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Castle Stone
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Section 1: My Likes
* Originality and/or Creativity.
* Colorful and well displayed characters.
* Appealing art and/or writing.
* Structure
* Suspense/Drive
* A progression of knowledge: The character(s) start out knowing much more than the player, but by the time the game finishes, the player knows more than the characters do.
* Interactivity: I don’t enjoy feeling like there isn’t much I can suggest to do. This does not mean I want a free roaming quest with no real backbone, but if I’m stuck in some sort of web, I’d like multiple paths and probably several things I could try to do, or accomplish in an area. Even if the events in a place are not necessarily meant to be completed in chronological order. Many quests that I feel stagnate or need some advice suffer from a lack of content.
* Goals and Plot: As much as I enjoy extended stories, I’d love to see something arc and eventually find a resting point with as much closure as possible. This is a method of storytelling, and without an endgame, or ending at all, there’s no real reason to be putting an effort into the game.
* Puzzles: I adore puzzles, writing puzzles, trying to solve puzzles. These are one of the main things that draw players into the game as they feel an integral part of the game. If one of them does not solve the mystery, then the game is lost, or at least suffers.
* Combat: A hit or a miss. Most fights I have read are very much the artist’s discretion and end up playing out like a cut scene. I really like fighting, but it does need to work into the situation properly. I know myself and Slowpoke is using dice rolls to determine combat situations but I cannot attest to how successful that is.
Section 2: My Dislikes
* “Rapemance”: Although this seems to be a general high point for the average quest player, I’m really not that attracted to a quest revolving around the romance inside of it, or sexual exploits. I got drawn into the Questing scene at the concept of an adventure, whether a traditional dungeon crawler, or a survival horror escape. Romance can be spread thinly across the game (Ruby Quest despite the players’ efforts), or spread so incredibly thin you practically have to read into it to know (Journey).
* Idling: There seems to be a lot of this, with or without player interactivity. Spending an incredibly extended amount of time on one spot trying to respond to every single suggestion and (in some cases) tell them why their suggestion isn’t taken, or is a bad one. It is true that players like being responded to, but not many of them feel insulted as long as the game keeps carrying on. It’s either that, or the Quester allows the players to metaphorically dig a shovel against an impenetrable floor in an attempt to find a Red Herring. If you’re going to railroad, at least let us know so we don’t waste time when we could be making progress in the game.
* Lacking a huge chunk of the Things I Like: Obvious.
* Social Recluse: There are just some attitudes I just cannot stand. The attitude of the Quester can seep into the writing. When the atmosphere is extremely unpleasant to try and wade through so I can try and suggest things for the game, and I am practically slapped in the face for something: I don’t want to play. Are there too many arguments? I probably don’t want to get involved. Running away from your players/hiding? Insulting, being that people are supporting you and you’re dropping them like a hat. Lastly, that I can think of would be the handling of Constructive Criticism. Although downright trolling is uncalled for, some people actually know how to tell you what’s wrong and offer you help. People with no desire to grow bother me. But it all falls down into arrogance in the end.
Section 3: The World
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Timing: It is rather tedious, because on one hand, you want to pick a time, or host during a time not many games are being played. On the other hand however, there are few times when West and East sides of the Atlantic are simultaneously available to play and the other Questers are likely to be hosting at the time. It’s a really tight rope to walk.
Responding: A difficult process, but I try to weigh, and combine peoples’ suggestions in a way I think will impact the game either awesome, or terrible. Sometimes I am jealous of the ones who play the waiting game as they sometimes have a gigantic list of comments about the situation, but I try to be considerate and pace it quickly being that I run it in sessions (as mentioned).
Artwork and Talent: Both relative, aesthetic, and difficult to display and appease people, let alone most people. I find it’s very important too. I can get into a quest that I find visually alluring than it is to read through an eyesore, but I’ve been a shallow aesthetically magnetized woman for a long time. (Dohoho).
Section 4: Closing
No matter what you do, not everyone will be satisfied.
It’s a good plan to discuss it with a few friends, or people surrounding you to gauge some interest, and/or hear some Constructive Criticism from them so you can make something that is nice enough to form a base audience. Once you have the confidence that there is someone supporting what you have planned you can throw what you have out, and hope other people find an interest.
And ultimately, watch yourself improve. Watch yourself struggling with the schizophrenic advisor that is tgchan. If you’re lucky, or skilled, you can craft a story worth telling, and enjoyed by readers and questers alike.
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