Of Forms and Fates...

With Chapter 1: Arrival nearing completion, I thought it time to discuss some of the various 'transformations' (mental and/or physical) that will drive all later chapters - specifically, how they can lengthen/shorten the overall game-play in Outpost. The 'base' form in which the player/reader begins is male, and it is (at least theoretically) possible to end the game in the same form... and said path to that form is both the longest and most difficult 'single storyline'. (In truth, however, it is highly unlikely that the player will manage that route in a single play-through; more likely, it will require considerable 'save scumming' around so-called 'bad ends'...)


However, it is not an 'either/or' proposition; there are going to be MANY 'variable' game-play paths (storylines) that will let the player/reader continue all the way through - although, of course, different forms will lead to different endings. Any of these 'full length' story-lines should take a few hours to play through; adding in encountering, then 'save scumming' around 'bad ends' will increase the game-play of any given path.


If you are like myself in this particular instance, you'll try to see ALL story-lines and possible 'bad ends'... an endeavor that should take days for you to accomplish...


...and will take considerably longer for me to finish writing, illustrating and programming.


Which brings me to the inevitable question: when to do releases. At the moment, I'm thinking of releasing an updated version at the end of every chapter... but I fear this might 'lessen' the impact of being able to play-through the game as a whole: it is, after all, being designed as  a coherent story, when all is said and done.


Maybe some form of 'limited release' for play-testing purposes...?


I'll need to think about it some more...