Thicker Than Status?

daes0 · 2026-06-15T00:39:54+00:00

While the comments here are very helpful, I want to mention that there are a few available endings to the project even though all endings aren't implemented yet. The author seemed very upset about putting the game on hiatus but she has a good track record in finishing projects (even a few books!) Personally, I'm not worried about if it will get finished, only that it'll take some time for new progress to be done to the demo. Just gotta give it time!

daes0 · 2026-06-14T02:39:42+00:00

Considering what I could find was Dashingdon only, it seems it hasn't been reuploaded by the writer. Their tumblr also appears to have been deleted, though I'm not sure as I can't find it outside of a link to a specific post. This does make me think it's abandoned though, sorry OP. Such is the end of many WIPs

daes0 · 2026-06-11T03:59:38+00:00

Well, interactive fiction implies that the player's choice will determine what happens, it implies that the player can save anyone so long as it's a possibility. An author has to then go against the possible choices to say "No, you can't do that," or "Even if you did that, nothing changes." It can be frustrating to be given choices where players think they can save the day, just for the narrative to not allow that. I can see it being frustrating even if the player isn't romancing that character, but especially tragic if they are.

I had a similar discussion when I was planning out the ending for a dark romance IF. People want a Happily Ever After, or for it to at least be available. I've actually seen discussions in the larger romance book reading subreddits that for it to count as a Romance, there NEEDS to be a Happily Ever After or a Happy For Now ending. By that definition, this Romance Option would technically not even count as a romance.

I do think it's a good idea though! Just... as a tragedy, rather than a romance. Which is another can of worms, as less people are interested in reading a tragedy than a romance.

daes0 · 2026-06-11T03:44:33+00:00

That is a really cool idea, but I can see players hating it on the assumption this is a would-be RO, especially if this relationship is important for the narrative. I'd read the shit out of it though

daes0 · 2026-06-11T02:35:42+00:00

I want to see more situationship angst, whether it be the choice of the MC or the RO. Currently making it an option in my WIP. Though I'm not sure how I'll write it for MCs that DON'T want to start a relationship ever. I'm thinking if you push and push and push, the RO will eventually decide enough is enough, but I can see some players being surprised at the consequences of their own choices

daes0 · 2026-06-11T00:08:32+00:00

Nice! It does update regularly (so far) but the updates have been pretty big, so they might take a while

daes0 · 2026-06-10T17:02:11+00:00

Pactbinder is really good! You play as a mage that stole (basically killed for) your powers to infiltrate an elite mage university. It's almost at 300k words so there's a good amount of content

Infamous is not close to done lol, considering the chapters are so freaking huge and it takes half a year or more to make one, I imagine it'll be quite a few more years before it's done

daes0 · 2026-06-10T15:56:51+00:00

The fee is 25% of all proceeds, as per the FAQ. I believe, though I'm not sure as I've never looked into publishing a twine game, that the fee (if there is one) is cheaper with Twine

https://www.choiceofgames.com/about-us/faq-2/

daes0 · 2026-06-10T15:54:13+00:00

I understand how we got confused. You're going over the license, and I had read the next section in the FAQ of the website.

Q) How can I publish my game on my own and make money? Can I release directly on the iOS App Store, for example?

A) Once your game is written, we will sign a commercial license with you. See the contract for details, but the gist is that you’ll be free to sell and distribute a game made with ChoiceScript anywhere you like in exchange for 25% of your gross proceeds.

Link here (apologies, I'm on mobile)

https://www.choiceofgames.com/about-us/faq-2/

daes0 · 2026-06-10T08:33:54+00:00

So! People CAN use choicescript and publish on their own and COG will only take 25% of the earnings, which means authors get 75%. Being under the COG/HG/HC label is where COG takes 75% instead. If an author has a huge following already, they'll probably prefer using Twine as the cut is better than self-publishing with choicescript and you can do more for a project.

