Patron Input - Bad Decisions - a Good Idea? (Patreon)
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To all of the new Patrons, since my last post, very welcome! <3
From time to time, we have polls where you get to shape the game's direction as we advance. I'm happy to announce that this is one of those times.
Before we start, I'd like to apologize in advance for the ramblings you are about to read.
From the beginning, Infinite Stars never had "bad end" or "dead-end" choices. After some campfire discussions, I decided to ask the opinions of those who matter the most - all of you.
By not adding dead-end choices to the game, players experience an ongoing "career" - the choices they make become their personal canon, and it disincentives them to reload previous decisions. This is how it has been until now. Choices have a flavor effect on the story (e.g., who adopts Cleo, who is injured during the "incident," etc.) that adds distinct differences to each story without having to split off entirely. I'm worried that once players realize this, the tension in the story falls flat since no matter what they choose, the story will always continue.
Adding dead-end or wrong choices ups the stakes for players by increasing the tension of the decisions. I'm not entirely sure how I would implement these yet, but it won't be as cheap as choosing between going left or right, where the wrong choice leads to a game-over screen. Although there should be some ambiguity with players not knowing what the wrong choice is (or else it defeats the purpose of adding tension,) they would likely manifest in the form of two impossible decisions, like going left into the radioactive chamber, or going right into the pool of acid.
I am worried that it won't have the desired effect of adding tension, as players will (and should) reload at a game-over screen. The first time it happens might have the desired emotional effect, but it will change into just another reflex reload with time. I can somewhat combat this by adding a "sunken cost," where a choice you make now might only have dire consequences and a game-over screen in the future. (ranging from a few paragraphs to a few episodes down the line.) - the concern with this method is that players might hit a game-over screen and realize they have to reload a much earlier, possibly overwritten save, to avoid the ending. At best, this would lead to rereading/skipping a bunch of content until they reach the fork where they don't get a game-over screen. At worst, this will lead to a rage-quit.
Taking the above concerns into account, what are your thoughts? I wanted to make this a poll, but I feel a discussion might be better suited due to the importance of the subject matter. Give your opinion below (or on Discord) - there are no wrong answers (yet?)