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Post by Zipp on Jan 5, 2005 17:28:44 GMT
Alright, thanks. I'll try it out. I still have to flowchart by hand, though, unless you got a flow chart program
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Post by Sol on Jan 5, 2005 20:00:27 GMT
Zipp,
Oiseau's software does produce a nice graph that shows you all the paths you have created. I am finding it quite helpful myself. I suppose it depends on what you mean when you say "flowcharting." I have taken a brief break from my gamebook - I am rethinking a few plot points - also, now I have a bit of new information after having had a look at TMC.
Back to my other LW goal - beating the series without dying! The true LW will prevail!
Sol
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Post by Zipp on Jan 5, 2005 21:10:25 GMT
By flow charting I am refering to the second step in my process of creating a gamebook.
First off, for my first attempt, I am only doing the pre mission. As soon as this is completed and playtested, I will venture on to the series as a whole.
Anyways, what I do is start with a story. Currently I have the basic story planned out for six books. As I go along, these become more detailed drafts, with specific scenes I want to include.
Then I take book 1, and begin to break it into sections. By sections I am refering to a conglomeration of all the paths in between major scenes. Major scenes are any scenes the player has to see. For instance, in Lone Wolf Kingdoms of Terror, the old man has to die, you have to meet up with the mercenaries, you have to use the sewers to get to your goal... no matter what other paths you use to get there.
Once I have my sections, I take the first one and begin to plan it out in detail (the major paths, ways to complete it, occurences, items, etc.)
Now I move on to flow charting, which involves a big yellow notepad. This is where I mark down every path, every possible choice and where it leads, using boxes to represent the sections, with a brief detail of what occurs in that section. Then arrows lead from this box to the choices available and what occurs when these are choosen, and so on and so forth. These flow charts cover multiple pages. For the pre mission I am on page six, expecting to get at least two more pages. (Even if I use the program, I would still flow chart out the adventure first. It seems to me the program is best at keeping track of things after this step)
Finally, I will sit down and fill in the details of each section on a word processor (or the program), designate pages at the same time, and mark everything against the flow chart to keep myself organized.
Then I play test and tweak anything that needs tweaking.
It may seem like a huge process, and it is, but I am positive that once I get the hang of it, it will go fairly smoothly.
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Post by Oiseau on Jan 6, 2005 1:26:59 GMT
It looks a lot like the way I do it (when I write gamebooks, that is). I used to be able to skip the flowcharting step as you describe it, and just go with the natural flow of things in writing. For some reason, I can no longer do this. I find myself needing to create hand-made graphs on paper (you described them quite well, although my notepad is white ;D) before using either Word or Advelh.
The Oiseau
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Post by Zipp on Jan 6, 2005 3:55:52 GMT
I used to be the same way... but I think that my writing used to be simpler, and shorter as well. I had trouble writing a story longer than a few pages. They were great stories, but I always felt that to have more merit they should be longer. I feel differently now, but it's a moot point since my writing seems to have no ending these days.
No matter though, I'm very happy with where my writing is at now.
In any case, flow charting is something that does no harm and an extreme amount of good. I did it for this book so I wouldn't lose my sanity.
Even our beloved Dever does it.
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Post by North Star on Jan 6, 2005 9:00:27 GMT
Well, I don't have a problem writing a book, except the ubiquitous writer's block. In fact, I have trouble with almost all deadlines Though, when I'm writing, I just gush out like a waterfall and see where it leads me - I constantly surprise myself! NS.
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Post by Zipp on Jan 7, 2005 19:33:12 GMT
Progress Update: About 40% complete with pre-mission and finalized rules.
The pre-mission consists of three main parts: Breaking into a room Breaking into a second room Escaping
And it's far more interesting than all that, but I don't want to give anything away yet. Soon. But not yet.
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Post by Zipp on Jan 16, 2005 8:07:01 GMT
Okay, I said I'd post some stuff about the gamebook, but to be honest, I haven't really gotten to the writing stage yet. However, here's some stuff from the pre-story (which takes place about 10 years before the gamebooks).
