Yesterday, I posted my guide for making your own text-based Adventure Games. I said that if it'll get a good response, I'll write a part 2 to tell you more about making text based games. But sadly no one commented and it got only a few upvotes :(
But I'm really stubborn so here's the part 2 anyways :P Make sure you read the part one first
> This is not a book
The way that you create your text-based adventure will vary a little depending on your tool of choice, but there will be largely be many similarities. There are also many similarities to writing a conventional novel or short story, but there are a number of key differences which you will encounter during the writing process.
You will need to constantly create different versions of events and outcomes depending on the player’s actions. This itself can be a useful exercise for flexing your creative muscles and exploring the many possibilities that lie within one individual story.
You will need to link these different versions of the story together in a logical and structured way, so that whichever path the reader chooses, the narrative makes sense and is believable within itself.
It’s more likely (though not essential) that you’ll write in the second person, creating the reader themselves as the protagonist of the story, eg ‘You try to run down the narrow corridor, but something catches your shoe and you tumble to the ground.’
Once you’ve mastered the basics of creating your text adventure it’s possible to include more in-depth game mechanics such as experience points for players to earn and combat sequences, but in the first instance it’s a good idea to keep things simple.
> You pick up a list of tips
As with any work of fiction, and unencumbered by the need for graphics or audio as with other games, the limits of your setting, your characters and the things that they do and experience are restricted only by your own imagination. As the creator, you have the power to propel the reader/player into myriad fantastical worlds and thrilling scenarios. But for your interactive story to be successful in capturing their attention and imagination it will need a number of things:
Effective pacing
Just as with any other work of fiction, your text adventure needs to be expertly paced and plotted to ensure that it keeps people reading, and playing, right until the very end. The exact pacing and rhythm that you implement will depend heavily on how long you intend your adventure game to be, but it should follow its only natural course, beginning with an exposition of the world and characters, creating a rising action which keeps players interested, plenty of challenges and events, and eventually a satisfying climax and resolution to the plot. If your adventure has separate narrative strands created by player choices, you must make sure that this applies to each one.
Consistency
When people are reading any kind of fiction they like to be surprised, but they also like to know generally what to expect from the story. While creating your interactive story, take care to ensure that your style of writing remains consistent and doesn’t vary wildly when they make this choice or that. Consistency will keep people in your world and eager to play on, random changes will jar them out of it.
Believable characters
This is doubly true if you’re writing in the second person. If the reader is themselves playing the role of the protagonist, they won’t take kindly to being forced into making choices which are illogical, out of character or even abhorrent.
Following these tips, you'll be able to create interesting text based adventure games in no time! Be sure to share them in the comments if you make something. If you liked this post, then consider upvoting it follow me for more interesting stuff!
Hope this post doesn't share the fate of it's predecessor ;_;