Interactive Stories?

[Obsidian]

How do you guys feel about interactive stories (regardless of genre)?

Like 'em?

Hate 'em?

Would you be in favor of their implementation here? For example, every sub-forum (TF, Growth, AR/AP, ect) having it's own section dedicated to such stories?

And for any programmers among us, how difficult/expensive would it be to create a CYOC-style apparatus in each of the aforementioned sub-forums?

Bear in mind, I'm not advocating for or against interactive stories here. I'm just interested in everyone's opinion on them and whether they'd like to see them here.

Personally, I'm a fan of them. As community endeavors, I feel like they create truly unique works, where a variety of literary styles and points of view are put on display. For example, who *wouldn't* enjoy reading a collaborative story that boasts chaining-TF scenes written by the likes of Cursebearer, Lycandope, and TF-Viewer?

I also feel as though interactive stories encourage aspiring writers to come out of their shell. Interactive stories are easier to get into, and only require a paragraph or two to contribute to in a meaningful way. For budding writers, they're an excellent medium to hone one's skill without diving headlong into a short story right off the bat. I myself wrote some of my very first TF scenes on CYOC way back in 2007.

On the flip side, though, interactive stories can just as easily bring out the worst in a community. We've all seen our fair share of trolls, I'm sure...

So, what are your thoughts on bringing this type of story format to the Forums?

[Soccermom]

I'd be very interested. I've posted in the past about wanting try my hand at writing, but it is a fairly hefty endeavor to undertake. Writing chapters in a community I don't view as substandard and flighty sounds awesome actually.

[OhZone]

Ohyeah! We def need them!


I tried to do a poll about them a while ago!

Please do it now!

http://process-productions.com/forum...ad.php?t=36556

[LycanDope]

... necro ... but I somehow missed this and it even has my name in it. How flattering I am a programming (web and desktop) and I guess the idea has kinda crossed my mind. Are you talking about like a Choose Your Own Adventure kinda thing or...?

[Obsidian]

Originally Posted by LycanDope

Are you talking about like a Choose Your Own Adventure kinda thing or...?

Yes, although I doubt this will happen. I think the motivation and technical know-how is lacking, unfortunately.

Not a big deal. Just thought it would be interesting to see what the authors of this community (you, TF-Viewer, myself, Qzar, ect ect) could come up with when working together.

[queenofprussia2006]

Got a more important project

[Prof_Sai]

Interactive stories are fun! They already exist here to some extent, as RPs. Tools such as CYOC aren't the only way to do it - things like dice or a wiki page can support interesting events.

[Obsidian]

Originally Posted by Prof_Sai

Interactive stories are fun! They already exist here to some extent, as RPs. Tools such as CYOC aren't the only way to do it - things like dice or a wiki page can support interesting events.

Valid points. Funny thing you should mention RP's. I haven't had the drive to write a story in the longest time, but I recently got inducted into RP and man, we're really writing some collaborative stories that are blowing my mind haha. I'll have to clean a few up and post them eventually.

[hexen]

I freaking LOVE interactive stories but from the experience I had in most sites the stories either end up derailing into repetitive pornographic exposition (not that porn is bad, but too much of porn gets boring at one point) or option hubs that lead to hundreds of dead ends. If it was possible to organize a place where we could write interactive stories like this I would love to jump in.

Originally Posted by Obsidian

... but I recently got inducted into RP and man, we're really writing some collaborative stories that are blowing my mind haha. I'll have to clean a few up and post them eventually.

I see someone has been talking to Eyebrows of Doom ^^.

[TF-Viewer]

I also somehow missed this thread when it was first posted.

I get how it could be a neat idea, and that some people actually do like these things. I've tried doing them over at CYOC before, but nobody ever added to my entries so I gave it up. It might have had something to do with how there were no gay donkeys in my CYOC stories.....
Anyway, I dunno about the example authors you gave working together, some of them have styles that mesh well, but others not so much. I can't see myself writing something with Lycandope like I could with Cursebearer. Nothing personal, I have nothing against him, but our styles don't mix, I prefer full animal TFs, and he rarely if ever goes that route. If we wrote a collaboration I feel it would be us taking turns trying to force the characters back and forth between full animals and furry mode. I don't know that that would happen, but it's the impression I get when I imagine the two of us writing something together.

So while on the surface it sounds like a neat idea, I'm not really on board with it for a number of reasons, the above being only the first. The second and probably biggest reason is that I'm almost never in the mood to write anything while I have the time to do it. When I have time to do it, I usually find myself doing something else, so when my turn to write came up it would stall the whole thing indefinitely or I'd have to drop out so it could continue. I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone else who'd be working on it.

I think it would be neat to read, but I can't participate.

Though I should like to add that I'm glad to be mentioned at all, thanks for that.

[hexen]

TF-Viewer, think what Obsidian meant was something more akin to an interactive story than really a collab, would sort of "one person adds a small chapter and then another adds the next" so styles would clas (like they always do in this sort of thing) but would be fun to see different authors follow up on a story.

[LycanDope]

Hmm. I've started to give this some thought and I may plot out some ideas to see if I could pull off an interactive story/CYOA type thing without it devolving into pure sex or being just a rush to turn into whatever and nothing else afterwards.

However, I'm not sure it'd work to be part of a collaborative effort and I guess I don't really see the need for that in this kind of thing. Now, if TF-Viewer wanted to work on a story with me that was just a normal story, sure, that's one thing. But, I think that's iffy here. Best, I think, to have someone (or perhaps one or more if they work well together) to plot out the structure of the story and then build it. Which could work with differing styles but it'd be a large, draining, complex thing and I think the writing would probably suffer for it.

I will politely argue with TF-Viewer, though. Definitely, two legged critters are my specialty and my personal favorite but, I like to think as an author that I'm somewhat flexible in my writing and not just a one trick were-pony

So, I'll see. I'm a programming and have, in the past, considered trying my hand at a simple game that included TFs. Perhaps I could adapt some of those ideas into a CYOA style thing.