Sketch

:cough:

Been working on and off, but I think I finally have a framework we can work with.

As I have it, we're going to be four sections to the game: Introduction, Story 1, Story 2, and Ending.

The INTRODUCTION will be the only section that does not change from game to game. It will set up the setting and the story, and introduce the player to the five interests. There will be no choices made during this period, and I think we should give the option to skip the whole thing if at all possible.

STORY 1: This will be where you determine which of the five interests you will be going for. Starting on Day 1, each interest will have three numerical values: Affinity and two personality values, each unique to the interest. Every day, you go into any automatic events and then are allowed to pick two of four locations which to visit. When you pick a location you will be given a dialogue scene either with or without a choice. If the scene is without a choice, you get a small bonus to Affinity and possibly one or both of the personality values. If the scene is with a choice, the right choice will give you more affinity and personality values, but a wrong guess can give you zero or even lower any of the values.

On certain days, the game makes a check for affinity and sends you to an automatic event where you must make a major choice in an argument or competition between two of the interests. This serves to do two things: Mark which interest is currently highest in the running, and give you a choice to either accept or reject that interest.

Around day 30, the game makes another affinity check and sends you to the highest affinity's confession. The next day, the announcement that the Western Claimant is dead opens up Story 2.

STORY 2: Affinity is no longer awarded. I'm not sure how variable this section should be. I'm wondering if I should write multiple versions of certain scenes to clue you in as to how high or low certain personality values are. As it is, you'll have about 10-15 more dialogues with the interest which will help build or detract from the personality values. On day 40-45, the game checks the two personality values and sends you to one of the four endings.

ENDING: There are four endings for each interest: A good ending for succeeding both checks, two mid endings for failing one check, and a bad ending for failing both checks. The ending details what happens after the two fiefs decide how they wish to attempt to deal with the oncoming Westerners. After that, the narrative will fast-forward several centuries to a 'modern' character who is visiting historic sites on Nanzo and commenting on what happened during the story.

I'd like to make two tweaks to the setting in order to set up the situation better - the Joukajin have been on Nanzo for a longer period of time (I'll say three more centuries) and the Nanzo/Eren have become less aggressive over time rather than more aggressive.

Buichi's story is two-thirds sketched out. I need to finish the other three sketches and add the points where the disagreements are going to be.