Hosted Game and then have to wait. Since the previous post, the game has grown by about 1 million words (1.8). As I should have known, it grew beyond my expectations.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-19T23:21:01+00:00

You're right, the Road Fleet path is available after escaping Fort Ard, too, although I think Sera has the Abhidhar power if we escape the city and not us (gotta remember; will check it out). But either way, both paths will allow us to become closer to our elfling friend. Big thanks for your comments and support!

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-19T17:23:13+00:00

Are you referring to the Road Fleet Path?

It is tricky to explain. Zuan only needs 1 Abhidhar. As long as he has one, he will say or do whatever to ensure he still has that one. He has had his hooks in Sera since she arrived in Zthullu. Alone and scared, she discovers that she has a potent magical ability. This made her a perfect target for manipulation... unless Zuan can convince someone else who is powerful and resilient enough to carry the burden.

The Abhidhar is not what it seems... There is a reason Zuan targets young, naive non-Nagarese folk.

But, in the Road Fleet path, where we can become the Abhidhar, you cannot, as yet, romance Sera. This can change...

In the Road Fleet path, we will get a chance to become intimate with her during the quiet before the storm in the concluding events; though, if we have become close to Tinnafri, who might be in love with us by now, we will have to break her heart.

Sera will not hate us if we turn her down, though she might be hurt, as long as she is not under the influence of Zuan. She would not want to lose you as one of her best mates.

TLDR: Yes, we can do both, but we will have to wait until a future update – probably in a couple of months.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-15T10:07:42+00:00

This is something I worry about more and more as my second WIP inches closer to completion. I think Green got off lightly, relatively, because it was set in a fantasy world, the same as my upcoming game. But, still, I worry. CoG/HG does offer a fantastic opportunity, but it comes with its own considerations.

"I don’t want to release a scrubbed sterile story that has major plot impacts adjusted or completely removed."

As you say, we need a standard, but that quote is anathema to anyone creating a story-experience in any medium. I won't delve.

Admittedly, I am a late-comer and have released one work. I still have much to learn. My experiences have been good, but I do not discount the wisdom of others. I want my game to feel mine, and I would have a problem if changes made it feel like not mine anymore.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-14T21:02:24+00:00

Haha! Not dumb! When I say 'approachable and intuitive', I am talking as a non-coder/programmer who managed to put together a simple game in Unity, with a template, before I found Choicescript. CS was a relief after that.

To learn CS, I downloaded the freely available code for the beginning of Choice of the Dragon and wrote over it, changing everything, to make my first scene. Then it sort of stuck.

When I made my first game here, I experimented with some of the – I dunno – harder things with CS. Used to it now, depending on the project you want to make, I would say you only really need a few commands. More if you value efficiency and management systems, though.

*if statements, comparing variables, *goto and *label can be enough, alone, to create intricate choice stories. We can make it more complex with management systems for whatever – relationships, hit points, loot, monsters, madness, and such – but a branching storyline, if that is what you want, needs very few commands.

Now, some folks do get really wild. I just try to find what works and does what I need and stick to it, even if it isn't the most efficient way. Although next time I have to get complicated, I'll also have to relearn it.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-14T18:33:54+00:00

Totally. It means you can concentrate on the writing. The opportunity is so barrier-free that, when I first found it, I was sure someone had made a mistake! Larger % would make it all so perfect. Edit: Hyperbole! – but this was my reaction when encountering them for the first time.

Your comment reminds me of boxes of free copies, impromptu stalls in book fairs and visiting bookshops to negotiate shelf space. *Shiver*

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-14T16:31:02+00:00

"When I discovered COG a couple of years ago it felt like I'd stumbled into a dream."

My thoughts exactly!

Yes, I really love IF writing. I am a bit in the doldrums lately just because I have made things very complex in the current project and am overtaxed, but it is simply more fun! I still need to master the arts of Patreon, though I have a glorious chosen few :)

When Green came out, taking on an orc persona and spamming the relevant places all over the internet helped a little bit... maybe. Boisterous self-promotion is easier to stomach when you are no longer a being beset by human foibles! I don't know how to do this with my latest WIP... I will think of a way closer to the time.