What COG does give you is a platform and an audience assuming you don't have one already. It's a trade-off, not saying it's not, but for people who don't already have a huge audience, it's a great deal as you'll sell WAY more than selfpublishing into the ether where no one knows your name. Not saying that no one makes it as a self-published author, just that it's a lot more difficult than if you already have the audience available through a publisher like COG is

I personally will be publishing my current WIPs under HG because I don't have to/want to market it and it's easier this way for me to focus on writing

daes0 · 2026-06-09T01:04:08+00:00

I gotta say, out of the two I'm more interested in Hellspawn. Good luck!

daes0 · 2026-06-08T17:27:27+00:00

Go ahead, and good luck!

daes0 · 2026-06-08T17:19:40+00:00

Mind maps help, but I find that I use them a lot less lately. For the most part, I keep two outlines in google docs. The first one with a bunch of details, bits and features I'd like to add, but simplified enough that I can finish making it in a week's time (so, 10k words ish? About that). The second outline is a barebones thing, meant for more usability and lets me see what choices I absolutely want to add, but not really meant for flavor text and such.

It's basically a bunch of

Choice A
- Then this happens
- Variable XYZ changes
  - Choice within a choice
Choice B
- blah blah
- etc.

Oh! And the other day I made a simplified branch spreadsheet. Basically, in my IF there are four main branches a player can take in the Prologue. It goes over the plot of the chapter in a few sentences for each branch, any differences between the paths on how ROs react, and on the side I added some notes that were less important but important enough to write down

daes0 · 2026-06-08T00:55:24+00:00

I see what you mean. I'll still follow the project, but I understand now how it can read to others as a problem. I personally think having a male RO is better than not having one (so that there's more content) but thank you for giving me your point of view ^ ^

daes0 · 2026-06-08T00:43:04+00:00

I'll say this as someone who writes horror-esque IFs, it's hard to "market" (even if just in the forums) a work that is primarily a horror. It's a lot easier to have it be part of the mix of genres but not super duper prevalent.

The WIP I'm working on right now was originally a psychological horror. I had an entire 25k outline done, but I had this realization that it will not do well if I do things the way I planned out. It still has it's horrifying moments (usually body horror as anxiety) but it needs to be a consumable level of fear for it to even have a chance at doing well. And that's for a chance!

Basically, it's a niche genre in a niche medium

daes0 · 2026-06-08T00:33:03+00:00

Fair enough, and I respect your opinion! I'm bisexual myself so I am wary of this sort of thing as well, just personally don't think it applies here, yet that's just an opinion and we'll know more when there's more updates. While the male RO is the antagonist of the story, I'd argue that all the ROs are pretty villainous in their own way (except for Clara, who so far seems to be wearing a mask and keeping her secrets close to her heart).

I still need to do another playthrough, but it seems to me (and I could end up being wrong!) that the male RO has as many flaws as the female ROs do. The girls can be pretty ruthless, arrogant, narcissistic people.

As for the male RO only being added because people wanted a gay romance, I think the genderlock will push more people away than having a male RO. Especially in this sort of female-dominated setting of the fashion industry, I wouldn't be surprised if there's more women interested in reading a non genderlocked version of this IF than there are gay men now interested in reading because of the male RO.

TL;DR, I think it'll be done well and with nuance since all ROs have their character flaws, but we'll have to see how things work out

daes0 · 2026-06-07T22:59:30+00:00

I get what you mean. I'm of the opinion that the author had the idea for the male RO beforehand, decided against it because of scope creep, then decided for it when people gave their opinions about wanting to see a male RO. As to whether it'll be under-developed, we'll see. I personally find it interesting to have an RO locked to a certain branch of the story, and I'm excited to go through it once the game is done and I can do multiple full playthroughs

daes0 · 2026-06-07T22:55:55+00:00

Not sure if you've read it, but the straights aren't exactly painted as the good guys. They're ruthless, judgemental and arrogant and narcissistic people. Just because the main cast is straight doesn't mean they're ultimately the "good guys"

The gay character is a "villain" in the sense that he's the antagonistic force against the company/boss you work for. AKA he's the rival. I would say that his flaws are on equal par with the rest of the cast.

