Patron Outcome - Bad Decisions - a Good Idea? (Patreon)
Content
You can read the original discussion here: Patron Input - Bad Decisions - a Good Idea?
Thanks to each and everyone that reached out to share their thoughts here, on Discord, and via email. After reading all the feedback and engaging with some of you in conversation, I think I've come to a suitable way forward.
Some highlights were that we should avoid silly or unintentional dead ends. Or just dead ends for the sake of having dead ends. Another Patron pointed out how "Zero Time Dilemma" uses dead ends to reveal a criminal, allowing you not to trust said character in a future playthrough.
Taking all of your feedback into account, I think I've come up with a suitable solution. This solution is still up for debate, and nothing is set in stone yet, so if you have any serious objections, now is the time to voice them.
Going forward, there will be an allowance for dead ends in Infinite Stars. These will be used sparingly, and the player will know they are making a risky choice with the chance of reaching a dead end. I'll also use these opportunities to reveal information about characters that you might not otherwise be able to learn.
WARNING // :::EPISODE 1 SPOILER AHEAD::: // WARNING
An example would be if the Mah'Abeu was sent to Khatsey instead of Veera, there would be an option to save Katya by sacrificing themselves. This would allow the player to have Katya "live on" in their headcanon without creating the issue of me having to write a separate branch. Katya could then reveal something about herself or the lore of the world in a way that would make sense.
This way, the dead-end will not feel cheap. <3