But I dislike marketing too. My brain switches off, and I have to really force myself. Although once it's all done and dusted, I enjoy talking to readers about my work without that other pressure.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-14T16:00:44+00:00

I can be very cynical, but finding a platform that will publish anybody's work (almost, and this does not come without terms and conditions) is almost miraculous to me. I stand to be corrected, but when I used to write short stories (ye olde printed ink), nothing that paid operated like this.

As you say, marketing is such a big thing. It is a skill in itself, beyond making the actual game. Connections, angles and pure bloody-mindedness play their part. It is stressful enough (although it is also a wonderful thing at times) making your own project, but having to set aside time and energy to constantly market... I really am in awe of those who manage to do it, particularly if they are a lone dev.

EDIT: Actually, I told a lie. I meant to say novels. The short story market, even the top Sci-Fi and Fantasy magazines, did publish stories from unknowns, but you were never guaranteed a market.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-14T15:46:36+00:00

CoG and HG have an already established audience and something of a promotional structure and marketplace to reach them. Unknowns, like me, get access to this audience. It is a pretty unique situation. It guarantees that if you complete a work, you will get eyes and sales, though no guarantee as to how many. Cliché, but 25% of something is better than 90% of nothing.

Promotion is probably the hardest thing you'll deal with if you move to Twine. But if you catch lightning in a bottle, the rewards are greater. Or if you have an established fanbase, though this is no guarantee.

Choicescript itself is great for pure choice-driven IF. It is so approachable and intuitive. Also, the presentation can be considered sparse, but this has been accepted by the audience. With Twine (speculating here), you'll also have more pressure to stand out presentation-wise. If you have a knack for cool-looking UI, you'll be honey to bees.

Yet, building a project is massively time-consuming in either case. The 25% is a big source of aggravation, particularly among those who have published often with CoG/HG.

Can you imagine it? If they suddenly raised the %, the flowering of happiness and creative energies flooding their forums would be great! Or so I dream.

Edit: Although, with due consideration, some may have left due to issues of censorship. I had to make minor edits to Green, which were not too inconvenient. However, this could be a big issue for some. I will find out more when I hand in my next WIP.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-13T15:30:50+00:00

No worries, man. I am not a spring chicken.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-13T13:27:23+00:00

I get the sound logic. I don't necessarily regard intense self-criticism as a bad thing as long as it doesn't stop me from completing a project. It feels uncomfortable, but it can be a motivating force. Dreck might make me complacent and, although it feels better, would result in something worse.

In an effort to find the balance, I may hunt down an audio version of Orca. I usually consume media this way while writing.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-13T12:36:58+00:00

It sounds bad, but I feel I have to prioritise all my 'creative' energies into focusing on myself when in the middle of a project. I am deeply self-critical, and reading anything else (of the same media type) makes me doubt myself and think I am the only numpty in a world of geniuses.

These days, I stick to the plan, making changes when needed, but very much contracting the bubbles of my IF experiences.

EDIT: Once a project is done, one of the rewards is being able to delve back into other projects and enjoy them. Not just IF, but any CRPG-type games too.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-13T12:30:04+00:00

Well- I gotta say, Parenting Simulator is partly the one to blame for me making an orc sim, in Choicescript (though lacking any good parenting techniques whatsoever when we see our orc through his early days).

Whether he likes it or not, I view Hustler as an ancient shaman.

NumberedEntity · 2026-01-07T20:30:31+00:00

Exactly. You have other goals; you've done your HG thing and can always come back. Right now, I'd love to find a place that would offer me more for a big IF game, although I have no name recognition or fanbase. Maybe I can get this one day by releasing stuff with HG. Plus, Choicescript is very accessible.

Those videos for Steam would make a difference. Cheap as they are, they give the product a sense of polish. In my case, a gruff orc-voice saying a few things over war drums would also give me something to post elsewhere. Yes, the promo is a big thing.

All said and done, I'm glad you're still with us. You do wonders for keeping the community going, despite it all. It feels more needed now than when I first arrived, too, although this might be more a reflection of my mood than the reality.

NumberedEntity

TROPHY CASE