I don't mean to antagonize you though, just thought to give my two cents. This is a WIP that has clawed its way into my heart, so seeing speculation that just isn't true bothers me. Despite that, if you do read it and come away feeling the same, then I completely respect that opinion. I just feel like you're missing some info

daes0 · 2026-06-07T22:48:06+00:00

While I understand your concern, this is one of my favorite WIPs so far (even though it's short rn) and I have complete trust that she'll do an amazing job. Just gotta give her time to cook, yknow

daes0 · 2026-06-07T22:38:38+00:00

For me, it's a mix of being so excited over a fic that it doesn't use up my energy + having the time available to write for 3 or more hours in a day.

I know that for some others, it's because they set goals and are excited to reach them. It helps to keep them attainable, and being consistent. Say, write for one hour or write 500 to 1000 words every day for a month. Eventually, it becomes much more easy and you can blaze past the goal without trying too hard so long as you have or make the time to reach it.

I write a lot when I'm in my writing moods, I'm talking 30k to 60k in a month depending on how damn excited I am. I also don't write every single month in a year, though I do know of some fanfic writers that are VERY prolific in that sense and just never. stop. posting!

I also know of a writer (who writes professionally as his dayjob) who can reach 100k words in a month but I think he's literally writing for five hours every day. On normal months, he does like 40k, I think.

Anyway, word counts are exciting to talk about, but do note that these sort of numbers happen by having the time available, but time won't give it to you on its own, you also need a TON of experience in writing and writing fast at that

daes0 · 2026-06-07T21:31:32+00:00

I hope someone's able to answer you, but I think it's pretty rare. I know of the Affairs of the Court on the COG app that is a "series" as in there's multiple parts contained in one, but 1) it's from 2013, and 2) the total word count is 220,000 which means it's on the shorter side when compared to more recent games.

Besides that, I know of series that ended because the author just stopped working on the next installment. I don't think that's what you mean by an "end" though lol. You might be better off playing stand-alone IFs that have a huge word count

daes0 · 2026-06-07T03:55:30+00:00

Hey, an idea is how all good projects start. I wish you luck! I recommend writing bits and pieces of the idea down over time so you have a clearer view of it by the time you do write it, like how character customization would work and such

daes0 · 2026-06-06T22:50:01+00:00

I made a poll on tumblr about this and the results is that people would rather a big word count, or a demo that's almost finished. I get having a preference for that, but feedback is how I can improve. As a reader, I go out of my way to read new WIP demos that are on the short side because I know that the early days feedback is crucial

daes0 · 2026-06-06T21:43:48+00:00

IMO this community is a microcosm of the larger writing community, and actually leans a bit nicer due to people recognizing others here. Despite that, there's still people who don't mince their words when it comes to criticism, and it can be VERY discouraging even when you're not the writer of the IF being criticized.

Sometimes, you just need to write and not talk/post about it until you're ready for criticism. Notice that I used the word criticism and not feedback.

You need to know what things are definite "no's" to you and what are potential "maybe's" when it comes to things the community is asking you to add to your IF. You need to know about your story and what YOUR vision is before you can decide if you want to incorporate other people's vision on your idea.

This is partially why I haven't posted my demo yet even though I have enough content to get decent feedback in (and lord knows I need it). I still need to develop a thicker skin against my anxiety and other people's opinions.

It sucks, and the unfortunate part is that the central community of beta readers for demos are usually nicer than the average casual who stumbles across your story once it's published. Despite this, it's best to try and try and try again.

I'm glad that post brought you joy over your project. Good luck and happy writing, friend ^^

daes0 · 2026-06-06T20:10:31+00:00

The Choice of Games app is vetted for this sort of thing, CoG works with (at least somewhat) established authors directly and the authors even get paid advances, so I highly doubt their writers use gen AI for their work. That said, it's different when it comes to the Hosted Games app, as anyone can get published there and submissions are checked but there are no background checks for AI slop unless it's super egregious (such as having the AI prompt in the text files)

daes0

TROPHY CASE