My Interactive Fiction is set in a nuclear apocalypse world. Before starting this project, I had experience designing interactive videos, which gave me a general understanding of the complexity involved, as well as the importance of maintaining coherence, logical flow, and well-designed choices. Initially, I thought my previous experience would make the design process easier. However, as I began designing this game, I realized that while there are similarities between interactive videos and interactive fiction, IF demands a higher level of complexity and detail. For example, since IF relies only on text, it can be challenging to control paragraph length. On the other side, unlike videos, where choices are presented visually, designing IF requires careful timing of when each option appears to keep the narrative engaging and coherent.
In my game, obstacles, tools, controls, and rules are incorporated together to create a nervous, realistic, and immersive gaming experience. I set various obstacles to drive the story forward and add challenging elements. Obstacles include radioactive zones, limited resources, countdown crises, harsh environments, and character physical health conditions. These obstacles force players to make choices in difficult situations. In this game, tools represent the characters’ knowledge and skills. Controls are how players interact with the story. By clicking to choose different paths and decide on actions, players drive the story’s direction. Rules set boundaries on players’ actions and influence survival chances, like limiting time in radioactive areas or requiring players to find a safe zone before the countdown ends to avoid deadly radiation. Obstacles push players to seek tools to overcome challenges, while controls allow them the flexibility to adapt to different situations, giving them a sense of freedom and agency. Rules limit the conditions for using tools and controls, adding depth to the strategy.
The most interesting part of designing this game was creating the choices and endings. My story is quite dark. Progressing often requires the sacrifice of other characters. Some endings seem to lead players to a safe zone, but there’s an unexpected twist that follows. Seeing playtesters’ surprised reactions to these unexpected options and endings was very satisfying because my goal was to create a surprising ending. Many playtesters also loved the “twist” ending, finding it very creative. Although writing a longer story can be dizzying, and sometimes I even forget to tie back to early clues, seeing the playtesters’ enjoyment makes me happy as a designer.
I really enjoy interactive games like IF, where players can shape the direction of the story themselves. IF has a unique magic of drawing players back to explore different choices and endings each time they finish a run. In fact, most of my playtesters wanted to test it a second or even a third time after their first playthrough.
Designing this game taught me how to enhance the gameplay experience and focus on what players enjoy. Watching the choices players gravitate toward and their responses to different story paths helped me understand how to create engaging, replayable content. Playtesting showed me the importance of balancing each choice so that every option is compelling and enticing. This experience has deepened my understanding of building a narrative that keeps players curious and eager to dive back in, exploring each twist and outcome I crafted for them.
