Devlog #3 — Branching Paths and Character Development
Hey guys!
I recently received a really interesting comment from one of you guys about where the story could go in the future. I liked some of the points they brought up, and with their permission, I wanted to share parts of the comment here and talk a little bit about how I'm currently planning some of these things.
One of their suggestions was about Rick:
"I would like to see Rick gain the expectation that he can casually use the protagonist arbitrarily, potentially after recognizing some of their intrusive thoughts."
They also mentioned the possibility of this becoming something more casual between them as the story develops, happening during normal moments like breakfast, after work, late at night, and so on.
Regarding Rick getting a little rougher, I do have plans to explore that within the main storyline. I don't know how far it'll go compared to what some of you might want, because I still want Rick's relationship with the MC to develop naturally and in a way that makes sense for them.
At the same time, that whole "I'm gonna use you" dynamic is something I've been planning as a very strong theme with the other character I've mentioned before. I really don't want all of these characters to feel like different versions of the same person. Even if some of them share similar interests or situations with the MC, I want the way they approach those things to feel different.
Rick can become more comfortable with the MC and let himself loose more without necessarily becoming the same type of character I'm planning for someone else.
About branching
Another part of the comment was about how these relationships could change depending on what happens during the story:
"Given that this is a VN, you also have the option of branching paths to develop character personalities differently."
One example they gave was Rick reacting differently after seeing how the MC behaves with another character. That could affect how he treats them, while another path could lean more toward his gentler side and the MC's resemblance to Sara.
They also mentioned something that I've been thinking about myself:
"Diverging paths are more difficult to maintain, so I suggest holding back by planning out a general story arc and keeping such paths to minor dialogue variations and optional scenes, if you choose to do so."
This is probably the biggest thing I'm trying to figure out when it comes to choices.
I definitely want dialogue variations and eventually some branching, but I feel like I need to dose it pretty carefully. If Rick or Brian says or does something different during one scene because of a previous choice, I have to remember that whenever something related to it comes up again later.
Otherwise, I could end up writing a future conversation where a character references something that didn't happen in that player's version of the story, or behaves in a way that doesn't really make sense considering the choices that were made before.
And the further the story goes, the more those little differences can pile up.
That's why, for now, I really want to establish the main storyline first and introduce most of the characters I've been planning. Once the characters and their relationships with the MC are more established, I think I'll have a lot more freedom to start branching things out.
That doesn't mean everything has to be completely linear until then. I can still experiment with smaller dialogue changes, different reactions, optional scenes, or even letting you spend more time with certain characters. And as I keep writing, if I see an opportunity where a previous choice could change something naturally, I can always go back and tweak things here and there.
I already have a pretty good idea of where I want the story to reach, but honestly, I change little things all the time while I'm writing. Sometimes a scene goes in a slightly different direction than I originally planned, or I come up with something that fits a character better. That's also why I really enjoy reading suggestions like this.
And about the doctor...
There was one last idea in the comment that I thought was interesting:
"Another idea would be for the protagonist to see the doctor again about their intrusive thoughts, only to be told that's not a known symptom. The doctor could then 'verify' the symptoms."
I don't want to say too much about this one, but I already have some plans for the doctor and some possible diversions related to him.
He's one of the characters where I think having different possibilities could be particularly interesting, but again, I want to get the main storyline and the rest of the cast properly established before I start going too far with that.
What do you think?
The comment made me curious about what everyone else thinks about this.
Would you prefer Spermatosis to have a stronger main storyline, with choices mostly changing dialogue, interactions, and optional scenes?
Or would you eventually like the story to branch out more significantly, with relationships developing differently depending on what you've done and who you've chosen to spend more time with?
Right now, I'm leaning more toward the first option during the earlier parts of the story, and then gradually opening things up once the characters and relationships are properly established.
But I'm still figuring out exactly how far I want to take it, so I'd really like to hear what you guys think.
And thanks again to the supporter who originally sent me this comment and allowed me to share it here. I really liked the input, and it gave me a lot to think about while planning where the story could go.
— RopeShooter
Comments (2)
Hey, Ropes! I like your plans for Rick's character development as described in the first part of the post . One of Rick's core characteristics seems to be taking care of others, so subverting that trait feels like a drastic change. He went out of his way to adjust his own diet for the sake of the MC's comfort and his feelings about the whole situation bothered him enough to start drinking again. I think it'd be pretty thrilling for him to gradually start acting more forward and dominant, though! It's up to you as the writer if that fits his character or means he will be "rougher." Going back to my example of his caring nature where he picked up some pineapple, I don't imagine his motivations were completely altruistic. He might enjoy the thought of making the MC crave his rod even if he's not quite willing to admit it. There's an interesting space to explore there. It's a softer exploration of power dynamics, but I want to see what Rick is like when he's come to terms with those desires. On the other hand, I do think a touch of roughness suits him. I loved it when he held the MC's head in place back in Chapter 1, for instance! It all depends on which way you want to go with it. I personally think saving the heavier rough content for a character designed around it would work better than trying to fit it all into Rick. It would leave both you and the audience more satisfied. Regarding the VN's approach to branching paths, I think sticking to a strong main storyline with small variants built into scenes is the better choice. You still get the fun and replay value of seeing how your choices affect the scenes, but you don't get the intense maintenance that comes with branching paths. I think in an ideal world we would all want our choices to have major impacts that totally change the story. The reality of that is that each path is kind of it's own separate VN going forward from the branching point. I follow a few VNs/RenPy RPGs that have gone the route of branching paths. In every case many of the paths get neglected or become dead ends. Sustaining all those routes also seems to regularly burn the creators out. One path you could consider is first working the novel to completion with a single, main route that uses choices to alter scenes within that story. Then, once the VN is a complete project, you can go back and add in branching paths. This way you would have a complete idea of what you would need to adjust to fit each branch. You'd also have a lot of player feedback collected over the course of the main story for what branches people want to see.
Hey dude! It’s always nice seeing your comments! I honestly couldn’t have described it better myself. I think I’ve found such a sweet spot with Rick, and with the story in general, where it can be this genuinely sweet thing while still being lewd af. I’m totally down to experiment with some heavier stuff, but I think your comment sums up exactly how I feel about writing Rick. A big theme I want to explore is this idea of caring about someone while also wanting to mess them up a little, and I feel like Rick falls perfectly into that category. He genuinely cares, but that doesn’t mean all of his desires have to be sweet or completely selfless. But to be fair, even if Rick does end up crossing the line and getting a little too rough sometimes, the MC is probably gonna learn to love it anyway hehe. And yeah, I definitely agree with you about the branching paths too. I’d much rather focus on making one strong main story with choices that change certain scenes and interactions than end up with a bunch of different routes that I can’t give enough attention to. Going back and expanding things once the main story is complete also sounds like a much more manageable approach!