Due to delays in meeting assignment deadlines, I prioritized attending office hours in order to work on the game with the teaching assistant available for immediate support, and to more easily conduct playtesting with peers.
During that week’s office hours, I playtested my game. I had made multiple digital versions of the game: I had one version incorporating the timer mechanic, one with relationship variable tracking, one build combining both features, one version stripped of these mechanics entirely, and one complete rewrite. And all the mechanics were poorly implemented regardless, mostly only working within one or two passages. I recognized that I had overwhelmed myself with options and was rapidly depleting the time available for completion. I was dedicating disproportionate time to parsing technical documentation rather than focusing on narrative development. I firmly believe that good narratives can make or break an interactive fiction game, so I needed to refocus on making my narrative the best version it could be.
I recognized the necessity of leveraging my existing strengths. While I genuinely wanted to expand my skills, I ultimately needed to work within my current limitations and concentrate on executing well what I could accomplish. I spoke with the TA, sought advice from several classmates, and decided to proceed with the prototype rewrite where my narrative was the strongest. Though I am dissatisfied with abandoning the versions with more complicated mechanics, I believe this pivot represented the most prudent choice given my circumstances and constraints.