Part I: Representatives
“Don’t worry, we’re gonna help you find your daddy.”<br>The two gentlemen smiled down at her. The one who was talking was bent down on one knee so that they were almost eye level. His smile was warm. “Do you know where he is?” she asked. The man shook his head. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t know soon,” he said. “And you know what? He’ll be so glad to see you he’ll probably...” he dropped the smile and looked at his partner as if trying to find the words somewhere on his face. His glance was returned with a bored shrug. “...buy you a present,” he concluded, smiling again. “Do you like presents?”<br>She nodded. And then she smiled. She knew something they didn’t know. “Daddy already has a present for me.”<br>The men looked at each other. The bored one raised his eyebrows. The one who was talking before looked at her again. “Does he?” he asked her. She nodded again, smiling with all her teeth showing. “Do you know what it is?”<br>“Hee hee.” She nodded. There was silence. The less talkative man spoke up. “What is it?” he asked, his voice a little funny, a little forced, as if he was finding this whole thing a bit... what was it mommy called it?... teddyus? She kept on smiling. “I can’t tell you,” she said. “It’s a seee-cret.”<br> The talkative one stood up and looked at his partner, still smiling. She studied their faces, as mommy had taught her to do. You could learn a lot from faces, mommy told her. The talkative one had long hair, and a very short beard that connected to his sideburns and ran across his cheeks. He had no mustache. He wore glasses, behind which were gentle brown eyes. His smile was nice, too. Full lips, fuller than mommy’s even. And his beard reminded her a bit of daddy’s beard, though this man was younger. She noticed a bit of a dent on his forehead. That interested her. She wondered what had happened to him. She looked at his body. He looked like he might run around a lot, she could see the strength in his legs and body, but there was also a softness to him that spoke of good living. Overal, he seemed like a nice man.
His partner was taller, and had a thinner face. His hair was curly and short cropped. He looked like he was from Nitaly (she knew what a Nitalian was because her uncle was from Nitaly), he hads the pale skin and sallow, yet boyish features of those people. He dressed impecably, down to a pair of mirrored sunglasses that concealed every movement of his mind. He didn’t smile annd his arms were kept crossed. His body was more wiry than his partner’s, but she could sense an equal strength in him. And he seemed very sure of himself. She didn’t think he liked her very much, but that was okay. He was just here to help her find her daddy. That was both their jobs. She knew this, even though they were strangers. She wasn’t afraid of them, either. She might’ve been at another time, an earlier time, but she had gotten stronger. She had gotten stronger because of Daddy’s presents. And he would bring her the last one, the biggest one soon. She knew what it was because she had heard him talking about it. She pretended not to know, though. In fact, she didn’t really understand what it was supposed to be. She’d only heard the name. So she would still be surprised. That’s why she was still so excited.
Daddy was bringing her a soul.
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Post by Oiseau on Jan 17, 2005 0:48:49 GMT
Ooo ... Creepy. ;D
Well, that's an interesting start. Since the gamebooks take place 10 years later, we have to wonder exactly what that soul decided to do with itself in the meantime.
The Oiseau
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Post by Zipp on Jan 17, 2005 19:00:09 GMT
Obviously this isn't the whole prequel, I'll post it on Sol's site when done with it.
You're right, though. You will have to wonder ;D When the pre mission is done, that will be posted as well, and the two together should clear up that question.
Other questions will have to wait until the books are further completed, though. Many of the characters in the prequel will appear in the series, including even what appear to be bit players, like the two gentlemen in this first scene.
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Post by Sol on Jan 17, 2005 21:49:09 GMT
Well-written! Very VERY interesting! It will be VERY cool to see more as the work progresses - it has everything needed here: a strong direction (her father and maybe her mother are missing), a hook (a little girl who obviously knows more than she should for her age about... espionage?) a setting (maybe a future world, hinted at by the place called Nitaly. Ah, makes you want to know more about this world) - and a cliffhanger ending... (a SOUL? Wow, is she a robot, is she a demon? Or is this some kind of code-word? Who is she? Who is her father? Etc)
Fantastic!!
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Post by Zipp on Jan 18, 2005 3:37:46 GMT
Sol and Ossie (mind if I call you that?), glad that you like it. Since you seem interested, I'll drop another hint. The girl in this story is the main character of the gamebooks (which remember take place ten years after this).
I'll post each new section as it's written, but the finalized version will wait for the site. Which reminds me, Sol, are you on a Mac or a PC?
Also, I reposted rules regarding everything but combat, as they've undergone slight changes and major rewording. I think it's much easier on the brain now.
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Post by North Star on Jan 20, 2005 11:35:45 GMT
Maybe it was be lame to point out that Ossie only works on a visual scale. I think it's pronounced "Wahsoh" in French, so I guess you could call him Wozzie! NS.
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Post by Zipp on Jan 20, 2005 18:28:54 GMT
No it's not lame to point that out. Actually, I know a good bit of French (reading, not writing and speaking anymore), but I have to admit this was one point when I couldn't figure it out. I guess I am out of practice.
But in the end, it's up to Oiseau what he wants to be called. The Big O, maybe? The Lone Oiseau? The Lone Frenchman? The One Amred Bandit?
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Post by Oiseau on Jan 20, 2005 19:36:05 GMT
OK, this thread just took a turn for the weird.
I didn't even realize "Ossie" was supposed to refer to me until I read the following posts and started laughing.
Oh well, if you want to make up strange nicknames for me, who am I to stop you? I guess Oiseau's already strange to begin with. ;D
The Oiseau
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